Pension Problems a Vision for Privatizing Social Security

Everything on the business page in the times is filtered through ideology. This story is worth reading with the thoughts of privatizing Social Security in mind.

The bottom line is "Who's on the Risk?" For a defined benefit pension plan, the employer is on the risk for investments going sour. For a defined contribution pension, the benefits would be reduced. For a 401 (k), the pensioner is totally on the risk because when it's gone, it's gone. For Social Security, society has made a promise to retirees, but if the fund is unable to pay the promised benefits, Congress and the President will have to agree on whether and where to come up with extra money, otherwise benefits will be cout.

The article notes that United's investment portfolio was not especially risky, compared to most pension plans. The problem was compounded because management used the positive years in the market to reduce contributions and claim better cash flow for the main business.

BrooklynDodger must also note the quotes from the Mechanics Union. These are people who dumped the IAM to pay lower dues. BrooklynDodger wonders if maybe their pension negotiations would be better with a real international union behind them.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
How Wall Street Wrecked United's Pension

Bob Stone, who retired last year as a mechanic at United Airlines, belongs to a union that wants details about the failure of the pension plan. "We have to learn what went wrong," he said.

HAD anyone listened to Doug Wilsman, tens of thousands of United Airlines employees would not be facing big cuts in their pensions. And the federal agency that guarantees pensions might not be struggling with its biggest losses ever.

So who is Doug Wilsman? He is a retired pilot and a former fiduciary of United's pension plan for pilots, and in 1987 he discovered that the company had abandoned its older, tried-and-true approach of investing retirees' money in bonds timed to pay when the pensions came due. Instead, it had bought into the promises of Wall Street that it could put less money into the plan - and take out more later - if it just put most of the assets into the stock market.

Why Not Call "contractors" what they are: Mercenaries

The British forces are located in the south of Iraq, the former Ottoman province of Basra. According to NPR last Friday, Basra is falling under control of fundamentalist Shiite militias, allied with and supported by Iran, in coalition with the Iraqi administration. That's one reason the area is so "peaceful."

But not peaceful enough. One can't take any pleasure in casualties. But the military and security "contractors" around Iraq are what we should call "Mercenaries." They signed up for a job which involved shooting and killing.

US soldiers talk about "Having a Job to Do." If we are to treat US soldiers as patriots, we have to hope they didn't do it for the money.

Not like the contractor-mercenaries, who are signing up for the money and the thrills.


>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Britons killed in Basra convoy blast

ABDEL-RAZZAK HAMEED IN BASRA

TWO security contractors were killed when a roadside bomb blew up a British consulate convoy in the southern Iraqi city of Basra yesterday.

A second device aimed at killing and maiming rescuers was detonated five minutes later, seriously injuring two children. They were among a group of locals who had rushed to the aid of the stricken convoy.

Nathan's Watch

Last week, Nathan's fell below the waterline, which was $9.00. On Friday, it closed at $9.09. Is the Dodger in for another run?

Vioxx - On Trial

The Vioxx story in the Times is exactly like a riff in John Grisham's King of Torts.

A trial which deals with an issue as large as an EPA or OSHA hearing, with advanced scientific information, is happening in a rural courthouse somewhere in Texas.

In King of Torts, the plaintiff's attorney kicks but, the big Phara company appears on the ropes, and then the plaintiff is no caused. [And the protagonist trial attorney, not directly involved in the case, goes bankrupt.]

Nevertheless, in the old days, Dodger had the impression the Pharma pushers were former nurses, etc, who knew something about the field. Now it's just crowds [at the outpatient facility I frequent] of tastefully attired, mid-heeled 30 somethings.



ALEX BERENSON
Published: July 21, 2005

ANGLETON, Tex., July 20 - Merck told its sales representatives that its painkiller Vioxx did not increase the risk of heart attacks, according to a Merck training video played on Wednesday for jurors in the first Vioxx lawsuit to reach trial.

The video, which had never before been publicly shown, also depicts actors playing Merck representatives avoiding a question about Vioxx's potential to increase blood pressure - a documented side effect.

While the training tape was never shown to doctors or consumers, its existence may further undercut Merck's claim that the company properly disclosed Vioxx's risks during the five years the drug was on the market.

In the video, an actress playing "an obstacle" to Vioxx sales says, "I'm afraid Vioxx causes M.I.'s" - a reference to myocardial infarctions, or heart attacks.

In response, an actress playing a Merck sales representative says, "That's not true."

After playing a portion of the videotape to the jury, W. Mark Lanier, a lawyer for plaintiffs in the case, asked Dr. Nancy Santanello, a senior Merck scientist, why Merck had told its sales representatives that Vioxx did not cause heart attacks or raise blood pressure.

Dr. Santanello responded that at the time the training video was made, Merck did not know if Vioxx raised the risk of heart attacks. In addition, the tape does not show the actress actually denying that Vioxx raises blood pressure, Dr. Santanello said.

Echinacea Debunked.

Covered by the general press, the NEJM article is abstracted here. The study shows no effect. It didn't investigate adverse effects of long term exposure to the echinacea extracts.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
NEJM
Volume 353:341-348
July 28, 2005
Number 4

An Evaluation of Echinacea angustifolia in Experimental Rhinovirus Infections

Ronald B. Turner, M.D., Rudolf Bauer, Ph.D., Karin Woelkart, Thomas C. Hulsey, D.Sc., and J. David Gangemi, Ph.D.

An Evaluation of Echinacea angustifolia in Experimental Rhinovirus Infections

Ronald B. Turner, M.D.,
Rudolf Bauer, Ph.D.,
Karin Woelkart, ,
Thomas C. Hulsey, D.Sc. and
J. David Gangemi, Ph.D.


