California meat packing firm recalls 143M pounds of beef
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California meat packing firm recalls 143M pounds of beef

Sunday, February 17, 2008

I am dismayed at the in-humane handling of cattle that has resulted in the violation of food safety regulations at the Hallmark/Westland Meat Packing Company.

In a press release today, California-based Hallmark/Westland Meat Packing Co. indicated that it has voluntarily recalled just over 143 million pounds (65 million kilograms) of raw and frozen beef products, which is considered to be the largest single recall of beef products in U.S. history. The move follows an investigation by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) into allegations of animal cruelty and mishandling of cattle destined for the human food chain.

The USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) had determined that beef products produced by the Chino, California company were unfit for human consumption as the cattle had not received “complete and proper inspection.”

The recall has been designated as Class II, which the USDA describes as “a health hazard situation where there is a remote probability of adverse health consequences from the use of the product.”

On Friday, Secretary of Agriculture Ed Schafer indicated that charges had been laid against employees of the plant alleged to have taken part in the mistreatment of cattle. “Today [Friday], the San Bernardino District Attorney filed felony animal cruelty charges against two employees who were terminated by Hallmark/Westland Meat Packing Company,” said Schafer. “It is regrettable that these animals were mistreated and I am encouraged and supportive of these actions by the San Bernardino District Attorney in response to this mistreatment.”

The USDA learned of the possible inhumane handling of non-ambulatory (disabled) cattle at the packing plant on January 30 and has since suspended activities at the plant. “We continue to conduct a thorough investigation into whether any violations of food safety or additional humane handling regulations have occurred,” said Secretary Schafer in a press release. “On February 8, our Office of the Inspector General took the lead on the investigation. At that time, USDA extended the administrative hold on Hallmark/Westland Meat Packing Company products for the National School Lunch Program, the Emergency Food Assistance Program and the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations while the investigation continues,” said Schafer.

The FSIS reported that Hallmark/Westland had not contacted the FSIS public health veterinarian, as required, when cattle became ill or disabled after undergoing ante-mortem (slaughter) inspection, putting the company out of compliance with FSIS regulations. “Because the cattle did not receive complete and proper inspection FSIS has determined them to be unfit for human food and the company is conducting a recall,” explained Secretary Schafer.

The cruelty charges stem from an undercover video that reportedly showed sick cattle being moved by crews using forklifts.

“Words cannot accurately express how shocked and horrified I was at the depictions contained on the video that was taken by an individual who worked at our facility from October 3 thru November 14, 2007,” said Steve Mendell, President, Westland Meat Co. and Hallmark Meat Packing. “We have taken swift action regarding the two employees identified on the video and have already implemented aggressive measures to ensure all employees follow our humane handling policies and procedures. We are also cooperating with the USDA investigators on the allegations of inhumane handling treatment which is a serious breech of our company’s policies and training.”

The USDA stressed that it is “extremely unlikely” that the cattle involved were at risk for Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) or mad-cow disease due to the employment of multiple safeguards. The USDA felt the recall was required, however, as the plant had allegedly violated USDA regulations.

The recall involves raw and frozen beef products produced on various dates from February 1, 2006 to February 2, 2008. For further information about the recall, consumers, media, and distributors are encouraged to contact Hallmark/Westland’s Plant Manager Stan Mendell or Food Safety Consultant Steve Sayer at (909) 590-3340 or the FSIS website, www.fsis.usda.gov.

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Types Of Face Lift Surgery}

Types of Face Lift Surgery

by

Amy Nutt

A rhytidectomy, the technical term for a face lift, is a fairly common cosmetic surgery that it utilized to restore a more youthful appearance. It can encompass any manner of smaller face related surgeries or involve a simple a lift. For example, rhinoplasty (nose job) or Blepharoplasty (eye surgery) are not considered face lifts per se, both may be performed in conjunction with a face lift.

Yet and still, you can opt to simply have the face lift without the additional surgeries. It all really depends on the results you wish to obtain post surgery.

This is why an in office consultation is so important prior to considering any type of cosmetic surgery.

