amyk's Blog

Wal-Mart beats slump with higher quarterly profit, projects weaker Q4 news 13 November 2008

Wal-Mart Stores has reported third-quarter profit that topped analysts' estimates but said a stronger dollar would squeeze its full-year profit, even as the world's largest retailer said it was ''optimistic'' about the upcoming holiday shopping season.

Walmart expects Christmas boost to sales despite the declining trend in US consumer spending and the worst recession in at least three decades, a situation which has already led to the country's No2 electronics dealer Circuit City filing bankruptcy.

Bentonville, Arkansas-based Wal-Mart posted operating income of $3.03 billion, or 77 cents a share, up from $2.85 billion, or 70 cents a share, a year earlier. Including a gain from discontinued operations, net income in the latest quarter was $3.14 billion, or 80 cents a share, up from $2.86 billion, or 70 cents, in the prior year. Revenue rose 7 per cent to $97.63 billion from $90.82 billion. Analysts had expected profit of 76 cents on sales of $98.42 billion.

While the ongoing slump in consumer spending has deflated sales at most retailers, Wal-Mart continues to benefit as more budget-conscious Americans trade down in their everyday purchases.

The figures show that Wal-Mart CEO Lee Scott's strategy to emphasise lower prices is working, enabling Wal-Mart to win customers from Target Corp and Macy's Inc as shoppers curb spending. Investors have rewarded Wal-Mart with an 11 per cent increase this year, the only one of 30 companies in the Dow Jones Industrial Average to rise.

The November-December holiday shopping months are critical to retailers because the period can account for as much as 50 per cent of merchants' annual profit and sales.

 

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What are your shopping habits during this economic crunch?   

Are you spending more time at Walmart?  Dollar stores? 

Palin To Appear On SNL?

 

Posted by Brian Montopoli

As Saturday Night Live viewers well know, Tina Fey's much-talked-about impression of GOP vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin has not been kind to the Alaska governor. It may even have played a role in fixing the public perception of the candidate, which, at least until last week's vice presidential debate, has largely been on the decline since she exploded onto the national scene.

Now the Chicago Sun-Times reports that Palin may appear on Saturday Night Live herself, potentially to make fun of Fey's American Express commercials. Bill Zwecker reports that while some McCain staffers want Palin to simply keep joking about Fey's impression on the campaign trail – she wrote "I'm not Tina Fey" on one backer's cell phone – others believe it is important that she appear on the show herself.

Palin would be far from the first candidate to appear on SNL after an unflattering portrayal. Earlier this year, Hillary Clinton appeared on the show standing next to an identically-dressed Amy Poehler, who had mockingly portrayed her, presumably to show she is in on the joke.

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So what do you think?  Should Sarah Palin appear on Saturday Night Live?  Why or why not?

An unusual VP debate -- it actually matters

Tue Sep 30, 2008 11:30am EDT

By John Whitesides, Political Correspondent - Analysis

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Vice presidential debates rarely play a role in White House races, but the showdown between Republican Gov. Sarah Palin and Democratic Sen. Joe Biden will be different -- it could matter.

The highly anticipated encounter on Thursday between the verbose Biden and the sheltered Palin will likely draw a larger television audience than last week's first debate between their bosses, presidential rivals Barack Obama and John McCain.

The spotlight will be on Palin, the unknown moose-hunting mom from Alaska whose surprise choice shook up the White House race, made her a political celebrity and raised concerns about her readiness to step into the top job -- the prime function of the vice president.

Since then Palin has been protected from reporters, giving just three interviews and holding no news conferences. It is a strategy that has only intensified the concerns, raised the stakes for her first unscripted performance and made her the butt of late-night comedy jokes.

"Vice presidents normally don't matter, but there is a threshold they must cross to prove they can step in and be president," said Mitchell McKinney, a communications expert at the University of Missouri.

"The bar is low, but if she doesn't cross that threshold it could damage McCain," he said.

On paper, the pairing looks like a mismatch. Biden, 65, the talkative but unpredictable chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, is one of the most knowledgeable Democratic foreign policy experts.

He will try to reassure voters who still harbor concerns about the relative lack of experience for Obama, a first-term senator from Illinois who has a slight lead in opinion polls ahead of the November 4 election.

Palin, 44, a self-described hockey mom, has seemed hesitant and heavily coached in her interviews. She must reassure voters who are worried about her being a heartbeat away from the presidency under the 72-year-old McCain, an Arizona senator.

'LOW EXPECTATIONS'

"It will be pretty easy for her to exceed expectations -- they couldn't be any lower," said David Steinberg, a debate coach at the University of Miami in Florida who recently watched tapes of her 2006 debates in the race for governor.

"She was very articulate, certainly competent and assertive," he said. "She was quite good."

The McCain campaign has been quick to attack anyone who criticizes Palin, accusing them of sexism or condescension. Biden will have to walk a fine line in not appearing too assertive with her.

