http://blogcritics.org/ A sinister cabal of superior bloggers on music, books, film, popular culture, politics, and technology - updated continuously. en Copyright 2005-2007 by the authors Wed, 31 Aug 2005 08:50:14 EDT http://backend.userland.com/rss Blogcritics.org custom software http://blogcritics.org/ Phillip WinnSunday, August 26, 2007, marks the switch of all Blogcritics.org article feeds from full-content to short-content. This is the result of several converging factors, and is unfortunately a permanent decision (as permanent as any decision can be on the web, that is). We are aware of all of the reasons that this is a Bad Idea, and we are aware that some of you will be quite upset about having to click on something to read the free content, and we're sorry. Unfortunately, despite great effort, full-content feeds are not currently economically viable. Two other factors are involved: full-content feeds have resulted in an unprecedented level of content theft, with BC content appearing on many websites, usually spam sites, without attribution or permission. This duplicate content causes a cascading set of problems, not the least of which is that search engines generally aren't favorable to duplicate content, and don't always guess correctly. Finally, our RSS advertising partner is strongly in favor of short-content feeds. We hope that you'll continue to subscribe to BC via RSS, and when an article grabs your eye, it's only a click away, still free on the BC website. Thank you for your understanding. Administration0@blogcritics.org Sun, 26 Aug 2007 12:00:00 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2005/08/31/085014.php MojoalaMSN NEWSTHURSDAY, Aug. 25 (HealthDay News) -- It's your routine visit to the doctor in 2020. There's the blood pressure check, the standard vision tests, and, oh yes, your anti-aging shot. I really don't think this is a good idea. Anti-aging might make possible having babies at a latter age in life. I can see some women having 20 something kids in a lifetime. The world population is already too large as it stands. Not to mention that what it would do to countries that have some form of Social Security as we do now. The average life expectancy is 77 years of age, if this vaccine works as well in humans as it does for mice, the average life expectancy would be 92 years of age. Based on this it would probably force similar countries to raise retirement age from 65 to 80! What do you think? Sci/Tech35155@blogcritics.org Wed, 31 Aug 2005 08:50:14 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2005/08/03/111354.php MojoalaSource: CNN News OnlineWhere's the compensation?Thomas A. Doswell walked out of the county jail a free man -- expressing thanks, not bitterness.Well, I am not thankful. I will express the bitterness because of this man's suffering. He was convicted of a rape and spent 19 years in prison for a crime he did not commit.He said, "I'm thankful justice has been served. The court system is not perfect, but it works."If it worked, he would not have been convicted in the first place. He was denied parole four times because he maintained his innocence. Prosecutors even opposed DNA testing, but a good judge ordered it be done. Why did the prosecutors oppose DNA testing? To hazard a guess, I would believe that they are guilty of railroading or at least the original prosecutors were guilty of railroading.Colin Starger of the Innocence Project at the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law at Yeshiva University in New York said, "These tests confirmed what Mr. Doswell has been saying from the moment he was charged, that he was innocent and that this was a misidentification brought about by police officers who may have engaged in misconduct".Doswell said, "I couldn't walk around with anger and bitterness. It would have done me more harm than good."Well I will speak that which he will not. I am not so forgiving of the sins of bad cops and bad prosecutors. Here is a real-life case, not something depicted in a Hollywood movie - cops and prosecutors just wanting a conviction at all cost. Until our government reins in these rogue villainous cops, who are supposed to "protect and serve," and the rogue villainous prosecutors that carry out their function like religious fanatics, then the system will never be good. We cannot have prosecutors in position who only care about putting another notch on their rifle handle.Doswell has had 1/3 of his life taken away. Does the government provide some type of compensation for this? I don't know, do you? I know I would be screaming for compensation of some sort. God be damned these rogue cops and prosecutors! Politics33588@blogcritics.org Wed, 3 Aug 2005 11:13:54 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2005/08/02/134650.php MojoalaAnnan throws down the Gauntlet! "I think it is all right for one ambassador to come and push, but an ambassador always has to remember that there are 190 others who will have to be convinced - or a vast majority of them - for action to take place." Kofi Annan, Secretary General of the United Nations, on the appointment of John Bolton by President Bush.I believe the gauntlet has been thrown by this bold statement in the 1990s: John Bolton said, "Several floors of United Nations headquarters could be lopped off without being missed."I think Bush hopes to have Bolton bull United Nations into support when he takes Iran to the Security Council to seek punishment if Tehran moves forward with its nuclear program.Bad enough we have occupation in Afghanistan and Iraq, now it seems he may be wanting to invade Iran as well.Source: NYTimesOnline Politics33524@blogcritics.org Tue, 2 Aug 2005 13:46:50 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2005/07/29/113910.php