Lead NY Times Story Warns G.O.P. Spending-Cut Demands May Trigger Financial Crisis, Damage Party
July 13, 2011 No CommentNew York Times reporter Jackie Calmes’s latest front-page story on the budget battle displayed typical Times’s labeling bias, with “angry conservatives” but no liberals: “ Debt Talk Mired, Leader For G.O.P. Proposes Option – Republicans Are Split – Plan to Let Obama Raise the Borrowing Limit Meets Resistance. ” Calmes also paid the Republican leadership a backhanded compliment for trying to stop their conservative base from provoking a financial crisis. On Tuesday, Calmes claimed on the front page that Obama was “repositioning” himself as a centrist (after years of the Times insisting he already was one). Calmes wrote Wednesday: From the White House and Congress to financial centers, pessimism spread on Tuesday about the prospects of a debt-limit deal between President Obama and Republicans, prompting the Senate Republican leader to propose a “last-choice option” that piqued the administration’s interest but angered conservatives in his own party. The leader, Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, said a bipartisan budget-cutting deal is probably out of reach, making it unlikely that Republicans would approve an increase in the government’s debt limit by Aug. 2. To prevent default, he proposed that Congress in effect empower Mr. Obama to raise the government’s borrowing limit without its prior approval of offsetting cuts in spending. Administration officials welcomed the McConnell initiative for at least signaling that both parties’ leaders were committed to averting a potential economy-shaking government default ; many Democrats in Congress saw it as a way to avoid the sort of deep cuts in Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security that Republicans have sought as the price of their votes for a debt-limit increase. But many conservatives immediately assailed Mr. McConnell’s proposal as a panicky sell-out, much as they in recent days had attacked the House Republican leader, Speaker John A. Boehner, for privately discussing with Mr. Obama a debt-reduction deal that could raise revenues as well as cut spending — ultimately forcing Mr. Boehner to retreat. Calmes gave the G.O.P. leadership a backhanded compliment for insisting on fiscal responsibility before the “deep spending cuts” demanded by conservatives, and forwarded White House fears of the Republican rank and file in Congress.
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Bishop John Magee singled out for misleading authorities about attacks on children and not reporting cases to police A devastating report into clerical child abuse in an Irish Catholic diocese has accused the Vatican of being “entirely unhelpful” in dealing with allegations of sexual exploitation. It also singled out an Irish bishop who was the close confidant of three popes for deliberately misleading authorities in the republic about the church’s internal inquiries into children’s claims that priests were abusing them. The investigation into the diocese of Cloyne, which includes Co Cork, said Bishop John Magee had little interest in the way child sex abuse cases were handled until 2008, when the scandal had become international news. Magee was an extremely powerful figure not only in the Irish church but also in Rome, where he had been a private secretary to three popes, including John Paul I and John Paul II. Magee was the first Vatican official on the scene when John Paul I was found dead in his quarters. The Commission of Investigation report also said Rome’s decision to brand a document on child sexual abuse as unofficial allowed individual bishops “the freedom to ignore” strict guidelines on protecting children. The authors of the report said the Vatican’s actions “can only be described as unsupportive in relation to the civil authorities” – the Garda Síochána and child protection agencies. The 431-page report, launched by the ministers for justice and children, examined allegations made against 19 priests in the diocese between 1996 and 2000. These claims of abuse were among the most up-to-date against clergy. The report follows other damning reports in other dioceses that found a culture of cover-up and denial in the church hierarchy. In stinging criticism of Magee, who resigned in March 2010, the report concluded: “It is a remarkable fact that Bishop Magee took little or no active interest in the management of clerical child sexual abuse cases until 2008, 12 years after the framework document was adopted. “It became clear during the course of this investigation that Bishop Magee had, to a certain extent, detached himself from the day to day management of child sexual abuse cases. Bishop Magee was the head of the diocese and cannot avoid his responsibility by blaming subordinates who he wholly failed to supervise.” The inquiry, led by judge Yvonne Murphy, said the fact that some child sexual abuse allegations were