Canada To Endorse Suicide Seeds

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Monday February 07, 2005 · 8:57 AM PST

2005/02/07 · 08:57

A confidential document leaked today to ETC Group reveals that the Canadian government, at a United Nations meeting in Bangkok (Feb 7-11), will attempt to overturn an international moratorium on genetic seed sterilisation technology (known universally as Terminator). Even worse, the Canadian government has instructed its negotiators to "block consensus" on any other option.

"Canada is about to launch a devastating kick in the stomach to the world's most vulnerable farmers - the 1.4 billion people who depend on farm saved seed," said ETC Group Executive Director Pat Mooney speaking from Ottawa. "The Canadian government is doing the dirty work for the multinational gene giants and the US government. Even Monsanto wasn't prepared to be this upfront and nasty. Canada is betraying Farmers' Rights and food sovereignty everywhere."

Terminator technology was first developed by the US government and the seed industry to prevent farmers from re-planting saved seed and is considered the most controversial and immoral agricultural application of genetic engineering so far.

dotpeople

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Saturday February 05, 2005 · 7:55 PM PST

2005/02/05 · 19:55

Knight Ridder :

Bill Clinton's "triangulation" or "third way" between liberals and conservatives dominated the Democratic Party for the past decade. Edwards, however, wants to steer Democrats away from policy nuances and targeting segments of the public - advocating core beliefs instead of chasing NASCAR dads.

"It's in contrast with people who believe the way the Democratic Party should go in the future is engage in some kind of strategic maneuvering," he said. "I just think that's dead wrong."

C-SPAN carried Edwards speech in New Hampshire this evening live at 8:00 pm EST. It will be rebroadcast later this evening at 11:15 pm EST (C-SPAN schedule is subject to change). Read More

Schwarzenegger PUC Kills Wireless Consumer Bill Of Rights

dotpeople

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Sunday January 30, 2005 · 1:58 PM PST

2005/01/30 · 13:58

Schwarzenegger-appointed commissioners (not yet confirmed!) on the California's PUC have killed the 8-month old CA Telecom Consumer Bill of Rights, after five years of effort by consumer advocates, telephonyonline.com :

Upon its approval last year, the Telecommunications Consumer Bill of Rights was widely viewed as the toughest statewide wireless phone regulations in the U.S. Its creation was prompted by consumer complaints alleging false advertising and confusing billing practices, which the bill attempted to combat with a provision granting dissatisfied subscribers the right to cancel their contracts without penalty within the first 30 days of service. The regulations also mandated clearer explanations of all rates, taxes and fees; listing contract terms in easy-to-read 10-point type; and more assistance for non-English speaking customers.

... The CPUC's decision also generated objections from state Attorney General Bill Lockyer and all 58 of California's district attorneys, who claim that wireless-based consumer complaints are diverting their time and energy from other law enforcement issues.

dotpeople

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Wednesday January 26, 2005 · 9:28 PM PST

2005/01/26 · 21:28

Underground, Both Security and Logic Fail :

... police and fire officials ... backed away yesterday from an earlier theory put forth by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority that a homeless person had started the blaze to stay warm.

Fire Department spokesman, Michael R. Loughran, agreed that it was too early to draw conclusions. "Fire marshals are continuing to investigate who or what caused this suspicious fire," he said.

Metro Matters :

this fire, still under police investigation, has been ruled suspicious; police and fire officials now say it was set, though not necessarily by a homeless person, which was the initial theory.

Previous diaries: Mon, Tue. History of 8th Avenue Chambers St. / World Trade Center Station.

Media coverage neglects to mention the proximity of the fire to Ground Zero / former World Trade Center site.

Update [2005-1-27 1:10:12 by dotpeople]: Details of remediation. Read More

NYC Subway Fire: 580,000 affected for next 3 years

dotpeople

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Monday January 24, 2005 · 11:34 PM PST

2005/01/24 · 23:34

This is a wakeup call on Homeland Security funding for NYC. First reported yesterday by BTF in NYC loses a subway line. NYT has updated with more details of the damage:

C Local line is gone for 3-5 years
A Express line runs local at 1/3 capacity (up to 18min wait vs normal 6min max wait)
1/9 and 2/3 will be crowded by overflow from A/C
cost: "several millions of dollars and several years"
only two companies in the world can repair the signals: one in Pittsburgh, the other in Paris.

Dozens of signal relay rooms like the one destroyed on Sunday are scattered throughout the 722-mile subway system, and it is impossible to fireproof them

If the NYC subway signal rooms were not previously an Al Qaeda target, they are now (global vulnerability publication). It is time for the Dept. of Homeland Security to step up to the plate. NYC can't handle the loss of additional subway lines.

The only evidence of the perpetrator is a shopping cart and wood remnants.

Update [2005-1-25 3:59:5 by dotpeople]: Photo added after break. Read More

Arnold vs. Bill?

dotpeople

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Sunday January 23, 2005 · 12:24 PM PST

2005/01/23 · 12:24

Via Political Wire, from USnews Washington Whispers :

Here's the long shot of the year: Congressional Democrats will OK a constitutional amendment allowing naturalized citizens like California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to run for president if Republicans help kill the 22nd Amendment barring third terms, thus clearing the way for another bid by Bill Clinton and, presumably, President Bush. Right now it's the talk among political strategists, but look for it to spread on Capitol Hill when Sen. Orrin Hatch reintroduces his plan to let naturalized citizens run for president after 20 years.

