Tuesday, May 29, 2007

Vote! New Words of 2007

Natasha, our European correspondent asks that you vote for one of the following "new words" of 2007.

Seagull Manager - manager who flies in, makes a lot of noise, craps on everything then leaves.

Assmosis - the process by which people seem to absorb success and advancement by sucking up to the boss rather than working hard

Woofys. Well Off Older Folks.

Teletubbies Banned in Poland

Special From Europe: Hard Times Ahead

The International Schmucks Association recently has come up against - well actually come out against - the proposal of Barefoot Mohels to the Gates Foundation.

The Schmucks considered that the barefoot mohels were threatening to take over the territory traditionally considered to be the property of schmucks. Sounding more and more like a radical right-wing element, the ISA also made strong statements against "growing little things".

They said they only support big things; it makes them remember who they are and what they stand for.

When asked if the ISA could not support "growing small things" out of solidarity with steps to reverse global warming, the ISA president put up his two thumbs, replying, "See these? Schmucks look like this, and we like everything big. We like giving a hard time to everyone."

No further questions were put to the ISA following this supreme display of international ego-schmuckness.

Natasha, European Correspondent

Friday, May 18, 2007

Riddle

What's the difference between irony and cynicism?

Michael Baroody

Tuesday, May 08, 2007

Satan in Utah

CALEB WARNOCK - Daily Herald

Sunday, April 29, 2007

Utah County Republicans ended their convention on Saturday by debating Satan's influence on illegal immigrants.
The group was unable to take official action because not enough members stuck around long enough to vote, despite the
pleadings of party officials.
The convention was held at Canyon View Junior High School.
Don Larsen, chairman of legislative District 65 for the Utah County Republican Party, had submitted a resolution warning
that Satan's minions want to eliminate national borders and do away with sovereignty.
In a speech at the convention, Larsen told those gathered that illegal immigrants "hate American people" and "are
determined to destroy this country, and there is nothing they won't do."
Illegal aliens are in control of the media, and working in tandem with Democrats, are trying to "destroy Christian America"
and replace it with "a godless new world order -- and that is not extremism, that is fact," Larsen said.
At the end of his speech, Larsen began to cry, saying illegal immigrants were trying to bring about the destruction of the
U.S. "by self invasion."
Republican officials then allowed speakers to defend and refute the resolution. One speaker, who was identified as "Joe,"
said illegal immigrants were Marxist and under the influence of the devil. Another, who declined to give her name to the
Daily Herald, said illegal immigrants should not be allowed because "they are not going to become Republicans and stop
flying the flag upside down. ... If they want to be Americans, they should learn to speak English and fly their flag like we
do."

New CDC Program to Reduce Obesity!

Atlanta, Special to HG&W

The US Centers for Disease Control has unwrapped its brand new Anti-Obesity Campaign.
It relies heavily on imported food, but the Feds have every expectation that US companies will join the effort.

Panama Leads the Way

"A syrupy poison, diethylene glycol, is an indispensable part of the modern world, an industrial solvent and prime ingredient in antifreeze.

It is also a killer. And the deaths, if not intentional, are often no accident.

The kidneys fail first. Then the central nervous system begins to misfire. Paralysis spreads, making breathing difficult, then often impossible without assistance. In the end, most victims die.

Many of them are children, poisoned at the hands of their unsuspecting parents.

Over the years, the poison has been loaded into all varieties of medicine - cough syrup, fever medication, injectable drugs - a result of counterfeiters who profit by substituting the sweet-tasting solvent for a safe, more expensive syrup, usually glycerin, commonly used in drugs, food, toothpaste and other products.

Toxic syrup has figured in at least eight mass poisonings around the world in the past two decades. Researchers estimate that thousands have died. In many cases, the precise origin of the poison has never been determined. But records and interviews show that in three of the last four cases it was made in China, a major source of counterfeit drugs.

Panama is the most recent victim. Last year, government officials there unwittingly mixed diethylene glycol into 260,000 bottles of cold medicine - with devastating results. Families have reported 365 deaths from the poison, 100 of which have been confirmed so far. With the onset of the rainy season, investigators are racing to exhume as many potential victims as possible before bodies decompose even more.

The Panama death toll leads directly to Chinese companies that made and exported the poison as 99.5 percent pure glycerin."

Meanwhile, back in the US,

20 Million Melamine-Fed Chickens Released to Market


"The U.S. Department of Agriculture said today that some 20 million chickens that ate feed contaminated with melamine will be released to market. The chickens had been held on farms in several states.
"In several cases, feed samples have tested negative for melamine and related compounds," USDA said in a statement. "It is assumed that because only small amounts of the contaminated feed were mixed with other rations, the melamine and related compounds were no longer detectable."

