The Greatest Hits of the Don Imus Show

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Wednesday April 11, 2007 · 1:48 PM PDT

2007/04/11 · 13:48

The Don Imus affair is not about Sharpton, it is not about Jesse Jackson, and it's not about hip-hop. Imus and the co-hosts he hires routinely use the nastiest and crudest language available to attack people. It's a pattern, and it is not going to change if he is allowed to spew his hate again in two weeks. Additionally, attacking a 30% president is not something progressive, or something that makes the I-man a noble figure. This is not 2002, and out standards should be higher. This is who you are defending, Libertarian Kossacks.

Imus on fighting terrorism and Giuliani:

If we're gonna be fighting these terrorists through the lives of [8-year-old son] Wyatt Imus' children," then "it might be good to start with somebody who is willing to take three big ones and drop one on Mecca, one on Jeddah, and one on Saudi -- one on Riyadh," 2/6/07

bigbay

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Friday January 20, 2006 · 7:07 PM PST

2006/01/20 · 19:07

I urge everyone to check out the review of 'New World', a new movie based on Pocahantas, in the San Francisco Chronicle. Regardless of the attributes of the movie, there are so many racist and overused caricatures in the review that it's worth a comment to the editor..

I will counterpoint the review in the Chronicle with a review in Indian Country , the leading Native newspaper in the country, and my own comments.

SF Chronicle writes :

Malick (the director) tells the story of Pocahontas, and the film's central insight, which is never overtly stated, is that she, even more than the colonists, was in a very real sense the first American.

Me: so, Pocahontas is the 1st American , the English 2nd, the rest of the savages do not count ?
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Bird Flu Isn't Going Away

bigbay

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Sunday January 08, 2006 · 10:37 AM PST

2006/01/08 · 10:37

The bird flu virus has now reached a major city, and seems to have spread across the country of Turkey:

Two children and an adult have tested positive for the deadly H5N1 bird flu strain in Turkey's capital Ankara, the city's governor Kemal Onal has said.

Turkey claims to have controlled an earlier outbreak, but obviously their reporting system is weak, or the disease went underground in some way. Many people have fallen ill in Van province (in the East) and bird flu now appears to be in the capital, where the possibility of human-human mutation seems higher, given the larger number of people and birds. It's an ominous development. Read More

Chinese Village Surrounded, Sealed, by Riot Police

bigbay

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Saturday December 10, 2005 · 2:30 AM PST

2005/12/10 · 02:30

The Chinese government is apparently sealing off a peasant village after killing some demonstrators. They are said to be hunting for protest leaders after "thousands of people gathered to protest the amount of money offered by the government as compensation for land to be used to construct a wind power plant". There are an estimated 20 dead, so far.

A man is quoted:

"Why did they shoot our villagers?" he asked. "They are crazy!"

while a 14 year old girl says :

"This is not a misunderstanding. I am afraid. I haven't been to school in days." She added, "Come save us."

link Read More

Janitors Vote Yes In Texas (heard about it ?)

bigbay

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Thursday December 08, 2005 · 1:15 AM PST

2005/12/08 · 01:15

Around 4,700 janitors in Houston, who clean about 60% of downtown office space, have voted for union representation with the SEIU. This is one of the biggest private sector union victories in Texas and Southern history.

Read the SEIU statement here.

Despite a typically slanted article, one actually working person is quoted by the Houston Chronicle:

"I don't know how much it (a raise) would be, but what we want is a dignified wage," said Flora Aguilar, who has worked as a janitor for five years and makes $418 a month working part time. "What we are making now is not a dignified wage."

bigbay

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Monday December 05, 2005 · 4:39 AM PST

2005/12/05 · 04:39

There were elections in Venezuela today, and it looks like Hugo Chavez's 5th Republic Party got a clear majority. Other sympathetic parties claimed the rest of the national legislature.

This sweep basically happened because the opposition boycotted the election. The leaders of this were the traditional ruling parties of Venezuela, notably Accion Democratica and an umbrella group called Democratic Coordinator.

One problem with this strategy is that voting boycotts rarely work. It's perceived that Chavez was going to trounce the opposition parties and that the boycott comes from weakness. This is partly because these same groups complain about the August 2004 referendum on Chavez, which was validated by the Carter Center. Read More

Health Care Workers on Strike in San Fran, Week 4 !

bigbay

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Tuesday October 04, 2005 · 1:57 PM PDT

2005/10/04 · 13:57

Hundreds of SEIU health care workers are still on strike against California Pacific Medical Center (CPMC) and Sutter Health Care (which owns CPMC).

An important issue is the establishment of staffing committees, represented by workers, management, with a health care expert as mediator. Sutter is one of the last major hospital systems in California that does not have these patient care committees.

Says Sutter Watch:

Caregivers demanded such safe-staffing systems after hospitals, seeking to boost their profits, cut staff to dangerously low levels. For example, Sutter's California Pacific Medical Center (CPMC) cut staffing by 23% during a recent five-year period, according to state data.

Another issue motivating the workers is a proposed re-training and education fund.

