Index

A Texas schoolteacher won first place in a contest to find America’s messiest desk.

Sponsored by publisher Little, Brown and Co., the competition promoted “A Perfect Mess: The Hidden Benefits of Disorder,” by Eric Abrahamson and David Freedman, a new book that argues neatness is overrated, costs money, wastes time and quashes creativity.

Ha! I can’t even find my desk. But, of course, I know where to find everything…except when I can’t.

Posted by Zounds Off at 8:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

France has placed all the information it has gathered on more than 1,600 UFO sightings on a website. The site immediately crashed when millions of aliens visited the site to see if their vacation photos had been posted. I thought to go to the site, but as of yet my internet connection can’t go galactic. George Knapp, a Las Vegas reporter known for his fascination with Area 51 located north of Las Vegas, probably hasn’t come back from the site, yet.

The site (if it ever comes back) is: cnes-geipan France UFO Site

Posted by Zounds Off at 6:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

One of our readers wrote in about a letter written recently to Governor Gibbons–our other reader was following all day kindergarten news–and as the professor sent this to as many media outlets he could, we provide the letter here:

March 5, 2007

MEMORANDUM

TO: Jim Gibbons
Governor, State of Nevada

FROM: Hussein S. Hussein, Ph.D.
Associate Professor

SUBJECT: WHY IS A STATE EMPLOYEE UNDER SURVEILLANCE BY A STATE AGENCY FOR MORE TWO YEARS?

Request: This memorandum is a request to our newly elected governor to protect a state employee (Dr. Hussein Hussein) from a state agency (Nevada System of Higher Education “NSHE”) and to immediately order the removal of the long-term surveillance by NSHE against me.

Background: On December 27, 2004, NSHE found itself on the front page of the Reno Gazette Journal (RGJ). The news was bad for NSHE. The news exposed rampant animal abuse at the UNR. The RGJ called the series of articles “Trouble on the Farm”. The news hit the wires and was republished across the nation in the press. I exposed this animal abuse to the RGJ. I was “the source”.

Within hours of the release of this news, a surveillance camera was installed outside of my laboratory and office at the UNR. The surveillance is 24/7 and continues to this day. I don’t know if you have ever been under such a microscope. It is not very fun.
Why was this one State employee singled out for 24/7 surveillance for more than two years, all within hours of being exposed as a whistle blower in the press? Regardless of the answer to that question, the time has come for this to stop. This is where I need your help.

The law on spy cameras on campus is clear in at least two regards. One, criminal activity has to be suspected. Two, the UNR President must approve it.
Therefore, the UNR President has concluded I am a criminal in need of surveillance. But all I am is a State employee who is trying to do his job.

In the last two years, no criminal charges have been brought. I am an innocent State employee who happens to have blown the whistle on severe and systemic animal abuse. The surveillance continues almost as persistently as the animal abuse continues. You may recall the 400 drowned UNR sheep last winter. This continues, despite UNR having paid taxpayer money to the USDA for the 56 confirmed violations of the Animal Welfare Act.

Are we working as State employees in an Orwellian totalitarian State?
Well, maybe not everyone is, but I am.
I need your help, Sir.

I have endeavored for two long years to get an answer to the surveillance, to the spy cameras. No one has any answers.
NSHE State lawyers have no answers. NSHE private lawyers, McDonald Carano Wilson LLP, have no answers.
So, I need your help. Can you help me?

Thank you very much.
________________________________________________________________

Reading about the surveillance kind of reminded me of that little known critter known as the Patriot Act which then reminded me of ….

Just 45 days after the September 11 attacks, with virtually no debate, Congress passed the USA PATRIOT Act.

Originally passed after the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Centers in New York, New York; the Act (full text) was formed in response to the terrorist attacks against the United States, and dramatically expanded the authority of American law enforcement for the stated purpose of fighting terrorism in the United States and abroad. , At the time the ACLU, who often supports frightening causes such as NAMBLA, correctly pointed out flaws that threaten your fundamental freedoms by giving the government the power to access to your medical records, tax records, information about the books you buy or borrow without probable cause, and the power to break into your home and conduct secret searches without telling you for weeks, months, or indefinitely. It has also supposedly been used to detect and prosecute other alleged potential crimes, such as providing false information on terrorism, but on March 9, 2007, the US Justice Department released an internal audit that found that the FBI had acted illegally in its use of the USA Patriot Act to secretly obtain personal information about US citizens. Federal courts have ruled that some provisions are unconstitutional infringements on civil liberties. The Patriot act had been renewed on March 2, 2006 with a vote of 89 to 11 in the Senate and on March 7 280 to 138 in the House. The renewal was signed into law by President Bush on March 9, 2006.
.
And then there is a little something called the Real ID Act which federalizes and standardizes state driver’s licenses for all 50 states, and it will result in something that has been resisted in this country for a long time — a national identity card.

