hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

verrrrrrrrrrrrry interesting! what d'ya have to say sarevil and johnny? not JUST hanging with "radicals" (i didn't use the word, THEY did) but GIVING THEM MOOLAH



Fact check: Does group McCain chairs have link to Columbia professor Khalidi?

The Statement
The campaign of Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama, on Wednesday, October 29, responded to Republican opponent Sen. John McCain criticism of Obama's relationship with Rashid Khalidi, an Arab studies professor at Columbia University, by suggesting that McCain also had a link to Khalidi. It said, "John McCain should answer why, under his own chairmanship, the International Republican Institute repeatedly funded an organization Khalidi founded, the Center for Palestine Research and Studies, over the course of many years."

Get the facts!

The Facts
McCain and vice presidential candidate Gov. Sarah Palin have raised the issue of Barack Obama's relationship with Khalidi, a scholar who has been critical of Israel and U.S. foreign policy. Palin, on October 29 in Ohio, described him as a "radical professor from the neighborhood who spent a lot of time with Barack Obama going back several years." She also called him a "political ally" of Obama.

Obama knows Khalidi from their days in Chicago, but his campaign says he "has been clear and consistent on his support for Israel, and has been clear that Rashid Khalidi is not an adviser to him or his campaign and that he does not share Khalidi's views."

Since 1993, McCain has been chairman of the International Republican Institute — a nonprofit and nonpartisan group that helps promote democratic practices and institutions across the globe.....................

sad news indeed

i liked him. he himself said it best; he broke down the walls

Studs Terkel, Listener to Americans, Dies at 96

By WILLIAM GRIMES

Studs Terkel, a Pulitzer Prize-winning author whose searching interviews with ordinary Americans helped establish oral history as a serious genre, and who for decades was the voluble host of a popular radio show in Chicago, died Friday at his home there. He was 96.

His death was confirmed by Lois Baum, a friend and longtime colleague at the radio station WFMT.

In his oral histories, which he called guerrilla journalism, Mr. Terkel relied on his enthusiastic but gentle interviewing style to elicit, in rich detail, the experiences and thoughts of his fellow citizens. Over the decades, he developed a continuous narrative of great historic moments sounded by an American chorus in the native vernacular. ................

huh AND wtf???????????

the woman is a raving pile. do YOU want HER finger on the button? i sure as shite don't

HER frickin' first amendment rights? does she think she can STOP THE PRESSES? hey sarevil................THIS IS AMERICAN WE ALL HAVE FIRST AMENDMENT RIGHTS EVEN MOI

this COULD be funny, but it's not (cause it's REAL)

hey sarevil, GROW A SET. you ain't seen NOTHIN' yet

Palin Fears Media Threaten Her First Amendment Rights

ABC News' Steven Portnoy reports: In a conservative radio interview that aired in Washington, D.C. Friday morning, Republican vice presidential nominee Gov. Sarah Palin said she fears her First Amendment rights may be threatened by "attacks" from reporters who suggest she is engaging in a negative campaign against Barack Obama.

Palin told WMAL-AM that her criticism of Obama's associations, like those with 1960s radical Bill Ayers and the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, should not be considered negative attacks. Rather, for reporters or columnists to suggest that it is going negative may constitute an attack that threatens a candidate's free speech rights under the Constitution, Palin said.

"If [the media] convince enough voters that that is negative campaigning, for me to call Barack Obama out on his associations," Palin told host Chris Plante, "then I don't know what the future of our country would be in terms of First Amendment rights and our ability to ask questions without fear of attacks by the mainstream media."..........

don't like oprah

but shite, if it can happen to HER, it can happen to YOU

VIDEO: OPRAH SEES OWN PRESIDENTIAL VOTE DROPPED BY TOUCH-SCREEN VOTING MACHINE
Blogged by Brad Friedman


go to the link above for the story AND the vid!

hey coop, I GOT YOUR BACK ON THIS ONE

what? you can't be a gun lover AND an obama supporter? one excludes the other? i admire your courage for speaking out against the crowd

Gun company CEO sacked over Obama support

By Nick Juliano

Conservative gun enthusiasts have succeeded in forcing a Montana-based rifle manufacturer to oust its CEO after he revealed his support for Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama.