"I don't want to be Joe Biden on debate night. He can't be a bulldog and he can't be a wallflower. He can't be too knowledgeable and he can't be too passive," said pollster John Zogby. "He'll be like the dad up there with his daughter -- and dads never win."

Biden was a forceful debater throughout the long Democratic primary season, when he unsuccessfully battled Obama for the nomination. But Steinberg said Biden was unlikely to challenge Palin directly and would take his case straight to voters.

"He should look at the camera, kind of like McCain did on Friday night, and avoid a direct interchange with her. He'll try to focus the debate on McCain, not her," he said.

But Biden has been mistake prone, most recently when he referred to a televised speech by President Franklin Roosevelt after the stock market crash of 1929 -- four years before Roosevelt took office and long before television became widely available.

"The fear for Democrats is that Joe Biden will slip up and say something he shouldn't and patronize her. That is exactly what they are working to avoid in practice sessions," Steinberg said.

Vice presidential debates rarely produce campaign-changing moments, although they have featured memorable performances. In 1988, Democratic Sen. Lloyd Bentsen delivered his classic one-liner to Republican Sen. Dan Quayle: "You're no Jack Kennedy."

The 1992 debate featured the befuddled performance of independent candidate Ross Perot's running mate, Adm. James Stockdale, who wondered aloud: "Who am I? Why am I here?"

Both candidates are taking breaks from the campaign trail to practice for their encounter. Palin plans two days of debate preparation at McCain's Arizona retreat.

The campaigns have tried to shape expectations, and Obama aides said they had seen tapes of Palin's debates during her run for governor.

"She's a terrific debater. She has performed very well. We expect she'll give a great performance," Obama campaign manager David Plouffe said.

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Are you anxious to watch the debate Thursday?  What are your expectations?

 

 

PETA Urges Ben & Jerry's To Use Human Milk

POSTED: 2:21 pm EDT September 23, 2008 UPDATED: 10:28 pm EDT September 23, 2008

 

VERMONT -- People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals sent a letter to Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield, cofounders of Ben & Jerry's Homemade Inc., urging them to replace cow's milk they use in their ice cream products with human breast milk, according to a statement recently released by a PETA spokeswoman.

 

"PETA's request comes in the wake of news reports that a Swiss restaurant owner will begin purchasing breast milk from nursing mothers and substituting breast milk for 75 percent of the cow's milk in the food he serves," the statement says.

 

PETA officials say a move to human breast milk would lessen the suffering of dairy cows and their babies on factory farms and benefit human health.

 

"The fact that human adults consume huge quantities of dairy products made from milk that was meant for a baby cow just doesn't make sense," says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. "Everyone knows that 'the breast is best,' so Ben & Jerry's could do consumers and cows a big favor by making the switch to breast milk."

 

In a statement Ben and Jerry's said, "We applaud PETA's novel approach to bringing attention to an issue, but we believe a mother's milk is best used for her child."

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Am I missing something here?  I didn't grow up on a farm.. but I'm just guessing if you don't milk a dairy cow.. that cow is going to be miserable!  

Are dairy cows suffering?  

And don't even get me started on eating ice cream made with breast milk. 

Spies Warn That Al Qaeda Aims for October Surprise Intercepted Messages Asking Local Cells To Be Prepared for Imminent Instructions\ By ELI LAKE, Staff Reporter of the Sun | September 22, 2008

WASHINGTON — In the aftermath of two major terrorist attacks on Western targets, America's counterterrorism community is warning that Al Qaeda may launch more overseas operations to influence the presidential elections in November.

Call it Osama bin Laden's "October surprise." In late August, during the weekend between the Democratic and Republican conventions, America's military and intelligence agencies intercepted a series of messages from Al Qaeda's leadership to intermediate members of the organization asking local cells to be prepared for imminent instructions.

An official familiar with the new intelligence said the message was picked up in multiple settings, from couriers to encrypted electronic communications to other means. "These are generic orders," the source said — a distinction from the more specific intelligence about the location, time, and method of an attack. "It was, 'Be on notice. We may call upon you soon.' It was sent out on many channels."

Also, Yemen's national English-language newspaper is reporting that a spokesman for Yemen's Islamic Jihad, the Qaeda affiliate that claimed credit for last week's American embassy bombing in Sa'naa, is now publicly threatening to attack foreigners and high government officials if American and British diplomats do not leave the country.

Mr. bin Laden has sought to influence democratic elections in the past. On March 11, 2004, Al Qaeda carried out a series of bombings on Madrid commuter trains. Three days later, the opposition and anti-Iraq war Socialist Workers Party was voted into power.

In the week before the 2004 American presidential election, Mr. bin Laden recorded a video message to the American people promising repercussions if President Bush were re-elected. In later messages, Al Qaeda's leader claimed credit for helping elect Mr. Bush in 2004. Last year in Pakistan, Qaeda assassins claimed the life of Benazir Bhutto, a former prime minister who returned to her native country in a bid for re-election.

