You don’t suppose they’re going to start acting like those brown people in New Orleans , are they? With petrol running low, delivery trucks are struggling to get supplies to those hardest hit by the earthquake and tsunami in Japan. And as provisions decline, tension rises. Al Jazeera’s Steve Chao reports from Morioka.
Continue reading …Arizona Senate wises up: Pearce’s latest round of immigrant-bashing bills summarily tossed
March 19, 2011 No Comment
Click here to view this media People tried to warn Russell Pearce, president of the Arizona Senate and the father of SB1070, that it might not be a good idea to push hard on yet another round of immigrant-bashing legislation while Arizona’s economy continued to suffer and groan from the weight of his previous “landmark”. And there were plenty of warning signs that Arizonans were waking up to the cold reality of what they had done to themselves. But of course, Pearce being the extremist nutcase that he is, there was no persuading him to turn back. Which produced yesterday’s stark repudiation by his fellow Republicans in the Senate: The state Senate voted down a package of birthright-citizenship bills, with Republicans split over the measures and Democrats opposed. Four other significant Senate immigration measures also failed. Those bills would have banned illegal immigrants from state universities, made it a crime for illegal immigrants to drive a vehicle in Arizona, required school districts to check the legal status of students, and required hospitals to check the legal status of patients. The impetus for the bills’ defeat, as it happens, came from the Arizona business community, whose leaders penned a letter to the Senate warning them that the bills were a horrendous idea : A coalition of Arizona business groups delivered a letter to the Arizona State Senate Tuesday saying it would be unwise for the Legislature to pass additional immigration legislation, despite lack of action on the federal level. Sixty CEOs – from a wide swath of industries and including heavyweights such as Doug Parker, Gerrit van Huisstede and Linda Hunt – signed the letter as legislators mull a new slate of immigration bills. Last year’s passage of Senate Bill 1070 created a firestorm of criticism and boycotts against the state. The CEO’s point to its “unintended consequences.” The letter’s reasoning was quite clear: Arizona’s lawmakers and citizens are right to be concerned about illegal immigration. But we must acknowledge that when Arizona goes it alone on this issue, unintended consequences inevitably occur. Last year, boycotts were called against our state’s business community, adversely impacting our already-struggling economy and costing us jobs. Arizona-based businesses saw contracts cancelled or were turned away from bidding. “Sales outside of the state declined. Even a business which merely had ‘Arizona’ in its name felt the effects of the boycotts, compelling them to launch an educational campaign about their company’s roots in Brooklyn. It is an undeniable fact that each of our companies and our employees were impacted by the boycotts and the coincident negative image. “Tourism, one of our state’s largest industries and employment centers, also suffered from negative perceptions after the passage of SB 1070. The fact Gov. Brewer directed $250,000 to repairing Arizona’s reputation strongly suggests these efforts – whether fair or unfair – are harmful to our image. Pearce’s main gopher, State Sen. Ron Gould, was typically petulant about the reversal : On Twitter he provided the names of all the Republicans who voted against the bills and told his followers to “contact them.” Following the session he said that too many Republicans talk tough on the campaign trail but don’t deliver when it comes to votes. He was especially pissy toward the business community: Senator Gould was asked if that letter perhaps played a role to which he replied, “Well there’s some people who are bought and paid for by the Chamber of Commerce.” When asked if he will try to introduce similar legislation next session he said, “Maybe we will put everybody through the same misery one more time.” You’ll note in the video above that the reporter talks to one of the signees — a local small businessman. Unsurprisingly, he was inundated with hate mail and threatening phone calls. Kos has more on the larger immigration picture around the nation.