Dan Cooper, founder of Cooper Firearms, resigned his position with the company after a wave of condemnation from gun owners who don’t believe Obama’s assurances that he plans to protect gun rights. Cooper, founder and part owner of Cooper Firearms, told USA Today in a story published Tuesday that he has voted for Republicans for most of his life, but he is backing Obama ‘probably because of the war. And also because the Republican Party has moved so far right in recent years,’” the paper reported. “Cooper said he was attracted to the Democrat’s message about ‘the retooling of America, which involves the building of middle-class jobs and helping American small business be competitive with those overseas.’”.......

i don't think it's a real dysfunction at all

it's dysfunctional only in that women DO NOT tell their partners what feels good. what makes them happy. what arouses them. what they DON'T like. i think it's because women think it's 'unladylike' to say, HEY, DO THIS or HEY, I'M GETTING ON TOP. my sistahs, we rule. we KNOW what we want. either ASK for it OR TAKE IT. i learned that long ago and i'm passing it on to you. it really DOES make a difference. if your partner is threatened by that, well you shouldn't be with them to begin with

oh and please note who funded the 'study'. DRUG MAKERS FOR WOMEN'S SEXUAL 'DYSFUNCTION'. dysfunction smysfunction - MY BIG FAT ASS.

sistahs - you know what you want - GET IT

Almost Half of Women Have Sexual Problems

By Amanda Gardner

HealthDay Reporter

FRIDAY, Oct. 31 (HealthDay News) -- In a double whammy for the female gender, new research shows that 40 percent of women report sexual problems, but only 12 percent are distressed about it.

"The good news is that 12 percent is a very different number than 40 percent," said study author Dr. Jan Shifren, an associate professor of obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive biology at Harvard Medical School and director of the Vincent Menopause Program at Massachusetts General Hospital, both in Boston.

But 12 percent of 83 million U.S. women aged 20 to 65 is nothing to scoff at, noted a related editorial in the November issue of Obstetrics & Gynecology. The research was funded by Boehringer Ingelheim International, maker of flibanserin, a drug for female sexual dysfunction that is currently being tested in clinical trials.........

wow, she's even

creepier than i first imagined. if the good peeps of minnesota re-elect this pile, i'll eat my hat tofu!

please peeps DO NOT vote for the sexist buffoon

Michele Bachmann's Antiquated, Pimpy Holiday Cheer
Check out this ridiculously sexist Christmas letter that Minnesota Congresswoman Michele Bachmann wrote in 2003, in which she reinforces gender norms left and right and tries to pimp out all of her children, even going so far as to post a hypothetical singles ad for her son:

Chick magnate (sic) needs wife to put him through med school, clean house, pay bills and run his life. Must be willing to gamble against onslaught of socialized medicine diminishing return on investment........

you MUST click on the link for the letter and read the whole thing. you can literally pray it's a satire, but it be real my peeps

happy samhain

picture: ninthwavedesigns

where have you gone

joe dimaggio the plumber.............

4,000 SCHOOL KIDS????????????? hmmmmmmm. what if they didn't WANT to go? does that mean they had to get 4,000 permission slips signed? not sure i'm actually buying this story. that's a LOT of kids and a LOT of slips to sign. if it is indeed true, it's one hell of a sad tale for juan mccain

McCain Busses in 4,000 School Kids to Fill Crowd
Posted by Sam Stein, Huffington Post

The most cringe-worthy political moment of the day, so far, came when Sen. John McCain called out for his new buddy Joe the Plumber to stand up at a rally in Ohio, only to be greeted with confused silence. Joe the Plumber wasn't there.

But that rally featured another embarrassing moment, one that illustrates a far more troubling dynamic for the Republican ticket. The McCain campaign actually had to bus in school kids from the surrounding area in order to fill the event. As reported by MSNBC:

A local school district official confirmed after the event that of the 6,000 people estimated by the fire marshal to be in attendance this morning, more than 4,000 were bused in from schools in the area. The entire 2,500-student Defiance School District was in attendance, the official said, in addition to at least three other schools from neighboring districts, one of which sent 14 buses...............

uh oh

even i know enough NOT TO PRAY TO A GOLDEN BULL

wtf are these peeps thinking? their god ain't gonna like it too very much

Where's Charlton Heston when you need him?

Posted on: October 29, 2008 9:59 PM, by PZ Myers

Some Christian fanatics are concerned, quite reasonably, about the economy, and have chosen, quite absurdly, to try and correct the problem with prayer. So far, so typical, but then … well, they picked a peculiarly oblivious way to do it. They prayed before a statue of a golden bull on Wall Street...........................

photo: We are going to intercede at the site of the statue of the bull on Wall Street to ask God to begin a shift from the bull and bear markets to what we feel will be the 'Lion's Market,' or God's control over the economic systems. While we do not have the full revelation of all this will entail, we do know that without intercession, economies will crumble. (taken from pharyngula site)

a good editorial

in today's wapo

desperate people (mccain and sarevil) do and say desperate things.

An 'Idiot Wind'

John McCain's latest attempt to link Barack Obama to extremism

WITH THE presidential campaign clock ticking down, Sen. John McCain has suddenly discovered a new boogeyman to link to Sen. Barack Obama: a sometimes controversial but widely respected Middle East scholar named Rashid Khalidi. In the past couple of days, Mr. McCain and his running mate, Gov. Sarah Palin, have likened Mr. Khalidi, the director of a Middle East institute at Columbia University, to neo-Nazis; called him "a PLO spokesman"; and suggested that the Los Angeles Times is hiding something sinister by refusing to release a videotape of a 2003 dinner in honor of Mr. Khalidi at which Mr. Obama spoke. Mr. McCain even threw former Weatherman Bill Ayers into the mix, suggesting that the tape might reveal that Mr. Ayers -- a terrorist-turned-professor who also has been an Obama acquaintance -- was at the dinner.

