Tuesday, October 8, 2013
Monday, October 7, 2013
SNK demands halt of Neo Geo X sales
By Brendan Sinclair
Original console maker says licensing agreement with Tommo was terminated last week, wants it pulled from stores
Original console maker says licensing agreement with Tommo was terminated last week, wants it pulled from stores
The company behind the original
Neo Geo wants the console's retro revival off store shelves. SNK
Playmore has announced that on October 2, its licensing agreement with
Tommo Inc. for that company's Neo Geo X Gold console was terminated.
"Upon termination of the License and Distribution Agreement, SNK has demanded that Tommo Inc. immediately cease any and all manufacturing, distribution, marketing and promotion and selling of the Licensed Products," the company said.
The products in question include the Neo Geo X Gold, a handheld device that plays old Neo Geo games and can be plugged into a base for playing on a TV with reproduction Neo Geo arcade sticks.
SNK has demanded that the console, as well as the arcade stick accessories and a variety of game bundles, be pulled from store shelves. SNK Playmore said it is protecting its intellectual property, and "decisive measures will be taken" against the continued sale of now-unlicensed Neo Geo X products.
A Tommo representative had not responded to comment as of press time, but the console was still being offered on websites like Amazon and GameStop.
"Upon termination of the License and Distribution Agreement, SNK has demanded that Tommo Inc. immediately cease any and all manufacturing, distribution, marketing and promotion and selling of the Licensed Products," the company said.
The products in question include the Neo Geo X Gold, a handheld device that plays old Neo Geo games and can be plugged into a base for playing on a TV with reproduction Neo Geo arcade sticks.
SNK has demanded that the console, as well as the arcade stick accessories and a variety of game bundles, be pulled from store shelves. SNK Playmore said it is protecting its intellectual property, and "decisive measures will be taken" against the continued sale of now-unlicensed Neo Geo X products.
A Tommo representative had not responded to comment as of press time, but the console was still being offered on websites like Amazon and GameStop.
Friday, October 4, 2013
Thursday, October 3, 2013
Capital Hill Chaos
Woman shot and killed by Capitol police after chaotic chase from White House
Cameras roll as authorities try to take control of the woman who first
tried to breach White House security before heading to the Capitol.
Wednesday, October 2, 2013
30 Or 40 Birthers Are Driving Government Shutdown
By Sarah Rae Fruchtnicht, Wed, October 02, 2013
Republican Rep. Peter King (NY) said Tuesday that the government shutdown is being driven by “probably 30 or 40 Republicans” who believe President Barack Obama is not a natural born citizen of the U.S. and therefore is not in office legitimately.
“There’s absolutely no reason for the government to be shut down,” King told MSNBC’s “Hardball” host Chris Matthews.
Matthews told King that he has heard members of the GOP make statements that they cannot accept the fact the Obama was elected.
“I’ve had members, they know who they are, they say — ‘I really can’t say with my lips that this man, Barack Obama, was legitimately elected president.’ They choke on that,” Matthews said. “How many are there in Congress on your side that represent that rejectionist front?”
“I would say there’s probably 30 or 40 who are like that,” King said. “As there were a number of Democrats who felt that way about George W. Bush, and going back to when you and I first met, Republicans who felt that way about Bill Clinton… This is a very dangerous aspect to our government.”
“What is?” Matthews asked.
“The fact that we have people who are willing to demonize the president of the United States because he’s from a different party," King said. "When I got elected in '92, I had Republicans elected with me who say they would never set foot in the White House for even a social event while Clinton was president … and now, obviously, with President Obama, it’s definitely there."
King is part of a growing contingency of Republicans who are against the shutdown and want an immediate resolution.
GOP congressmen Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa; Rep. Mike Coffman, R-Colo.; and Rep. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., have openly questioned the president’s birth certificate, according to ThinkProgress.
House Homeland Security Oversight Subcommittee Chairman Rep. Jeff Duncan, R-S.C., even told a conservative radio host that he believes Congress should “revisit” the president’s “validity.”
King has considered a 2016 presidential run as a “cure” to the Tea Party’s ascendency into the GOP.
Republican Rep. Peter King (NY) said Tuesday that the government shutdown is being driven by “probably 30 or 40 Republicans” who believe President Barack Obama is not a natural born citizen of the U.S. and therefore is not in office legitimately.
“There’s absolutely no reason for the government to be shut down,” King told MSNBC’s “Hardball” host Chris Matthews.
Matthews told King that he has heard members of the GOP make statements that they cannot accept the fact the Obama was elected.