We evaluated the effect of chemically defined extracts from Echinacea angustifolia roots on rhinovirus infection. Three preparations of echinacea, with distinct phytochemical profiles, were produced by extraction from E. angustifolia roots.... 437 volunteers were randomly assigned to receive either prophylaxis (beginning seven days before the virus challenge) or treatment (beginning at the time of the challenge) either with one of these preparations or with placebo. The results for 399 volunteers who were challenged with rhinovirus type 39 and observed in a sequestered setting for five days were included in the data analysis.
... There were no statistically significant effects of the three echinacea extracts on rates of infection or severity of symptoms. Similarly, there were no significant effects of treatment on the volume of nasal secretions, on polymorphonuclear leukocyte or interleukin-8 concentrations in nasal-lavage specimens, or on quantitative-virus titer.

From the University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville (R.B.T.); Karl-Franzens-Universitaet, Graz, Austria (R.B., K.W.); the Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston (T.C.H.); and Clemson University, Clemson, S.C. (J.D.G.).
Address reprint requests to Dr. Turner at the University of Virginia School

Can This Be Eaten [without death]?

A week of 85+ days, plus rainy nights generated this life form. The question is, do the expert mycologists feel this is edible? [Forget the crab grass.]

Sex Initiates and Promotes Too (revised title)

BrooklynDodger notices that the Style section of the Times increasingly overlaps the Business section. In the style section, the pictures are more frequently women than in Business, so it's more attractive. Not clear the gender impact on readership, but women's magazines are saturated with pictures of women, not men, and don't seem to attract much male readership.

Management shills in the article angst over more lawsuits from people denied promotion because of [allegedly] relationships between bosses and other subordinates. In the article, the titillation potential arises from male bosses and female subordinates, but as culture shifts there can be lots of permutations. [Still, movies tend to feature female bosses and male subordinates, Mike Douglas makes a living on this.]

Actually, in terms of unfair treatment, what if co-workers are actually married, rather than conducting an affair. Can you sue for third party sexual harrassment in that case? and, why not if you were unfairly treated?

The article talks about management engaging in relationship policing, or rules against fraternization. Only once in a while does the superior suffer discipline in these situations.

[Anita Hill is referenced in the story. Clarence Thomas would not have made the Court had Hill been able to remember the name of the restaurant and give the date of that key conversation.]

The lawsuit problem arises because it's perfectly legal to fire someone, or refuse to promote, for no reason at all. It's illegal to victimize someone for being a minority, a women, old, blowing the whistle, and theoretically for union organizing or being handicapped. [Theoretically means it's against the law, but not the way corporate activist Judges have either rewritten the law or lie about the facts in their decisions.]

Management could mitigate unfairness generally without resorting to keyhole peeping. Establish a seniority system, establish a bid system for jobs, and set procedures to mitigate the favoritism which arises from brown nosing.

[That's not a bad metaphor, this article is about brown nosing at the other end.]

Then, the argument would only be about injustice, rather than why there was injustice.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Love the Job? What About Your Boss?


By MIREYA NAVARRO
Published: July 24, 2005
LOS ANGELES

THE pretty financial analyst just out of business school seems to catch the boss's eye. She is spending a lot of time in his office. Soon the speculation begins: Were they eating dinner together? Did he have his hand on her elbow? And suddenly the analyst is getting prize assignments and eventually a promotion.

Around them everyone else just watches and whispers. What else is there to do? Isn't that just how the world works?

Well, not in California, at least since last Monday.

In a ruling that significantly expands the law on sexual harassment in the workplace, California's Supreme Court ruled that workers can sue when a colleague who is sleeping with the boss is shown repeated preferential treatment.

Unions and lawyers who represent workers rejoiced, claiming a victory for a group some of them call "the unloved." Phil Horowitz, chairman of the California Employment Lawyers Association, said employees can no longer be "treated as second-class citizens because they're not putting out."

But those charged with managing workers in California were reaching for the Tums. Not only will management have to worry about who is sleeping with whom, but about who among them gets a bigger office, a better assignment, a promotion. And who might be stewing in resentment over it.

Losing the Scopes Trial - Majority Rules for Anti-Sense

What is the social construct of intelligent design, and how does it differ from the construct of conservative sociobiology?

Intelligent design is a ploy of christian fundamentalists. Sociobiology - within which the BrooklynDodger places racial theories of intelligence - is a ploy of libertarian conservatives. In each case, ployers argue that the society we live in is the product of the natural or supernatural world.

Thus, inequality, war, racial subjugation, domination of women - you name it - are the way it is. For the fundamentalists, oppression is the will of their Deity, and maybe sinful to change. For the sociobiologists, oppression is certainly not the fault of the ruling class, and is dangerous to change because change requires over riding the workings of natural processes. There's even a cross over, where the Deity made the raw materials, and of course the natural processes, and the rest is history. And, if the Deity didn't like what the Deity saw, the Deity would fix it and didn't take the trouble.

The bright side of the sociobiology debate is that there are competing paradigms in evolutionary and population biology. People aren't ants or baboons. Society has already evolved beyond the pure prisoner's dilemma, war of all against all model, and can move forward if discourse can overcome ideology masquerading as science [sociobiology].

Now on to the issue at hand.

It shouldn't be a shock that it's 50-50 on intelligent design among Detroit news internet readers. Evolution [by natural selection] garners less than 50% approval in national polling, so it's actually doing better in this venue.

