North Koreans Unveil Vast New Plant for Nuclear Use



By DAVID E. SANGER

Published: November 20, 2010

WASHINGTON – North Korea showed a visiting American nuclear scientist earlier this month a vast new facility it secretly and rapidly built to enrich uranium, confronting the Obama administration with the prospect that the country is preparing to expand its nuclear arsenal or build a far more powerful type of atomic bomb.

Whether the calculated revelation is a negotiating ploy by North Korea or a signal that it plans to accelerate its weapons program even as it goes through a perilous leadership change, it creates a new challenge for President Obama at a moment when his program for gradual, global nuclear disarmament appears imperiled at home and abroad. The administration hurriedly began to brief allies and lawmakers on Friday and Saturday – and braced for an international debate over the repercussions.

Oscar-winning producer says fear is behind neglect of British film-making talent

Jeremy Thomas, Oscar-winning producer of The Last Emperor, says successive governments’ policies fore UK fil-makers abroad while US projects use top British studios

Vanessa Thorpe

The Observer, Sunday 21 November 2010

One of Britain’s leading film producers has lashed out at successive governments for neglecting homegrown talent while encouraging American film-makers to dominate the country’s state-of-the-art Pinewood production studios.

“These places are full up with films from the United States,” said Jeremy Thomas, the Oscar-winning, London-based producer of The Last Emperor, Crash and Sexy Beast.t.

USA

Guns used to kill police officers: Where they come from and how they get in the hands of criminals l



By Cheryl W. Thompson

Washington Post Staff Writer

Sunday, November 21, 2010; 12:32 AM

Hattie Louise James was sitting on her front porch in Charlotte when two police detectives emerged from their car. There had been a shooting, they said. Two officers were dead. The gun had been traced back to her.”I liked to had another heart attack,” said the 72-year-old James, a retired hospital worker.

The .32-caliber revolver used to kill Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officers Sean Clark and Jeff Shelton in April 2007 started out as a legally owned weapon. James bought it in 1991 at Hyatt Coin and Gun Shop in Charlotte, but it was stolen a year later from her husband’s car.

Extensive insider trading investigation drawing to close, official says

The years-long federal inquiry into allegations of stock-trading irregularities could result in many arrests, a government official says.

By Richard A. Serrano, Tribune Washington Bureau

November 21, 2010  

Reporting from Washington – Federal investigators in New York are wrapping up an extensive investigation into allegations of insider trading and other stock-trading irregularities that could bring criminal charges or monetary fines against a large number of Wall Street executives and investors, a Washington official who has been briefed on the inquiry said Saturday.

Speaking anonymously so as not to jeopardize the case, the official said the investigation has been underway for “several years” and is likely to result in the prosecution of traders “around the country.”

Europe

Eric Cantona’s call for bank protest sparks online campaign

Thousands of French protesters have taken up the former Man United footballer’s call for a mass cash withdrawal  

Kim Willsher

The Observer, Sunday 21 November 2010

As students and public sector workers across Europe prepare for a winter of protests, they have been offered advice from the archetypal football rebel Eric Cantona.

Cantona was once a famous exponent of direct action against adversaries on and off the pitch. In 1995 he was given a nine-month ban after launching a karate kick at a Crystal Palace fan who shouted racist abuse at the former Manchester United star after he was sent off. But while sympathising with the predicament of the protesters in France, the now retired Cantona is urging a more sophisticated approach to dissent.

The European ‘dream’ has finally collided with reality  

The drive towards a European superstate has had its flaws exposed at last, says Christopher Booker.  

 

Twelve years ago, I stood on the plinth of Nelson’s Column in the pouring rain, addressing a crowd of 10,000 people. We had marched through central London in the biggest ever demonstration against Britain joining the euro, a course then being daily urged on us by the BBC, with the aid of such Euro-zealots as Michael Heseltine, Chris Patten, Kenneth Clarke and Sir Leon Brittan.

At the time, Mayor Ken Livingstone was calling for the removal of the two statues of Victorian generals that stand on each side of Trafalgar Square.

Middle East

Iraqi parliament to get down to work  

The Iraqi parliament meets on Sunday to begin in earnest the job its members were elected to do in March.

By Gabriel Gatehouse BBC News, Baghdad 21 November 2010

MPs finally ended an eight-month period of deadlock the week before last, when they chose a speaker and reappointed Jalal Talabani as president.

That cleared the way for caretaker Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki to form a new government.

But progress was interrupted by the Muslim holiday of Eid, which ended on Saturday.

Sunday’s session will see the start of another round of horse-trading over ministerial portfolios.

Rights group cautions Egypt on election harassment



By PAUL SCHEMM, Associated Press  

CAIRO – The London-based Amnesty International called on Egyptian authorities to refrain from harassing election candidates as hundreds of opposition members have been arrested.

The statement came as the opposition Muslim Brotherhood said Sunday that several of its rallies have been disrupted and more than a thousand of its members have been detained since the banned group announced their intention to contest elections last month.

“The Egyptian authorities must uphold the rights to freedom of expression, association and assembly and ensure that peaceful protesters are not arbitrarily arrested and detained,” the rights group’s Mideast director, Malcolm Smart, said in the statement issued late Saturday.

Asia

Deep in a mine, the phone rings unanswered

In New Zealand, 29 men are missing, and tempers fray as rescue is delayed

By Kathy Marks  Sunday, 21 November 2010

With fears of a second explosion preventing rescuers from entering a New Zealand coalmine where 29 men have been trapped since Friday, the anguish and impatience of relatives boiled over yesterday.

Families of the men, who include two Britons, endured a second night of not knowing whether their loved ones were alive or dead. There has been an ominous silence since two miners stumbled out on Friday, a few hours after a blast so violent it sent a fireball shooting through the mine and out of the single ventilation shaft.  

‘Anyone Can Be Arrested at Any Time’

Burmese Opposition Leader Suu Kyi



Burmese Nobel Peace Prize recipient Aung San Suu Kyi has called for a fundamental transformation in her country. Only a few days after her release from a house arrest, she discussed the problems in Burma in an interview with SPIEGEL. “The economy is devastated, ethnic tensions are increasing, there are political prisoners and too many refugees who are leaving the country,” she said.

The problems, the Burmese opposition politician said, need to be addressed using “peaceful means.”

Africa

South African township struggles to cope with killing of Anni Dewani

Since 2005, there have been 700 murders in Gugulethu. But Dewani’s death stunned even the most hardened residents

Alex Duval Smith

The Observer, Sunday 21 November 2010

Round the back of Table Mountain, far from the Robben Island ferry quay or the fashionable cafés of Cape Town’s Long Street, people really know about crime. Langa, Crossroads, Khayelitsha and Gugulethu are the sprawling townships that give South Africa the terrifying statistics everyone has heard of – 50 murders a day, 14,000 car hijackings a year and, somewhat less plausibly, a rape every seven seconds.

Yet in the den of iniquity that Gugulethu is supposed to be, no one can comprehend the cold-blooded killing last weekend of 28-year-old Anni Dewani, a tourist on her honeymoon with no connection to the township.

Paul and Rachel Chandler: British mercenaries hired to take on the Somali pirates

The Government is in secret talks to send taxpayer-funded British mercenaries to war torn Somalia to confront the pirates attacking commercial shipping and behind the kidnapping of Paul and Rachel Chandler.

By Jason Lewis, Investigations editor

A Sunday Telegraph investigation can reveal that senior Foreign Office officials have held detailed discussions with a British security firm employing former members of the Special Boat Service (SBS) about setting up and running the operation.

The controversial plan – indirectly funded with aid money from British taxpayers – will see the ex-special forces team sent to train Somali nationals to take on the pirates along the country’s lawless coastline.

