Holy Buck, Fatman!

If anyone knows the story of how my husband and I got together, they know that it was partly because our shared love for Radiohead.

They’ve been slacking on their new album. I speculated problems with Capitol/EMI. I was partially right. They ditched the record label and went on to create their own. Today, I got a friendly E mail from the band announcing the completion of their newest album, In Rainbows (which seems like a reference to their message board. When your screen name reaches 1000 posts, the name busts into a colorful rainbow–and all the other members congratulate you)

Anyhow, they were inviting the members of their fanclub to pre order. I went on to the website and started the process. I was a little weary about what the price would be because of the crappy conversion of the American dollar. I was startled to see the price in my basket–er…Blank.

What?

Blank?

So, I clicked the question mark beside it. It said, “It’s up to you”

That’s right. It was up to me. I pretty much could pay what I wanted for the download.

What?

Then I suddenly got it. This is brilliant. A brilliant move by the band. We, the fans, set our price—and if you want to D/L for free, sure—go ahead. It was an AMAZING move.

Sure, the big record companies don’t really like this. Why would they? The “best band in the world” has pretty much decided to go against the system. So Sayeth the big wig exec:

The final decision was apparently made just a few weeks ago, and, when informed of the news on Sunday, several record executives admitted that, despite the rumors, they were stunned. “This feels like yet another death knell,” emailed an A&R executive at a major European label. “If the best band in the world doesn’t want a part of us, I’m not sure what’s left for this business.”

To these guys, it’s a major loss of revenue. To the fans like myself, it’s great. Say I was a college student living on a small pittance for a salary. I would still pay—but probably less then I, as a mildly successful person with a career, actually decided to pay. I paid 15 pounds–Roughly converts to about 30$. Do I believe that was fair? Yes–based on what I amwilling and able to pay. I work with people who fully support the RIAA and their silly copyright laws (most of the revenue doesn’t even see the band, anyway) . They are convinced that most will opt to NOT pay–and the band will lose money. I don’t think so. They are generalizing the fans, convinced that most of us are a bunch of greedy kids who want everything for free. They don’t believe that we, the fans, are honest and will pay what we are willing and able to afford. That’s a pretty broad generalization from many who worship at the Ayn Randian alter of selfish capitalism.

All over the board people are posting what they’ve decided to pay. It looks like the naysayers may be proven wrong already. I sincerely hope that the band posts how many people bought the album in a few months so other bands may follow suit. The more the Artists decide to take control, the less the consumers will be bullied by needless lawsuits.

EVERYTHING causes cancer.

Every vice, that is. Now, researchers have shown that consumption of alcohol, any kind of alcohol, will increase a woman’s chance of developing Breast Cancer by nearly 10% if one alcoholic beverage is consumed every day.  If you drink that second glass of wine with your dinner (thinking you’re keeping that heart disease at bay), You’re putting yourself at an even increased risk for Breast Cancer.

Goddammit.

Why is it that every single vice is bad for you? Even in moderation? What.The.Fuck?

Yes, I have an increased risk of developing Breast Cancer because my mother is a survivor. Because of this, I am subjected to a yearly boob squish or MRI every year. I do not mind this; in understand that it is part of well check ups and early detection. So, if I want to decrease my risk even further, I must severely curtail  my favorite social past time? Fuck. FUCKITY FUCK FUCK FUCK!

When you see someone you love die of cancer,   a part of you doesn’t   want to go through that horror yourself.  So you take every precaution, change your habits and make sure to be vigilant on news surrounding potential research on the disease. It starts to get increasingly difficult to live this way all the time,(because, you know, Stress raises your risk of breast cancer, too!) so you often find yourself saying,  “Well, now that I have witnessed death, I know it’s inevitable, so screw it. Enjoy life!”

I can tell you that I fall into  living in the “Enjoy Life!” camp. I socialize at a corner bar. I have a few too many on the weekends sometimes. I drink a beer or two after work.  I LIKE TO DRINK BEER. and wine. And tequila. Not all in the same night, mind you. But, yes, those are my drinks of choice. Reading that having drinks  in moderation even, can raise your risk is like giving someone a shovel to start digging their own grave.

I’m sure my habits aren’t life threatening and with pervention, I’ll be fine.

What troubles me is the fact that this news could start a movement within insurance companies to raise premiums on women who might drink a cocktail on occasion. With the risk of developing breast cancer nearly 1 in 8 women, it would not surprise me in the least that insurance companies (both life & health) would use such data to cash in. Healthcare companies could potentially start to deny benefits to women with histories of alcoholism in their family citing a “risk”.  Could this happen? It’s not likely since drinking is somewhat socially acceptable. But, then again, when we look at history, we can see that one group of people were wildly successful in passing temperance legislation. I believe these are important questions   worth discussing, even if we come to the conclusion that it’s a bit tin foil hat like. I don’t trust the Insurance industry.