For the record, Mr. Khalidi is an American born in New York who graduated from Yale a couple of years after George W. Bush. For much of his long academic career, he taught at the University of Chicago, where he and his wife became friends with Barack and Michelle Obama. In the early 1990s, he worked as an adviser to the Palestinian delegation at peace talks in Madrid and Washington sponsored by the first Bush administration............

i'm not in the least bit surprised

we make less and are charged more. (even at the dry cleaners even though MOST, not all mind you but MOST of the time our clothing is either equal sized or smaller than a man's)

for years and years and years women were excluded from health studies (as in heart attacks) and studies the big drug companies did. women getting sick didn't matter i guess.

sure women have babies (and that IS an expense) and men don't. but it's NOT that great of an expense usually. these days it's an in one day out the next routine.



(and yes, i work for an insurance company/financial institution BUT NOT HEALTH INSURANCE. i'll tell you this much about the company i work for, they have many women in power AND promote women's activities and women's health issues. they have always had gay and lesbian organizations AND insurance coverage for same sex partners. it's not perfect but i really do think it's a wonderful company to work for as far as the field goes. i'd rather make jewelry or movies or write the perfect novel, but that's not happening right now, is it?)

Women Buying Health Policies Pay a Penalty

By ROBERT PEAR
WASHINGTON — Striking new evidence has emerged of a widespread gap in the cost of health insurance, as women pay much more than men of the same age for individual insurance policies providing identical coverage, according to new data from insurance companies and online brokers.

Some insurance executives expressed surprise at the size and prevalence of the disparities, which can make a woman’s insurance cost hundreds of dollars a year more than a man’s. Women’s advocacy groups have raised concerns about the differences, and members of Congress have begun to question the justification for them.

The new findings, which are not easily explained away, come amid anxiety about the declining economy. More and more people are shopping for individual health insurance policies because they have lost jobs that provided coverage. Politicians of both parties have offered proposals that would expand the role of the individual market, giving people tax credits or other assistance to buy coverage on their own..........

have to post it again

yes WE can

oh my goddess

if this doesn't make you laugh, there's something WRONG wit cha

there are still people out there

like Burstein!

who can win my heart over! here are his flickr pages

found via laughing squid and boing boing

photo of course belongs to Burstein

uh oh, he DID share his pb&j

IN KINDERGARTEN!!!

Obama Mocks Socialist Attacks: "I Shared My Toys in Kindergarten"
Posted by Steve Benen, Washington Monthly

Barack Obama campaigned earlier in Raleigh, North Carolina, principally relying on the closing-statement speech he unveiled in Ohio on Monday. Today, however, he added a new paragraph.

"[B]ecause he knows his economic theories don't work, he's been spending these last few days calling me every name in the book," Obama said. "Lately, he's called me a 'socialist' for wanting to roll back the Bush tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans so we can finally give tax relief to the middle class. I don't know what's next. By the end of the week, he'll be accusing me of being a secret communist because I shared my toys in kindergarten. I shared my peanut butter and jelly sandwich.".........

see if you too can

dress like palin

'She's a Neiman Marxist,' supporter says

What would you do with the $150,000 the Republican National Committee spent on Gov. Sarah Palin's wardrobe?

That's the question being asked the California Nurses Association, a liberal group that along with the National Nurses Organizing Committee has sponsored the website DressLikePalin.com.

$150,000, the nurses note, would outfit 15,000 RNs with scrubs.

"Spending $150,000 for a one month wardrobe while painting yourself as a 'hockey mom' or the voice of 'Joe Six Pack' is an insult," said CNA/NNOC Executive Director Rose Ann DeMoro in a release. "There's been a lot of talk about Marxists in this campaign, but the real Marxist is in the McCain camp – she's just a Neiman Marxist."........

you know it really ONLY

comes down to one reason. they can use words like socialist, communist or now even marxist. i'm sure 3/4 of them don't even know the meanings of the words. they're using them as code. code for what? well the "N" word! THERE IS ONLY ONE REASON AND ONE ALONE 'THESE PEOPLE' ARE AFRAID OF BARACK OBAMA. IT'S BECAUSE HE'S BLACK. some deny it some don't. but it's ALL true.

i'll respect you if you say you're not voting for barack obama becuase you simply cannot accept his proposals on health care and the financial crisis (i won't agree with you but i'll respect you). i'll think you're a pile of steamin' shite when you say things to me like, 'i can't vote for barack obama because he's not a citizen of the us.' or 'did you know he was a communist, muslim, socialist, polygamous devil worshiper?".........................

come on it's 2008, don't worry about the color of one's skin. worry about their hearts minds and souls (at least barack obama HAS a soul unlike sarevil and mccain)

Tom DeLay gets his hate on with Tweety on Hardball, 10-29-08.
.................................MATTHEWS: Where would you put him on that spectrum between- well, youre using words like socialist, youre[]happy, I guess okay with words like communist. We had somebody on this show the other day who said he oughta be checked out for being Anti-American. Where would you put him? You think hes anti-American in his values?

