Friday, July 16, 2010

Get fired up for the next ‘Burning Man’ happening

I found a great resource for all things to do with the ‘Burning Man’ event. The name of the site is “Brave New Traveler”  and it has a lot of information and great photos by Ian MacKenzie.

 I’ve never been to this interesting event in the Black Rock Desert, but I read about it every summer. If it wasn’t so darn hot I think I’d consider going to it – at least once. I’m an old 60s era hippie (who’s 60) who still digs happenings like this.  

Golden State Warriors sold for record $450 million

Capture of logo

Golden State Warriors owner Chris Cohan reached an agreement Thursday to sell the franchise for a record $450 million to Boston Celtics minority partner Joe Lacob and Mandalay Entertainment CEO Peter Guber.

I doubt this ownership change will make any difference. Just look at the starting lineup for next year. I wouldn’t be surprised to see them finish in the league cellar again – something they’ve been doing regularly for decades. Who knows? Maybe they’ll win more games than last year just because there’s new owners to impress.

See early Kodachrome Images from the Great Depression

When we think of America during the Great Depression, we often picture it in shades of grey.  It was a grim era and nearly all of the photographs we see are in black and white.Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Color presents an entirely different image. Go here to see numerous color photos taken during the Great Depression. It’ll take a couple of minutes to read the captions and view all of the photos, but it’s worth it for nostalgia nuts like me.

This is one of Dorothea Lange’s most famous photographs - a destitute mother in a migrant farm worker camp in California.

Lange was one of the many talented WPA photographers who recorded the history and conditions of the Depression across the United States.

Porky Pig allegedly beaten up at Six Flags theme park

Off-duty Six Flag employees accused of attacking dressed-up co-worker

Is nothing sacred? How could someone attack an iconic pig?

The clowns who attacked the worker wearing the Porky Pig outfit tried to lie their way out of it, but witnesses busted them.

Tha..tha..tha…That’s all folks!

Thursday, July 15, 2010

Forget the war on marijuana - prescription drug abuse skyrocketing

prescription_drugs.jpg image by parttake

400 percent rise in those admitted for treatment, government study says

U.S. officials reported a 400 percent increase over 10 years in the proportion of Americans treated for prescription painkiller abuse and said on Thursday the problem cut across age groups, geography and income.

The dramatic jump was higher than treatment admission rates for methamphetamine abuse, which doubled, and marijuana, which increased by almost half, according to figures from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

Liar! Liar! Pants on Fire – Researcher says McInnis lying about plagiarism

Image: Scott McInnis

A researcher whom Colorado Republican gubernatorial candidate Scott McInnis blamed for plagiarism allegations said Wednesday he won't sign a letter from the campaign owning up to what happened because he claims McInnis is lying.

The claim by 82-year-old Rolly Fischer is the latest to plague McInnis after the plagiarism allegations against him surfaced this week. Fischer told KMGH-TV that McInnis' campaign sent him a letter to sign in which Fischer would say the alleged plagiarism was his fault.

Colorado gubernatorial candidate (right) Scott McInnis.

Wall Street accountability increased by Senate bill - sweeping reform predicted

Image: Sen. Debbie Stabenow

Massive 2,300-page bill is aimed at averting another financial crisis

Congress on Thursday passed the stiffest restrictions on banks and Wall Street since the Great Depression, clamping down on lending practices and expanding consumer protections to prevent a repeat of the 2008 meltdown that knocked the economy to its knees.

Sources: U.S. paid Iran scientist $5 million, but account is frozen

I wonder what the real story is? Did we get any important information or is this all a dog and pony show? 

Image: Iranian Nuclear Scientist Returns To Tehran

'We've got the information and the money,' one official tells NBC

Iran scientist returns home, claims U.S. torture

 

Iranian scientist Shahram Amiri arrives at Tehran's airport on Thursday. He claimed he was offered $50 million to remain in the U.S.

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Fair warning: CSPI Says Food Dyes Pose Rainbow of Risks

I always suspected food dyes could pose a health risk, but had no idea how serious a threat until I read they cause:

Cancer, Hyperactivity, Allergic Reactions

Food dyes—used in everything from M&Ms to Manischewitz Matzo Balls to Kraft salad dressings—pose risks of cancer, hyperactivity in children, and allergies, and should be banned, according to a new report by the Center for Science in the Public Interest.

A top government scientist agrees, and says that food dyes present unnecessary risks to the public.

The three most widely used dyes, Red 40, Yellow 5, and Yellow 6, are contaminated with known carcinogens, says CSPI. Another dye, Red 3, has been acknowledged for years by the Food and Drug Administration to be a carcinogen, yet is still in the food supply.

Wealthy rip-off majority of Americans – why do we continue to put up with it?

I’m firmly convinced that the American people haven’t learned anything from history. The Great Depression and our current Great Recession have one thing in common; the richest 1 percent pull in nearly a quarter of the nation’s income.

To prove we haven’t learned a damn thing, we got ourselves involved in Iraq and Afghanistan. Both unwinnable wars. Just like Vietnam and Korea. How do the rich manage to get more than their fair share of the nation’s income? 

It's All About the Wages -- Our Economy Would Be Fine If Everyone Made Their Fair Share

“Each of America's two biggest economic downturns over the last century has followed the same pattern. Consider: in 1928 the richest 1 percent of Americans received 23.9 percent of the nation's total income.

After that, the share going to the richest 1 percent steadily declined. New Deal reforms, followed by World War II, the GI Bill and the Great Society expanded the circle of prosperity. By the late 1970s the top 1 percent raked in only 8 to 9 percent of America's total annual income.

But after that, inequality began to widen again, and income concentrated at the top. By 2007 the richest 1 percent were back to where they were in 1928 -- with 23.5 percent of the total.”

Clowns in Politics: an ongoing ‘two-ring’ circus in Washington, DC

Hi there everyone!

As usual there’s been some tricky acts to follow in the Main Tent. Seems like there’s an all out effort lately to see who’s going to be the Clown of the Year. Here’s some of the latest high-wire acts, and clownish lawmakers will leave you rolling in the aisles!

 

White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs learned an important -- and unfortunate -- lesson: In politics, telling the truth can get you in trouble.

COLLAGE PHOTO BELOW: Republican Clown College

_____________________________

Republican Sen. Scott Brown says he will cast a critical vote against a bill Democrats hoped he would support as they try to nullify a recent Supreme Court decision on political fundraising.

The Massachusetts senator said in a letter to five advocacy groups that bill "changes the rules in the middle of the game." He says it will give "a tactical and political advantage" to labor unions little more than 100 days before an election.

   DEMOCRATIC CLOWN

         COLLEGE(below)

 

 

 

Fraud? Sen. Al Franken in Minnesota May Have Benefited from Voter Fraud, Findings Show Convicted Felons Voted in Election

Trump's first 100 Days: Democracy Assaulted but Americans Weathering the Storm

It only took 100 days for Trump to seize unrestrained power by breaking every rule in the Constitution and defying nearly every norm in our...