FOLLOW US ON:
GET THE NEWSLETTER
CONTACT US
Schlitz Malt Liquor TV commercial from 1979
01.17.2010
10:02 pm
Topics:
Tags:

 
Can you imagine what sort of “mad man” it would take to propose an advertisement like this today? (Having said that, as the YouTube poster says “It’s nice to know that in the future you will still be able to get malt liquor in outer space.”)

Posted by Richard Metzger
|
01.17.2010
10:02 pm
|
Pat Robertson Voodoo Doll: Proceeds go to Haiti relief
01.17.2010
09:44 pm
Topics:
Tags:

image
 
Dangerous Minds pal Matt Dunnerstick sent word of this wonderfully appropriate way to raise money for the people of Haiti: a voodoo doll of none other than bigoted, senile, Christian right-wing fucktard Pat Robertson. A man so stupid he blames natural disasters and terrorism on “deals with the devil” and people’s sexual orientation! You can bid for the voodoo doll on Ebay and 100% of the money raised will go to the Red Cross.

Ever wanted to cause Pat Robertson a massive headache?  Give him back pain?  Jab him in the crotch?   Of course you have!  Well then BID NOW to own your very own physical representation of the dark, dark soul of Pat Robertson.

Accessories included with the doll are Pat’s very own “HOLY” BIBLE and BAG OF MONEY taken from real Americans!  WOW!

BID NOW!!!!

(When we first saw this Ebay listing, there were 51 bids and the price was $500. A few hours later, it’s up to 58 bids and $750)

Posted by Richard Metzger
|
01.17.2010
09:44 pm
|
Hexayurts for Haiti
01.17.2010
07:20 pm
Topics:
Tags:

image

Vinay Gupta’s Hexayurt, a semi-permanent structure that can be built to house a family of eight from about $100’s worth of cheap material, is a critical solution for the mess in Haiti. If implemented in the current situation, hexayurts can house the brunt of displaced survivors until more permanent aid is forthcoming. Ask your local government and NGO bodies to consider using the hexayurt as part of their relief effort.

The Hexayurt is a new kind of sheltering solution. To make the simplest hexayurt, make a wall by putting six sheets of plywood on their sides in a hexagon. Cut six more sheets in half diagonally, and screw them together into a shallow cone. Lift with a large group on to the wall, and fasten with more screws. This shelter will last for several years and costs less than $100. It may be ideal for a variety of disaster relief situations.

Here are the key points.

?

Posted by Jason Louv
|
01.17.2010
07:20 pm
|
Naomi Klein: Stop Them Before They Shock Again
01.17.2010
07:08 pm
Topics:
Tags:

image

Last night Naomi Klein, author of “No Logo” and “The Shock Doctrine,” spoke on how Haiti is being handled. Click the link below for her speech. She makes one incredibly crucial point: Aid sent to Haiti needs to be in the form of a grant, not a loan. Loans to the third world from the first are the primary way in which these countries are kept under thumb. The payback becomes impossible and the country on the receiving end of such “charity” becomes a debt slave to the policies and decisions of the one doing the loaning. This is a crucially important meme to spread: Grants, not Loans.

Journalist and author Naomi Klein spoke in New York last night and addressed the crisis in Haiti: ?

Posted by Jason Louv
|
01.17.2010
07:08 pm
|
How the U.S. Broke Haiti
01.17.2010
04:52 pm
Topics:
Tags:

image

Here’s Bill Quigley on the history of American intervention in Haiti. One of the ugliest stories never told. (Note that Haiti has essentially become a plantation for Disney.)

Why does the US owe Haiti Billions? Colin Powell, former US Secretary of State, stated his foreign policy view as the “Pottery Barn rule.” That is - “if you break it, you own it.”

The US has worked to break Haiti for over 200 years. We owe Haiti. Not charity. We owe Haiti as a matter of justice. Reparations. And not the $100 million promised by President Obama either - that is Powerball money. The US owes Haiti Billions - with a big B.

The US has worked for centuries to break Haiti. The US has used Haiti like a plantation. The US helped bleed the country economically since it freed itself, repeatedly invaded the country militarily, supported dictators who abused the people, used the country as a dumping ground for our own economic advantage, ruined their roads and agriculture, and toppled popularly elected officials. The US has even used Haiti like the old plantation owner and slipped over there repeatedly for sexual recreation.

Here is the briefest history of some of the major US efforts to break Haiti.

Full story here.

