THE MEDICAL FILES

It was reported that NTT Communications and a consortium of other companies are developing a system in which users can get calorie counts of the food they’re about to eat by taking a picture of the dish with their keitai.

A 22-year-old Tokyo woman was arrested for terminating her pregnancy using the “abortion pill” mifepristone, which is illegal in Japan. The woman, who was five months pregnant, bought the drug over the internet at the urging of her boyfriend.

A 37-year-old anesthesiologist in Yokohama was busted for possessing and injecting himself with fentanyl, a narcotic “around 200 times stronger than morphine.”

It was reported that Japanese households consumed a record 21.25 billion kwh of power in October, thanks to the “lingering summer heat wave.”

STATS

4 years, 10 months

Length of time since a Japanese wrestler has won a grand sumo tournament, after Mongolian rikishi Hakuho took the top prize at last month’s Kyushu meet

1,772

Prisoners serving life terms in Japan, a record for the postwar era, according to the justice ministry

20,000

Number of onigiri that students in Kumamoto Prefecture used to form a mosaic of a dinosaur

12 trillion

“Complex” calculations per second that a science ministry computer is able to perform, the fastest in the world

CAUSE & EFFECT

Days after the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency announced that the Hayabusa space probe had collected extraterrestrial particles from an asteroid in June, the government’s cost-cutting panel said it wouldn’t touch JAXA’s budget.

Prime minister Naoto Kan unveiled a website called Kan-Full Blog, with a video component dubbed Kan-Full TV. DPJ officials “den[ied] that the timing of the launch had anything to do with his recent political difficulties.”

A US congressional report warned that China’s modernization of its missile arsenal means that American bases in Japan are within range of the weapons.

A 61-year-old Hyogo man who was suspected of murdering an architect and his wife leaped to his death from his apartment building after strangling his wife and setting their home on fire.

Do You Want

To Be Paddled?

You Can’t

Make Him Talk Or We’ll Pout  

There’s A Sumo Wrestler

In The House Wait A Minute The Tournament’s Over  

Pole dancing holds world championships



TOKYO      

Zoraya Judd says there is nothing she would rather do than pole dance. She’s one of the best in the world at it and someday, she says, there might even be a place for her talents in the Olympics.

Riding a wave of popularity that has transformed a striptease genre into a cleaned-up and clothed version for fitness clubs around the world, Judd and dozens of the world’s top pole dancers-male and female-gathered in Tokyo this week for the International Pole Dancing Championships, a premier event in the budding sport.

As always-the championships are in their third year-it was a colorful field.

Users hit by big bills from ‘free’ games



2010/12/10

Consumer rights organizations say they are handling a flood of complaints from players of supposedly free cellphone-based “social games” claiming to have been charged exorbitant fees by providers and others.

The National Consumer Affairs Center of Japan said one user had been billed 100,000 yen ($1,190) for playing “free” games, including various in-game charges and mobile network transmission fees.

Welcome to the Stars Hollow Health and Fitness weekly diary. It will publish on Saturday afternoon and be open for discussion about health related issues including diet, exercise, health and health care issues, as well as, tips on what you can do when there is a medical emergency. Also an opportunity to share and exchange your favorite healthy recipes.

Questions are encouraged and I will answer to the best of my ability. If I can’t, I will try to steer you in the right direction. Naturally, I cannot give individual medical advice for personal health issues. I can give you information about medical conditions and the current treatments available.

You can now find past Health and Fitness News diaries here and on the right hand side of the Front Page.

Tobacco smoke causes immediate damage: U.S. report

(Reuters) – Cigarette smoke causes immediate damage to a person’s lungs and their DNA even in small amounts, including from second-hand smoke, U.S. federal officials said on Thursday in a new report.

Taxes, bans and treatment must all be pursued to bring smoking rates down, U.S. Surgeon-General Dr. Regina Benjamin said. “The chemicals in tobacco smoke reach your lungs quickly every time you inhale causing damage immediately,” she said in a statement.

“Inhaling even the smallest amount of tobacco smoke can also damage your DNA, which can lead to cancer,” she said.

U.S. life expectancy falls slightly in 2008

(Reuters) – American life expectancy slipped slightly in 2008 to 77.8 years, the first dip since 2004, while stroke slid a notch to become the fourth-leading cause of death, U.S. health experts said on Thursday.

They said a baby born in 2008 could expect to live about one month less than one born in 2007, falling from a record high of 77.9 years in 2007.

The change is more likely a statistical blip than a significant shift, said Arialdi Minino, who led the study for the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Health Statistics.

Home monitors can aid blood pressure control

(Reuters Health) – Home blood pressure monitors can help people keep their blood pressure in check and possibly cut down on medication — as long as the patients and their doctors put those home readings to good use, a new research review finds.

The analysis, of 37 international clinical trials, found that on average, adults with high blood pressure who were assigned to use home monitors shaved a few points off their blood pressure compared with counterparts who stuck with doctor’s office measurements alone.

Music may soothe stress in critically ill patients

Reuters Health) – Listening to music appears to have a calming effect on hospital patients hooked up to breathing machines, according to a new report.

Mechanical ventilation can be a distressing experience for critically ill patients, but researchers say tranquilizers will only prolong their hospital stay.

To investigate whether listening to pleasing tunes could help, a group of American and Australian researchers reviewed studies that tested music plus standard care against standard care alone.

Study finds daily aspirin cuts many cancer risks

(Reuters) – Taking low doses of aspirin can reduce the risk of many kinds of cancer, scientists said on Tuesday, and the evidence is strong enough to suggest people over 40 should take it daily as protection.

The findings will fuel an already intense debate about the merits of taking aspirin, which increases the risk of bleeding in the stomach to around one patient in every thousand per year.

Study confirms sunscreen prevents melanoma

(Reuters) – Adults who regularly use sunscreen are far less likely to develop melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer, researchers reported on Monday.

They found people who were encouraged to slather on sunscreen in the 1990s were 50 percent less likely to develop melanoma 15 years later, a finding that suggests sunscreen even benefits adults and that the benefits last for years.

The numbers were small — only 22 people were diagnosed with melanoma out of 1,600 — but should settle a debate over whether using sunscreen simply encourages people to stay out in the sun too long, the researchers said.

J&J “Softchews” recall grows as wood, metal found

(Reuters) – Johnson & Johnson issued a recall of its Softchews Rolaids antacids on Thursday after consumers reported finding wood and metal bits in the tablets.

J&J, which recalled some Rolaids products in November, said it was voluntarily recalling all lots of its Softchews products after potentially uncovering problems with a third-party manufacturer that left particles in the medicines.

The recall is the latest in a string of pulled products for J&J’s McNeil consumer unit that has drawn attention from U.S. authorities and Congress, hurt sales and tarnished J&J’s reputation.

Swine flu: it’s back: Doctors shocked by spread of swine flu – and its severity

H1N1 virus returns, already claiming lives of 10 British adults with early signs that illness has spread to other European countries

The swine flu virus that swept the world last year causing a global health emergency has returned to claim the lives of 10 adults in the UK in the past six weeks.

The 10 deaths were in younger adults under 65 and associated with H1N1 swine flu. Most had underlying conditions but “a small proportion” were healthy before being struck down by the virus, according to the Health Protection Agency (HPA).