DELAY: Chris, I tagged him as a Marxist months ago, particularly when you look at his relationship with Jeremiah Wright, his relationship with William Ayers. Its not that Wright makes outrageous sermons, its that Jeremiah Wright is a black, liberation theology preacher. And twenty years of association means that he must agree with the Marxist theology of black liberation theology. Same with William Ayers, its not that hes a terrorist, its that this guys so anti-American he wants to completely destroy America and build a new America[..]...................

soooooooooooooooo

why isn't faux (and to be fair most of the OTHER msm 'news' sources) asking if sarevil is a SOCIALIST? (hmmmmmmmmm seems like there is ACTUAL PROOF that she IS, no??????). every time she calls barack obama a socialist, why doesn't anyone shout out what's in the following excerpt from a new yorker article? huh?

Sarah Palin, proud socialist

Posted by Mark Frauenfelder,
..........The best part of Hendrik Hertzberg's excellent New Yorker commentary about McCain and Palin's failed attempt to convince people that Obama is a socialist is the final paragraph containing this boast from Gov. Sarah Palin:

The state that she governs has no income or sales tax. Instead, it imposes huge levies on the oil companies that lease its oil fields. The proceeds finance the government’s activities and enable it to issue a four-figure annual check to every man, woman, and child in the state. One of the reasons Palin has been a popular governor is that she added an extra twelve hundred dollars to this year’s check, bringing the per-person total to $3,269. A few weeks before she was nominated for Vice-President, she told a visiting journalist—Philip Gourevitch, of this magazine—that “we’re set up, unlike other states in the union, where it’s collectively Alaskans own the resources. So we share in the wealth when the development of these resources occurs.” Perhaps there is some meaningful distinction between spreading the wealth and sharing it (“collectively,” no less), but finding it would require the analytic skills of Karl the Marxist........

lest we forget

we still f**ked up iraq so badly, 40% of iraqi citizens DO NOT HAVE CLEAN WATER

(can you imagine that? well, no you can't because if you COULD, we'd NEVER HAVE DONE WHAT WE DID)

Warning on 'dire' Iraq conditions

By Imogen Foulkes
BBC News, Geneva

The Red Cross is warning that despite some improvements in security in Iraq, the condition of the country's infrastructure remains dire.

In a statement issued from their headquarters in Geneva, the Red Cross said it was particularly concerned about poor water supplies.

It estimates that over 40% of Iraq's civilian population still has no access to clean mains water.

The organisation says that the health of millions Iraqis is at risk.

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) describes the condition of Iraq's health, water and sanitation services as dire - failing to meet the needs of a large part of the population.

Following this summer's outbreak of cholera, Beatrice Megevand Roggo, Red Cross Head of Operations for the Middle East, said she was especially concerned about the lack of clean water supplies.

Ms Megevand Roggo said even the most basic infrastructure in Iraq is not functioning..........

david sedaris does politics

found via chris in paris at americablog

now come on, david sedaris is one of THE funniest people out there (so is his sister amy for that matter)



like many others, david is NOT ...

Undecided

by David Sedaris

I don’t know that it was always this way, but, for as long as I can remember, just as we move into the final weeks of the Presidential campaign the focus shifts to the undecided voters. “Who are they?” the news anchors ask. “And how might they determine the outcome of this election?”

Then you’ll see this man or woman— someone, I always think, who looks very happy to be on TV. “Well, Charlie,” they say, “I’ve gone back and forth on the issues and whatnot, but I just can’t seem to make up my mind!” Some insist that there’s very little difference between candidate A and candidate B. Others claim that they’re with A on defense and health care but are leaning toward B when it comes to the economy..........

well now the msm jumped on the bandwagon

perhaps NOW something can and will be done? perhaps one or two of those meetings where people testify before congress will happen. then another bunch of people will talk about it and meet and finally after months or years decide women getting harassed and assaulted in the military (or anywhere) is not a GOOD thing. of course almost nothing will be done (as usual). seems like this has been documented FOR YEARS. yet, it's not only still going on, it's being swept under the rug.
(take lavena johnson for example. her parents were told she committed suicide. while even a kindergartner could determine she was sexually assaulted and then murdered. what an insult to not only the parents of a war hero BUT THE WAR HERO HERSELF)

from 2004 One Hundred Twelve Women Assaulted in Iraq, Afghanistan

from 2006

Military Hides Cause of Women Soldiers' Deaths

i have NO idea when this article came out Women assaulted in military suffer depression, alcohol problems

from 2007

The private war of women soldier

from 2003 Sexual Assault Pervasive in Military, Experts Say

from august 2008

Sexual Assault in the Military: A DoD Cover-Up?

