The Hollywood Liberal

Virus Kills Breast Cancer Cells
Penn State researchers have identified a virus that’s benign to humans but deadly to cancer. The virus is called adeno-associated virus type 2, and the scientists showed in the lab that it kills breast cancer in three stages. “In tissue culture dishes in the laboratory, 100 percent of the cancer cells are destroyed by the virus within seven days, with the majority of the cell death proteins activated on the fifth day,” the university reports.

Sunday Talking Heads: September 25, 2011
Happy Fall, happy morning. Major topics this morning, Economy stuff, debate stuff, and Palestine at the UN. White House advisor and campaign man David Plouffe makes a rash of appearances. FDL Book Salon, hosted by Edward Teller features the new Sarah Palin tell-all by Joe McGuinniss. Emptywheel and Avedon Carol will be Virtually Speaking. Movie Night Monday will be Chasing Madoff. Enjoy Marc Martel’s entry into the Queen Extravaganza talent search, if you haven’t seen it all ready (it has almost two million views). Here he is singing opera. It must be nice to be able to sing so gloriously. May he sing long and prosper.

Happy Fall, happy morning. Major topics today: economy stuff, debate stuff, and Palestine at the UN. White House advisor and campaign man David Plouffe makes a rash of appearances.

FDL Book Salon, hosted by Edward Teller features the new Sarah Palin tell-all by Joe McGuinniss. Emptywheel and Avedon Carol will be Virtually Speaking.  Movie Night Monday will be Chasing Madoff.

Enjoy Marc Martel’s entry into the Queen Extravaganza talent search, that is if you haven’t seen it all ready (it has almost two million views). Here he is singing opera.  It must be nice to be able to sing so gloriously.  May he sing long and prosper.

Washington Journal.

ABC’s This Week: White House Senior Advisor David Plouffe.  Economic Roundtable:  George Will, former Obama economic adviser and University of Chicago professor Austan Goolsbee, top investment manager PIMCO CEO Mohamed El-Erian, Chrystia Freeland of Thompson Reuters.  Horse Race Roundtable:  Mary Matalin, Donna Brazile, Amy Walter, George Will.  Palestinian Statehood – Palestinian activist Hanan Ashrawi. Then, British Prime Minister David Cameron (Palestine and then some).

CBS’ Face the Nation: Twenty years of Bob Schieffer.

CNN’s State of the Union: White House Senior Advisor David Plouffe. Federal Funding – Sen. Mark Warner(D-VA), Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN).  Horse Race 2012 – Gov. Mitch Daniels (R-IN).  Polling Obama – USA Today’s Washington bureau chief Susan Page and TIME Magazine’s deputy bureau chief, Michael Crowley.

Chris Hayes: No guest list at this time.

Chris Matthews: Obama wants to repeal the Bush era tax cuts for those making more than $250k. Is Perry losing steam? Was Thursday’s debate a turning point for Romney?

Fareed Zakarias – GPS.

Fox News Sunday: White House Senior Advisor David Plouffe. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Armed Services Committee.  Roundtable: Brit Hume, A. B. Stoddard, Bill Kristol, Juan Williams.

NBC’s Meet the Press: Live from “NBC’s Education Nation Summit at New York’s Rockefeller Center.” Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg (I). Roundtable: Former Secretary of Education, William Bennett; former Secretary of Health and Human Services and current president of the University of Miami, Donna Shalala; PBS’s Tavis Smiley; and the CEO of the Special Olympics, Tim Shriver.

Newsmakers: Earlier this week, Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN) announced that he will step down in January as the Republican Conference Chairman, the number three GOP leadership post in the Senate. Speaking to reporters David Espo, Associated Press, and Paul Kane, Washington Post , Sen. Alexander called his decision “liberating.” …

Q & A: Naomi Schaefer Riley, author of a new book in which she argues that a teacher’s tenure is a primary factor in the rapid rise of tuition costs at universities across the country. Riley suggests that tenure translates into what she calls a “job for life entitlement mentality” among university professors.

Religion & Ethics.

60 Minutes: The counter terrorism bureau – Scott Pelley brings viewers on a personal tour conducted by Police Commissioner Ray Kelly of what may be the world’s most sophisticated terror defense forces – the New York City Police Department’s counter terrorism unit.  The murder of an American Nazi – Lesley Stahl reports on the murder of a neo-Nazi leader and captures a growing subculture of hate playing out in America’s backyards and alongside the border – where neo Nazis patrol in order to keep illegal immigrants out. Parker and Stone – Steve Kroft talks to Trey Parker and Matt Stone, the creators of Comedy Central’s “South Park” and gets to watch the process that each week produces another scathing and hilarious episode for the biggest hit on basic cable television. Now the disrespectful duo also have the biggest hit on Broadway, the musical comedy “The Book Of Mormon.”

To the Contrary: White House Senior Advisor Valerie Jarrett responds to Ron Suskind and his book that reveals women felt frozen out of the early Obama administration. Then Former Governor Jennifer Granholm on what the nation can learn from her experience as Michigan’s first female chief executive. Guest Host: Global Summit of Women President Irene Natividad.