“I’ve had members, they know who they are, they say — ‘I really can’t say with my lips that this man, Barack Obama, was legitimately elected president.’ They choke on that,” Matthews said. “How many are there in Congress on your side that represent that rejectionist front?”
“I would say there’s probably 30 or 40 who are like that,” King said. “As there were a number of Democrats who felt that way about George W. Bush, and going back to when you and I first met, Republicans who felt that way about Bill Clinton… This is a very dangerous aspect to our government.”
“What is?” Matthews asked.
“The fact that we have people who are willing to demonize the president of the United States because he’s from a different party," King said. "When I got elected in '92, I had Republicans elected with me who say they would never set foot in the White House for even a social event while Clinton was president … and now, obviously, with President Obama, it’s definitely there."
King is part of a growing contingency of Republicans who are against the shutdown and want an immediate resolution.
GOP congressmen Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa; Rep. Mike Coffman, R-Colo.; and Rep. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., have openly questioned the president’s birth certificate, according to ThinkProgress.
House Homeland Security Oversight Subcommittee Chairman Rep. Jeff Duncan, R-S.C., even told a conservative radio host that he believes Congress should “revisit” the president’s “validity.”
King has considered a 2016 presidential run as a “cure” to the Tea Party’s ascendency into the GOP.
Tuesday, October 1, 2013
Federal Government Shuts Down
Last-minute tactic fails, government shuts down
12:00 AM on 10/01/2013
The federal government is closed.
After months, weeks and then a frantic day of brinksmanship on Capitol Hill, Congress failed to pass a bill to fund the government Monday night, shutting it down for the first time in 17 years.
At the heart of the debate was The Affordable Health Care Act, a law that survived Republicans taking control of the House, a presidential election and a Supreme Court challenge. Attaching it to a deal to fund the government was the Republican Party’s last chance to block its rollout–which begins Tuesday.
But Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid rejected all attempts to touch the law and President Barack Obama threatened a veto.
The law will still roll out on schedule, despite the shutdown, and millions of Americans without health insurance will be able to begin signing up for coverage online.
The question for the rest of the government is: what’s next?
Late Monday night, the Office of Management and Budget ordered heads of executive departments and agencies to “execute plans for an orderly shutdown.”
Here’s where things stand: Boehner tried to force negotiations into a formal committee process Monday night. But Reid balked at the idea. “Republicans are still playing games,” said Reid on the Senate floor. “This is all a subterfuge to satisfy the Tea Party-driven Republicans.”
“We will not go to conference with a gun to our head,” Harry Reid said.
Reid said he would be willing to send senators to conference to work on a solution for funding the government through the rest of the fiscal year, once the immediate threat of a shutdown was removed.
It’s also an abrupt about-face by Republicans who have spent months refusing Democratic offers to hold a conference and work out a budget before October 1.
“The right thing to do was to go to conference any time in that last six months, as we asked 18 times but were told no by the same people who are now sitting on the other side of the aisle saying we want to shut the government down,” Patty Murray said on the floor.
In the House, Boehner wrestled with a conference pressuring him from the right and the left.
House moderates were pressuring their conference to pass the Senate’s “clean” stopgap budget, but Boehner ultimately heeded the calls by the conservative flank to rule out such a measure.
Boehner lost a dozen votes on his final bill, when moderates peeled off.
Other Republicans tried for a last-ditch solution to stop a shutdown, including Sens. Mitch McConnell and Rand Paul who both floated the idea of a one- or two-week delay.
Sen. John McCain predicted Republicans would ultimately need to fold–and should just do it.
After months, weeks and then a frantic day of brinksmanship on Capitol Hill, Congress failed to pass a bill to fund the government Monday night, shutting it down for the first time in 17 years.
At the heart of the debate was The Affordable Health Care Act, a law that survived Republicans taking control of the House, a presidential election and a Supreme Court challenge. Attaching it to a deal to fund the government was the Republican Party’s last chance to block its rollout–which begins Tuesday.
But Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid rejected all attempts to touch the law and President Barack Obama threatened a veto.
The law will still roll out on schedule, despite the shutdown, and millions of Americans without health insurance will be able to begin signing up for coverage online.
The question for the rest of the government is: what’s next?
Late Monday night, the Office of Management and Budget ordered heads of executive departments and agencies to “execute plans for an orderly shutdown.”
Here’s where things stand: Boehner tried to force negotiations into a formal committee process Monday night. But Reid balked at the idea. “Republicans are still playing games,” said Reid on the Senate floor. “This is all a subterfuge to satisfy the Tea Party-driven Republicans.”