What to expect during face lift surgery consultations

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-yFn74f99M[/youtube]

Many of the people who wish to undergo a face lift are forty plus and seek the lift due to dissatisfaction with wrinkles and sagging skin. A visit with a board certified, reputable physician will help them assess the areas that are in need of correction and what it will take to remedy the situation.

You can discuss issues like downtime and the costs of surgery as well as financing options during this initial visit.

Face lifts procedures and techniques

As with any cosmetic surgery, a face lift is determined by the incision and the procedures utilized during the surgery. A good example of this is the SMAS (Submuscular Aponeurotic System) Lift. With this type of cosmetic surgery a plastic surgeon arranges the underlying musculature of the face to create a more youthful appearance. Liposuction is often combined with this procedure to get rid of any subcutaneous fat after which excess sagging skin is cut away. This skin is the sutured and sewn together.

Other types of face lifts include:

A neck lift: People hate the jowly or “waddle” neck appearance that can develop as we age. This sagging jaw line can age the face even more than wrinkles do. A basic chin lift may eradicate this problem but cosmetic surgery that concentrates on neck area can really provide a more dramatic, youthful look.

Mini lift: An outpatient procedure, it a mini face lift is a minimally invasive cosmetic surgery that may not produce the results of a full face lift with a small incision by the ear. Also called a weekend face lift, this technique is best for individual between the ages of forty to fifty-years-old with small signs of aging to correct.

Traditional, old fashioned lift

The traditional face lift utilizes a larger incision but produces the most dramatic, overall results. Most people who opt for the full conventional lift are older with more signs of aging to correct. If need be, newer techniques, like SMAS can be combined to recontour the face and make it more youthful. Lipo is often performed in conjunction with this cosmetic surgery.

Cosmetic surgery additions and enhancements

Some men and women opt for surgical injections or additional surgeries like rhinoplasty or Blepharoplasty to complete the look they want. Non-invasive remedies like Botox or Restalyne injections can decrease the appearance of wrinkles that may be difficult to remove with skin excision alone.

The costs

On average, rhytidectomy surgery costs about $7,000 dollars but can go as high as $15,000 depending on the procedures and additional enhancements.

The best candidates for face lift, or any type of cosmetic surgery, are those who are psychologically sound and know what to expect. Plastic surgery will not make you look like someone else or appear to be a teenager again.

Instead, you look like a more fabulous version of yourself at your current age! Keep this in mind as you hunt to find the best doctor and deal for your cosmetic surgery.Chirurgie Esthetique Montreal

offers a wide variety of treatments and cosmetic procedures, including rhinoplasty, liposuction, and otoplasty.

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U.S. heiress, designer, and author Gloria Vanderbilt dies at 95
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U.S. heiress, designer, and author Gloria Vanderbilt dies at 95

Thursday, June 20, 2019

U.S. heiress Gloria Vanderbilt died on Monday at the age of 95, her son Anderson Cooper announced. She had advanced stomach cancer. Scion of the wealthy Vanderbilt family and the subject of a heavily publicized custody battle early in life, she later also became a performer, artist, and designer of porcelain, linens, and a well-known line of designer jeans.

Anderson Cooper, of CNN, one of Vanderbilt’s four sons, stated, “Gloria Vanderbilt was an extraordinary woman, who loved life, and lived it on her own terms […] She was a painter, a writer, and designer but also a remarkable mother, wife, and friend. She was 95 years old, but ask anyone close to her, and they’d tell you, she was the youngest person they knew, the coolest, and most modern.”

Vanderbilt was born in 1924 into the wealthy Vanderbilt family, great-great granddaughter of the railroad and shipping tycoon Cornelius Vanderbilt. Her father, Reginald Claypoole Vanderbilt, died with liver disease when she was one. At the age of ten, Vanderbilt was the subject of a heavily publicized custody battle between her widowed mother, Gloria Morgan Vanderbilt, and her aunt, Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney, who controlled a large piece of the Vanderbilt fortune. Her aunt won.

Although she had a trust fund worth US$5 million that she shared with one half-sister, over the course of her life, Vanderbilt also earned income herself through various pursuits. Encouraged to explore creative outlets by a psychotherapist, Vanderbilt took acting lessons and eventually performed on stage in The Time of Your Life in 1955 and appeared on television programs. She also focused on art and design, creating paintings, collages, linens, and a brand of designer jeans that would generate millions in sales. In 1990, the Smithsonian museum featured her jeans alongside the works of designers including Coco Chanel in an exhibit on gender and style.