"There is an expectation that Al Qaeda will try to influence the November elections by attempting attacks globally," a former Bush and Clinton White House counterterrorism official, Roger Cressey, said yesterday.

Mr. Cressey said Al Qaeda lacks the capability to pull off an attack in the continental United States, however. "It would likely be a higher Al Qaeda tempo of attacks against U.S. and allied targets abroad," he said.

At a talk at the Washington Institute for Near East Affairs on August 12, the national intelligence officer for transnational threats said he expected to see more threat reporting on Al Qaeda as America approaches the November elections.

The terrorist attack on the Marriott Hotel in Islamabad on Saturday was a particular blow to the allied effort against Al Qaeda. The hotel's lobby in recent years served as a meeting place for the CIA and Pakistanis who would not risk being seen at the American Embassy. The bombing, which targeted one of the most heavily fortified locations in Pakistan's capital, will likely claim close to 100 lives after the dead are pulled from the rubble.

An adviser to Senator McCain and a former director of central intelligence under President Clinton, James Woolsey, said Al Qaeda has a "history of doing three things at least related to elections. One is to attack before elections, such as in 2004 in Spain, and of course the assassination of Benazir Bhutto. They also have a history of attacks when new leaders take over, like Gordon Brown in Britain and the new leader in Pakistan, with the attack over the weekend. Also Al Qaeda sends messages to populations in elections. You really don't know which one of these they are going to implement."

Earlier this summer, another McCain campaign official mused in an interview that an attack could benefit his candidate in the polls. But whether that statement is true is unclear: At the Republican National Convention this month, Mr. McCain praised the president's counterterrorism policies for preventing an attack in America since September 11, 2001. The Bush administration has deliberately refrained from pointing to this success in light of the many plots that the president has said have been aborted on American soil since September 11.

The deputy communications director for the McCain campaign, Michael Goldfarb, said: "There is no doubt that Al Qaeda is still dangerous and still desires to strike at America and our allies. But Americans will not be intimidated and their votes will not be swayed by terror."

A spokeswoman for the Obama campaign, Wendy Morigi, said, "Last week's attacks demonstrate the grave and urgent threat that Al Qaeda and its affiliates pose to the United States and the security of all nations. As Senator Obama has said for some time, we must refocus our efforts on defeating Al Qaeda around the world."

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What are your thoughts on a potential October surprise?    What impact do you believe it could have in November, if any?  

Are you satisfied with the job the current administration has been doing in preventing attacks on U.S. soil since 9-11?

 

Nader, Barr muscle onto the Nov. ballots

Ben Adler

Fri Sep 19, 6:27 AM ET

Third-party presidential candidates Ralph Nader and Bob Barr will be on nearly all the state ballots on Nov. 4, according to their campaigns and independent tallies, raising the threat they could be spoilers on Election Day and siphon key votes away from Barack Obama and John McCain.

Nader, the left-leaning independent, won more than 2.7 percent of the vote as the Green Party candidate in the 2000 election, when Republican George W. Bush barely squeaked by Democrat Al Gore. Many Democrats blame Nader for taking votes from Gore and tilting the election to Bush.

This campaign season, Nader and Barr together are drawing about 3.3 percent of the vote in recent polls – easily enough to swing the results in a tight race, as the contest is shaping up to be.

“If the race remains close, anything could tip the difference,” said non-partisan pollster Scott Rasmussen. He cautioned, however, that both Nader and Barr were slipping in recent surveys, and could decline even more by Election Day.

“People who are unhappy with a candidate say they will vote for a third party, but they get more dissatisfied with the possibility of helping the greater evil win as the election gets closer,” Rasmussen said.

Nader is on the ballot in 45 states and the District of Columbia, but he missed the ballots in Georgia, Indiana, North Carolina, Oklahoma and voter-rich Texas, all of which are leaning towards McCain, according to recent surveys.

“Nader was prudent,” said Richard Winger, a ballot access expert who is advising the minor party candidates and who provided an authoritative list of the state ballots for November. “He knew what all the laws were and didn’t waste his money on the five that were too hard.”

“I don’t think anyone has gotten on more ballots more quickly from zero,” Nader claimed in an interview with Politico, saying that he did not begin his ballot drive until late May. His four-month drive faced serious hurdles, because unlike the 2000 campaign, Nader does not have the assistance of a political party this year, and his campaign is strapped for funds.

Cynthia McKinney, a former Democratic congresswoman from Georgia, is the Green Party’s candidate in November and is on the ballot in 32 states and the District of Columbia. Chuck Baldwin, the nominee of the Constitution Party, a right-leaning counterpart to the Greens, is on 37 state ballots, according to Winger’s tally.