Either way, It’s Friday and I’ll be having a few drinks, despite what was recently published.  Bottoms up.

Silly Silly GOP Candidates.

It seems that the front runners, Guiliani, Thompson, Romney, and McCain have declined the invitation to debate at Morgan State University. Why, do you ask? Well, some analysts are saying this:

“There’s no group that actually votes in the Republican primary that is going to hold it against these guys for either A, not courting the black vote, or B, not showing up at Morgan State,” said Donald F. Norris, chairman of the department of public policy at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County.

“And there’s everything to lose by showing up,” Norris said. Participating could give the impression that they are sacrificing conservative tenets, which might “very well hurt you with some elements of the Republican base.”

And what, pray tell are these tenants? Making sure those pesky colored people know their place? To me, a “Half breed” if you will, this smacks of a few things that boils down to subtle racism/classism. I understand that the reasons given for not attending the debate were “scheduling conflicts” but for all front runners to have the same conflicts? Things that make you go Hmmm…

So what is the real reason the four guys didn’t want to show up? Could it be that minorities might be disproportionately poor and might utilize social services more often? Do they believe that the tenants of Conservative views are simply lost to these people? I betcha it’s because they didn’t have that black friend yet.

It’s silly to cast aside an entire group of people simply because you believe that “They aren’t going to vote for you anyway.” This might not be what these guys are really saying, but it’s a strong message to the Minority community: We don’t care about issues surrounding your lives and your community. I mean, just look at the state of the City of New Orleans….

In light of the recent upsurge in racial tensions, I would think that these candidates would welcome an invitation to build a bridge and begin a process of cultivating a potential minority voter. For instance, if these guys really believe that the black/minority vote is not worth courting, then they should revisit the numbers of Black and Hispanic people who voted Republican simply because of issues such as Gay Marriage and Abortion. These issues are central to many deeply religious blacks & Hispanics, as they often oppose both in line with their religious views. If the conservative tenants could potentially help a poor minority, sell it to them like they sold the social issues. Tell them how their fiscally conservative ideals could help move a poor person into a working member of their “Ownership Society”.

*pauses for laughter*

Okay okay. I know. I know. That last line was a real zinger, wasn’t it?

Anyway, it’s clear that these white men are disconnected from the issues that plague minority communities. They aren’t even going to openly share their views, explain their stances and how these can help minority communities.  Without starting to court these votes early, the line might as well be “They aren’t going to vote for us anyway!”

These guys don’t even want to bother trying. What are they afraid of?

Not too long ago, I was uninsured.

Mind you, I made decent (Not GREAT)  money as a professional paralegal for a rather large but famously bankrupt telecom company back in 2003. The easiest way for them to retain  employees but not have to actually pay benefits was to force them into contracted positions. The contracting company was not obliged to offer health care. Screw it, you were on your own.

No problem, right? I could simply buy n individual policy and have the coverage I needed to maintain well visits preventative care.

You would think that, wouldn’t you?

Not so much. It seems that with my spotty family history of cancer, I  was a bit of a risk to the insurance companies. I could pay a monthly premium of something like $1500K for 2 people with a $5,000 deductible, or I could pay more with a lower deductible. So, I had to make a choice. I had to either buy my health insurance or pay my mortgage and eat. I simply couldn’t afford to do both. So I took a chance. I chanced it that I wouldn’t get sick nor would my daughter. It was a risky gamble, but hey…priorities, right?

So, I decided to send an application into the M-CHIP, Maryland’s Children’s healthcare program. It was another gamble I was forced to take. Of course, I was denied. I made too much money.

So, there I was. Too rich to get assistance. Too poor to pay for private healthcare.

What. The. Fuck?

So, last evening the largely bipartisan S-CHIP Bill passed the House. Lawmakers recognized that those who are denying basic healthcare to children aren’t going to win over voters, so they decided that working together is better then fighting all the time.  Except our dear leader thinks that people like myself would opt to drop their coverage and hurry up and sign up for M-CHIP. Is he kidding? I mean…Seriously? Dropping even crappy coverage won’t be a viable option to many families. Why? Because many of them don’t even have coverage. They simply cannot afford it, just like I was a few years back.

Those who worship at the Alter of the Free Market mindset will state that all we need to do is lower those damn friviolous lawsuits and the prices will go down.  The evil Lawyers are getting too RICH!!!!

I call bullshit. A Market is largely consumer choice driven. If ia company offers a decent product at an affordable price, then consumers will purchase it. However, healthcare isn’t bought and sold like Mp3 players. It’s much more complicated then that. Any industry that has to answer to shareholders has one major goal–increase profits. Insurance companies lose profits when they pay out claims so it is always within the best interest of the insurance company to deny claims and have that pesky terminally ill patient  simply die.  So, some chimp in a suit is sitting in a cubicle telling an experienced Dr. that a test or treatment isn’t really medically necessary. Since that denial will stand to save a few bucks in some fatcat’s pocket, it was all worth it, right?

