Putting some reality in reality shows

"Reality" shows turn out to be a lot more real than they seem. Contestants deprived of their personal possessions, of human contact, of a support network, of sleep, of privacy. Of dignity. Sounds a lot like some sort of prison, doesn't it? Or like working conditions that migrant laborers often have to endure in the shadows. And TV networks not only make a show out of it, they make millions out of degrading people in this way.

A house for 30 songs

A college student was ordered to pay $675,000 for downloading and sharing 30 songs. The law, who is supposed to protect the people, is being used to protect the profits of the recording corporations instead. And now this student and his family are ordered to shoulder a debt that could almost buy you a mansion in some parts. And for what, 30 songs? That's 3 CDs, the recording industry sells that for $30 - and you can listen to songs on YouTube for free, anyway!

It just doesn't add up.

What kind of person denies essential services to millions to save a few dollars?

Dwight Furrow asks the question that has been on the minds of many. And the answer:

A conservative.

Let's start holding the media accountable

MoveOn is campaigning for CNN to address its Lou Dobbs problem - he insists on questioning the validity of the President's birth certificate.

Seriously, it's time to hold Big Media accountable for the damage it has been doing to America with its irresponsible reporting and its lack of professionalism. It's time for us to start asking them to bring back real journalism, instead of leaving it to comedians.

The public option is the best, and even Republicans know it

The problem is, they'd rather stiff the American people than disobey the insurance companies that pay their bills. Check it out.

And it gets better!

Can you prove that you are a US citizen?

If a birth certificate won't do it - and there are people out there who don't think that cuts it, even for the President (although they had no problems with Mr. Bush's) - you may find yourself in trouble.

We are taking over health care

There are two health care worlds in America. The public system, Medicare for those over 65 and Medicaid for the poor, and the system that the insurance industry runs for hefty profits. Unfortunately, most of us have to deal with the latter, or forego insurance altogether.

The problem is that the insurance industry isn't taking care of our needs. They do make lots of money for insurance executives, but they do that by denying care to as many people as they possibly can. Not only is this outrageous, it is exactly the opposite of what health care is about: taking care of as many Americans as possible.

So we need to take over this system and make it right. And, in a democracy, the way we do it is through our government. That is what Republicans are afraid of, and that is why they talk about a "government takeover of health care". But that is nothing more than we, the people, asserting our constitutional right to correct the course of this nation as we, the people, see fit.

And there's nothing more American than that.

House health care bill is out

The House's health care bill is out. Let's keep the pressure on Congress to see a bill that guarantees a national public health care plan available to all.

Dignity for all

Excellent article by Barbara Ehrenreich (of "Nickel and Dimed" and "Bait and Switch" fame) on the reality of being on welfare and how the present system erodes the dignity of the poor by criminalizing them and placing unreasonable demands on the already vulnerable.

Slowly but steadily

It seems like little by little we're getting closer to some sort of indictment of Dick Cheney for at least some of the unconscionable actions of the previous administration.

IBM, Microsoft... Google

There seems to be a pattern of information technology companies coming up with a revolutionary new product which becomes dominant and allows its parent company to dominate the market. IBM with the IBM PC, Microsoft with Windows, Google with, well, Google. But then the company starts to grow into every corner of the computer world and things get complicated. First an internet browser, then a phone, now this. Will Google get in trouble?

The future of freeways

Remember that Kaiser Permanente ad with the freeway full of cyclists? Well, check this out.

Progressive tomorrow, today

The progressive tomorrow is already here today. It's just not evenly distributed, as William Gibson said. This blog begins as a fact-finding mission through the infoscape of the present, searching for clues and hints of what is to come. Enjoy!

And remember - you saw it here first.