The revelation comes days after the release of the Chandlers, from Tunbridge Wells, who were held hostage by Somali pirates for more than a year after being captured on their yacht while on a retirement sailing holiday.

Ignoring Asia A Blog

Were I inclined to view things as a zero sum game between Republicans and Democrats instead of a tri-cornered contest between those who care about the soul of America, corporatist lickspittle lackeys, and batshit insane racist radicals, I’d take more schadenfreude glee over the demise of Dancing with the Stars than I do.

Not because I think any reality show is anything but an excuse to put up the cheapest and most exploitative programming possible, although Dancing is a little more athletic than some, but because it’s a prime public example of freepers doing what they do best which is stealing elections.

You know, Freeping.

If you don’t know the backstory Bristol Palin is a horrible dancer, really, really bad.  She has survived to the finals despite clearly being the worst in every evaluation of the judges only because of the jackbooted thuggery of Mama Grizzly’s stormtrooper keypad commandos.

I fully expect her to win.

This doesn’t bother me as much as others because it’s all kind of silly in any event, but in case you care about ‘artistic integrity’ I thought I might let you know.

The ongoing, albeit amusing, battle to save Bristol

Amanda Marcotte on 11/17 02:44 PM

I’ve rarely seen such a clean-cut example of the conservative tendency to say up is down and black is white.  Or, more precisely, to bemoan how oppressed white, rich, and highly privileged people are.  First of all, has the poor girl in school ever won Prom Queen?  Was that in some 80s movie somewhere?  As someone actually in the dork caste in my high school, I can assure you that the boundaries of who got those kind of awards were closely monitored, usually by people like Bristol Palin, who had powerful parents, lots of money, and super jock boyfriends.  But it was telling of what a cipher the Palin family has become.  They’re obscenely rich millionaires who run small town feuds on a level beyond what I ever saw with people trying to establish fiefdoms in the small town of my youth, but in the imagination of their fans, Sarah Palin is basically Dolly Parton—a scrappy poor girl who grew up with no shoes but became a big star on talent alone.  And Bristol Palin, too, though more as an afterthought.

Upset! High-scoring Brandy axed from ‘Dancing’

By SANDY COHEN, AP Entertainment Writer

Wed Nov 17, 6:13 am ET

LOS ANGELES – Brandy earned a perfect score for her Argentine tango on Monday’s “Dancing With the Stars,” only to learn Tuesday it would be her final dance in the competition.

…

The Internet has been abuzz in recent days about how Palin, who has consistently landed at the bottom of the judges’ leaderboard, has been able to remain on the show. Some have suggested that voters – particularly supporters of Sarah Palin – have been voting in blocs and manipulating the system.

DWTS Future Jeopardized by "Operation Bristol"

By Jeralyn, Talk Left

Posted on Sat Nov 20, 2010 at 12:54:48 PM EST

I’m not the only one who thinks politics has run Dancing With the Stars into the ground. According to Popeater, AOL’s online entertainment news site, Dancing With the Stars producers and ABC and other TV insiders believe the show will be permanently ruined if Bristol Palin wins, and they fear she might, due to her mother’s fan base and campaigning.

(1 pm. – promoted by ek hornbeck)

I never went to cooking school or took home economics in high school, I was too busy blowing up the attic with my chemistry set. I did like to eat and eat stuff that tasted good and looked pretty, plus my mother couldn’t cook to save her life let alone mine and Pop’s, that was her mother’s venue. So I watched learned and innovated. I also read cook books and found that cooking and baking where like chemistry and physics. I know, this is Translator’s territory, but I do have a degree in biochemistry.

Cooking a turkey is not as easy as the directions on the Butterball wrapping looks. My daughter, who is the other cook in the house (makes the greatest breads, soups and stews) is in charge of the Turkey for the big day. Since we have a house full of family and friends, there are four, yeah that many, 13 to 15 pound gobblers that get cooked in the one of the two ovens of the Viking in the kitchen and outside on the covered grill that doubles as an oven on these occasions. Her guru is Alton Brown, he of Good Eats on the Food Network. This is the method she has used with rave reviews. Alton’s Roast Turkey recipe follows below the fold. You don’t have to brine, the daughter doesn’t and you can vary the herbs, the results are the same, perfection. My daughter rubs very soft butter under the skin and places whole sage leaves under the skin in a decorative pattern, wraps the other herbs in cheese cloth and tucks it in the cavity. If you prefer, or are kosher, canola oil works, too.

Bon Appetite and Happy Thanksgiving

Ingredients

   * 1 (14 to 16 pound) frozen young turkey

For the brine:

   * 1 cup kosher salt

   * 1/2 cup light brown sugar

   * 1 gallon vegetable stock

   * 1 tablespoon black peppercorns

   * 1 1/2 teaspoons allspice berries

   * 1 1/2 teaspoons chopped candied ginger

   * 1 gallon heavily iced water

   *

For the aromatics:

   * 1 red apple, sliced

   * 1/2 onion, sliced

   * 1 cinnamon stick

   * 1 cup water

   * 4 sprigs rosemary

   * 6 leaves sage

   * Canola oil

Directions

Click here to see how it’s done.

2 to 3 days before roasting:

Begin thawing the turkey in the refrigerator or in a cooler kept at 38 degrees F.

Combine the vegetable stock, salt, brown sugar, peppercorns, allspice berries, and candied ginger in a large stockpot over medium-high heat. Stir occasionally to dissolve solids and bring to a boil. Then remove the brine from the heat, cool to room temperature, and refrigerate.

Early on the day or the night before you’d like to eat:

Combine the brine, water and ice in the 5-gallon bucket. Place the thawed turkey (with innards removed) breast side down in brine. If necessary, weigh down the bird to ensure it is fully immersed, cover, and refrigerate or set in cool area for 8 to 16 hours, turning the bird once half way through brining.

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F. Remove the bird from brine and rinse inside and out with cold water. Discard the brine.

Place the bird on roasting rack inside a half sheet pan and pat dry with paper towels.

Combine the apple, onion, cinnamon stick, and 1 cup of water in a microwave safe dish and microwave on high for 5 minutes. Add steeped aromatics to the turkey’s cavity along with the rosemary and sage. Tuck the wings underneath the bird and coat the skin liberally with canola oil.

Roast the turkey on lowest level of the oven at 500 degrees F for 30 minutes. Insert a probe thermometer into thickest part of the breast and reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Set the thermometer alarm (if available) to 161 degrees F. A 14 to 16 pound bird should require a total of 2 to 2 1/2 hours of roasting. Let the turkey rest, loosely covered with foil or a large mixing bowl for 15 minutes before carving.

For you really geekie cooks here is a great article about the “Turkey Physics” involved in getting it all done to a juicy turn.

Not enough College Throwball for your eyes?  Florida State @ Maryland or Nebraska @ Texas A&M or USC @ Oregon State.  Oh, and Army @ Notre Dame.  John Legend fans will want to watch Austin City Limits.

Why is the rum always gone?

Oh… that’s why.

• ABC Family– Ratatouille x 2
• AMC– Open Range x 2
• Bravo– House marathon
• Comedy– Superhero Movie
• Disney– Tinker Bell and the Great Fairy Rescue
• Discovery– Wreck Chasers marathon
• E!– Coyote Ugly
• ESPN– College Throwball, Arkansas @ Mississippi State
• ESPN2– College Throwball, Oklahoma @ Baylor
• Food– Thanksgiving
• FX– What Happens in Vegas
• History– Swamp People marathon
• Lifetime– Reviving Ophelia, One Angry Juror
• Oxygen– Titanic
• Sci Fi– Impact
• TBS– Shrek 2, Meet the Fockers
• Turner Classic– San Francisco, Up the River (Spencer Tracy night)
• TNT– What Women Want, The Holiday
• Toon– Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008 film)
• USA– The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian
• Vs.– College Hoopies Wisconsin @ UNLV
• MTV– The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning

Later-

• Oxygen– The Perfect Man
• Sci Fi– Post Impact, Earthstorm
• TBS– Glory Daze (Series Premier repeat)
• Turner Classic– Plymouth Adventure (more Spencer)
• TNT– City of Angels
• True– Glory Daze (Series Premier repeat)
• USA– Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest

SNL- Anne Hathaway and Florence and the Machine.  GitS: SAC 2nd Gig, Natural Enemy, Inductance (Episodes 4 & 5).