This is one of the issues where unelected professors and judges [other than Scalia, who is only a thug] are telling the majority what the schools can tell their kids.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Evolution battle grows in schools
Michigan districts debate whether to teach intelligent design; critics call it disguised religion.

By Kim Kozlowski / The Detroit News


Jeff Conner knew he had to talk to school administrators when he learned his daughter was shown a video in science class that said evolutionary researchers were not scientists, and when she was assigned an essay about her beliefs on evolution and creation.
At his daughter's middle school in Gull Lake, near Kalamazoo, two seventh-grade science instructors were teaching intelligent design -- a belief that the complexity of the universe is evidence of an intelligent cause behind it

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Detroit News CyberSurvey results
Evolutionary science in school
Should intelligent design be taught as a scientific theory in public schools?
Yes
52.81%
No
47.19%

Chewing Scenery

[John Turturro, accused, justly or not, of chewing the scenery in some movie or other.]

This is a filler for a slow blog day. The Dodger read a review of something or other, in which an actor was accused or absolved of "chewing scenery" or scenery chewing.

A PR expert told the Dodger that "all cliches are true." They get to be cliches because others use them and overuse them.

"Scenery chewing performance" is now a stock phrase for overacting in theatrical or movie reviews. I looked for a source for "scenery chewing" or "chewing the scenery" through google. There are two canonical sources, carried from site to site. One is a Dorothy Parker theatrical review, in 1930, the other is a commentary in 1894 from a paper in Idaho.

The Dodger can't actually visualize a connection between any phase of a perfomance and chewing the scenery. [Although here Turturro is biting his nails. Most of the things the Dodger has seen Turturro in were comedy.]

Bait and Switch - I'd Rather have what I thought she was having

An 84-Year-Old's Facelift

Sharyn Alfonsi reports why senior men are getting plastic surgery. See her report and then watch expanded coverage only online.

BrooklynDodger saw this image on the CBS news website, and thought she looked really good for 84 years old. Maybe it will give the name of her surgeon? When the Dodger had wasted time clicking through to the story, it turns out Alfonsi is just the reporter, the 84 year old dude looked not so great, especially for an after picture.

The fountain of youth must be elsewhere.

Shine On Larry Brown

Bill Davidson and Joe Dumars have allowed ego to replace winning as the future of the Detroit Pistons.

These Pistons were mediocre to poor without Brown on the bench. The bomb scare game - Brown off the bench, Indiana Pacers in town - was such a loser that BrooklynDodger figured it was Joe Dumars phone in the bomb threat. The ruse failed, and Indiana romped the Pistons at home in the regular season.

A sign of Brown's devotion to the game will be taking a concession from $18 million for doing nothing, in order to coach somewhere else. I won't be surprised if he does. Frankly, it will be a close call who BrooklynDodger roots for if Brown's team plays the Pistons, and a no brainer if it's the Knicks.

The man came back very fast from hip replacement surgery. It's unclear whether this, malpractice, or natural variation in response caused the subsequent bladder problem.

All that said, and one game [and a few minutes] from a second championship, a person could raise some issues. Could Brown have contained the technical fouls that Rasheed and Chauncy rained down on the Pistons in the playoffs, and the regular season as well? Could Brown have done something about Ben Wallace's foul shooting? Could Brown have brought Delfino into the game better, which would have made a definite improvement in the 2-3-4 rotation during the playoffs? In the long run, would more minutes for Milicich early on have helped in the playoffs or help next year without hurting last year?

BrooklynDodger confesses a long, but not life long, Knickophilia. Let's hope Larry ends up there. And pockets some of Davidson's ill gotten gains.

Nathans Famous

It wasn't only dot coms that tanked. But maybe some of the tanked stocks came back. For sentimental reasons, BrooklynDodger invested in Brooklyn landmark Nathans, back when it was going public. The Dodger remembers buying a few shares at $9.00. Apparently, it opened at 10.25, went as highg as 12.00 in 1993, then it plunged to as low at maybe 2.50. That that point, it was a nearly 1 for 1 trade of shares for hotdogs. Then, starting in 2003, it started to come back, and as of Friday, July 15, is closed at 9.37.

The Dodger got his money back. Maybe heirloom hotdogs will be an heirloom stock

Detroit Mayoral Election - Back to the Future

The Detroit News seems to provide much better blog-on than the Free Press. This poll is much in the News tradition of generating their own statistics.

The horse race poll gives Freeman Hendrix close to a majority v. Kilpatrick and McPhail 3-way, and says Hendrix romps them both head to head. Probably the head to head would narrow a lot, as either of the others would attack Hendrix as a tool of "suburban" [white, corporate] interests.

Suburban voters say Detroit's biggest problem is Kwame Kilpatrick. Detroiters say is budget/management issues, which may be the same thing.

Hendrix visibility comes as Dennis Archer's deputy. Archer's administration floated on Clinton prosperity weighed down by an Englerized Michigan environment. Kilpatrick's administration is sinking with a Bush economy, weighed down by a Republican legislature which can't be floated by a Granholm governorship.

Archer returned to his corporate roots after leaving politics, president of the American Bar Association and architect of asbestos litigation deform legislative campaign. Archer also declined to endorse the Democratic candidate for governor against Engler in the last election.

Kilpatrick was certainly more attractive than Gil Hill in the last run off. Michigan Senate Majority leader, good speaker, progressive connections [spoke at the Michigan ACLU annual dinner.] But the party hearty stuff wouldn't go away. More important, his budget ideas for Detroit were all b-school outsourcing and privatization.