not reported to police was the diocese’s “greatest failure”. There were 15 cases between 1996 and 2005 which “very clearly” should have been reported. Yet police were not told about nine cases. “The most serious lapse was the failure to report the two cases in which the alleged victims were minors. “Given the diocese’s knowledge of clerical sexual abuse and its effects on complainants it was wrong of the diocese not to put in place a proper support system for complainant.” Andrew Madden, a victim of sexual abuse while an altar boy in the Dublin archdiocese, said the report proved that, “with occasional exceptions, Catholic bishops cannot be trusted with allegations of child sexual abuse.” The Dublin Rape Crisis Centre described the Cloyne report as a “terrible indictment” of the way the church handled the allegations. Ellen O’Malley Dunlop, of the centre, said: “Here is another report which makes for unbelievable reading in relation to how the Catholic church dealt with allegations of child sexual abuse … in the diocese of Cloyne. “There is no excuse of being on a ‘learning curve’ this time. The church’s own child protection guidelines were in place from 1996, yet the report tells us time and time again that the implementation of the policies and procedures was inadequate and inappropriate. It was not until 2008 that the diocese began to follow proper procedures. “The publication of this report will again reopen the wounds of the victims involved and other victims around the country who had similar experiences. It may also trigger people’s memories for the first time.” Catholicism Vatican Ireland Religion Henry McDonald guardian.co.uk
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Japanese volunteers knows as the skilled veterans corps offer to replace younger workers in operation to stabilise nuclear plant So far, about 9,000 workers have been involved in the four-month operation to stabilise the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, where three of six reactors experienced meltdown in the aftermath of the 11 March tsunami. If Yasuteru Yamada gets his way, the Fukushima workforce of the future will include a band of fearless pensioners calling themselves the skilled veterans corps . This month the retired engineer for Sumitomo Metal Industries, one of the world’s top steel manufacturers, is expected to visit the plant with four colleagues to carry out preliminary inspections. They propose to help design a replacement for the destroyed reactor cooling system. The 72-year-old graduate of Tokyo University will survey the damage and, pending final approval from the government and Tepco, the plant operator, call on hundreds of registered volunteers, all over 60, with expertise in a range of disciplines. In April, he and two former colleagues reached out to 2,500 potential volunteers by phone and email. Before long their plea had been repeated on Twitter and via blogs, and for days Yamada’s phone did not stop ringing. As of last week, 430 people had volunteered, according to the group’s website. Their average age is in the late 60s. The oldest is 82. The government and Tepco have cautiously welcomed the plan with caution – they have yet to approve the hiring of hundreds of eager pensioners while conditions at the plant remain hazardous. Goshi Hosono, a special adviser to the prime minister, initially likened Yamada’s offer to a “suicide mission” and suggested his and his corps’s services would not be required. But Hosono has since made more enthusiastic noises. “People who are willing to sacrifice their daily lives to help the nation resolve these problems are invaluable,” he told reporters. “First we will have to check on their health status, as people at an advanced age working in that kind of environment could fall ill.” Yamada, who helped build power plants as a Sumitomo Metal employee, insists that the skilled veterans corps should be allowed to replace younger plant workers who, over time, are more susceptible to developing cancer. Unlike the young engineers currently exposing themselves to high levels of radiation at Fukushima Daiichi, Yamada, a cancer survivor, reckons he has, at best, about 15 years left to live. “Even if I were exposed to radiation, cancer could take 20 or 30 years or longer to develop,” he told the BBC. “That means us
Continue reading …Rick Perry’s Upcoming Prayer Rally Loaded With Radical Right Wing Preachers
July 13, 2011 No Comment