Univision’s Al Punto: Ollanta Humala, President of Peru; Leopoldo Lopez, Venezuelan Opposition Presidential Hopeful; Ed Gillespie, Chairman of the Republican State Leadership Committee; Danny Hernandez, Former Marine Corp. Special Coverage on Hurricane Irene.

Virtually Speaking: Marcy Wheeler and Avedon Carol.

C-SPAN’s Book TV: Live from the National Book Festival.

FDL’s Book Salon: The Rogue: Searching for the Real Sarah Palin. “Based on McGinniss’s on-the-ground reporting that began in late 2008 (which yielded an April 2009 Conde Nast Portfolio cover story) and continued with his return to Alaska in 2010, this book is a startling and penetrating examination of the illusion and reality of Palin—and a probing look at the Alaska and the America that have produced her, and the country she feels she is destined to lead.” Chat with Joe McGinniss about his new book, hosted by our friend Philip Munger/Edward Teller, 5pm ET.

FDL Movie Night Monday: “Chasing Madoff is the compelling story of Harry Markopolos and his team of investigators’ ten-year struggle to expose the harrowing truth behind the infamous Madoff scandal. Throughout the decade long investigation, Markopolos pieced together a chain of white-collar predators consisting of bankers, lieutenants, and henchmen, all linked to the devastating Ponzi scheme.” Come meet with Jeff Prosserman (Producer, Writer, Director) and host Lisa Derrick, 8p, ET.

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Late Late Night FDL: Knights and Daze
Snagglepuss — Knights and Daze. This Hanna-Barbera cartoon first aired on April 3, 1961.

Snagglepuss — Knights and Daze.  This Hanna-Barbera cartoon first aired on April 3, 1961.

Produced and Directed by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera.  Story by Michael Maltese.  Story Directed by Paul Sommer.  Animated by LaVerne Harding.  Layouts by Tony Rivera.  Backgrounds by Robert Gentle.  Titles by Lawrence Goble.  Edited by Hank Gotzenberg and Greg Watson.  Production Supervision by  Howard Hanson.  Voices by Daws Butler (Snagglepuss), Don Messick (Major Minor).  Music by Hoyt Curtin.

Grab your popcorn, put your feet up on the seatback in front of ya, and aim your spitballs at the ushers please. This is Late Late Night FireDogLake, where off topic is the topic … so dive in. What’s on your mind?

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NBA Cancels First Week of Preseason Games
The NBA on Friday announced the cancellation of 43 preseason games and postponed training camps amid a stubborn labor standoff between the players union and the league over salaries. (more)

The NBA on Friday announced the cancellation of 43 preseason games and postponed training camps amid a stubborn labor standoff between the players union and the league over salaries. (more)

Related Entries

• September 24, 2011 Palestinian Statehood
• September 21, 2011 Obama’s Palestine Solution: More Talk

Hospital Drug Shortages Present Deadly, Costly Crisis
TRENTON, N.J. — A drug for dangerously high blood pressure, normally priced at $25.90 per dose, offered to hospitals for $1,200. Fifteen deaths in 15…

One Factor Keeping Obama Afloat Ahead Of 2012
By KRISTEN WYATT, ASSOCIATED PRESS (AP) DENVER — People like Christine Alonzo are keeping President Barack Obama afloat and giving his political team hope that…

Colorado GOP Likely To Shift 2012 Caucus Date
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — A plan by Colorado Republicans to move up their 2012 presidential caucuses to the day after the Iowa caucus has won…

Rick Perry: ‘I Think That’s A Big Mistake’
By PHILIP ELLIOTT, ASSOCIATED PRESS (AP) ORLANDO, Fla. — Working to shake the perception of a stumbling campaign, Texas Gov. Rick Perry told GOP activists…

Ros-Lehtinen First GOPer To Sponsor Bill Repealing DOMA
Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL) on Friday became the 125th cosponsor of the Respect for Marriage Act, a bill which would repeal the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), and the first Republican.

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Israel’s Friends Abandon It
This is beginning to look like one of the worst periods in Israel’s history. (Read this great piece from the Israeli blog 972). The Turkish government has essentially broken relations with Israel over the Netanyahu government’s refusal to apologize for…

Palestinian U.N. bid teaches us about America
The case of Palestine’s bid for U.N. membership is teaching us more about the United States than it is about the stubborn Middle East. Sadly, the United States, my country, heads the list of member nations making a mockery of…

Mr. President: Play Jujitsu With The U.N. Vote
The most frustrating thing about Gershom Gorenberg’s smart letter to President Obama in The American Prospect is that there is nothing in it that its recipient does not already know: Abbas is going to the U.N. Security Council because bilateral…

Nuclear Surprise: Radioactive Rice ?Far Exceeding? Safe Levels Found in Japan
TOKYO  – Japan found the first case of rice with radioactive materials far exceeding a government-set level for a preliminary test of pre-harvested crop, requiring thorough inspection of the rice to be harvested from the region, the farm ministry said late on Friday. The ministry said radioactive caesium of 500 becquerels per kg was found […]

A rice field 25 miles north of crippled Fukushima Daiichi nukes via Reuters

TOKYO  – Japan found the first case of rice with radioactive materials far exceeding a government-set level for a preliminary test of pre-harvested crop, requiring thorough inspection of the rice to be harvested from the region, the farm ministry said late on Friday.