Detroit will go no where if the mayor is viewed incompetant or worse by the rest of the state.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Detroit Voters

4. What do you think is the most important problem facing the City of Detroit at the present
time?

(PROBE FOR ONE - MOST IMPORTANT)

Budget/Management Issues 24%
Jobs/Economy 18
Crime/Drugs 14
Government/Leadership 12
Education/Schools 8
Neighborhood Decline/Housing 3
2
Roads/Transportation 3
Basic City Services 3
Police 2
Taxes 1
Other 6
DK/Refused 8

5. What do you think is the most important problem facing your local area or neighborhood at
the present time?
(PROBE FOR ONE - MOST IMPORTANT)
Crime/Drugs 23%
Jobs/Economy 12
Neighborhood Decline/Housing 12
Basic City Services 11
Roads/Transportation 10
Education/Schools 5
Police 5
Government/Leadership 2
Need More Business 1
Budget/Management Issues 1
Taxes 1
Other 7
DK/Refused 10

Suburban Voters

3. What do you think is the most important problem facing the City of Detroit at the
present time? (PROBE FOR ONE - MOST IMPORTANT)
Kwame Kilpatrick 20%
Budget/Management 13
Government 11
Crime/Drugs 11
Jobs/Economy 10
Neighborhood Decline 5
Education/Schools 4
Taxes 3
City Services 2
Security/Terrorism 2
City of Detroit 2
Roads/Transportation 1
Other 5
Unsure 14


4. What do you think is the most important problem facing your local area or
neighborhood at the present time? (PROBE FOR ONE - MOST IMPORTANT)
Jobs/Economy 12%
Roads/Transportation 9
Taxes 8
Education/Schools 7
Neighborhood Decline 5
Budget/Management 5
Crime/Drugs 5
City Services 3
City of Detroit 2
Government 2
Security/Terrorism 1
Kwame Kilpatrick 1
Other 4
Unsure 38

Excuse Me: Entitlement Run Amok

Royal Oak is hot: condo's are being built all over the center of town. They even displaced a fine wine store. The main source of heat is nearness to downtown, I-696 and I-75, and semi-urban living without white people having to live in Detroit City itself.

However, a reason for land for building in Royal Oak is the trains which run through on an active rail line. Trains make noise, but not enough by themselves to clear the tracks. Proximity of trains and large numbers of cars and people, especially people who have been drinking long into the night, might be imagined as a safety hazard.

Now comes this guy who bought the condo when the trains were already there, making noise, complaining that the trains make noise!!

GIVE HIM PEACE, TRAIN: Rattled Royal Oak residents take on trains, demand quiet, please

June 30, 2005

BY SHARON GITTLEMANFREE PRESS SPECIAL WRITER

Think the click-clack of trains rolling along the tracks is romantic?
Then you probably haven't heard the blaring horns locomotives belt out to signal their approach at rail crossings.
Thomas December has. And he'd like to quiet things down.
"If you live in the community, the train horns are pretty loud," said December, whose new downtown Royal Oak loft is just yards away from a rail crossing near Main and Fifth. He has lived there a year, he said.

Scary Thought

BrooklynDodger was reading about London on CNN when he came on the following poll. The Dodger voted for civil liberties. Amazed, the Dodger was in the majority. Then, the Dodger wondered, what if this is a trap by the Bush Administration and the FBI, to identify progressives to target?

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Is it right to brush aside civil liberties concerns in fight against terrorism?
Yes

46%
9105 votes
No

54%
10750 votes
Total: 19855 votes

Larry Brown Held Hostage - Another Day

Kindly William Davidson owes his fortune to Guardian Industries. Kindly William Davidson broke a UAW strike at its Carleton, MI glass plant by hiring scabs. Kindly William Davidson is said to have fired Dick Vitale face to face on Vitale's steps, while his limo sat at the curb with the motor running. Davidson also dumped Rick Carlisle after Carlisle put the Pistons back together, although the Dodger was happy to see Larry Brown, and Carlisle was none the worse for wear.

The Dodger wonders whether it's the cost of throwing a disabled worker [with a contract] on the street - never much in a factory, but more expensive here - that's keeping this from coming to an unhappy end.

BrooklynDodger continues to wonder why Farrell, who seems to have some contacts who reveal medical details, doesn't consult with specialists in hip replacement surgery to inform speculation on the complications of the original surgery and prognosis for return to work.



Brown's fate still on hold
Two sides will meet again today

July 14, 2005

BY PERRY A. FARRELL
FREE PRESS SPORTS WRITER

Larry Brown and his agent, Joe Glass, met with Pistons owner Bill Davidson and team president of basketball operations Joe Dumars on Wednesday, but Brown's future with the team remains unresolved.
After meeting at a location away from the Palace, the sides are expected to talk more today by phone.

"We had a real good meeting and talked about a number of internal things," said Brown, who added that he thought it would be Dumars and Glass talking today.

Brown has returned to his vacation home in the Hamptons where he has been resting, on doctor's orders, after surgery earlier this month.

"I hadn't seen Joe in a long time, since the draft," Brown said. "And I hadn't seen Mr. D. since prior to Game 7 (of the NBA Finals). So it was nice to get a chance to see them again.
...

Shuttle Stop

One of Murphy's laws goes "Given an intermittant malfunction, the malfunction will return soon after the obviously defective part has been replaced." That's funny, if safety isn't involved.

Many highly automated or mechanized systems go down because a safety device, or other sensing device, is inappropriately showing a fault. The normal course of business is to by-pass the device. If there are layers of safety devices or systems, the process can be run successfully in the face of the degraded protection. That is, until enough layers have been removed that a single fault causes a catastrophic failure. For industrial systems, frequently the fault is invisible once by-passed, and no one gets around to fixing it.