Gentlemen… what do keys do?

Keys unlock… things?

And whatever this key unlocks, inside there’s something valuable. So we’re setting out to find whatever this key unlocks!

No. If we don’t have the key, we can’t open whatever it is we don’t have that it unlocks. So what purpose would be served in finding whatever need be unlocked, which we don’t have, without first having found the key what unlocks it?

So we’re going after this key!

You’re not making any sense at all.

Zap2it TV Listings, Yahoo TV Listings

Evening Edition is an Open Thread

1 NATO agrees Afghan withdrawal plan, woos Russia

by Dave Clark, AFP

2 hrs 20 mins ago

2 Four Afghans killed in suicide attacks, three by NATO

by Waheedullah Massoud, AFP

2 hrs 10 mins ago

3 Madagascan army crushes three-day mutiny

by Gregoire Pourtier, AFP

1 hr 27 mins ago

4 Pope says condoms acceptable ‘in certain cases’: book

by Celine le Prioux, AFP

58 mins ago

5 Ireland readies budget plan as massive bailout looms

by Loic Vennin, AFP

Sat Nov 20, 10:43 am ET

6 India PM defends himself over $40 bln telecom scam

by Penny MacRae, AFP

Sat Nov 20, 9:46 am ET

7 Poison gas fears stall New Zealand mine rescue

by Chris Foley, AFP

Sat Nov 20, 11:00 am ET

8 More China wins in Asian Games badminton, t-tennis

by Martin Parry, AFP

Sat Nov 20, 11:00 am ET

9 US must keep ‘eyes open’ in Myanmar talks: Suu Kyi

by Jo Biddle, AFP

Sat Nov 20, 5:47 am ET

10 NATO aims to end combat mission in Afghanistan by 2015

By Matt Spetalnick and Timothy Heritage, Reuters

41 mins ago

11 Obama sees end to Afghan combat mission by the end of 2014

By Ross Colvin and Matt Spetalnick, Reuters

1 hr 16 mins ago

12 Bicycle bombers kill 4 and wound 31 in east Afghanistan

By Rafiq Sherzad, Reuters

Sat Nov 20, 10:49 am ET

13 Irish corporate tax in focus as bailout deal nears

By Julien Toyer and Jodie Ginsberg, Reuters

Sat Nov 20, 1:06 pm ET

14 Madagascar army assault ends officer mutiny

By Siphiwe Sibeko and Alain Iloniaina, Reuters

1 hr 47 mins ago

15 Pope puts stamp on church future with new cardinals

By Philip Pullella, Reuters

Sat Nov 20, 6:40 am ET

16 Air Force delays tanker pick, mixes up documents

By Jim Wolf, Reuters

Fri Nov 19, 8:27 pm ET

17 BP says it won’t fight cap waiver on spill damages

By Moira Herbst, Reuters

Fri Nov 19, 6:26 pm ET

18 With Afghan control by 2014, Obama sees combat end

By ROBERT BURNS and JULIE PACE, Associated Press

12 mins ago

19 Pope: condoms can be justified in some cases

By NICOLE WINFIELD and FRANCES D’EMILIO, Associated Press

2 hrs 42 mins ago

20 Pope creates 24 new cardinals amid cheers

By NICOLE WINFIELD, Associated Press

Sat Nov 20, 6:23 am ET

21 As world warms, negotiators give talks another try

By CHARLES J. HANLEY, AP Special Correspondent

1 hr 37 mins ago

22 Obama tells GOP not to hold up Russia arms treaty

By BRADLEY KLAPPER, Associated Press

Sat Nov 20, 10:09 am ET

23 Gases delay rescue for 29 at New Zealand mine

By RAY LILLEY, Associated Press

49 mins ago

24 Oops: Air Force sends tanker bid details to rivals

By H. JOSEF HEBERT, Associated Press

Sat Nov 20, 6:04 am ET

25 Judge: Alaska court must decide Senate dispute

By BECKY BOHRER, Associated Press

Sat Nov 20, 6:00 am ET

26 Black farmers, Indians closer to US settlement

By MARY CLARE JALONICK, Associated Press

Sat Nov 20, 5:09 am ET

27 Congress rookies vie for Capitol Hill office space

By LAURIE KELLMAN, Associated Press

Sat Nov 20, 2:02 am ET

28 FACT CHECK: Ban on pet projects mostly symbolic

By ALAN FRAM, Associated Press

Sat Nov 20, 2:02 am ET

29 Federal judge pleads guilty to 2 drug charges

By GREG BLUESTEIN, Associated Press

Fri Nov 19, 9:29 pm ET

30 Astronauts open up world to Earthlings via photos

By MARCIA DUNN, AP Aerospace Writer

Fri Nov 19, 9:29 pm ET

31 Palin book lauds ‘Juno,’ snubs JFK religion speech

By JOCELYN NOVECK, AP National Writer

Fri Nov 19, 7:08 pm ET

32 The King and I: Travels with Elvis’ stepbrother

By ALLEN G. BREED, AP National Writer

1 hr 28 mins ago

33 Economists want to stop teachers’ degree bonuses

By DONNA GORDON BLANKINSHIP, Associated Press

1 hr 45 mins ago

34 White supremacists on trial in explosives plot

By DAVE COLLINS, Associated Press

1 hr 58 mins ago

35 Army court halts case in Afghan civilian killings

By GENE JOHNSON, Associated Press

2 hrs 54 mins ago

36 Bank bombing trial shows anti-government sentiment

By JEFF BARNARD, Associated Press

Sat Nov 20, 1:31 pm ET

37 New York-New Jersey subway raises hackles, hopes

By CHRIS HAWLEY, Associated Press

Sat Nov 20, 1:12 pm ET

38 Judge approves use of new execution drug in Okla.

By SEAN MURPHY, Associated Press

Fri Nov 19, 9:50 pm ET

39 APNewsBreak: BLM rules not followed in race deaths

By DAISY NGUYEN, Associated Press

Fri Nov 19, 8:45 pm ET

SAY WHAT?

Officials in Toyama are taking multitasking to a whole new level with a project that trains hairdressers to spot emotionally disturbed customers who might be contemplating suicide.

How do you know when you’ve become an obasan? A survey of young Japanese women showed that muttering “Yoisho” is the number one indicator that you’ve made the transition from sexy young thing to a life of cutting in lines and holding on to other people when laughing.

Nissan has developed the world’s first Wrong-Way Alert Program, which gives clueless drivers a heads-up when they’re going against the flow of traffic.

Major insurance firm Nipponkoa became the first Japanese company of its kind to enter the daycare business

STATS

150,000

Novelty erasers produced daily by the Saitama-based Iwako Co.

223

Number of recently promoted principals, vice principals or senior teachers in public schools who asked to be demoted during the 2009 fiscal year

200 million

Number of copies printed of long-running manga One Piece, a record according to publisher Shueisha Inc.

3.4 million

Initial print run of the manga’s 60th volume, another record

FOR MATURE AUDIENCES ONLY

Adult videos and magazines must not have been enough for a 42-year-old Tokyo man who told police he was fulfilling his sexual desire after being arrested for throwing a condom full of his “desire” at a 19-year-old woman.

Officials in Saitama were shocked to discover a 59-year-old elementary school teacher was using what he called “sexual harassment dice” as a form of punishment for misbehaving students.