Seasonal flu normally causes severe illness and death in the elderly. The H1N1 swine flu virus targets pregnant women, younger adults, and those with chronic conditions, making it a cause of particular alarm.

h/t to mishima this AM

Full sequence confirms Haiti cholera came from Asia

(Reuters) – Detailed genetic tests confirm that the cholera strain that has killed more than 2,000 people in Haiti came from south Asia and most closely resembles a strain circulating in Bangladesh, U.S. researchers reported on Thursday.

While they cannot trace who or what precisely carried the cholera to Haiti, the team at Harvard Medical School and Pacific Biosciences of California Inc say their findings show extra measures may be needed to help prevent the spread of cholera from one disaster area to another — a contentious issue because many Haitians have blamed the outbreak on Nepalese troops sent to help them as part of a United Nations mission.

Alliance starts pneumonia vaccine project for poor

(Reuters) – A new vaccine against the most deadly forms of pneumonia, one of the world’s biggest killers of children, will be launched in Nicaragua from Sunday as part of an effort to prevent 700,000 deaths in poorer countries by 2015.

The Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI) said Nicaragua would be the first developing nation to begin vaccinating children with the pneumococcal shots, made by drugmakers Pfizer and GlaxoSmithKline, and another 18 countries will follow in the next few years.

Experts call for vaccination, antibiotics in Haiti

(Reuters) – Simply setting up clinics to treat Haitians with cholera is not doing anywhere near enough to tackle the epidemic there, health experts said on Friday, calling for intensive vaccination and more use of antibiotics.

Their recommendation, published in the Lancet medical journal, adds to a growing chorus of voices speaking in support of a vaccination program.

Health authorities, including the Pan-American Health Organization, had argued against vaccination, saying it would be too difficult and expensive

WHO says Cepheid rapid test will transform TB care

(Reuters) – The World Health Organization (WHO) gave its backing on Wednesday to a new molecular test for tuberculosis made by Cepheid which can rapidly diagnose TB, one of the world’s biggest killer diseases.

The Geneva-based WHO said in a statement it was endorsing the test because it could “revolutionize” TB care and control by accurately diagnosing patients in about 100 minutes, compared to current tests that can take up to three months to give results.

Pneumonic plague outbreak in Uganda: officials

(Reuters) – Pneumonic plague has broken out in northern Uganda, killing 38 people and putting dozens in hospital, a senior health official said Tuesday.

Issa Makumbi, assistant commissioner in charge of disease surveillance, said investigations into a disease that struck the region in November were continuing but that tentative tests had confirmed it was pneumonic plague.

Many U.S. women do not get recommended mammograms

(Reuters) – Half of U.S. women 40 and older do not get annual mammograms to screen for breast cancer, and nearly 40 percent of women 50 and older do not get the recommended biannual screenings, even though they have insurance.

The findings, presented on Thursday at the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium, show that many women 50 and older are not meeting the reduced breast cancer screening goals set out by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force.

Ultrasound before medical abortion may be unneeded

(Reuters Health) – Women seeking medical abortion, sometimes called the “abortion pill,” often first undergo an ultrasound test, but a new study suggests that may be an unnecessary step.

In the U.S., medical abortions can be performed within nine weeks of the first day of a woman’s last menstrual period. Most medical abortions involve taking the drug mifepristone (Mifeprex) followed by misoprostol, which causes the womb to contract.

Restless legs in pregnancy may return later

(Reuters Health) – Women who experience so-called restless legs syndrome (RLS) during pregnancy are more likely to have the problem again after giving birth, according to a small Italian study.

The strange condition, which remains controversial, causes unpleasant sensations in the legs when a person is at rest, triggering an uncontrollable urge to move the legs to get relief. Its exact cause is unknown.

Older men get less effective prostate cancer care

(Reuters Health) – Old age is no hindrance to benefiting from prostate cancer surgery and radiation therapy, according to a new U.S. study that shows men over 75 often get less effective treatment than their younger peers.

“It seems men in this age group are often undertreated, and that in turn may contribute to the higher mortality from prostate cancer among older men,” said Dr. Matthew Cooperberg of the University of California, San Francisco, who led the research.

Circumcision may not curb gay HIV transmission

(Reuters Health) – While circumcision has been shown to lower a man’s risk of contracting HIV through heterosexual sex, a new study indicates that the value of circumcision for gay and bisexual men remains questionable.

In a study of more than 1,800 men from the U.S. and Peru, researchers found that overall, the risk of contracting HIV over 18 months did not significantly differ between circumcised and uncircumcised men.

Over the study period, 5 percent of the 1,365 uncircumcised men became HIV-positive, as did 4 percent of the 457 circumcised men, according to findings published in the journal AIDS.

Wait-and-see OK for some mid-risk prostate cancers

(Reuters Health) – More men with prostate cancer may be able to safely put off treatment in favor of monitoring the disease over time, a study of patients at one U.S. medical center suggests.

Researchers found that among 466 prostate cancer patients who opted for “active surveillance” rather than immediate treatment, those with tumors at intermediate risk for progression fared as well over four years as their counterparts with low-risk prostate cancer.

The findings, reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, suggest that while active surveillance is typically only offered to men with low-risk prostate cancer, it may be a reasonable choice for certain men with intermediate-risk disease as well.

Most exercise not linked to sperm health

(Reuters Health) – For most men, exercise appears to have no relationship to either the quality or quantity of sperm, according to U.S. researchers.

But they found one exception: Men who biked for at least five hours per week had fewer and less active sperm than couch potatoes.

“It is likely that most forms of exercise have no effect on semen quality and that only certain subtypes of activity, and/or those performed at higher intensity levels, have an effect,” study author Dr. Lauren Wise at Boston University told Reuters Health in an e-mail.

Cycling may have impact on sperm health: study

(Reuters) – Most exercise appears to have little relationship to either the quality or quantity of sperm, but men who bike at least five hours a week have fewer and less active sperm than men who didn’t exercise, a study said.

Research among competitive athletes has linked biking to genital or urinary problems and poor semen quality, said Lauren Wise at Boston University, who led the study published in “Fertility and Sterility.”

Many elderly have preventable eye problems

(Reuters Health) – A large fraction of elderly people have age-related degenerative changes in their eyes that put them on a path to blindness — but could be preventable – a new study finds.

Eye exams given to more than 5,000 elderly Icelanders found that over one in 10 people in their 60s and nearly one in four in their late 70s have an early form of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), the leading cause of blindness.

The risk of later-onset forms of the condition also increased with age, the authors report in the journal Ophthalmology. People 85 and older appeared to be 10 times more likely to have late AMD than people aged 70 to 74.

Low vitamin D not linked to semen quality

(Reuters Health) – Vitamin D deficiency is taking blame for a growing list of health problems. Weak sperm, however, may not be one of them, hints new research.

“There has been increasing interest in the importance of optimal vitamin D concentrations in recent years, and low vitamin D has been associated with increased risk of several negative health outcomes,” lead researcher Cecilia Host Ramlau-Hansen of Aarhus University Hospital, in Denmark, told Reuters Health in an e-mail.

men want more sex, study finds

Reuters) – The very oldest men are still interested in sex but illness and a lack of opportunity may be holding them back, Australian researchers reported on Monday.

The “male” hormone testosterone was clearly linked with how often a man over 75 had sex, and doctors need to do more studies to see if hormone replacement therapy might benefit older men, the researchers said.

Secondhand smoke tied to kids’ poor mental health

(Reuters Health) – Kids who breathe secondhand smoke are more likely to struggle with mental health problems, suggests a large new study of British children.