Nader is on the ballot in two more states this year than in 2000, when he made the cut in 43 states, but his potential Electoral College tally is smaller this time because he did not qualify for the ballot in the mega-state of Texas. Instead, he added smaller states such as Idaho, Wyoming and South Dakota to the places where he will run.

 

Bob Barr, the former Republican congressman from Georgia who is the Libertarian Party candidate, made the ballot in at least 44 states, according to Winger. Barr did not make the ballot in D.C. or West Virginia, and he is challenging Connecticut’s decision to drop him from the rolls after the state invalidated signatures on his candidate petitions and said that he did not reach the minimum.

Barr also has mounted court challenges to rulings leaving him off the ballots in Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts and Oklahoma.

In Louisiana, Barr asserts, the Secretary of State’s office was closed for a week because of Hurricane Gustav when the petition filing deadline elapsed. In Maine, Barr submitted some petitions a day late, but he claims that deadlines were never rigidly enforced in the past. In Oklahoma, Barr is asking a federal court to hold that the state’s ballot requirements, which are among the toughest in the country, are too onerous, citing as evidence that only the Republican and Democratic candidates qualified for the ballot in 2004 and this year.

On Monday Barr defeated a court challenge from a Republican Party official in Pennsylvania who argued that the Libertarian Party had improperly substituted Barr’s name for another candidate’s who had been submitted earlier. It was the only state where Republicans have challenged him.

Massachusetts blocked Barr from the ballot for a similar reason, and he is contesting that decision as well.

Nader told Politico that he thinks the extended primary season helped divert the Democrats’ attention from his candidacy. He also filed suit against the Democratic National Committee last year for its effort to keep him off ballots in 2004. That, Nader said, and the indictment of Democratic staffers in the Pennsylvania State house for allegedly using state resources to work on the party’s challenge to him may have discouraged Democrats from using similar tactics this time, he said.

-------------------------- So what do you think?  Are they spoilers.. or is this what makes our democracy so great?

MSNBC's Chris Matthews remains in the bull's eye for new women's group

From Peter Nicholas at the Los Angeles Times:

Forget the battle for the White House -- here's a campaign that's really heating up: the bid by a new women's group to hold Chris Matthews accountable for what it asserts is "misogynistic journalism" practiced by the voluble MSNBC political pundit.

The New Agenda, a nonpartisan organization promoting women's rights, today sent a letter to NBC Universal President Jeff Zucker asking for a meeting to discuss Matthews' attitude toward women.

Amy Siskind, one of the group's founders, said in an interview it wants Matthews (at right, with Ron Reagan behind him) to issue a public apology and change his on-air behavior. Absent that, he needs to be fired, she said.

The New Agenda also sent its letter to various Democratic officials in Pennsylvania -- Matthews' native state, where there has been chatter he might seek the party's nomination for the Senate in 2010.

The group's letter applauded the recent decision by MSNBC to remove Matthews and Keith Olbermann from prominent roles anchoring political events, but said more action is needed.

"MSNBC can regain its reputation as a respectable news organization by taking more appropriate action against Chris Matthews," the letter said. "If Matthews were an employee in a Fortune 500 company, he would have been fired for sexual harassment long ago. Instead, MSNBC peddled misogynistic journalism to the American public."

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What were your thoughts on the Matthews/Olbermann shake-up when it happened? 

Are you surprised/not surprised to see a women's group now going after Matthews?

Jewish Groups Decry Madonna’s Comparison of McCain to Hitler
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
By Julie Stahl

Jerusalem (CNSNews.com) – Pop diva Madonna, who less than a year ago declared herself an “ambassador for Judaism,” has drawn on the Jewish people’s most painful memory to bash Republican presidential candidate Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz).
 
Jewish groups said Madonna insulted Holocaust victims and all Americans with her comparison of McCain to former German dictator Adolf Hitler as part of her new world tour.
 
Madonna opened world concert tour over the weekend in Wales. While singing a song called “Get Stupid,” a photo montage showed images of destruction and global warming followed by video images of Hitler, Zimbabwe’s ruler Robert Mugabe and McCain, reports said.
 
“I find Madonna’s attempt to compare John McCain with Hitler beyond the pale and an insult to all Americans, Democrats as well as Republicans,” said Rabbi Marvin Hier, founder and dean of the Wiesenthal Center. 
 
Hier also “strongly criticized” attempts to brand Democratic presidential contender Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) as a “Muslim extremist.”
 
“There ought to be no place in the political and social discourse of American culture for such deliberate distortions and lies sure to be viewed by hundreds of thousands of young people around the world,” Hier said in a statement.
 
“Comparisons to Hitler have no place in a music concert, or in the presidential campaign,” said Anti-Defamation League National Director Abraham Foxman.
 
“Whatever Madonna’s political or personal views, it is outrageous to invoke Nazi imagery in the context of John McCain’s candidacy or to make a comment on American political leadership,” said Foxman, who is a Holocaust survivor.
 