from 2003 Factors Associated With Women’s Risk of
Rape in the Military Environment

from 2007

Report: Sexual assault of women soldiers on rise in US military

from 2005

Violence Against Women in the Military

from 2007 Scandal Bigger than Walter Reed
The Rape, Assault and Harassment of Women in the Military
from july 2008

Women in Military Struggle to Overcome Sexual Assault

from 2007

The private war of women soldiers

from 2006 Military recruiters sexually assaulting young women

i'll stop now, but i could post links ALL day. anyone notice a pattern?

does anyone know why new articles (like the following) keep appearing daily? SHOULDN'T SOMETHING HAVE BEEN DONE ALREADY? SHOULDN'T IT?

and from yesterday:

Alarming Sex Assault Rate Found Among Vets

CBS Evening News: Records Show 1 In 7 Female Iraq And Afghanistan Veterans Treated By The VA Suffered Sexual Trauma

(CBS) For a soldier, the wounds of war can be felt long after a tour of duty ends, CBS News national security correspondent David Martin reports, and not all of them are inflicted by the enemy. Tuesday, researchers reported that an alarming number of female soldiers have sought treatment for sexual assault committed by fellow soldiers.

A Veterans Administration study found that one in seven female veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan seeking medical care from the VA suffered sexual trauma - everything from harassment to rape.

Medical records of 125,000 war veterans, both men and women, showed 15 percent reported sexual trauma. That works out to nearly 2,600 veterans, almost all women.

And that's just the tip of the iceberg, since the study covered only a fraction of the 870,000 veterans who have fought - and none still on active duty.

"I do feel that it is much higher than that, and if they could get the records of all the women that have returned that had been sexually assaulted, those afraid to come in, they would find that it's a lot higher," said Wanda Story.

Story, who was raped twice during her military service 20 years ago, now heads the United Female Veterans of America. ................

if you think these organizations are protecting us

you're hiding your head in the sand. it's not just the fda either. it's most of them. including the faa (among MANY other agencies)

once again, the almighty dollar (with a bit of laziness thrown in) wins out

BPA Ruling Flawed, Panel Says

FDA Ignored Scientific Evidence of Harm, Report Finds

By Annys Shin

Washington Post Staff Writer

The Food and Drug Administration ignored scientific evidence and used flawed methods when it determined that a chemical widely used in baby bottles and in the lining of cans is not harmful, a scientific advisory panel has found.

In a highly critical report to be released today, the panel of scientists from government and academia said the FDA did not take into consideration scores of studies that have linked bisphenol A (BPA) to prostate cancer, diabetes and other health problems in animals when it completed a draft risk assessment of the chemical last month. The panel said the FDA didn't use enough infant formula samples and didn't take into account variations among the samples.

Taking those studies into consideration, the panel concluded, the FDA's margin of safety is "inadequate" and it recommended that the agency redo its risk assessment. The panel is part of the Science Board, a committee of advisers to the FDA commissioner. It was set up to review the FDA's risk assessment of BPA................

down to the wire

what a f**kwad

they KNOW he's a f**kwad, we KNOW he's a f**kwad, yet they keep having him on news shows. he's not informed, he's bordering on stupid AND dangerous (could he be a plant all along? i'm sort of wondering that.) at any rate, why give stock to this schmuck? i don't BUT faux news of all sources says he's a schmuck (my words not theirs). wow, are pigs (with lipstick) flying?

Fox host berates 'Joe the Plumber' after McCain surrogate says Obama vote means 'death to Israel'
David Edwards and Nick Juliano
The all-out effort from John McCain's presidential campaign to scare voters into backing the Republican candidate continued apace on Tuesday as McCain surrogate Joe the Plumber agreed that a Barack Obama presidency would mean the "death of Israel" and end democracy in America.

The Ohio plumber, who has no license and is actually named Samuel Wurzelbacher, spoke at a McCain campaign event in Columbus Monday. A McCain supporter asked if "a vote for Obama is a vote for the death of Israel." JTP hardly batted an eye.

"I'll go ahead and agree with you on that," Wurzelbacher said.

The push-back against Wurzelbacher's comments began, somewhat unexpectedly, at Fox News.

The network noted that the McCain campaign seemed hesitant to distance itself from Wurzelbacher. Correspondent Carl Cameron said that the McCain campaign was going to put out an ad today criticizing Obama policies on Israel.

"Just a coincidence?" he asked. "We report you decide."
...........

she didn't stop

and she didn't chastise the person saying it because it is my personal belief, SHE wants to use the word too

Palin hears rally attendee call Obama "n-word" during speech, keeps on truckin'.