Think of the pressure on the launch team - everyone gathered waiting for takeoff. But, think of the embarassment if the article crashed? Even if the fault they could have by passed was immaterial to the failure, they would have been fried. Probably, if you were flying commercial, they would have by passed it an gone on relying on redundent protections.

The two shuttle catastrophes arose from failure of mechanical components, the O-rings and the tiles. Neither was metal. Probably there are pretty good methods of measuring or predicting metal failure. Neither system had a back up.

The o-rings were used under a measurable condition [temperature] outside the range of testing and certification. It's unclear to BrooklynDodger whether the tiles were tested under the range of foreseeable impact, or whether the foreseeable impacts had been investigated.


Jul 14, 7:46 AM EDT
NASA Eyeing Cause of Fuel-Gauge Problem

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) -- NASA technicians are hoping to get a better idea Thursday about whether they'll be able to fix a sensor problem at the pad or have to return the space shuttle Discovery to the hangar for more extensive repairs.

The problem with a fuel sensor forced managers to scrub Wednesday's planned launch, just 2 1/2 hours left in the countdown and further delaying NASA's return to space travel after the 2003 Columbia disaster.

Thousands of people had descended on Florida's Kennedy Space Center for the launch, including families of the seven astronauts killed when Columbia disintegrated.

Similar fuel-gauge problems had cropped up during tests in April but technicians and officials thought they had been fixed.

Shuttle managers had no idea whether Wednesday's trouble was in the gauge at the bottom of Discovery's fuel tank, a stretch of cabling and wiring, an electronics box inside the shuttle or something else entirely.

Watch on the Yellow River - Larry Brown

This is the first the press has disclosed another surgery for Larry Brown.

Remember that famous novel, "The Yellow River" by IP Daly? Let's hope Larry can.

Certainly being able to urinate would be a life activity under the ADA, even as eviscerated by the courts. So firing someone based on the perception he couldn't would be an ADA violation.

Brown to meet with Davidson and Dumars
July 12, 2005


Coach Larry Brown and the Pistons plan to have a face-to-face meeting about his future, the Free Press has learned.
Brown will meet with Pistons owner Bill Davidson and president of basketball operations Joe Dumars on Wednesday in metro Detroit.
Brown's agent, Joe Glass, and Dumars have spoken a few times since Brown had surgery at the Mayo Clinic earlier this month. Brown had been resting, on doctor's orders, at his vacation home in the Hamptons.

More Detroit Police Misconduct

Coming up to the August primary, all local news in Detroit revolves around conduct, or mostly misconduct, of Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, the City Council [base of the Sharon McPhail-Bennie Napoleon mayoral challenge, supported by Maryann Mahaffey, and the Archer Administration [base of the Freeman Hendrix campaign.]

This notice harks back to a highly publicized election celebration party at the Manoogian mansion, which sparked a long series of charges and an investigation by Republican Attorney General Mike Cox, who denied there ever was such a party.

Attorney General Mike Cox Discusses Results of Investigation into Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick Below are remarks delivered by Attorney General Cox at a Detroit press conference

A newspaper report of the Greene murder is still available.



>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Kilpatrick, aide cleared from suit in cop's transfer
Cover-up case in death of stripper still snares chief

July 9, 2005
BY BEN SCHMITT
FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER

Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick and his chief of staff did not orchestrate the transfer of a homicide detective during his investigation into the killing of a stripper linked to a rumored party at the mayoral mansion, a Wayne County judge ruled on Friday.

However, Circuit Judge Michael Callahan said the transfer of Lt. Alvin Bowman to the 2nd (Schaefer) Precinct as a uniformed lieutenant from the homicide unit qualified as discrimination under the Whistleblowers' Protection Act, and the judge refused to dismiss Police Chief Ella Bully-Cummings and the city from a lawsuit.
...
Last year, Bowman sued the city, Kilpatrick, Beatty and Bully-Cummings, alleging that they conspired to silence him for investigating the killing of Tamara Greene, a 27-year-old stripper known as Strawberry.

Bowman retired last year after 31 years with the department.

Greene, who was shot to death about 3:40 a.m. April 30, 2003, was alleged to have performed at a rumored wild party at Manoogian Mansion in 2002.

Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox, whose office investigated the case, has said there was no proof that a party ever happened and dismissed the rumor as urban legend.
...
Bowman has said that when he asked for a reason behind the transfer, he was told that he had "been asking too many questions about the Strawberry case."

Bowman said that after he began sharing information with Michigan State Police, who looked into the Greene case as part of their Manoogian party investigation, he was called into a meeting with Bully-Cummings and other department leaders.

Bowman said the chief told him to put the case file away. He was soon transferred.

Busch League Commercials

We've seen Bud wrap itself in the flag, as American brewed but more importantly, American owned. This conflicts BrooklynDodger, who views economic nationalism as generally good in this age, but flag wrapping as generally the last refuge of the scoundrel politician.

Annheuser-Busch was a top level bankroller of the anti-ergonomics campaign of NAM. Right up there with UPS [otherwise known as "back injuries are us."] On the other hand, AB and UPS are big union companies [actually Teamsters, mostly, who fought for the ergo standard.]

BrooklynDodger heard a UAW staffer say that ergo was just one more reason to hate Bus[c]h, and another reason to drink UAW-brewed Miller beer.

At the time, Miller was owned by Phillip Morris, a sort of horizontal combination of sinful consumption, although the Dodger believes alcohol is on balance good for you, while cigarettes are both harmful and good for management [which generally profits from early death.]

Now the news suggests that Miller is owned by South Africans, who have gone from bad guys to good guys [nationally, although the corporate guys are bad guys the world over.] Did SAB also buy Phillip Morris?

