Headline Howler: Oops, Angus Reid did it again

…”it” being, you guessed it, screwing the pooch.

My friend Anthony, from Sweden, writes:

During the Uruguay campaign last year, I went into Angus Reid a lot to get the latest poll numbers. Today, while trying to find some other poll numbers, I noticed some really stupid things. First of all, an article about Evo Morales on the front page, refering to him as “Despotic Evo”. Oh yeah, ’cause trying to save Bolivia from Nazi terrorists from Hungary and Croatia is evil! How dare he go after terrorists…I call outrage! Oy vey..

And then I was searching for “Argentina”, trying to find the President’s latest poll numbers, after some of the business stories I’ve read about. And this made me crack the fuck up: “Most Argentines Reject Same-Sex Marriage” and “Most Argentines Support Same-Sex Marriage” – on the same page! I’ll give you a screencap, no alterings or whatever.

Here’s the pic:

angus-reid-wtf.jpg

And here, for those who are curious, is “Despotic Evo”. No mention whatsoever of the fact that he was up against a bunch of wanking crooks who were themselves too cowardly to debate, and whose “campaign” consisted mainly of whining and dumb-fuck publicity stunts, nada más.

Yep, Angus Reid is officially full of fail as a “global monitor”. It is nothing but a stinking crapaganda sausage factory.

Any further questions?

Share this story:
Posted in All About Evo, Don't Cry For Argentina, Fascism Without Swastikas, Headline Howlers, Isn't It Ironic?, Paraguay, Uruguay, Teh Ghey | Comments Off on Headline Howler: Oops, Angus Reid did it again

It was 18 years ago today…

…that a military uprising in Venezuela, against an elected president turned tyrant, failed. A group of army officers, tired of the abuse their country had taken for over three decades at the hands of “democratic” opportunists, decided to take matters into their own hands. The rebellion failed, but just one minute’s TV time launched the rebel leader on what would become a career in politics. Perhaps he looks familiar?

Yep, that’s Lt.-Col Hugo Chávez, commander of a paratroop regiment–turning himself in before the TV cameras, and asking his comrades to give themselves up as well. Two words–“Por ahora”, “for now”–were all it took to give the country new hope. Chávez spent two years in prison before being pardoned by the late Rafael Caldera, and promptly began touring the country, hearing people out as to what they really wanted from their democracy. He formulated a platform based on constitutional reform and on getting the boot of international capital off Venezuela’s neck. In 1999 he became president, as a civilian.

He’s been wildly popular ever since.

Share this story:
Posted in Huguito Chavecito | Comments Off on It was 18 years ago today…

Quotable: John Perkins on the Haiti disaster

“We are encouraged to believe that USAID, the World Bank, and other institutions are truly philanthropic, there to serve the best interests of the people and the country. However, the reality is that, in previous cases — such as the Asian tsunami — much of this aid is employed to help huge multinational companies gain a strangle-hold on resources (including cheap labor) and markets. Instead of helping local fisherman, farmers, restaurant, and bed and breakfast owners rebuild their devastated businesses, the money is invested in projects that benefit the Krafts, Chiquitas, Monsantos, Marriotts, and big box restaurant chains of the world.

“In the case of Haiti, we also must not forget history. In the early 1800s the country declared its independence from France and proclaimed itself “slave-free.” The French sued the new nation, stating that the loss of the slaves had negatively impacted the French economy. It was just one in a series of actions taken by foreign powers to subjugate Haiti. US Marines invaded in 1915 and occupied the nation for 19 years; ever since Haiti has been the haunt of corporate executives and government officials who have corrupted one leader after another.

“While the earthquake happened in an instant, it took years of corporatocracy actions to create such a poverty-ridden country. There was no way Haiti could respond to a 7.0 earthquake because the misguided policies and interventions stripped it of any potential it might have had for surviving such a major traumatic event.”

–John Perkins, “The Tremor Felt Round the World”

Share this story:
Posted in If You REALLY Care, Quotable Notables | Comments Off on Quotable: John Perkins on the Haiti disaster

Venezuela’s “peaceful” oppos strike again…

And look! They love playing Laser Tag…or is it AirSoft?

venezuelan-oppo.jpg

Real story here.

