While most of us thought the country was trying to curb smoking, and the rapacious habits of the tobacco companies, it turns out the industry has been sneakily making cigarettes more addictive.

Evidence of what looks like an increasingly desperate effort to hook new young smokers and prevent older ones from quitting has been uncovered by a Massachusetts law that forces tobacco companies to report test results showing how much nicotine is inhaled by typical smokers of their various brands.

This week, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health revealed that from 1998 through 2004, as public health campaigns were mounted to curb smoking, the manufacturers increased the amount of addictive nicotine delivered to the average smoker by 10 percent. Of 179 cigarette brands tested in 2004, an astonishing 166 brands fell into the state’s highest nicotine yield range, including 59 brands that the manufacturers had labeled “light” and 14 described as “ultra-light.” The three most popular brands chosen by young smokers — Marlboro, Newport and Camel — all delivered significantly more nicotine as the years passed. Virtually all brands were found to deliver a high enough nicotine dose to cause heavy dependence.

Inserted from http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/31/opinion/31thu2.html

Somewhere, Keith Olbermann is sticking pins in a Bill O'Reilly voodoo doll: Fox News' ratings, TVNewser reports, are down since August of last year. Like, way down. Like down 28 percent in primetime among all viewers, down 20 percent in primetime in the "money demo" (viewers aged 25-54) and down 7 percent in daytime viewership overall. In fact, the only place Fox is up is during the day, when they managed a ratings increase of just 2 percent, and even then only in the money demo.

Inserted from <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/eat-the-press/2006/08/29/fox-news-ratings-take-a-_e_28292.html>

I guess viewers are tiring of their 'Fair and Balanced' propaganda for the rabid right.

Right-wing pundit Ann Coulter titled her August 30 syndicated column on the Rhode Island Senate race: "They Shot the Wrong Lincoln." The headline is a reference to Sen. Lincoln Chafee (R-RI), whom she excoriated throughout the piece -- calling him a "half-wit" and a "silver-spooned moron[] -- while expressing her support for his challenger in the September 12 Republican primary, Stephen Laffey.

This is not the first time Coulter has alluded to killing those she disagrees with:

• Commenting on radio host Melanie Morgan's assertion that if New York Times executive editor Bill Keller were convicted of treason she "would have no problem with him being sent to the gas chamber," Coulter said, "I prefer a firing squad, but I'm open to a debate on the method of execution." She later suggested that Times staff members should be "executed."
• Coulter said of the media: "Would that it were so! ... That the American military were targeting journalists."
• Coulter suggested that Rep. John P. Murtha (D-PA) is "the reason soldiers invented fragging," -- military slang meaning the intentional killing of a member of one's own unit.
• Coulter argued that the national debate during the Monica Lewinsky controversy should not have focused on whether former President Bill Clinton "did it," but rather "whether to impeach or assassinate" him.
• Coulter said of Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens: "We need somebody to put rat poison in Justice Stevens's créme brulée.''

Inserted from <http://mediamatters.org/items/200608310001>

Interesting comments from a 'Christian.'  Can't you just see Jesus' love bursting from her every word?

WASHINGTON, Aug. 27 (UPI) -- The ousted head of the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency says the White House wanted him to lie about the response to Hurricane Katrina.

Former Director Michael Brown told ABC News' "This Week with George Stephanopoulos" Sunday he stood by comments in a Playboy interview, and President Bush wanted him to take the heat for the bungling.

"The lie was that we were ready and that everything was working as a team. Behind the scenes, it wasn't working at all," Brown said. "There were political considerations going into all the discussions. There was the fact that New Orleans did not evacuate and the mayor (Ray Nagin) had no plan."

Brown said it was natural to "want to put the spin on that things are working the way they're supposed to do. And behind the scenes, they're not. Again, my biggest mistake was just not leveling with the American public and saying, 'Folks, this isn't working.'"

The former FEMA chief cited what he called an e-mail "from a very high source in the White House that says the president at a Cabinet meeting said, 'Thank goodness Brown's taking all the heat because it's better that he takes the heat than I do.'"

Inserted from <http://www.dailyindia.com/show/55052.php/Brown-says-White-House-wanted-him-to-lie>

This one came from India, because the MSM opted not to cober the story.