Syracuse University pop culture professor Robert Thompson remarked, “The thing that really made Gloria Vanderbilt penetrate the American consciousness was the blue jeans war of the late ’70s and early 1980s […] The jeans moved from being functional clothes to designer jeans […] it was her attempt to take something that was so unglamorous and invest it in high fashion style.”

Vanderbilt was married to talent agent Pasquale “Pat” Di Cicco; conductor Leopold Stokowski, who fathered two of her sons; director Sidney Lumet; and author Wyatt Cooper; but, according to her memoirs, also had some degree of romantic involvement with, amongst others, Errol Flynn, Frank Sinatra, and Marlon Brando. She would later say her union with Cooper was her only happy marriage.

Vanderbilt also authored several books, including the memoirs Once Upon a Time and Black Knight, White Knight and the 2009 novel Obsession, which the New York Times called “the steamiest book ever written by an octogenarian.”

Vanderbilt is survived by two sons with Stokowski, Stanislaus and Christopher, and by her son Anderson Cooper. Another son, Carter Cooper, predeceased her.

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Brazilian shot by police on London Underground was not acting suspiciously
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Brazilian shot by police on London Underground was not acting suspiciously

Tuesday, August 16, 2005

Documents, reportedly leaked from the investigation into the death of Jean Charles de Menezes, the Brazilian electrician shot dead by British Police on the London Underground on 22 July reveal that Mr de Menezes was not acting suspiciously and was already restrained when shot.

Furthermore, the documents reveal that the original report given by the police and recorded on the coroners report contained many false statements. The reports suggest the police shot Jean Charles de Menezes because they mistakenly identified him as Hussain Osman, and had agreed to shoot him if he ran. Hussain Osman was suspected of having placed a faulty or mock explosive in a train.

The original reports claimed that de Menezes was acting suspiciously, was wearing a padded jacket, and ran when challenged, even vaulting the ticket barriers. However, the leaked documents, which include statements from officers involved in the operation and photographs of the scene, show that he behaved like any other commuter, used his travel pass to enter the station, even picking up a newspaper on his way. He was not challenged by police, and appears to have been unaware of being followed until after he entered the train. Photographic stills show he was only wearing a light denim jacket. It appears that he only ran in order to reach a train that was about to leave the platform.

The leaked document describes CCTV footage, which shows Mr de Menezes entered Stockwell station at a “normal walking pace” and descended slowly on an escalator.

The document said: “At some point near the bottom he is seen to run across the concourse and enter the carriage before sitting in an available seat.”

An eye witness, who was sitting opposite de Menezes on the train, is quoted as saying: “Within a few seconds I saw a man coming into the double doors to my left. He was pointing a small black handgun towards a person sitting opposite me. He pointed the gun at the right hand side of the man’s head. The gun was within 12 inches of the man’s head when the first shot was fired.”

This report is considerably different to initial reports that claimed de Menezes tripped as he fled onto the train, before being restrained by pursuing officers and shot. Photographs leaked to ITN appear to corroborate this new witness’s report as they clearly show blood on the seat in which de Menezes is said to have been sitting.

Other statements suggest that the Brazilian was seated before being pinned down by a plain-clothed police officer. Plainclothed armed officers had entered the carriage at this point. Several shots were then fired and de Menezes was hit seven times in the head and once in the shoulder. Three further shots missed Mr Menezes.

A community officer’s report (one of the leaked documents) confirms that Mr. de Menezes was seated and restrained at the time of being shot:

“I heard shouting which included the word ‘police’ and turned to face the male in the denim jacket.

“He immediately stood up and advanced towards me and the CO19 [the armed unit] officers …I grabbed the male in the denim jacket by wrapping both my arms around his torso, pinning his arms to his side.

“I then pushed him back onto the seat where he had been previously sitting … I then heard a gun shot very close to my left ear and was dragged away onto the floor of the carriage.”