A 31-year-old Hokkaido housewife was busted for posing as Teru from the band Glay and tricking a fan into wiring her money.

Police in Yokohama believe members of a local crime syndicate have been running an adoption scheme to help Japanese obtain passports for foreigners. Some 60 men and women were thought to be involved in over 197 adoptions.

Slip Of The Tongue  

Belittles Diet: Not Even Close

Underworld’s No. 2 Boss Held

Devil’s Senior Vice President?

Never Steal

From God  

‘Space Battleship Yamato’ blasts off



TOKYO  

One of the most eagerly anticipated Japanese films this year is “Space Battleship Yamato,” a live-action adaptation of the popular 1974 anime of the same name. Directed by Takashi Yamazaki, “Space Battleship Yamato” has an impressive cast, featuring SMAP’s Takuya Kimura, Meisa Kuroki, Toshiyuki Nishida, Toshiro Yanagiba, Naoto Ogata, Reiko Takashima and many more, but the project has been anything but smooth.

During much of production, the film was referred to archaically as the “Dream Project,” and quickly became the talk of the Japanese film world because of its rumored 1 billion yen production cost. It was also supposed to be the comeback film for Erika Sawajiri, who was initially chosen as the leading lady but lost out to Kuroki late last year after her former agency, Stardust Promotion, informed production management that they were terminating her contract.

Comiket exhibit opens a time capsule on the roots of amateur manga ‘dojinshi’

2010/11/19

BY AYA ONO STAFF WRITER

On one wall hangs a hand-drawn map on a faded cream background. Some parts are torn, and brown bits of tape are still adhering to some corners. According to a description posted beside it, it’s the “Layout plan for the third Comic Market (1976).”

One summer day in 1976, people from 56 fan groups gathered at a community space in Tokyo’s Itabashi Ward. Each brought their own “dojinshi” (comic magazines drawn by fans, or fanzines). Someone drew the map so everyone could locate the other groups. Then the groups started trading. The event drew about 500 participants by the time it ended that day.

Thirty-four years later, that map is part of an exhibition: “The Beginning of Comic Market: A Market of the Fans, by the Fans and for the Fans.”

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

This article about 15 Dangerous Drugs Big Pharma Shoves Down Our Throats by Martha Rosenberg of AlterNet is a must read and one everyone should bookmark.

In the pharmaceutical industry’s rush to get drugs to market, safety usually comes last. And the public suffers.

Long studies to truly assess a drug’s risks just delay profits after all — and if problems do emerge after medication hits the market, settlements are usually less than profits. Remember, Vioxx still made money.

The following drugs are so plagued with safety problems, it is a wonder they’re on the market at all. It’s a testament to Big Pharma’s greed and our poor regulatory processes that they are.

Zapping Kidney Nerves Lowers Stubborn High Blood Pressure

New Device Helps People With Drug-Resistant Hypertension

Nov. 17, 2010 (Chicago) — An experimental device that destroys nerves near the kidney helped to lower blood pressure in people whose hypertension remained out of control despite treatment with an average of five drugs, Australian researchers report.

In a six-month study of about 100 people, systolic blood pressure (the top number) dropped an average of 32 points in people treated with the device on top of the best available medication. Diastolic blood pressure (the bottom number) fell 12 points.

In contrast, blood pressure readings remained at the same stubbornly high levels among people on medication alone, says Murray Esler, MD, of Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute in Melbourne.

New Plavix Findings Fuel Debate on Platelet Testing

Doubling Plavix Dose Doesn’t Help Certain High-Risk People

Nov. 17, 2010 (Chicago) — Doubling the dose of the anticlotting drug Plavix does not reduce heart attacks or deaths in certain high-risk people, a study shows.

The study participants were determined to be at high risk of cardiovascular complications after undergoing a test showing that their blood was still prone to clotting despite taking the anticlotting medication. Clots can lodge in an artery, causing a heart attack or stroke.

Anticlotting Drug May Be Alternate to Warfarin

Study Shows Xarelto May Prevent Stroke and Blood Clots

Nov. 15, 2010 (Chicago) — The experimental anticlotting pill Xarelto works at least as well as standard warfarin at preventing stroke and blood clots in people with irregular heart rhythms from atrial fibrillation, researchers report.

The rate of major brain bleeds, a key concern, was lower among patients on Xarelto, says Robert Califf, MD, of Duke University in Durham, N.C.

Overall, the rates of bleeding and adverse events were similar among people taking Xarelto and those taking placebo.

If approved by the FDA, Xarelto will offer an alternative to the old standby warfarin, which many people can’t or won’t take, doctors say.

Belly Fat Stem Cells May Help Heart

Study Shows Fat Stem Cells May Improve Heart Function After Heart Attack

Nov. 16, 2010 (Chicago) — Stem cells taken from belly fat may be able to boost cardiac function after a heart attack, preliminary research suggests.

In a study of 14 people who had a heart attack, fat-derived stem cells reduced the amount of damaged heart tissue, increased blood flow in the heart, and improved the heart’s pumping ability, compared with placebo.

Due to the study’s small size, however, the difference between the two groups could have been due to chance.

“But given the dramatic and consistent results, we think it is a real effect,” says study head Eric Duckers, MD, PhD, of Erasmus University Medical Center in Rotterdam, Netherlands.

Quit Smoking, Raise ‘Good’ Cholesterol

Smokers Who Kick the Habit Improve HDL Levels Within 1 Year, Study Finds

Nov. 16, 2010 (Chicago) — Smokers who kick the habit may improve their levels of “good” HDL cholesterol within one year, a study of nearly 1,000 people suggests.

HDL levels shot up despite the weight gain commonly associated with smoking cessation, says Adam D. Gepner, MD, of the University of Wisconsin in Madison.

People who quit smoking gained about 10 pounds over a one-year period, while those who continued to light up put on about 1 1/2 pounds, the study showed.

Still, HDL cholesterol levels increased an average of 2.4 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL) of blood in the group that quit smoking, while staying relatively stable in people who continued to smoke.

Some People Can’t Identify the Nuts They’re Allergic To

Inability to Recognize Allergy Triggers Could Increase Risk of Exposure

Nov. 16, 2010 — Many adults and children with nut allergies are unable to identify different types of tree nuts and peanuts, which could increase the risk of exposure and life-threatening allergic reactions.

Researchers led by Todd L. Hostetler, MD, and Bryan Martin, MD, from The Ohio State University Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, surveyed 1,105 children and adults. Less than 3% of the group reported having a nut allergy. Twenty study participants were parents of children with a nut allergy.

Dietary Supplements a Risky Combo

Study Shows Many Patients Using Anticlotting Drug Don’t Tell Doctor About Dietary Supplement Use

Nov. 16, 2010 (Chicago) — If you’re using the anticlotting drug warfarin, tell your doctor about any herbal or dietary supplements you may be taking.

That’s the strong advice of researchers who say that nine of the 10 top-selling supplements can change the effectiveness of warfarin, potentially causing a dangerous bleed, a deadly blood clot, or even a stroke.

In a survey, nearly three-fourths of 100 people on warfarin reported they used over-the-counter multivitamins or other supplements, yet supplement use was not documented on the medical charts of nearly 70% of them, says Jennifer Strohecker, PharmD, a clinical pharmacist at Intermountain Healthcare in Salt Lake City.

Previous research has shown that fewer than one in three people tell their doctor about dietary supplement use, she tells WebMD.

Secondhand Smoke May Hurt Your Hearing

People Who Breathe Secondhand Smoke Risk Hearing Loss, Study Finds

Nov. 15, 2010 — People who don’t use cigarettes but who regularly breathe in other people’s tobacco smoke are at increased risk of some degree of hearing loss, a new study finds.