MojoalaSource: CNNRepublicans have sold us out even more. CAFTA is a five letter curse word just as NAFTA is. Big businesses wil now have a new section of the globe which will allow them to shut down factories here in the states and open up factories in this new section. More American jobs going outside the United States. This is highly depressing. I used to work for Russell Corporation. I am sure you have seen the big R on Collegiate and Pro team jerseys. Before NAFTA, Russell had several sewing plants throughout Alabama. After NAFTA, they started building Sewing Plants in Mexico. After these were built, they shut all but one that were located in Alabama. The one they opened in Alabama was where the jerseys you see on TV were stitched.Russell is not alone in this endeavor. A lot of companies have used the same scenario. Most people that read this post will never ever be directly affected by NAFTA or CAFTA. The ones it will affect are the blue collar workers that don't have a computer and/or internet service.I was once a blue collar worker, so I know how they will feel once they lose their job to exploited labor in Central America. George Bush says: "CAFTA would boost textile exports" I don't see a rise in textile products being exported, I see a rise in texttile jobs being imported. Bush says: "'This deal is a good deal for workers" Yea, good for the Central American worker.And do you know what is down the road? SAFTA! South American Free Trade Agreement.....We are on a downward spiral of destroying the backbone of America, THE BLUE COLLAR WORKER. Politics33322@blogcritics.org Fri, 29 Jul 2005 11:39:10 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2005/07/25/130307.php MojoalaSource: CNN Quick NewsAs you all know, the British police shot and killed a person in the Subway they thought was a terrorist. Turns out this person was innocent and in no way connected to the terrorist bombing. England has a policy that it is to shoot to kill if any suspect is believed to be a terrorist. Gee, all you have to is look like a third worlder and have a thick coat on and BAMM! your one dead mudder pucker! Charles de Menezes is now dead. I am a little torn on this policy. As for me, I'm very very very white, so this does not represent a danger to myself, but to someone like my own son who has some hispanic color, it worries me severely. There are a lot of unanswered questions. Did the police who gunned down this individual lie about his actions in order to cover their own butts? The Brazilian populace is calling the British racists. Are they right? Our own racism problem here in the states in the past were spearheaded by one whom were once were descendents of Britain. Are the British racists?South Africa was subjected to severe racism from the descendants of Britain and still is for the most part. I don't know who is wrong or right. What I do know, is that another innocent has been murdered at the hands of law inforcercement officers.Is this open season on any person of color that acts suspicous in the minds of the law enforcers? Politics33095@blogcritics.org Mon, 25 Jul 2005 13:03:07 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2005/07/14/123351.php MojoalaCNN.COM LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- The 19-month-old toddler who died during a gunfire exchange between police and her father was killed by a single police bullet to the head, the Los Angeles County coroner said Wednesday.My heart bleeds for the mother of this beautiful child whose life was snuffed out by overzealous SWAT idiots. Could not one sniper get a clear head shot of this child's father? Eleven police officers unloaded 90 rounds towards these two. In my opinion, all 11 should be brought up on first degree murder charges for the murder of this child. CNN.COM Chief William Bratton said Monday that Pena "left the officers no choice."BUFFALO CHIPS!These SWAT teams have the technology and resources to take this guy out without harming the baby. They have tear gas. They have concussion grenades. They have flash grenades. Any of these could have been used to disable the father. Senseless, Senseless, Senseless..... Edited: LI Politics32553@blogcritics.org Thu, 14 Jul 2005 12:33:51 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2005/07/08/170350.php MojoalaToday during our Wild at Heart study group, we watched a clip from the movie Les Miserables.The scene: Fantine (played by Uma Thurman) has just been sentenced to 6 months in prison for some incident by Inspector Javert (portrayed by Geoffrey Rush). Jean Valjean (played by Liam Neeson) comes to her defense with new evidence. Inspector Javert cites the letter of the law without any grace or compassion or leniency (these three traits were pointed out by the leader of our study group) contrary to what evidence has been provided by Jean Valjean. Jean Valjean, therefore, by letter of the law has Inspector Javert released of duty and frees Fantine.When I see Judge Roy Moore and the Ten Commandments, I see the same evil as portrayed by Inspector Javert. There are all types of arguments that are given for both sides, but none of them have the same argument that I present as follows:When a person walks into the Court House and sees the Ten Commandments, they lose all hope for seeing any leniency or compassion in judging. The see the representation of a "hanging judge" in that marble slab. They see as we saw in the Les Miserables only the desire and ability to give the maximum sentence for the crime regardless of evidence and circumstance....It may or may not be what Roy Moore intended to be provoked. But that is what I think most defendents feel.... Politics32270@blogcritics.org Fri, 8 Jul 2005 17:03:50 EDT