The leaked documents confirm that Police had been given permission to shoot if a suspect was non-compliant, having been told that “unusual tactics” may be required and if they “were deployed to intercept a subject and there was an opportunity to challenge, but if the subject was non compliant, a critical shot may be taken.” It is thought that when he ran for the train officers felt this was suitable evidence of “non-compliance”.

The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) said its priority was to keep Mr de Menezes family informed and refused to comment on the details of the leak.

The commission said the family “will clearly be distressed that they have received information on television concerning his death”.

In an interview with the Guardian Newspaper, Asad Rehman, spokesman for the family’s campaign, called for a public inquiry. “This was not an accident,” he said. “It was serious neglect. Clearly, there was a failure both in police intelligence and on an operational level.”

Harriet Wistrich, the family’s solicitor expressed concerns, during an interview with ITN, that the Police had withheld information from the investigation for a longer period than was permitted under UK law. Ms. Wistrich also claimed, in a separate interview with the BBC, that the documents suggest that the original information given to the pathologist who carried out the post-mortem examination on Mr de Menezes was incorrect and that the information the leaked documents contained was “shocking and terrifying”.

“What sort of society are we living in where we can execute suspects?” she asked in the BBC interview.

An unnamed senior police source told the Guardian that the leaked documents and statements give an accurate picture of what was known so far about the shooting. Former Flying Squad commander John O’Connor told the BBC “had the normal procedures taken place in which a warning is given and officers wear specially marked clothing then this young man may not have been killed.”

The IPCC statement added: “The IPCC made it clear that we would not speculate or release partial information about the investigation, and that others should not do so. That remains the case.”

Mark Oaten, Home Affairs Spokesman for the Liberal Democrats, said: “If true, these preliminary findings will create obvious concerns. It is in the best interests of the police and the community for the full report and any recommendations, to be published as quickly as possible.”

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Getting Urgent Financial Help Is As Easy As 1 2 3

Getting Urgent Financial Help Is As Easy As 1-2-3

by

Mary D Wise

Life does not always feel as nice walk aside seashore on a good sunny day. It occasionally challenges us with thunderstorms, such as family emergencies, health issues, to name a few. Most of us are usually unprepared for unforeseen events like this, both morally and financially. In most cases, such emergencies require some cash, while some people may not have it handy. In an urgent need for funds, it may seem as there is no immediate financial solution. In fact, there is a good one: cash advance loans. While they have higher rates and shorter terms, compared to traditional lending products, they offer an unparallel advantage of getting cash fast and easy.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uN23Z7PqzK4[/youtube]

Why Go With Cash Advance Loan Cash advance loans are a perfect solution for immediate financial needs. They are very simple to find, since most lenders offer them online. They are extremely easy to obtain, since they feature no credit check and easy approval with minimum documents needed, if any. They boast fast funding: the funds are available either immediately or within 24 hours. They are as close as an ATM machine, since, once approved, funds are typically wired to your bank account. No matter what your situation is, they are for you to help. Cash advance loans are especially helpful to people with bad credit, when traditional lenders are within no reach. Getting a Cash Advance Loan Has Never Been Easier You can say good-bye to your local check cashing vendors and pawn shops. There is no need to get from the couch, put your coat on, and step out the door. Internet technology has made it simple to apply and obtain a cash advance loan. In fact, the money is only few clicks away. Application process is done entirely online, at any hour of the day. Approvals are usually lightning fast and hassle-free. Once approved, however, there may be some verification needed. You will have to have documented proof of identity, income, and banking information. Therefore, make sure to get your ID, paystubs, and checkbook ready. Once all the paperwork is in place, the loan proceeds are typically wired to the borrower’s bank account. Some lenders also offer alternative funds delivery options, such as money transfers and local cash pickups. Paying loan back is also worry-free, since the loan payments are usually withdrawn from the borrower’s checking or savings account. Cash Advance Loans Are Great When Used Right While lenders usually do not ask borrowers what the loan proceeds are going to be used for, it is important to understand that cash advance loans are designed for emergency uses, when no other financial help is available, or when it is within a long reach. They are an excellent tool to help with late bills, medical issues, and bank overdrafts. They are not designed, though, for purchasing a car, funding a wedding, or remodeling a house. Due to higher rates and shorter terms, cash advance loans are not suitable for long-term borrowing needs. Should such need arise, alternative financing options should be researched, such as personal loans, home improvement loans, or car loans.