“We will not go to conference with a gun to our head,” Harry Reid said.
Reid said he would be willing to send senators to conference to work on a solution for funding the government through the rest of the fiscal year, once the immediate threat of a shutdown was removed.
It’s also an abrupt about-face by Republicans who have spent months refusing Democratic offers to hold a conference and work out a budget before October 1.
“The right thing to do was to go to conference any time in that last six months, as we asked 18 times but were told no by the same people who are now sitting on the other side of the aisle saying we want to shut the government down,” Patty Murray said on the floor.
In the House, Boehner wrestled with a conference pressuring him from the right and the left.
House moderates were pressuring their conference to pass the Senate’s “clean” stopgap budget, but Boehner ultimately heeded the calls by the conservative flank to rule out such a measure.
Boehner lost a dozen votes on his final bill, when moderates peeled off.
Other Republicans tried for a last-ditch solution to stop a shutdown, including Sens. Mitch McConnell and Rand Paul who both floated the idea of a one- or two-week delay.
Sen. John McCain predicted Republicans would ultimately need to fold–and should just do it.
Monday, September 30, 2013
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt - The Beginning
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt "The Beginning" provides exclusive information about the creative process behind the game.
Key developers are inviting you on a journey into Geralt's world, where you'll fall in love with the breathtaking vistas and experience the atmosphere that helped us shape some of the locations in the game.
Key developers are inviting you on a journey into Geralt's world, where you'll fall in love with the breathtaking vistas and experience the atmosphere that helped us shape some of the locations in the game.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt - Debut Gameplay Trailer
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt - Debut Gameplay gives you an exclusive sneak
peek into the vast and gritty world of Geralt of Rivia, the witcher.
Experience a realm where morality is not a simple choice between good
and evil and where every decision ripples through the one hundred hours
of gameplay CD Projekt RED has hand-crafted to meet the needs of the RPG
fan.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt features:
- Vast, living, open world full of meticulously created quests and Points of Interest, 35 times bigger than the one in The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings
- Genre-defining story set in a universe created by the acclaimed writer Andrzej Sapkowski
- Redesigned combat mechanic that merges a fluid and highly responsive skirmish system with the precision of a dedicated fighting game
And many, many more...
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt will premiere on Xbox One, Playstation 4 and PC in 2014.
Follow us:
https://www.facebook.com/thewitcher
https://twitter.com/witchergame
http://thewitcher.com/
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt features:
- Vast, living, open world full of meticulously created quests and Points of Interest, 35 times bigger than the one in The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings
- Genre-defining story set in a universe created by the acclaimed writer Andrzej Sapkowski
- Redesigned combat mechanic that merges a fluid and highly responsive skirmish system with the precision of a dedicated fighting game
And many, many more...
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt will premiere on Xbox One, Playstation 4 and PC in 2014.
Follow us:
https://www.facebook.com/thewitcher
https://twitter.com/witchergame
http://thewitcher.com/
'Left Behind' video game creator faces U.S. SEC fraud charges
WASHINGTON
(Reuters) - The creator of a video game based on the popular Christian "Left Behind" novel series and his friend have been charged with scheming to inflate the company's revenue by nearly 1,300 percent, U.S. regulators announced Wednesday.
Left Behind Games Inc Chief Executive and Chief Financial Officer Troy Lyndon issued nearly 2 billion shares to his friend Ronald Zaucha, purportedly as compensation for consulting services, the Securities and Exchange Commission's complaint alleges.
The real reason for issuing the stock was so Zaucha could sell millions of unregistered shares in the marketplace and then kick back the proceeds and use other "sham purchases" to help bolster the struggling company's books, the SEC said.
The SEC's lawsuit was filed late on Tuesday in a federal court in Hawaii, where Lyndon and Zaucha both reside. The SEC suspended the company's stock Wednesday.
The complaint charges both men with fraud, and the SEC said its probe is continuing.
The charges come roughly two weeks after the company announced in an SEC filing that its public accountant Malone Bailey had resigned after previously expressing "substantial doubt" about the company's ability to continue.
Last year, in March 2012, Lyndon filed a voluntary petition for Chapter 7 bankruptcy, the SEC said.
Lyndon, of Honolulu, said he only learned of the charges early Wednesday morning after a press inquiry from Reuters and that he believes the government is discriminating against him.
"I'm just a video game guy. If any violation occurred, it would never have been intentional - and certainly, never fraudulent. My attorney told me that any person that earned shares could use them for any purpose," he said.