Foxman said that it was “inappropriate and offensive” to compare present or former world leaders to a man who was responsible for the death of six million Jews.
 
“Doing so trivializes the history of the Holocaust and is an insult to the memories of the victims and their families,” Foxman said in a statement.
 
McCain campaign spokesman Tucker Bounds was quoted as saying that the comparisons were “outrageous, unacceptable and crudely divisive.”
 
Last September, Madonna, who was raised a Roman Catholic, visited Israel to attend conference on Kabbala (Jewish mysticism).
 
At the time she met with Israeli President Shimon Peres and declared herself an “ambassador for Judaism.”
 
She last performed in Israel in 1993.

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Alright.. so it's really NOT so shocking.   Madonna has built her career on being EXTREMELY controversial in an effort to bring attention to herself.   She thrives on this motto -- "Negative publicity is better than NO publicity".  

So what do you think?  Does she really believe McCain is another Hitler.. or is she simply stirring the pot to sell more CD's?

Researcher says bigfoot just a rubber gorilla suit
 Email this Story

Aug 19, 6:14 PM (ET)

By JUANITA COUSINS

ATLANTA (AP) - Turns out Bigfoot was just a rubber suit. Two researchers on a quest to prove the existence of Bigfoot say that the carcass encased in a block of ice - handed over to them for an undisclosed sum by two men who claimed to have found it - was slowly thawed out, and discovered to be a rubber gorilla outfit.

The revelation comes just days after a much ballyhooed news conference was held in California to proclaim that the remains of the creature were found in the North Georgia mountains was the legendary man-ape.

Steve Kulls, executive director of squatchdetective.com and host of Squatchdetective Radio, says in a posting on a Web site run by Bigfoot researcher Tom Biscardi that as the "evidence" was thawed, the claim began to unravel as a giant hoax.

First, the hair sample was burned and "melted into a ball uncharacteristic of hair," Kulls said in the posting.

(AP) Hunter Tom Biscardi, center, gives a news conference with fellow hunters Rick Dyer, left, and...
Full Image The thawing process was sped up and the exposed head was found to be "unusually hollow in one small section." An hour of thawing later and the feet were exposed - and they were found to be made of rubber.

Matt Whitton, an officer who has been on medical leave from the Clayton County Police Department, and Rick Dyer, a former Georgia corrections officer, announced the find in early July on YouTube videos and a Web site.

"Everyone who has talked down to us is going to eat their words," Whitton said at the time.

Phone calls to Whitton and Dyer went unreturned on Tuesday. But the voicemail recording for their Bigfoot Tip Line - which proclaims they search for leprechauns and the Loch Ness monster - has been updated and announcing they're also in search of "big cats and dinosaurs. If you see any of those, give us a call."

On Tuesday, Clayton County Police Chief Jeff Turner said he has not spoken to Whitton but processed paperwork to fire him.

"Once he perpetrated a fraud, that goes into his credibility and integrity," Turner said. "He has violated the duty of a police officer."

 

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WHAT?!?!?  I am so disappointed.

Wonder how much those scientists paid for the monkey suit. 

(AP) Bigfoot hunter Tom Biscardi holds a photo of what he claims to be the mouth and teeth of a deceased...
Full Image  

McCain protests NBC coverage
By: Mike Allen
August 18, 2008 09:04 AM EST

Sen. John McCain's (R-Ariz.) campaign manager Rick Davis asked Sunday for a meeting with Steve Capus, the president of NBC News, to protest what the campaign called signs that the network is "abandoning non-partisan coverage of the presidential race."

Davis made the request Sunday in a letter that is part of an aggressive effort by McCain to counter news coverage he considers critical.

In this case, the campaign is objecting to a statement by NBC's Andrea Mitchell on "Meet the Press" questioning whether McCain might have gotten a heads-up on some of the questions that were asked of Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.), who was the first candidate to be interviewed Saturday night by Pastor Rick Warren at a presidential forum on faith.

Warren told the audience that McCain was being held in "a cone of silence" so he wouldn't hear the questions, which were similar for both candidates.

Warren referred again to "the cone of silence" when McCain came onstage, and the senator joked: "I was trying to hear through the wall."

Mitchell reported that some "Obama people" were suggesting "that McCain may not have been in the cone of silence and may have had some ability to overhear what the questions were to Obama. He seemed so well prepared."

A McCain aide said that is not the case: "Senator McCain was in a motorcade led by the United States Secret Service and held in a green room with no broadcast feed."

Mitchell made the comment in the context of saying McCain did better, and that the Obama camp was defensive. In response to the campaign's letter, she pointed out that journalists get criticism from both sides.

"I wasn't expressing an opinion," Mitchell said. "I was reporting what they were saying."