Last week, USDA said there were 38 farms in Indiana where some 3.1 million chickens may have eaten tainted feed in February, but were slaughtered and sent to market. Also, about 6,000 hogs in six states may have also eaten contaminated feed.

A hold was placed on the 20 million birds late Friday as the melamine investigation continued.

An assessment conducted by scientists from five federal agencies concluded today that there is "very low risk to human health" from consuming meat from hogs and chickens that ate feed supplemented with pet food scraps that contained melamine and melamine-related compounds.

In the most extreme risk assessment scenario, when scientists assumed that all the solid food a person consumes in an entire day was contaminated with melamine at the levels observed in animals fed contaminated feed, the potential exposure was about 2,500 times lower than the dose considered safe.

It was well below any level of public health concern, the government scientists said.

The risk assessment is a component of the continuing federal joint investigation into imported wheat gluten and rice protein concentrate from China that contained melamine and melamine-related compounds.

It first showed up in pet food that killed thousands of cats and dogs earlier this year. Last week, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced the pet food had been eaten by three million chickens and hogs in six states.

The risk assessment was conducted by scientists from the Food and Drug Administration, FDA, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of the Department of Health and Human Services, the Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Customs and Border Protection of the Department of Homeland Security and the Food Safety and Inspection Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

This team is now compiling a scientific assessment of the risk to animal health associated with ingestion of animal feed containing melamine and its compounds.

To ensure no further contaminated products enter the U.S., the federal government will continue to monitor imported wheat and corn gluten as well as rice protein concentrate and isolates arriving from all countries destined for human and animal consumption.

The FDA import alert for these products sourced from China remains in effect and U.S. Customs and Border Protection will continue laboratory testing of the products as they enter the United States. The inspections are a precautionary measure, said the FDA, adding, "There is no evidence to suggest products bound for the human food supply are contaminated."

Absolutely not!! And you who think the FDA or the Department of Agriculture might bullshit us, SHAME ON YOU!

Sunday, May 06, 2007

Schmucks Strike Back!

Washington (Special to the HG&W)

In two actions yesterday, the Schmucks International struck back at the neo-liberal establishment. At 6AM, as the sun rose, Washington saw that the Washington Monument, a giant schmuck if I ever saw one, had been painted pink. "This is another example of unleashed and unreasonable gay activism!" said the President of the Free World. "We will defend ourselves with all the strength, blood, sweat, etc. It looks like the Schmucks have joined the Gays!"

Meanwhile, Sunday afternoon at the Vatican Museum was a shock. All the penises that had been broken off Greek statues had been superglued back on and in an anatomically correct manner. "What are we to do," said the German Pope, "when the conspiracy of Schmucken has widened to this extent!!!"

The only comforting news for the anti-schmuck forces was the assurance from Pakistan that they were not sheltering the Schmuck forces. "What a relief!" said the leader of the free world and the pope.

Friday, May 04, 2007

The War on Schmucks

Washington, Special to the HG&W

President Whatever has announced that the US has declared a new war, a War on Schmucks.

"Exactly what is a schmuck?" queried the President rhetorically. "A schmuck is anybody I don't like! And there are a lot of them, so watch out!"

"I think this is a misuse of the term 'schmuck'," stated Elie Wiesel, BU Professor of Bad Stuff. "Schmuck is a really Yiddish thing and the term should not be bandied about."

Ali Tarminian responded for the Armenian Insurgency: "Schmuck is not the property of the Jews! If Bush or Whatever wants to declare a war on schmucks, that's his right as leader of the Free World!"

"No! No!" said Helmut Schultz. "Schmuck has a very particular meaning -- and it is meaningless to talk about a war on ornaments!"

President Whatever said that he was deeply concerned about the weapons of mass seduction that he's heard were being kept in the hills by a "bunch of schmucks." "We will show no mercy!, said VP Cheney. "Why I shot some schmuck in the head on a recent hunting trip and it felt great!"

Hard Times Then and Now




"Surely there never was such fragile china-ware as that of which the
millers of Coketown were made. Handle them never so lightly, and they
fell to pieces with such ease that you might suspect them of having
been flawed before. They were ruined, when they were required to send
labouring children to school; they were ruined when inspectors were
appointed to look into their works; they were ruined, when such
inspectors considered it doubtful whether they were quite justified in
chopping people up with their machinery; they were utterly undone, when
it was hinted that perhaps they need not always make quite so much
smoke."

