The Hackenblog

I’m going to quit worrying that I don’t get out enough. I’m not making videos like this, so I must be getting out enough. Y’think?

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“Popular wisdom may suggest that toll roads are unfair to the poor, but a new study shows these pay-as-you go transportation options may actually be fairer to all income levels than paying for road improvements through sales taxes.”

~snip~

“The 91 Express Lanes is a 10-mile stretch of roadway with four lanes in the center of the freeway reserved for registered users with transponders. Subscribers can then pay a toll to enter the lanes and bypass stop-and-go traffic in the adjacent “free” lanes. The tolls are set to keep traffic in the reserved lanes free-flowing and range from $1.25 to $10 depending on direction and time of day.”
Toll Roads or Sales Taxes? Most forms of transportation finance are regressive forms of taxation that burden the poor more than the rich, says a new study by USC and UCLA researchers. By Anna Cearley, USC News, August 19, 2008 (also at Transportation if you have access)

Feh. I never drive the 91, but if I did have to drive that nightmare, I’d be happy to pay for it to be a better experience.

I’ll be saying this until the election is over: the MTA needs to do a better job with the money they have instead of taxing everyone in Los Angeles County so they can do more bad jobs in a few, very select places. Please vote NO on the MTA 1/2% increase in sales tax. 8.25% sales tax is enough already; 8.75% is too much for too little. Thank you for your attention

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Where has Dr. Aafia Siddiqui been for the past five years? And what’s been happening to her?

“On August 5, US newspapers carried the story of the capture of Dr. Aafia Siddiqui, a Pakistani woman who was trained in neuroscience here in the United States. Typical of the stories was this one in the NY Times. The report was fairly neutral, but there were some gaps in the coverage which seemed a little puzzling. Dr. Siddiqui was brought back to the US and charged in a New York federal district court for the crime of shooting at FBI agents. There was no other terrorism related charge, yet she was identified as someone who worked closely with Al Qaeda. Rather curious, don’t you think?

~snip~

“‘Ridley has been running a campaign called Cage Prisoner for the release of a mysterious female prisoner who has been held at the Bagram airbase in Afghanistan in total isolation and regularly tortured for five years.

“‘The unknown female prisoner, known as the Prisoner No. 650 or the Grey Lady of Bagram, was brought to the world attention after Ridley read about the woman in a book by fellow Briton Moazzam Begg, a former Gitmo and Bagram prisoner. In his book, Enemy Combatant, Beg talks of a woman’s endless screams for help as she was tortured. Beg first thought he was imagining his wife’s screams.

“‘”We now know the screams came from a woman who has been held in Bagram for some years. And she is Prisoner No. 650,” Ridley disclosed at a recent Press conference in Pakistan.

“‘And I strongly suspect that Prisoner No. 650 is none other than Dr Aafia Siddiqui. It is quite possible that her captors decided to end her isolation after the Pakistani Press and activists like Yvonne Ridley began increasingly talking about the Prisoner No. 650 and how she was tortured and abused physically, mentally and sexually for the past four years.’”
A New Low, Cab Drollery, August 17, 2008 (via)

A new low does not begin to describe five years of torture under the aegis of the United States. What the hell is going on here? Please read the whole post and spread the word about this. My hands are shaking too much to write more about it.

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I’m doing a weekly serialization of my new novel, The Pajama Boy, at the Wapshott Press.

I’ve also extended the super secret pre-sale until August 21.

Yay!

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“NEW YORK - How mud-wallowingly deep may a multi-millionaire US presidential campaign go? Way deep - deeper and deeper. And this is only early August.

“Republican Senator John McCain’s presidential campaign’s strategic decision is now all too obvious. Swift-boating Democratic Senator Barack Obama is the only way to go.

“The McCain-painted Obama is emerging as a US-hating, terrorist-friendly, deeply suspicious, radical, vapid black celeb - Puff Daddy with a Harvard degree. This “new bogeyman” picture travels well in those vast swathes of flyover US territory where urban hipness not only evokes envy and contempt but is regarded as a mortal sin.

“The McCain campaign knows that is the only chance in heaven and hell for their candidate in November. What can a strategist do when US voters desperately want change and reject the Republican brand in droves, your candidate is senile and insufferably boring, knows absolutely zilch about the economy, and supports a mega-unpopular war?

