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Networks Ignore Missouri Voters’ Rejection of ObamaCare, Instead Celebrate Obama’s Birthday

Posted on August 4, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

In the first voter referendum on ObamaCare, Missourians on Tuesday overwhelmingly (by 71 to 29 percent) backed Proposition C which called upon the state to enact a statute to “deny the government authority to penalize citizens for refusing to purchase private health insurance,” an outcome the St. Louis Post-Dispatch described as “rebuking President Barack Obama’s administration.” On Wednesday night, however, the ABC, CBS and NBC evening newscasts skipped the bad news for President Obama – yet all found time to celebrate his 49th birthday.   (The Missouri repudiation of a central tenet of ObamaCare came a day after another setback for ObamaCare which the newscasts also ignored: A federal district judge in Richmond rejected the Obama administration’s quest to block Virginia’s lawsuit challenging Congress’ jurisdiction to mandate individuals buy health insurance.) “At the White House today, they sang to the President,” ABC anchor Diane Sawyer touted over a graphic which declared it Obama’s “Big Day.” Viewers were treated to one stanza of “Happy birthday to you!” before Sawyer related: “He says we’ve watched him go gray, and the photographs since the campaign do show a little speckle in that hair.” With his wife and one daughter in Spain and the other daughter at camp, “the President [is] flying solo tonight, heading to Chicago to spend his 49th birthday as a bachelor, with only ‘First Dog’ Bo to keep him company,” NBC’s Savannah Guthrie sulked, though “Mr. Obama did get a serenade from winners of citizen medals he handed out at the White House today.” After reciting Michelle Obama’s extravagant resort destination in Spain, Guthrie ended on a heartwarming note: And we can report tonight that the President got two calls today. Mrs. Obama and Sasha called from Spain, and Malia, who’s on that summer camp sleep-away camp for a few weeks, gets just one call during that time at camp. She saved it for today and called her father to wish him happy birthday. From the Wednesday night, August 4 newscasts: ABC’s Word News: DIANE SAWYER: At the White House today, they sang to the President. VIDEO OF GROUP: Happy birthday to you! SAWYER: It is his birthday. He is now 49. He says we’ve watched him go gray, and the photographs since the campaign do show a little speckle in that hair. He is going to Chicago alone tonight to dine with friends. His oldest daughter is away at summer camp. His wife and youngest daughter Sasha have traveled to a resort in Spain with a group of friends from Chicago, moms and daughters. CBS Evening News: KATIE COURIC: President Obama is spending the night in his own home for a change. He flew to Chicago today to celebrate his 49th birthday, but only first dog Bo went with him. Michelle Obama and daughter Sasha are on vacation in Spain. Malia is away at camp. So the President planned a birthday dinner with friends. NBC Nightly News: LESTER HOLT: President Obama is in his hometown of Chicago tonight. It’s his 49th birthday, but it’s kind of an unusual one. His family is nowhere in sight. NBC News White House correspondent Savannah Guthrie is traveling with the President and joins us from the Windy City tonight. Savannah, good evening. SAVANNAH GUTHRIE: Good evening, Lester. Well, the President is here in Chicago for some Democratic Party fundraising and an event at a Ford plant tomorrow, but he will have a birthday dinner with friends tonight. No family around, though. Daughter Malia is at summer sleep-away camp, and the First Lady and daughter Sasha are on a lavish trip to Spain. The President flying solo tonight, heading to Chicago to spend his 49th birthday as a bachelor, with only “First Dog” Bo to keep him company. Mr. Obama did get a serenade from winners of citizen medals he handed out at the White House today. But the union group he addressed earlier in the day did not let him eat cake. PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA: I’m a little disappointed there wasn’t a cake, though. I’m going to have to talk to the Secret Service about that. RICHARD TRUMKA, AFL-CIO: You got to talk to those guys because they nixed the cake. OBAMA: They’re probably eating it right now. TRUMKA: They are. GUTHRIE: Right now Mrs. Obama and younger daughter Sasha are a world away, on a five-day, mother-daughter vacation with a group of friends in the coastal resort town of Marbella, Spain. The family is staying at the luxury Ritz Carlton retreat Villa Padierna which features five restaurants, a spa and private beach. All the amenities expected of a five-star hotel favored by celebrities, including privacy. KATE MAXWELL, CONDE NAST TRAVELER: So we understand the Obamas have booked 30 rooms. Suites go up to $6500 a night, so they’re looking at a pretty hefty bill at the end of the four days they’re going to spend there. GUTHRIE: The Obamas will pay their own way, but the cost of Mrs. Obama’s traveling staff and security detail will be borne by American taxpayers. And the money she spends will boost the Spanish economy – something the White House declined to get into today. ROBERT GIBBS: She is a private citizen and is the mother of a daughter on a private trip. GUTHRIE: A European vacation for a First Lady is not unprecedented, nor is sniping about it. MYRA GUTIN, FIRST LADY HISTORIAN: Jacqueline Kennedy was criticized for going to Greece and to Italy, so certainly Michelle Obama, the criticism of Michelle Obama would not be a first. GUTHRIE: Well, the First Family also plans to spend a weekend in the Gulf Coast this month as well as spend 10 days on Martha’s Vineyard. And we can report tonight that the President got two calls today. Mrs. Obama and Sasha called from Spain, and Malia, who’s on that summer camp sleep-away camp for a few weeks, gets just one call during that time at camp. She saved it for today and called her father to wish him happy birthday, Lester.

