In reply to this comment by Farhad2000:
It was masterful distortiontainment. Remember, "I can see Russia from my house!" Palin never said it. It was Tina Fake on SNL.

Bullshit. As is the rest of your comment.

"As Putin rears his head and comes into... the airspace of America..."


Nice post. Being a QM watchdog could be a full-time job!

A Romanian TV station has been fined £1,000 pounds after the presenter on a live phone in quiz show threw a fit after no viewers called in.

Presenter Adela Lupse from Oradea in western Romania started screaming at the camera, smashed the phone on the ground and then jumped up and down on it before grounding the phone under her foot.

At the same time she screamed repeatedly at the camera "I want the phone to ring now. Now. Call me now."

Angry TV bosses fired her after the outburst on TV station National TV.

But Lupse, who has been the show's presenter for three years, said: "Maybe I was a bit over the top but I wanted to get people to call - there is a lot of pressure to get people to call in with the correct answer. It was a bad day."

But Romanian TV watchdog the National Audiovisual Council of Romania failed to see the funny side and fined the station £1,089 (5,000 RON) for the outburst that showed "unjustified violence".

It also ruled that the show be given an X rating and only broadcast after 10pm.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/telegraphtv/4229426/Video-Romanian-quiz-show-host-has-tantrum-on-air.html

This isn't warfare. This is annihilation.

Nearly 1,000 Gazans have been killed, 4,400 have been injured, and an estimated 90,000 have fled their homes since Israel's offensive on Gaza began on 27 December, according to Palestinian figures.

Thirteen Israelis have died, three of them civilians, Israel says.

It is impossible to independently confirm casualty figures as Israel has refused to allow international journalists to enter Gaza.

A UN watchdog has accused Israel of showing a "manifest disrespect" for the protection of children in Gaza.

More than 40% of those killed in Gaza were women or children, said the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, even though Israel had signed a UN protocol condemning attacks on places where children were likely to be present.

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has accused Israel of trying to "wipe out" his people.

Leave it Letterman to be the one to serve as political watchdog on this abominable administration.

Did you just call me a Self-Watchdog-Groupie-Nancy, motherfucker? Cause if you did ...
Mr. Fisk is too bold to be held by these constraining shackles ...
Actually, I'm a Dragon/Leo.

Update from Europe: ad is cleared by UK advertising watchdog, but Heinz decides not to put the commercial back on air anyway.

It still carries an "ex-kids" restriction (not be shown in or around children's programming), though, because of the restrictions relating to junk food products!

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2008/jul/02/advertising2?gusrc=rss&feed=uknews

UK advertising watchdog rules: nothing to be seen here, please move on.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2008/jul/02/advertising2?gusrc=rss&feed=uknews

It still carries an "ex-kids" restriction (not be shown in or around children's programming), though, because of the restrictions relating to junk food products!

The cowards at Heinz, however, decided not to put the commercial back on air. So I'm switching back to Belgian mayo.

Actually, MGS4 is the threadkiller.

I am biting off a lot, but I've been in a very adversarial mode about this election for a while now, and it's just not healthy.

I'd love to set the adversarial nature aside, but the past 8 years has shown me that's just going to lead to the end (or at least massive diminishment) of everything I believe in.

Bohm dialogue was kind've secondary to me -- interesting in its own right to be sure, but it doesn't seem like it could help the overall goal. I do see elements of it in how Obama has handled campaign attacks, but it's not really suited for the situation we have now.

It's definitely a good way to remain friends with people who're on the other side of the divide, especially when it comes to focusing on the shared experience of being human.

I was more focused on that wonderful quote that highlights the key issue I see. Democrats may win the presidency, a filibuster-proof majority of the senate, and rebalance the supreme court to our favor, but if the Republican/conservative people insist on staying in their alternate reality, it's just going to make the division worse.

Obama seems to have a way of piercing that bubble, but there's still a media empire out there dedicated to creating and sustaining the alternate reality.