Mary Wise is a certified loan consultant who helps people get approved for

Loans for People with Bad Credit

and

Bad Credit Home Equity Loan

. To get help with your financial situation you can visit her at

badcreditloanservices.com

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Lordi release future Dark Floors soundtrack ‘Beast Loose in Paradise’ as single
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Lordi release future Dark Floors soundtrack ‘Beast Loose in Paradise’ as single

Monday, December 24, 2007

Finnish theatrical hard rock band Lordi have released Beast Loose in Paradise – which will be the soundtrack to the band’s upcoming horror movie Dark Floors – as a downloadable single.

The song was originally intended to be released via Zed.fi, but for unknown reasons has not appeared on the site. However, it has appeared on at least two other sites as a pay-to-download single – MSN Music Finland and MTV3.fi.

The song was one of two recorded last month, and will be released by Sony BMG Finland as an actual CD on January 8 . The other song, titled Studs and Leather, was also written for the movie.

The cover art for the CD single has already been revealed. It is a direct tribute to the KISS album Creatures of the Night.

Most of both songs were composed during Lordi’s tour of the United States as part of Ozzfest, with the band’s lead vocalist saying in an interview with MonsterDiscoHell.com that the main riff of Beast Loose in Paradise was written in Milwaukee, while the chorus of Studs and Leather was composed in St. Augustine.

He went on to say that Studs and Leather had originally been intended for Bend over and Pray the Lord!, an unreleased album from 1999 that had been intended to be Lordi’s debut. The verses from Beast Loose in Paradise had been decided on between the whole band during therapy sessions at Christmas 2006. He said that he had written most of the rest between two US tours, the Ozzfest tour and a tour as the support act for American gothic doom metal band Type O Negative.

He continued to deny a recent rumour posted in Finnish music periodical Soundi that the new material was going to be “more brutal and raw” than that on Lordi’s last album, The Arockalypse. “Our music is not gonna get any brutal or heavier, but not any lighter [either]… I’d say these two songs are familiar Lordi. Although Beast Loose in Paradise is more ‘movie-esque’ and ‘horror-ish’ on purpose. And some might say it’s even heavier, but at the very least the chorus will be familiar and melodic Lordi stuff. And Studs and Leather is basically Heaven’s on Fire (KISS song) meets Balls To The Wall (Accept song).

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RuPaul speaks about society and the state of drag as performance art
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RuPaul speaks about society and the state of drag as performance art

Saturday, October 6, 2007

Few artists ever penetrate the subconscious level of American culture the way RuPaul Andre Charles did with the 1993 album Supermodel of the World. It was groundbreaking not only because in the midst of the Grunge phenomenon did Charles have a dance hit on MTV, but because he did it as RuPaul, formerly known as Starbooty, a supermodel drag queen with a message: love everyone. A duet with Elton John, an endorsement deal with MAC cosmetics, an eponymous talk show on VH-1 and roles in film propelled RuPaul into the new millennium.

In July, RuPaul’s movie Starrbooty began playing at film festivals and it is set to be released on DVD October 31st. Wikinews reporter David Shankbone recently spoke with RuPaul by telephone in Los Angeles, where she is to appear on stage for DIVAS Simply Singing!, a benefit for HIV-AIDS.

DS: How are you doing?

RP: Everything is great. I just settled into my new hotel room in downtown Los Angeles. I have never stayed downtown, so I wanted to try it out. L.A. is one of those traditional big cities where nobody goes downtown, but they are trying to change that.

DS: How do you like Los Angeles?

RP: I love L.A. I’m from San Diego, and I lived here for six years. It took me four years to fall in love with it and then those last two years I had fallen head over heels in love with it. Where are you from?

DS: Me? I’m from all over. I have lived in 17 cities, six states and three countries.

RP: Where were you when you were 15?

DS: Georgia, in a small town at the bottom of Fulton County called Palmetto.

RP: When I was in Georgia I went to South Fulton Technical School. The last high school I ever went to was…actually, I don’t remember the name of it.

DS: Do you miss Atlanta?

