Friend in town, 1

My friend Philipp from Europe arrives. Welcome barbecue at home.

The 10 stories the national media ignore

A lot of stories has been censored or ignored by the American media recently, says the San Francisco Bay Guardian. Among them:
- Bush administration manipulates science and censors scientists
- Ashcroft versus human rights law that holds corporations accountable
- Sale of electoral politics
- Neocons aggressively campaigning to stack the federal courts with right-wing judges
- Secrets of Cheney's energy task force come to light
- Wealth inequality in 21st century threatens economy and democracy
- Bush's secretly crafted provision of the energy bill offers energy companies $7.5 billion in tax credits to build six nuclear reactors.

President Bush: Flip-Flopper-In-Chief

30 exemples showing that the real flip-flopper is Mr. Bush. Plus: poster to download.

Th world would vote for Kerry

If the world could cast a vote in the United States presidential election, John Kerry would beat George W. Bush by a landslide, the International Herald Tribune reports.

Record revenues for media from political ads

According tho MediaChannelMediaChannel TV broadcasters - that were granted licenses to use publicly-owned airwaves, free of charge - will rake in a record $1.5 billion from political ads this year.

Take-off of the Republican Convention

O my. On Monday the Republican National Convention beginns in New York (where registered Democratic voters outnumber registered Republican voters by a factor of five to one...). The city is already under control of a supersized security (agents even check the food entering the convention complex by taking the temperature with thermometers). The RNC organizers announced cheerful performances of hot entertainers such as Donnie McClurkin, Gracie Rosenberger, Dexer Freebish, Brooks & Dunn and Lee An Womack. In the meanwhile 250 protesting bikers were already arested because they had caused "massive diruptions and endangered motorists".
For those who are seeking a detour from the tightly scripted rhetoric at the Republican Convention, MediaChannel.org and Media for Democracy offer the "Unofficial Media Guide to the 2004 RNC" (downloadable as PDF file).

Governor Noldi's sponsered trips

Noldi "Terminator" Schwarzenegger remains a businessman - even as California's governor. His trip to New York to address the Republican National Convention is being financed by a variety of major corporations. Despite the fact that he came to office promising to rid Sacramento of "special interests" he has accepted hundreds of thousands of dollars in contributions from companies and interest groups with business before state government. Schwarzenegger aides said Wednesday that the estimated $350,000 cost of his excursion to New York next week would be underwritten by a number of entertainment, pharmaceutical, oil and telecommunications concerns with major business interests in California. Among them: Fox Entertainment, NBC Universal, News Corporation, Paramount, TimeWarner, the Walt Disney Company, Viacom, Amgen, Pfizer, ChevronTexaco, Outback Steakhouse, SBC and Visa. Schwarzi's aides said he accepted the contributions to spare taxpayers the cost of his trip. - Speechless...

A daily dosis beach

Webcam from the Pier of Santa Monica, California.