I think media reform is probably one of the most important things to focus on if we do wrest control away from the neocons.

Personally, I'd love to see people who speak to the press charged with perjury for lying to the press. Let them say "no comment" if they want, but no more of this standing in front of cameras and flatly denying the facts at hand. If they want to do that, they can release a YouTube on their website.

I also think there's need for independent watchdog groups that have official standing as media regulators would be a good idea. Something like mediamatters.org, only with some restrictions on the political affiliations of who works there.

In short, truthiness needs to die for us to truly get back on track.

O'Reilly calls this a meeting of "Far-Left loons". I find it odd that he calls himself a centrist on his radio show however he would never think of insulting the NeoCons this way. He's a patsy.. he's part of the deception machine that has been uncovered spreading propaganda. He's doing "his job".

For one, This meeting was centered on non-partisan issues.. a VERY serious one at that. Truth in mainstream media, truth in journalism and integrity of information dissemination and distribution. If any pundit would call such a meeting with these intentions crazy, it would be because that pundit engages in non-truth in reporting journalism and lack of integrity.

Secondly, Seeing as this issue has even been debated in the House of Representatives and inserted related constraints regarding these issues from a legislative spending perspective in the FY2009 budget then more debating and scrutiny needs to take place regarding disseminating information that is fed to the public when an alterior agenda that affects this nation as a whole is clearly present. (this may fall into the category of a Clear and Present Danger to the American people.)

Thirdly, we have to ask ourself: "Did Bill O'Reilly participate in the campaign that the current administration funded in order to propagate support for the war in Iraq initially in order to facilitate regime-change via 9/11 as a mass-psychological catalyst or 'New Pearl Harbor'?"

Keep in mind that this war - like the past few other wars were engaged in an Unconstitutional manner. What good are Checks and Balances when Congress and the Attorney General (which is appointed incorrectly in my opinion - I feel that the President should not be able to appoint this position as it is a conflict of interests if the AG participates in "playing politics" as we have seen with Gonzales and now with Mukasey (This is the same judge that presided over the Larry Silverman Twin towers attack / Bldg 7 Collapse insurance trials: http://www.cnn.com/2004/LAW/04/29/attacks.insurance/index.html)) - when these governing branches ignore the Constitutional law to suit the objectives of a think tank that has formulated it's own global strategy using the full powers of the Executive branch and non-governmental policy-making institutions to impose it's will.

This clearly illuminates several failures in the system that needs immediate correction. Proper Checks and Balances have been seriously comprimised. This includes those in the mainstream media which are supposed to help by being the watchdogs of the system they are reporting on. When corruptive collusion takes place within any branches of our governing system then we ALL lose.

Dalmatians can be very serious dogs in my experience. And strong. There's a reason that firemen like them. I'll have to look that up.

Some people really got themselves in over their heads after that 101 Dalmatians movie by Disney. "Oh, we'll get a puppy for each kid", right? In a year that was one hundred and twenty pounds of sinew and muscle, wanting to go outside.

[e:] Here's a passage from Wikipedia, 'for what it's worth':

Today the Dalmatian serves as a firehouse mascot but, back in the days of horse-drawn fire carts, they provided a valuable service. Dalmatians and horses are very compatible, so the dogs were easily trained to run in front of the carriages to help clear a path and quickly guide the horses and firefighters to the fires. The dogs were sometimes also used as rescue dogs to locate victims in burning structures. Dalmatians are often considered to make good watchdogs and it is believed that Dalmatians may have been useful to fire brigades as guard dogs to protect a firehouse and its equipment. Fire engines used to be drawn by fast and powerful horses, a tempting target for thieves. So, Dalmatians were kept in the firehouse as deterrence to theft. The horses have long since gone, but the Dalmatians, by tradition, have stayed.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dalmatian

In a statement first released August 9, 2007, over 1,500 professionals urge Congress to stop water fluoridation until Congressional hearings are conducted. They cite new scientific evidence that fluoridation, long promoted to fight tooth decay, is ineffective and has serious health risks. (http://www.fluorideaction.org/statement.august.2007.html)

Signers include a Nobel Prize winner, three members of the prestigious 2006 National Research Council (NRC) panel that reported on fluoride’s toxicology, two officers in the Union representing professionals at EPA headquarters, the President of the International Society of Doctors for the Environment, and hundreds of medical, dental, academic, scientific and environmental professionals, worldwide.