RP: I miss the Atlanta that I lived in. That Atlanta is long gone. It’s like a childhood friend who underwent head to toe plastic surgery and who I don’t recognize anymore. It’s not that I don’t like it; I do like it. It’s just not the Atlanta that I grew up with. It looks different because it went through that boomtown phase and so it has been transient. What made Georgia Georgia to me is gone. The last time I stayed in a hotel there my room was overlooking a construction site, and I realized the building that was torn down was a building that I had seen get built. And it had been torn down to build a new building. It was something you don’t expect to see in your lifetime.

DS: What did that signify to you?

RP: What it showed me is that the mentality in Atlanta is that much of their history means nothing. For so many years they did a good job preserving. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not a preservationist. It’s just an interesting observation.

DS: In 2004 when you released your third album, Red Hot, it received a good deal of play in the clubs and on dance radio, but very little press coverage. On your blog you discussed how you felt betrayed by the entertainment industry and, in particular, the gay press. What happened?

RP: Well, betrayed might be the wrong word. ‘Betrayed’ alludes to an idea that there was some kind of a promise made to me, and there never was. More so, I was disappointed. I don’t feel like it was a betrayal. Nobody promises anything in show business and you understand that from day one.
But, I don’t know what happened. It seemed I couldn’t get press on my album unless I was willing to play into the role that the mainstream press has assigned to gay people, which is as servants of straight ideals.

DS: Do you mean as court jesters?

RP: Not court jesters, because that also plays into that mentality. We as humans find it easy to categorize people so that we know how to feel comfortable with them; so that we don’t feel threatened. If someone falls outside of that categorization, we feel threatened and we search our psyche to put them into a category that we feel comfortable with. The mainstream media and the gay press find it hard to accept me as…just…

DS: Everything you are?

RP: Everything that I am.

DS: It seems like years ago, and my recollection might be fuzzy, but it seems like I read a mainstream media piece that talked about how you wanted to break out of the RuPaul ‘character’ and be seen as more than just RuPaul.

RP: Well, RuPaul is my real name and that’s who I am and who I have always been. There’s the product RuPaul that I have sold in business. Does the product feel like it’s been put into a box? Could you be more clear? It’s a hard question to answer.

DS: That you wanted to be seen as more than just RuPaul the drag queen, but also for the man and versatile artist that you are.

RP: That’s not on target. What other people think of me is not my business. What I do is what I do. How people see me doesn’t change what I decide to do. I don’t choose projects so people don’t see me as one thing or another. I choose projects that excite me. I think the problem is that people refuse to understand what drag is outside of their own belief system. A friend of mine recently did the Oprah show about transgendered youth. It was obvious that we, as a culture, have a hard time trying to understand the difference between a drag queen, transsexual, and a transgender, yet we find it very easy to know the difference between the American baseball league and the National baseball league, when they are both so similar. We’ll learn the difference to that. One of my hobbies is to research and go underneath ideas to discover why certain ones stay in place while others do not. Like Adam and Eve, which is a flimsy fairytale story, yet it is something that people believe; what, exactly, keeps it in place?

DS: What keeps people from knowing the difference between what is real and important, and what is not?

RP: Our belief systems. If you are a Christian then your belief system doesn’t allow for transgender or any of those things, and you then are going to have a vested interest in not understanding that. Why? Because if one peg in your belief system doesn’t work or doesn’t fit, the whole thing will crumble. So some people won’t understand the difference between a transvestite and transsexual. They will not understand that no matter how hard you force them to because it will mean deconstructing their whole belief system. If they understand Adam and Eve is a parable or fairytale, they then have to rethink their entire belief system.
As to me being seen as whatever, I was more likely commenting on the phenomenon of our culture. I am creative, and I am all of those things you mention, and doing one thing out there and people seeing it, it doesn’t matter if people know all that about me or not.

DS: Recently I interviewed Natasha Khan of the band Bat for Lashes, and she is considered by many to be one of the real up-and-coming artists in music today. Her band was up for the Mercury Prize in England. When I asked her where she drew inspiration from, she mentioned what really got her recently was the 1960’s and 70’s psychedelic drag queen performance art, such as seen in Jack Smith and the Destruction of Atlantis, The Cockettes and Paris Is Burning. What do you think when you hear an artist in her twenties looking to that era of drag performance art for inspiration?