"For more than two years, I've asked SEC to explain how and if I have violated any rule, so that I could self-report it. As I see it, the government has systematically and intentionally conspired to dismantle Left Behind Games and the facts are both true and hard to believe - worthy of a Ron Howard film or John Grisham novel."
A more detailed statement from Lyndon can be found at www.troylyndon.com/govt
Efforts to reach Zaucha were unsuccessful.
According to the SEC's allegations, Lyndon and Zaucha made a "last ditch" effort to save the struggling company in 2009.
After issuing 1.7 billion shares in stock, the SEC said Zaucha sold most of it for $4.6 million, roughly $3.3 million of which was later kicked back to the company in a variety of ways.
One such example, the SEC said, was when in December 2010 Zaucha formed a company and used the stock sale proceeds to buy $1.38 million in obsolete Left Behind Games inventory.
Zaucha's company then gave most of the products away to churches and religious groups, while Left Behind went on to recognize the transaction as revenue.
The SEC also said Zaucha never truly performed any real consulting services to the company, and he was also allowed to keep more than $1 million of the stock sale proceeds that he used for personal expenses, including buying property in California and Hawaii.
According to his online biography, Lyndon was the "original team lead developer" of the first 3D versions of the John Madden Football video game, among others.
Reuters could not immediately independently verify those details.
He started working on development of religious video games in 2002, and took Left Behind Games public in 2006, he says.
"Although government regulations have resulted in the loss of nearly 50 percent of America's public companies over the past 15 years, Left Behind Games continues to operate and has products in more than 500 retail locations throughout the USA," he wrote on his website.
(Reporting by Sarah N. Lynch; editing by Andrew Hay)
(Reuters) - The creator of a video game based on the popular Christian "Left Behind" novel series and his friend have been charged with scheming to inflate the company's revenue by nearly 1,300 percent, U.S. regulators announced Wednesday.
Left Behind Games Inc Chief Executive and Chief Financial Officer Troy Lyndon issued nearly 2 billion shares to his friend Ronald Zaucha, purportedly as compensation for consulting services, the Securities and Exchange Commission's complaint alleges.
The real reason for issuing the stock was so Zaucha could sell millions of unregistered shares in the marketplace and then kick back the proceeds and use other "sham purchases" to help bolster the struggling company's books, the SEC said.
The SEC's lawsuit was filed late on Tuesday in a federal court in Hawaii, where Lyndon and Zaucha both reside. The SEC suspended the company's stock Wednesday.
The complaint charges both men with fraud, and the SEC said its probe is continuing.
The charges come roughly two weeks after the company announced in an SEC filing that its public accountant Malone Bailey had resigned after previously expressing "substantial doubt" about the company's ability to continue.
Last year, in March 2012, Lyndon filed a voluntary petition for Chapter 7 bankruptcy, the SEC said.
Lyndon, of Honolulu, said he only learned of the charges early Wednesday morning after a press inquiry from Reuters and that he believes the government is discriminating against him.
"I'm just a video game guy. If any violation occurred, it would never have been intentional - and certainly, never fraudulent. My attorney told me that any person that earned shares could use them for any purpose," he said.
"For more than two years, I've asked SEC to explain how and if I have violated any rule, so that I could self-report it. As I see it, the government has systematically and intentionally conspired to dismantle Left Behind Games and the facts are both true and hard to believe - worthy of a Ron Howard film or John Grisham novel."
A more detailed statement from Lyndon can be found at www.troylyndon.com/govt
Efforts to reach Zaucha were unsuccessful.
According to the SEC's allegations, Lyndon and Zaucha made a "last ditch" effort to save the struggling company in 2009.
After issuing 1.7 billion shares in stock, the SEC said Zaucha sold most of it for $4.6 million, roughly $3.3 million of which was later kicked back to the company in a variety of ways.
One such example, the SEC said, was when in December 2010 Zaucha formed a company and used the stock sale proceeds to buy $1.38 million in obsolete Left Behind Games inventory.
Zaucha's company then gave most of the products away to churches and religious groups, while Left Behind went on to recognize the transaction as revenue.
The SEC also said Zaucha never truly performed any real consulting services to the company, and he was also allowed to keep more than $1 million of the stock sale proceeds that he used for personal expenses, including buying property in California and Hawaii.
According to his online biography, Lyndon was the "original team lead developer" of the first 3D versions of the John Madden Football video game, among others.
Reuters could not immediately independently verify those details.