Published: August 29, 2006

After huddling with his economic team at Camp David this month, President Bush emerged from a meeting and, flanked by advisers — including the secretaries of labor, commerce and the Treasury — announced to reporters, “Things are good for American workers.”

The comment is preposterous. As The Times’s Steven Greenhouse and David Leonhardt reported yesterday, the economic expansion that began in late 2001 is on track to become the first since World War II that fails to offer a sustained lift to the real wages of most American workers. Although the nation’s economy has grown and productivity has been strong, American employees have not shared in the wealth they’ve helped to create. Wages and salaries now make up the lowest proportion of the economy since the government began keeping records in 1947, while corporate profits have climbed to their highest share since the 1960’s.

Until recently, the decline in real wages has been masked in large part by the housing boom that allowed many Americans to borrow and spend, even as their pay was squeezed. But now the housing market is flagging and with it, the Bush-era economy — without American workers having ever experienced a period of solid prosperity.

Inserted from http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/29/opinion/29tue3.html

By STEVEN GREENHOUSE and DAVID LEONHARDT

Published: August 28, 2006

With the economy beginning to slow, the current expansion has a chance to become the first sustained period of economic growth since World War II that fails to offer a prolonged increase in real wages for most workers.

That situation is adding to fears among Republicans that the economy will hurt vulnerable incumbents in this year’s midterm elections even though overall growth has been healthy for much of the last five years.

The median hourly wage for American workers has declined 2 percent since 2003, after factoring in inflation. The drop has been especially notable, economists say, because productivity — the amount that an average worker produces in an hour and the basic wellspring of a nation’s living standards — has risen steadily over the same period.

As a result, wages and salaries now make up the lowest share of the nation’s gross domestic product since the government began recording the data in 1947, while corporate profits have climbed to their highest share since the 1960’s. UBS, the investment bank, recently described the current period as “the golden era of profitability.”

Inserted from <http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/28/business/28wages.html>

When we consider that wages for the top 20% of Americans have gained ground, and those for the second 20% have held pace, it follows that real waged for the rest of us, the majority of us, the working people of this nation must have declined considerably more than 2%.  All Bush's policies have done is take money out of the pockets of the middle and lower-middle classes and given it to the privileged few.

Published: August 28, 2006

In 1971, Defense Secretary Melvin Laird punctuated his plea to Congress for more cold war appropriations with a graphic display of information that revealed the nation on guard with 54 Titan and 1,000 Minuteman nuclear missiles, plus 30 strategic bomber squadrons. In making his case, Mr. Laird exemplified the idea that a little transparency is no drawback in a democracy.

Thirty-five years later, the Bush administration, which has consistently demonstrated an extraordinary mania for secrecy, is blacking that public information out of history. That’s right: it has reclassified the number of missiles and bombers from the Nixon era as some fresh national security secret, even though historians and officials in the old Soviet Union long have had it available on their research shelves......

Public recourse has become more difficult: enforcement of the Freedom of Information Act has become slower and more burdensome. The one thing the administration has made no secret is its antipathy to government transparency. The secrecy fixation is a threat to democracy and an insult to honest history.

Inserted from http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/28/opinion/28mon2.html

The latest World Values Survey of Iraqis (commissioned by the National Science Foundation) found 98% of Iraqi Sunni Arabs oppose the U.S. occupation of Iraq, up from 95% in 2004. Among Shias, 95% oppose our occupation, up from 81% in 2004. We have even lost most Kurds - 63% now, up from 20% in 2004. Is this the "noble cause" that Casey Sheehan died for? (h/t Juan Cole)

Pasted from <http://www.democrats.com/more-iraqis-oppose-occupation>

You haven't seen much of me of late, because I'm in the process of moving.  For the last month and a half, I've been looking for a new place, and am now in the maze of sorting the proceeds of seven years as a dedicated pack rat.  Moving day is this Wednesday.  I'll have a new email address which I shall send to those of you who have been receiving email from me as soon as I have it.  In the meantime, if you're feeling ignored, please bear with me.  This too shall pass.

The treaty is expected to be adopted by the UN General Assembly during its next session, which starts in September.

Those countries that sign up to it will have to enact laws and other measures to improve disability rights and also agree to get rid of legislation, customs and practices that discriminate against disabled people.

The thinking behind the convention is that welfare and charity should be replaced by new rights and freedoms. Access to public spaces and transport will have to be improved

Currently only 45 countries have specific legislation that protects disabled people.

