Bob Morris @ Oct 30th 2002 13:20 - Category: Unfiled ;
Stand Down
Wow, what a great idea. Stand Down is a collaborative weblog of blogs opposed to an Iraq War. Blogs from the right as well as from left will be posting to it. It just launched today, and PoliZeros will be posting to it.
Bob Morris @ Oct 30th 2002 10:04 - Category: Unfiled ;
The Borg gets sneaky (again)
New Office shuts out old Windows.
The newest version of Microsoft’s Office Suite, code named Office 11, will only work on Windows 2000 with Service Pack 3 and Windows XP. This has upset many businesses, who say they may turn to StarOffice or OpenOffice. It will be interesting to see what happens over the next year.
Bob Morris @ Oct 30th 2002 10:00 - Category: Unfiled ;
Lawyers told Harken that Bush’s sale could be illegal.
This storyclaims that Bush was informed that his dealings could be considered insider trading: The memo, a copy of which was obtained by the Globe, does not say directly whether Bush would face legal problems if he sold his stock. But it does lay out the potential for insider-trading violations…
Bob Morris @ Oct 30th 2002 09:38 - Category: Unfiled ;
My war with Britain is over: IRA leader
Martin McGuinness, the Sinn Fein deputy leader said to be one of the IRA’s most senior figures, has announced that he has abandoned his campaign of violence against the British state.
In a statement likely to be seen as a message to republicans and a reply to a call from the British Prime Minister, Tony Blair, for the IRA to disband, he told a documentary broadcast only in Northern Ireland: “My war is over.”
Mr McGuinness is a pivotal figure in the republican movement. His statements are said to carry the full weight of the IRA’s ruling Army Council, of which he is allegedly a member. By announcing he is no longer personally at war he will be seen to have given allies in the IRA, of which he claims to no longer be a member, approval to emulate him.
Mr McGuinness, who joined the Londonderry IRA at the age of 19, said in the documentary: “My war is over. My job as a political leader is to prevent war. My job is to continue to ensure a political set of circumstances which will never again see British soldiers or members of the IRA lose their lives as a result of political conflict.”
Wow…
Bob Morris @ Oct 30th 2002 09:31 - Category: Unfiled ;
Israeli coalition government collapses
Israel’s national unity coalition government collapsed tonight after Labour party ministers handed in resignation letters en masse following a budget row.
The resignations are a hammer blow to the Israeli prime minister, Ariel Sharon, but will not immediately put him out of office, instead forcing him to rely on rightwing minority parties in a shaky coalition.
Bob Morris @ Oct 30th 2002 09:27 - Category: Unfiled ;
Serious LA County hospital closings planned
The LA County Board of Supervisors voted yesterday to close Rancho Los Amigos, a large specialized clinic, and to cut beds at County-USC. They tabled voting on closing of Olive View and Harbor until after the Nov 5 election. If Prop B passes, these major hospitals will probably stay open. If it doesn’t pass, they will close.
Olive View and Harbor are large hospitals. Harbor has the only Level 1 trauma center in LA County. If it closes, people will die because there is no Level 1 treatment available. This is not hyperbole.
Why the closures? The County says it is going broke. In fact bankruptcy is not inconceivable.
From the LA Times
Rancho Los Amigos, built in 1888, offers highly specialized services that are not available at other county facilities. The hospital has 207 beds and a staff of more than 1,400. It treated 2,600 inpatients and 8,700 outpatients last year — stroke and diabetes patients as well as those with spinal cord and head injuries.
Dr. Dan Lammertse, president of the American Spinal Injury Assn., said county officials are wrong if they believe they will save money by closing a rehabilitation center. The cost will merely shift to acute-care hospitals and emergency rooms.
“The public,” he said, “has the wool pulled over its eyes.”
…
Long Beach Mayor Beverly O’Neill said Harbor is important to the 2.2 million residents in the South Bay. Because of the hospital’s proximity to Los Angeles International Airport and the Port of Los Angeles, it must be available in case of a major disaster.
“As the need is increasing, it is ludicrous to think that cutting back on a life-or-death facility is an answer,” O’Neill said. “To close this would be absolutely having blood on our hands.”
…
Most supervisors said Tuesday that they are prepared to vote Nov. 19 to close Harbor and Olive View –two of the county’s four full-service public hospitals — if more money is not forthcoming.
“I question whether or not we can avoid bankruptcy of the county if we keep going” without making changes,” said Yvonne Brathwaite Burke.