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Click here to view this media It’s not enough to criminalize poverty . It’s not enough to defund public radio. It’s not enough to try to repeal what health care reform we were able to get. No, now we have the US House of Representatives passing legislation requiring the IRS to audit abortions. And no, I am NOT exaggerating. Mother Jones : Under a GOP-backed bill expected to sail through the House of Representatives, the Internal Revenue Service would be forced to police how Americans have paid for their abortions. To ensure that taxpayers complied with the law, IRS agents would have to investigate whether certain terminated pregnancies were the result of rape or incest. And one tax expert says that the measure could even lead to questions on tax forms: Have you had an abortion? Did you keep your receipt? In testimony to a House taxation subcommittee on Wednesday, Thomas Barthold, the chief of staff of the nonpartisan Joint Tax Committee, confirmed that one consequence of the Republicans’ “No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act” would be to turn IRS agents into abortion cops—that is, during an audit, they’d have to detemine, from evidence provided by the taxpayer, whether any tax benefit had been inappropriately used to pay for an abortion. Digby has already warned about how they’re using HR3 as a negotiating tool to codify the Hyde amendment, but it seems as though they’re very serious about making sure not one penny of federal money goes to abortions. So serious they’re writing in provisions for IRS auditors to request evidence of any abortions performed. Not only that, but in their zeal, it appears they could actually even attack payments from HSAs for it. Yes, it is tax jihadism , right here in the US of A.
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Referendum is first major test of transition to democracy in wake of Mubarak’s resignation Eager for their first taste of a free vote in decades, Egyptians lined up by the hundreds on Saturday to vote on constitutional amendments sponsored by the ruling military. The nationwide referendum is the first major test of the country’s transition to democracy after a popular uprising forced Hosni Mubarak to step down five weeks ago, handing the reins of power to the military. Early signs show an unusually big turnout, with lines forming in the hours before polls opened. They snaked along the streets in Cairo and other Egyptian cities, with men and women standing in separate lines as is customary in the conservative and mainly Muslim nation. The vote promises to be the freest in Egypt since 1952 when the monarchy was ousted and the multiparty democracy that functioned under British colonial rule was ended. Egypt has since been ruled by men of military background, with fraud and extremely low turnout defining every nationwide vote. “This is a historic day for Egypt,” deputy prime minister Yahya al-Gamal said after casting his vote in Cairo. “I had never seen such large numbers of voters in Egypt. Finally, the people of Egypt have come to realise that their vote counts.” Voters were asked to choose yes or no for the whole package of nine changes, which would open elections to independent candidates, impose presidential term limits and curtail 30-year-old emergency laws that give police near-unlimited powers. Preliminary results will be announced on Sunday. A yes vote would allow parliamentary and presidential elections to be held later this year or early in the next, a time frame that critics say is too soon for the dozens of political groups born out of the 18-day anti-Mubarak uprising to organise themselves and be able to compete in elections. They say the timetable would benefit Mubarak’s one-time ruling National Democratic party (NDP) and the Muslim Brotherhood, the two most powerful and best-organised political groups in Egypt. The NDP is blamed for the rampant corruption and fraud that marred every election in Egypt during Mubarak’s 29-year rule. The brotherhood, which has strongly campaigned for the adoption of the changes, advocates the instalment of an Islamic government in Egypt. The ambivalence of its position on the role of women and minority Christians worry large segments of society. Leading the no campaign are two presidential hopefuls, the Nobel laureate and former head of the UN nuclear watchdog agency Mohamed ElBaradei, and Arab League secretary-general Amr Moussa, who is a former foreign minister in Egypt. “This is a truly democratic process,” Moussa said after he voted in Cairo. ElBaradei said in New Delhi that Egypt’s newly formed political parties need more time to prepare for elections after decades of repression. Egypt’s Coptic Christians were also overwhelmingly against the amendments. Comprising 10% of the population, Christians complain of institutional discrimination and fear their quest for equal rights would suffer a serious setback if the brotherhood gains influence in post-Mubarak Egypt. “If the Brotherhood comes to power, they will not benefit anyone, Muslims or Christians,” said Fawziya Lamie, a 39-year-old Christian nanny, after casting a no vote in the Cairo district of Manial. More than half of Egypt’s 80 million people are eligible to vote. The military, in a bid to get