This had been surmised because previous research has indicated that smokers are at much greater risk of some degree of hearing loss.

Researchers examined data on 3,307 adults aged 20-69 who were classified as passive smokers based on blood levels of the chemical cotinine, a breakdown product of nicotine.

Diuretic Pill Cuts Deaths in Heart Failure Patients

Inspra, Already Used to Treat Advanced Heart Failure, Found Effective in People With Mild Disease

Nov. 15, 2010 (Chicago) — The diuretic pill Inspra substantially cuts the risk of death and hospitalization among people with mild heart failure, researchers report.

The findings suggest that the drug, already used to treat advanced heart failure, also has value for people with mild disease, says study leader Faiez Zannad, MD, PhD, of Nancy University in Nancy, France.

The results were reported here at the American Heart Association’s annual meeting and published simultaneously online in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Organ fat linked to liver surgery problems

(Reuters Health) – The amount of fat packed between a patient’s organs may help predict problems following major liver surgery, suggests a new study.

The fat sitting below the skin, however, appears to be less important.

Any major operation comes with a range of possible complications, and how long patients stay at the hospital varies accordingly, said Dr. Yuman Fong of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City, who led the study.

“Knowing the potential outcome allows patients and families of patients to weigh the risk and benefit of the procedure, and to plan for care after discharge,” he told Reuters Health by e-mail.

Kidney transplants found safe in HIV patients

(Reuters) – People infected with HIV can safely receive a kidney transplant, researchers reported on Wednesday.

The finding, published in Thursday’s New England Journal of Medicine, is good news for people with the virus, who are more prone to kidney disease, in part because of the drugs they must take to stay healthy.

Before drug cocktails turned HIV from a death sentence to a chronic condition, patients were not eligible to receive a kidney.

But now they can. “Patient and graft survival are really pretty good and it approximates the general population,” Dr. Peter Stock of the University of California San Francisco, who led the study, said in a telephone interview.

Drug-coated stents safe for large heart arteries

(Reuters) – Drug-coated heart stents are as safe as the old bare metal variety for patients with narrowed large coronary arteries, a large European study showed, alleviating concerns about their long-term use.

The study found no increase in the number of deaths or heart attacks two years after the drug-coated stents were implanted, according to data presented at the scientific sessions of the American Heart Association in Chicago.

Agency Issues Warning About Four Loko and Other Drinks That Mix Caffeine and Alcohol

Nov. 17, 2010 — Federal officials have warned four companies that caffeine added to some of their alcoholic beverages makes their drinks unsafe and has asked the companies to provide data concerning these safety concerns.

The FDA and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) issued similar warning letters to these companies:

   * Charge Beverages Corp., of Portland, Ore., which sells Core High Gravity HG Green, Core High Gravity HG Orange, and Lemon Lime Core Spiked.

   * New Century Brewing Co., of Boston, which produces Moonshot.

   * Phusion Projects, based in Chicago, which sells Four Loko.

   * United Brands Co., based in San Diego, which markets Joose and Max.

Rabid bats on the rise in Los Angeles County

(Reuters) – If the threat of earthquakes, wildfires and mudslides isn’t enough to worry Los Angeles residents, public health officials are now warning of an unusually high number of rabid bats.

According to the Department of Public Health, 21 bats with rabies have been found in Los Angeles County this year, more than double the average number of 10.

The county’s public health director, Jonathan Fielding, said on Wednesday the reason for the increase is unclear.

FDA Panel Supports Anal Cancer Vaccine

Advisory Committee Recommends Gardasil for the Prevention of Anal Cancer

Nov. 17, 2010 — An FDA advisory committee today endorsed drugmaker Merck & Co.’s application to expand the use of its vaccine Gardasil for the prevention of anal cancer in young men and women.

The drug, reviewed by the Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee, is already approved as a vaccine for cervical cancer and for genital warts.

Haiti’s cholera part of old pandemic: CDC

(Reuters) – The cholera epidemic that has killed 1,110 people and sickened thousands in Haiti is part of a 49-year-old global pandemic and likely was brought to the Caribbean country in a single instance, scientists said on Thursday.

But that was all it took to set off the epidemic, with an already weak sanitation system thrown into chaos by a devastating earthquake in January, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Pan American Health Organization said.

The epidemic in the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere could easily worsen and cholera could linger there for years, they said.

Haiti unrest hampers desperate fight against cholera

(Reuters) – Anti-U.N. riots in the Haitian city of Cap-Haitien have disrupted international efforts to tackle a spreading cholera epidemic, increasing the risk of infection and death for tens of thousands of poor Haitians in the north, aid workers said on Wednesday.

The situation in Haiti’s main northern city remained tense on Wednesday following two days of unrest, in which protesters angry over the unchecked epidemic attacked U.N. peacekeepers and set up burning barricades of tires, U.N. officials said.

Drug-resistant malaria feared in Southeast Asia

(Reuters) – A form of malaria resistant to the most powerful drugs available may have emerged along the Thai-Myanmar border as well as Vietnam, and containment measures are planned, the World Health Organization said on Thursday.

Clinical trials are due to begin soon in Myanmar and if they confirm artemisinin-resistant malaria in some patients, it means millions living in the border area could be potentially exposed to the longer-to-treat form, a WHO official told Reuters.

Artemisinin-resistant malaria first broke out in the Mekong region along the Thai-Cambodian border by early 2007, raising fears that a dangerous new form of the mosquito-borne disease could be spreading across the globe

Adults Fall Short on Vaccinations

Some Adult Vaccination Rates Are Up, but Experts Say There’s Room for Improvement

Nov. 17, 2010 — Vaccinations aren’t just for kids. Adults need them, too, and while vaccination rates are increasing, there’s definitely room for improvement, according to public health experts.

At a news conference today hosted by the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases (NFID), experts released new CDC data, spelled out areas that need improvement, and discussed how to be proactive at the doctor’s office.

Weight loss in pregnancy linked to benefits, risks

(Reuters Health) – Obese women who lose weight during pregnancy may have a lower risk of certain pregnancy complications, but — with the exception of extremely obese women — those benefits may be outweighed by negative effects on the baby’s birth size, a new study suggests.

The findings, published in the obstetrics journal BJOG, add to the fairly controversial idea that it can be healthy for obese pregnant women to maintain their pre-pregnancy weight, or even lose a few pounds.

Women who stress over work have more heart disease

(Reuters Health) – Women with stressful jobs that offer little room for decision making and creativity have an increased risk of suffering a heart attack, U.S. researchers said on Tuesday.

While doctors usually focus on standard risk factors such as high blood pressure and cholesterol, the new findings show they might also want to ask about stress.

“We don’t focus as much on stress,” Dr. Michelle Asha Albert, a heart doctor at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, told Reuters Health. “Stress does cause a similar magnitude of risk as some of our additional risk factors.”

Cutting Salt as a Teen May Help Heart Later

Half a Teaspoon Less Salt a Day May Prevent 120,000 Deaths, 64,000 Heart Attacks by Age 50, Researchers Say

Nov. 15, 2010 (Chicago) — Cutting salt intake among U.S. teens by just half a teaspoon a day would prevent up to 120,000 deaths, 64,000 heart attacks, and 28,000 strokes by the time the adolescents reach age 50.

So say researchers who used computer models and clinical data to predict the health effects of a 3-gram — or half a teaspoon — daily reduction in salt intake by U.S. teens.

Teen Brains: Seeing the Big Picture

Ability to See Other Points of View Develops in Teen Years

Nov. 15, 2010 (San Diego) — For parents who grow frustrated with their children’s seeming inability to understand others who have different points of view, here’s hope from the scientists:

Give it a few more birthdays. Teen brains get better in this regard.