Here is the text of the letter:

August 17, 2008
Mr. Steve Capus
President, NBC News
30 Rockefeller Plaza
New York, NY 10112

Steve:

We are extremely disappointed to see that the level of objectivity at NBC News has fallen so low that reporters are now giving voice to unsubstantiated, partisan claims in order to undercut John McCain.

See also

• Obama likely to announce VP this week
• Dear 44: Climate change
• Debate prelude: 6 moments that mattered

Nowhere was this more evident than with NBC chief correspondent Andrea Mitchell's comments on "Meet the Press" this morning. In analyzing last night's presidential forum at Saddleback Church, Mitchell expressed the Obama campaign spin that John McCain could only have done so well last night because he "may not have been in the cone of silence and may have had some ability to overhear what the questions were to Obama." Here are Andrea Mitchell's comments in full:

Mitchell: "The Obama people must feel that he didn't do quite as well as they might have wanted to in that context, because what they are putting out privately is that McCain may not have been in the cone of silence and may have had some ability to overhear what the questions were to Obama. He seemed so well-prepared." (NBC's "Meet The Press," 8/17/08)

Make no mistake: This is a serious charge. Andrea Mitchell is repeating, uncritically, a completely unsubstantiated Obama campaign claim that John McCain somehow cheated in last night's forum at Saddleback Church. Instead of trying to substantiate this blatant falsehood in any way, Andrea Mitchell felt that she needed to repeat it on air to millions of "Meet the Press" viewers with no indication that 1.) There's not one shred of evidence that it's true; 2.) In his official correspondence to both campaigns, Pastor Rick Warren provided both candidates with information regarding the topic areas to be covered, which Barack Obama acknowledged during the forum when asked about Pastor Warren's idea of an emergency plan for orphans and Obama said, "I cheated a little bit. I actually looked at this idea ahead of time, and I think it is a great idea;" 3.) John McCain actually requested that he and Barack Obama do the forum together on stage at the same time, making these kinds of after-the-fact complaints moot.

Indeed, instead of taking a critical journalistic approach to this spin, Andrea Mitchell did what has become a pattern for her of simply repeating Obama campaign talking points.

This is irresponsible journalism and sadly, indicative of the level of objectivity we have witnessed at NBC News this election cycle. Instead of examining the Obama campaign's spin for truth before reporting it to more than 3 million NBC News viewers, Andrea Mitchell simply passed along Obama campaign conspiracy theories. The fact is that during Senator Obama's segment at Saddleback last night, Senator McCain was in a motorcade to the event and then held in a green room with no broadcast feed. In the forum, John McCain clearly demonstrated to the American people that he is prepared to be our next President.....

We are concerned that your News Division is following MSNBC's lead in abandoning non-partisan coverage of the Presidential race. We would like to request a meeting with you as soon as possible to discuss our deep concerns about the news standards and level of objectivity at NBC.

Sincerely,

Rick Davis
Campaign Manager
John McCain 2008

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Who do you watch/read for your election coverage?  Are you seeing bias?  Can McCain's camp "fix" the problem?  Or they making it worse by "calling them out"?

From Times Online August 6, 2008
US Olympic cyclists say sorry for smog masks to not show photographer information -->

(Yves Herman/Reuters)

Four US Olympic cyclists who caused an outcry when they arrived at Beijing airport wearing smog masks have today apologised to Games organisers.

The four - Mike Friedman, Bobby Lee, Sarah Hammer and Jennie Reed - said that they were wearing the masks because of pollution fears, a touchy subject for the Chinese authorities.

As the Chinese capital remains shrouded in smog today, Jim Scherr, the chief executive of the US Olympic Committee, revealed that the four had said sorry.

"It probably wasn’t the most opportune time for these athletes to wear these masks,” he said, adding they had written an apology to Beijing Olympic Organising Committee (BOCOG).

But US officials said they would not ban US athletes from using masks to combat pollution if they felt it was needed because of air quality conditions.

“They have the right to wear masks if they feel it’s in their best interest to do so,” Scherr said.

“Hopefully they won’t have to use them and the air quality will be good."

Officials have today insisted once more that air quality is safe for athletes. Figures from China’s official Environmental Monitoring Centre deemed the air quality to be level two or “fairly good”.

Beijing enjoyed unusually blue skies last weekend following last-minute anti-pollution measures introduced on July 20, prompting optimism that organisers had managed to control air quality ahead of the Games.

Today, however, a murky haze hung over the main Olympic venues in northern Beijing, combining with high humidity and temperatures of 34C (95F) to create challenging conditions for competitors.

The quality of the Chinese capital’s air has proved a thorny public relations problem, but organisers said that plans to invoke further emergency measures before Friday’s opening ceremony would not be activated.

The authorities have already removed one million of the city’s 3.3 million cars from the roads and shut down more than 100 polluting factories and building sites in an attempt to clear the smog.

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What are you thoughts on the "mask controversy"?  Should the athletes have apologized? 

Do you think they were forced.. or coerced into apologizing?

