3
POPSReport: 237 millionaires in Congress
Senators’ estimated median reportable worth sunk to about $1.79 million from $2.27 million in 2007. The House’s median income was significantly lower and also sank, bottoming out at $622,254 from $724,258 in 2007. But CRP’s analysis suggests that some lawmakers did well for themselves between 2007 and 2008, even as many Americans lost jobs and saw their savings and their home values plummet. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) gained about $9.2 million. Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla.) gained about $3 million, Sen. Daniel Inouye (D-Hawaii) had an estimated $2.6 million gain, and Richard Shelby (R-Ala.) gained about $2.8 million. Some lawmakers have profited from investments in companies that have received federal bailouts; dozens of lawmakers are invested in Wells Fargo, Citigroup, Goldman Sachs and Bank of America. Vice President Joe Biden has often tagged himself as an original blue collar man. The CRP backs him up, putting his net worth at just $27,000.
1
POPSVenezuela Exerts It's Right To Make Own Policies The Embassy of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela stresses that the relationship between Venezuela and Iran is longstanding, peaceful and of no threat to the national security of the U.S. or of any other country. It is not that the relationship between Venezuela and Iran poses a real threat to the United States; it is instead that some in Washington cannot move beyond viewing Latin America as part of its “backyard.” Contrary to the opinions of these policymakers, Venezuela’s foreign policy is made in Caracas – not in Washington. At the end of his opening statement today Rep.Engel called for a reengagement of U. S. foreign policy with Latin America. We applaud his efforts, but they should be based on mutual respect. We reject the notion that Washington should have veto power over the decision of Latin American countries to engage with the rest of the world.
0
POPS23 Americans Convicted in Italy for CIA Kidnapping The Americans were accused of kidnapping Osama Moustafa Hassan Nasr, also known as Abu Omar, on Feb. 17, 2003, in Milan, then transferring him to U.S. bases in Italy and Germany. He was then moved to Egypt, where he says he was tortured. He was released after four years in prison without being charged. The trial is the first by any government over the CIA's extraordinary rendition program, which transferred suspects overseas for interrogation. Human rights advocates charge that renditions were the CIA's way to outsource the torture of prisoners to countries where it is permitted. Italy's government has denied involvement. Among the Americans acquitted was Jeffrey Castelli, a former Rome CIA station chief, who prosecutors had alleged coordinated the abduction. The two other acquitted Americans were also assigned to the U.S. Embassy in the Italian capital and thus were covered by broad diplomatic immunity.
7
POPS Babies Taken From Parents and Sold The adoption fee was split between the orphanages and local officials, the newspaper said. Child trafficking is widespread. A tightening of adoption rules for foreigners in 2006 has proved ineffective in the face of local corruption.
5
POPSThe True Story of a Mutt, a Marine & a Miracle The next day, Dennis said goodbye to Nubs, but he didn't forget about the dog. He began mentioning Nubs in emails he wrote to friends and family back home. "I found a dog in the desert," Dennis wrote in an email in October 2007. "I call him Nubs. We clicked right away. He flips on his back and makes me rub his stomach." "Every couple of weeks, we'd go back to the border fort and I'd see Nubs every time," says Dennis. "Each time, he followed us around a little more." And every time the men rumbled away in their Humvees, Nubs would run after them. On one trip to the border fort in December 2007, Dennis found Nubs was badly wounded in his left side where he'd been stabbed with a screwdriver. "The wound was infected and full of pus," Dennis recalls. "We pulled out our battle kits and poured antiseptic on his wound and force fed him some antibiotics wrapped in peanut butter." That night, Nubs was in so much pain that he refused food and water and slept standing up.
4
POPSHistory-Making Edits, Before Photoshop While some people enjoy adding individuals to their images, others prefer to edit them out – as in the cases of these photographs of Joseph Stalin, Mao Tse-tung, Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini respectively. In each of the first three photos there was a political compatriot who, after falling from favor, was removed entirely from the scene and thus erased from a part of history. In the final image, a horse handler was edited out to convey a greater sense of grandeur. Perhaps it is simply selective and subjective, but it seems strangely fitting in some way that most of the edits of of American heroes are additive while those of other infamous world leaders are subtractive – but who knows what other manipulations we have yet to catch.
4
POPSGoldman Sucks’ new role: Taking Your Homes The couple alleges that Goldman declined for three years to confirm their suspicions that it had bought their mortgages from a subprime lender, even after they wrote to Goldman’s then-Chief Executive Henry Paulson — later U.S. Treasury secretary — in 2003. Unable to identify a lender, the couple could neither capitalize on a mortgage hardship provision that would allow them to defer some payments, nor on a state law enabling them to offset their debt against separate, investment-related claims against Goldman. In July, the Beckers won a David-and-Goliath struggle when Goldman subsidiary MTGLQ Investors dropped its bid to seize their house. By then, the college-educated couple had been reduced to shopping for canned goods at flea markets and selling used ceramic glass. Theirs is an infrequent happy ending among the hundreds of cases...