The Real ID Act was pushed through Congress in 2005 with little meaningful debate. The changes should result in new fees and if you thought the lines were long at the DMV before, wait until everyone has to come in to replace their now obsolete license, loaded with paper to scan. Plus, there is a little more to consider about this new threat to Americans’ privacy.

The law requires DMVs to store scanned copies of birth certificates, Social Security cards, and any other documents that individuals present when they apply for a license. It creates a national linked database allowing millions of employees at all levels of government around the nation to access personal data. It also mandates a nationally standardized “machine-readable zone” that will let bars, merchants, and other private parties scan personal data off licenses with greater ease than ever before, putting all that information into even greater circulation. Privacy activists, such as privacyrights.org, point out how this will create new opportunities for ID thieves to commit identity theft, while the supposed reliability of the documents should make them more valuable to counterfeit.
An anti-Real ID Web site that includes the status of efforts in all 50 states and what consumers can do to take action is at www.realnightmare.org.

But back to our professor and his letter. If I was the professor, I would either put up a giant smiley face, find creative ways to express my magic finger, or, heaven forbid, install my own camera aimed right at theirs.

Posted by Zounds Off at 6:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Hear me, people: We have now to deal with another race–small and feeble when our fathers first met them, but now great and overbearing. Stangely enough they have a mind to till the soil and the love of possession is a disease with them. These people have made many rules that the rich may break but the poor may not. They take their tithes from the poor and weak to support the rich and those who rule. (emphasis HH)

–Chief Sitting Bull, speaking at the Powder River Conference in 1877

Ponder the words of a real chief as you consider Lord Bush’s bravado at yesterday’s press conference, and his continuing hubris regarding the war and the freedom’s of individual Americans.

Yeah, I’m still pissed off about it.

The issue of the brewing crisis involving the US Attorney firings has still been bouncing around in my head the entire day, mostly in relation to my previous post.

Bugging me, bugging me, bugging me. Something about it wasn’t quite right, and I knew it at the time but couldn’t quite nail it down. Bush being a smug tough guy yesterday was something we mostly only hear about. I mean, he’s been differing degrees of yesterday, but never quite yesterday.

Continue reading “Bush-League Craftiness” »

Posted by Human Head at 1:13 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

On March 20, 2007, Claire’s Stores, Inc. announced that the company has agreed to a $3.1 billion takeover proposal from New York-based private equity firm Apollo Management LP.
You might remember that on December 19, 2006 Apollo’s buyout of Harrah’s Entertainment in partnership with Texas Pacific Group for $17.1 billion was approved by Harrah’s board and later approved by stockholders and regulators.

Also, Smart & Final, Inc. announced on February 20, 2007 that it has entered into a definitive merger agreement to be acquired by an affiliate of Apollo Management, to close in the second quarter of 2007.

These private equity firms, such as Apollo and its partner in the Harrah’s buyout, invest in companies listed on public exchanges and take them private. Passive institutional investors may invest in private equity funds, which are in turn used by private equity firms for investment in target companies. Types of private equity investment include leveraged buyout, venture capital, growth capital, angel investing, mezzanine capital and others. After acquisition, these firms seem to often divest parts of the acquisition quickly, holding onto the more profitable divisions for later sale or offering the company again to the public through an initial public offering to complete the “sell out.”

Apollo Management L.P. was founded in 1990 by Leon Black (Apollo Advisors). It has invested over $16 billion in companies and, along with Harrah’s, Apollo has invested in such companies as AMC Entertainment, CEVA Logistics , Hexion Specialty Chemicals, General Nutrition Centers (GNC), and Linens ‘n Things.

TPG Capital, L.P., Apollo’s partner in the Harrah’s buyout and formerly Texas Pacific Group, commonly referred as “TPG”, was founded by David Bonderman, James Coulter, and William S. Price III in 1992 and focuses on turnarounds, management buyouts, and leveraged recapitalizations. TPG is noted for the 2002 leveraged buyout of Burger King with Bain Capital and Goldman Sachs Capital Partners, and the acquisition of MGM in 2005 with Sony Corp. and other private equity firms. Also, on December 1, 2006, it was announced Texas Pacific Group and Kohlberg Kravis Roberts were exploring the possibility of a record $100 billion leveraged buyout of the nation’s second-largest retailer Home Depot . And in February 2007, Texas Pacific Group and Kohlberg Kravis Roberts announce intention to acquire TXU http://www.txucorp.com/media/default.aspx for about $45 billion, including debt, in the largest-ever leveraged buyout. The deal is also notable for a drastic change in environmental policy for the energy giant, in terms of its carbon emissions from coal power plants and funding alternative energy. However, The Blackstone Group, together with The Carlyle Group and Riverstone Holdings, are considering a rival offer for TXU Corporation.

Two things come to my mind when I look at these players in business acquisitions, which amaze me by the fact they don’t “produce” anything: first, that my assets total about $1,100 and a 1990 Ford, and my debt in student loans exceeds $50,000, so guys, I am ready to negotiate a hostile takeover by you; and second, if only AMC Entertainment, with Leon Black sitting as a director, was affiliated with AMC tv, I would know why AMC tv continually shows the movie “Jaws,” all about a predator which consumes everything it sees.

