- That certainly is one way to express your disapproval of a bill proposed by your country’s legislative body. Indian activists who do not seem to be fans of a new anti-graft bill proposed by their parliament made their feelings known by getting their hands on copies of that bill……and burning it in the streets. Activists demanding an immediate end to widespread corruption burning copies of and denouncing a bill targeting corruption might seem like a contradiction, but those doing the burning railed against the bill as nothing more than lame-duck legislation. Led by badass 72-year-old reformist Anna Hazare, protestors shredded or burned the citizen ombudsman bill, called Lokpal, in western India, even as the government of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh introduced it in parliament in distant New Delhi. Hazare, looking healthier the further he gets from her five-day hunger strike that prompted Singh's administration to agree to set up a new institution to tackle corruption, is now threatening to unleash a new wave of agitation starting Aug. 16. For the time being, the target is the anti-corruption bill because Hazare and his followers believe it is too weak to tackle pervasive corruption without being revised to cover the judiciary and lower-level members of the country's bureaucracy. Additionally, protestors at Saturday’s demonstration complained that their recommendations to hold prime ministers accountable while in office have not been accepted. The scope of the bill is extremely limited in its current form, allowing only the filing of complaints against former prime ministers. "We are challenging the authority of the government that wants to impose this bill on the people of India," said Arvind Kejriwal, an anti-corruption protestor. "It's a contempt of public sentiments." Hazare has cleverly taken to mocking the Lokpal bill as "joke pal," saying it has no chance to combat the omnipresent corruption that Indians encounter in their daily lives. Singh and his administration could not have been fired up to see the demonstrations against the bill, especially since they are already dealing with an ever-growing series of scandals. "In a democracy, parliament is a sovereign body; it should be allowed to function and discharge its duty," Singh proclaimed when asked about new rounds of protests over the bill. Yes, but critics would argue it is not doing its job if members are corrupt and out first and foremost for their own personal financial gain. For example, if they are a now-former telecommunications minister accused of being involved in a scheme to sell cell phone licenses at below market value at the height of India's lucrative telecom boom in 2008, that official would not be doing his or her job (former telecommunications minister Andimuthu Raja would be that man). From the outside looking in, it is nothing short of awesome to see the common man speaking out and taking it to the streets in a fight to make India a better place…………
- Ladies, you could soon have another weapon to figure out whether that extremely creepy dude who has been eyeing you and hovering all night at the bar or party actually slipped something into your drink while you were feverishly trying to find a way to get out of his sights. Coasters that change color are one option, but a team led by a professor from Tel Aviv University say they have developed a sensor that looks like a straw or a stirrer that can detect two of the most commonly used date rape drugs with 100 percent accuracy. "It samples a very small volume of the drink and mixes it with a testing solution," said Fernando Patolsky, chemistry professor at Tel Aviv University and co-creator of the device. "That causes a chemical reaction that makes the solution cloudy or colored, depending on the drug." The chemical reaction triggers a small red light, which would be a smart method to alert a woman in a dimly lit bar to the fact that some perv has just tried to drug her rum and Coke. Developing the sensor was a challenge because researchers not only had to make it small and accurate, but the chemical reaction and light turning on needed to occur quickly for obvious reasons. Because the most common date-rape drugs - GHB, ketamine and Rohypnol -- powerful sedatives that are odorless, colorless and tasteless, any means of detecting them would be helpful. Of course, a good wing man (or woman) looking out for you and protecting your drink when you go to the restroom is always the best choice, or finishing your drink before you get up to leave the room. Provided you don’t want to go with either of those choices, specially designed coasters and straws are a solid backup plan………….