Charles Dickens, Hard Times

OSHA Goes Down Better With Coke

AMAZING GRACE

W. R. Grace & Co.





Number of sites linked to this company, and its subsidiaries, by status on the EPA’s

National Priorities List:

Proposed for list: FAQs 0

Currently on list: FAQs 42

Deleted from list (cleaned up): FAQs 6

Total sites: 48



Federal Money and Influence

Campaign Contributions (1998-2006): $495,000
Federal Lobbying (1998-2005): $2,300,000
Travel sponsored for EPA officials (1997-2005): $0
Travel sponsored for congressional officials (1998-2005): $0



Superfund sites linked to this company:

Site Name City State Single-/Multi-Party Responsibility

29TH & MEAD GROUND WATER CONTAMINATION WICHITA KS Multi
AQUA-TECH ENVIRONMENTAL INC (GROCE LABS) GREER SC Multi
AUBURN ROAD LANDFILL LONDONDERRY NH Multi
BIO-ECOLOGY SYSTEMS, INC. GRAND PRAIRIE TX Multi
CANNON ENGINEERING CORP. (CEC) BRIDGEWATER MA Multi
CAROLAWN, INC. FORT LAWN SC Multi
CENTRAL CHEMICAL (HAGERSTOWN) HAGERSTOWN MD Multi
CHARLES-GEORGE RECLAMATION TRUST LANDFILL TYNGSBOROUGH MA Multi
CHEMSOL, INC. PISCATAWAY NJ Multi
FRENCH, LTD. CROSBY TX Multi
GEMS LANDFILL GLOUCESTER TOWNSHIP NJ Multi
GOLDEN STRIP SEPTIC TANK SERVICE SIMPSONVILLE SC Multi
GREEN RIVER DISPOSAL, INC. MACEO KY Multi
HARDAGE/CRINER CRINER OK Multi
IRON HORSE PARK BILLERICA MA Multi
KEEFE ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES (KES) EPPING NH Multi
LANDFILL & RESOURCE RECOVERY, INC. (L&RR) NORTH SMITHFIELD RI Multi
LIBBY ASBESTOS SITE LIBBY MT Multi
MAXEY FLATS NUCLEAR DISPOSAL HILLSBORO KY Multi
METAMORA LANDFILL METAMORA MI Multi
MOTOR WHEEL, INC. LANSING TOWNSHIP MI Multi
MOYERS LANDFILL EAGLEVILLE PA Multi
NOVAK SANITARY LANDFILL SOUTH WHITEHALL TOWNSHIP PA Multi
OPERATING INDUSTRIES, INC., LANDFILL MONTEREY PARK CA Multi
OTTATI & GOSS/KINGSTON STEEL DRUM KINGSTON NH Multi
PEAK OIL CO./BAY DRUM CO. TAMPA FL Multi
PETROLEUM PRODUCTS CORP. PEMBROKE PARK FL Multi
PLYMOUTH HARBOR/CANNON ENGINEERING CORP. PLYMOUTH MA Multi
POLLUTION ABATEMENT SERVICES OSWEGO NY Multi
RENORA, INC. EDISON TOWNSHIP NJ Multi
RE-SOLVE, INC. DARTMOUTH MA Multi
ROCK HILL CHEMICAL CO. ROCK HILL SC Multi
SCIENTIFIC CHEMICAL PROCESSING CARLSTADT NJ Multi
SCRDI BLUFF ROAD COLUMBIA SC Multi
SHERIDAN DISPOSAL SERVICES HEMPSTEAD TX Multi
SILRESIM CHEMICAL CORP. LOWELL MA Multi
SOUTH 8TH STREET LANDFILL WEST MEMPHIS AR Multi
SPECTRON, INC. ELKTON MD Multi
SYLVESTER NASHUA NH Multi
TAYLOR ROAD LANDFILL SEFFNER FL Multi
TINKHAM GARAGE LONDONDERRY NH Multi
W.R. GRACE & CO., INC. (ACTON PLANT) ACTON MA Single
W.R. GRACE & CO., INC./WAYNE INTERIM STORAGE SITE (USDOE)
WAYNE TOWNSHIP NJ Single
WATSON JOHNSON LANDFILL RICHLAND TOWNSHIP PA Single
WAUCONDA SAND & GRAVEL WAUCONDA IL Multi
WELLS G&H WOBURN MA Multi
WESTERN PROCESSING CO., INC. KENT WA Multi
ZELLWOOD GROUND WATER CONTAMINATION ZELLWOOD FL Multi



© 2007, The Center for Public Integrity. All rights reserved.

Wednesday, May 02, 2007

Bush Abdicates; To Head Yale Divinity



New Haven (special to the HG&W)

President Bush has decided to resign and take up the leadership of Yale Divinity School. The Saudis have promised a major donation with the understanding that the school will be re-named for Osama Bin Laden. "It is only right that the school honor the man who kept GWB in office!" said a spokesman for the King. "My only concern about this move," said Pres. Bush, "is that there are all these Hebrew letters on the Yale emblem. They really have to go!"