Chimpy McFlysuit has never worked a hard day in his life. he never had to make tough choices like healthcare or housing, food or medicine. he never had to work 14 hours on his feet and go home to care for the children. He never stood in an unemployment line. He never knew the indignity of being denied something like healthcare can do for your morale. What does he know?

He knows that his rich friends will benefit from his veto. Their portfolios will thank him.

“…so then I read the sign, and it said You Must Be This Tall To Ride…and I said awww hells to the naw, I’m the President, bitch!”—-Danger Doll

*Photo courtesy of Reuters.

Imagine paying your mortgage on time, doing everything right, only to find out that your house is being sold at a Tax Sale auction for a bad payment receieved.

This is a nightmare for a lot of homeowners and yet, due to the mortgage mess that Alan Greenspan encouraged, it is happening.  Apparently, checks sent out by American Home Mortgage to various Maryland Municipalities have been bouncing.

What makes this really REALLY shitty is the fact tha Homeowners who have paid their taxes into Escrow still, no matter what—get fucked. This is what Sheila “Fuck the poor!” Dixon has to say about that:

Anthony McCarthy, a spokesman for Mayor Sheila Dixon, said the city does not plan to notify the affected homeowners. They will get a notice in November along with all other delinquent taxpayers if the problem isn’t resolved by then.

Now, I’m sure if a major company or developer was to default on a tax payment due to a mishap, They’d get a bit of a reprieve. Oh…wait…..businesses hardly pay any taxes in Baltimore city! The city drains its RESIDENTS for it’s revenue. So, it’s no wonder that Ms. Dixon wants her money. It doesn’t come from anyone else.

Good people who are paying their mortgages ON TIME are now starting to feel the effects of the mortgage industry implode. This isn’t about poor saps who took on huge loans without proper income anymore. These good people who were making payments took it on good faith that the companies would be able to pay. How could a company expose themselves to that much risk by allowing such tricky loan products to simply anyone?

h/t Atrios

I was given a task by my boss yesterday. It wasn’t a usual on my task list, but let me tell you, it’s Effin HILARIOUS to accomplish. It has to do with a George Michael video, some footage from Sen. Craig’s press conference and some funny photoshopped pics. I promise to share the finished product with the rest of the world.

Anyway, The whole Larry Craig thing is laughable. Since I work with a lot of people who have either worked or are still working on the Hill, I came to find out that his homosexuality was known, just not spoken of. In fact, it was often rumored that he trolled for sex in Union Station here in the district. The fact that I am there every single day makes me snicker, but thats beside the point.  Several of my friends laughed when the story broke and said, “It took this long for him to fuck up and out himself..” Business as usual within the beltway. I swear, DC is a different planet sometimes.

I did learn something new this scandal, though. Although I had already known that illicit bathroom sex was a part of the gay subculture, I  thought it had died with the advent of the AIDS crisis.  I was very suprised to find out that it indeed still happens, and the foot tapping is a very widely understood signal for sex in a bathroom. My gay friend laughed while I said, “I had no idea that you tap your foot!”

Anyhow, I am loving this whole video editing thing. It makes for a great time dumper.

Have a great weekend folks.

In 2005, My husband and I were planing our wedding. After much discussion, we had decided to Honeymoon in New Orleans. I researched some hotels, got information on various tours and sites and put my deposit down. At the time, I was working at a prominent lobbying firm that has deep roots in New Orleans. In fact, many of the founders of the firm were natives. I met the ledgendary Sheriff Harry Lee of Jefferson Parrish, said Good Morning to former Senator of LA, John Breaux and once shared an elevator with Cokie Roberts. (and sadly—Karl Rove….*shiver*)
Those of you who are keen on Politics in DC know what firm I used to work for. If you don’t…let google do some homework for you. I’m not mentioning them.

Anyway, Everyone I spoke too who were familiar with the area kept telling me that if NOLA took a direct hit from Katrina, the city would survive and I would be able to go forward with my Honeymoon. I wasn’t so sure and kept expressing my doubts. Most of the natives personally told me that NOLA would weather the storm and everything would be just fine.

They were wrong. The next morning, I watched in utter horror as the devastation unfolded. Early that morning, I received a telephone call from the lady who had booked my Honeymoon plans.How did I want my refund? I took it in full and decided the money was better spent as a donation to the Red Cross. NOLA needed it more then we did.