- The hits just keep on coming from soap opera fans. Their daytime dramas have been dropping in rapid-fire fashion and now, the closest thing they have to a primetime soap may also be going away. The eighth and next season for ABC’s Desperate Housewives will also be the last, according to a source close to the situation. ABC has yet to comment on the story because it is set to discuss its fall schedule at a news conference Sunday, but canceling the show would surprise no one. Marc Cherry, the show’s creator, resigned as the executive producer in the hopes of “pursuing other projects.” The series’ ratings also declined significantly last season and have been on the down slope for several years. Originally, the plan had been for life on Wisteria Lane to go on for nine seasons after Housewives debuted in 2004. Plans can definitely change for even the most-popular of shows and lasting eight seasons is still an impressive accomplishment in an age where many shows can't even stay on the air for one season. Housewives still maintains a sizeable fan base of about 120 million, but declining ratings and the impending loss of its creator may in fact be too much to overcome. Sources close to the situation have cited a ‘loss of creative spark,’ which could simply be code for running out of storylines and ways to keep the show going while actually moving it forward instead of recycling the same old drama over and over. If this is the final season for the show, it will end its time on the air having won several Emmy's and Screen Actor’s Guild awards through the years. ABC’s only comment on speculation of the end for Terri Hatcher, Eva Longoria, Marcia Cross and Co. has been to call the reports “mostly speculation.” That’s not exactly a stern denial…………
- Brett Favre isn't coming back, really. He promises he has no interest in playing in the NFL ever again, so why don’t you all just take him at his word and leave the Ol’ Gunslinger alone to wear his Wranglers, ride his tractor and hang out on his farm? Well, other than his 571 retirement/unretirement sagas (numbers approximate) and insatiable desire for the spotlight and drama, why doesn’t anyone believe him? Rumors of Favre’s return to the league will likely persist as long as he is alive and walking this earth, so it should stun no one that reports of him coming out of retirement to help the quarterback-challenged Miami Dolphins have cropped up this week. Despite no factual basis, those rumors spiraled to the point that media members from Miami felt compelled to track Favre down in Hattiesburg, Miss., on Friday and ask him to comment on the story. "You're from Miami? Don't you have anything better to do?" Favre asked. Don’t blame them, OGS, blame Dolphins coach Tony Sparano for not killing the story when he had the chance. The Dolphins, whose poo-poo platter of quarterbacks includes inept incumbent Chad Henne, uninspiring free agent signees Matt Moore and Kevin O'Connell and rookie Pat Devlin, became a logical target for Favre’s return - if he were available. Reporters asked Sparano about the idea and while he didn’t say yes to pursuing Favre, he also left the door open for rampant speculation. He was asked if he would "rule out any possibility of interest" in Favre. "I can't rule anything out. OK? So, I mean, we don't rule anything out," Sparano said. "I don't know how you want me to answer that. That'll be all over the news now too, but I'm giving you the only answer I can give you." Had he simply said, “No, we are not pursuing Brett Favre and will not pursuer Brett Favre,” the story (hopefully) would have died there. Instead, the monster was not killed and lives to terrorize Favre-weary football fans for a while longer………….
- November isn't here yet, but wacky election hijinks are as various state issues are voted on in special elections across the United States. Tax levies, referendums and other local issues are being decided in nearly every state and Wisconsin is no exception. The preeminent issue in the Badger State is the recall election facing six incumbent state senators for their part in the über-controversial showdown between Republican Gov. Scott Walker and public unions in which the governor sought to strip unions of their collective bargaining rights. Those senators tied most closely to the mess are facing recall elections amidst pressure from liberals who wish to see them voted out of office. In turn, conservatives are rallying behind the legislators and even offering voting help to those who want their voice to be heard - sort of. Americans for Prosperity, a conservative organization founded by billionaire brothers David and Charles Koch, is supposedly offering a helping hand to voters who may not be able to make it out to the polls for Tuesday’s vote. AFP sent out what is claimed were absentee ballots to Democratic voters, but those alleged ballots had a few minor issues. First, the ballots directed recipients to mail them to the "absentee ballot processing center" purportedly located at the address on the return envelope. Curiously enough, that return address is a post office box where no election-related entity exists. Voters who actually want to participate in an election by absentee ballot are to return their ballots to the local municipal clerk’s office for counting. Whoopsie, just a minor mistake by a conservative group trying to hoodwink, er, help Democratic voters do their civic duty. But the good news is that anyone using the AFP-provided ballot doesn’t need to worry about their vote being counted if they follow its instructions to the letter because the ballot declares that it must be received by no later than Aug. 11, two days after the actual vote takes place. Not only are the brothers Koch and their cronies trying to tell Democratic voters to send ballots to the wrong place, but they are also providing incorrect dates for voting. Solid move, at least until voters began filing complaints against the organization. AFP had claimed that it was only mailing absentee ballots to members, but those filing complaints say they aren't members of the organization and are, in fact, identified as being "card-carrying Democrats." Additionally, the Government Accountability Board has issued statements warning voters to be on alert for misinformation from groups like Americans for Prosperity. What does AFP have to say for itself? Matt Seaholm, state director of AFP, dismissed the mistake on the date for ballot submission as a typo. As for directing voters to send their ballots to an address for Wisconsin Family Action PAC, an organization dedicated to "advancing Judeo-Christian principles and values in Wisconsin by strengthening and preserving marriage, family, life and liberty," Seaholm didn’t really have an answer for that one. Nice try, Americans for Prosperity, nice try……….
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