“So abandon all hope those who yearn for a serious political debate in the US. And it gets worse: signs are the McCain campaign ’strategy’ is working.”
Old Wrinkly’s Roverian cancer, by Pepe Escobar, Asia Times, August 8, 2008

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“‘California’s largest union local and a related charity have paid hundreds of thousands of dollars to firms owned by the wife and mother-in-law of the labor organization’s president, documents and interviews show.

“‘The Los Angeles-based union, which represents low-wage caregivers, also spent nearly $300,000 last year on a Four Seasons Resorts golf tournament, a Beverly Hills cigar club, restaurants such as Morton’s steakhouse and a consulting contract with the William Morris Agency, the Hollywood talent shop, records show.

“‘In addition, the union paid six figures to a video firm whose principals include a former union employee. And a now-defunct minor league basketball team coached by the president’s brother-in-law received $16,000 for what the union described as public relations, according to the union’s U.S. Labor Department filings and interviews.’” (LAT, 08/09/08)

“Labor unions constantly have to battle the usually false perception that they misuse funds, and face a well-funded right-wing campaign that seeks to undermine unions for even the slightest error. Most unions, including those I’ve been a part of, are very scrupulous about how they use money to avoid even the appearance of impropriety, so I am very surprised to hear that this was going on.”
SEIU Local 6434 Faces Financial Criticism, by Robert in Monterey, Caltics, August 9, 2008

Jesus, first that crazy chickie Cindy Montanez, now this! What next? A plague of frogs? Locusts? Fiery hail? An earthquake? Oh wait, we just had one of those. I was on the freeway so didn’t even notice. I’m talking about the earthquake, yes.

Shape up LA. I’m starting to feel kind of embarrassed.

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I was getting a pedicure this afternoon and The Olympics happened to be on: Womens’ Beach Volleyball in Beijing. Beach Volleyball in a landlocked city. Now, if they called it Buff Girls in Bikinis Volleyball on Sand, it would make much more sense. By the way, the USA Bikini Volleyball teams need cuter uniforms. I don’t know who we were playing, but we lost and looked bad doing so.

C’mon, America! Where’s Betsy Johnson, Guess, DNKY, or even Jantzen when we need them? USA! USA! USA! And cute bikinis for all who choose to wear them!

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Honestly! If you really want to know what’s going on in the world, you have to read the Asia Times.

“GORI, Georgia (Reuters) - Georgia called for a ceasefire on Saturday after Russian bombers widened an offensive to force back Georgian troops seeking control over the breakaway region of South Ossetia.

“President George W. Bush said Russian attacks on Georgia marked a ‘dangerous escalation’ of the crisis and urged Moscow to halt the bombing immediately.

“Russian President Dmitry Medvedev told Bush the only solution was for Georgian troops to quit the conflict zone.”
Georgia calls for ceasefire in South Ossetia, by Matt Robinson, Reuters, August 9, 2008

Well, this is horrible, and here’s some background you might have missed:

Don’t panic, this is from 2002:

“As Georgian troops began their ‘anti-terrorist’ operation in the Pankissy Valley last week, an alleged Russian air strike against a village in the valley made Georgian-Russian uneasy relations dangerously hostile. In reference to the incident, Georgian President Edward Sheverdnadzhe demanded an apology from Russia to normalize damaged relations, while the Georgian ambassador to the United Nations accused that country of state terrorism. The sudden escalation of hostility between the two neighboring countries reflects the growing sense of insecurity of Russia since the deployment of American “military advisers” in Georgia. It also indicated Georgia’s increasing boldness in its relations with Russia, stemming from its expanding military relations with the United States, a growing power in the Caucasus and Central Asia.”
Georgia and Russia square off, by Hooman Peimani, Asia Times, September 3, 2002

But closer to the present…

“The Caucasus Republic of Georgia, as nations go, is not apparently a major global player. Yet Washington has invested huge sums and organized to put its own despot, Mikhail Saakashvili, in the presidency in order to close a nuclear North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) iron ring around Russia.

“US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice visited the capital Tbilisi and made sharp statements against Moscow for supporting the separatist Georgian states of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, in essence blaming Moscow for an imminent war Washington has incited in order to bring Georgia into NATO by the December NATO summit.”