Click here to view this media Rachel Maddow took us through part of the list of those attending Rick Perry’s big prayer rally, The Response , which is coming up on August 6th in Houston Texas. And as she noted, Right Wing Watch has done a great job of documenting some of these extreme right-wing radical preachers who are attending the event, and you can read more about that in these posts and more at their site. Here’s a portion of some of their reporting on the rally and there are many more there at the site, but these are some of their most recent posts. Rachel showed a sampling of some of the videos they have available and you can watch the longer versions at Right Wing Watch as well if you’ve got the stomach for it. Rick Perry Partners With ‘Apostle’ Who Thinks The Statue Of Liberty Is A ‘Demonic Idol’ : As we’ve been reporting on Right Wing Watch , Texas Governor Rick Perry is working a number of radical preachers to plan his upcoming Christians-only prayer rally. Perry’s partners in the event include extremists who believe that tolerance for homosexuality caused the September 11th attacks , Oprah Winfrey is the harbinger of the Antichrist , the deadly Japanese earthquake was caused by the country’s Emperor having sex with a demon , the repeal of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell caused bird deaths in Arkansas and violence should be considered to overthrow President Obama , among many other extreme beliefs . One self-described ‘Apostle’ who has signed on as an official endorser to Perry’s The Response prayer rally is John Benefiel of the Heartland Apostolic Prayer Network, a group affiliated with the New Apostolic Reformation with ties to other The Response endorsers including Cindy Jacobs , C. Peter Wagner and Jay Swallow . In a sermon last August, Benefiel argued that America is under a curse from God because the country possesses monuments to pagan idols and that Americans needs to renounce those idols if not destroy them. Benefiel claims that the Statue of Liberty is in fact a “demonic idol” because it represents a “false goddess.” Perry Prayer Rally Endorser Says “Spiritual Pollution” Is Making You Sick : As we continue to research the leaders who have signed on as public endorsers of Gov. Rick Perry’s “The Response” prayer rally , we just keep finding good stuff . And we can now add Alice Smith to the list, based on this appearance with Benny Hinn where she promoted the need for ” spiritual housecleaning ” As Smith explained , cursed items – which can include everything from shirts to rings – have a “spiritual umbilical cord” that attaches to you and gives demonic spirits the ability to plague you with sickness and fill your home with “spiritual pollution”: Rick Perry Partner John Benefiel Claims Homosexuality Is An Illuminati Conspiracy : Earlier today we posted video of “Apostle” John Benefiel, an official endorser of Rick Perry’s The Response prayer rally , arguing that the Statue of Liberty is a “ demonic idol ” used for pagan worship. In the same sermon, Benefiel claims that homosexuality is a plot by the Illuminati to “control the population.” He says that the Illuminati intend to reduce the world population to just 500 million people and that, along with the recently passed health care reform law, the secretive group will use homosexuality as a “perverted way” to bring about “a death culture” and population control. Benefiel also insists that homosexuality is a “stronghold” of the “demon god” Baal. Hagee: President Obama Is A Dictator : In an interview on the Daystar show Celebration , John Hagee of the Cornerstone Church said that President Obama is a “dictator” for his actions in Libya. Hagee, a leader in the Religious Right who is involved in organizing Texas Governor Rick Perry’s The Response prayer rally , has previously claimed that Adolf Hitler was a “hunter” sent by God to hunt Jews . “You want to talk about how absolutely insane our government is right now, we are in Libya, the President is in violation of the War Powers Act, he can only stay there 90 days at his word, we’re beyond that,” Hagee said, “Congressmen are suing him trying to get him to stop. This is the actual work, if you will, of a dictator:”
Continue reading …Sour Grapes at Rotten Tomatoes, Listed Palin Movie as ‘Science Fiction and Fantasy’
July 13, 2011 No Comment
Earlier this morning, Washington Times blogger Kerry Picket discovered an unusual listing on the popular movie rating website Rotten Tomatoes . The new Sarah Palin documentary, 'The Undefeated,' was categorized not only as a documentary, but also as science fiction and fantasy. Since Picket's blog was posted, the science fiction and fantasy tag has been removed, but it begs the question of why the film was categorized in the same listing as the fantasy tales of 'X-Men,' 'Pirates of the Caribbean,' and 'Transformers' in the first place. The removal of the improper tag came without explanation or apology from Rotten Tomatoes. In looking into the categorization of other political documentaries, from former Vice President Al Gore's 'An Inconvenient Truth' to conservative director Ray Griggs's 'I Want Your Money,' the films were all categorized only under the labels of documentary and special interest, not any less flattering labels. Perhaps Rotten Tomatoes will pass it off as a simple mistake, but the choice of science fiction and fantasy, among all the other categories under which 'Undefeated' could have accidentally been placed, makes you think otherwise.
