Political Activism: Cindy Sheehan Says Adios

Quotes from CBS News:

Anti-war activist Cindy Sheehan announced Monday she is giving up her role as the "face" of the American anti-war movement.

Sheehan, 49, of Vacaville, Calif., lost her 24-year-old son Casey in Iraq on April 4, 2004. She has since emerged as one of the most vocal and high-profile opponents of the war, drawing international attention nearly two years ago when she camped outside President Bush's Crawford, Texas ranch to protest the war.

"I am getting out before it totally consumes me or anymore people that I love and the rest of my resources," she said.

"I have used all my energy trying to stop this country from slaughtering innocent human beings. I have been called every despicable name that small minds can think of and have had my life threatened many times," Sheehan said.

But she said the most devastating conclusion she had reached "was that Casey did indeed die for nothing ... killed by his own country which is beholden to and run by a war machine that even controls what we think".

"I guess no one paid attention to me when I said that the issue of peace and people dying for no reason is not a matter of 'right or left', but 'right and wrong,"' the diary says.

Sheehan criticized "blind party loyalty" as a danger, no matter which side it involved, and said the current two-party system is "corrupt" and "rapidly descending into with nary a check or balance: a fascist corporate wasteland."

Cindy's DailyKos Diary: "Good Riddance Attention Whore"

Cindy Sheehan plans to pursue other humanitarian causes now.

Perhaps she will join the GREEN party?

Health Care: Is Your Doctor A Sociopath?

The community admires them.

The system of justice seldom pursues them.

Sociopathy and the Health System:

In health and aged care people are all too often vulnerable and unable to act in their own best interests. Because of this the health system has been based on trust. Funding is readily exploited and has also traditionally been based on trust.

Care and profit compete directly for the health care dollar and those who can bring themselves to compromise on care will be mo$t profitable. This problem has been recognised for 2000 years. The system is very vulnerable for sociopaths to exploit.

Understanding The Corporatisation of Health Care:

Health care, a humanitarian service to the community is being turned into a marketable product across the world. The health care professions, once proudly independent and the upholders of strong ethical traditions have become party to this. Many have connived in the mi$use of their patients for profit.

From UConn Health Center:

How do you recognize a sociopath?

Martha Stout, a psychologist and Harvard Medical School clinical instructor and author of the newly released "The Sociopath Next Door: The Ruthless vs. the Rest of Us", urges readers to practice what she calls "the rule of threes."

One lie or broken promise or neglected responsibility may simply be a misunderstanding. Two may involve a serious mistake, but "three lies says you're dealing with a liar, and deceit is the linchpin of conscienceless behavior," Stout writes.

Do not give your money, your work, your secrets or your trust to a three-timer.

A prescription for the rogue doctor: part I--begin with diagnosis.
A prescription for the rogue doctor: part II ready, aim, fire.

Memorial Day Music: If Everyone Cared

My 14 year son Leo (who dreams of being a bass guitar player and the Vice President of Peace for the Ford Foundation someday) asked me to post this music video (please watch the entire video to appreciate) by Nickelback for this Memorial Day weekend:

[Chorus:]
If everyone cared and nobody cried
If everyone loved and nobody lied
If everyone shared and swallowed their pride
Then we'd see the day when nobody died

Watch more Memorial Day music videos here at DailyKos. Includes Bob Dylan, John Lennon, Phil Ochs and Joan Baez.

Health Care: SiCKO Preview

Health Care: Healthy Response to SiCKO at Cannes Film Festival, France

From The Wall Street Journal:

CANNES, France -- Filmmaker Michael Moore received a warm reception at the Cannes Film Festival on Saturday morning, where his latest movie SiCKO, a critical look at the U.S. health-care system, premiered to the world's press.

During the packed 8:30 a.m. morning press screening at the Grand Lumiere Theatre, several scenes in the documentary brought spontaneous applause, including a prologue segment that shows one man, without health care, stitching a large open wound on his leg with his own hand.

SiCKO, however, does not focus on the uninsured, but the vast number of Americans who have health-care coverage, and their personal stories of frustration with the system. A teary-eyed mother recalls the story of her daughter's death when being transferred from one hospital to another owned by Kaiser Permanente. Another woman blames the U.S. system for the demise of her husband, who was denied a bone marrow transplant. After the screening, several hard-nosed U.S. critics and journalists admitted to crying during the film.