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Networks Ignore Missouri Voters’ Rejection of ObamaCare, Instead Celebrate Obama’s Birthday

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LAT Writer Declines to Give Details on Huge Defeat of ObamaCare by Missouri ‘Republican Voters’

Posted on August 4, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

Wouldn’t you say that an important part of any election story would be the numbers involved, especially in the case of landslides? Perhaps someone should give a heads up on this to Los Angeles Times writer Noam N. Levey of the Times’ Tribune Washington bureau. Although he does report that Missouri voters, whom he labels as “Republican voters,” voted to approve Proposition C yesterday which challenged ObamaCare’s requirement that Americans must purchase health insurance, the all important margin of the lopsided victory was noticeable by its absence. Reading Levey’s article you wouldn’t know if Proposition C was approved by 51 or 52 percent of Missouri voters or was the actual figure so much higher that Levey found it painful to relay that information? Reporting from Washington — Striking a largely symbolic blow at President Obama’s healthcare overhaul, Missouri voters approved a ballot measure Tuesday challenging the new law’s requirement that Americans buy health insurance starting in 2014. The proposition, which sought to deny the federal government the authority to penalize people for not getting insurance, is expected to have little practical effect on implementation of the healthcare law. But the Missouri measure represented the first electoral test for the landmark legislation that Obama signed in March. And it underscored continued hostility to the law from Republican voters. So what was the actual size of the number of “Republican voters” who approved of Proposition C in Missouri? Since Levey won’t provide that detail, let us turn to the Wall Street Journal for that information: With all precincts reporting, 71% of voters supported Proposition C , establishing a state law that says Missouri cannot compel people to pay a penalty or fine if they fail to carry health coverage. Twenty-nine percent voted against the proposition. So an overwhelming 71% of Missouri voters supported proposition C and they were “Republican voters” according to Levey. No wonder he was embarrassed to reveal the actual number. 71% would mean a lot of voters other than “Republican voters” cast their ballots in favor of proposition C.  Despite this obvious fact, Levey continues with his Republican obsession: Opposition to the law has remained particularly intense among Republicans, with nearly 8 in 10 in a recent national USA Today/Gallup survey saying it was a “bad thing.” So it’s all the fault of “Republican voters” who must make up 71% of the Missouri electorate according to Levey’s premise. Of course, the absurdity of that premise is probably the reason why he declined to report on the actual details of the Proposition C landslide yesterday.