As children mature, the regions in a specific brain network known as the default-mode network or DMN begin to work together, and parents are likely to notice a difference in the children’s ability to look outside themselves, according to new research presented here at Neuroscience 2010, the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience.

Handwriting Problems Hard to Outgrow With Autism

Study Links Poor Handwriting in Teenagers With Autism to Reasoning Skills

A new study shows the handwriting problems that often affect children with autism are likely to persist into adolescence, but there may be strategies to help them compensate.

Researchers found that teenagers with autism were more likely than their peers to have poor handwriting and impaired motor skills. But unlike in younger children with autism, motor skill problems were not the main factor affecting their handwriting ability.

Instead, the study showed perceptual reasoning abilities were the main predictor of handwriting skills in adolescents. Perceptual reasoning is a person’s ability to organize and reason to solve problems when presented visual, nonverbal material.

Ear Infections: Antibiotics Often Not Needed

Most Children With Middle Ear Infections Get Better on Their Own, Study Finds

Nov. 16, 2010 — The best treatment for many children with middle ear infections may be no treatment at all, a review of the research confirms.

The analysis found antibiotics to be “modestly” more effective than just treating symptoms with pain medication. But use of antibiotics was also commonly associated with side effects like diarrhea and rash.

Researchers say the review, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, shows the merit of a watch-and-wait approach to managing ear infections.

Probiotic Helps Children’s Stomach Pain

Lactobacillus GG May Ease Stomachaches in Children With Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Nov. 16, 2010 — A common probiotic may help ease tummy troubles for children with chronic stomach pain caused by irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).

A new study shows the probiotic Lactobacillusrhamnosus strain GG, commonly known as lactobacillus GG or LGG, significantly reduced the severity and frequency of bouts of abdominal pain in children with irritable bowel syndrome.

Probiotics are “friendly bacteria” that are similar to organisms naturally found in the digestive tract. Certain types of probiotics have been linked to a number of health benefits in adults, such as soothing irritable bowel syndrome. But they have not been widely studied in children.

‘All-Age’ Helmet Laws Save Young Motorcycle Riders

Study Shows Helmet Laws Are Most Effective for Young if They’re Enforced for Youths and Adults

Nov. 16, 2010 — Youth-specific motorcycle helmet laws may be hurting the young people they are designed to protect.

A new study shows the rate of serious brain injury among youths in states that require motorcycle helmets for motorcyclists under age 21 — but not for adults — is 38% higher than in states with universal motorcycle helmet laws.

Researchers say motorcycle helmets have been shown to reduce head injury by 69% and death from head injury by 42%. But after the federal government withdrew its sanctions withholding funding for highway safety funds to states that did not require helmets for motorcyclists over age 17 in 1976, 30 states abandoned their universal helmet laws.

Errors kill 15,000 aged patients a month: study

(Reuters) – Mistakes and unavoidable problems kill an estimated 15,000 elderly U.S. patients every month in hospitals, U.S. government investigators reported on Tuesday.

More than 13 percent of patients covered by Medicare, the government health insurance for the elderly, or about 134,000 people monthly have some sort of so-called adverse event each month. These include mistakes such as surgical errors or sometimes unavoidable problems such as an infection spread in the hospital, or patients having their blood sugar fall to unusually low levels.

The new numbers, which total about 180,000 deaths a year, were presented in a report by the Office of Inspector General at the Health and Human Services Department. They support findings of a landmark Institute of Medicine report in 2000 that said up to 98,000 Americans died every year because of medical errors.

End-of-Life Cancer Care Varies by Region

Study Shows Wide Variations Across the U.S. in Aggressive Care vs. Hospice Care

Nov. 16, 2010 — One in three older adults with advanced cancer spends their last days in hospitals and intensive care units (ICUs), often with doctor’s employing Herculean efforts to prolong their life.

And this may or may not be what they wanted, according to the Dartmouth Atlas Project’s first-ever report on cancer care at the end of life.

The researchers reviewed the records of 235,821 Medicare patients aged 65 and older with advanced cancer who died between 2003 and 2007. They found dramatic variations in the kind of care cancer patients received based on where they lived and which hospital they chose.

Nearly 1 in 5 Americans had mental illness in 2009

(Reuters) – More than 45 million Americans, or 20 percent of U.S. adults, had some form of mental illness last year, and 11 million had a serious illness, U.S. government researchers reported on Thursday.

Young adults aged 18 to 25 had the highest level of mental illness at 30 percent, while those aged 50 and older had the lowest, with 13.7 percent, said the report by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration or SAMHSA.

Low Grades in U.S. for Eating Fruits and Veggies

Report Says Americans Aren’t Making Enough Progress in Adding Fruits and Vegetables to Their Diet

Nov. 17, 2010 — Five years after the launch of a national initiative aimed at getting us to eat more fruits and vegetables, Americans are barely getting a passing grade.

There has been some progress in improving access to fruits and vegetables, but it’s not translating into Americans eating more of them — the ultimate goal of the 2005 National Action Plan to Promote Health Through Increased Fruit and Vegetable Consumption. The plan was developed by the National Fruit & Vegetable Alliance, which is co-chaired by the CDC and the Produce for Better Health Foundation.

Only 6% of us eat enough vegetables and just 8% of us eat enough fruit every day, according to information cited in the new report card, which was released today.

15% of U.S. Families Face Hunger, ‘Food Insecurity’

17.4 Million American Families Suffer Food Insecurity; Rates Vary Widely by State

Nov. 16, 2010 — Three out of every 20 American families had trouble affording basic foods in 2009, a U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) survey shows.

That adds up to 17.4 million households that last year didn’t always know where their next meal was coming from. Among them were the 5.7% of U.S. households in which at least one family member actually did not get enough to eat.

Of these 6.8 million families with “very low food security,” nearly two-thirds were hungry but could not afford food and 28% went an entire day without food.

“Adults usually shield children from hunger, but in 469,000 households — 1.2% of households with children — one or more children had reduced food intake and disrupted eating patterns,” lead report author Mark Nord, PhD, of the USDA’s economic research service, said at a news conference.

Regular Exercise May Ward Off Dozens of Health Problems

Regular Workouts Lower Risk of Certain Cancers, Heart Disease, Stroke, Depression, Many Other Conditions

Nov. 17, 2010 — People who exercise on a regular basis not only can reduce their odds of becoming obese, but also cut their risk of developing about two dozen physical and mental health problems, a new review of more than 40 studies indicates.

Exercise reduces the risk of some cancers, dementia, sexual problems like erectile dysfunction, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, depression, and hypertension, among many other diseases, according to the review.

The study is published in the December issue of the International Journal of Clinical Practice.

“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”.

Charles M. Blow: Let’s Rescue the Race Debate

“There is another class of colored people who make a business of keeping the troubles, the wrongs, and the hardships of the Negro race before the public. … Some of these people do not want the Negro to lose his grievances, because they do not want to lose their jobs … There is a certain class of race-problem solvers who don’t want the patient to get well.”

This 100-year-old, cobbled-together quote from the “the Great Accommodator” Booker T. Washington has gotten quite a bit of circulation in the right-wing blogosphere since the Tea Party came under attack over racial issues.

The quote helps support a broader sentiment that the current racial discontent is being fueled by a black liberal grievance industry that refuses to acknowledge racial progress, accept personal responsibility, or acknowledge its own racial transgressions. And that the charge of racism has become a bludgeon against anyone white and not in love with President Obama, thereby making those whites the most aggrieved – victims of the elusive reverse-racism Bigfoot. It’s perfect really: the historic words of a revered black figure being used to punch a hole in a present-day black mythology and to turn the world of racism upside down.

Michael Moore: How Corporate America Is Pushing Us All Off a Cliff

When someone talks about pushing you off a cliff, it’s just human nature to be curious about them. Who are these people, you wonder, and why would they want to do such a thing?