Seems a bit excessive considering they’re fighting for a trashy profiteer’s cable-TV channel, not their own freedom of speech. Doesn’t it?

Share this story:
Posted in Crapagandarati, Fascism Without Swastikas, Huguito Chavecito, Isn't That Illegal? | 10 Comments

The Washington Post lies–Haitians want foreign military troops out!

haiti-texting.jpg

The other day, I noted that the Washington Post was full of shit regarding Haiti. Today, an item in Aporrea confirms what I suspected: Haiti’s poor may want and need aid, but they don’t want it at gunpoint…from anywhere:

The opposition to the international military presence in Haiti consists mainly of followers of President Jean-Bertrand Aristide, ousted in 2004 and 1991 in coups attributed to the influence of Washington, and is based in neighborhoods such as Cité Soleil or Bel Air, where murals of Aristide’s face reside alongside graffiti of Bob Marley and Martin Luther King.

“Aristide built everything here, and the Brazilians destroyed it,” says a man named Jean, in one of the ruined streets of Bel Air, to a correspondent of the Brazilian newspaper, Folha de São Paulo. The Brazilians form the main contingent of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH).

One of the main tasks of MINUSTAH has been to disarm groups loyal to Aristide between 2004 and 2007. The Brazilian soldiers “are not our friends. They killed our people,” said a director of Popular Masses, Vanel Louis Paul.

Other sectors of the population are more favorable to the presence of MINUSTAH, whose military direction comes from Brazil, but the Folha correspondent underscored that a “radicalized sector” exists, which the international mission is well aware of.

“We will not stop watching closely and with concern the actions of the partisans of Aristide, in spite of the weakness of their position”, said the communications chief of the Brazilian battalion of MINUSTAH, Colonel Alan Santos.

Every year on the 28th of February, in Port-au-Prince, Aristide supporters demonstrate, recalling the coup d’état of 2004 and calling for the departure of MINUSTAH. This year, they will be joined by some 5,500 former members of armed groups, who were able to escape from prison in the earthquake of January 12.

The former president is exiled in South Africa, and has demanded to return to Haiti, promising not to run for office in the next presidential elections. However, his party, Fanmi Lavalas, still holds much influence, particularly among the poorest Haitians. “We’re all over the country. We are the majority party,” asserts the party president, Maryse Narcisse.

The former minister is diplomatic when speaking of the Brazilians, but still has asked for a timetable for their departure, something the UN says will not happen “for many years”.

“We can’t believe that MINUSTAH will be staying forever. We need international solidarity, but we must have dignity for ourselves,” Narcisse said.

Translation mine.

Recall that MINUSTAH has suffered its own blow as a result of the earthquake; the building that housed its headquarters was levelled, and the leader of the mission was killed. Little wonder, then, that Washington decided to send in the Fourth Fleet…to “stabilize” and “secure” Haiti, of course. (And also to make sure that the Cuban/Venezuelan/Dominican/etc. relief efforts are stymied and limited, so that their own star can shine all the brighter. Never mind how little of the cash spent on it actually goes to Haiti.)

Meanwhile, some other foreign invaders–religious, rather than military–are also facing rejection by the Haitian people:

A woman claiming to be the mother of five of the 33 children taken by a US church group intending to remove them illegally from Haiti last Saturday, came to the local police on Monday and said she was sorry for having handed over the children.

The woman, who gave her name as Magonie, made the statement at the Judicial Police Centre (a provisional seat of the Government of Haiti) in the company of others who also said they were mothers of some of the children, and told journalists they thought their children would be better off with the US citizens.

“I gave them to the pastor (who headed the group) so he would give them a better life, but now I’m sorry I did it,” said the woman, moments before police officers took her inside to make an official statement.

Translation, again, mine.

The article goes on to note that Haiti’s judicial system is still in place (shocking, eh?) and that a government minister demanded that it be respected. Also that the children being taken had no official documents, and therefore were definitely being removed illegally from the country (and, it turns out, their still living parents.)