1
POPSU.S. Offshoring and Multinational Corporations Perhaps the ultimate expression of capitalism results in the export of jobs to lowest-cost countries to enable what used to be “American companies”, now multinational corporations that have the sole goal of maximizing their corporate profits. The ultimate political expression has evolved to a sector of the world that is, in effect, ruled by multinational corporations. What is worse is that these multinationals fail to realize that ultimately they are undercutting their own profits and shrinking their own market by underminding their own profit center in formerly prosperous prime economies. The bonus from offshoring can only last so long and is highly subject to proper application and use within a given multinational corporation. Offshoring is not a cure-all for corporate profits, nor a real solution for long-term benefit to anyone. No government contracts should be given to multinational corporations, ever!
2
POPSI See London... So far I have been to Aruba, Hawaii, London, New York, Italy, Rio de Janeiro, Greece, a zoo, a few nature trails, and Iceland all in one day! Whew! I should be tired, lol. Really cool viewing of Trafalgar Square and Leicester Square here, although it is dark there now, so check back tomorrow at an earlier time, it's nearly 10 p.m. atm. Use the 3 different camera views under the feed to choose which place you want to see.
5
POPSBad Manors Squirrel Diner LIVE Catch a live streaming video cam of the "diner" here: http://www.ustream.tv/channel/Bad-Manors-Squirrel-Diner-LIVE (I just saw a squirrel take some of the fruit when I was clipping this, so cute! But he ran off for now)
8
POPSImagine Peace The electricity for the light is generated entirely naturally - geothermally from hot water - at the Hellisheidi Geothermal Power Plant and is one of the reasons for situating the artwork in Iceland. The Imagine Peace Tower is closely connected to Ono's interactive artwork Wish Tree from 1981. The Wish Tree has been integral to many of Yoko's exhibitions around the world in museums and cultural centers where people have been invited to write their personal wishes for peace and tie them to a tree branch. Now amounting to over 700,000 wishes. They are to be housed at the Imagine Peace Tower. EarthCam visitors are invited to send wishes to the Imagine Peace Tower archives by email to wish@imaginepeace.com or by mail to: IMAGINE PEACE TOWER PO Box 1009 121 Reykjavik, Iceland. You can send as many wishes as you like, as often as you like. The site also has many live cams up all over the world, wicked cool stuff!
1
POPSUS Planning to Weaken Copenhagen Climate Deal The move reflects a "prehistoric" level of debate on climate change in the wider US, according to another high-ranking European official, and anxiety in the Obama administration about its ability to get a new global treaty ratified in the US Senate, where it would require a two-thirds majority vote. The US has not ratified a major international environment treaty since 1992 and President Clinton never submitted the Kyoto protocol for approval, after a unaminous Senate vote indicated it would be rejected on economic grounds. Stuart Eizenstat, who negotiated Kyoto for the US, said: "There has been a sea change in US attitudes and the new president is deeply committed on this issue. But the EU needs to understand the limitations in the US. The reality is that is it impossible for my successor to negotiate something in Copenhagen beyond that which Congress will give the administration in domestic cap-and-trade legislation."
3
POPSClub of Rome "The real enemy then, is humanity itself." According to its website, the Club of Rome is composed of "scientists, economists, businessmen, international high civil servants, heads of state and former heads of state from all five continents who are convinced that the future of humankind is not determined once and for all and that each human being can contribute to the improvement of our societies." "Searching for a new enemy to unite us..." See also "Comittee of 300" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=crYO5Or-86M "The threat of pollution, global warming, water shortages, and famine can be used to fulfill humanity's need for a common adversary"
10
POPSVatican Condemns Hallowe'en Last year a newspaper controlled by the Italian bishops, Avvenire, called for a boycott of Hallowe'en, calling it a "dangerous celebration of horror and the macabre" which could encourage "pitiless sects without scruples". Earlier this week the Catholic Church in Spain also condemned the growing popularity of Halloween, saying it threatened to overshadow the Christian festival of All Saints' Day. The Bishop of Siguenza-Guadalajara, Jose Sanchez, said there was a risk that Halloween could "replace Christian customs like devotion to saints and praying for the dead."
7
POPSRemember Cassette Tapes? These Are Amazing! Ghost in the Machine: "In this series I showcase a number of portraits of musicians made out of recycled cassette tape with original cassette. Also included are portraits made from old film and reels. The idea comes from a philosopher's (Ryle) description of how your spirit lives in your body. I imagine we are all, like cassettes, thoughts wrapped up in awkward packaging." : )
5
POPSDisplays of the Dead Some of these sites result from a phenomenon that has naturally (or supernaturally?) mummified the dead, while others consist of artful arrangements of bones and skulls done by a creative monk in his spare time. In addition to such collections of human remains, many saints whose bodies have been miraculously preserved are on display in churches. (There's also a Buddhist example of the miracle in Siberia.) Such displays of the dead certainly appeal to travelers with a taste towards the macabre, but they can also provide reflective travelers with a powerful reminder of the impermanence of life. Whatever your reason for checking out the dead on display, the sites below are widely recognized as among the best in the world. Also listed are individual preserved bodies of saints and other famous figures. More info here: http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2009/02/sicily-crypts/gill-text
8
POPSChina Rescues Kidnapped Children Increased wealth and freedom of movement in China have made human trafficking both more profitable and easier, analysts say. Beijing has promised to do more. A national DNA database was set up this year to help trace missing children.
6
Clips
Latest Pops
Latest Comments
Most Pops
Tags
Print
Save
Turn on live update