He started working on development of religious video games in 2002, and took Left Behind Games public in 2006, he says.
"Although government regulations have resulted in the loss of nearly 50 percent of America's public companies over the past 15 years, Left Behind Games continues to operate and has products in more than 500 retail locations throughout the USA," he wrote on his website.
(Reporting by Sarah N. Lynch; editing by Andrew Hay)
Lab Tests on French Wines Find Pesticide Residue in Every Bottle
The levels were below the European Union’s maximum residue limits, according to the group, UFC-Que Choisir. However, there are no EU toxicity limits for bottled wine, only for wine grapes before fermentation.
Bloomberg reported on Sept. 25 that the group tested wines from various regions across France, ranging from a $2.20 bottle of generic red to a $20.25 bottle of Chateauneuf-du-Pape. Wine producers only use 3.7 percent of France’s farmland but account for 20 percent of the country’s pesticide use, UFC-Que Choisir noted.
“By drinking a glass of wine, you have every chance of unknowingly swallowing a few micrograms of these pesticide residues,” UFC-Que Choisir wrote. “No wine today escapes the pollution by plant-protection products applied to the vines.”
The lab tests even found residues of an insecticide and a fungicide not allowed in the EU, the group said. Wines produced from grapes from “conventional” agriculture on average contained four pesticides, mainly fungicides, while for wine from organic grapes residues mostly consisted of one to two pesticides.
The highest pesticide count was found in a bottle of 2010 Bordeaux, with 14 chemicals detected, followed by 2012 Bordeaux with traces of 13 products, the group reported.
UFC-Que Choisir indicated that climate has a great effect on whether, and to what degree, French wine grapes suffer from diseases and bug infestations.
“Weather conditions, particularly rainfall, have a direct impact on diseases of vines and attacks by parasites,” they wrote. “The warm and dry weather of Provence and the Rhone valley partly explains why the wines from these regions are significantly less loaded with pesticides than their cousins from Champagne and particularly Bordeaux.”
Sunday, September 29, 2013
George Zimmerman's Mother-in-Law Files Police Report Claiming He Stole Her Furniture, TV
By Selena Hill | First Posted: Sep 27, 2013 04:57 PM EDT
As much as George Zimmerman tries to keep a low profile, he seems to have a knack for garnering negative publicity, to put it lightly. In the latest twist in the ongoing Zimmerman saga, his mother-in-law, Machelle Dean, filed a police report Friday claiming that he stole furniture and a television set from her house when she ordered him to leave.
George and his estranged wife Shellie were staying in Shellie's mother's house in Lake Mary, Florida during his murder trial. However, according to TMZ, Dean claims that Zimmerman left with her belongings when she ordered him to vacate the property by Thursday. When police arrived to the scene, they reportedly characterized it as a landlord-tenant dispute between Zimmerman and his in-laws.
The home is the same place where Lake Mary police were called to earlier in September after an altercation broke out between George and Shellie. In a 911 call, Shellie said that her husband threatened her and her father with a gun and punched her father in the nose. The theft report surfaced shortly after Shellie Zimmerman admitted that she now doubts her husband's innocence in the shooting death of Trayvon Martin after seeing another side of him during a domestic dispute earlier this month.
Shellie Zimmerman, speaking publicly for the first time since she told cops her husband threatened her with a gun on Sept. 9, told NBC's "Today," that the 29-year-old former volunteer neighborhood watch caption has changed dramatically after being acquitted for the murder of the unarmed teen.
"This person that I'm married to that I'm divorcing, I've kind of realized now that I don't know him," she said Thursday morning. "And I really don't know what he's capable of."
Shellie, who filed for divorce within two months of her husband's acquittal, revealed that she has "conflicted" feelings about the night when George fatally shot Martin. "I'm conflicted on that,'' said the 26-year-old nursing student. "I believe the evidence, but this revelation in my life has really helped me take the blinders off and start to see things differently."
In a follow up question, Lauer asked, "So you now doubt his innocence, at least the fact that he was acting in self-defense on the night that Trayvon Martin was killed?" Shellie responded: "I think anyone would doubt that innocence because I don't know the person that I've been married to. I have doubts, but I also believe the evidence."
As much as George Zimmerman tries to keep a low profile, he seems to have a knack for garnering negative publicity, to put it lightly. In the latest twist in the ongoing Zimmerman saga, his mother-in-law, Machelle Dean, filed a police report Friday claiming that he stole furniture and a television set from her house when she ordered him to leave.
