Are Sara Lee and others gouging the military?

Sara Lee (she of the size 14 carbon footprint), Perdue, ConAgra are being investigated by the US Justice Department for potentially overcharging the military as a part of deals made by their consultants — who are former military procurement officers.

According to a story in the Wall Street Journal,

Investigators from the Justice Department and the Defense Department are looking into deals that Perdue Farms Inc., Sara Lee Corp., ConAgra Foods Inc. and other U.S. companies made to supply the military, according to people involved in the inquiry. The companies made the deals with the help of former U.S. military procurement officials they hired as consultants or executives.

The inquiry is focused on whether the food companies set excessively high prices when they sold their goods to the Army's primary food contractor for the war zone, a Kuwaiti firm called Public Warehousing Co. A related question is whether Public Warehousing improperly pocketed for itself refunds it received from these suppliers. Public Warehousing bought vast amounts of meat, vegetables and bakery items from the food companies, and delivered them to U.S. troops.

Read more here.

Wednesday Poetry Break

At Becky's Piano Recital

She screws her face up as she nears the hard parts,
Then beams with relief as she makes it through,
Just as she did listening on the edge of her chair
To the children who played before her,
Wincing and smiling for them
As if she doesn't regard them as competitors
And is free of the need to be first
That vexes many all their lives.
I hope she stays like this,
Her windows open on all sides to a breeze
Pungent with sea spray or meadow pollen.
Maybe her patience this morning at the pond
Was another good sign,
The way she waited for the frog to croak again
So she could find its hiding place and admire it.
There it was, in the reeds, to any casual passerby
Only a fist-sized speckled stone.
All the way home she wondered out loud
What kind of enemies a frog must have
To make it live so hidden, so disguised.
Whatever enemies follow her when she's grown,
Whatever worry or anger drives her at night from her room
To walk in the gusty rain past the town edge,
Her spirit, after an hour, will do what it can
To be distracted by the light of a farmhouse.
What are they doing up there so late,
She'll wonder, then watch in her mind's eye
As the family huddles in the kitchen
To worry if the bank will be satisfied
This month with only half a payment,
If the letter from the wandering son
Really means he's coming home soon.
Even old age won't cramp her
If she loses herself on her evening walk
In piano music drifting from a house
And imagines the upright in the parlor
And the girl working up the same hard passages.

— by Carl Dennis

Women, Politics, and Blogs

This is really shaping up into an interesting year for women in politics. For the the first time in U.S. history, a woman has a real shot at becoming president. A woman is already in the Speaker of the House for the first time, and in my hometown of Baltimore, we are looking at the 99% probability that we will have women in the positions of Mayor, City Council President, and U.S. States Attorney. I think it is really a pivotal time in U.S. politics for women.

Not surprisingly, this change has brought about a lot of discussion in both the MSM and the blogosphere about women in politics. Recently I told you about a wonderful list gathered by Catherine Morgan at InformedVoters of A List of (Over) 100 Women Blogging on Politics. That list is now at more than 200 sites!

One of the reasons Catherine posted this list was because of a story that appeared in the New York Times entitled “Women, Politics, and the Internet.” Author Katharine Seelye states: “We know that women slightly outnumber men online. But at least anecdotally, it seems as if more men are on the political blogs, writing specifically about politics, reading about politics and putting in their two cents in the comments sections.”

What do you think? Seelye received a storm of comments about her article. I encourage you to check it out here and let me know what you think. I suspect there are going to be a lot of informed women voters going to the polls in 2008.

Climate Change: How can anyone even question it anymore?

One of the most amazing things I heard from the Sunday morning talking heads yesterday was lunatic pundit George Will's anger at the awarding of the Nobel Peace Price to Al Gore. Will was seething that such "baseless" claims of global warming were being recognized. He trotted out the ancient argument that "scientists don't agree" on the amount of polar ice melt, and that the current warming is all a part of nature's course.