the vote out, has decreed that voters would be allowed to cast ballots at any polling centre in the country with their national ID cards as the only required proof of identity. They are required to dip their index finger in ink after voting to prevent multiple balloting. “My vote today will make a difference. It’s as simple as that,” first-time voter Hossam Bishay, 48, said as he waited in line with about 300 others outside a heavily guarded polling centre in Cairo’s upmarket Zamalek district. “I am very excited to be doing this,” Alaa al-Sharqawy, an engineering lecturer, said. “It’s true that the amendments have polarised us, but I am glad we are voting.” The constitutional amendments drawn up by a panel of military-appointed legal scholars are intended to bring just enough change to the 1971 constitution, which was suspended by the military, to ensure presidential and parliamentary elections are free and fair. In addition to allowing independent and opposition candidates to run, they would restore full judicial supervision of votes, a measure seen as vital to preventing fraud. They would also limit presidents to two four-year terms and curb the emergency laws that have long been a chief complaint of the people. Critics have used social networks such as Facebook and Twitter and full-page advertisements in newspapers to argue that the entire constitution must be scrapped and a new one drawn up to guarantee Egypt is spared future dictators. Egypt Middle East Arab and Middle East protests Protest guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Netflix is getting into the content biz, confirms ‘House of Cards’ will launch in late 2012
March 19, 2011 No Comment
The rumors are true, instead of simply offering old content from others, Netflix is jumping back into the content business by licensing David Fincher’s upcoming drama House of Cards for Watch Instantly streaming in the US and Canada before it airs anywhere else, or has even been produced. In a blog post and interview with AllThingsD , Chief Content Officer Ted Sarandos justifies signing up for the series sight unseen by pointing out the popularity of the earlier BBC miniseries on which it is is based among Netflix members and the collective skills of both the director and lead actor Kevin Spacey. However, if you’re waiting around for fresh content to pop up on Watch Instantly don’t hold your breath, the 26 episode episode run produced by (interestingly, Netflix will neither produce nor own the show) Media Rights Capital isn’t due to arrive until late 2012. Continue reading Netflix is getting into the content biz, confirms ‘House of Cards’ will launch in late 2012 Netflix is getting into the content biz, confirms ‘House of Cards’ will launch in late 2012 originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 18 Mar 2011 14:08:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Understated negotiator Warren Christopher mediated in Bosnia and helped end Iran hostage crisis The former US secretary of state Warren Christopher, who helped bring peace to Bosnia and negotiated for the release of American hostages in Iran, has died, CNN reported. He was 85. CNN said Christopher died in California of complications from kidney and bladder cancer. As the top American statesman under Bill Clinton, Christopher was a behind-the-scenes negotiator. Often called the “stealth” secretary of state, Christopher was known for his understated, self-effacing manner. United States US foreign policy Bill Clinton guardian.co.uk
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Abhisit Vejjajiva backed by 52% in parliamentary vote over claims of government corruption and mismanagement Thailand’s prime minister, Abhisit Vejjajiva, has narrowly survived a parliamentary no-confidence vote, ensuring his government remains in office in the run-up to what is likely to be a close election. Abhisit was backed by 249 parliamentarians, making up 52% of the eligible house voters, in a censure motion after four days of debate marked by allegations of corruption, mismanagement and conflicts of interest levelled at him and nine of his ministers. The number of votes against Abhisit could reflect some dissatisfaction within the six-party coalition that his Democrat party heads with a slim majority. Analysts say the parliamentary election is expected to be a close race between Abhisit’s Democrats and the opposition Puea Thai party, and Abhisit would probably need to form another coalition to govern again. All nine ministers survived no-confidence votes but by narrow margins. Several received less support than the prime minister. The censure was conducted as a free vote, meaning not all votes may have been cast along party lines. Thailand remains embroiled in a five-year-old political crisis characterised by violent demonstrations, lengthy blockades, disputed judicial rulings and military intervention. Investors are hoping the election will lead to greater stability. But analysts warn there is scope for foul play or challenges to the outcome from either side that could lead to renewed street protests or even a coup. The election will be the first real test of Abhisit’s public support. He came to power in late 2008 in a parliamentary vote that critics say was influenced heavily by the army leadership. Abhisit