Read the entire Wall Street Journal story here.

From Reuter's:

Director Michael Moore says the US health care system is driven by greed in his new documentary SiCKO, and asks of Americans in general, "Why do we behave the way we behave? What has become of us? Where is our soul??"

Read Reuter's story here.

From Fox News:

Filmmaker Michael Moore's brilliant and uplifting new documentary SiCKO deals with the failings of the U.S. healthcare system, both real and perceived. But this time around, the controversial documentarian seems to be letting the subject matter do the talking, and in the process shows a new maturity.

This film is a call to action.

Read Fox's story here.

Green Living: 16 Cities to Get Financing to 'Go Green'

Sixteen cities around the world will get financing to "go green" by renovating buildings they own with technology designed to cut carbon emissions, former President Clinton announced Wednesday.

Clinton's foundation has created an arrangement among four energy service companies and five global banking institutions that will result in major environmental upgrades in the cities, which include New York, Chicago, Houston, Toronto, Mexico City, London, Berlin, Tokyo and Rome.

"If all buildings were as efficient as they could be, we'd be saving an enormous amount of energy and significantly reducing carbon emissions. Also, we'd be saving a ton of money," Clinton said.

Read the full story here.

People & Power: Banking On It

In this episode of People & Power Max Keiser investigates whether the World Bank really alleviates poverty.

Part 1:

Part 2:


Check out Karmabanque right here.

Max Keiser's website here.

Great Art: Peter Hawes Photography

FIRST PUBLIC SHOWING of Peter Hawes Photography:

Date: Wednesday, May 16, 2007
Time: 5-7 p.m.
Place: Yale Medical Group ArtPlace
Yale Physicians Building
800 Howard Avenue, New Haven, Connecticut
Free parking at the Howard Avenue garage

The exhibition, which runs through October, features 15 of Peter's images plus drawings, hand-blown glass, jewelry, monotypes, paintings and sculptures by ten other artists. There will also be a poetry reading at 6 p.m. (not by Peter, puleeze).

Information about ArtPlace here.
Directions here.
Peter Hawes' photography website here.

Peter Hawes also designed my website:
InteriorPaintByDesign dot com.
Great job Peter! Thank you!

Green Living: Raw Foods Heal

The Joy of Not Cooking by Blake More

Michael Donaldson, Ph.D., a nutritional biologist at Cornell University, says, "We are looking at the links between raw foods and [preventing] cancer and degenerative diseases. These studies have opened my eyes, because as scientists we are always trying to make the next pharmaceutical breakthrough."

In one study, Donaldson evaluated the seven-day intake of 180 people eating 60 to 80 percent raw foods to determine the average ingestion of vitamins, minerals, protein, and calories.

He discovered that vitamin and mineral intake was excellent; the ratio of protein to calcium was right where it should be; sodium levels were low while potassium levels were high; fat ratios were good, with 20 to 25 percent fat, coming mostly from flaxseed oil, extra virgin olive oil, nuts, seeds, and avocados.

Cure for What Ails You?

Donaldson and his staff also conducted an intervention study looking at how the raw foods diet affected people with fibromyalgia, a nerve and muscle pain disorder. Over a course of six weeks, 30 people were put on a program that included two to three glasses of carrot juice, barley greens, raw fruits and vegetables, flaxseed oil, and some cooked food at dinner. At the end of the trial, two-thirds showed improvement: two participants overcame their severe depression; one woman went back to work after being out on disability.

"Generally the raw food diet works because it is a synergy," says Donaldson. "Vitamins, enzymes, a healthy bowel, balanced emotions, positive outlook—all of these components come together in a living way. People overcome arthritis, allergies, cancer, you name it. I am still amazed by the testimonials."

For more information, click here.

GREAT ART: Painting Away The Terror

The Muralists of Baghdad . . .

The erection of protection walls in Baghdad has proved highly controversial, but for a group of artists -- which includes Sunnis, Shiites and Kurds -- they have provided novel giant canvases. For the last month the muralists have been turning the gray concrete blocks into vivid works of art -- and hoping to bring a bit of joy to the lives of Iraqis.

Read the full story here.