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LAT Writer Declines to Give Details on Huge Defeat of ObamaCare by Missouri ‘Republican Voters’

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Barak’s Attempt To Bankrupt the Insurance Companies…One Pill Makes You Larger One Pill Makes You Small and the Ones That Obama Gives You Don’t Do Anything At All.

Posted on July 15, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

WASHINGTON — The White House on Wednesday issued new rules requiring health insurance companies to provide free coverage for dozens of screenings, laboratory tests and other types of preventive care. The new requirements promise significant benefits for consumers — if they take advantage of the services that should now be more readily available and affordable. In general, the government said, Americans use preventive services at about half the rate recommended by doctors and public health experts. Other services that must be offered at no charge include counseling to help people stop smoking; screening and counseling for obesity; and tests for infection with the virus that causes aids http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/15/health/policy/15health.html?_r=2&src=un&am… added by: congoboy

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‘Inception’: The Early Reviews Are In!

Posted on July 6, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

‘Leonardo DiCaprio finds the tortured center of his character,’ one reviewer writes. By Eric Ditzian Leonardo DiCaprio in “Inception” Photo: Warner Bros. Almost one year ago, the teaser trailer for Christopher Nolan’s “Inception” hit the web. It featured acrobatic fight sequences, hallucinatory imagery, and left us with far more questions than answers. Just what the heck was this movie really about, anyway? In the months that followed, Nolan slowly peeled back the curtain to reveal peeks at his top-secret follow-up to 2008’s “The Dark Knight.” Now, with the movie’s July 16 release date approaching, “Inception” has been fully unveiled to industry insiders, and the first reviews are beginning to pop up online. Here’s what folks are saying about the flick. The Story “Leonardo DiCaprio plays Cobb, an expert in what the film calls extraction, the theft of secrets or information from the subconscious mind,” Todd Gilchrist wrote in Cinematical.com . After botching a job thanks to the intrusion of his wife Mal (Marion Cotillard), Cobb finds an unlikely opportunity for redemption from one of his former victims: Saito (Ken Watanabe), CEO of a flourishing multinational, offers him amnesty in exchange for planting an idea — known as inception — within the mind of Robert Fischer (Cillian Murphy), one of Saito’s competitors. Enlisting the help of teammates Arthur (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), Ariadne (Ellen Page), Eames (Tom Hardy), and Yusuf (Dileep Rao), Cobb reluctantly agrees to the mission, only to discover that the mind’s defenses are more formidable than any physical threat he could face. Heist-movie plot details notwithstanding, the above description scarcely scratches at the surface of what’s in the film, and certainly reveals nothing of the deeper conceptual and thematic dimensions of its story.” The Look “Shot across four continents by Nolan’s regular d.p., Wally Pfister, and outfitted by production designer Guy Hendrix Dyas, ‘Inception’ is easily the director’s most visually unbridled work,” Justin Chang wrote in Variety. “Its canvas stretches from the skyscrapers of Tokyo to the bazaars of Tangiers, from an amber-lit hotel corridor to a snowy mountain compound (a setpiece that plays like an homage to ‘On Her Majesty’s Secret Service’). Pic has arresting effects and images to spare, such as the sight of Paris folding in on itself like a book or Gordon-Levitt’s Arthur performing a fight scene in zero gravity (the explanation for which is even more dazzling).” The Performances “DiCaprio finds the tortured center of his character, a man who is part thief and part spy and whose own guilt-ridden subconscious stands to destroy his chances of succeeding at the proverbial one last job,” Jim Vejvoda wrote in IGN.com . ” ‘Inception’ is sort of a companion piece in a way to ‘Shutter Island,’ the year’s other mind-bender DiCaprio thriller. Gordon-Levitt — who, like DiCaprio, was a child sitcom actor — continues to prove he’s one of the brightest up-and-coming dramatic actors with his turn here. And although she has less screen time than the rest of the cast, Cotillard shines as the film’s closest thing to a femme fatale.” The “Matrix” Comparison “[T]here’s a sort of ‘Matrix’ action movie vibe about the [marketing] campaign, and despite some wild visual moments in the film, I wouldn’t describe this as an action film at all,” Drew McWeeny wrote in HitFix.com . “There are action beats in it, but all of them are ultimately in service of the emotional journey that Dom takes in the film, and as a result, the stakes seem so much higher than they would if it was just another movie where people were chasing around some empty Macguffin. Everything in this film … cities folding in on themselves, buildings filling with sudden floods of water, gravity that stops working, reality fraying at the edges … ties back in to whatever happened between Dom and his wife Mal years ago.” The Bottom Line “Following up on such ingenious and intriguing films as ‘The Dark Knight’ and ‘Memento,’ Nolan has outdone himself,” Kirk Honeycutt wrote in The Hollywood Reporter. ” ‘Inception’ puts him not only at the top of the heap of sci-fi all-stars, but it also should put this Warner Bros. release near or at the top of the summer movies. It’s very hard to see how a film that plays so winningly to so many demographics would not be a worldwide hit.” Are you excited to see “Inception”? Sound off in the comments below! Related Videos MTV Rough Cut: ‘Inception’ Dive Into Christopher Nolan’s ‘Inception’