RP: The first thing I think of when I hear that is that young kids are always looking for the ‘rock and roll’ answer to give. It’s very clever to give that answer. She’s asked that a lot: “Where do you get your inspiration?” And what she gave you is the best sound bite she could; it’s a really a good sound bite. I don’t know about Jack Smith and the Destruction of Atlantis, but I know about The Cockettes and Paris Is Burning. What I think about when I hear that is there are all these art school kids and when they get an understanding of how the press works, and how your sound bite will affect the interview, they go for the best.

DS: You think her answer was contrived?

RP: I think all answers are really contrived. Everything is contrived; the whole world is an illusion. Coming up and seeing kids dressed in Goth or hip hop clothes, when you go beneath all that, you have to ask: what is that really? You understand they are affected, pretentious. There’s nothing wrong with that, but it’s how we see things. I love Paris Is Burning.

DS: Has the Iraq War affected you at all?

RP: Absolutely. It’s not good, I don’t like it, and it makes me want to enjoy this moment a lot more and be very appreciative. Like when I’m on a hike in a canyon and it smells good and there aren’t bombs dropping.

DS: Do you think there is a lot of apathy in the culture?

RP: There’s apathy, and there’s a lot of anti-depressants and that probably lends a big contribution to the apathy. We have iPods and GPS systems and all these things to distract us.

DS: Do you ever work the current political culture into your art?

RP: No, I don’t. Every time I bat my eyelashes it’s a political statement. The drag I come from has always been a critique of our society, so the act is defiant in and of itself in a patriarchal society such as ours. It’s an act of treason.

DS: What do you think of young performance artists working in drag today?

RP: I don’t know of any. I don’t know of any. Because the gay culture is obsessed with everything straight and femininity has been under attack for so many years, there aren’t any up and coming drag artists. Gay culture isn’t paying attention to it, and straight people don’t either. There aren’t any drag clubs to go to in New York. I see more drag clubs in Los Angeles than in New York, which is so odd because L.A. has never been about club culture.

DS: Michael Musto told me something that was opposite of what you said. He said he felt that the younger gays, the ones who are up-and-coming, are over the body fascism and more willing to embrace their feminine sides.

RP: I think they are redefining what femininity is, but I still think there is a lot of negativity associated with true femininity. Do boys wear eyeliner and dress in skinny jeans now? Yes, they do. But it’s still a heavily patriarchal culture and you never see two men in Star magazine, or the Queer Eye guys at a premiere, the way you see Ellen and her girlfriend—where they are all, ‘Oh, look how cute’—without a negative connotation to it. There is a definite prejudice towards men who use femininity as part of their palette; their emotional palette, their physical palette. Is that changing? It’s changing in ways that don’t advance the cause of femininity. I’m not talking frilly-laced pink things or Hello Kitty stuff. I’m talking about goddess energy, intuition and feelings. That is still under attack, and it has gotten worse. That’s why you wouldn’t get someone covering the RuPaul album, or why they say people aren’t tuning into the Katie Couric show. Sure, they can say ‘Oh, RuPaul’s album sucks’ and ‘Katie Couric is awful’; but that’s not really true. It’s about what our culture finds important, and what’s important are things that support patriarchal power. The only feminine thing supported in this struggle is Pamela Anderson and Jessica Simpson, things that support our patriarchal culture.
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Haulage Tips Advantages Of Utilising Return Loads

