The Hollywood Liberal

Larry’s List: West Point Hangover Edition
Every day, Truthdig brings you the news items and other odds and ends that found their way to Larry Gross, director of the USC Annenberg School for Communication. A specialist in media and culture, art and communication, visual communication and media portrayals of minorities, Gross helped found the field of gay and lesbian studies. We’ll continue to update this entry with new items as Larry sends them to us, with the newest links on top. Annals of cosmetic surgery, terminal division A 38-year-old former Miss Argentina has died from complications after undergoing cosmetic surgery on her buttocks. AOL’s Latest Dumb Business Plan During the last few weeks, AOL CEO Tim Armstrong has unveiled a series of plans to save the long-suffering company from its lurch into irrelevance. The cover Golf Digest probably wishes they could have a do-over Tiger Woods is being called a sext-happy philanderer by the National Enquirer, is getting hounded by the Florida Highway Patrol, and is facing the possibility that his wife could go to jail for domestic abuse. On the plus side, Woods made the cover of the upcoming issue of Golf Digest. Canadian Government Rocked by Accusations of Abuse, Torture of Afghan Prisoners The Canadian government’s war effort in Afghanistan has been shaken by new accusations that Afghans detained by Canadian forces were tortured and abused. The charges were made by Richard Colvin, a highly placed diplomat in the Canadian embassy in Kabul during 2005-07, the years when Canada escalated its military role in Afghanistan. Digital Reconstruction of Leonardo’s ‘Last Supper’ More than 500 years after Leonardo da Vinci painted “The Last Supper,” Leonardo3, a media company based out of Milan, has digitally reconstructed Da Vinci’s masterpiece. Phone Box Has New Life as Library A traditional red phone box has been recycled into one of the country’s smallest lending libraries—stocking 100 books. The World Looks Different If You’re Depressed Depression really does change the way you see the world. People with the condition find it easy to interpret large images or scenes, but struggle to “spot the difference” in fine detail. Thou Shalt Not Wear a Corduroy Skirt Gay-bashing woman humiliated for wearing hideous skirt. Milestones in Law Enforcement Note to law enforcement personnel: If you arrest a suspect for bank robbery, and you find the stickup note in his pocket, don’t put the note on the car near the suspect. Why Do Mainstream Media Suck Up to Pastor Rick Warren? On “Meet the Press,” David Gregory never asked about Warren’s tacit support for Uganda’s gay-execution law or challenged Warren’s description of abortion as a “holocaust.” The Swiss and the Muslims The Swiss, known for cheese, Alps, watches, chocolate, and secret bank accounts, at least two of which are full of holes, have now added a sixth important product: intolerance. Welcome to the Women’s Movement 2.0 No group with a major stake in health care reform has seen as many peaks and valleys this year as women’s health activists. Here We Go Again It is already a 30-year war begun by one Democratic president, and thanks to the political opportunism of the current commander in chief the Afghanistan war is still without end or logical purpose. This Week on Vanguard: Remote Control War In this episode, Vanguard journalist Kaj Larsen explores the latest technologies used to keep pace with an evolving battlefield, including a virtual reality recruiting center the U.S. Army is using to attract a new breed of tech-savvy soldiers via video-game-inspired tutorials. READ THE WHOLE ITEM

Every day, Truthdig brings you the news items and other odds and ends that found their way to Larry Gross, director of the USC Annenberg School for Communication. A specialist in media and culture, art and communication, visual communication and media portrayals of minorities, Gross helped found the field of gay and lesbian studies.

We’ll continue to update this entry with new items as Larry sends them to us, with the newest links on top.

Annals of cosmetic surgery, terminal division
A 38-year-old former Miss Argentina has died from complications after undergoing cosmetic surgery on her buttocks.

AOL’s Latest Dumb Business Plan
During the last few weeks, AOL CEO Tim Armstrong has unveiled a series of plans to save the long-suffering company from its lurch into irrelevance.

The cover Golf Digest probably wishes they could have a do-over
Tiger Woods is being called a sext-happy philanderer by the National Enquirer, is getting hounded by the Florida Highway Patrol, and is facing the possibility that his wife could go to jail for domestic abuse. On the plus side, Woods made the cover of the upcoming issue of Golf Digest.