There are all kinds of hinky things about this account of supposed do-gooders trying to give poor kids a better life, but the one that leaps out most at me is the claim that they were supposedly being taken to an orphanage–still under construction–in the Dominican Republic. Why house homeless kids in an unfinished compound in another country, especially if they’re not really orphans?

Again, it’s just one more example of “aid” that really isn’t. And that isn’t anything except shameless opportunism in disguise. The sort of thing, in short, that deserves loud boos from everyone, even in the US itself.

Especially there.

Share this story:
Posted in Crapagandarati, Fascism Without Swastikas, If You REALLY Care, Isn't It Ironic?, Pissing Jesus Off | Comments Off on The Washington Post lies–Haitians want foreign military troops out!

Q. Why does Evo Morales have such nice, shiny hair?

A. He’s always brushing it. Otherwise, the confetti would build up to unbearable levels and crush him:

evo-mobbed2.jpg

BTW, he’s also been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize…again. If he ever wins it, he will undoubtedly deserve it more than the last guy before him.

Share this story:
Posted in All About Evo | 2 Comments

Facebook: So much weird shit, so little time

So my friend Ryan puts this up on his Facebook page:

Go to urbandictionary.com, type in your first name, copy and paste this as your status, and put the first entry for your name under comments: A name, which is commonly both a first or last name, which is very often confused with Brian. Its Irish roots define the name as “little king”.

Well, I went to the site in question, put in my first name, and here’s what I got:

Bosnian bush wacker who brings people to their knees. One who hails from the country of Sukkalotadik.

Beautiful, yet strong. Never stand in a Sabina’s way, or she will kick your ass, especially if you have gathered multiple STD’s by having sex with many girls (i.e. Kaylees, Karis, etc.) Stunningly gorgeous, boys fall to their knees as a Sabina walks by begging for her approval. Few actually gain her approval, and the rest are shunned as though they’re black and have AIDS.

Never fuck with a Sabina.

A: oh shit, I can’t hide this woody in front of the Sabina

I’m sorry, I can’t post that to Facebook. I’m laughing too hard.

Share this story:
Posted in The WTF? Files | Comments Off on Facebook: So much weird shit, so little time

One hundred thousand words…

…and all is well. I think.

I just hit a major milestone on my novel today, and what happens? I lose the word count indicator at the bottom of the page. This happened on my last draft, too, as soon as I hit the 100,000 word mark. Poof! 100,000 words, and I don’t get to see the counter tick over, because it’s apparently only five digits long.

It’s very disorienting to see that happen.

To some extent I rely on word count to let me know when I’ve done enough for one day; if I’m really stuck, I can at least see that my count has gone up, and take heart from that.

Now I can’t do that, unless I choose “Word Count” from the Tools menu. Which is something I don’t like to do, because it breaks the flow of writing too much.

Maybe this is just another lovely “feature” of Microsoft Word, but I prefer to call it a bug. Because it sure as hell bugs ME.

writers-block-gaaa.jpg

Share this story:
Posted in Writer Lady Sings the Blues | 6 Comments

Short ‘n’ Stubby: Haiti roundup (and ripoffs), part deuxième

calico-manx.jpg

How are things in Haiti? Here’s a small sampling of the news…

Rafael Correa’s cojones are hangin’ out all over the place. He was in Hispaniola recently, first pledging aid to Haiti, then crossing to the Dominican Republic and showing support for Mel Zelaya, who’s now a guest of president Leonel Fernández. He also appears in the following video:

…in which a Haitian government spokesman confirms that the first foreign aid to Haiti came from Cuba, and the first foreign head of state to visit was Dominican president Fernández, who showed up the day after the temblor. Sean Penn also makes a special guest appearance.

The Washington Post is full of predictable, disgusting crapaganda. Did they talk to any Haitians who didn’t want a US invasion, or did they just not feel their voices should count? (For some real perspective on the issue, read this piece in the Jamaica Gleaner.)

John Pilger has nothing but scathing words for how this whole relief business has been handled by those who took over the effort. And who can blame him when the evidence is mounting that this effort is (a) stingy and (b) geared toward putting the bulk of the aid money back in the US’s own pockets? Medevac airlifts have resumed, but no one apparently knows for how long. Somehow, this all just makes me doubt the WaHoPo’s revolting dreck all the more.