 

Internet addiction may be one click away by Manuel Baigorri
Jul 29, 2008

WASHINGTON – The Internet is where we spend more and more of our time. But for a growing number of people, it’s an out-of-control habit instead of a necessary part of life.

Internet addiction -- an online-related compulsive behavior that interferes with normal living and causes severe stress on family, friends, loved ones and work -- is a psychological and behavioral problem that is spreading around the world, experts say.

Kimberly Young, clinical director of the Center for Internet Addiction Recovery and author of the book “Caught in the Net,” said that about 5 percent to 10 percent of Americans --15 to 30 million people -- may suffer from Internet addiction. And the problem may be even greater elsewhere. Young said 18 to 30 percent of the populations of China, Korea and Taiwan, where the Internet is even more popular than in the U.S., may be addicted.

"I’ve seen a lot of growth in the field of Internet addiction,” said Young. “More research and studies (are) trying to understand it better. … It’s a global problem.”

The main types of Internet addiction are cybersex, online affairs, online gambling, online gaming, compulsive surfing and even eBay addiction, Young added.

An article by Dr. Jerald J. Block in the March issue of the American Journal of Psychiatry stated that “Internet addiction appears to be a common disorder.”

Centers specializing in Internet addiction have been created to offer treatment.

Coleen Moore, coordinator of resource development at the Illinois Institute for Addiction Recovery, said she has clients from college age to early adulthood who spend 14 to 18 hours a day online.

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It wasn't long ago that I blogged about people with "blogging" addictions.. and I seem to remember a lot of you were in denial about your own "habits".   

Now there's talk of people who are addicted to the internet as a whole  So fess up.  Do you suspect you might have a "problem"?  

How many hours a day do you spend online?  

P.S. -- I'll be surfing the web while you respond.. and checking back every three minutes to see what you had to say.  If I don't respond back to you right away, it's because I'm checking my e-mail.  Thanks =)

 

 

LA blocks new fast-food outlets from poor areas

LOS ANGELES (AP) - City officials are putting South Los Angeles on a diet. The City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to place a moratorium on new fast food restaurants in an impoverished swath of the city with a proliferation of such eateries and above average rates of obesity. The yearlong moratorium is intended to give the city time to attract restaurants that serve healthier food.

The action, which the mayor must still sign into law, is believed to be the first of its kind by a major city to protect public health. "Our communities have an extreme shortage of quality foods," City Councilman Bernard Parks said.

Representatives of fast-food chains say they already offer healthier food items on their menus. "It's not where you eat, it's what you eat," said Andrew Puzder, president and chief executive of CKE Restaurants, parent company of Carl's Jr. "We were willing to work with the city on that, but they obviously weren't interested."

Thirty percent of adults in South Los Angeles area are obese, compared to 19.1 percent for the metropolitan area, according to the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health.

Research has shown that people will change eating habits when different foods are offered, but cost is a key factor in poor communities, said Kelly D. Brownell, director of Yale University's Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity.  "Diets improve when healthy food establishments enter these neighborhoods."

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Pretty interesting stuff here. 

Should city council members be allowed to dictate which restaurants can go up in certain parts of town based on their menu? 

Does this cross the line of infringing on our freedoms? Or are they doing the people of L.A. a public health service?

Security Guard Confirms Late-Night Encounter Between Former Sen. John Edwards, Tabloid Reporters In Beverly Hills Hotel

Friday , July 25, 2008

A hotel security guard told FOXNews.com he intervened this week between a man he identified as former Sen. John Edwards and tabloid reporters who chased down the former presidential hopeful after what they're calling a rendezvous with his mistress and love child.

The Beverly Hilton Hotel guard said he encountered a shaken and ashen-faced Edwards — whom he did not immediately recognize — in a hotel men's room early Tuesday morning in a literal tug-of-war with reporters on the other side of the door.

"What are they saying about me?" the guard said Edwards asked.

"His face just went totally white," the guard said, when Edwards was told the reporters were shouting out questions about Edwards and Rielle Hunter, a woman the National Enquirer says is the mother of his child.

The guard said he escorted Edwards, who was not a registered guest at the hotel, out of the building after 2 a.m. Edwards did not say anything while he was escorted out, said the guard, adding that at times the reporters on the scene were "rough on him," sticking a camera in his face and shouting questions.

The guard did not recognize Edwards at the time of the incident, but said he concluded it was the 2008 presidential hopeful after hearing reports about the incident and finding an Enquirer reporter's notebook at the scene.

The guard said during the chase the reporters had dropped the notebook, which he picked up. "This book has everything in it on him," he said, referring to Edwards. The guard later confirmed Edwards' identity after being shown a photograph.

A former campaign staffer, speaking on condition of anonymity, told FOXNews.com he wishes he were "more surprised" to hear reports Edwards was visiting Hunter. "I'm definitely upset by it. I wish I was more surprised, though."