Canadian Government Rocked by Accusations of Abuse, Torture of Afghan Prisoners
The Canadian government’s war effort in Afghanistan has been shaken by new accusations that Afghans detained by Canadian forces were tortured and abused. The charges were made by Richard Colvin, a highly placed diplomat in the Canadian embassy in Kabul during 2005-07, the years when Canada escalated its military role in Afghanistan.

Digital Reconstruction of Leonardo’s ‘Last Supper’
More than 500 years after Leonardo da Vinci painted “The Last Supper,” Leonardo3, a media company based out of Milan, has digitally reconstructed Da Vinci’s masterpiece.

Phone Box Has New Life as Library
A traditional red phone box has been recycled into one of the country’s smallest lending libraries—stocking 100 books.

The World Looks Different If You’re Depressed
Depression really does change the way you see the world. People with the condition find it easy to interpret large images or scenes, but struggle to “spot the difference” in fine detail.

Thou Shalt Not Wear a Corduroy Skirt
Gay-bashing woman humiliated for wearing hideous skirt.

Milestones in Law Enforcement
Note to law enforcement personnel: If you arrest a suspect for bank robbery, and you find the stickup note in his pocket, don’t put the note on the car near the suspect.

Why Do Mainstream Media Suck Up to Pastor Rick Warren?
On “Meet the Press,” David Gregory never asked about Warren’s tacit support for Uganda’s gay-execution law or challenged Warren’s description of abortion as a “holocaust.”

The Swiss and the Muslims
The Swiss, known for cheese, Alps, watches, chocolate, and secret bank accounts, at least two of which are full of holes, have now added a sixth important product: intolerance.

Welcome to the Women’s Movement 2.0
No group with a major stake in health care reform has seen as many peaks and valleys this year as women’s health activists.

Here We Go Again
It is already a 30-year war begun by one Democratic president, and thanks to the political opportunism of the current commander in chief the Afghanistan war is still without end or logical purpose.

This Week on Vanguard: Remote Control War
In this episode, Vanguard journalist Kaj Larsen explores the latest technologies used to keep pace with an evolving battlefield, including a virtual reality recruiting center the U.S. Army is using to attract a new breed of tech-savvy soldiers via video-game-inspired tutorials.

READ THE WHOLE ITEM

Related Entries

• December 2, 2009 We ‘Support’ the Troops by Burdening Them More
• December 2, 2009 Larry’s List: West Point Hangover Edition
• December 1, 2009 Canada’s Olympic Crackdown
• November 30, 2009 Addicted to Nonsense
• November 24, 2009 Like It or Not, Health Care Mandate Is Constitutional

Friedman, Stewart Critique Obama’s Afghanistan Plan
“I overreacted,” New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman admits to Jon Stewart about his initial support of the Iraq war in 2003 in this clip from Tuesday’s “Daily Show.” However, Friedman is still writing columns and selling books, such as his latest, “Hot, Flat, and Crowded,” so perhaps bad journalistic deeds still go unpunished in some media circles. READ THE WHOLE ITEM

“I overreacted,” New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman admits to Jon Stewart about his initial support of the Iraq war in 2003 in this clip from Tuesday’s “Daily Show.” However, Friedman is still writing columns and selling books, such as his latest, “Hot, Flat, and Crowded,” so perhaps bad journalistic deeds still go unpunished in some media circles.

READ THE WHOLE ITEM

Related Entries

• December 2, 2009 We ‘Support’ the Troops by Burdening Them More
• December 2, 2009 Larry’s List: West Point Hangover Edition
• December 1, 2009 Canada’s Olympic Crackdown
• November 30, 2009 Addicted to Nonsense
• November 24, 2009 Like It or Not, Health Care Mandate Is Constitutional

Cecile Richards: A Day of Action!
Representative Stupak was hoping to ban abortion with his backward amendment. Instead, he’s rejuvenated the pro-women movement.