The findings add urgency in the push for parents to put away their cigarettes for good, or at least smoke outside of the home, researchers say. However, it’s still unclear if tobacco fumes actually take a toll on children’s brains, or if something else is at play.

“We know that exposure to secondhand smoke is associated with a lot of physical health problems in children, although the mental health side has not been explored,” lead researcher Mark Hamer, of University College London, told Reuters Health in an e-mail.

Study shows child brain tumor is really two cancers

(Reuters) – The most common type of malignant childhood brain tumor is actually two different types of cancer, researchers said on Wednesday in a study they said also suggested the youngest patients could receive less toxic treatments.

The cancer, called medulloblastoma, is usually curable but children can suffer lifetime effects from treatment, which can include surgery, chemotherapy and radiation.

Tests in mice show there are two distinct forms of the cancer and one might require less treatment, Dr. Richard Gilbertson of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee, and an international team of colleagues found.

Incense burning tied to asthma risk in some kids

(Reuters Health) – Children from homes with regular incense burning have a higher risk of developing asthma, according to a Taiwanese study that hints a particular gene variant could be involved.

Among nearly 3,800 middle-school children, researchers found three percent had current asthma and more than five percent had wheezing during exercise. By comparison, nearly one in 10 kids in the U.S. suffer from asthma, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Girls who walk, bike to school do better in tests

(Reuters Health) – Girls, but not boys, who walk or bike to school instead of getting a ride perform better in tests of verbal and math skills, according to a new study of teens living in Spanish cities.

And the longer the commute, the higher the test scores, regardless of how much exercise girls got outside of school.

Still, it’s unclear whether the commute itself matters, or if exercise in general or some other factor is at play, said Dr. Francois Trudeau of the Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières, who was not involved in the study

Parasites may protect against allergies

(Reuters Health) – Children infected with hookworm or other intestinal parasites may be less likely than uninfected children to have allergies, a new research review finds.

The study, published in the journal Allergy, gives some support to the idea that our increasingly germ-free surroundings may be contributing to a worldwide increase in allergies and asthma in recent decades — a theory known as “the hygiene hypothesis.”

Early daycare linked to fewer infections later

(Reuters Health) – Although young children might get sick more often when they first start group daycare — replete with its shared finger paints, building blocks and germs — a new study hints at a possible future pay-off: fewer infections come kindergarten.

The researchers stop short of crediting childcare for the protection, however.

“Daycares have a reputation for being germ factories,” lead author Sylvana Cote of the University of Montreal, in Quebec, told Reuters Health

Kids don’t get enough exercise from sports

(Reuters Health) – Parents hoping to keep their kids active often sign them up for sports, but a new study finds that this may not be enough.

On average, kids enrolled in soccer, baseball or softball exercised heavily for only 45 minutes during practice — 15 minutes less than the amount recommended by national guidelines.

Boys today may be hitting puberty earlier

(Reuters Health) – Boys today may be on a faster track to puberty than their fathers’ generation, reaching the milestone an average of a year earlier, hints a large new study from Bulgaria.

“Studies done several decades ago in the same population reported that a leap forward in sexual development occurs at ages 13 through 16,” researcher Dr. Fnu Deepinder of Cedars Sinai Medical Center, in Los Angeles, told Reuters Health in an e-mail. “However, our study indicated that this spurt takes place between 12 and 15 years old.”

The new finding suggests that the trend toward earlier puberty isn’t limited to girls, who had already been shown to be developing sexually at increasingly younger ages.

Home monitoring devices may ease world health burden

(Reuters) – Many people believe devices that allow doctors to monitor patients’ vital signs in their homes offer a potential way to save health costs and allow older people to stay out of nursing homes.

The trick is proving it, according to a RAND Corp survey commissioned by home medical equipment maker Royal Philips Electronics and released on Tuesday.

(Reuters) – The number of Americans being treated for depression grew more slowly in the past decade, suggesting that many people may not get the care they need, U.S. researchers said on Monday.

Even though the population grew in the past decade and more people were treated for depression, far fewer people were treated with psychotherapy, despite studies that show psychotherapy and pills both ease depression.

The researchers said changes in mental health benefits favoring antidepressants over psychotherapy and concerns about the safety of antidepressants in young people may have slowed growth of depression care.

General Mills steps down sugar in kids’ cereals

(Reuters) – General Mills Inc is lowering the amount of sugar in its children’s breakfast cereals to no more than 10 grams per serving from 11 grams a year ago, the latest move from a U.S. foodmaker to address childhood obesity.

The growing problem of obesity is leading to more children having adult health problems, such as diabetes or high cholesterol.

The step-down in sugar by General Mills, the maker of Lucky Charms, Cocoa Puffs and Trix cereals, is a move closer to its year-old goal to reduce to single-digit levels the number of grams of sugar per serving in all of its cereals advertised to children under 12.

General Mills, which also sells Progresso soup and Yoplait yogurt, said it must reduce sugar in tiny, incremental steps, lest consumers notice the difference and stop buying.

Half of Europe’s adults overweight or obese: report

(Reuters) – More than half of adults in European Union are overweight or obese, piling pressure onto their own health, their nations’ health systems and the wider economy, the OECD and the EU Commission said on Tuesday.

In a report on health in the 27-member bloc, the Paris-based Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the Brussels-based Commission said the rate of obesity has more than doubled over the past 20 years in most member states.

It also found that one in seven EU children is overweight or obese, and said the figures are set to rise even further.

Steven Thomma at McClatchy Newspapers writes Friday December 10, 2010 of the depressing (and predictable?) results of a new public opinion poll conducted for McClatchy by the Marist Institute for Public Opinion at Marist College in Poughkeepsie, N.Y.

The poll results indicate that “Americans overwhelmingly think that WikiLeaks is doing more harm than good by releasing classified U.S. diplomatic cables, and they want to see the people behind it prosecuted”

Thomma’s article notes that…

The survey found that 70 percent of Americans think the leaks are doing more harm than good by allowing America’s enemies to see confidential and secret information about U.S. foreign policy.

Just 22 percent think the leaks are doing more good than harm by making the U.S. government more transparent and accountable, the stated goal of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange.

and that…

The poll also found that 59 percent of Americans think those who publish secret U.S. documents should be prosecuted, while 31 percent said the publication of secrets is protected under the First Amendment guarantee of a free press.

Attitudes about freedom of press-versus-prosecution change with age:

• Among those age 18 to 29, 52 percent said the publishers were protected by the First Amendment and 47 percent said they should be prosecuted.
• Among those age 30 to 44, the numbers shifted to 37 percent for First Amendment protection and 50 percent for prosecution.
• Among those age 45 to 59, it was 25 percent for protection and 65 percent for prosecution.
• And among those 65 and older, it was 20 percent for protection and 68 percent for prosecution.

Click the logo and get the code to put this on your blog or site…

“Punting the Pundits” is an Open Thread. It is a selection of editorials and opinions from around the news medium and the internet blogs. The intent is to provide a forum for your reactions and opinions, not just to the opinions presented, but to what ever you find important.

Thanks to ek hornbeck, click on the link and you can access all the past “Punting the Pundits”.

Bruce Fein: Slouching Towards Tyranny

The state of civil liberties and national security in the United States is alarming. . . . . .

The United States was founded on the idea that the individual was the center of the nation’s universe; and, that freedom was the rule and government restraints grudging exceptions. The right to be left alone was cherished above all others. The national purpose was not to build an Empire by projecting military force throughout the planet, but to revere due process and the blessings of liberty at home.