What surprised me over the next few days was the lobbying efforts on behalf of large “clean up” contractors looking to make a fast buck. Firms like “The Shaw Group” and “Tenet Healthcare” retained the firm in less then 24 hours in order to secure their government contract awards to clean up NOLA. Meetings were held and trips were planned. It was a helluva few days, but I realized something shortly after Katrina hit. The men who were working so hard in the name of cleaning up NOLA were really working to rape it. There were no intentions to actually assist the people who were really displaced. There were no intentions of rebuilding some of the poorest areas. The intentions of the men in charge of these strategic plans were going to rebuild NOLA–they way THEY wanted it to look.

They were glad the poor were moved. They were secretly happy at the destruction of the 9th ward. They wanted to make sure the homes in the garden district, the businesses in the French Quarter and the places where the rich lived were fixed up as soon as possible. Was this because they wanted the money to return to NOLA? Possibly. I believe their intentions were twofold, though.

I was angered by this. I saw it as immoral.

So, I quit. I quit that job and never looked back. I couldn’t further the intentions of a few rich white men who worked diligently to make sure that people who lost everything never get it back.

Two years later and I see that the places that are fixed up are mearly the places that could afford to do it. people are still living in trailers. wreckage is still strewn all over the city. Businesses remain boarded up. What did those rich white men in DC do for the city they claimed to love so much?

They pocketed most of that money. Hardly any of disenfranchised residents have seen any of it.

That the killing fields and work or “re education camps” actually happened in Vietnam? Because that happened, we can’t leave Iraq or the same thing might happen again!

Funny, I remember the Khmer Rouge regime in Cambodia being responsible for that whole Killing fields thing.  I also remember learning that Vietnam actually overthrew the horrid regime. Maybe my history books weren’t the same as the ones that Chimpy McFlysuit had learned from. Or maybe he was just confused. or stupid.

I’ll buy the stupid part. But it makes you wonder—how long before some wingnut edits the wiki?

 Early this AM, as I watched WBAL through eyes half shut, I noticed a story they were doing on a “State of the Art” combination Middle/High School.  This new school will be equipped with the latest and greatest in technology, such as:

The school has a television studio, a mass communications lab with a radio station and a graphics and visual communications lab. School officials said they hope to use the new technology to teach a growing student population.

The new state of the art school is located in the town of Emmerton in Harford County. The project was designed to alleviate overcrowded schools and to prepare for the Base Realignment and Closure set to relocate thousands to the Baltimore metro area. The project cost a cool $59 million for the school alone.

The entire FY 2008 budget  for repairs to ailing schools in Baltimore’s inner city? $67,609 for the entire school system.  (pg 291 .pdf BCPPS) 2006-2007 had an allocated budget of 21 million but it wasn’t actually approved by then Governor Ehrlich.  Gov. Ehrlich and the State Board of Education approved the building of the Patterson Mill school in 2005.

Lets take a look at some demographics.  According to the U.S. Census Bureau, The city of Baltimore had a median household income of  $29,792 in 2004.  64% of the city is African American. Home Ownership rates in the city are only at 50%. Jobs paying a living wage? hahahahahahahahahaha! Why do you think *I* Commute to DC every friken day?!?!?!?!?

Harford County, on the other hand had a median income of $64,000 in 2004. Only 6% of people living in Harford County are African American. Home ownership is at 78%.  Jobs that pay a living wage? Well, BRAC has been bringing in some seriously high profile government contractors who provide some competitive wages. Hmmm….

When the SCOTUS ruled in favor of disallowing schools to use race to diversify, I wrote that the impact will be along economic lines. I  also discussed the problems that  inner city schools face, continuing  to fail under No Child Left Behind simply because they lack the budget to even operate with the proper resources such as textbooks and working computers. Never mind the schools are in such disrepair that some are in desperate  need of MOLD ABATEMENT from leaky roofs and windows. Separate but equal, right?

While the well funded county schools enjoy the perks of larger Government grants under NCLB, the inner city schools are under a constant threat of being taken over by the state, which could hand them over to a private corporation. If that were to happen, I believe  private corporations would move to  start charing fees to parents for their services. Onward to an ownership society, right? If you own the means to pay, you can send your child to school. If not, there is the little “public” school down the street, you know, the one with the outhouse?

It’s a no brainer that more money for supplies and needed resources give students a better opportunity to excel. Areas concentrated in higher median incomes demand better schools or they will move their money elsewhere. Since many cities and counties depend on the property taxes to provide funding for needed infrastructure, they are willing to make their counties more attractive to live in, even if that means spending lavishly on schools to keep the parents happy.

Access to quality education is a long term  soultion to poverty. The more educated a child is, the better informed they are and can go fourth and make positive changes for themselves and their community. Being smart no longer becomes a liability, it becomes something worth pursuing and they become cool among their peers. Although this would take time to change, better funding for inner city schools can make a huge difference. Imagine if the inner city students had access to the state of the art technology and equipment the Harford County school has? I bet some young minds would be better inspired to create things the world has yet to see. It’s a damn shame no one will give them the chance.