Haulage Tips – Advantages of Utilising Return Loads

by

Norman Dulwich

Here’s a fact everyone in the haulage industry will know – every trip costs money. That’s why it is so important to look for return loads so you don’t spend money moving an empty vehicle. If you want to know the advantages of this practice, read on. We’ve got the answers for you.Return loads mean you can earn more moneyIt’s obvious you will be spending money on fuel for each leg of your journey. This seems fair enough when you have a load to take from A to B. But if you are going from B back to A again and you have nothing to transport, you will be paying for the journey rather than making money from it. However if you can take cargo back with you, this cancels out this particular problem.Since you have this issue to contend with, it is plain to assume every other haulage company has the same one. Thus it makes sense for everyone to work together to benefit from this practice.These return loads provide you with the ability to make every journey countOne of the issues in the haulage industry is the problem of empty journeys. If someone needs you to carry cargo from near your base in, say, Southampton and take it up to Harrogate, it leaves you far away from where you need to get back to.However if you can look for as many return loads as you can, you can vastly reduce the number of journeys you end up with where your vehicles are empty. While it may take a little extra effort to manage this, you will make far more money if you do – and more importantly, waste less.You can do your bit to help reduce the carbon footprint of the haulage industryIn many ways this is the most promising area of all. Let’s say you have cargo to transport from London to Bristol. This is approximately 120 miles depending on the exact route you choose to take. If you drop off the load and then return empty, you will be using a lot of fuel to drive an empty lorry. Doesn’t it make more sense to make the most of that journey and transport cargo for someone else instead? This means fewer wasted journeys and more effort towards reducing the carbon footprint.As you can see, the importance of looking for cargo to carry on your return journey each time cannot be underestimated. Indeed this is actually a superb way for the haulage industry to reduce its carbon footprint, work more closely together and make more journeys count too. So if you haven’t yet taken advantage of this practice, perhaps now is the time to do so.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7_6to6eRMos[/youtube]

Norman Dulwich is a correspondent for Haulage Exchange, the world\’s largest neutral trading hub for same day haulage jobs and

return loads

in the express freight exchange industry. Over 2,500 transport exchange businesses are networked together through their website, trading jobs and capacity in a safe \’wholesale\’ environment.

Article Source:

ArticleRich.com

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U.S. and China in trade dispute
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U.S. and China in trade dispute

Saturday, September 19, 2009

The United States (U.S.) and China this week initiated a trade dispute over tires, auto-parts, and poultry products just a week ahead of the 2009 G-20 trade summit in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

The most recent trade policies enacted by the U.S. government includes a September 12 decision to impose a 35% trade tariff on Chinese tire imports as an anti-dumping measure. The trade policy came about as a result of a trade-complaint initiated by the United Steelworkers Union (USW) filed before the U.S. International Trade Commission. As reported by Steve Levine of BusinessWeek, “In [the USW’s] trade complaint to the U.S. International Trade Commission, the USW invoked a provision in China’s 2001 accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO) that allows protection from surging imports from the country [China]. The union documented a tripling of Chinese tire imports from 2004 to 2008 […]” The Trade Commission initially recommended a 55% tariff however, President Obama agreed to only 35%. The trade tariff will be diminished by 5% per year for the next three years to 25%. The deadline for President Obama’s decision was September 17. The trade tariff will take effect on September 26, pegging rates at the new level from the current 4%. The dispute will now move to the WTO where it can take up to 18 months for adjudication.

To quantify the impact of the tariff, in 2008 China supplied US$1.8 billion in tires to the U.S. or about one-third of the U.S. market, with two-thirds of U.S. companies producing their tires in China. It’s likely that the effects of the suit will exceed $1 billion in trade costs, as reported by several other news agencies.

On the 14th of September, the Chinese government via its Ministry of Commerce website, announced that they would institute an investigation into the dumping of U.S. auto parts and chicken products; they are also filing a complaint at the WTO regarding this matter. A formal announcement of trade tariffs against U.S. goods has not occurred.

The two countries’ executive and economic teams will meet in Pittsburgh for the G-20 meeting on September 24 and 25 to discuss these and other economic issues.

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Ontario Votes 2007: Interview with Family Coalition Party candidate Ray Scott, Algoma-Manitoulin
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Ontario Votes 2007: Interview with Family Coalition Party candidate Ray Scott, Algoma-Manitoulin

Tuesday, October 2, 2007

Ray Scott is running for the Family Coalition Party in the Ontario provincial election, in the Algoma-Manitoulin riding. Wikinews’ Nick Moreau interviewed him regarding his values, his experience, and his campaign.

Stay tuned for further interviews; every candidate from every party is eligible, and will be contacted. Expect interviews from Liberals, Progressive Conservatives, New Democratic Party members, Ontario Greens, as well as members from the Family Coalition, Freedom, Communist, Libertarian, and Confederation of Regions parties, as well as independents.

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