That’s what I was thinking when corporate whistleblower Wendell Potter revealed that, when “Sicko” was being released in 2007, the health insurance industry’s PR firm, APCO Worldwide, discussed their Plan B: “Pushing Michael Moore off a cliff.”

But after looking into it, it turns out it’s nothing personal! APCO wants to push everyone off a cliff.

APCO was hatched in 1984 as a subsidiary of the Washington, D.C. law firm Arnold & Porter — best known for its years of representing the giant tobacco conglomerate Philip Morris. APCO set up fake “grassroots” organizations around the country to do the bidding of Big Tobacco. All of a sudden, “normal, everyday, in-no-way-employed-by-Philip Morris Americans” were popping up everywhere. And it turned out they were outraged — outraged! — by exactly the things APCO’s clients hated (such as, the government telling tobacco companies what to do). In particular, they were “furious” that regular people had the right to sue big corporations…you know, like Philip Morris. (For details, see the 2000 report “The CALA Files” (PDF) by my friends and colleagues Carl Deal and Joanne Doroshow.)

Bob Herbert: Hiding From Reality

However you want to define the American dream, there is not much of it that’s left anymore.

Wherever you choose to look – at the economy and jobs, the public schools, the budget deficits, the nonstop warfare overseas – you’ll see a country in sad shape. Standards of living are declining, and American parents increasingly believe that their children will inherit a very bad deal.

We’re in denial about the extent of the rot in the system, and the effort that would be required to turn things around. It will likely take many years, perhaps a decade or more, to get employment back to a level at which one could fairly say the economy is thriving.

George Will: The T.S. of A takes control

Fifty years ago, William F. Buckley wrote a memorable complaint about the fact that Americans do not complain enough. His point, like most of the points he made during his well-lived life, is, unfortunately, more pertinent than ever. Were he still with us, he would favor awarding the Presidential Medal of Freedom, which he received in 1991, to John Tyner, who, when attempting to board a plane in San Diego, was provoked by some Transportation Security Administration personnel.

When Buckley was asked how he came up with topics for three columns a week, he jauntily replied that the world annoyed him that frequently. The fecundity of the world as an irritant was on display one winter evening in 1960 when Buckley found himself in an insufferably hot car on a New Haven Railroad commuter train from Grand Central Station to his Stamford, Conn., home. Everyone was acutely uncomfortable; no one was complaining.

OMG, George, will you now admit that this problem stemmed form the overreaction to 9/11? Or is this just a tease?

Kathleen Parker: Enduring the bare necessities in airport screening

In the accelerating debate about airport pat-downs that feel like a clumsy third date and body scans that border on Peeping Tom shows, it’s hard to find a sane place to land.

Is this really for our own good? Or are we trading what’s left of our human dignity by participating in a Kafkaesque farce that more closely resembles a college fraternity psychology experiment devised around a keg:

Sen. Bernie Sanders: The Billionaires Want More, More, More

We know what the billionaires and their Republicans supporters want. They’ve been upfront about that. But what about the Democrats? Will President Obama continue to reach out and “compromise” with people who have made it abundantly clear that the only agreement they want is unconditional surrender? Or, will he utilize the powerful skills that we saw during his 2008 campaign for the White House and bring working families, young people, the elderly and the poor together to fight against these savage attacks on their well-being? Will the Democrats in the Senate continue to pass tepid legislation, or will they use their majority status to protect the interests of ordinary Americans and, for a change, put the Republicans on the defensive?

The time is late. The stakes are extraordinary. While it is true that the billionaires and their supporters are “fired up and ready to go,” there is another more important truth. And that is that there are a lot more of us than there are of them. Now is the time for us to stand together, educate and organize. Now is the time to roll back this orgy of greed.

Norman Solomon: Obama Wooing “Economic Royalists”

In his first term, President Franklin Roosevelt denounced “the economic royalists.” He drew the line against the heartless rich: “They are unanimous in their hate for me – and I welcome their hatred.”

What a different Democratic president we have today.

For two years – from putting Wall Street operatives at the top of his economic team to signaling that he’ll go along with extension of Bush tax cuts for the wealthy – Barack Obama has increasingly made a mockery of hopes for a green New Deal.

The news from the White House keeps getting grimmer. Since the midterm election, we’re told, Obama has concluded that he must be more conciliatory toward the ascendant Republican leadership in Congress – and must do more to appease big business.

Fifteen days after the election, The Washington Post reported that Obama – seeking a replacement for departing top economic adviser Lawrence Summers – “is eager to recruit someone from the business community for the job to help repair the president’s frayed relationship with corporate America.”

Gail Collins: The Zombie Jamboree

Zombies are in. This cannot possibly be a good sign. . . .

What’s the attraction of zombies? They don’t really do anything but stagger around and eat raw flesh. The plot possibilities seem limited. Zombies come. Humans shoot them. More zombies come. Humans hit them over the head with shovels. Nobody ever runs into a particularly sensitive zombie who wants to make peace with the nonflesh-devouring public. (“On behalf of the United Nations Security Council today, I would like to welcome the zombie delegation to the … aaauuurrgghchompchompchomp.”)

Maybe that’s the whole point. Our horror movies are mirroring the world around us. The increasingly passé vampire story is about a society full of normal people threatened by a few bloodsuckers, some of whom are maybe just like you and me, except way older. It was fine for the age of Obama. But we’ve entered the era of zombie politics: a small cadre of uninfected humans have to band together and do whatever it takes to protect themselves against the irrational undead.

The new incoming Tea Party Republicans are lurking in the halls of the Capitol, hiding behind the statuary and hoping to leap out and behead a Democratic zombie spendthrift. (Dan Quayle’s boy Ben promised to “knock the hell out of Washington” and now he’s there, ready for action.)

(2 pm. – promoted by ek hornbeck)

Have you ever heard of ranked-choice voting? There’s good and bad points but Oakland was recently the first large U.S. city to use it for a mayoral election. Jean Quan who came in second in the election ended up becoming mayor and offers some of the good points in last night’s PBS NewsHour video. (click here for video and transcript)

SPENCER MICHELS: Quan thinks, without ranked-choice voting, which takes the place of a runoff in situations where nobody gets a majority, she would have been in trouble raising money for another election.

JEAN QUAN: In a traditional system, I would have had to raise $400,000 in June, and I would have to try to raise $400,000 in the fall. My husband and I actually put a second mortgage on our house to make sure we’d have enough money on Election Day.

Well obviously she was not exactly an impoverished candidate but there are many questions and answers addressed in the link above about this means of avoiding runoff elections. Another PBS video and transcript that takes a closer look at Oakland’s new mayor helps also helps to explain rank-choice voting.

But the new system used for the election garnered as much attention as the candidates and the issues. This was the first year the county used “ranked-choice voting,” which asks voters to name the second- and third-choice candidates in addition to their top one. In the first round of voting, State Sen. Don Perata won the most votes but he didn’t have enough to secure the required majority. After an eight-day vote count, city council member Jean Quan got more than enough second- and third-place votes to overtake Perata and win.

This controversial method that is also called Instant-runoff voting got a second place candidate in office who claims she would have not been able to raise funds for a second election. That could be good for Third Party candidates in some future elections.

In this age of electronic voting the city saves a bundle compared with a second trip to the polls and runoffs also offer a different and smaller body of voters. I thought it was interesting that under the ranked-choice voting system, the most voters ever showed up to vote in a Oakland mayor’s race. What do you think?  

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

Find the past “On This Day in History” here.

On this day in 1945, Twenty-four high-ranking Nazis go on trial in Nuremberg, Germany, for atrocities committed during World War II.