~snip~

” The underlying issue is the fact that since the dissolution of the Warsaw Pact in 1991, one after the other former members as well as former states of the USSR have been coaxed and in many cases bribed with false promises by Washington into joining the counter organization, NATO.”

~snip~

“Although the United States has trained several crack Georgian units in the past few years, the fighting effectiveness of all other elements is uncertain. There are no trained sergeants, and troop morale is running low. Only about 50% of the military equipment is operational, and coordinated operations in adverse conditions are impossible.”

~Ah, but here’s the crux of the matter:~

“However, Georgia under Washington’s man, strongman President Mikhail Saakashvili - a pretty ruthless dictator as he recently showed against domestic opposition - refuses to back off its provocative NATO bid.

“Georgia is also a strategic transit country for the Anglo-American Caspian oil pipeline from Baku in Azerbaijan through Georgia to the Turkish port of Ceyhan. As well, the Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum gas pipeline has been key to Azerbaijan as an alternative to the control of the Russian state monopoly Transneft in order to convey its oil and gas resources toward the West. The entire Caucasus is part of what can be described as a new Great Game for control of Eurasia between Washington and Russia.

“As the Moscow Times sees it, ‘One way to disrupt Georgia’s NATO aspirations would be to heat up the conflict in Abkhazia to a level that would make it unacceptable for the Western alliance, which acts by the consensus of all members, to offer membership. Georgia’s leadership could be escalating tensions in hope of prompting Abkhazia and Russia to make a move that would leave the West with no chance but to intervene.”
A war waiting to happen, by William Engdahl, Asia Times, July 16, 2008

Where there’s oil, there’s trouble.

And also:

“Last week, the gloves finally came off the Dmitry Medvedev presidency in Russia. It had to happen sooner or later, but few would have expected this soon. It was crystal clear US President George W Bush administered a diplomatic snub to Medvedev on the sidelines of the Group of Eight (G-8) summit meeting at Hokkaido, Japan.

“Bush characterized him patronizingly as a ’sharp guy’ soon after they met in Hokkaido on July 9, but that was after making sure Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice proceeded to Prague and signed a deal just the previous day to install a US radar system as part of its missile defense system in Central Europe.

“If Medvedev’s core mission in Hokkaido was to underscore Russia’s growing role in the world arena as a power with which the West has to contend, Bush acted as if he couldn’t care. The US was also plainly dismissive of Medvedev’s proposal at the G-8 for a pan-European security system that would include Russia. Medvedev expressed his ‘dismay’ on hearing about the Prague deal. As if to rub in the snub, Rice proceeded from Prague to Bulgaria, where the US has for the first time established a military base, and then on to Georgia to discuss its plans of joining the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

“While in Tbilisi, she called for international mediation to stop violence spilling over in Georgia’s beakaway regions of South Ossetia and Abhkazia, which have been sources of rising tensions, with Georgia accusing Russia of trying to annex the regions. To carry matters further, the US began a joint military exercise with Georgia codenamed Immediate Response 2008, near Tbilisi, which will continue through the month of July.”
Russia’s energy drive leaves US reeling, by M K Bhadrakumar, Asia Times, July 19, 2008

And any secret deals or promises of aid from the bush administration to Georgia are out the window. Or should be, but bush might be like his dad and leave a Somalia-like mess for his successor. Poor, Georgia. They just didn’t know not to go out on a limb during an election year. Because whether the U.S. intervenes or not, lots of people are going to die and none of them will be named Bush or Cheney.

Why do the Republicans need the Cold War so much? Why? I thought they wanted it gone more than life itself. And yet they’re doing everything they can to resurrect it. Obviously the U.S. needs more conflict so the bush mafias can rule through fear. They sure can’t govern through consent worth a damn.

(Whew…blogging like this really wears me out. No wonder I don’t do it anymore.)

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“BEIJING (Reuters) - A Chinese man stabbed to death the father-in-law of a U.S. Olympic coach at a Beijing tourist spot on Saturday before taking his own life, casting a pall over the first day of sports action at the Games.”