George and his estranged wife Shellie were staying in Shellie's mother's house in Lake Mary, Florida during his murder trial. However, according to TMZ, Dean claims that Zimmerman left with her belongings when she ordered him to vacate the property by Thursday. When police arrived to the scene, they reportedly characterized it as a landlord-tenant dispute between Zimmerman and his in-laws.
The home is the same place where Lake Mary police were called to earlier in September after an altercation broke out between George and Shellie. In a 911 call, Shellie said that her husband threatened her and her father with a gun and punched her father in the nose. The theft report surfaced shortly after Shellie Zimmerman admitted that she now doubts her husband's innocence in the shooting death of Trayvon Martin after seeing another side of him during a domestic dispute earlier this month.
Shellie Zimmerman, speaking publicly for the first time since she told cops her husband threatened her with a gun on Sept. 9, told NBC's "Today," that the 29-year-old former volunteer neighborhood watch caption has changed dramatically after being acquitted for the murder of the unarmed teen.
"This person that I'm married to that I'm divorcing, I've kind of realized now that I don't know him," she said Thursday morning. "And I really don't know what he's capable of."
Shellie, who filed for divorce within two months of her husband's acquittal, revealed that she has "conflicted" feelings about the night when George fatally shot Martin. "I'm conflicted on that,'' said the 26-year-old nursing student. "I believe the evidence, but this revelation in my life has really helped me take the blinders off and start to see things differently."
In a follow up question, Lauer asked, "So you now doubt his innocence, at least the fact that he was acting in self-defense on the night that Trayvon Martin was killed?" Shellie responded: "I think anyone would doubt that innocence because I don't know the person that I've been married to. I have doubts, but I also believe the evidence."
Roast, grill, and fry this chicken – then toss it out
Posted by Jim Hightower
An old country saying notes: You can't make chicken salad out of chicken manure." However, President Obama's department of agriculture intends for us give it a try.
Chicken contaminated with chicken manure is one likely result to come from the ag department's dangerous and ridiculous determination to privatize poultry inspection in some 200 processing plants across the country. Currently, government inspectors – who're professionally-trained in food safety – are stationed along the processing lines in the factory operations of such giants as Tyson Foods. They examine the birds for diseases and visible defects, including – yes – contamination by feces.
But the Obamacans have a "modernization" plan to remove these skilled, independent inspectors and let corporations police their own lines with untrained company hirelings. In addition, the privatization scheme would allow the poultry plants to speed up their lines to an absurd 175-birds-per-minute! To justify this, USDA notes that it has been running a pilot project on privatization in 20 chicken factories since 1999.
Yes – but the "modernizers" did not mention that salmonella rates in the privatized plants were higher than those having government inspectors. Just as alarming, of the poultry operations that failed the most recent salmonella tests, a disproportionate share were using the spiffy self-policing model. Worse, government inspectors who observed the corporate-controlled system report that when the company inspectors tried to be thorough about safety or even tried to remove diseased birds from the line, they were yelled at, reprimanded, and shunned.
This senseless rush to privatize is literally sickening. For more information and clean food alternatives, go to Food & Water Watch at www.FoodAndWaterWatch.org.
"Changes to Poultry Rules Are Flawed, Report Says," The New York Times, September 5, 2013.
"Justification for Privatized Poultry Inspection Flawed, GAO Study Reveals," www.foodandwaterwatch.org, September 4, 2013.
"Obama Administration Caves to Poultry Industry By Proceeding With Privatized Inspection," www.foodandwaterwatch.org, April 10, 2013.
" USDA Plans to Expand Pilot Program that Leaves Meat Contaminated with Fecal Matter," www.portside.org, September 10, 2013.
Listen to this Commentary
An old country saying notes: You can't make chicken salad out of chicken manure." However, President Obama's department of agriculture intends for us give it a try.
Chicken contaminated with chicken manure is one likely result to come from the ag department's dangerous and ridiculous determination to privatize poultry inspection in some 200 processing plants across the country. Currently, government inspectors – who're professionally-trained in food safety – are stationed along the processing lines in the factory operations of such giants as Tyson Foods. They examine the birds for diseases and visible defects, including – yes – contamination by feces.
But the Obamacans have a "modernization" plan to remove these skilled, independent inspectors and let corporations police their own lines with untrained company hirelings. In addition, the privatization scheme would allow the poultry plants to speed up their lines to an absurd 175-birds-per-minute! To justify this, USDA notes that it has been running a pilot project on privatization in 20 chicken factories since 1999.
