I have a hard time understanding how we could suddenly talk about torture as one option for interrogation. What about universal human rights? What about American ideals of freedom, democracy and respect for life? What about 'end does not justify the means'?
Dahlia Lithwick writes about how we got 'there' from 'here': the Abu Ghraib scandal numbed our psyche to accept torture.
- Of course some of us cannot accept torture as a viable option ever. But some of us cannot accept the death penalty either.
How the Abu Ghraib images lost their power to horrify. By Dahlia Lithwick - Slate Magazine
Friday, September 29, 2006
Thursday, September 28, 2006
Had Enough?
More disasters in Iraq: all the money that's been pouring in to rebuild a nation destroyed by our tanks and guns is going to waste by incompetence, greed and corruption. How much is too much? When do we say 'enough'? When do we stop paying taxes to support this lunacy? Is it not time to have another tea party?
The Seattle Times: Nation & World: Crucial Iraq police academy "a disaster"
The Seattle Times: Nation & World: Crucial Iraq police academy "a disaster"
Wednesday, September 27, 2006
Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton is finally stepping out of silence and speaking out about the events prior to 9/11. He was interviewed on FOX news and he gave a spirited defense of his presidency; it was fun to watch. I miss his intellect and ability to debate.
"You Did Your Nice Little Conservative Hit Job On Me."
"You Did Your Nice Little Conservative Hit Job On Me."
Tuesday, September 26, 2006
Friday, September 22, 2006
Television valta
Amerikkalaiset katsovat telkkaria yli nelja tuntia paivassa ja telkkari on paalla yli kahdeksan tuntia paivittain. Kodeissa on enemman televisioita kuin ihmisia; melkein joka huoneessa on vastaanotin. Ei ihme etta ne, jotka omistavat median, omistavat kansalaisten mielen. (Varsinkin, kun suurin osa ohjelmista on puppua ja tyhjan taytetta, jotta saataisiin mainokset nakyviin.)
TVs taking over in U.S. homes
By DAVID BAUDER The AssociatedPress
NEW YORK — The average U.S. home has more television sets than people.
That threshold was crossed within the past two years, according to Nielsen Media Research. There are 2.73 TV sets in the typical home and 2.55 people, the researchers said.
Rick Melen, a facilities manager, has three sets in the Somers, N.Y., home he shares with his wife. That doesn't count the bathroom set that broke down and hasn't been replaced or the speakers installed near their hot tub, allowing them to watch a wide-screen set through a window.
"It's really just a matter of where your living takes place, what rooms you tend to spend your time in," Melen said Thursday. "Other appliances you can move from room to room, but if you have cable, you can't move a television."
Also, the popularity of flat-screen TVs makes it easy to put sets where they haven't been before.
Half of U.S. homes have three or more TVs, and only 19 percent have just one, Nielsen said. In 1975, 57 percent of homes had only one set and 11 percent had three or more, the company said.
David and Teresa Leon, of Schenectady, N.Y., and their 4-year-old twins have seven sets, plus an eighth they haven't set up yet. They include TVs in the parents' and kids' bedrooms, the family and living rooms and one in the kitchen that is usually tuned to a news station.
"No one ever sits down for more than a few seconds in this house," said Teresa Leon, a stenographer. "This way you can watch TV while you're moving from room to room, folding laundry or taking care of the kids."
In the average home, a television set is on for more than one-third of the day: 8 hours, 14 minutes, Nielsen said. That's an hour more than it was a decade ago.
The average person watches 4 hours, 35 minutes of television each day, Nielsen said.
One new Nielsen finding — that young people 12 to 17 watched 3 percent more television during the season that ended in May than they had the previous year — is a particular relief to TV network executives.
For a few years, Nielsen had found that TV viewing among teenagers was flat or declining, a trend blamed on the Internet or the popularity of electronic games and other devices.
Copyright © 2006 The Seattle Times Company
TVs taking over in U.S. homes
By DAVID BAUDER The AssociatedPress
NEW YORK — The average U.S. home has more television sets than people.
That threshold was crossed within the past two years, according to Nielsen Media Research. There are 2.73 TV sets in the typical home and 2.55 people, the researchers said.
Rick Melen, a facilities manager, has three sets in the Somers, N.Y., home he shares with his wife. That doesn't count the bathroom set that broke down and hasn't been replaced or the speakers installed near their hot tub, allowing them to watch a wide-screen set through a window.
"It's really just a matter of where your living takes place, what rooms you tend to spend your time in," Melen said Thursday. "Other appliances you can move from room to room, but if you have cable, you can't move a television."
Also, the popularity of flat-screen TVs makes it easy to put sets where they haven't been before.
Half of U.S. homes have three or more TVs, and only 19 percent have just one, Nielsen said. In 1975, 57 percent of homes had only one set and 11 percent had three or more, the company said.
David and Teresa Leon, of Schenectady, N.Y., and their 4-year-old twins have seven sets, plus an eighth they haven't set up yet. They include TVs in the parents' and kids' bedrooms, the family and living rooms and one in the kitchen that is usually tuned to a news station.
"No one ever sits down for more than a few seconds in this house," said Teresa Leon, a stenographer. "This way you can watch TV while you're moving from room to room, folding laundry or taking care of the kids."
In the average home, a television set is on for more than one-third of the day: 8 hours, 14 minutes, Nielsen said. That's an hour more than it was a decade ago.
The average person watches 4 hours, 35 minutes of television each day, Nielsen said.
One new Nielsen finding — that young people 12 to 17 watched 3 percent more television during the season that ended in May than they had the previous year — is a particular relief to TV network executives.
For a few years, Nielsen had found that TV viewing among teenagers was flat or declining, a trend blamed on the Internet or the popularity of electronic games and other devices.
Copyright © 2006 The Seattle Times Company
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