At the strike website, you can also sign a petition to ask Sutter/CPMC to sign a Federal Mediator's compromise offer. There's a blog and pictures of the picket line, and also an adopt-a-striker fund set up especially to help families on the picket line. Read More

Heath Care Workers on Strike in San Fran: Week 3

bigbay

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Monday September 26, 2005 · 10:10 AM PDT

2005/09/26 · 10:10

Hundreds of SEIU health care workers are still on strike against California Pacific Medical Center (CPMC) and Sutter Health Care (which owns CPMC). They want CPMC/Sutter to accept a Federal Mediator's compromise offer.

One important issue , among many, is patient staffing. The SEIU writes in their flier:

Caregivers want to establish patient care committees comprised of equal numbers of managers and workers to set appopriate staffing levels. A neutral health care expert would settle disputes

Sutter is one of the last major hospital systems in California that does not have patient care committees. They are also quite profitable, despite clams to being a 'non-profit'. (They are currently under investigation in San Francisco for violating their non-profit status)

Says Sutter Watch:

bigbay

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Saturday September 17, 2005 · 1:10 PM PDT

2005/09/17 · 13:10

Hundreds of SEIU health care workers are on strike now at some of Sutter Health's top hospitals, the California Pacific Medical Center (CPMC).

The strike has national implications for the power of the SEIU and Stern's strategy of leaving the AFL-CIO and forming a new progressive coalition.

Sutter has nixed a mediators compromise offer, though Pelosi, Boxer and Gavin Newsom urged them to sign the agreement.

An issue that affects patients is staffing. The SEIU writes:

Caregivers want to establish patient care committees comprised of equal numbers of managers and workers to set appopriate staffing levels. A neutral health care expert would settle disputes

There is more information on this flier. Most of the issues are about giving workers a democratic voice in the workplace. Similar programs have been instituted at major hospitals throughout California.

Andy Stern is quoted :

"This is not complicated,' Stern said. "Kaiser gets it. Catholic Healthcare West gets it. Every single hospital in California gets it.

The national SEIU has contributed $250,000 to a strike fund.

Ways to support them are below...
Read More

the AP Covers Their A** (Lies ?)

bigbay

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Saturday September 03, 2005 · 12:40 AM PDT

2005/09/03 · 00:40

The two AP/AFP photos - one with a black person 'looting' for food, and the other with two white people 'finding' food has hit the mainstream.

Here's their response:

"When we see people go into businesses and come out with goods, we call it looting," said Santiago Lyon, AP's director of photography. "When we just see them carrying things down the road, we call it carrying items."

Sadly, there is another photograph with a white woman coming directly out of a store with a bag of 'stuff', while a black man leaves with nothing in his hand. No mention of looting.

I doubt they remember this picture but, at best, it shows they have no policy. At worst, it shows their entire statement is a lie.

I am attempting to contact Mr. Lyon for a comment.

--------
bigbay

Reservation Poverty: A National Disgrace

bigbay

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Monday March 21, 2005 · 9:41 PM PST

2005/03/21 · 21:41

Today's shooting in Minnesota highlights the lack of economic justice on most Native American reservations in this country. According to CNN, the Red Lake Reservation has a poverty rate of 39%.

Consider the following snapshot of 40 "high poverty" rural Native counties:

The poverty rate of Native Americans in these counties was 41 percent, a level greater than that of the dominant minority in other types of high-poverty counties. The Native American counties did not simply have a greater incidence of poverty--they also had the highest proportion in deep poverty

Reservations suffer from the same problems as rural areas, but they also lack arable land (the Europeans got that) and have deep seated social problems from centuries of discrimination. For instance, until the 1960's, familes were often split up and children sent to boarding schools where they were forced to be "white". The social fabric of the community was destroyed.

below the fold, the casino myth... Read More

Shiite-Kurd talks collapse

bigbay

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Sunday March 13, 2005 · 4:29 AM PST

2005/03/13 · 04:29

This is big news, if it holds:

Talks between Kurdish leaders and a Shi'ite bloc to form the next Iraqi government have collapsed three days before the country's first fully elected parliament meets, senior politicians said on Sunday...

The article goes on to quote some bitter sounding Kurd leaders, and a Chalabi (!?) aide.

I'd bet the hangup remains Kirkuk, and Kurdish autonomy. Kurdish leaders have spent the last few decades calling for independence, and their people expect them to deliver. However, there are susbstantial numbers of Sunni and Shiite in the Kirkuk areas, and Sistani has been clear about keeping Iraq united.

How Chalabi fits in is somewhat murky, but it's probably not good.

A weak government will be dependent on the U.S., much as Allawi was, and probably fuels the insurgency.

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The Greatest Hits of the Don Imus Show

Racist Stink Bombs in 'New World' Movie Review

Bird Flu Isn't Going Away

Chinese Village Surrounded, Sealed, by Riot Police

Janitors Vote Yes In Texas (heard about it ?)

Venezuela Elections and Developments

Health Care Workers on Strike in San Fran, Week 4 !

Heath Care Workers on Strike in San Fran: Week 3

SEIU on strike in San Francisco, Stern involved (revised)

the AP Covers Their A** (Lies ?)

Reservation Poverty: A National Disgrace

Shiite-Kurd talks collapse