The convention recognizes that a change of attitude is vital if disabled people are to achieve equal status - countries that ratify it will be obliged to combat negative stereotypes and prejudices and to promote an awareness of people's abilities and contribution to society.

Countries will also have to guarantee that disabled people will have a right to life on an equal basis with others.

Access to public spaces and buildings as well as transport, information and communications will also have to be improved.

Most notable among the countries that will not be signing the convention is the United States.

Inserted from <http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/5274354.stm>

I ran across this hilarious video about the conspiracy to demote pluto.  Enjoy.

http://movies.crooksandliars.com/RealTImePlutoNewRule.wmv

Bush and Saddam Should Both Stand Trial, Says Nuremberg Prosecutor

Aaron Glantz

OneWorld US

Fri., Aug. 25, 2006

SAN FRANCISCO, Aug 25 (OneWorld) - A chief prosecutor of Nazi war crimes at Nuremberg has said George W. Bush should be tried for war crimes along with Saddam Hussein. Benjamin Ferencz, who secured convictions for 22 Nazi officers for their work in orchestrating the death squads that killed more than 1 million people, told OneWorld both Bush and Saddam should be tried for starting "aggressive" wars--Saddam for his 1990 attack on Kuwait and Bush for his 2003 invasion of Iraq.

"Nuremberg declared that aggressive war is the supreme international crime," the 87-year-old Ferencz told OneWorld from his home in New York. He said the United Nations charter, which was written after the carnage of World War II, contains a provision that no nation can use armed force without the permission of the UN Security Council.

Inserted from <http://us.oneworld.net/article/view/138319/1/>

Senate to Take Up Dangerous Religious Liberties Legislation in September

In September, the Senate is scheduled to take up the "Public Expression of Religion Act," an act that essentially protects the free expression of some individuals, at the expense of millions of others. The bill would prevent individuals, often religious minorities, from having their attorneys' fees reimbursed if they win a lawsuit regarding claims made under the Establishment Clause.

"Religious freedom cannot be protected if Congress prevents Americans from taking legal action when their freedom has been violated," Caroline Fredrickson, Director of the ACLU Washington Legislative Office said. "This bill would keep Americans from standing up for their right to keep government out of religion."

The ability to recover attorneys' fees in civil rights and constitutional cases, including Establishment Clause cases, is necessary to help protect the religious freedom of all Americans and keep government out of religion. People who successfully prove the government has violated their constitutional rights would, under the bill, be required to pay their own legal fees -- often totaling tens, if not hundreds of thousands of dollars. Few citizens can afford to do so. But more importantly, citizens should not be required to pay when the court finds that they are in the right.

The elimination of attorneys' fees would also deter attorneys from taking cases in which the government has acted unconstitutionally. In many cases, religious minorities would be unable to obtain legal representation to defend themselves when the government violates their religious freedom. The bill would apply even to cases involving illegal religious coercion of public school children or blatant discrimination against particular religions.

American Civil Liberties Union : ACLU Letter to the Senate Urging Opposition of (S. 3696) the Public Expressions of Religion

Inserted from <http://www.buzzflash.com/articles/smith/076>

As a person of faith, I want neither my pastor telling me how to vote nor my Congressperson telling me how to pray.  Faith must be voluntary, not manditory, to be real.

Rusty from being out of power for 12 years, Democrats are rethinking how they should parcel out coveted committee chairmanships and the other plums that would come with House control at a time when the party’s potential chairmen are increasingly being portrayed by Republicans as liberal extremists.

In fund-raising appeals, on the Internet and in stump speeches, Republicans raise the specter of a Judiciary Committee headed by Representative John Conyers Jr. of Michigan, a banking committee steered by Barney Frank of Massachusetts, a tax-writing committee led by Charles B. Rangel of New York, and an energy panel under the leadership of John D. Dingell of Michigan.

Democrats and others call it a tired scare tactic with more than a whiff of bigotry because Republicans often point to gay and black Democrats who would lead committees. But faced with the attacks and pent-up ambitions of rank-and-file lawmakers, Democratic leaders are hinting they might abandon party tradition and award sought-after slots not solely on the basis of seniority, but instead follow the Republican lead of also weighing such factors as legislative record, diversity and work for the good of the party.