Posted by Xeni Jardin,

once again this is craft BUT

since i vowed not to post anything political in the reformed pirate i'm posting it HERE

i LOVE LOVE LOVE lisa anne auerbach and her little red blog of revolutionary knitting
the great schlep
(photo: from lisa's website)

the nutmeg grater: you know i'm NOT going to link to the article directly

the nutmeg grater: you know i'm NOT going to link to the article directly

i liked reading tony hillerman's works

i liked joe leaphorn and jim chee. i would certainly have liked our paths to cross one day. alas, they're just characters and i'll never get to meet them outside of my mind.

i was never too big on mysteries UNTIL i came across hillerman. then i started inching over that way a bit more.

so i'm sorry i will never get to meet you too tony, but thank you for your works.

Acclaimed Author Tony Hillerman Dies at 83

By AMANDA LEE MYERS

The Associated Press

PHOENIX -- Tony Hillerman, author of the acclaimed Navajo Tribal Police mystery novels and creator of two of the unlikeliest of literary heroes _ Navajo police officers Joe Leaphorn and Jim Chee _ died Sunday of pulmonary failure. He was 83.

Hillerman's daughter, Anne Hillerman, said her father's health had been declining in the last couple years and that he was at Presbyterian Hospital in Albuquerque when he died at about 3 p.m.

Hillerman lived through two heart attacks and surgeries for prostate and bladder cancer. He kept tapping at his keyboard even as his eyes began to dim, as his hearing faded, as rheumatoid arthritis turned his hands into claws.

"I'm getting old," he declared in 2002, "but I still like to write."

Anne Hillerman said Sunday that her father was a born storyteller...........

not only did he play

dr zefram cochrane but his politics and my politics are similar. i've always liked him as an actor (he can be NASTY as evidenced in l.a. confidential BUT HE'S a DAMN FINE ACTOR).

from the suicide girls we have an interview

W: James Cromwell vs. George Bush Snr.

There's no misunderestimating James Cromwell. The 68 year-old actor, who came to prominence in the 90s with star turns in the popular Babe films and critically-acclaimed performances in L.A. Confidential and RKO 281, stands an incredible six foot seven inches tall and has a distinct, authoritative voice -- a combo that continues to make him one of the hardest-working character actors in the business.

A longtime left-wing political activist, Cromwell's sweet spot is putting his own spin on historically significant figures; his resume includes portrayals of Lyndon Johnson (in RFK), S&L crook Charles Keating (The People vs. Larry Flynt) and Britain's controversial Prince Philip (The Queen), among others. This week, his latest historical character governs the big screen as he takes on the role of 41st president George Herbert Walker Bush in Oliver Stone's W., which chronicles the unlikely rise to power of his son George Walker Bush (played by Josh Brolin), who became president number 43.

The busy actor recently dialed up SuicideGirls during an airport run to discuss the ins and outs of the role and to give us his thoughts on the knife-edge our democracy currently exists on.

Ryan Stewart: I'd like to hear about your first meeting with Oliver Stone, to discuss this role. How did that go?

James Cromwell: Well, it was Josh's idea. He sort of turned his nose up at it, but Josh said, "No, have a meeting with him." So we met at a hotel -- Oliver was late -- and then he sat down and said to me, "You know, I offered this part to Warren Beatty and Harrison Ford, but it's probably better to have someone who is not as well known, blah, blah, blah." And I don't expect anything more, because I've auditioned for him before. Then Josh shows up -- and Josh is delightful -- and Oliver is delightful too. He said, "I understand your politics are a little to the left ..." I said, "A little does not describe it." And he said, "Well, how are you gonna feel about playing Bush?" And I said, "You know, I'll do my best." So, I think he liked that Josh and I hit it off -- Josh knew instantly that it was the right thing -- and they needed somebody of my age and somebody of my height. I bring something to it that I think they wanted in the picture. They knew, at least I hope, that I would try to make him as human as possible. He's a man who made humongous mistakes, the biggest of which was his son, and is now basically as powerless as the rest of us to change the course of the history his son has created for us..............

image from: mother jones

if this is true, WOW

wow and wow. makes my heart sing (not that they had to walk off their job WITHOUT PAY). i'm happy because people are standing up for their beliefs. people are NOT buying this bullshite about obama being something he's not. i'm happy because people have morals and souls. again, i'm not sure this story is true or not, but if it is.........

Dozens Of Call Center Workers Walk Off Job In Protest Rather Than Read McCain Script Attacking Obama

By Greg Sargent -

Some three dozen workers at a telemarketing call center in Indiana walked off the job rather than read an incendiary McCain campaign script attacking Barack Obama, according to two workers at the center and one of their parents.

Nina Williams, a stay-at-home mom in Lake County, Indiana, tells us that her daughter recently called her from her job at the center, upset that she had been asked to read a script attacking Obama for being "dangerously weak on crime," "coddling criminals," and for voting against "protecting children from danger."