Coors - the most anti union of beer companies - was bought by Molson, which says union made on its labels.

BrooklynDodger has also sampled Budweiser brewed in Canada by either Molson or Labatts - it's better than the US version, because of more alcohol, but not as good as the Canadian competition. Nevertheless, Canadians apparently buy it, presumable to drink it. Go figure.


>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Red, White and Beer? A Brewer's Strong Talk

By HEATHER TIMMONS
Published: July 11, 2005
LONDON

ANHEUSER-BUSCH is taking some chances by circulating marketing materials that may cross the line from patriotism to jingoism.

The materials consist of at least two sheets of information that apparently are meant to depict Anheuser-Busch as the brand of choice for patriotic Americans. One sheet criticizes the company's major competitors, SABMiller and Molson Coors, for being "owned by foreigners." The other states that Anheuser-Busch is expanding internationally to bring profits "back to the United States."

Materials depict Anheuser-Busch as the brand for patriots.
...
In the past, Anheuser-Busch has mentioned Miller's purchase by South African breweries in television commercials. But analysts said that the new campaign went further in its pro-American stance, striking a note that might seem dissonant for a company expanding rapidly overseas.

There are also questions about the accuracy of the information Anheuser-Busch is circulating. One assertion is that SABMiller, which is based in London, is "owned by South Africans and left the country" after apartheid was abolished. It also says that "a majority of SABMiller's owners are South African." SABMiller says about 35 percent of its investors are South African and 32 percent are American; most of the others are European.

Another claim is that "Anheuser-Busch is the only major American brewer still American-owned, with over 95 percent of our stock held by American investors." According to Bloomberg data, Barclays of Britain is one of the company's largest investors, with a 6.19 percent stake.

Among the other assertions, Anheuser-Busch says that it recently bought Harbin Brewery of China "so we could generate more profit to bring back to the United States." That's also a reason it gives for its 50 percent ownership of Grupo Modelo, the Mexican brewery that makes Corona.

And the company takes a shot at Coors: "Coors merged with Molson in 2005, and Molson Coors is 51 percent owned by foreigners," the information sheet says. Molson is a Canadian company.
...
The company has been expanding steadily abroad: in part because of its purchase of Harbin Brewery in China, it sold 13.8 million barrels of beer overseas in 2004, up 64 percent from the year before and about one-sixth of its total volume.

Police Misconduct Lawsuits

BrooklynDodger started this post as a gloss on Detroit's depopulation, previously reported. A benefit of the "rebellion" of 1967 is thought to be the change of Detroit's Police Department from a white occupying army in a majority black city. The Dodger hasn't had the time to figure the racial composition of the recent DPD, although leadership - the ones on TV - are african american.

Clearly the police misconduct problem hasn't been solved. However, misconduct suits may not be the best barometer. For example, a majority white Wayne County jury might be more likely to find against an african american officer than a white officer.

That said, the Dodger couldn't help playing with some numbers. The Dodger notes that in 2004, 11.9 of 22.1 million were paid out for 3 fatal scout car crashes. We lack data on the remaining minority of the payout, how much was vehicle related? Victims of these crashes are likely "innocent" victims rather than those claiming a closed head injury from being bashed by a flashlight during an arrest. Stratifying costs by type of case would help direct prevention.

Below it notes there were 332 "repeaters" among cases in 2004. There are about 3600 Detroit Police employees, 2700 represented by the union. How many cases were there?

Finally, why does Sheila Cockrel invoke the deity: "Why in God's name..." in contrast to Maryann Mahaffey's question "Why on Earth..."


>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Cop suits cost $44.7 million
Misdeeds added up in 2002-04

July 5, 2005
BY JOE SWICKARD
FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER

Detroit has paid out almost $45 million over the past three years in police misconduct lawsuits, with more than half that amount going to pay cases involving officers with histories of past lawsuits, according to a City Council analysis.

...Detroit police are currently under a federal consent degree mandating sweeping and costly changes in the way the department operates. The agreement came in 2003 after a U.S. Justice Department investigation that was spurred, in part, by Free Press reports detailing the high rate of civilians fatally shot by officers and constitutionally questionable practices of dragnet arrests and holding relatives to force suspects to surrender.

...
Tracking repeaters
Suits involving repeaters -- officers who have been named in more than one case -- account for more than $111 million, or about 60% of the settlement payouts since 1987.
...
Cockrel and Mahaffey said repeaters' costs underscore the long-standing need for a computerized tracking system to monitor officers' performance and flag potentially dangerous behavior.

"Why in God's name don't we have an early warning system -- we have been asking for one for years," Cockrel said.
Mahaffey was equally put out: "Why on Earth -- I just don't understand it -- do you allow bad ones to remain? Good supervision means keeping track. I'm tired of hearing you can't fire under civil service. You can if you've kept track."

...
In 2004, there were 332 repeaters in cases that came before the council. ...However, it does point out there were three multimillion dollar settlements in 2004, the costliest year. The settlements -- $5.5 million, $4.5 million and $2.9 million -- all involved fatal crashes with police scout cars. In all, cases cost more than $22.1 million that year.
...
Contact JOE SWICKARD at 586-469-4913 or swickard@freepress.com

Where you stand depends on what your seat is in

BrooklynDodger previously commented on the loss of population from Detroit city; in part, this is flight to cities with perceived superior school systems. For those not Motown conversant, Southfield is a large south Oakland County suburb in the No8 belt [north of 8 mile]. Southfield was heavily Jewish. It is now majority african-american.