~snip~

“Tang Yongming, 47, from the eastern city of Hangzhou, attacked the trio shortly after midday at the centuries-old, 45-metre-high (148-ft-high) Drum Tower in central Beijing. He died after leaping from the Tower, police said.”
Father-in-law of U.S. volleyball coach killed, Reuters, August 9, 2008

Yikes.

“NEW YORK (Reuters) - Presidential hopeful Barack Obama listens to hip-hop, knows many of the genre’s moguls, such as Jay-Z, Russell Simmons and rapper Ludacris, admires their business acumen and has been endorsed by them.

“That support could be a blessing for the 47-year-old Democratic candidate as he appeals to young voters.

“Or it could be a curse, with links to hip-hop’s ‘gangsta’ image and offering ammunition for the supporters of Republican rival U.S. Sen. John McCain.

“‘Hip-hop’s public image makes it a hot potato,’ said Bakari Kitwana, of the Study of Race, Politics and Culture at the University of Chicago. ‘People don’t know what it is so they equate it with hyper-sexuality, violence and drug culture.’

“‘People on the right can always say this doesn’t represent family values and they can make these negative associations with hip-hop that then Barack or any other candidate is put in a position to defend,’ said Kitwana, who is publishing a book in September on organizing a hip-hop voting bloc.”
Hip-hop could “big up” or burden Obama, by Michelle Nichols, Reuters, August 9, 2008

Republican family values are sending young men and women to die for oil and murdering civilians and calling it Shock and Awe. I think we’re safer with even the worst of Hip Hop. The body count alone is considerably lower. So, shut the fuck up, Republican family value assholes.

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Now Edwards:

“WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Former U.S. Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards has admitted to having had an extramarital affair with a woman he met in a New York City bar in 2006, ABC News reported on Friday.

“ABC said an interview with Edwards would be broadcast later on Friday on the network’s show ‘Nightline.’

“According to the ABC News Internet site, ‘Edwards told ABC News correspondent Bob Woodruff he did have an affair with 44-year-old Rielle Hunter, but said that he did not love her.’”
John Edwards admits affair, Reuters, August 8, 2008

Why are men so stupid? Even the ones that seem like good guys. And cruel, John, you cheated your wife, who had and still has breast cancer, so it’s cruel squared. Why? Jerk.

Or why don’t you guys just pick a better class of women to cheat with? You, too, Bill.

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Hey, I want to be Cindy Montanez when I grow up.

“It depends on the meaning of ‘recover.’ She (Montanez) still has not been elected to office after leaving the Assembly at the end of 2006.

“However, she was quickly appointed by Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa to the City Planning Commission. And, then-Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez, a firm Villaraigosa ally, appointed her to the state Unemployment Insurance Appeals Board, where Montanez is currently making $130,000 annually.

“More recently, Montanez was hired by DWP chief David Nahai to serve as a lobbyist for the agency. That’s a job that pulls $12,500 a month. (Which is another $150K/year for Montanez to do…something. Is this woman really worth over a quarter million a year to California taxpayers? I wonder.)

“Nahai told The Times’ David Zahniser that he did not believe the state job would distract Montanez from her duties at the DWP.

‘The appeals board, as you may know, is an engagement that is only one day a month,’ said Nahai, who this year ordered an audit of his home’s water use — his sprinklers were running when it rained — after journalist Alan Mittelstaedt had to threaten to sue to get Nahai to release his own water bills. (The Times’ L.A. Now also had a nice elaboration on that soggy episode.)”
Los Angeles City Council; Ramping up, August 7, Bottleneck Blog, August 7, 2008

Why does a 1 day a month job cost California taxpayers $130K/year plus benefits? Why?

David Nahai has a very tough act to follow at the DWP in S. David Freeman, the man who just said no to energy deregulation. Based on what I’ve seen of and read about Nahai, he’s not just an idiot, he’s a fucking idiot.

If you read the whole thing about the Metro Transit Authority wanting to add .5 cents to our already 8.25% sales tax, I say fuck ‘em. MTA needs to do their job better, not do the same crappy job with more money. No elected official wants to say that, but that’s what the fighting is really about.

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But maybe this time for real and for everyone.

Inexperienced celebrity…heh

(via)

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(via)

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(via, which is the only way I see these things)

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Send me your blog essays!

And we have such a nice cover already.

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“The Pajama Boy ” pre-sale extended to August 12.

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