To their credit, the other three on the panel (Sam Donaldson, Cokie Roberts, and George Stephanopolos) calmly refuted his tirade, albeit with a bemused look at the sad little man. All three agreed that while there may merit discussion on the severity of the problem (is it just the polar ice cap that's melting, or Greenland, as stated in An Inconvenient Truth?), there is no question that global warming/ climate change is a real problem.

I came across an interesting website that gives information on the efforts of companies to adress this issue. Because after all, even though you and I do everything we can to recycle, reuse, and reduce, the biggest impact is by far from manufacturing and other large corporations. You can see “who takes climate change seriously” (obviously George Will's name is not there!) at ClimateCounts.

For example, while it's true that “nobody doesn't like Sara Lee”, you might not like her so much after you read that she's basically doing nothing to decrease her rather large footprint. However, you will be pleased to know that Unilever, makers of Country Crock, Hellman's, Knorr, Lifebuoy, Lipton, Lux, Pond's, Slimfast, Vaseline, Wishbone, Dove, Ben & Jerry's, and I Can't Believe It's not Butter, among other things, has been tracking and reducing their impact on globla warming since 1995.

Where to find the women bloggers

It was a wonderful surprise to come back to my blog after being sick for a few days and find that I had been included on something called “ 100 Women Blogging on Politics.” My blog has been such a fun, creative outlet for me that it is truly an honor when I am reminded that anyone else out there in the world is stopping to take the time to read what I have to say.

I do truly try to stay informed and only post things that I have researched (that is, I try to never post anything that smells of “rumor,” unless of course, it's concerning the possibility of Jenna Bush being pregnant, because the hypocricy of that would just be too wonderful). I try to alert you to news stories that you may not have heard in the mainstream media, and I hope that above all, I give you something new to think about.

However, I'm fully aware that this blog is still basically an outlet for my opinions, no matter how informed they may be. So, thank you for reading, and thank you for commenting. I encourage you to check out InformedVoters, which created the list (now at almost 200), and also to check out the sites on the list. It's a wide variety, from Michelle Malkin to, well, me!

47 million Americans aren't resting at home right now

As I'm gaining strength and resting at home following my surgery, I can't help but feel extremely fortunate. I cannot imagine what it would be like to be without insurance and to go through something like this.

This morning I finally felt clear-headed enough to sit down and pay some regular bills (phone, cable, credit card). It was a pretty simple and straightforward: the money's there to pay the bills. I try to imagine what it would be like if I was one of the 47 million Americans who doesn't have health insurance, and to try to recover from surgery while also figuring out how the heck I would pay for everything.

Our dear, insiped leader, George W. Bush, was quoted a few months ago as stating how wonderful it is that every American has access to health care: all they have to do is go to an emergency room. Good lord. Can he truly think that's the end of the story? That everyone gets treated and lives happily every after?

No, if I didn't have insurance but had to have emergency care, I would be answering to bill collectors right about now, instead of getting healthier so I can go back to work.

I am a very fortunate person. I will never forget that. I will also never forget that 47 million Americans cannot say that. This is a real crisis looming inour country, and whomever we elect as our next president had better be ready to deal with it immediately.

Wednesday Poetry Break

Today is my parents anniversary, and yes I should know exactly how many years, but if you read my previous post, you'll see I'm still a little hazy, so let's just say it's about 53? Several more than fifty, at any rate! So in honor of their anniversary, I'm sharing a poem that I read more years ago than I'd like to admit at the wedding of my dear friends Kathy and Martin. Enjoy!

The Master Speed

No speed of wind or water rushing by
But you have a speed far greater. You can climb
Back up a stream of radiance to the sky,
And back through history up the stream of time.
And you were given this swiftness, not for haste
Nor chiefly that you may go where you will.
But in the rush of everything to waste,
That you may have the power of standing still—
Off any still or moving thing you say.
Two such as you with a master speed
Cannot be parted nor be swept away
From one another once you are agreed
That life is only life forevermore
Together wing to wing and oar to oar

— Robert Frost

Pooky's Back!

Well, in an abbreviated post, I'm afraid. Last week I had minor surgery and thought I'd be feeling up to posting in no time. Ha!

