the Sugar Conspiracy 

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Wednesday, March 03, 2004 A preview of what's to come President Bush's reelection campaign will begin running ads in key battleground states around the country tomorrow that focus on the president's leadership on the economy and on the war on terrorism, and feature firefighters and footage from the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. The multimillion-dollar ad blitz comes at a time when the president's job approval rating has been slipping and he has fallen slightly behind in polls to Sen. John F. Kerry (D-Mass.), who all but wrapped up the Democratic nomination in Super Tuesday last night. Lemme guess which part of these ads will get the most screen time. posted by chris at 3:04 PM   Downsize this! The hamburger giant has started phasing out its trademark Supersize fries and drinks in its U.S. restaurants as part of an effort to simplify its menu and give customers choices that support a balanced lifestyle, a company spokesman said Tuesday. By the end of 2004, Supersize will no longer be available at the nation's 13,000-plus McDonald's outlets except in certain promotions, McDonald's spokesman Walt Riker said. The move comes as the world's largest restaurant company, and fast-food chains in general, are under growing public pressure to give consumers healthier food options in a nation that has suddenly become aware of its bulging waistline and the health dangers that come with it. Good news. And where McDonald's leads, others follow. We may be seeing the end to supersizing in alot of fast food outlets. posted by chris at 12:14 PM   Greenspan's trouble with social security From the Center for America Progress: Alan Greenspan is trying to pull a bait-and-switch with the American people. In 1983, as chairman of a bipartisan Social Security commission, Greenspan said the only way to make Social Security solvent through the baby boom is to make the boomers pay for their benefits in advance. Since that time, everyone has been paying far more in Social Security taxes than has been paid to beneficiaries – to the tune of $1.8 trillion. In 2004, "Americans will pay about 50% more in Social Security taxes than the government will pay out in benefits." What has happened to all the extra cash? Instead of being held in trust or used to pay down deficits the Social Security surplus has been used to finance other aspects of government. Now, Greenspan is suggesting Social Security benefits be cut (while keeping the Social Security payroll tax at current levels) so we can afford to make Bush's tax cuts for the wealthy permanent. In essence, this transforms Social Security from a social welfare program for the elderly to an income redistribution program – from the lower and middle classes to those making over $300,000 a year. posted by chris at 10:13 AM   ------------------ Tuesday, March 02, 2004 UN reports the obvious A report from U.N. weapons inspectors to be released today says they now believe there were no weapons of mass destruction of any significance in Iraq after 1994, according to two U.N. diplomats who have seen the document. The historical review of inspections in Iraq is the first outside study to confirm the recent conclusion by David Kay, the former U.S. chief inspector, that Iraq had no banned weapons before last year's U.S-led invasion. It also goes further than prewar U.N. reports, which said no weapons had been found but noted that Iraq had not fully accounted for weapons it was known to have had at the end of the Gulf War in 1991. The report, to be outlined to the U.N. Security Council as early as Friday, is based on information gathered over more than seven years of U.N. inspections in Iraq before the 2003 war, plus postwar findings discussed publicly by Kay. Story. posted by chris at 5:04 PM   Government-approved ecstasy Capping a 17-year effort by a small but committed group of activists, the federal Drug Enforcement Administration has agreed to let a South Carolina physician treat 12 trauma victims with the illegal street drug ecstasy in what will be the first U.S.-approved study of the recreational drug's therapeutic potential. The DEA's move marks a historic turn for a drug that has long been both venerated and vilified. Ecstasy, also known as MDMA, is popular among casual drug users for its reputed capacity to engender feelings of love, trust and compassion. All we need is love . . . posted by chris at 5:00 PM   Horton hears a who? Today would be the 100th birthday of Dr. Suess. Do yourself a favor and go read The Lorax, The Sneetches, or Green Eggs and Ham. But, please, don't go see this. posted by chris at 1:29 PM   ------------------ Monday, March 01, 2004 Who are you who are so wise in the ways of science? President Bush yesterday dismissed two members of his hand-picked Council on Bioethics — a scientist and a moral philosopher who had been among the more outspoken advocates for research on human-embryo cells. In their places he appointed three new members, including a doctor who has called for more religion in public life, a political scientist who has spoken out precisely against the research that the dismissed members supported, and another who has written about the immorality of abortion and the "threats of biotechnology." -clip- Pressed as to why the pair had been singled out for dismissal, she said, "We've decided to go ahead and appoint other individuals with different expertise and experience." She would not elaborate. The turnover renewed a recent string of accusations by scientists that Bush increasingly is allowing politics to trump science on contentious issues. Becuase science can be whatever you want it to be! posted by chris at 7:32 PM   Haiti I haven't been following this too closely and I don't really know the history, but I have been reading a few articles here and there. The most recent events seem to have followed a pattern laid down many times before by the US government. That is, funneling arms or money or whatever to a rebel group in order to overthrow a democratically-elected president. Just ask half the countries in South and Central America. Not that Aristide was some great guy, I'm sure, but it sorta seems against general US principles to support an armed uprising against a democracy, don't you think? Even more. posted by chris at 7:21 PM   Sneaky tactics The Social Security Administration has told its offices nationwide not to accept marriage certificates from San Francisco as proof of identification for newlyweds looking to make name changes on Social Security cards. The new policy doesn't just apply to the 3,344 same-sex couples that married in San Francisco during the last two weeks. Heterosexual couples who wed after Feb. 12 also need to supply documents other than San Francisco-issued marriage licenses if they want to change the names on their Social Security cards. "Since the legality of the marriage licenses are in question, we are not accepting that document to change names," said Leslie Walker, a spokesman in the regional office that covers California and seven other western states and U.S. territories. The policy instruction was sent Thursday to all Social Security Administration offices nationwide, but it applies only to marriage licenses issued in San Francisco, said Lowell Kepke, a spokesman for Social Security's western region. The scope of the directive means that couples who live in Ohio, Pennsylvania or other states and came to San Francisco to tie the knot won't be able to change their Social Security cards when they return home, Kepke said. This news item, of course, was released Friday, when no one was paying attention. posted by chris at 10:27 AM   ------------------

    

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