Yes – but the "modernizers" did not mention that salmonella rates in the privatized plants were higher than those having government inspectors. Just as alarming, of the poultry operations that failed the most recent salmonella tests, a disproportionate share were using the spiffy self-policing model. Worse, government inspectors who observed the corporate-controlled system report that when the company inspectors tried to be thorough about safety or even tried to remove diseased birds from the line, they were yelled at, reprimanded, and shunned.
This senseless rush to privatize is literally sickening. For more information and clean food alternatives, go to Food & Water Watch at www.FoodAndWaterWatch.org.
"Changes to Poultry Rules Are Flawed, Report Says," The New York Times, September 5, 2013.
"Justification for Privatized Poultry Inspection Flawed, GAO Study Reveals," www.foodandwaterwatch.org, September 4, 2013.
"Obama Administration Caves to Poultry Industry By Proceeding With Privatized Inspection," www.foodandwaterwatch.org, April 10, 2013.
" USDA Plans to Expand Pilot Program that Leaves Meat Contaminated with Fecal Matter," www.portside.org, September 10, 2013.
Saturday, September 28, 2013
Clearing out the message on The Affordable Health Care Act
Ed Schultz changes the conversation from Ted Cruz’s hours-long speech in
opposition to the Affordable Care Act, to focus on the importance of the law and
Congress’ ability to do something great. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., joins Ed
Schultz to discuss the benefits of the law.
Friday, September 27, 2013
Sanders' Epic Senate Rant Shames 'Right-Wing Extremists' for Shutdown Threat
By David
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) on Friday tore into what he called "extreme right-wing Republicans" for threatening to shut down the government and default on the nation's debts if President Barack Obama's health care reform law was not defunded.
In a speech on the Senate floor, Sanders said that he welcomed a discussion about how to improve the health care law.
"But one thing is certain, you do not hold the American people hostage by threatening to shut down the government or for the first time in the history of our country not paying our bills and bringing this country and perhaps the entire world into a major financial crisis," he explained. "There was an election a year ago on this very issue - one of the major issues in the campaign - and the Republican candidate said, 'Let's defund Obamacare.' He lost the election! Republicans lost seats in the Senate, they lost seats in the House! And that's what democracy is about."
"What democracy is not about is a handful of members of the House of Representatives, extreme right-wing Republicans, saying, 'If we do not get our way, we are prepared to punish tens of millions of Americans. Yeah, we lost the election. Yeah, we lost seats in the House and Senate. But we are prepared to bring this government down. We are prepared to cause, perhaps, a major global financial crisis unless we get our way!'"
He continued: "Let us not tell men and women in the United States armed forces, who today are putting their lives on the line to defend us, that they're not going to get paid. Let us not tell police officers here in Washington and elsewhere, they may not get paid. Let's not tell working families, who take take their little kids into Head Start so they can then go out to work, that that program may be killed. Let's not tell senior citizens, who are on the Meals on Wheels program who can't leave their homes who depend upon a meal, let's not punish them because you've got small number of extreme right wingers who want to get their way at the expense of millions and millions of people."
Sanders pointed out that the current debate in Congress was "making us look like fools throughout the entire world because a handful of right wing extremists are so determined to try to destroy this president."
"There's a lot to be debating about, but one thing we should not be debating about is shutting down the United States government in order to achieve a narrow political goal."
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) on Friday tore into what he called "extreme right-wing Republicans" for threatening to shut down the government and default on the nation's debts if President Barack Obama's health care reform law was not defunded.
In a speech on the Senate floor, Sanders said that he welcomed a discussion about how to improve the health care law.
"But one thing is certain, you do not hold the American people hostage by threatening to shut down the government or for the first time in the history of our country not paying our bills and bringing this country and perhaps the entire world into a major financial crisis," he explained. "There was an election a year ago on this very issue - one of the major issues in the campaign - and the Republican candidate said, 'Let's defund Obamacare.' He lost the election! Republicans lost seats in the Senate, they lost seats in the House! And that's what democracy is about."
"What democracy is not about is a handful of members of the House of Representatives, extreme right-wing Republicans, saying, 'If we do not get our way, we are prepared to punish tens of millions of Americans. Yeah, we lost the election. Yeah, we lost seats in the House and Senate. But we are prepared to bring this government down. We are prepared to cause, perhaps, a major global financial crisis unless we get our way!'"