These ennobling ideas have been abandoned for the juvenile thrill of domination for the sake of domination and a quest for absolute safety that elevates vassalage to the summum bonum.

Where are the leaders to awaken America to its philosophical peril? Who has the courage to preach, “Better free than safe,” “As we would not be tyrannized, so we shall not be tyrants,” and, “due process is a higher life form than vigilante justice?”

If not us, who? If not now, when?

New York Times Editorial:  Civil Rights in California

However the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit rules in California’s pivotal same-sex marriage battle – and it should uphold the civil rights of Americans – the court has already set one standard that the Supreme Court should follow.

Lawyers on both sides of the struggle sparred over questions of legal procedure and civil rights for two intense hours on Monday – and the whole country had a chance to watch, thanks to the court’s decision to allow C-Span to televise the argument. The dignified proceeding only increased our regret over the moment that was lost in January when the Supreme Court abruptly intervened to block the planned broadcasting of the trial that led to the appeal. The court has persisted far too long in its refusal to allow unobtrusive camera coverage of its own oral arguments.

The central issue before the appellate court was whether Proposition 8, California’s voter-approved ban on same-sex marriage, violates the United States Constitution. In August, in Federal District Court, Judge Vaughn Walker held that it did. After a nearly three-week trial, Judge Walker found no rational basis for the proposition’s inherent discrimination, which he said violated rights to equal protection and due process of law.

Gail Collins: My Favorite War

Well, here’s some good news for a change. The Holiday Parade of Lights in Tulsa, Okla., has been saved!

know you’ve been worried.

The Tulsa City Council has voted to allow the parade to go forward Saturday night, despite protests against the disappearance of the word “Christmas” from its name.

It’s not entirely clear that the council actually could have stopped it, or even whether the parade ever officially had Christmas in its name. But Senator James Inhofe of Oklahoma is outraged.

Inhofe was away from home last December, stuck in Washington trying to kill off health care reform. Now he’s back, and he’s noted a dwindling in the parade’s religious angle. “I just don’t like what’s going on in America today, all over the country, with the aversion some people seem to have toward Christ,” he said in one of his many interviews explaining that he will no longer ride his horse in any holiday event that isn’t named for Christmas.

Go to it, Senator Inhofe! I love this controversy, and only in part because it diverts Oklahoma’s senior senator from his normal day job of trying to convince the world that global warming doesn’t exist.

Mark Engler: Obama’s Tax Cut Debacle: When Compromise is the Enemy of the Good

I think we need a new aphorism or analogy to counter the old saying, “Don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good.” This is the principle that President Obama has once again offered up, this time after disastrously caving in to the Republicans over tax cuts for the rich.

A new, contrary adage should warn against compromising to the point at which you end up supporting something vile.

Jeff Cohen: President Nafta Backs President Shafta

It was a stunning spectacle this afternoon when former President Clinton took the podium from President Obama in the White House briefing room to help shove the Obama-GOP tax deal down the throats of Democratic activists and Congress members.

It was a fitting spectacle too (carried live on CNN) — since Bill Clinton paved the way in teaching how a Democratic president can win battles through the votes NOT of his own party but the Republicans.

Remember NAFTA, the trade deal loved by big business and Republicans — and opposed by Democratic constituencies like unions, environmentalists and consumer advocates? Clinton passed NAFTA with the votes of nearly 80 percent of GOP senators and almost 70 percent of House Republicans. Meanwhile, House Democrats opposed NAFTA by more than 3 to 2.

Laura Flanders: Attacks On Government Workers in Tax Deal

Republican activist Grover Norquist once famously declared that he’d like to shrink the federal government to the point where he could drown it in a bathtub — but a little-noticed provision in the “tax cut compromise” we discussed today with Bernie Sanders might well drain the states’ sinks first.

Yves Smith and Reuters blogger James Pethokoukis report that the billionaires-for-benefits compromise effectively ends the Build America Bonds program. That’s the program which makes it easier for states to borrow money to cover their budget shortfalls — estimated at $140 billion just next year.

Who are the victims when the states can’t borrow? Bill Fletcher reminded us this week of the attacks on public employees’ pay. Public employee retirement benefits will probably be the first to go — estimated at $750 billion to more than $3 trillion.

Pethokoukis further notes that legislation amending bankruptcy law is in the works, possibly permitting states to declare bankruptcy. And if they declare bankruptcy, just like GM, workers’ benefits are the first thing on the chopping block.

Janet Redman: Cancun: Can We Avert Climate Chaos?

Arm twisting and back-room pressure tactics will backfire.

Rumors running through the halls of the Moon Palace, the Cancun resort where delegates from the 192 countries that belong to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) are meeting, paint a bleak picture of the possibility of moving toward a fair and effective climate deal in the near future.

Civil society groups expressed caution in Cancun that Mexico, thiis climate convention’s host, must avoid invite-only conversations with a small group of countries aimed at agreeing on the most sensitive topic on the table: the question of who will be responsible for cutting greenhouse gas emissions, and by how much.

Many developing countries worry that a small group could be pressured by powerful players to accept a deal that undercuts ecological stability, human security, and equity. They’re concerned that if a bad deal is put on the table in the final week of negotiations, governments that voice dissent will be portrayed as villains.

This is your morning Open Thread. Pour your favorite beverage and review the past and comment on the future.

December 11 is the 345th day of the year (346th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 20 days remaining until the end of the year.

December 10 is the 344th day of the year (345th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 21 days remaining until the end of the year.

After the food and medical crisis of the late 1940s passed, UNICEF continued its role as a relief organization for the children of troubled nations and during the 1970s grew into a vocal advocate of children’s rights. During the 1980s, UNICEF assisted the U.N. Commission on Human Rights in the drafting of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. After its introduction to the U.N. General Assembly in 1989, the Convention on the Rights of the Child became the most widely ratified human rights treaty in history, and UNICEF played a key role in ensuring its enforcement.

Of the 184 member states of the United Nations, only two countries have failed to ratify the treaty–Somalia and the United States. Somalia does not currently have an internationally recognized government, so ratification is impossible, and the United States, which was one of the original signatories of the convention, has failed to ratify the treaty because of concerns about its potential impact on national sovereignty and the parent-child relationship.

On this day in 1946, In the aftermath of World War II, the General Assembly of the United Nations votes to establish the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF), an organization to help provide relief and support to children living in countries devastated by the war.

In 1953, UNICEF became a permanent part of the United Nations System and its name was shortened from the original United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund but it has continued to be known by the popular acronym based on this old name. Headquartered in New York City, UNICEF provides long-term humanitarian and developmental assistance to children and mothers in developing countries.

UNICEF relies on contributions from governments and private donors and UNICEF’s total income for 2006 was $2,781,000,000. Governments contribute two thirds of the organization’s resources; private groups and some 6 million individuals contribute the rest through the National Committees. UNICEF’s programs emphasize developing community-level services to promote the health and well-being of children. UNICEF was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1965 and the Prince of Asturias Award of Concord in 2006.

Most of UNICEF’s work is in the field, with staff in over 190 countries and territories. More than 200 country offices carry out UNICEF’s mission through a program developed with host governments. Seven regional offices provide technical assistance to country offices as needed.

Overall management and administration of the organization takes place at its headquarters in New York. UNICEF’s Supply Division is based in Copenhagen and serves as the primary point of distribution for such essential items as vaccines, antiretroviral medicines for children and mothers with HIV, nutritional supplements, emergency shelters, educational supplies, among others. A 36-member Executive Board establishes policies, approves programs and oversees administrative and financial plans. The Executive Board is made up of government representatives who are elected by the United Nations Economic and Social Council, usually for three-year terms.