believes his party has the edge over Puea Thai, which is backed by the ousted former premier Thaksin Shinawatra, who retains considerable influence over Thai politics. Thaksin remains in exile to evade a two-year jail term for corruption. Abhisit and his government are accused by Puea Thai of helping certain companies win concessions for third-generation mobile phone services and transport projects as well as mismanagement and irregularities in a food price crisis. Opponents also accuse the government of being responsible for the deaths of anti-government “red shirt” demonstrators during clashes with the army last year. The government has rejected all the claims. Thailand guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Former prime minister closest allies conspired against legislative programme as part of war with cabinet ‘ets’ One of Margaret Thatcher’s closest allies actively conspired, with her permission, against a key part of her government’s legislative programme as part of a war with the cabinet “wets”, papers released for the first time show. Demonstrating just how divided her first cabinet was, the 1980 papers reveal how Thatcher’s private secretary, the backbench MP Ian Gow, was active in fomenting rightwing MPs’ opposition to a bill devised by the employment secretary, Jim Prior, to limit but not ban secondary strike action by trade unions. The right wanted much tougher legislation. Acting in collaboration with the solicitor general, Sir Ian Percival, Gow actively encouraged rebellion, keeping the prime minister briefed on what he was doing against a key part of her legislative programme. Prior threatened in cabinet to resign; had Gow’s role become public, it would have rocked the Conservative government. Gow, a firm supporter of the Ulster Unionists, was also involved in consulting their leader, Jim Molyneux, and the former Tory Enoch Powell on how to oppose the government’s constitutional initiative for Northern Ireland. Gow was murdered by the IRA in 1990. The 30,000 pages of internal letters, notes, memoranda and other documents – some ephemeral but many casting new insights into the first Thatcher government – are being placed online by the Churchill Archives Centre at Cambridge University. They complement official government files from the same period already released by the Public Record Office. The newly released documents show a prime minister feeling her way in power, unexpectedly deterred by public demonstrations against her and already privately trying out phrases, such as “the enemy within” and “there is no such thing as society”, that she would proclaim publicly years later. Chris Collins, the Thatcher Foundation’s archivist, said: “I was surprised by the amount of stuff that was committed to paper, seen by the prime minister. There was a high degree of risk involved. You get a sound read-out of her mood from the documents. With some prime ministers, you cannot tell what they are thinking but there is no doubt with her. A squiggly line means I don’t like this, two squiggles I HATE this.” There is further evidence that Thatcher encouraged rightwingers’ references to her first year in office as being wasted, because there were not enough hardline policy initiatives. Among those publicly criticising the government’s performance was the industry secretary, Sir Keith Joseph, with a note from Bernard Ingham, the Downing Street press secretary, saying Thatcher was “quite relaxed about it … I believe she agrees with Sir Keith but for the sake of the government and confidence in it does not say so.” Notes about Thatcher’s 1980 party conference speech, in which she famously announced “the lady’s not for turning”, indicate how fraught the writing was – as was the previous year’s effort, described by one of the drafters, Sir John Hoskyns, head of the Downing Street policy unit, as “an unbelievable shambles”. Handwritten notes show her trying out the phrases about society and the enemy within – concerning all trade unions, not just the miners, against whom the phrase was eventually deployed four years later. The accounts of the speech’s development bear out Hoskyns’s recollection of Denis Thatcher telling his wife: “Honestly, love, we’re not trying to write the Old Testament.” The 1980 speech soft-pedalled on attacking Labour, then embarking on internecine strife, but the papers show how closely Downing Street monitored who might emerge as leader after James Callaghan, who resigned on 15 October. Denis Healey was regarded as particularly formidable, being described as “the most powerful, the most dangerous and the most uncertain of the candidates” by Tory chairman Lord Thorneycroft. Thatcher regarded the eventual winner, Michael Foot, with disdain. Gow had lunch in August 1980 with Neville Sandelson, a rightwing Labour MP, who was privately planning to defect to what became the SDP six months later. Gow reported back to Thatcher: “[He] says that his remaining political purpose is to ensure the re-election of the Conservative party at the next election because only by [that] will there come about the split in the Labour party which he considers to be the essential precondition for a real purge.” Thatcher could be discomforted by demonstrators. After being heckled in Salisbury, Wiltshire, in February 1980, she wanted to call off a visit to nearby Calne when told 450 locals had just lost their jobs. “We can’t go there! Not another occasion like that!” she wrote with heavy underlining. Nevertheless, the trip went ahead. The files are online at www.margaretthatcher.org . Margaret Thatcher Politics past Trade unions Stephen Bates guardian.co.uk
