TRUFFULAUT #7

3 March 2004

It's not all bad news! My aim is not so much to criticize as to provide resources for curious minds (and an outlet for mine). Please share openly, abundantly, and copiously. Were there to be any Truffulaut fans, they should find some of the past issues, as issued, available online:

http://home.earthlink.net/~truffulaut/

NATIONAL DEFENSE

RUSSIA TESTS ANTI-MISSILE DEFENSE DEVICE

It's a good thing we stopped Libya in time...

"Russia successfully tested a space vehicle that could lead to weapons capable of penetrating missile defenses, a senior general said Thursday."

http://abcnews.go.com/wire/World/ap20040219_1421.html

ECONOMICS

ECONOMIC REPORT OF THE PRESIDENT

"It overviews [sic] the nation's economic progress using text and extensive data appendices."

It might even have a Pie Chart!

http://www.gpoaccess.gov/eop/index.html

MEDIA

This may be a helpful link:

ONLINE NEWSPAPERS

http://www.onlinenewspapers.com/

HOWARD STERN

We've all heard all kinds of things going around, but I'm using the Stern incident to highlight the very real dangers of censorship which exists in a much healthier state than ever should have been allowed, as witnessed by one of our few remaining allies. First, the story that got covered, to some extent:

HOWARD STERN SUSPENDED

"'We will not air Howard Stern on Clear Channel stations until we are assured that his show will conform to acceptable standards of responsible broadcasting,' Clear Channel Radio Chief Executive John Hogan said."

http://msnbc.msn.com/id/4375426/

PREMIERE RADIO NETWORKS, INC, A SUBSIDIARY OF CLEAR CHANNEL WORLDWIDE

Clear Channel broadcasts such luminaries of "common decency" and "acceptable standards" as Rush Limbaugh, Dr. Laura Schlessinger, Bob (Kevoian) & Tom (Griswold), Matt Drudge, and here locally on KLBJ-AM, Neal Boortz.

http://www.clearchannel.com/rad_premiere.php

...and for anyone who thinks it was abt decency and not politics:

AS THE WORM TURNS: STERN, SULLY, AND THE BUSH BACKLASH

Ordinarily I avoid using Buzzflash as a source for two main reasons: a) it is rather widely distributed without my help; and 2) perhaps more importantly, I disagree very strongly with their negative assessment of Tom Daschle who, as I have pointed out before, would do much better with the Senate safe and secure in Democratic hands once again as God intended it to be. But this article provides some important background information and sound analysis.

"...one fan expressed the overall mood by saying that the new FCC/Clear Channel tactics are reminiscent of Nazi book burnings."

http://www.buzzflash.com/farrell/04/03/far04006.html

...but wait! That's not all! Speaking of Nazi book burnings, if you want to know how fascism operates it never hurts to turn to the experts.

SPOTLIGHT ON ITALY

MEDIA HOLDINGS OF SILVIO BERLUSCONI, PRIME MINISTER OF ITALY

"Companies controlled by the family of Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi dominate Italian commercial television (with a 45% audience share and over 60% of total advertising sales)..."

http://www.ketupa.net/berlusconi.htm

ITALY: BERLUSCONI SATIRE BANNED

"This move further tarnishes the image of Italy, which is already the only country in the European Union where media diversity is under threat."

http://www.indexonline.org/indexindex/20021015_italy.shtml

ITALIAN TV CENSORS BERLUSCONI SATIRE

"An Italian television channel was forced to broadcast a ferocious satire targeting Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi without sound following threats of legal action from one of his main confidantes."

http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/s1030991.htm

FO'S PLAY GIVES BERLUSCONI A ROASTING

"Nobel Prize-winning actor and playwright Dario Fo is courting controversy with a satirical play poking fun at Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/arts/3294693.stm

ENVIRONMENT

JOHN KERRY ON THE ENVIRONMENT

As it seems that John Kerry is very likely to get the Democratic Party's nomination for President, I thought that I'd set all of our minds at ease a bit by finding his environmental policy statement.

"We owe it to our families, our communities, and to our planet to elect a president who will unapologetically pursue our environmental values."

http://johnkerry.com/issues/energy/index.html

TODAYS HISTORY LESSON

LEAP YEAR

Thanks to my ace research team (Thank You DOS!), we have verified that something quite extraordinary has happened every time there have been five Sundays in February since the beginning of the USA. Of course Leap Years are election year, but in the years that the 29th fell on a Sunday, the results of the Presidential elections were as follows:

1780 - Thomas Jefferson**

1808 - James Madison**

1836 - Martin Van Buren

1864 - Andrew Johnson

1892 - Grover Cleveland

1920 - Woodrow Wilson

1948 - Harry Truman

1976 - Jimmy Carter

2004 - ?

**The first two were member of the Democratic-Republican Party, predecessor of the Democratic Party. The other six listed were members of the Democratic Party.

PAX

TRUFFULAUT