Evans Politics, October 22, 2009

Experts Worry as Population and Hunger Grow, © The New York Times, October 21, 2009, by Neil MacFarquhar, excerpt quoted verbatim:

“ROME — Scientists and development experts across the globe are racing to increase food production by 50 percent over the next two decades to feed the world’s growing population, yet many doubt their chances despite a broad consensus that enough land, water and expertise exist.

“The number of hungry people in the world rose to 1.02 billion this year, or nearly one in seven people, according to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, despite a 12-year concentrated effort to cut the number.

“The global financial recession added at least 100 million people by depriving them of the means to buy enough food, but the numbers were inching up even before the crisis, the United Nations noted in a report last week.

“‘The way we manage the global agriculture and food security system doesn’t work,’ said Kostas G. Stamoulis, a senior economist at the organization. ‘There is this paradox of increasing global food production, even in developing countries, yet there is hunger.’

“Agronomists and development experts who gathered in Rome last week generally agreed that the resources and technical knowledge were available to increase food production by 50 percent in 2030 and by 70 percent in 2050 — the amounts needed to feed a population expected to grow to 9.1 billion in 40 years.

“But the conundrum is whether the food can be grown in the developing world where the hungry can actually get it, at prices they can afford. Poverty and difficult growing conditions plague the places that need new production most, namely sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.” ….

Read the full article, here.

According to the article on CARE at Wikipedia, "CARE continues to provide emergency relief during and after disasters, but the organization today focuses on addressing underlying causes of poverty. In areas such as health, education and economic development, CARE works to empower women, because experience has shown that women’s gains yield dramatic benefits for families and communities. CARE also advocates for policies that defend human rights and promote the eradication of poverty." Would you like to make a donation? Just click the logo to visit CARE’s website.

Evans Politics, October 22, 2009

See Watch Franken slice and dice the nice wingnut lady, Daily Kos, October 22, 2009, by Kevvboy: From the YouTube video description: “Sen. Al Franken (D-MN) humbles Hudson Institute dilettante over health care bankruptcies. This during a senate Judiciary sub-committee hearing on bankruptcies driven by catastrophic medical expenses.” I believe the figure is that 50 percent of all bankruptcies in the United States are due to medical expenses. ~ PE

Evans Politics, October 22, 2009

AlJazeeraEnglish video – 5:26

The Continuing, Dark Aftermath
of the Obscene “Operation Cast Lead”

Verdict: Windows 7 is the Real Deal!
Evans Politics, October 22, 2009

CBS News Video – 3:15

Just click the MoveOn.org image, above.

Evans Politics, October 22, 2009

AT&T’s Hilarious and Shameless
Astroturfing (or Sock-Puppeting)

Evans Politics, October 22, 2009

AT&T’s Hilarious and Shameless Astroturfing (or Sock-Puppeting), AlterNet, October 21, 2009, by Tana Ganeva, quoted verbatim:

“AT&T has a really good (and democratic) plan to undermine FCC regulations in support of net neutrality: pressuring employees to post anti-regulation talking points on an FCC website while hiding their affiliation to the cable company. Grassroots!

“In an internal company memo obtained by Free Press, AT&T Senior Executive Vice President James Cicconi writes “We encourage you, your family and friends to join the voices telling the FCC not to regulate the Internet. It can be done through a personal email account by going to www.openinternet.gov and clicking on the “Join the Discussion” link.” (italics added).

“That should totally work, because ordinary citizens are often inspired to make impassioned pleas about ISP regulatory policy.

“The memo also helpfully provides talking points “in addition to your own thoughts,” such as:

America’s wireless consumers enjoy the broadest range of innovative services and devices, lowest prices, highest usage levels, and most choices in the world. Why disrupt a market that’s working so well?

“An oligopoly totally lacking in transparency? Really, why mess with perfection?

“Free Press has a nice-take down of some of the other “suggestions”:

Some of the talking points are hard to read without rolling your eyes.