Signer Dr. Arvid Carlsson, winner of the 2000 Nobel Prize for Medicine, says, “Fluoridation is against all principles of modern pharmacology. It's really obsolete.”

An Online Action Petition to Congress in support of the Professionals' Statement is available on FAN's web site, www.fluorideaction.org/congress .

“The NRC report dramatically changed scientific understanding of fluoride's health risks," says Paul Connett, PhD, Executive Director, Fluoride Action Network. "Government officials who continue to promote fluoridation must testify under oath as to why they are ignoring the powerful evidence of harm in the NRC report,” he added.

The Professionals’ Statement also references:

-- The new American Dental Association policy recommending infant formula NOT be prepared with fluoridated water.
-- The CDC’s concession that the predominant benefit of fluoride is topical not systemic.
-- CDC data showing that dental fluorosis, caused by fluoride over-exposure, now impacts one third of American children.
-- Major research indicating little difference in decay rates between fluoridated and non-fluoridated communities.
-- A Harvard study indicating a possible link between fluoridation and bone cancer.
-- The silicofluoride chemicals used for fluoridation are contaminated industrial waste and have never been FDA- approved for human ingestion.

The Environmental Working Group (EWG), a DC watchdog, revealed that a Harvard professor concealed the fluoridation/bone cancer connection for three years. EWG President Ken Cook states, “It is time for the US to recognize that fluoridation has serious risks that far outweigh any minor benefits, and unlike many other environmental issues, it's as easy to end as turning off a valve at the water plant.”

Further, researchers reporting in the Oct 6 2007 British Medical Journal indicate that fluoridation, touted as a safe cavity preventive, never was proven safe or effective and may be unethical. (1)

In New York State, Cobeskill stopped 54 years of fluoridation in 2007, the Central Bridge Water District stopped fluoridation in 2006, Homer in 2005, Canton in 2003. Oneida rejected fluoridation in 2002. Ithaca rejected fluoridation in 2002. Johnstown rejected it in 1999. Before that several towns in Nassau County stopped fluoridation. Suffolk County rejected fluoridation in the 1990's.

On October 2, 2007 Juneau Alaska voters rejected fluoridation despite the American Dental Association's $150,000 political campaign to return fluoride into the water supply after the legislative body voted it out.

Many communities rejected or stopped fluoridation over the years. See: http://www.fluoridealert.org/communities.htm


SOURCE: Fluoride Action Network http://www.FluorideAction.Net


References:

(1) “Adding fluoride to water supplies,” British Medical Journal, KK Cheng, Iain Chalmers, Trevor A. Sheldon, October 6, 2007

http://www.videosift.com/video/60-Minutes-Saddam-pretended-to-have-WMD
Hot off the presses, or whatever you call that for TV.

"Oh come on, you're starting to sound like Bill O'Reilly now."

I'll take that as a compliment Farhad ::raspberry:: hehe. j/k.
Anyway, if it were a conservative "watchdog" group talking about Hillary or Ron Paul, I imagine it would be called a Right Wing Hit-job. I hear that a lot.


"You seem to take them at their word even in the face of deceitful comments, unethical behavior, shady practices, outright lies and collusions."

It often comes down to the fact that you and I trust different sources of information. If it comes from the Washington Post or Rolling Stone, I'm skeptical. If it comes from Fox News or the National Review, you're skeptical. The list goes on and extends into almost every argument we have. We trust different sources of what is "fact" and what is not. Jeez, this is sounding like a choggie post, if less... um... creative.