The ministry said radioactive caesium of 500 becquerels per kg was found in a sample of the pre-harvested rice in Nihonmatsu city, in Fukushima Prefecture, 56 km (35 miles) west of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant which was crippled by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami, triggering the world’s worst nuclear disaster in 25 years.  The ministry said the Fukushima Prefecture will expand the inspection spots nearly ten-fold to around 300 areas.

Pretty big news from Japan, via Reuters.  Needless to say, rice is central to both the Japanese culture and diet.

And it’s one more threat to a world food supply on the edge (see “Global Food Prices Stuck Near Record High Levels“).

Here’s more on the radioactive rice:

It is the first case in Japan of rice containing radioactive caesium exceeding 200 becquerels per kg, a level which requires further thorough testing of the area for the harvested rice.The government introduced inspection guidelines in August, with preliminary tests followed by more before approving shipments.

If preliminary tests found rice to contain radioactive caesium levels of 200 becquerels per kg or more, the crop will be tested more thoroughly before approvals are made for shipments.

If the level of caesium in rice exceeded the government-imposed cap of 500 becquerels per kg, shipments from locally produced rice will be halted.

So far, no rice crop has been banned for shipments.

If the follow-up tests of rice harvested from Nihonmatsu city find radioactive materials exceeding the government-imposed cap, it would deal a huge blow to Japan.

The country has been struggling to regain public trust in the safety of nuclear power so it can resume operations of nuclear reactors to supply energy as well as food safety after wide-ranging products from water to vegetables were found with radiation contamination.

The bottom line is that the Fukushima disaster will continue to reverberate throughout the world for a long, long time (see “Japan scraps plan for 14 new nuclear plants” and “Siemens Stunner: Global Energy Giant Quits Nuclear Industry“).

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Perry, Romney press for campaign cash ahead of fourth-quarter deadline

MACKINAC ISLAND, Mich. — With three debates behind them, Rick Perry and Mitt Romney embarked this weekend on a mad dash for campaign cash, each laboring to sway uncommitted Republican donors off the fence and to convince GOP elites that he would be the party’s best standard-bearer against President Obama.

Read full article >>

D.C. shifts federal lobbying strategy, ends contracts with outside firms

The District has shifted its approach toward lobbying the federal government, quietly ending the city’s contracts with a pair of outside firms after paying more than $300,000 for their services in the last two years.

Mayor Vincent C. Gray’s administration decided to sever relationships with the law and lobbying firm Van Ness Feldman and solo lobbyist Mitch Butler, an Interior official in the George W. Bush administration, that were begun in 2009 under previous mayor Adrian M. Fenty (D).

Read full article >>

Cain wins Florida straw poll, finishing far ahead of Perry

ORLANDO — Businessman Herman Cain won the Florida GOP presidential straw poll in a major surprise Saturday, as Republicans here delivered a rebuke to Texas Gov. Rick Perry.

Cain, who delivered what delegates called a stirring speech just before the balloting, won 37 percent of the more than 2,600 votes from Republicans who came here from across the state to participate.

Read full article >>

Drive for show, putt for dough: Obama, Bill Clinton hit the links at Air Force base

ANDREWS AIR FORCE BASE, Md. — President Barack Obama was joined by former President Bill Clinton on the golf course Saturday, in a friendly contest of first duffers who’ve known the pressures of office and the joys of relieving them on the links.

The two teed off on a cloudy afternoon at Andrews Air Force Base outside Washington and finished up just over four hours later.

Read full article >>

Our Hidden Government Benefits
Suzanne Mettler, New York Times
DON’T take at face value the claims that Americans dislike government. Sure, a recent ABC News/Washington Post poll found that 56 percent of Americans said they wanted smaller government and fewer services. Tea Party activists, the most vocal citizens of our time, powerfully amplify those demands. Yet the reality is that the vast majority of Americans have at some point relied on government programs — and valued them — even though they often fail to recognize that government is the source of the assistance.A 2008 poll of 1,400 Americans by the Cornell Survey…

Is China’s Economy In Trouble, Too?
Keith Bradsher, New York Times
Is China’s economy in trouble, too?As the American economy appears to teeter on the edge of another recession, Europe struggles with a financial crisis and emerging markets like Brazil and India show new weaknesses, China may appear to be in better shape than most countries, economists say. But “better” is relative.

GOP Disappointed in Perry, Divided on Future
Byron York, DC Examiner
Florida Republicans are deeply divided as they prepare for a straw poll that could be a key predictor of who will win the GOP presidential nomination.  On one side are those who believe that, because defeating Barack Obama is so critically important, they must select a candidate who can appeal to independent voters.  On the other side are those who believe the best result will come from picking a candidate on conservative principle and not on the sometimes hard-to-discern preferences of those in the political middle.Republicans in the first category tend to support Mitt…