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Paul Donnison tells court that his wife, Fiona, would refuse to let him see their children unless he did what she said The father of two toddlers allegedly killed by their mother has told a court how she increasingly used the children to control him. Paul Donnison, 48, spoke of his love for three-year-old Harry and two-year-old Elise Donnison as he gave evidence on the third day of their mother Fiona Donnison’s trial at Lewes crown court. The children’s bodies were found zipped up in two separate holdalls in the boot of her car near the former family home in Heathfield, East Sussex, on 27 January last year. Donnison, 45, denies two counts of murder. As he gave evidence, Paul Donnison did not look at his former partner as he told jurors he was left in “complete disbelief” when he returned home from work five months before the children’s deaths to find she had moved out without warning, taking them with her. He said he lived a “nightmare” during the ensuing months, as at first she would not tell him where Harry and Elise were, and then told him he could see them only on her terms. Paul Donnison said he and his former partner attempted reconciliations on several occasions but she would suddenly change her mind. If he arrived at the house she had rented in Lightwater, Surrey, any later than arranged she would not let him in and would often cancel without explanation, he said. “It was blowing hot and cold,” he said. “If I did what I was told, things were fine; if I didn’t, I was told I wouldn’t see the children, and so on and so forth. As long as she had control of the children, she had control of me.” He admitted he had begun seeing an old school friend, Alison Shimmens, but said their friendship was strictly platonic until he knew his relationship with Fiona Donnison was definitely over. The court heard that one evening when he was visiting Shimmens at her home in Woking, Surrey, Fiona Donnison turned up without warning and demanded he went to her house. She then told him she had made a big mistake and wanted him back. “She was controlling things and I had reached the point where you can’t keep being manipulated and moved around and told what to do,” Paul Donnison said. “I felt like Fiona was playing a game with me. If I didn’t do what she said or if she didn’t have control of me, the children were the key.” But he said that for the sake of being able to see his children he again tried to make things work, even though from day to day “it was extremely difficult to know which person you would be talking to”. On New Year’s Eve he briefly left the house in the early evening and when he returned, Donnison would not let him in the house, despite freezing cold weather. Asked by prosecutor Christine Laing QC about his reaction to the fact that Fiona Donnison’s new home in Lightwater, an area she had no previous links with, was 100 yards from the house his ex-wife lived in with her new husband, he said: “I was absolutely stunned. “I was stunned that Fiona moved there, but bearing in mind it made Fiona the focus of attention. It clearly disturbed me and I know it disturbed my ex-wife.” He said that from the start of their relationship 10 years ago, “I was always aware that she was very manipulative”. He added: “When she wanted to she could be wonderful.” She was a “great hostess” and a “wonderful cook”, he said. Sometimes she could be provocative, antagonistic and confrontational, he said. “She basically wanted the best of everything at all times and almost from the start the house wasn’t good enough, my income wasn’t good enough, the holidays we had weren’t good enough.” She referred to herself as MBW – or main breadwinner – he added. He said Fiona Donnison lived beyond her means and despite having a well-paid job in the City, told him she had amassed debts of up to £50,000 when they decided to move in together. The trial continues. Helen Carter guardian.co.uk
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Paul Lawrie, the 1999 Open Champion, assesses the challenge of each hole at the revamped Sandwich course Paddy Allen Lawrence Donegan
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Corporation moves to ensure cover is on standby for key programmes during Friday’s planned 24-hour walkout The BBC is making preparations to try and avoid a blackout of news programmes during Friday’s planned 24-hour walkout by journalists. Negotiations with the National Union of Journalists over compulsory redundancies at BBC World Service and BBC Monitoring are going down to the wire, with news staff due to take industrial action from midnight on Thursday. The last time BBC News was hit by a strike in November 2010, stand-ins including former GMTV presenter Emma Crosby and the BBC’s own director of news Helen Boaden were drafted in to help keep shows on air. But, in what could be seen as a sign that the corporation does not intend to back down, preparations are under way to ensure cover is on standby for key programmes such as BBC Radio 4′s Today on Friday. Meanwhile, the NUJ has sent a memo to staff outlining why it is striking following a ballot over compulsory redundancies, and how it thinks the BBC could halt the walkout. “One of our members in the BBC World Service has already been dismissed. Two NUJ members at Monitoring, including our NUJ rep, will be forced to leave their jobs next week and the week after,” the union said. “One other member in Monitoring will be made compulsorily redundant in August, together with several others in the World Service and others to come in the weeks and months to follow. The BBC has mishandled these cases and has not shown the will to sort them out.” The NUJ memo added that the union believes there are five ways the BBC can stop the