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‘Inception’: The Early Reviews Are In!

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Madina Lake Bassist Released From Hospital, Still Faces Brain Surgery

Posted on July 6, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

‘So we’d finally convinced the doctors to let me take Matthew home,’ brother and bandmate Nathan Leone posted on the band’s blog. By James Montgomery Matthew Leone of Medina Lake Photo: Jay West/ WireImage Madina Lake bassist Matthew Leone — who was beaten and left unconscious last week after attempting to intervene in a domestic dispute — has been sent home from the hospital in Chicago, but still faces an uphill battle (including a second round of brain surgery) before he’ll be in the clear. That’s according to his twin brother and Madina Lake frontman, Nathan Leone, who took to the band’s blog on Monday to update fans on Matthew’s condition. “So we’d finally convinced the doctors to let me take Matthew home. He was going nuts in the hospital and they agreed that he would benefit from a more comfortable environment,” Nathan wrote. “The only goal at this point is [to] get him strong enough for his second brain surgery, which is scheduled for the 16th. “It’s going to be a tenuous couple of weeks, we’ll watch him 24 hours a day, make sure he sits still, rests and heals to the fullest extent possible,” the post continued. “We know from the doctors that his future prognosis remains guarded, since the permanency of the physical and neuropsychological damage is yet unknown.” As Nathan Leone told MTV News last week, his brother suffered a broken jaw and nose and a fractured skull after he attempted to break up a fight between a man and a woman on the streets of Chicago. As Leone called police, he was jumped from behind and left bleeding and unconscious. The beating was so severe, Nathan said, that doctors were forced to remove one-third of his brother’s skull to alleviate swelling on the brain. Chicago police have subsequently arrested 33-year-old Justin Pivec in connection with the attack, charging him with aggravated battery causing great bodily harm to Leone and battery for the attack on his wife. And while Matthew Leone slowly recovers from the beating, his medical bills continue to pile up. According to Nathan Leone, neither he nor his brother has health insurance, and so, in order to help with their mounting bills, Madina Lake’s management have partnered with the Sweet Relief Musicians Fund and Pledge Music to begin accepting donations on Matthew Leone’s behalf. Related Artists Madina Lake

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Madina Lake Bassist Released From Hospital, Still Faces Brain Surgery

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6 Awesome Pro-Marijuana Ads

Posted on July 2, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

REMEMBER TO VOTE THIS NOVEMBER! for or against the only way to matter is to vote. this goes out to my california friends. and all those fighting to legalize a harmless plant! added by: Darevalo

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The Devil is in the Details: More on the Health Care Reform Bill