James Adler: JOBS 1.03: Why Welfare; Why Not Jobs!
Tomorrow the White House holds a conference on Jobs. In 2010, the federal welfare program–Temporary Assistance for Needy Families or TANF–is due to be…

Joe Scarborough For President? Mark McKinnon Floats The Idea On Hardball (VIDEO)
Joe Scarborough could be a great Republican presidential candidate in 2012, according to Republican strategist and media adviser Mark McKinnon. McKinnon appeared on Hardball With…

Poll: 60% Support Public Option
The survey of 2,999 households by Thomson Reuters Corp (TRI.TO)(TRI.N) shows a public skeptical about the cost, quality and accessibility of medical care. Just under…

What conservatives said Obama’s speech didn’t sound like: Churchill, Henry V, Gettysburg Address

In their analyses of President Obama’s December 1 speech outlining his Afghanistan strategy at the U.S. Military Academy, conservative pundits complained that the speech didn’t sound like speeches previously delivered by political figures including George W. Bush, Ronald Reagan, Winston Churchill, Abraham Lincoln, and Henry V.

Speech didn’t sound like “Henry V or Churchill,” “not exactly the Gettysburg Address”

Krauthammer: “It’s not exactly the kind of speech that you would have heard from Henry V or Churchill.” In a post-speech panel, Fox News contributor Charles Krauthammer said, “It’s not exactly the kind of speech that you would have heard from Henry V or Churchill. And it’s not exactly the kind of speech you that heard from George Bush when he announced his surge.”

Krauthammer’s “Henry V” reference is an apparent allusion to the St. Crispin’s Day speech given by the title character to his troops in William Shakespeare’s play Henry V.

O’Reilly: “[N]ot exactly the Gettysburg Address.” On The O’Reilly Factor following the speech, Bill O’Reilly said: “I did not see a Winston Churchill-type performance,” adding that the speech was “OK, but not exactly the Gettysburg Address.”

Hannity: “I didn’t hear Winston Churchill, I didn’t hear Ronald Reagan, I didn’t hear George Bush.” On a post-speech edition of Fox News’ Hannity, host Sean Hannity said, “I didn’t hear Winston Churchill, I didn’t hear Ronald Reagan, I didn’t hear George Bush. I didn’t hear a level of commitment that instilled in me the confidence that this president realizes the absolute necessity of victory and the devastation it would cause if we’re not completely victorious.”

Douthat: Speech didn’t sound like Bush’s surge speech. In a December 1 blog post, New York Times columnist Ross Douthat wrote:

Indeed, in this regard I think it’s worth comparing tonight’s speech, unfavorably, to George W. Bush’s address announcing the Iraqi surge. Whereas that speech was tightly focused on the shift in military and diplomatic strategy, Obama’s remarks tried to cover the history of the American involvement in Afghanistan, the state of our domestic politics, and even the nature of America’s mission in the world, while pre-butting various possible attacks on his decision-making. Obama was more comprehensive; Bush was much better. And now we have to hope that the President’s strategy is more successful than his speech.

NRO’s Hanson: “[N]ot Winston Churchill.” In a December 1 post at National Review Online’s blog The Corner naming “typical Obama talking points” in the speech, Victor Davis Hanson wrote:

Stanley Baldwin, not Winston Churchill. Not a word about the horrific nature of al-Qaeda and their nightmarish Taliban sponsors, and why both of them are going to fail in the manner that the terrorists and their supporters lost in Iraq. Somewhere in this cerebral but flat speech there is the good news that we won’t quit Afghanistan - at least for 18 months - but otherwise it was the sort of talk a college provost gives to the faculty at the September back-to-school assembly.

Heritage Foundation’s Gardiner: Obama “needed to display some Churchillian grit, but there was none on offer.” In a December 2 UK Telegraph blog post, Nile Gardiner, director of the Heritage Foundation’s Margaret Thatcher Center for Freedom, wrote:

Speaking at West Point last night, Barack Obama badly needed to display some Churchillian grit, but there was none on offer. As Commander in Chief President Obama has to project leadership, strength and determination before his country and his foes, as well as offer reassurance to Washington’s international allies. All were in short supply in front of the assembled cadets.

Rothstein Charges Released: ‘It Was All Smoke And Mirrors’
Charges released this afternoon against Scott Rothstein, who was arrested earlier today, provide new details on how his alleged Ponzi scheme worked. He plead not guilty this morning. The five-count criminal information seeks forfeiture of $1.2 billion, including bank accounts…

Union Pushes Back On Blue Cross Mailer
A local SEIU chapter has launched a site that pushes back on a North Carolina health insurer’s campaign, now being probed by the state, to enlist customers to lobby against a public option.