Williams' daughter told her that up to 40 of her co-workers had refused to read the script, and had left the call center after supervisors told them that they would have to either read the call or leave, Williams says. The call center is called Americall, and it's located in Hobart, IN.

"They walked out," Williams says of her daughter and her co-workers, adding that they weren't fired but willingly sacrificed pay rather than read the lines. "They were told [by supervisors], `If you all leave, you're not gonna get paid for the rest of the day."

The daughter, who wanted her name withheld fearing retribution from her employer, confirmed the story to us. "It was like at least 40 people," the daughter said. "People thought the script was nasty and they didn't wanna read it."

A second worker at the call center confirmed the episode, saying that "at least 30" workers had walked out after refusing to read the script...............

these are THE most vile people on earth

they are self-centered, self-absorbed, stupid, uncaring, selfish, stupid, reckless, stupid, substance abusers, racially insensitive, stupid, politically incorrect, stupid and

FUNNY AS HELL. i can't get enough of 'em

it's always sunny in philadelphia

if you're easily offended (and they will offend EVERYTHING AND EVERYONE) do not watch

an interesting take on

why someone is NOT voting for mccain (who normally in a new york minute WOULD vote for him)

Why McCain Lost Me

By Anne Applebaum
Yesterday, while reading the latest polling data on John McCain, Sarah Palin and their appeal -- or growing lack of it -- to " independent women voters" it suddenly dawned on me: I am one of these elusive independent female voters, and I have the credentials to prove it. For the past couple of decades, I've sometimes voted Democratic, sometimes Republican. I'm even a registered independent, though I did think of switching to vote for John McCain in 2000. But because the last political party I truly felt comfortable with was Thatcher's Conservative Party (I lived in England in the 1980s and 1990s), I didn't actually do it. The larger point, though, is that if I'm not voting for McCain -- and, after a long struggle, I've realized that I can't -- maybe it's worth explaining why, for I suspect there are other independent voters who feel the same.............

i was torn about posting this

because to me (though OBVIOUSLY NOT true) it is still fuel for the fire. there are those that WILL believe any story by ANY whack job out there. didn't this dude's mama tell him to ALWAYS TELL THE TRUTH? if she did, he didn't listen

people crave attention. when that attention wanes, they do and say things to create MORE attention for themselves.

hey martin, you need not fear barack obama. the ONLY thing you have to fear is YOUR fear itself. may you find inner peace. yes, that is what i wish for you.

Author of Obama Muslim rumor replaces it with Communist rumor
David Edwards and Muriel Kane
The man who originated the rumor that Barack Obama was born a Muslim is now promoting an entirely different story, claiming that Obama is actually the son of a black activist who was suspected in the 1950s of Communist ties.

Andy Martin first launched the "Muslim" rumor in 2004, just two weeks after Obama gained national attention at that year's Democratic convention. His initial press release was picked up by the conservative website FreeRepublic, and from there the story snowballed on the Internet.

However, Martin now tells CNN that, as the result of a recent visit to Honolulu to investigate Obama's background, he concluded that "his father was Frank Marshall Davis." Martin offered no proof for this assertion and implied it was just a gut feeling.

Davis was a black poet and political activist in the 1920s and 30s who moved to Hawaii in 1948 and wrote for a newspaper which the House Un-American Activities Committee accused of being a Communist front. Right-wing websites have been claiming since last winter that Davis was not only a Communist Party member but also the mentor to Obama in his teen years who he refers to in his autobiography as "Frank."........

Martin himself is known for his history of frivolous lawsuits and anti-Semitic remarks.

it's not yo mama's humane society

it's yours and mine. some changes (MANY changes) over the years. i don't (usually) preach about my veganism. i mention it from time to time but let it go at that (people will ask and i'll talk about my substitutions for things likes eggs and milk and cheeses in cooking)- USUALLY. i only make a fuss when i'm attacked OR i see someone who tortures animals (i.e. i'm not sure most people know how a veal calf is raised. if they DID know, i'm not sure they'd so readily order veal). i'm not sure people know how MOST food animals are raised and handled. it's beyond being not nice. there's no reason for it other than the almighty dollar. we can't torture animals just as much as we can't torture one another. i believe that

The Barnyard Strategist

By MAGGIE JONES
Not long ago, I stood outside a closed-down slaughterhouse in Chino, Calif., with Wayne Pacelle, the first vegan to become president of the Humane Society of the United States — he hasn’t put butter on his rolls or poured milk in his cereal since he was a 19-year-old Yale undergrad. He tugged on the locked front gates of the slaughterhouse and called out to a security guard who sat unresponsive behind mirrored sunglasses in a small hut. Then, walking along the perimeter of the plant, Pacelle discovered a low brick wall, and he and I climbed on top. From there we could see the open-air section of the plant and its acres of quiet concrete. The trucks that once arrived at all hours of the morning and night, loaded with cows, were long gone. The pens that held the cows as they awaited U.S. Department of Agriculture inspection were empty. The slaughter chute that once moved about 500 cattle a day into the “kill box” sat motionless. .........
picture: Michael Kelley for The New York Times,,,,,,,,,,,,,