Following the reaching of term limits by Executive Director of UNICEF Carol Bellamy, former United States Secretary of Agriculture Ann Veneman became executive director of the organization in May 2005 with an agenda to increase the organization’s focus on the Millennium Development Goals. She was succeeded in May 2010 by Anthony Lake.

UNICEF is an inter-governmental organization and thus is accountable to governments.

 969 – Byzatine Emperor Nikephoros II is assassinated by his wife Theofano and her lover, the later Emperor John I Tzimiskes.

1282 – Llywelyn the Last, the last native Prince of Wales, is killed at Cilmeri, near Builth Wells, south Wales.

1602 – A surprise attack by forces under the command of the Duke of Savoy and his brother-in-law, Philip III of Spain, is repelled by the citizens of Geneva.

1789 – The University of North Carolina is chartered by the North Carolina General Assembly.

1792 – French Revolution: King Louis XVI of France is put on trial for treason by the National Convention.

1815 – the U.S. Senate created a select committee on finance and a uniform national currency, predecessor of the United States Senate Committee on Finance.

1816 – Indiana becomes the 19th U.S. state.

1905 – A workers’ uprising occurs in Kiev and establishes the Shuliavka Republic.

1907 – The New Zealand Parliament Buildings are almost completely destroyed by fire.

1917 – British General Edmund Allenby enters Jerusalem on foot and declares martial law.

1917 – Lithuania declares its independence from Russia.

1925 – Roman Catholic papal encyclical Quas Primas introduces the Feast of Christ the King.

1927 – Guangzhou Uprising: Communist militia and worker Red Guards launch an uprising in the Chinese city of Guangzhou, taking over most of the city and announcing the formation of a Guangzhou Soviet.

1931 – The British Parliament enacts the Statute of Westminster 1931, establishing legislative equality between the self-governing dominions of the Commonwealth of Australia, the Dominion of Canada, the Irish Free State, Dominion of Newfoundland, the Dominion of New Zealand, and the Union of South Africa.

1934 – Bill Wilson, co-founder of Alcoholics Anonymous, takes his last drink and enters treatment for the last time.

1936 – Abdication Crisis: Edward VIII’s abdication as King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the British Dominions beyond the Seas, and Emperor of India becomes effective.

1937 – Second Italo-Abyssinian War: Italy leaves the League of Nations.

1941 – World War II: Germany and Italy declare war on the United States, following the Americans’ declaration of war on Japan in the wake of the attack on Pearl Harbor. The United States, in turn, declares war on Germany and Italy.

1946 – The United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) is established.

1948 – The United Nations passes General Assembly Resolution 194, which established and defined the role of the United Nations Conciliation Commission as an organization to facilitate peace in the British Mandate for Palestine.

1958 – French Upper Volta gains self-government from France, becomes the Republic of Upper Volta, and joins the French Community.

1960 – French forces crack down in a violent clash with protesters in French Algeria during a visit by French president Charles de Gaulle.

1962 – Arthur Lucas, convicted of murder, is the last person to be executed in Canada.

1964 – Che Guevara speaks at the United Nations General Assembly in New York City. An unknown terrorist fires a mortar shell at the building during the speech.

1968 – The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus

1972 – Apollo 17 becomes the sixth and last Apollo mission to land on the Moon.

1980 – The Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act, also known as CERCLA or Superfund, is enacted by the U.S. Congress.

1981 – El Mozote massacre: Armed forces in El Salvador kill an estimated 900 civilians in an anti-guerrilla campaign during the Salvadoran Civil War.

1993 – Forty-eight people are killed when a block of the Highland Towers collapses near Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

1994 – First Chechen War: Russian President Boris Yeltsin orders Russian troops into Chechnya.

1994 – A bomb explodes on Philippine Airlines Flight 434, en route from Manila to Tokyo, killing one. The captain was able to safely land the plane.

1997 – The Kyoto Protocol opens for signature.

1998 – Thai Airways Flight 261 crashes near Surat Thani Airport, killing 101. The pilot flying the Thai Airways Airbus A310-300 is thought to have suffered spatial disorientation.

2001 – The People’s Republic of China joins the World Trade Organization.

2005 – The Buncefield Oil Depot catches fire in Hemel Hempstead, England.

2005 – Cronulla riots: Thousands of White Australians demonstrate against ethnic violence resulting in a riot against anyone thought to be Lebanese (and many who were not) in Cronulla Sydney. These are followed up by retaliatory ethnic attacks on Cronulla.

2006 – The International Conference to Review the Global Vision of the Holocaust is opened in Tehran, Iran by Mahmoud Ahmadinejad; Nations such as Israel and the United States express concern.

2007 – Two car bombs explode at the Constitutional Court building in Algiers and the United Nations office. An estimated 45 people are killed in the bombings.

2008 – Bernard Madoff is arrested and charged with securities fraud in a $50 billion Ponzi scheme.

2009 – Tiger Woods announced an indefinite leave from professional golf to focus on his marriage.

Holidays and observances

   * Christian Feast Day:

         o Daniel the Stylite

         o Pope Damasus I

         o Victoricus, Fuscian, and Gentian

   * Indiana Day (United States)

   * One of the four Agonalia, this day in honor of Sol Indiges; also the Septimontium festival (Roman Empire)

   * Pampanga Day (Pampanga

Province, the Philippines)

   * Remembrance Day of Llywelyn II (Wales)

   * Republic Day, the day when Upper Volta became an autonomous republic in the French Community in 1958. (Burkina Faso)

   * Tango Day, the birthday of Julio de Caro and Carlos Gardel (Buenos Aires)

How I met Julian Assange and secured the American embassy cables



Philip Dorling

December 11, 2010

GETTING to WikiLeaks’s secret headquarters took quite some time and was not without complications.

This year a careful reading of statements by the WikiLeaks co-founder, Julian Assange, led me to conclude his small organisation had landed what could be the biggest leak of classified information – a vast trove of US documents that, among other things, would provide deep insight into the realities of Australia’s relationship with our most important ally, the US.

Doctors shocked by spread of swine flu – and its severity

H1N1 virus returns, already claiming lives of 10 British adults with early signs that illness has spread to other European countries

By Jeremy Laurance, Health Editor Saturday, 11 December 2010

The swine flu that swept the world last year causing a global health emergency has returned to claim the lives of 10 adults in the UK in the past six weeks.

The 10 deaths were in younger adults under 65 and associated with H1N1 swine flu. Most had underlying conditions but “a small proportion” were healthy before being struck down by the virus, according to the Health Protection Agency (HPA).

Seasonal flu normally causes severe illness and death in the elderly. The H1N1 swine flu virus targets pregnant women, younger adults, and those with chronic conditions, making it a cause of particular alarm.

USA

Bill Clinton takes the White House stage, again

 

By Dan Balz

Washington Post Staff Writer  

If not a transfer of power, the whole show seemed at least a temporary handoff. An embattled president, fresh off an electoral shellacking and struggling to sell a controversial tax deal to members of his own party, turned to a former president who, exactly 16 years ago, was struggling to right his own presidency after a defeat of almost similar magnitude.

President Obama had invited former president Bill Clinton to the White House for a private talk, the details of which neither man chose to describe. But their public appearance will be long remembered.