The dress code is a no-brainer associated with the 3-R's theory of learning [regimentation, rote and rigidity]: memorization on the way to knowledge. Uniforms symbolize Catholic schools, even more than teachers beating the kids, and Catholic schools are well known for free thought. Uniforms in prep schools throw back to their Britophile and Episcopal heritage.

At this point in fashion and cultural history, class distinction in dress - an argument for uniforms - is mostly symbolized by the label on $115 jeans [actually, this may be undermining the Dodger's deniminous argument].

Two other points. The school board says too tight and too loose are both bad [the Dodger wonders whether distaste for the male butt crack shown by sagging, compared to female cleavage is male gender centric, although this is a rule set by a female superintendent]. Second, where did this person find a $16 dollar pair of jeans? Maybe we should contact Teresa Maskfree to ask.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Southfield schools may ban blue jeans
July 5, 2005

BY TERESA MASKFREE PRESS EDUCATION WRITER

Jeans soon may be fading away from both high schools in the Southfield Public School District.

A new dress code takes aim at sagging and tight denim -- a staple in many teenage wardrobes at Southfield High School and Southfield Lathrup, in Lathrup Village.

To the dismay of those who have a closet full of them, the proposal prohibits jeans or any type of denim fabric, tank and halter tops, pajamas and sunglasses, among other items.

It's all part of the changes that have come along with a new administration. During her first year at the helm, Superintendent Beverley Geltner has been stressing the need to reduce the number of tardies, detentions and students who repeat grades.
Geltner couldn't be reached for comment, but in the past has said requiring a standard code of dress would help students focus on school.
...Board President Janie Fulton said Thursday she doesn't know when the board will vote on the issue but wants a new policy before school starts in the fall. She said her mind isn't made up about the jeans issue. But board member Darryle Buchanan, who had to wear a uniform to the Catholic school he attended as a child, said he agreed with the ban.
...Britton and Reade say they don't believe the studies that indicate uniforms equate to better academics. ...
Reade said it will be tougher for kids to find slacks and dress pants -- and more expensive. On a recent shopping trip, she said the cheapest pair of slacks she could find were $35; the jeans she bought were $16.
Contact TERESA MASK at 248-351-3691 or mask@freepress.com.

Olympic Detachment - French Cuisine

Personally, the Dodger is disappointed that London got the Olympics over Paris. The important point here is that food is an amenity which contributes to the experience. Who knows what the food was like in Athens? Actually, the price of wine in a restaurant is at least as important as the quality of the food. Probably the best restaurants in London are French restaurants.

Thank the Olympic committee for not visiting the Olympics on New York City.

The point here is that Chirac was not simply insulting the Brits for the fun of it, he was making an important point about the location of the games.

Although BrooklynDodger has not experienced Finnish cuisine, the Dodger has been told Finns go to Leningrad for cheap vodka, suggesting that restaurant liquor prices are too high a well as the food too baltic. Swedish food might be competitive with Finland for a place you wouldn't go for the food.

At least Britain is full of Indian restaurants and other imports from the empire.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Chirac in Food Fight Over British Cuisine

By ROBERT BARR
The Associated Press
Tuesday, July 5, 2005; 8:45 AM

LONDON -- French President Jacques Chirac's low opinion of British cuisine, which he reportedly dubbed the worst in Europe after Finland, has started a food fight with London and sparked the wrath of Britain's press.
London's newspapers, which regularly take offense at the French, lashed out at Chirac's jokes on the nation's cuisine, with the Guardian's food critic writing Tuesday that "a man full of bile is not fit to pronounce on food."

Mobbed by security guards and media, French President Jacques Chirac arrives at the Raffles City convention hall in Singapore Tuesday, July 5, 2005l. Chirac flew in to back the Paris 2012 bid for the right to host the 2012 Summer Olympic Games at the IOC session.

The French newspaper Liberation reported Monday that Chirac had made the insulting remarks about food in London during a conversation with German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder and Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday.

"We can't trust people who have such bad food," Chirac was quoted as saying. He reportedly added that only Finland had worse food in Europe, and that mad cow disease was Britain's sole contribution to European agriculture.

Blair, who was in Singapore pressing London's bid for the 2012 Olympics, did not comment directly. But when asked Monday whether the G-8 summit starting Wednesday would be an anticlimax after the Olympic decision, he said:

"I won't say the G-8 summit would be an anticlimax to it because that would be undiplomatic and I know when I go there I will be in the presence of very diplomatic people," he said.
Schroeder said Tuesday he expected to get "a decent steak" at the summit, but otherwise steered away from comment.

...

New Star Wars

Another hot Sunday afternoon with no outdoor program lead to a movie trip. BrooklynDodger was going to cover up this mistake, but then he saw a star next to the new Starwars in the New York Times friday listings.

[The Dodger feels like this post has been posted before but can't find it; do other bloggers compose posts in idle moments, then forget to write them down? or do our conversations present as blog posts?]

The Dodger saw the first one in a theatre; all other dips into this pool have been on cable tv or video tapes. The first one had a mixture of interesting jokes, some decent alien creatures, and very disappointing WW II fighter pilot movie battle scenes. You know, the tight shot looking into the face of the pilot swooping in? At least that Star Wars spawned Space Balls.

Anyway, this was a boring movie, leading to all kinds of idle thoughts to turn into posts.

First, it features acting by Samuel L. Jackson which must compete for his worst ever performance. Like he was reading bad lines off a teleprompter, maybe seeing these lines for the first time. Jimmy Smits had about the same expression, but Smits doesn't have as far to fall. Other cast members appeared to have memorized their bad lines.

Second, why are so many future fantasy governments monarchies, with Lords, Ladies and Princesses? What's up with this princess saying she's fighting for democracy?