picture: Michael Kelley for The New York Times

dark roasted blend has gone and done it again

with their creative ads collection. do stop by to check them ALL out


pictures: the photographer (image credit: Roger Hagadone)

escapes (images credit: creamstudios)

bloody: (image credit: Igor Omulecki)

this is from

barack obama and joe biden's blog

a picture IS worth a thousand words

Barack Rallies 100,000 in Denver, CO

By Amanda Scott -

in one of my other blogs

(the reformed pirate) i posted about one of THE coolest websites i have ever come across, the toymaker. via the toymaker i came across the following



and was FURTHER blown away by
detektivbyran
today will be a GOOD day

phenomenal isn't even a good enough word

marvin you went WAY too soon
found via bifurcated rivets

and i don't know if i can wait till 2010 to see jesse l martin in sexual healing

flush limburger is a giant steamin' wad

but YOU already knew that. wtf is he STILL doing on the air? he's so self-absorbed and a giant blowhard. he makes me cringe

Conservative media figures allege Obama's Hawaii trip is about discredited birth-certificate rumors, not his ailing grandmother

Conservative radio hosts Michael Savage and Rush Limbaugh and Obama Nation author Jerome Corsi -- who appeared as a guest on G. Gordon Liddy's radio show -- suggested or asserted that the true purpose of Sen. Barack Obama's current trip to Hawaii is not to visit his ailing grandmother, as Obama claims, but rather to address rumors -- widely debunked -- that Obama has failed to produce a valid U.S. birth certificate. However, as Media Matters for America has documented, the Obama campaign posted a copy of Obama's birth certificate on its "Fight the Smears" website and reportedly provided the original document to FactCheck.org, whose staff concluded in an August 21 post that it "meets all of the requirements from the State Department for proving U.S. citizenship." A Hawaiian Health Department official also reportedly confirmed to PolitiFact.com that Obama's birth certificate is valid, and even Corsi's employer, the right-wing website WorldNetDaily, reported in an August 23 article that a "WND investigation into Obama's birth certificate utilizing forgery experts also found the document to be authentic."

On the October 23 broadcast of his radio show, Limbaugh said:

Who announces days in advance they're rushing to the side of a loved one who is deathly ill, but keeps campaigning in a race that's said to be over, only to go to the loved one's side days later? See, I think this is about something else.............

to the family and friends of

U.S Marine Lance Cpl. Stacy Ann Dryden i am sorry for your loss. my thoughts and prayers are with you.

to the military - it is imperative you notify the family of lance cpl dryden's cause of death. we DO NOT want another lavena johnson (JUSTICE FOR LAVENA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

GlenOak graduate dies at Iraq base
BY BENJAMIN DUER
BENJAMIN.DUER@CANTONREP.COM
CANTON U.S Marine Lance Cpl. Stacy Ann Dryden always enjoyed a challenge.

Whether it was singing in the school choir or cheerleading, she always pushed herself to new experiences.

That love for adventure brought her to the Corps. Her cousin, Midge King, said Dryden chose the Marines because they were the toughest to join.

"Once she joined, she found out it was the love of her life," King said Wednesday.

Dryden — known as "Annie" by friends and family — died Sunday while serving in Iraq.

She died as the result of a noncombat related incident at Al-Asad airfield, the second largest airbase in Iraq. She is the 15th Stark County-area soldier to die in Iraq, and the first woman.

Dryden, 22, is the daughter of Thea Dryden and Ronald Dryden. She has a younger brother, Jake.

It is unclear how she died. ...........

woo woo woo

Obama for president

what paper is that from? why the anchorage daily news i reply

lan sakes.........as i live and breathe

it's OPIE! (and andy and the fonz)

See more Ron Howard videos at Funny or Die

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Ron Howard's Call For Obama With Andy Griffith And Henry Winkler

who is elitist??????????? kettle kettle kettle

again, nothing i have to add here to josette sixpack

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Sarah Palin On SNL: Costume Designer Says She Wanted Nicer Clothes

Huffington Post via WWD

The "Saturday Night Live" costume designer Wednesday night revealed the struggle he had in dressing Sarah Palin: she wanted to wear nicer clothes than they had picked out for her, reflecting the new image she has carefully constructed on the campaign trail.

While Palin's transformation from hockey mom to fashion plate has raised eyebrows, her "SNL" character, played by Tina Fey, has remained firmly in the red jacket. And according to Women's Wear Daily's Irin Carmon, "SNL" costume designer Tom Broecker said Wednesday night that dressing Palin for last Saturday's cameo required a compromise:..............

the nutmeg grater: our newspaper.........(it's ABOUT TIME dontcha know)

the nutmeg grater: our newspaper.........(it's ABOUT TIME dontcha know)