U.S. still warning employees: Don’t read or discuss the WikiLeaks documents

‘So, my grandmother would be allowed to access the cables, but not me’  

By Michael Isikoff

National investigative correspondent

WASHINGTON – In the past few weeks, more than 1,200 internal State Department cables have been made public by WikiLeaks and received worldwide attention, including regular front-page coverage in The New York Times and countless other news organizations, including MSNBC.

But the Obama administration’s attempt to stop people from reading them continues unabated, creating mounting confusion and head-shaking among bewildered federal employees.      

In one example, the Department of Homeland Security sent out a strongly worded memo to all employees and contractors telling them that not only may they not “download or attempt to download” any of the classified WikiLeaks memos onto their computers, they also may not “discuss the content” of such “potentially classified” documents “with persons who would not otherwise be authorized access,” according to a copy of a Dec. 3 memo from the department’s Office of Chief Information Officer.

Europe

Winter chill promises a snow business bonanza for Continental Europe



By Simon Calder, Senior Travel Editor Saturday, 11 December 2010

As Britain thaws after the early cold snap, winter-sports resorts across Continental Europe are reporting exceptional snow conditions – presaging an excellent winter for skiers and snowboarders. In addition, slow sales signal the prospect of bargains for anyone able to travel in the next few weeks.

More than 50 ski resorts across the eastern Alps yesterday received a substantial fall of snow, with the Austrian resorts of Saalbach and Schladming reporting 20cm (8in) each. Obertauern became the first European resort this season to achieve one metre of snow cover on its lower slopes, almost double the level on the same day a year ago.

Sex, spies and ‘swallows’  

Russia believes that the old-fashioned honeypot can still beat electronic and cyber sources as means of extracting information, says Jon Stock.

By Jon Stock 7:00AM GMT 11 Dec 2010  

Moscow Centre has a special word for Katia Zatuliveter, the 25-year-old Russian accused of spying in the House of Commons: a “swallow”. Intelligent and good-looking, with a penchant for short skirts, she quickly caught the eye of the Liberal Democrat MP Mike Hancock, who employed her as an assistant. But if MI5 is to be believed, their first meeting was anything but a chance encounter. It was orchestrated by the SVR, Russia’s foreign intelligence agency, and is the latest proof that the Cold War is far from over. And that sex is still good for a sting.

“Zatuliveter was extremely attractive and she was selling that, wearing short skirts all the time,” according to Nevena Marjanovic, a 26-year-old former colleague in Hancock’s office.

Middle East

Hopes dashed for release of woman who faced stoning



Saeed Kamali Dehghan and Ian Black

December 11, 2010

CONFUSION surrounds the fate of Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani, the woman whose sentence of death by stoning for adultery in Iran triggered an international outcry.

Campaigners initially claimed victory after photographs from state-run Press TV showed Ms Mohammadi Ashtiani meeting her son Saijad Ghaderzadeh at her home in Osku, in north-west Iran, boosting hopes that she had been suddenly released.

But in the absence of official confirmation their mood soon darkened.

US ‘regrets’ Middle East impasse  

Days after dropping settlement freeze bid with Israel, Hillary Clinton says US is “frustrated” by the lack of progress.

Last Modified: 11 Dec 2010 06:24 GMT  

Hillary Clinton has said the United States alone cannot bring peace to the Middle East, and that it was up to the parties themselves to forge a deal on the settlements issue.

In a speech in Washington, the US secretary of state said Israeli and Palestinian negotiators will have to first make some major compromises on the core issues.

Clinton expressed frustration with the impasse and made it clear that the parties themselves are ultimately responsible for settling their long-standing conflict, but insisted that the US administration will “not lose hope”.

She said the US will keep pressing for a solution, and called on Israelis and Palestinians to set aside their differences.

Asia

PM’s dictate drives Kazakhs iPad crazy  

A statement from Kazakhstan’s Prime Minister has sent ambitious ministerial apparatchiks scrambling to get their hands on Apple’s iPad computer, causing shops to sell out, and a local entrepreneur to announce plans to launch his own rival tablet.

By Richard Orange, Almaty 12:47AM GMT 11 Dec 2010

The craze began when Prime Minister Karim Massimov, himself an avid iPad user, expressed impatience with government employees who didn’t reply promptly to emails.

“Please carry tablet computers at all times,” he said at a government meeting in October. “I can send you a message any time, and, as some of you know, I aim to reply within ten minutes. Some of you have not replied to me for three days.”

Ever since, owning an iPad has become a symbol of loyalty for officials in the oil-rich former Soviet republic.

Floodwaters still washing away lives in Pakistan  

The Irish Times – Saturday, December 11, 2010

MARY FITZGERALD Foreign Correspondent in Dadu, southern Pakistan  

The world has moved on from the disaster, but in villages and camps the horror is still unfolding

THE IRONY of being surrounded by water but not having enough to drink is not lost on Longkhan Solangi, the wiry septuagenarian patriarch of an extended family that includes 30 grandchildren. Sitting on a rope bed in the open air of what was once his thriving village, Longkhan gestures at the murky pools of stagnant floodwater around him, lined with green slime. Then he points to the horizon, his bony finger tracing what looks like a vast inland lake shimmering in the afternoon sun. “Look at all that water, more water than I have ever seen in my life, and yet we are looking for water every day to drink,” he says bitterly.

Africa

Isolated Gbagbo courts defiant Côte d’Ivoire rivals



THOMAS MORFIN | ABIDJAN, CÔTE D’IVOIRE – Dec 11 2010    

With world institutions freezing him out as he clings defiantly to power, newspaper reports indicated Gbagbo had made the first sign of a move to tackle the potentially violent stand-off.

“Let’s sit down and talk,” Gbagbo was quoted as saying by papers, including state daily Fraternite Matin, in a nod to Alassane Ouattara, who has declared himself president based on a UN-endorsed vote-count.

Ouattara’s camp showed no sign of compromise, however.

“By next week I will be moved into my offices” as the country’s prime minister, said Guillaume Soro, the former rebel whom Ouattara has named to head his government, at a news conference on Friday at his base in an Abidjan hotel.

Gbagbo hints at Cote d’Ivoire talks

President dismisses fears of civil war resumption following a poll he is widely thought to have lost to his rival.

Last Modified: 11 Dec 2010 05:41 GMT

The president of Cote d’Ivoire has hinted that he is open to negotiations with his political rivals to end the crisis which followed last month’s disputed presidential poll.

Laurent Gbagbo made the comments in the state-run Fraternite Matin newspaper on Friday, dismissing fears of a possible resumption of war in the West African nation.

“We hear people say there will be war, that there will be an explosion. There will not be a war here. Things will end up with us sitting down [together],” he was quoted as saying.

“Let’s sit down and talk. If there is a problem, we will sit down and talk.”

Latin America

Bolivia lowers retirement age  



Bucking a global trend which pushes workers to work longer and older, Bolivians can now retire at age 58, down from 65.

Last Modified: 11 Dec 2010 04:31 GMT  

Bolivia has lowered its retirement age to 58, breaking with the global trend of pushing people to stay in the workforce longer.

The law, which also nationalises the national pension system and extends coverage considerably to the poor, was passed on Friday.

Bolivia’s current retirement age is 65 for men and 60 for women.

“We are fulfilling a promise with the Bolivian people. We are creating a pension system that includes everyone,” President Evo Morales said at the signing ceremony, surrounded by members of the powerful Bolivian workers’ federation, which helped to draft the law.