The Nuremberg Trials were conducted by an international tribunal made up of representatives from the United States, the Soviet Union, France, and Great Britain. It was the first trial of its kind in history, and the defendants faced charges ranging from crimes against peace, to crimes of war, to crimes against humanity. Lord Justice Geoffrey Lawrence, the British member, presided over the proceedings, which lasted 10 months and consisted of 216 court sessions.

Origin

British War Cabinet documents, released on 2 January 2006, have shown that as early as December 1944, the Cabinet had discussed their policy for the punishment of the leading Nazis if captured. British Prime Minister Winston Churchill had then advocated a policy of summary execution in some circumstances, with the use of an Act of Attainder to circumvent legal obstacles, being dissuaded from this only by talks with US leaders later in the war. In late 1943, during the Tripartite Dinner Meeting at the Tehran Conference, the Soviet leader, Joseph Stalin, proposed executing 50,000-100,000 German staff officers. US President Franklin D. Roosevelt, joked that perhaps 49,000 would do. Churchill denounced the idea of “the cold blooded execution of soldiers who fought for their country.” However, he also stated that war criminals must pay for their crimes and that in accordance with the Moscow Document which he himself had written, they should be tried at the places where the crimes were committed. Churchill was vigorously opposed to executions “for political purposes.” According to the minutes of a Roosevelt-Stalin meeting during the Yalta Conference, on February 4, 1945, at the Livadia Palace, President Roosevelt “said that he had been very much struck by the extent of German destruction in the Crimea and therefore he was more bloodthirsty in regard to the Germans than he had been a year ago, and he hoped that Marshal Stalin would again propose a toast to the execution of 50,000 officers of the German Army.”

US Treasury Secretary, Henry Morgenthau, Jr., suggested a plan for the total denazification of Germany; this was known as the Morgenthau Plan. The plan advocated the forced de-industrialisation of Germany. Roosevelt initially supported this plan, and managed to convince Churchill to support it in a less drastic form. Later, details were leaked to the public, generating widespread protest. Roosevelt, aware of strong public disapproval, abandoned the plan, but did not adopt an alternate position on the matter. The demise of the Morgenthau Plan created the need for an alternative method of dealing with the Nazi leadership. The plan for the “Trial of European War Criminals” was drafted by Secretary of War Henry L. Stimson and the War Department. Following Roosevelt’s death in April 1945, the new president, Harry S. Truman, gave strong approval for a judicial process. After a series of negotiations between Britain, the US, Soviet Union and France, details of the trial were worked out. The trials were set to commence on 20 November 1945, in the Bavarian city of Nuremberg.

 284 – Diocletian is chosen as Roman Emperor.

762 – During An Shi Rebellion, Tang Dynasty, with the help of Huihe tribe, recaptured Luoyang from the rebels.

1194 – Palermo is conquered by Emperor Henry VI.

1407 – A truce between John the Fearless, Duke of Burgundy and Louis of Valois, Duke of Orleans is agreed under the auspices of John, Duke of Berry. Orleans would be assassinated three days later by Burgundy.

1695 – Zumbi, the last of the leaders of Quilombo dos Palmares in early Brazil, is executed.

1700 – Great Northern War: Battle of Narva – King Charles XII of Sweden defeats the army of Tsar Peter the Great at Narva.

1739 – Start of the Battle of Porto Bello between British and Spanish forces during the War of Jenkins’ Ear.

1789 – New Jersey becomes the first U.S. state to ratify the Bill of Rights.

1820 – An 80-ton sperm whale attacks the Essex (a whaling ship from Nantucket, Massachusetts) 2,000 miles from the western coast of South America (Herman Melville’s 1851 novel Moby-Dick is in part inspired by this story).

1845 – Argentine Confederation: Battle of Vuelta de Obligado.

1861 – American Civil War: Secession ordinance is filed by Kentucky’s Confederate government.

1910 – Mexican Revolution: Francisco I. Madero issues the Plan de San Luis Potosi, denouncing President Porfirio Diaz, calling for a revolution to overthrow the government of Mexico, effectively starting the Mexican Revolution.

1917 – World War I: Battle of Cambrai begins – British forces make early progress in an attack on German positions but are later pushed back.

1917 – Ukraine is declared a republic.

1923 – Rentenmark replaces the Papiermark as the official currency of Germany at the exchange rate of one Rentenmark to One Trillion (One Billion on the long scale) Papiermark

1940 – World War II: Hungary becomes a signatory of the Tripartite Pact, officially joining the Axis Powers.

1943 – World War II: Battle of Tarawa (Operation Galvanic) begins – United States Marines land on Tarawa Atoll in the Gilbert Islands and suffer heavy fire from Japanese shore guns and machine guns.

1945 – Nuremberg Trials: Trials against 24 Nazi war criminals start at the Palace of Justice at Nuremberg.

1947 – The Princess Elizabeth marries Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten at Westminster Abbey in London.

1962 – Cuban Missile Crisis ends: In response to the Soviet Union agreeing to remove its missiles from Cuba, U.S. President John F. Kennedy ends the quarantine of the Caribbean nation.

1969 – Vietnam War: The Cleveland Plain Dealer publishes explicit photographs of dead villagers from the My Lai massacre in Vietnam.

1974 – The United States Department of Justice files its final anti-trust suit against AT&T. This suit later leads to the break up of AT&T and its Bell System.

1975 – Francisco Franco, Caudillo of Spain, dies after 36 years in power.

1979 – Grand Mosque Seizure: About 200 Sunni Muslims revolt in Saudi Arabia at the site of the Kaaba in Mecca during the pilgrimage and take about 6000 hostages. The Saudi government receives help from French special forces to put down the uprising.

1984 – The SETI Institute is founded.

1985 – Microsoft Windows 1.0 is released.

1989 – Velvet Revolution: The number of protesters assembled in Prague, Czechoslovakia swells from 200,000 the day before to an estimated half-million.

1991 – An Azerbaijani MI-8 helicopter carrying 19 peacekeeping mission team with officials and journalists from Russia, Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan was shot down by Armenian military forces in Khojavend district of Azerbaijan.

1992 – In England, a fire breaks out in Windsor Castle, badly damaging the castle and causing over £50 million worth of damage.

1993 – Savings and loan crisis: The United States Senate Ethics Committee issues a stern censure of California senator Alan Cranston for his “dealings” with savings-and-loan executive Charles Keating.

1994 – The Angolan government and UNITA rebels sign the Lusaka Protocol in Zambia, ending 19 years of civil war (localized fighting resumes the next year).

1998 – A court in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan declares accused terrorist Osama bin Laden “a man without a sin” in regard to the 1998 U.S. embassy bombings in Kenya and Tanzania.

1998 – The first module of the International Space Station, Zarya, is launched.

2001 – In Washington, D.C., U.S. President George W. Bush dedicates the United States Department of Justice headquarters building as the Robert F. Kennedy Justice Building, honoring the late Robert F. Kennedy on what would have been his 76th birthday.

2003 – After the November 15 bombings, a second day of the 2003 Istanbul Bombings occurs in Istanbul, Turkey, destroying the Turkish head office of HSBC Bank AS and the British consulate.

2008 – After critical failures in the US financial system began to build up after mid-September, the Dow Jones Industrial Average reaches its lowest level since 1997.

Christian Feast Day:

Bernward of Hildesheim

Edmund the Martyr (Church of England)

Child Day (Canada)

Children’s Day (Egypt)

Children’s Day (Pakistan)

Day of National Sovereignty (Argentina)

Earliest day on which the Feast of Christ the King can fall, while November 26 is the latest; celebrated on the last Sunday before Advent. (Roman Catholic Church)

Revolution day (Mexico)

Teacher’s Day or Ngay nha giao Viet Nam (Vietnam)

Transgender Day of Remembrance (LGBT community)

Universal Children’s Day (International)

Wedding day of Queen Elizabeth II, official flag day. (United Kingdom)

Zumbi Day (Brazil)