Inserted from http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/26/washington/26cong.html

I guess the fear card is the only play Bush lackeys know.

By CORNELIA DEAN

Published: August 24, 2006

Evolutionary biology has vanished from the list of acceptable fields of study for recipients of a federal education grant for low-income college students. The omission is inadvertent, said Katherine McLane, a spokeswoman for the Department of Education, which administers the grants. “There is no explanation for it being left off the list,” Ms. McLane said. “It has always been an eligible major.”

Another spokeswoman, Samara Yudof, said evolutionary biology would be restored to the list, but as of last night it was still missing.

If a major is not on the list, students in that major cannot get grants unless they declare another major…..

Dr. Krauss said: “Removing that one major is not going to make the nation stupid, but if this really was removed, specifically removed, then I see it as part of a pattern to put ideology over knowledge. And, especially in the Department of Education, that should be abhorred.”

Inserted from http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/24/washington/24evo.html

Published: August 24, 2006

Reclaiming Afghanistan from the Taliban remains a crucial element in America’s global struggle against terrorism. So it should be setting off alarm bells in Washington that Afghans are becoming disenchanted with the performance of the country’s pro-American president, Hamid Karzai.

The democratically elected Karzai government is a big improvement over any of its recent predecessors. But it has not brought security, economic revival or effective governance to most of the country. That has left it vulnerable to complaints about blatant corruption, the pervasive power of warlords and drug lords, and escalating military pressure from a revived and resupplied Taliban.

Nearly five years after American military forces help topple a Taliban government that provided sanctuary and training camps to Osama bin Laden, there is no victory in the war for Afghanistan, due in significant measure to the Bush administration’s reckless haste to move on to Iraq and shortsighted stinting on economic reconstruction.

The Taliban, operating from cross-border sanctuaries in Pakistan, has exploited Washington’s strategic blunders and Mr. Karzai’s disappointing performance to rebuild its political and military strength, particularly in the southern region where it first began its drive to power more than a decade ago. Daily battles now rage across five southern provinces. Civilian and military casualties are rising sharply, including those among the NATO forces that have recently moved into these areas.

Inserted from http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/24/opinion/24thu3.html

Here's my comment to it and a link.

Is he really such an idiot?

new

Submitted by tseving on Thu, 08/24/2006 - 6:23am.

The film clip with it's many bushisms is hilarious. Thanks for posting it, but let us not be complacent over Bush's chimpy demeanor. He and his handlers have demonstrated as remarkable an ability to manipulate the uninformed as they have top manipulate electronic voting machines. Before we gloat over his desperation, lets remember that checking his power by taking control of Congress in 2006 is a formidable task.

Inserted from <http://www.buzzflash.com/articles/comment/reply/393>

Our President: “The First Frat Boy”

From USNews.com: Washington Whispers

“Animal House in the West Wing”

He loves to cuss, gets a jolly when a mountain biker wipes out trying to keep up with him, and now we’re learning that the first frat boy loves flatulence jokes. A top insider let that slip when explaining why President Bush is paranoid around women, always worried about his behavior. But he’s still a funny, earthy guy who, for example, can’t get enough of fart jokes. He’s also known to cut a few for laughs, especially when greeting new young aides…

-- Tim Dickinson

The poll found that 51 percent of those surveyed saw no link between the war in Iraq and the broader antiterror effort, a jump of 10 percentage points since June. That increase comes despite the regular insistence of Mr. Bush and Congressional Republicans that the two are intertwined and should be seen as complementary elements of a strategy to prevent domestic terrorism.

Should the trend hold, the rising skepticism could present a political obstacle for Mr. Bush and his allies on Capitol Hill, who are making their record on terrorism a central element of the midterm election campaign. The Republicans hope that by expressing a desire for forceful action against terrorists, they can offset unease with the Iraq war and blunt the political appeal of Democratic calls to establish a timeline to withdraw American troops.

Public sentiment about the war remains negative, threatening to erode a Republican advantage on national security. Fifty-three percent said going to war was a mistake, up from 48 percent in July; 62 percent said events were going “somewhat or very badly” in the effort to bring order and stability to Iraq.

Inserted from <http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/23/washington/23poll.html>

The only link there has ever been between the war in Iraq and the 'war on terror' is the link Bush created, first with his lies, and then by providing terrorists a poster child with his criminal conduct of the war in Iraq.