Ignoring Asia A Blog

(10 am. – promoted by ek hornbeck)

Posted earlier at La Vita Locavore and DailyKos.

Cross-posted at DailyKos.

Yesterday on The Leonard Lopate Show the lead story was called Feeding The Soul and for anyone seeking to restore their faith in good government, it did just that. Two guest in an interview to discuss Food Works in New York City that would have seemed an unlikely pair as recently as two days ago.

One was Chef Dan Barber who has been a great advocate in the New York area for the local food movement. The other was City Council speaker Christine Quinn. yesterday they were on the same page. It was amazing to hear Christine Quinn’s introduction sounding more like Marion Nestle in talks about what the government needs to do, hearing a powerful politician discussing things being done now and progressive plans for a sustainable future. I’ve never heard such a merger of bottom up activism and top down good government action before.

The city has already moved $4.5 million in public school food spending over to local farms and is trying to change the $300,000 spent on school lettuce to money being pumped into the Rockland County farm economy and processing facilities in the economically depressed Bronx. But that was just the tip of the iceberg.

The New York City Council has already dedicated $2 million to converting an abandoned warehouse in East Harlem into rental commercial kitchens. Talk about helping small business, someone who has a recipe they think they can sell will have a start up just for the rental fee, politicians helping people and Speaker Quinn expects that it will grow by 15 to 20 small businesses and 100 jobs per year.

But the plans for the future were even more impressive. Both Christine Quinn and Dan Barber discussing changes in the distribution chain to get away from a food economy built when gasoline was twenty-four cents a gallon, an extremely wasteful system that had become a disaster to the world’s environment. Government representative and food activist together, discussing making the shorter more sensible and far less fossil fuel burning trip from farm to table, making it cheaper than the present day big business models. Since local food is more expensive because of distribution problems the city is now working to transform from local farmers growing, then driving individually to farmers market to an efficient delivery system that creates local jobs for New York City residents. They want to change the Hunts Point Market in the Bronx so that local food becomes a $3 billion dollar industry in New York City for sustainable local regional agriculture.

Much of what was discussed was about economic development and sounded like government learning from people. Christine Quinn said “it’s about using food to put New Yorkers to work, and finding ways to make food work for us.” There are now twenty real official USDA farms in New York City with the City Council speaker stumping for World War II style victory gardens and using more roofs in the city to create small commercial farms.

Much was about urban obesity, aggressive new zoning to bring more supermarkets to neighborhoods that have become urban food deserts are already in place. Bloomberg’s salad bars in public schools has already gotten a lot of press in the campaign against obesity here but the city council has also purchased the food stamp scanners for farmer’s markets and seen an enormous growth in healthy food being sold to poor New Yorkers. Last year there was over a quarter million dollars in food stamp sales at farmer’s markets, government working to give people the choice and the option. Working toward a local ecology awareness to make New Yorkers familiar with what they are missing and instead of finger waving at obesity, city dwellers learning to find fast food repulsive through consuming delicious local food.

There was much more said, going into composting so it is about not just farm to table but beyond. I suggest you listen to the entire interview for a progressive pick me up or check all of the information available at THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK that includes ninety pages of progress.

Here are the five points presented by the council.  

  1. Improve the city’s food infrastructure.  Too much of New York City’s food infrastructure is outdated and inefficient, which costs us jobs and damages our environment.  We need to begin making key, targeted investments – creating better links between the city and upstate producers, and supporting a smart redevelopment of Hunts Point.

  2. Create new and better jobs in the food industry.  There are currently over 19,000 New Yorkers employed in the food industry, but the potential exists for many more.  The Council is going to develop creative ways to expand local food manufacturing, and attract more food industry companies to the city.

  3. Keep more local food dollars in the local economy.  Food sales and services in the five boroughs constitute a $30 billion market, but only 2% of the fruits and vegetables coming through the Hunts Point produce market are grown in New York State.  The Council will pursue State legislation allowing the City to prioritize local producers; look to expand farmers markets and CSAs; and encourage more wholesalers, retailers, and restaurants to use regional products.

  4. Reduce diet related diseases like obesity, heart disease and diabetes.  58 percent of all adults in New York City are overweight or obese, and more than half a million New Yorkers have been diagnosed with diabetes.  We can fight this epidemic by bringing more healthy foods into low income neighborhoods, enroll more New Yorkers in Food Stamps and WIC, and getting more children taking advantage of free meals.

  5. Reduce environmental damage from the production, transport, and consumption of food.  Food in the US travels an average of 1,500 miles before consumption, dramatically increasing both greenhouse gasses produced and energy consumed.  We can get more food transported into the city by rail instead of by truck, expand urban agriculture, and create programs allowing restaurants and homeowners to more easily compost their food scraps.

It seems so hard to find a good government story lately but this local story is a winner. It’s not just New York, this has become one the most exciting and popular social movements in the nation. From the growth in farmer’s markets to some more depressed cities rezoning areas back to farmland tax structures. I understand that some cities are already way ahead of New York. This has become a growing good news for grass roots story. And Christine Quinn even called for grassroots support to accomplish some of these goals.

Just a short time ago this sounded like some fantasy fiction from some “crazy locavores.” I remember the first time I heard Dan Barber speak. I went with Jill Richardson to Slow Food Nation in 2008. I was very impressed but it didn’t sound like his message was ready for prime time. I wrote about the second time I saw him, he gave an incredible speech about the advantages of local food as an introduction to Martha Steward in the New York Botanical Garden and it was well received by an audience waiting for a cooking demonstration. Now Dan Barber sits next the the second most powerful person in New York City government and they agree about almost everything.        

If you are one of those “crazy locavores” congratulations on a job well done and pat yourself on the back. If you are not than I hope you enjoyed a story of progress. It happens.  

No Larry tonight, just Prison Porn.

A true enough story- my brewing buddy started throwing massive Halloween parties to show off his incredible sound system long before he started brewing.  At the very first one we set up a bunch of stations with vintage computer and game systems and a projection TV.  The concept was that he’d do some music video mixing and people would dance, but we made the mistake of showing the first 10 minutes of Raiders to ‘demonstrate the capabilities’ (it really was the best 10 minutes in movies until it was recently supplanted by Saving Private Ryan’s 27 minute opening).

Needless to say what we ended up doing was planting everyone on couches for the entire evening in drooling worship to the Hypnotoad.

In later years we not only ditched the TV, but also started limiting the seating.

It’s not the years, it’s the mileage.

• ABC Family– The Santa Clause, The Santa Clause 2 (endless repeats this weekend)
• AMC– The Abyss, The Walking Dead x 2 (Season Finale repeat)
• Bravo– Hairspray x 2 (not the good 1988 version)
• Disney– Wizards of Waverly Place, Fish Hooks (premiers), Phineas and Ferb (Hawaii and Christmas Vacations)
• Discovery– Swamp Loggers (last week’s and new), Gold Rush (premier)
• E!– The Soup (premier)
• ESPN– Hoopies, Lakers @ Bulls, Heat @ Warriors
• ESPN2– College Throwball, New Hampshire @ Delaware
• Food– Outrageous Food (premier)
• FX– Space Chimps, Dr. Seuss’ Horton Hears a Who!
• National Geographic– Dog Whisperer (premier)
• Oxygen– Pretty Woman x 2
• Sci Fi– Sanctuary (premier)
• Style– The Bridges of Madison County
• TBS– Fred Claus x 2
• Turner Classic– A Christmas Carol, Scrooge
• TLC– What Not to Wear (premier)
• TNT– The Matrix, The Matrix Reloaded (triple feature)
• Toon– Ben 10 (Season Finale premier), Generator Rex (premier)
• True– Conspiracy Theory With Jesse Ventura (premier)
• USA– Raiders of the Lost Ark, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
• VH1– 8 Mile

Later-

• AMC– They Live
• Bravo– American Pie Presents: Band Camp
• Oxygen– Uptown Girls
• Sci Fi– Sanctuary (Instapeat), Warehouse 13, Eureka (this week’s Holiday Specials)
• TBS– Along Came Polly
• Turner Classic– The Man Who Came to Dinner
• TNT– The Matrix Revolutions
• Toon– Childrens Hospital, The Office (the good one)

Dave hosts Reese Witherspoon and Colin Quinn.  