On the vaccine issue... in fact, on many of these issues, we remain to disagree about who is lying and colluding. The government may have, but the "whistle-blowers" certainly have, in my opinion. I hold my opinion based on my general understanding of molecular biology, biochemistry, and virology. I don't think the studies linking vaccines to autism are well done and they have not stood up to scrutiny, but I'm not going to get into this again. I respect the CDC and might even seek employment there in the future... if I can stomach the bureaucracy... and the travel. I think we also disagree on the concept of authority or "expert-ness"... to invent a word. Oh well. I'm tired of arguing about that sort of thing. It never gets anywhere, maybe I'll go charter and write an essay on the topic.

Plainly everyone in here had a different perspective leading up to the war and it's interesting to see the different views.

More later maybe. Gotta work.

I COMPLETELY disagree with this video. Not that there might not be scientific potential in GMO foods, but the current reality is that the agricultural industry is controlled by huge chemical corporations who want to sell more of their products -- most or all of which are poisoning our environment.

There are breeding techniques that have been largely ignored over the past century which can give much better results than genetic engineering, while vastly reducing the requirements for pesticides and fungicides. Yet these techniques have largely been squelched because they would reduce the profitability of big agribusiness.

From a scientific point of view, it is interesting to see what the potential of genetic engineering might bring. But to release untested genetics into the environment is madness -- akin to introducing cane toads, rabbits and water hyacinth to Australia.

Is it fearmongering to raise a red flag at the greed-driven policies of these corporations? Possibly, in the case of the more extreme environmentalists. But when government watchdogs are controlled by these same corporations, I for one appreciate it when people speak up to raise public awareness on these issues.

I even wonder if Penn & Teller got a fat payoff for doing this episode?

Europe's main election watchdog said it had cancelled plans to monitor Russia's December 2 parliamentary election, citing delays and restrictions imposed by the Russian authorities.

The Organisation for Security and Cooperation's (OSCE) ODIHR arm, which runs election monitoring missions, said it took the decision after Russia denied entry visas to observers it wanted to send to Russia.

"The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, ODIHR, has informed the Russian authorities that the Office will be unable to act upon their invitation to observe the upcoming December 2 elections to the Russian State Duma," it said in a statement.

A Russian foreign ministry spokesman told Russia's Interfax news agency it was every country's right to decide whether or not they sent observers to the vote.

The decision to cancel the monitoring mission came a day after Russia said it would give visas to ODIHR monitors in time for the vote, after blaming the OSCE for delays in obtaining them.

"Despite repeated attempts to attain entry visa into the Russian Federation for ODIHR experts and observers, entry visas have continuously been denied," the ODIHR said.

Russia invited only 70 OSCE monitors for this year's parliamentary election, compared to 400 in 2003.

- http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/11/16/2093603.htm

[Windows]: How to setup a TF2 server | Full TF2 cvar list | Hack to exceed the 24 player limit up to 32

Also, here's a sample batch file (name it something like "run_tf2ds.bat") that will auto-restart the DS if it crashes while you're not around to restart it (modified from srcds.com):

@echo off
cls
echo Protecting srcds from crashes...
echo If you want to close srcds and this script, close the srcds window and type Y depending on your language followed by Enter.
title srcds.com Watchdog
:srcds
echo (%time%) srcds started.
start /high /wait x:\path\to\orangebox\srcds.exe -console -game tf +map ctf_2fort +maxplayers 16 -hostport 27015 +ip 256.12.34.56
echo (%time%) WARNING: srcds closed or crashed, restarting.
goto srcds

[edit]
That's strange. The Steam installer got that srcds.exe file for me. I don't think the hldsupdatetool program downloaded it for me. Maybe a anti-virus app doing something? Not sure what to do about that, but it's not being included, the server is likely not complete elsewhere.

I wish I knew a way to list the master server list on the Web somewhere.