What did Cahill know about Mehlman?

dotpeople

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Monday January 17, 2005 · 10:20 AM PST

2005/01/17 · 10:20

Update [2005-1-17 18:25:14 by dotpeople]: (make clearer point, per Feanor)

Ken Mehlman, chair of the successful Bush-Cheney campaign, has been chosen by President Bush to be the next RNC chairman. Ken's brother is a partner in a Washington lobbying firm with "tort reform" on its paid agenda.

Mary-Beth Cahill, the chair of the Kerry-Edwards campaign, hired her sister and brother-in-law to work on the Kerry campaign. David Castagnetti has just joined Ken Mehlman's brother as the newest partner of Mehlman Vogel Castagnetti.

The defection of David and Ann Castagnetti sends a loud and public message that even the closest Kerry insiders can sell Democratic Party ties and knowledge to Republican interests. Why should Democrats in less inner circles even try to stand strong?

Did Cahill know a defection was planned when the Castagnettis were welcomed to the campaign? We hope not. When the Mehlman defection was proposed, why didn't Cahill stop it? If she could not prevent the defection of her own sister, what else did she fail to control? Read More

FireFox Extension for DailyKos

dotpeople

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Friday January 14, 2005 · 2:30 PM PST

2005/01/14 · 14:30

Six months after the initial release in May 2004, an updated version is available at rpxp.mozdev.org.

Many thanks to all who gave feedback and reported bugs.

New Features

Additional color (green) added for tagging your own user name(s).
Support for FireFox automated updates.

Bug Fixes

Block quotes (select + right click) now work with long excerpts.
Colors no longer apply to offsite links (e.g. blogroll names that are the same as member names).

Samples after the break. Read More

Steve "The Hammer" Jarding on Family Values

dotpeople

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Monday January 03, 2005 · 7:20 AM PST

2005/01/03 · 07:20

On 12/3/04, Larry Sabato hosted a centrist panel discussion at U of VA featuring Donna Brazile, Jim Jordan (Kerry 2003 campaign manager and ACT), Steve Jarding (Mark Warner's campaign manager and John Edwards' New American Optimists PAC), Harrison Hickman (Democratic pollster, Edwards 2004 primary campaign) and Rep. Brad Carson of OK.

The most informative answers came from Steve Jarding, this was the first time I've heard him speak. In particular, his closing response brought the house, er hotel room, down. It was a comment on the suggestion that maybe Democrats should rhetorically withdraw and let the Republicans pursue their agenda into excess. Text and video of Jarding's 2 minute answer follow the break. Read More

NC: John Edwards on C-SPAN1 at 6:30p, 12:30a EST

dotpeople

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Sunday December 05, 2004 · 3:16 PM PST

2004/12/05 · 15:16

C-SPAN is airing a Town Hall meeting from Edwards' Senate farewell tour of North Carolina, link:

On Wednesday, December 1, 2004 Senator John Edwards spoke at a town hall meeting he held in Greenville, North Carolina. The event was part of a two-day series of town hall meetings in North Carolina held by Senator Edwards before he leaves office in January.

Live C-SPAN stream: RealPlayer | Windows Media

Email from Edwards Senate office follows the break.

Update [2004-12-5 18:27:44 by dotpeople]: News & Observer 12/1 story from sixmoreweeks on Open Thread Read More

Edwards on "Values"

dotpeople

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Monday November 15, 2004 · 9:35 PM PST

2004/11/15 · 21:35

From December 2003:

I have heard George Bush going around the country saying he wants to debate with us about "values". Have you all heard him say this?

He wants to debate about values? I'll tell you something - we ought to give this President a debate about values.

I grew up in a small town in North Carolina. His values are not my values, they are not the values I grew up with, they are not the values of the American people.

If we give him a debate about values, I'll tell you exactly what is going to happen - we're going to have a new President come January 2005 - that's exactly what is going to happen.

Play Video (0:37 RealVideo)

Never Mind

dotpeople

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Thursday November 11, 2004 · 7:15 AM PST

2004/11/11 · 07:15

What is wrong with this picture?

Abs. Kerry	Abs. Bush	Abs. Total	Absentee Margin
58%	42%	91039	+16 points
Early Kerry	Early Bush	Early Total	Early Voting Margin
72%	28%	49365	+43 points
Election Day Kerry	Election Day Bush	Election Day Total	Election Day Margin
40%	60%	404666	-20 points

Excuse Me? What happened on Election Day? Is this phenomenon specific to Palm Beach County or was it replicated in other Florida counties?

Palm Beach Excel Spreadsheet

Note that Broward and Miami-Dade counties do not provide their election results in CSV/Excel format, but in gigantic tables that make it nearly impossible to do this analysis. Why would that be?

Update [2004-11-11 10:26:38 by dotpeople]: 60-40 = 20. My Bad. Got mixed up when cutting and pasting the previous table row. Deepest apologies.

Update [2004-11-11 10:31:47 by dotpeople]: Egg on Face. I transposed the two numbers. I can't believe it. Full responsibility mine. I can only point at my previous two diaries where I made no such mistake.

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Canada To Endorse Suicide Seeds

NH: Edwards' vision for Democratic Party

Schwarzenegger PUC Kills Wireless Consumer Bill Of Rights

NYC: WTC/Chambers Subway Fire Now 'Suspicious'

NYC Subway Fire: 580,000 affected for next 3 years

Arnold vs. Bill?

What did Cahill know about Mehlman?

FireFox Extension for DailyKos

Steve "The Hammer" Jarding on Family Values

NC: John Edwards on C-SPAN1 at 6:30p, 12:30a EST

Edwards on "Values"

Never Mind