If you live in L.A., vote YES on Proposition B - it provides some funding for our hospitals.
Bob Morris @ Oct 30th 2002 09:12 - Category: Unfiled ;
Leftist agenda invades LA Times front page
Well this is different. On the front page of the LA Times this morning
To some countries, the real threat is the U.S.
Medical Pot Use Given a Boost
Jury nullification on ballot in South Dakota
And on the front page of the California section
Fewer Latinos Back Davis This Time
At this point in the 1998 governor’s race, 72% of Latino voters said they were backing Davis. He ultimately won 71% of the Latino vote, according to Los Angeles Times exit polls of voters. According to a Times poll published Tuesday, however, Davis is currently supported by 57% of likely Latino voters.
They were forced to mention Peter Camejo by paragraph 5.
Linda De Los Reyes, a student and mother of four in Sacramento, said she has many friends who are contemplating a vote for Green Party candidate Peter Camejo because of their frustration with Davis. <Uh if Latinos are backing away from Davis and are not interested is Simon, and since Camejo is Latino, should this be a surprise?>
Bob Morris @ Oct 30th 2002 00:12 - Category: Unfiled ;
Democrats will gain in Senate
That’s the opinion of most pro pollsters. 53-47 could be the final result.
Bob Morris @ Oct 30th 2002 00:12 - Category: Unfiled ;
Create your own Tele-Zapper!
Junk mail can be tossed and spam can be filtered, but telemarketing has always had a technological edge. At least until the TeleZapper. The device — AS SEEN ON TV! — promises to erase you from telemarketers’ lists and stop the unsolicited solicitations. And it works, at least until the industry devises a workaround.
But why spend $50 for uninterrupted evenings? The fledgling Telemarketing Resistance has banded together online to help you do it for free. Just follow the steps below.
< We’ve done #1 and #2 for you. See end >
1. Get the Audio
The TeleZapper fools telemarketers’ autodialing equipment by emitting the ascending three-note special-information tone you hear before, “We’re sorry, the number you have reached has been disconnected.†You can download this tone from the Web. Do a Google search for “sit.wav†to find one of these audiofiles.
2. Chop It Down
Open sit.wav in an audio-editing program like Microsoft Sound Recorder. Edit out the second and third notes. (You don’t actually need those, and they’re sure to annoy family and friends.) Save the WAV file.
3. Press Record
Play that one note on your computer and record it as the first sound on your answering machine’s outgoing message. Follow with an oh-so-witty greeting.
4. Enjoy the Silence
Now sit back and screen those calls. Over time, telemarketers will get the “zapping†tone and take you off their lists.
PoliZeros has made it easy for you. Here’s the appropriately named one note audio file.
Bob Morris @ Oct 30th 2002 00:05 - Category: Unfiled ;
Bob Morris @ Oct 30th 2002 00:04 - Category: Unfiled ;
“Bowling for Columbine” #2 in nation for ALL films
Another incredible weekend for “Bowling for Columbine” — of ALL films in release, it was #2 in box office per screen average this week (and #1 in Canada!) <Via MichaelMoore.com>
If you haven’t seen it yet, don’t miss it!
Bob Morris @ Oct 30th 2002 00:02 - Category: Unfiled ;
US Press not that free?
Reporters Without Borders press freedom index
The first worldwide index of press freedom has some surprises for Western democracies. The United States ranks below Costa Rica.
Right at the top of the list four countries share first place - Finland, Iceland, Norway and the Netherlands.
The poor ranking of the United States (17th) is mainly because of the number of journalists arrested or imprisoned there. Arrests are often because they refuse to reveal their sources in court. Also, since the 11 September attacks, several journalists have been arrested for crossing security lines at some official buildings
The five countries with least press freedom are North Korea, China, Burma, Turkmenistan and Bhutan.
Bob Morris @ Oct 30th 2002 00:00 - Category: Unfiled ;
John Muhammad & Gulf War syndrome
The alleged Washington sniper, John Allen Muhammad, may have been exposed to chemical weapons that have been linked to Gulf War Syndrome, an illness which experts said can result in unexplained bouts of intense violence.
“Once it came out that he had a military background, I said this must be a Gulf War veteran,†said Dr. William E. Baumzweiger, a Los Angeles neurologist and psychiatrist who specializes in treating Gulf War Syndrome patients. “There is no doubt that a small but significant number of Gulf War veterans become homicidal†because of Gulf War Syndrome, said Baumzweiger.
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