Why, Mr. Anderson? Why do you do it? Why get up? Why keep fighting? Do you believe you’re fighting for something? For more than your survival? Can you tell me what it is? Do you even know? Is it freedom? Or truth? Perhaps peace? Yes? No? Could it be for love? Illusions, Mr. Anderson. Vagaries of perception. The temporary constructs of a feeble human intellect trying desperately to justify an existence that is without meaning or purpose. And all of them as artificial as the Matrix itself, although only a human mind could invent something as insipid as love. You must be able to see it, Mr. Anderson. You must know it by now. You can’t win. It’s pointless to keep fighting. Why, Mr. Anderson? Why? Why do you persist?

Because I choose to.

Zap2it TV Listings, Yahoo TV Listings

Evening Edition is an Open Thread

Well, this is odd, AFP hasn’t updated their feed since yesterday.  No new News there.

1 Jailed Chinese dissident awarded Nobel

By Wojciech Moskwa and Walter Gibbs, Reuters

42 mins ago

2 China’s rivals welcome Nobel for Liu; allies question

By Caren Bohan and Lucy Hornby, Reuters

Fri Dec 10, 10:13 am ET

3 China raises bank reserves 3rd time in a month

By Zhou Xin and Kevin Yao, Reuters

Fri Dec 10, 9:42 am ET

4 Apple preps new camera-toting iPads: sources

By Kelvin Soh, Argin Chang and Melanie Lee, Reuters

Fri Dec 10, 1:04 pm ET

5 Britain to probe lapse in royal security after riot

By Adrian Croft and Michael Holden, Reuters

2 hrs 57 mins ago

6 GM seeks easing of executive pay restrictions

By John Crawley, Reuters

2 hrs 26 mins ago

7 Obama weighs effort to overhaul tax code

By Caren Bohan, Reuters

54 mins ago

8 Germany and France vow tighter policy coordination

By Erik Kirschbaum and Emannuel Jarry, Reuters

Fri Dec 10, 12:40 pm ET

9 Demolition teams torch California "bomb house"

By Marty Graham, Reuters

Fri Dec 10, 1:23 am ET

10 Analysis: Cyber attack protection not worth the cost for most

By Georgina Prodhan and Marius Bosch, Reuters

Fri Dec 10, 9:24 am ET

11 Foes of ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ say fight not over

By ANNE FLAHERTY, Associated Press

28 mins ago

12 Obama predicts tax bill passage, possible changes

By STEPHEN OHLEMACHER, Associated Press

30 mins ago

13 Jailed Nobel Peace Prize winner applauded in Oslo

By BJOERN H. AMLAND, Associated Press

31 mins ago

14 Custer’s ‘Last Flag’ sold for $2.2 million

By MATTHEW BROWN, Associated Press

33 mins ago

15 Morrison pardon doesn’t change The Doors’ history

By BRENDAN FARRINGTON, Associated Press

Fri Dec 10, 3:32 am ET

16 Intense climate talks stretch into final hours

By ARTHUR MAX, Associated Press

2 hrs 10 mins ago

17 AP Enterprise: FAA loses track of 119,000 aircraft

By CHRIS HAWLEY, Associated Press

Fri Dec 10, 8:48 am ET

18 Berlusconi battles back from brink in Italy

By ALESSANDRA RIZZO, Associated Press

Fri Dec 10, 9:23 am ET

19 Pole dancing holds world championships

By ERIC TALMADGE, Associated Press

Fri Dec 10, 6:32 am ET

20 Haiti candidates move toward direct confrontation

By JONATHAN M. KATZ, Associated Press

Fri Dec 10, 6:31 am ET

21 Defense in Katrina-era police cases stresses chaos

By MICHAEL KUNZELMAN, Associated Press

14 mins ago

22 Papers shed light on Eisenhower’s farewell address

By JOHN MILBURN, Associated Press

27 mins ago

23 Civil War’s 150th anniversary stirs debate on race

By BRUCE SMITH, Associated Press

2 hrs 32 mins ago

24 AP: US report adds details on Cold War Nazi intel

By CRISTIAN SALAZAR and RANDY HERSCHAFT, Associated Press

Fri Dec 10, 11:15 am ET

25 Burn of explosive-laden Calif. house to be a model

By JULIE WATSON, Associated Press

Fri Dec 10, 4:40 am ET

26 More farmers work away from fields to pay bills

By OLIVIA MUNOZ, For The Associated Press

Fri Dec 10, 4:20 am ET

27 Federal judges urged to quit private group’s board

By MARK SHERMAN, Associated Press

Fri Dec 10, 3:04 am ET

28 Democrats delay action on young immigrants bill

By JULIE HIRSCHFELD DAVIS, Associated Press

Thu Dec 9, 11:27 pm ET

29 Students, police clash as UK approves tuition hike

By CASSANDRA VINOGRAD and MATT DUNHAM, Associated Press

Thu Dec 9, 11:25 pm ET

30 Abortion rights foes look to spread fetal pain law

By TIMBERLY ROSS, Associated Press

Thu Dec 9, 11:19 pm ET

31 2 accused of NY subway station hate attack on imam

By JENNIFER PELTZ, Associated Press

Thu Dec 9, 7:57 pm ET

32 Transgender woman files privacy claim against DMV

By LISA LEFF, Associated Press

Thu Dec 9, 7:14 pm ET

33 730 US schools trying to reinvent themselves

By DONNA GORDON BLANKINSHIP, Associated Press

Thu Dec 9, 6:21 pm ET

The Obama Administration’s Financial-Fraud Stunt Backfires

The press shows the feds’ numbers are phony and asks where the whales are.

By Ryan Chittum, The Columbia Journalism Review

December 9, 2010 10:20 AM

Boy, the Obama administration’s slapdash PR effort to show it’s cracking down on financial fraud sure looks to be failing-and getting some serious blowback.

Jesse Eisinger has a column in today’s New York Times noting that the feds’ insider-trading investigation, while important, misses the bigger issue: prosecuting those who caused the crisis.

The New York Times’s Andrew Ross Sorkin called out Eric Holder’s Justice Department on Monday, noting that the 343 criminal defendants it said it’s prosecuting in a sweep it lamely calls Operation Broken Trust are small fry. No executive from the major corporations (like, oh, AIG, Lehman Brothers, Washington Mutual, Countrywide, Ameriquest, etc.) has yet been charged.

…

I suppose if there’s one good thing that comes out of this headslapper, it’s that maybe the Obama administration’s laughable attempt to show it’s tough on financial fraud will cause enough of a backlash in the press that it forces them to actually do something about the people who took down the financial system in order to make tens or hundreds of millions of dollars.