Edwards this week has repeatedly refused to comment on the Enquirer report. Asked about it on Thursday at an event in New Orleans, he said: "I have no idea what you're asking about. I've responded, consistently, to these tabloid allegations by saying I don't respond to these lies and you know that ... and I stand by that."

Beverly Hills Police Sgt. Michael Publicker confirmed Friday that an incident report was filed with the department by two of the tabloid's reporters. Publicker said that contrary to a published report, a "criminal complaint" was not filed and there are no charges pending.

"It will be looked into," Publicker said, refusing to say whether Edwards would be contacted as part of a formal investigation. "We're not going to comment on the investigation," he said.

Enquirer Editor-in-Chief David Perel told FOXNews.com his reporters caught Edwards visiting Hunter and her baby at the hotel earlier Monday evening. Perel said Hunter and Edwards have been occasionally getting together so Edwards can see the baby. Hunter came to Beverly Hills with a male friend, Bob McGovern, said Perel. Hunter and her companion reportedly booked two rooms under McGovern's name, and McGovern picked up Edwards to bring him back to the hotel.

Perel said Enquirer staff had been given information about the planned Edwards-Hunter meeting, and the tabloid sent reporters to the hotel in anticipation of Edwards' arrival. According to the Enquirer, Edwards was first spotted being dropped off at the hotel at 9:45 p.m. PT, about 25 minutes after reporters watched McGovern leave the building in his BMW.

Edwards went to Hunter's room and the two left the hotel together and returned 45 minutes later, Perel said. Edwards reportedly entered her room and stayed there until after 2:30 a.m. PT.

FOXNews.com could not independently confirm the Enquirer's allegations. Perel also declined to identify where the Enquirer received the information about Edwards' alleged visits.

Perel told FOXNews.com that after leaving Hunter's room, Edwards took an elevator to the basement, where he was confronted by two Enquirer reporters. He ran into the bathroom, where he remained until the security guard arrived.

The Enquirer says it has videotape showing Hunter entering the room where she met Edwards, and shows Edwards leaving the same room. However, the Enquirer has thus far declined repeated requests by FOXNews.com to release any photographs or videotape evidence of the incident.

Lynda Simonetti, director of public relations at the Beverly Hills Hilton, refused to comment on the guard's version of the incident, citing the hotel's privacy policy.

"We value the privacy of all the guests," Simonetti told FOXNews.com, adding, "The non-disclosure policy applies to the requests of the names, whether it's past, current or anticipated guests... That's our policy."

Last October, the Enquirer reported that several sources said a former campaign worker on Edwards' campaign had been having an affair with the former North Carolina senator. In an e-mail allegedly written by Hunter to a friend, she wrote that she is "in love with John," but it's "difficult because he is married and has kids."

Edwards' wife Elizabeth, whom many have credited as being one of the driving forces behind Edwards' campaign, announced in March that her breast cancer had re-emerged after going into remission following a 2004 diagnosis.

Hunter has said that the father of her child is former Edwards campaign official Andrew Young. The 41-year-old married father of three has also said he is the father.

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Yuck.  I really hope this isn't true.  Elizabeth Edwards doesn't need anymore stress or worry considering what she's going through. 

Your thoughts?

 

'World's oldest blogger' dies in Australia

Mon Jul 14, 1:32 AM ET

An Australian woman described as the world's oldest Internet blogger has died at the age of 108 after posting a final message about singing "a happy song" in her nursing home.

Olive Riley "passed away peacefully on July 12 and will be mourned by thousands of Internet friends and hundreds of descendants and other relatives," a note on her website said.

Riley had posted more than 70 entries on her blog from Woy Woy on the east coast since February last year, sharing her thoughts on modern life and her experiences living through the entire 20th century.

Born in the outback town of Broken Hill on October 20 1899, she lived through two world wars and raised three children while doing various jobs, including ranch cook and barmaid.

In her final post on June 26, she wrote: "I can't believe I've been here in this nursing home for more than a week.

"How the days have flown, even though I've been in bed most of the time. I still feel weak, and can't shake off that bad cough.

"Penny, who's in the next bed to mine, had a visit one day this week from her daughter, who's a professional singer. Guess what happened! She and I sang a happy song, as I do every day, and before long we were joined by several nurses, who sang along too. It was quite a concert!"

Riley's blog, initially on www.allaboutolive.com.au and more recently at http://worldsoldestblogger.blogspot.com, was "mind-blowing to her," her great grandson Darren Stone said.

"She had people communicating with her from as far away as Russia and America on a continual basis, not just once in a while," he told the national AAP news agency.

"She enjoyed the notoriety -- it kept her mind fresh."

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Imagine that 108 and still blogging.  Good for her.   I hope if I live to be that old I still have my senses about me and am as open to new technology as she was.   What a wonderful thing to be connected to people around the world through the internet. 

Do you see yourself blogging in your old age?