The UN’s World Food Program has hit upon a unique way of making sure aid gets to families in need: issuing food coupons to women only. (The National Pest, predictably, takes a panic-stricken, near-racist tone covering the same story–note how high up in the article they mention gangs.)

NASA has flown planes over the quake zone to survey the damage aerially and scan for more danger; the scientific findings, so far, here.

One more reason for Canadians to be pissed off at the prorogation of Parliament: Haitian immigrants desperate to make a home here and reunite with family following the quake are being stymied by our too-tight immigration laws. Don’t look for amendments anytime soon, folks.

Haitian orphans whose adoptions were already in process before the quake, have been fast-tracked for entry to Canada. These youngsters are the lucky ones; those less lucky might find themselves in the clutches of child traffickers. Such as, say, a “personal shopper” website owner from Idaho (!), who has been caught shopping through the rubble for orphans of the quake, on whom she apparently expected to make a tidy profit while convincing herself and everyone else that she was doing the poor little tykes a favor.

And, get this: She was with a group of bible-thumpers looking to convert the little hoodoo heathens*. Nothing like a little opportunism to show the benevolence of Christian capitalism, eh?

*This one’s satire–I think.

Share this story:
Posted in Short 'n' Stubby | Comments Off on Short ‘n’ Stubby: Haiti roundup (and ripoffs), part deuxième

Oh Lula, how could you?

This is what vacillation looks like…

lula-contemplating.jpg

Maybe this is just resignation, or maybe it’s an attempt to play peacemaker, but it sure as hell smells like betrayal to me…

The president of Brazil, Luiz inácio Lula da Silva, is studying the different possible ways of recognizing the new government of Honduras, according his advisor for international affairs, Marco Aurelio García.

Lula’s objective is to unite with other countries in the region who have recognized the new president, Porfirio Lobo, who won the elections of last November. The results have already been recognized by Colombia, Panama, Peru, Guatemala and Costa Rica, but were rejected by the countries of the ALBA bloc.

According to García, Lula would be disposed to send a favorable signal to Lobo’s executive in the next Latin American-Caribbean summit, which will take place in late February in Mexico. “We’re evaluating the situation and waiting on the initiatives of the new government”, said García to Reuters.

“Brazil should not remain isolated,” García added. For that reason, the Brazilian president will wait until the summit in Mexico, in order to see if the countries of the region adopt a common posture with respect to Honduras. “The decision should be taken together,” he added, and assured that “there’s no hurry.”

Or maybe it’s just cynical triangulation, or an attempt to have one’s cake and eat it, too. Always so many possibilities to leave one guessing, eh?

Contrast that with the unambiguous stance of Lula’s counterpart from Ecuador:

The president of Ecuador, Rafael Correa, who landed in the Dominican Republic after his trip to Haiti, met on Saturday with the former president of Honduras, Manuel Zelaya, in the Ecuadorian embassy in Santo Domingo. He insisted that Ecuador would not recognize the recently inaugurated president, Porfirio Lobo.

“We won’t legitimize a government whose origin is illegitimate,” said Correa, referring to the Honduran presidential elections, which were organized by the “de facto” government installed after the coup d’état which removed Zelaya from office.

However, Correa added that the situation would not mean any kind of break with the Honduran people, according to a press release from the office of the presidency of Ecuador.

“He needs no invitation, he can come anytime he wants,” said Correa when asked about a possible visit by Zelaya to Ecuador.

Translations both mine.

This is what solidarity looks like:

correa-zelaya.jpg

Lula, take note. And don’t sell yourself out, because this one will surely come back to bite you after all you did for Mel. Remember whose embassy gave him shelter from the fascist thugs who wanted to kill him? Why, then, make peace with those thugs–or their illegitimate successors–as long as they remain unpunished for their antidemocratic move?

Or, to put it a different way: Lula, how the hell could you give democracy lip service, only to follow it up with a shank in the ribs? How could you even contemplate it?

Share this story:
Posted in Brazil is the Bomb!, Ecuadorable As Can Be, Not Hiding in Honduras | 2 Comments