Related links:

Ted Rall: Haitian Earthquake: Made in the USA

The Post: Haiti?

Requiem for Port-au-Prince
01.17.2010
04:46 pm
Topics:
Tags:

image

Haitian writers remember the island country as it was. Here’s Langston Hughes, from Autobiography: I Wonder as I Wander, 1956

Haiti, land of blue sea and green hills, white fishing boats on the sea, and the hidden huts of peasants in the tall mountains. People strong, midnight black. Proud women whose arms bear burdens, whose backs are very straight. Children naked as nature. Nights full of stars, throbbing with Congo drums. At the capital lovely ladies ambergold, mulatto politicians, warehouses full of champagne, banks full of money. A surge of black peasants who live on the land, and the foam of the cultured elite in Port-au-Prince who live on the peasants.

Port-au-Prince, city of squalid huts, unattractive sheds and shops near the water front, but charming villas on the slopes that rise behind the port. A presidential palace gleaming white among palm trees with the green hills for a backdrop. A park where bands play at night. An enormous open-air market.

“Ba moi cinq cob,” children beg of tourists in the street. Cinq cob means a nickel. They speak a patois French. The upper classes, educated abroad, speak the language of Paris. But I met none of the upper-class Haitians.

(Foreign Policy: Requiem for Port-au-Prince)

(Via William Gibson)

Posted by Jason Louv
|
01.17.2010
04:46 pm
|
Progressive Links on Haitian Earthquake
01.17.2010
04:37 pm
Topics:
Tags:

image

Good roundup of information on Haiti, how to best help, who’s not helping, who broke it, and who might continue to break it. List’s been going around on Facebook?

Posted by Jason Louv
|
01.17.2010
04:37 pm
|
Tips on Making Sure Your Donation Goes to Haiti
01.17.2010
04:11 pm
Topics:
Tags:

image

Here’s a good article (from the Republican American, of all places) on making sure your donation money makes it to Haiti. Good information; apparently people are getting scammed left and right on their donations.

If you plan to donate to relief organizations working to help the victims of last week’s devastating earthquake in Haiti, certified public accountants have some suggestions.

Susan Howe, a CPA and member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountant’s National Financial Literacy Commission, offers these tips to ensure your donation will actually be used toward helping victims:

Donate to established organizations: Reputable nonprofit organizations are providing relief in Haiti, such as the International Red Cross, Doctors Without Borders, UNICEF, and The Salvation Army. All have experience in dealing with these types of disasters and are well-established, with a solid reputation of monetary and volunteer relief that will go directly to Haiti.

Research other organizations before you give: Many credible charities were operating in Haiti before the quake hit and are now in desperate need of financial aid. Check the Better Business Bureau Web site, at www.bbb.org/us/charity, for information about a charity’s mission, compensation, expenses, and rating. You also can check to see whether the charity is a 501(c)(3) organization by visiting this link: www.irs.gov/charities/article/0,,id=96136,00.html. The designation means the organization has been set up under federal tax rules for charitable purposes.

You also can visit Guidestar.org and type in the charity name, which will allow you to read about the charity and confirm your donation will go to the right place. It’s also a good idea to search the Internet for a charity’s name to see what news articles have been published and what the public is saying about them.

Be an educated donor: Do not give out personal or financial information freely. If you give a credit card number, address, or birth date, you can easily become a victim of identity theft. Do not respond to unsolicited e-mails, since they could be a scam or contain a virus. The safest way to give is to call an organization and ask for the best way to donate.

(Not sure I would trust the Red Cross or Salvation Army, though. Do some research, see “progressive links” provided above.)

(Republican American: Tips to make sure your donation actually helps victims in Haiti)

Posted by Jason Louv
|
01.17.2010
04:11 pm
|
Tilda Swinton in Ryan McGinley?
01.16.2010
09:34 pm
Topics:
Tags:

image
 
The actress darts through the forest, crawls through a cave and ends up swimming out to sea wearing frocks by Pringle of Scotland. McGinley says his inspirations included The Goonies and Grafteful Dead albums covers.

Posted by Richard Metzger
|
01.16.2010
09:34 pm
|
Little Jersey Shore
01.16.2010
04:45 pm
Topics:
Tags:


Kids re-enact Jersey Shore!

(Via JahFurry)

Posted by Jason Louv
|
01.16.2010
04:45 pm
|
Page 2200 of 2338 ‹ First  < 2198 2199 2200 2201 2202 >  Last ›