For example: Cicconi suggests that employees write that Net Neutrality will “jeopardize efforts to deliver high-speed Internet services to every American.” Yet he’s unable to provide any rationale for this claim, other than saying that universal access is a goal that “can’t be met with rules that halt private investment in broadband infrastructure.”

Really?

AT&T is loath to mention that it made considerable network investment when it had to abide by Net Neutrality conditions, and invested considerably less when it didn’t.

As a requirement of its 2006 merger with BellSouth, AT&T agreed to operate a neutral network (by adhering to the four principles of the FCC’s Internet Policy Statement as well as a fifth principle of nondiscrimination) for two years.

AT&T’s network investments increased immediately following the imposition of the Net Neutrality merger condition and continued to rise over the two years of the merger agreement. When the neutrality condition expired on Dec. 29, 2008, the company sharply reduced its investment.

So when Cicconi says that Net Neutrality means no buildout, the opposite is true.

By pressuring the company’s employees to pose as average citizens and post AT&T talking points, Cicconi is asking them to be doubly deceptive. Not only are they asked to hide their true identities but also to spread misinformation on behalf of a company that seems to be getting more desperate by the day.

*****

Watch Glenn Beck on Net Neutrality, 10-20-2009, YouTube video – 6:22

Watch Net Neutrality, a great overall explanation of what’s at stake - 2:50

FCC To Push ‘Net Neutrality’ – Bloomberg

Obama Administration Moves Against
Health Insurers, Big Banks

U.S. to Order Steep Pay Cuts
at Firms That Got Most Aid

U.S. to Order Steep Pay Cuts at Firms That Got Most Aid, ©The New York Times, October 21, 2009, by Stephen Labaton, excerpt quoted verbatim:

“WASHINGTON — Responding to the growing furor over the paychecks of executives at companies that received billions of dollars in federal bailouts, the Obama administration will order the companies that received the most aid to deeply slash the compensation to their highest paid executives, an official involved in the decision said on Wednesday.

“Under the plan, which will be announced in the next few days by the Treasury Department, the seven companies that received the most assistance will have to cut the cash payouts to their 25 best-paid executives by an average of about 90 percent from last year. For many of the executives, the cash they would have received will be replaced by stock that they will be restricted from selling immediately.

“And for the 25 best-paid executives, the total compensation, which includes bonuses, will drop, on average, by about 50 percent.

“The companies are Citigroup, Bank of America, the American International Group, General Motors, Chrysler and the financing arms of the two automakers.

“At the financial products division of A.I.G., the locus of problems that plagued the large insurer and forced its rescue with more than $180 billion in taxpayer assistance, no top executive will receive more than $200,000 in total compensation, a stunning decline from previous years in which the unit produced many wealthy executives and traders.

“In contrast to previous years, an official said, executives in the financial products division will receive no other compensation, like stocks or stock options.” ….

Read the full article, here.

*****

Democrats Go After Anti-Trust Exemption for Insurers

Democrats Go After Anti-Trust Exemption for Insurers, © Associated Press; Truthout, October 21, 2009, by David Espo (AP), excerpt quoted verbatim:

“Washington – Democrats launched a drive at both ends of the Capitol on Wednesday to strip the insurance industry of its decades-old exemption from federal antitrust laws, part of an increasingly bare-knuckled struggle over landmark health care legislation sought by President Barack Obama.

“If enacted, the change would put an end to “price-fixing, bid-rigging and market allocation in the health and medical malpractice” insurance areas, said Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee. Leahy said he would seek a vote on the plan when the Senate debates health care legislation in the next few weeks.

“Leahy made his comments at the same time the House Judiciary Committee voted 20-9 to end an industry exemption that dates to 1945. Three Republicans supported the move.”

Read more on the Democrats call for stripping the anti-trust exemption for health insurors, here.

Evans Politics, October 21, 2009
Daily Kos TV video – 7:27