Posted by Zounds Off at 6:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I have no idea how normal this is or isn’t to people, but whenever I think about things, there are always a certain number of said things that prompt a song in my head.

Remember the awkward phase of rap that produced the cringe-inducing song from West Coast Rap All-Stars, We’re All in the Same Gang?

That’s the song that plays in my head every time I begin considering things political. I wish I could explain it and I wish it weren’t so. As if “modern” politics weren’t intellectual torture enough, this song has to pop in and add to the mental waterboarding.

(I thought it might be nice to get my digression out of the way early–c’mon, follow me through the jump)

Continue reading “Malice and Incompetence” »

Posted by Human Head at 3:48 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Donna Childs of the Dayton Daily News reported that a Troy, Ohio woman contacted the Better Business Bureau inquiring about a letter she received from Household Finance, Inc. in Las Vegas, saying she’d won a $48,000 home improvement grant. The company alleged it had tried contacting her previously, but she hadn’t responded and this was the final attempt to settle the claim.
A check for $4,920.30, an advance on her winnings, was enclosed with the letter to help her pay mandatory fees and foreign access taxes. The letter stated the fees also served as verification to establish the legitimacy of the claim.
The check is supposedly issued by Lean Horizons Consulting, LLC in Glastonbury, Conn., and drawn on Bank of America. A Lean Horizons’ employee said: “Although Lean Horizons is a legitimate consulting firm, the letters and checks your consumers have received from Household Finance is a sophisticated bank scam. We recently became aware of the problem and have involved the local police, who are currently investigating the issue as check fraud.” The telephone numbers listed on the check are incorrect for Lean Horizons Consulting, LLC and Bank of America.
The letter instructed her to call the listed telephone number and speak with the claim manager assigned to her file.. Although the company is allegedly located in Nevada, the number is to a cell phone in Toronto, while the envelope the letter arrived in was postmarked and stamped in Canada.
The toll-free fax number listed on the letter belongs to Liberty Group, Inc. in Las Vegas, a sweepstakes business which has an unsatisfactory record with the BBB due to one or more unanswered complaints. The BBB has been unable to confirm whether or not this company has a valid local business license.

Household Finance appears to be a different company than that listed with the secretary of state office although the one listed with the state has officers who are also involved with HSBC Finance Corporation, which has problems of its own involving subprime credit cards. HSBC has also offered tax refund anticipation loans in a partnership with H&R; Block, which are targeted primarily at low-income individuals and can have annualised interest rates as high as 130 percent. HSBC has continued to expand its portfolio of subprime lending with the acquisition of Metris Companies, who also stand accused of predatory lending practises.

Currently there is another apparent scam that may involve the same group under the name The Grant Assistant listed at 848 N Rainbow Blvd # 589 Las Vegas, Nevada 89107.but also at 2620 Regatta Dr. Suite 102 who is apparently in default with the secretary of state for failing to provide a list of officers.

Liberty Group, Inc. had its status with the Nevada Secretary of State office permanently revoked in 2003. Officers of the company include Guido Volante of Delray Beach, FL and Rafe Cohen of Sherman Oaks, CA.

Posted by Zounds Off at 5:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Ahhh KSM, you devil. Oh the misery and pain you’ve wrought upon us. What a bombshell that this man, the Ron Jeremy of terror, was actually responsible of nearly every bad thing that’s happened over roughly two-thirds of my lifetime.

That is, if we believe the government and its corporate media lapdogs. But time and time again, unfortunately for them, reality keeps intruding.

Let’s ignore for now that this confession comes to us courtesy of a secret court with secret evidence where torture is not only allowed, but is encouraged by our leaders using their Holy Waterboard of Truth in the waging of their divinely inspired Global War on Terror (GWOT).

Given the above, we’ll also ignore the very reasonable possibility that KSM didn’t actually confess anything, and that the entire heavily redacted episode is pure fiction. That may be a little far-fetched, but is it really? Everything is completely secret and closed off, no one even has an updated picture of the man after being in captivity for years.

We’re living the Straussian neocon dream, baby.

Continue reading “Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and the Waterboard of Truth” »

Posted by Human Head at 5:52 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada is working on his memoirs, which should be published spring 2008, by G.P. Putnam’s Sons.

How much he will be paid is not disclosed; the bookdoesn’t have a title, and it will be co-authored by Esquire Executive Editor Mark Warren.

I take this to mean that Warren will actually write the book; Attorney Jay Brown of Las Vegas, Nevada will arrange a corporation that Harry will assign proceeds to, which then will miraculously net him a 10 million dollar, or more, windfall profit four years later; and that the title of the book should be Mr. Cleanface Comes Clean: My Years Holding Hands with the Mob in Nevada.

Posted by Zounds Off at 12:59 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)