Rothstein Arrested By FBI On Racketeering Charge
A month after he returned to Florida from a brief trip to Morocco, prominent attorney Scott Rothstein was arrested by federal authorities this morning, accused of running a $1 billion investment fraud, the Miami Herald reports. Rothstein, who has reportedly…

Opem letter to President Obama
Excerpt: Dear Mr. President, When I heard that you had waited on the tarmac at Dover to receive 18 flag-draped coffins and took a walk through section 60 at Arlington before making a decision, I still had hope that you would take steps to end these wars. You were “the change we could believe in.” Now I […]

A Look at the Shady Morals of NY State Senator Hiram Monserrate Who Opposed Marriage Equality
It’s worth pointing out that those morals include slashing his girlfriend’s face with a broken beer bottle.

Fed Up With Federalism
How America’s commitment to states’ rights is undermining our economic recovery.

25 Years Since the Bhopal Disaster, We’ve All Become Victims of the Chemical Industry
The Centers for Disease Control has documented that the average American carries more than 100 toxic chemicals in his or her body.

Ben Nelson Will Introduce Stupak-Like Amendment, Threatens Filibuster
Reconciliation, anyone?

The Placebo Effect: Studies Reveal How Fake Medicine Actually Reduces Pain
New medical research is finding that the pain relief induced by placebos may come from releasing the body’s own chemical pain relievers.

Presented By:

IDF Moves Battle to Twitter and Facebook
This is pretty amusing. The Israeli Defense Forces will now be pushing the official Israeli line on Facebook and Twitter. I guess it understands that its unofficial defenders (often trolls) on the web run heavily toward bigots and ethnic triumphalists…


Twitter - Facebook - Social network - Online Communities - Warfare and Conflict

President Obama to Leader of [Insert Country]: “Your Move”
I noticed a couple of recent posts that point, albeit indirectly, toward an essential element of President Obama’s foreign policy approach. Both pieces, Bernard Avishai on Israel and Carol and Jamsheed Choksy on Iran, take encouragement from the boisterous and…


Iran - Middle East - Barack Obama - Israel - Foreign policy

A couple of things on healthcare

Is there anybody who believes that America is about competition? If you believe that America and business love competition, please email me because I have some swamp land ocean-front property to sell you out in Idaho. Think about that period in American history after World War II. The big companies got bigger because of competition? No. Of course, there are a few exceptions but as a rule big companies split up the marketplace. Whether it was General Motors, Ford and Chrysler or, in steel, United States Steel, Republic and Bethlehem, these big companies split up the marketplace and made profits. There was no competition. None.

Now, it looks like we have more information on the pharmaceutical companies. They paid generic drug companies to keep their generics off the market. Is anyone really surprised? There is so much money in pharmaceuticals that drug companies are able to pay off these generic companies so that everybody makes money but, and this is important, the pharmaceutical companies make a ton more money and the consumers pay a ton more money. Everybody wins except the consumers.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

I talked about mammograms and the controversy surrounding them a couple of weeks ago. It seems that several of the folks who made the recommendations were brought in front of a congressional committee in which they yelled that it was all just some sort of misunderstanding. It was a problem in communication. Horse hockey. I hate when people kind of weasel out of things. Say what you mean and mean what you say. In the formal paper which was published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, this committee stated that it recommended “against routine screening mammography in women aged 40 to 49 years. The decision to start regular, biennial screening mammography before the age of 50 should be an individual one and take into account the patient’s context, including the patient’s values regarding specific benefits and harms.”

The recommendations weren’t a mistake. They were not something that they just dreamed up out of the air. The panel should’ve stood firm and said that, in their interpretation of the literature, these were their recommendations. Then, they should’ve added a caveat, the same warning in the paper, that treatment should be individualized in these patients.

Again, as I said before, this is a minor task force which has no bearing on the American Cancer Society, really the main medical body to which physicians look for recommendations on cancer, including breast cancer. I believe in screening more women and not fewer. I believe that women need to be informed about their choices. They need to be told that the earlier you start screening the more likely it is that you’re going to have something found on mammography, which will lead to a biopsy, which most likely will be negative. Once women understand this and want to accept this risk then there should be no argument.