He continued: "Let us not tell men and women in the United States armed forces, who today are putting their lives on the line to defend us, that they're not going to get paid. Let us not tell police officers here in Washington and elsewhere, they may not get paid. Let's not tell working families, who take take their little kids into Head Start so they can then go out to work, that that program may be killed. Let's not tell senior citizens, who are on the Meals on Wheels program who can't leave their homes who depend upon a meal, let's not punish them because you've got small number of extreme right wingers who want to get their way at the expense of millions and millions of people."
Sanders pointed out that the current debate in Congress was "making us look like fools throughout the entire world because a handful of right wing extremists are so determined to try to destroy this president."
"There's a lot to be debating about, but one thing we should not be debating about is shutting down the United States government in order to achieve a narrow political goal."
Allen West Fired After Alleged Anti-Semitic Slur
By Wes Williams
Poor Allen West. The former Republican congressman from Florida just can’t seem to keep a job. According to BuzzFeed, West has left his job at Pajamas Media after an argument with a female staffer, during which he allegedly called her a “Jewish American princess.”
The BuzzFeed story says that West denied that he was fired, but he did not deny that an argument had taken place. When asked specifically if he had called the other employee a “Jewish American princess” West responded “There was an exchange, that’s all.”
West has a history of behavior similar to this alleged incident. In 2003 West, then a U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel serving in Iraq, was investigated following accusations that he abused an Iraqi prisoner. CNN reported on the incident on December 13, 2003.
While a congressman, West went on an email tirade against fellow Floridian Debbie Wasserman-Schultz, following remarks she made on the floor of the House that he took far too personally. In the email he said
So what will Allen West do, now that he’s out of yet another job? Here are some ideas:
Poor Allen West. The former Republican congressman from Florida just can’t seem to keep a job. According to BuzzFeed, West has left his job at Pajamas Media after an argument with a female staffer, during which he allegedly called her a “Jewish American princess.”
The BuzzFeed story says that West denied that he was fired, but he did not deny that an argument had taken place. When asked specifically if he had called the other employee a “Jewish American princess” West responded “There was an exchange, that’s all.”
West has a history of behavior similar to this alleged incident. In 2003 West, then a U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel serving in Iraq, was investigated following accusations that he abused an Iraqi prisoner. CNN reported on the incident on December 13, 2003.
The commanding general of the 4th Infantry Division on Friday accepted a U.S. military investigator’s recommendation and ordered administrative action against Lt. Col. Allen West, who was accused of using improper methods to force information out of an Iraqi detainee.
Following a military hearing, West was fined $5,000 over two months, according to West’s civilian attorney, Neal Puckett.
The punishment does not affect West’s eligibility for retirement and pension, Puckett said in a statement.
West, 42, will be assigned to the rear detachment of the 4th Infantry Division awaiting the processing of his retirement request, the statement said.West admitted that he had lost his temper and that he had acted improperly. Had his commander, Major General Raymond Odierno, rejected the investigator’s recommendation West would have faced a court-martial and as much as 11 years in prison.
While a congressman, West went on an email tirade against fellow Floridian Debbie Wasserman-Schultz, following remarks she made on the floor of the House that he took far too personally. In the email he said
Look, Debbie, I understand that after I departed the House floor you directed your floor speech comments directly towards me. Let me make myself perfectly clear, you want a personal fight, I am happy to oblige. You are the most vile, unprofessional, and despicable member of the US House of Representatives. If you have something to say to me, stop being a coward and say it to my face, otherwise, shut the heck up. Focus on your own congressional district!Always willing to play the victim, West displayed his utter lack of class after narrowly losing his re-election bid to Democrat Patrick Murphy. In typical fashion, West explained his loss not on a rejection of his combative, divisive nature, but by claiming that his opponent cheated in some unspecified way. West told radio host Mark Levin
I’m not going away just because of a congressional race where he seems to have to cheat to beat me.Also worth noting is that the “fiscally responsible” West, who voted against Obamacare and supported the Paul Ryan budget plan that would slash the social safety net, was the fourth largest giver of taxpayer money to his staff after he lost to Murphy, according to the site Legistorm.com. West gave bonuses totaling $81,525 to staff members in the fourth quarter of 2012.
So what will Allen West do, now that he’s out of yet another job? Here are some ideas:
- West likes to fight. He would be a perfect fit in the UFC
- Monday Night Football. Oh, wait. That didn’t work out too well for fellow righty Dennis Miller. Scratch that.
- Spokesperson for the NRA. Aren’t we all tired of Wayne LaPierre?
- Replacement for Gordon Ramsey on “Hell’s Kitchen.”
- If all else fails, it looks like Gilberton, Pennsylvania may be in need of a police chief.
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