All I can say is, I have a renewed admiration for any woman who has had a baby in any circumstance. All I tried to do was birth a large fibroid and associated unused parts. Ha! Not so easy, is it?

Any way, although back at home and recovering right on schedule, I'm still not really feeling up to posting much these days. I'm storing up a lot of ideas, though, so look out for a full return soon!

Clarence Thomas: Please shut up

Although each network touts their “rare interview” with Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, he is in fact all over the media selling his new book My Grandfather's Son. I caught a part of an interview last night on ABC, and realized, this man is really a lunatic. Every answer he gave was filled with victimization of himself, as if the only reason anyone could possibly not want him on the Supreme Court is because he's black. No, sir, but how about because you're nuts?

So I was pleased to read an opinion piece in this morning's New York Times by Anita Hill. Among Hill's thoughts:

I will not stand by silently and allow him, in his anger, to reinvent me.

Regrettably, since 1991, I have repeatedly seen this kind of character attack on women and men who complain of harassment and discrimination in the workplace. In efforts to assail their accusers’ credibility, detractors routinely diminish people’s professional contributions. Often the accused is a supervisor, in a position to describe the complaining employee’s work as “mediocre” or the employee as incompetent. Those accused of inappropriate behavior also often portray the individuals who complain as bizarre caricatures of themselves — oversensitive, even fanatical, and often immoral — even though they enjoy good and productive working relationships with their colleagues.

Finally, when attacks on the accusers’ credibility fail, those accused of workplace improprieties downgrade the level of harm that may have occurred. When sensing that others will believe their accusers’ versions of events, individuals confronted with their own bad behavior try to reduce legitimate concerns to the level of mere words or “slights” that should be dismissed without discussion.

Read the rest here.

Burma: Trying to make sense of a senseless situation

The stories coming out of Burma, such as they can, are disturbing on so many levels. The sheer violence is sickening. The fact that so many of the victims are peaceful Buddhist monks makes it more unbelievable. Added to this horror is the fact that there's not much you or I can do about it. But I cannot simply shrug and say “oh well,” and I'm sure you can't either, or you wouldn't still be reading this. So I offer some suggestions on what you (and I) can do.

First and foremost, get informed about the history. Learn some background information on Burma, such as the history of the National League for Democracy and its leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, who has been under military detention for 12 of the past 18 years. She was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991.

Next although news is very hard to get directly from Burma (the government has cut off Internet access, and has imprisoned and even killed journalists) try to stay updated on events. Many people are trying to get the truth out, and a few good sources for news are the BBC, Global Voices Online, The Telegraph, to name a few. Also, visit sites such as Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International.

Go to google news, and search on Burma. Then look for a variety of news sources. No one source will give you all you need to know. Today's facts, as I can find them:

• Ibrahim Gambari, the UN envoy, has left Burma after meeting with the detained pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi hours after talks with junta leader Than Shwe.
• Outrage over the junta's reaction to the protests continues to mount in capitals in the region. In Malaysia, lawmakers from members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) called for the expulsion of Burma from the 10-nation organization.
• Foreign Minister George Yeo of Singapore, which now holds Asean's chairmanship, said in a newspaper interview that Asean - which consists of Brunei, Burma, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam - had "no choice" but to deliver a tough position on the violent repression of the demonstrations.

Lastly, private companies and countries doing business in Burma must be the driving force behind bringing democracy and stability to Burma. Most notably absent in the public outcry over the current violence: China and India. No surprise, the biggest market in Burma: oil. Policymakers and the business world has seen this crisis coming for many years. The Bush Administration, for all it's recent talk at the U.N, has done very little, putting their sites on oil and gas, and away from human rights.

The situation in Burma will probably get worse before it gets better. Public outcry from around the world is the only thing that will force governments and companies to force the military junta to stop the killing and violence.

My best advice to all of us: it's time to step up and face our responsibility of global citizenship. I look forward to hearing your ideas and suggestions, as well.

Indian Call Centers: O.K., now I feel kinda bad for them

According to a story in today's Times Online, call center employees (the ones who tell you their name is “Arthur” or some such thing when you call Dell, etc.) are suffering from alarming numbers of heart attacks and suicides.