Posted on July 2, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

I'm starting to wonder just how stupid we actually were to believe that a Federal government that had just paid off the bankers for bankrupting the Nation was actually going to deliver on viable health care reform, and the gross mismanagement of the Gulf oil spill doesn't really shore up my confidence on what's in the mystery meat they are calling health care reform. Health law to bring longer ER waits, crowding? by CARLA K. JOHNSON, AP Emergency rooms, the only choice for patients who can't find care elsewhere, may grow even more crowded with longer wait times under the nation's new health law. That might come as a surprise to those who thought getting 32 million more people covered by health insurance would ease ER crowding. It would seem these patients would be able to get routine health care by visiting a doctor's office, as most of the insured do. But it's not that simple. Consider: * There's already a shortage of front-line family physicians in some places and experts think that will get worse. * People without insurance aren't the ones filling up the nation's emergency rooms. Far from it. The uninsured are no more likely to use ERs than people with private insurance, perhaps because they're wary of huge bills. * The biggest users of emergency rooms by far are Medicaid recipients. And the new health insurance law will increase their ranks by about 16 million. Medicaid is the state and federal program for low-income families and the disabled. And many family doctors limit the number of Medicaid patients they take because of low government reimbursements. * ERs are already crowded and hospitals are just now finding solutions. Rand Corp. researcher Dr. Arthur L. Kellermann predicts this from the new law: “More people will have coverage and will be less afraid to go to the emergency department if they're sick or hurt and have nowhere else to go…. We just don't have other places in the system for these folks to go.” Kellermann and other experts point to Massachusetts, the model for federal health overhaul where a 2006 law requires insurance for almost everyone. Reports from the state find ER visits continuing to rise since the law passed — contrary to hopes of its backers who reasoned that expanding coverage would give many people access to doctors offices. Premiums for pre-existing conditions could be costly. Massachusetts reported a 7 percent increase in ER visits between 2005 and 2007. A more recent estimate drawn from Boston area hospitals showed an ER visit increase of 4 percent from 2006 to 2008 — not dramatic, but still a bit ahead of national trends. “Just because we've insured people doesn't mean they now have access,” said Dr. Elijah Berg, a Boston area ER doctor. “They're coming to the emergency department because they don't have access to alternatives.” Crowding and long waits have plagued U.S. emergency departments for years. A 2009 report by the Government Accountability Office, Congress' investigative arm, found ER patients who should have been seen immediately waited nearly a half-hour. “We're starting out with crowded conditions and anticipating things will only get worse,” said American College of Emergency Physicians president Dr. Angela Gardner. Federal stimulus money and the new health law address the primary care shortage with training for 16,000 more providers, said Health and Human Services Department spokeswoman Jessica Santillo. But many experts say solving ER crowding is more complicated. Crowding at both ends. What's causing crowding? Imagine an emergency department with a front door and a back door. More at the link: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/38054844/ added by: Incredulous

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‘iBailout’: Pocket Activism

Posted on June 14, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

Nick Marroni says, “My goal is to make games that have social and political relevance.” To that end he has created a satirical iPhone game called “iBailout!!” You play as the “Fed,” a robot that eats money. Just don’t let the angry mob get you. truthdig_anderson_marroni_ibailout.mp3

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‘iBailout’: Pocket Activism

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All-Stars, Steroids and the Super Bowl

Posted on June 14, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

L.A. Times columnist and Truthdig contributor Mark Heisler explains why the NBA All-Star game is no fun anymore and why overreacting sportswriters can’t forgive Mark McGwire for breaking their hearts. truthdig_heisler_dallas.mp3

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All-Stars, Steroids and the Super Bowl

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Kucinich: ‘Heads They Win, Tails We Lose’

Posted on June 14, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

Rep. Dennis Kucinich tells us why he isn’t buckling under pressure to vote for the president’s health care reform bill (“Every plan that’s put forth by our government ends up benefiting the health insurance industry”). truthdig_kucinich_healthcare_afghanistan.mp3

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