strike. “Extend the leaving dates of those immediately at risk to allow for further talks; Agree to release volunteers; Cut the red tape when it comes to redeployment and make it happen; Use vacant posts to offset the costs of employing those at risk; Apply fairness across the BBC and treat people the same –wherever they work.” However, the BBC business operations director, Lucy Adams, told staff in a recent internal email: “Our financial position means that we are unable to agree to the NUJ’s demands for no compulsory redundancies and delaying taking action now means that we will be required to find even more money in the future, potentially affecting more jobs.” A further 24-hour strike is due to take place on 29 July. The NUJ declined to comment. The BBC said it remained in “continuous talks” with the NUJ. • To contact the MediaGuardian news desk email editor@mediaguardian.co.uk or phone 020 3353 3857. For all other inquiries please call the main Guardian switchboard on 020 3353 2000. If you are writing a comment for publication, please mark clearly “for publication”. • To get the latest media news to your desktop or mobile, follow MediaGuardian on Twitter and Facebook . BBC Media unions National Union of Journalists Television industry Radio industry Tara Conlan guardian.co.uk
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New figures from the Office for National Statistics show a 2.4% increase in live births in the last year alone More midwives are urgently required as the birth rate reached a 40-year high, the Royal College of Midwives has said. New figures published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show a 2.4% increase in live births in the last year alone. There were 723,165 live births in England and Wales in 2010, compared with 706,248 in 2009, making it the highest figure in almost 40 years. In 1972, the birth rate was 725,440. The number of children women are having also increased between 2009 and 2010, with the total fertility rate (TFR) rising to 2.0 children per woman in 2010 from 1.96 in 2009. Nearly 4,700 more midwives are now needed to handle the increase, according to the Royal College of Midwives (RCM). Cathy Warwick, general secretary of the RCM, said: “The government has committed to protecting student midwife training places, but this is only for one year and does little good if there are not jobs for those midwives to go to. “Without central direction it is simply too easy for hard-pressed NHS organisations to save money by cutting midwifery jobs. This is a false economy and government backing is needed to ensure this does not happen. “All the reports on maternity services show that there is a direct link with midwifery staffing levels and the safety of services. Late last year I said I have real fears that the safety of maternity services was being compromised by the shortfall in midwife numbers; these new figures add even greater weight to that fear. “Midwives are working harder and doing more with less and maternity services and the quality of care is suffering. I appeal to David Cameron to accept what the figures are telling him and to honour his promise. Failing to do so is a disservice to midwives and, more importantly, a disservice to the women and babies those midwives care for.” The ONS figures also show a decrease in stillbirths between 2009 and 2010. In 2010, there were 5.1 per thousand live and stillbirths, down from 5.2 in 2009. There was, however, an increase in all deaths in England and Wales between 2009 and 2010, rising from 491,348 in 2009 to 493,243 in 2010, an increase of 0.4%. There were 3,140 infant deaths under one year of age registered in England and Wales, giving an infant mortality rate of 4.3 deaths per thousand live births, the lowest rate ever recorded. Midwifery Health NHS Childbirth Health & wellbeing Social trends guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …‘The Five’: Fox’s fill-in for Beck’s hour features the network’s idea of ‘fair and balanced’
July 13, 2011 No Comment
Click here to view this media It seems Fox’s plan for filling the 5 pm EDT slot once held by Glenn Beck is to trot out some of its pundits and see which of them floats to the top. With, of course, a lone Democrat along for comic relief/punching bag duty. The show is called “The Five,” and it debuted Monday with a lineup that pretty much tells you Fox’s idea of a “fair and balanced” debate: four right-wingers and a lone Fox Democrat, in this case Bob Beckel, whose function as usual is to mealy-mouth the liberal position and give a lukewarm defense of the targeted liberals du jour . He was joined by a cast of right-wingers ranging from the usual smarmy Establishment type long favored at Fox (Dana Perino) to the haplessly juvenile frat/sorority types (Andrea Tantaros and Greg Gutfeld) to the simply execrable (Eric Bolling). This segment — featuring a discussion of whether or not Media Matters should be permitted to maintain its tax-exempt status because it takes an obvious liberal position, while the permeation of the Beltway with right-wing think tanks and Tea Party apparatchiks bothers them not one whit — was pretty representative of the quality of discussion to be had on the show. Which is to say, only a technician’s half-step away from being something I might run across late at night on my local access cable TV. It’s all part of Fox’s sad and pathetic attacks on Media Matters, which Karoli posted about yesterday, The hypocrisy here is profound: Fox and its hosts, after all, are fond of declaring that their critics — who merely criticize them — are out to “silence” them and shut them down . But these attacks on MM are in fact quite explicitly intended to silence the organization and shut it down.
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