After years of night shifts, junk food and abuse from irate callers, the youthful generation that made India the call-centre capital of the world are facing burnout.

Reports of heart attacks, depression, suicides and diabetes among workers in their twenties have so alarmed ministers that they are to draw up a health policy for the flagship IT sector.

The problem is so acute that some estimates suggest that £100 billion could be wiped off India’s national income unless more is done to protect the health of its workers. Anbumani Ramadoss, the Health Minister, said of the IT sector: “It’s the fastest-growing industry in our country but it is most vulnerable to lifestyle diseases. Its future growth could be stunted if we don’t address the problem now.”

Burma: Thousands dead in massacre of the monks dumped in the jungle

From the Daily Mail:

Thousands of protesters are dead and the bodies of hundreds of executed monks have been dumped in the jungle, a former intelligence officer for Burma's ruling junta has revealed.

The most senior official to defect so far, Hla Win, said: “Many more people have been killed in recent days than you've heard about. The bodies can be counted in several thousand.”

Mr Win, who spoke out as a Swedish diplomat predicted that the revolt has failed, said he fled when he was ordered to take part in a massacre of holy men. He has now reached the border with Thailand.

And from BBC News:

Thousands of monks detained in Burma's main city of Rangoon will be sent to prisons in the far north of the country, sources have told the BBC.

About 4,000 monks have been rounded up in the past week as the military government has tried to stamp out pro-democracy protests.

They are being held at a disused race course and a technical college.

Sources from a government-sponsored militia said they would soon be moved away from Rangoon. The monks have been disrobed and shackled, the sources told BBC radio's Burmese service. There are reports that the monks are refusing to eat.

Woman dies while in airport custody

If you can, just stay away from airports.

In a distressing new example of the ridiculousness of so-called “airport security,” a 45-year old woman has died at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport after being arrested and placed in handcuffs.

From the New York Daily News:

Carol Anne Gotbaum, 45, of the upper West Side, died less than an hour later, after cops claim she apparently strangled herself while trying to escape from the handcuffs in a holding cell at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport.

“I'm not a terrorist! I'm a sick mom! I need help!” yelled the mother of three after she missed the 2:58 p.m. US Airways Express flight to Tucson, said airport workers who witnessed the confrontation Friday.

They said one cop put his knee in her back to restrain her while others grabbed her flailing arms.

Phoenix police spokesman Sgt. Andy Hill said Gotbaum kept screaming after she was placed in the holding cell, until cops realized she had been silent for several minutes and found her unresponsive. The county medical examiner has not determined a cause of death.

The money quote:

But [Phoenix police spokesman Sgt. Andy Hill] couldn't immediately explain why a distressed woman was left alone in handcuffs while seven police officers were in the security office.

UN attempting to mediate in Burma, junta continues to silence protesters

The junta leaders in Burma (Myanmar) are attempting to make the world think life is back to normal, but thanks to determined journalists, bloggers, and eye witnesses, the truth is still being revealed.

From BBC News

UN envoy to Burma Ibrahim Gambari has met detained opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi in the main city of Rangoon.

Mr Gambari is attempting to mediate between Burma's junta and the opposition, and end a bloody crackdown on mass pro-democracy protests.

Burma has seen almost two weeks of sustained popular unrest.

But the number of protesters on the streets is now much smaller than at the height of the rallies, and the Buddhist monks who led the initial protests are now being prevented from leaving their monasteries. Witnesses say one person was shot dead overnight when the military raided a monastery in Rangoon, detaining around 60 monks. A woman told the BBC people got angry after seeing monks being thrown into a truck. “One young man got up and shouted - they shot him. His wife came running after him - they slapped her. They took the body away and drove away,” she said.

And from Global Voices Online:

The Democratic Voice of Burma (DVB), a non-profit news organization and one of the few places where the news from Myanmar still trickling in has posted a report in Burmese on soldiers trying to get the monks to give up their religious life.

It is considered to be a sin to just give up being monkhood without valid reasons. The soldiers are trying to significantly lower their influence on people down, to shame them.