• Media,  Morons

    Governator: Billboards Should Come Down

    April 28, 2005 /

    New billboards for a Spanish language newcast are creating a FLAP in Los Angeles. KESQ News has the story here and KFI AM radio in Los Angeles have links here.

    When driving home from the dental office tonight I was listening to John and Ken interview California Governor Schwarzenegger. The Governor thinks these billboards are inappropriate and should come down.

    Flap agrees – take them down! This is Los Angeles, California and the United States of America – NOT MEXICO

    Here is the LA Times article on the billboard.

    And Michelle Malkin has this piece here.

  • County of Ventura,  Politics

    Ventura County: Voting By Mail?

    April 28, 2005 /

    Ventura County is one of seven counties in California that have been selected to conduct elections solely by mail.

    The Ventura County Star has the story here:

    Ventura County would be one of seven counties in the state to conduct elections entirely by mail, under a bill that advanced this week in the Legislature.

    The measure, which still faces several political hurdles, would eliminate traditional Election Day polling places and require all voters to either mail their ballots to county elections officials or deliver them to one of several designated drop-off locations….

    And how do you spell FRAUD?

    NO WAY!

  • Humour

    Arianna Huffington is To Launch a Super Blog

    April 28, 2005 /

    US socialite and journalist Arianna Huffington is to launch a super blog featuring contributions by a host of her celebrity chums, from Gwyneth Paltrow to Norman Mailer. Tim Dowling got a preview.

    Read this funny take on the new Arianna blog project here.

  • Health,  Methamphetamine

    K-Mart, CVS, Rite-Aid and Walgreen Company Join the Fight Against Methamphetamine

    April 28, 2005 /

    K-Mart and three of the nations largest drugstore chains join Wal-Mart, Target and Albertson’s (story here) in moving certain nonprescription cold and allergy medicines behind pharmacy counters. Read the story here:

    Kmart and three of the nation’s largest drugstore chains said Wednesday that they will move certain nonprescription cold and allergy medicines behind pharmacy counters, making them the latest in a string of retailers to limit access to products whose ingredients can be used to make the illegal drug methamphetamine.

    The moves by Sears Holding Corp.’s Kmart, CVS Corp., Rite Aid Corp. and Walgreen Co. mean customers will need to ask pharmacists for medicines containing pseudoephedrine rather than picking them off a store shelf. Pseudoephedrine, an active ingredient of Pfizer Inc.’s Sudafed and Schering-Plough Corp.’s Claritin-D, can also be used to manufacture methamphetamine, a highly addictive drug.

    Troy, Mich.-based Kmart said it will stop selling the pseudoephedrine products at any of its department stores that do not have a pharmacy. The discount retailer has pharmacies at 1,130 of its 1,429 stores.

    Rite Aid said it will move “single ingredient” pseudoephedrine products within a week and combination products by August 1. Camp Hill, Pa.-based Rite Aid operates about 3,400 drugstores nationwide.

    The other companies only plan to restrict access to single ingredient products. Kmart and Woonsocket, R.I.-based CVS set a July 1 deadline for the change. A Walgreen Co. spokeswoman said the chain – the nation’s largest by sales – has not yet set a timetable for the move.

    “A lot of our stores were already doing this,” Walgreen’s Carol Hively said. “Now we’re going to put it into effect chainwide.” Deerfield, Ill.-based Walgreens said it also will continue restricting the amount of pseudoephedrine products that can be purchased at one time.

    Target Corp., Albertson’s Inc. and Wal-Mart Stores Inc. all have recently limited access to medications containing the drug. Pfizer is also in the process of reformulating its Sudafed products to remove pseudoephedrine.

    A number of states have imposed restrictions on the sale of pseudoephedrine products in an attempt to curb a proliferation of so-called meth labs across the country. Six states only allow pharmacies to sell drugs with the ingredient and seven restrict access to pseudoephedrine products.

    Ok, now what about the importation of the chemical precursors to California desert labs?

  • Humour,  Media,  Morons

    MSM: You Gotta Get It Right!

    April 28, 2005 /

    n Wednesday’s paper, the Tribune ran a photo of a man on a bike and identified him as Joseph “the Clown” Lombardo. In fact, the man in the photo was Chicagoan Stanley Swieton, shown here at his home Wednesday. Read how the misidentification occurred.

    This photo of Stanley Swieton was mistakenly identified in Wednesday’s Tribune as being of Joseph Lombardo.
    (Photo by Valerie Carpenter)

    Read this funny story from the AP about the Chicago Tribune.

    Wonder if the college student photographer was wearing pajamas?

    Check out the Chicago Tribune’s retraction/correction story here.

    But, then again if you are a former U.S. Senator and the MSM makes you unhappy you can do this (not for young children).

  • Adscam Scandel,  Canada

    Canadian Adscam Scandel: Ex-sponsorship Boss Chuck Guite Begins Testifying at Gomery Inquiry

    April 28, 2005 /

    Chuck Guite, former head of the government sponsorship program, ponders questioning as he is cross-examined at the Gomery inquiry in Ottawa last November.

    The National Post of Canada reports that Chuck Guite, head of the Canadian Federal Sponsorship program has begun to testify in the Gomery Inquiry:

    Chuck Guite, the man who ran the federal sponsorship program between 1997 and 1999, began testifying at the Gomery inquiry on Thursday.

    But with Guite’s testimony subject to a publication ban, Canadians will likely have to wait until early next week to find out what he has told the inquiry.

    The ban issued by presiding judge John Gomery also covered the testimony of ad executives Jean Brault and Paul Coffin but was lifted in part after they had finished.

    Brault, Coffin and Guite all must stand trial on fraud-related charges arising from the sponsorship program.

    Guite has been charged with six counts of fraud and conspiracy related to an alleged scheme with Brault linked to federal gun registry contracts.

    In his first appearance before Gomery, last fall in Ottawa, Guite sparked controversy by pointing a finger of blame firmly at his political masters.

    He claimed that former public works minister Alfonso Gagliano and Jean Pelletier, chief of staff to then-prime minister Jean Chretien, knew exactly what he was up to in distributing sponsorship cash in the 90s.

    Gagliano and Pelletier denied the allegations, saying they gave “advice” but never issued orders on how sponsorship money should be doled out or which ad firms should get a piece of the pie.

    With a publication ban in place we may have to wait to discover the details of this testimony.

    Stay tuned.