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Icann’s governing body gives green light to new suffix that will enable creation of web-based red light district Plans to establish a new internet domain specifically for pornography are to proceed after internet regulators approved the .xxx suffix for adult entertainment sites, three years on from a decision to block the move. Proposals to create a new adults-only domain date back as far as 2003 when moves to open up the number of major domain names were announced by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (Icann), which administers millions of internet addresses. However, Icann blocked the plan in 2007 after long deliberations and threats in the US from the Bush government, which opposed the creation of .xxx on moral grounds and said it would override Icann if necessary. On Friday, the board of Icann said that it would allow the .xxx domain to be overseen by ICM Registry – the backer of the scheme – although a number of board members reportedly opposed the resolution. The backers of the scheme said that it will provide reassurance to those visiting pornography websites that they are protected from the risk of viruses, identity theft, credit card fraud and inadvertent exposure to child abuse images. They also claim that it will provide individuals and parents who wish to avoid adult entertainment sites the opportunity to filter out unwanted .xxx material. Anti-pornography campaigners argued that the move legitimises the sex industry, and it also drew criticism from some parts of the adult entertainment business, who said that forcing sex sites into a specific corner of the internet would inevitably increase censorship. PCmag.com reported that one Icann board member who opposed the resolution said that .xxx would encourage filtering and, ultimately, censorship. “I believe that the creation of .xxx would mark the first instance of an action by this board that may directly encourage such filtering,” said George Sadowsky, a US computer scientist. “In my judgment, the board should not be taking actions that encourage filtering or blocking of a domain at the top level. Further, I believe that the filtering of so-called offensive material can provide a convenient excuse for political regimes interested in an intent on limiting civic rights and freedom of speech.” Stuart Lawley, CEO of ICM Registry, described the decision as a “landmark moment” for the internet. “For the first time there will be a clearly defined web address for adult entertainment, out of the reach of minors and as free as possible from fraud or malicious computer viruses,” he added. According to a statement released by ICM Registry, the new domain name will be regulated by IFFOR, which was described as an independent non-profit entity made up of a seven-person policy council, including a child protection representative, a privacy and security expert and representatives from the pornography industry. Internet Pornography United States Ben Quinn guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Marsha Blackburn Defends Defunding NPR and Helping the GOP to Assure the Public is as Uninformed as Possible
March 18, 2011 No Comment
Click here to view this media Rep. Marsha Blackburn took to the House floor this Thursday during the debate over NPR’s government funding and she basically laid out their game plan for rural areas that are going to be harmed by these cuts — let them start over with new programming instead of airing NPR’s content. Anyone else think that content that will be replaced by anything other than the equivalent of Fox “News” and right wing talk? And she also took a shot at NPR’s listeners who are apparently all rich, latte drinking snobby liberals who should be able to afford to keep the network on the air on their own… unless of course you consider those rural areas that are going to be hit the hardest by these cuts. House Republicans continually cited the discredited tapes from James O’Keefe as a reason to cut off funding for the network during the debate and also pretended that this was done out of some deep concern for our budget deficit woes, even though they haven’t expressed similar concerns for busting the budget with illegal invasions that weren’t even put on the books or tax cuts for the rich. Blackburn’s assertion that they did this because they have one iota of concern for the budget deficit is laughable. As the Democrats continually pointed out during the House floor debate, this was done purely for ideological reasons and nothing else. They want our public fed a steady stream of right wing propaganda and dumbed down with as little access to news that isn’t influenced by their agenda as possible, and this is just one more step in assuring that happens. I’d say that Blackburn and her ilk should be ashamed of themselves for this, but they’ve long ago proven that they just have no shame.
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