Third, what's up with these light sabres anyway? Dodger saw or read a sci-fi somewhere which rationalized sword play by imagining force fields and body armor reacting to high speed projectiles, so that only slow weapons could have effect. In this movy, the bad guys shoot a bunch of Jedi knights, in a montage like one of the Godfather movies, so it can't be Jedi's can't be shot...

Fourth, it's pretty cool how the light sabres slice off limbs; just like Monty Python's holy grail.

Fifth, what's up with Yoda, anyway? Sometimes he generates super human force, other times he's tossed around like a small dog.

Finally, the computer generated tableux of cities are boring and repeat themselves.

Taste Fest Part 1

For those never stranded in Detroit over July 4 weekend, BrooklynDodger wants you to know about Taste Fest.

http://www.newcenter.com/tastefest/info.htm

Years ago it started, when GM was in the GM building on Grand Boulevard. Close off the weekend-deserted Boulevard, get some restaurants doing no business over the holiday to set up stands, maybe some art fair-type stands as well, and a couple of stages with music. There's plenty of weekend-deserted parking for GM, Fisher Theater, etc.

Now, GM is gone to the Ren Cen [the William Crapo Durant Building is now the State of Michigan Cadillac Center, a takeover which was a gift from Gov. John Engler (R) to Detroit mayor Dennis Archer, not to endorse Geoffrey Feiger, the Democratic governor candidate.] But Taste Fest has a dynamic, especially in the music.

The taste part is maybe not that great. 4.80 for a 16 ounce budweiser, 6.00 for a chicken kabob sandwich from La Shish. And, no particular place to sit.

So, get this. Friday, July 1. Weather is cool - 70's at sundown. Los Lobos, for free, at 8 pm at the Motor City Casino Main Stage. Street and sidewalks jammed with people, like Times Square any weekend night, but still, this is Detroit where people never crowd together.

Where'd all these white people come from, mid town Detroit, sun going down? Median age looks maybe 40; younger than Symphony or Meadowbrook, but most are showing considerable tread wear. This is crowd about the same age as Los Lobos. Sitting in the Fisher Building parking lot, watching the sun go down behind Henry Ford Hospital. The crowd is fueled only on beer or maybe Jose Cuervo premixed, no weedy smell.

Los Lobos come on late but then do a great set with two encores. They cycle through some kind of LA mexican influenced rock, through up tempo blues, a polka [mexican music includes polkas and schottiches influence by tonality] , a series that sounds cajun [or, rock with the accordian guy from the polka still playing], to R and B and motown. Middle aged dudes and duddesses dancing in place...

Some life in the old town that wasn't there before.

Detroit Population

In left circles in Detroit it's fashionable to call the events of 1967 the "rebellion." Non-lefties call it the riot or the troubles. Certainly a lot changed in Detroit in following years. In this post, BrooklynDodger limits the focus to the notion that the event was central to white flight to the suburbs which has devastated the economic landscape of the central city.

That bastion of liberal thought, the Detroit News, provides the attached graphic to inform that thinking. Detroit's population was shrinking from 1950-1960. Without a semi-log plot, it appears the slope steepened in the period following 1967, but maybe not dramatically. Whatever was driving the move out to the suburbs may before 1967 may have intensified independent of the psychological effect of 1967 events.

Larry Brown, Malpractice and the Mayo Clinic

First off, the Pistons should do everything they can to keep Larry Brown as coach. His value is obvious from the contrast in record this year, when he was on the bench and when not. Remember the bomb scare game against Indiana? Brown was out, the team was playing poorly, I wondered whether it was Joe Dumars who called in the bomb threat, knowing what might happen if the game were played. Indiana won by double digits. You could argue that the Piston's were pretty good with Carlisle. But Brown helped Ben Wallace to be better, and when Ben Wallace is better the Piston's won. The only reasons why management might not want Brown are bad reasons - he doesn't have to take their stuff because he could go to lots of other, easier jobs.

Brown wants to coach if he can. He was working out players for the draft.

Anyway:

"Brown missed 17 games this season because of two surgeries: first, to repair his artificial hip; second, because his bladder had swollen to four times its normal size."

Having to pee and having to hold it to half time might hurt your enjoyment of the game, and even distract you from the business at hand. Then getting to half time and not being able to whiz?

Anyway, it turns out that nerve damage, which might be the source of the bladder problem, is a common complication of this surgery. So are urinary tract infections.

Mayo clinic will be another post.


J Arthroplasty. 2004 Jun;19(4 Suppl 1):104-7.

Neurovascular injury: avoiding catastrophe.

Barrack RL.Tulane University Health Sciences Center, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, New Orleans, Louisiana 70112, USA.

Major neurovascular injury is the least common, but most distressing, complication of total hip arthroplasty (THA). The keys to minimizing the incidence of these complications are recognizing patients at risk and knowledge of the relevant anatomy. Partial sciatic palsy is the most common nerve injury. At least partial recovery can be expected in 70% to 80% of cases, with the remainder frequently displaying dissatisfaction with their surgery. Vascular injury is most frequently associated with the use of screws for fixation of structural grafts, acetabulur components, and protrusio rings or cages. An understanding of the acetabular quadrant system is crucial in minimizing these potentially catastrophic complications.


Orthopedics. 2004 Jan;27(1):73-81; quiz 82-3.

Current overview of neurovascular structures in hip arthroplasty: anatomy, preoperative evaluation, approaches, and operative techniques to avoid complications.

Rue JP, Inoue N, Mont MA.Department of Orthopedic Surgery, The Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions Baltimore, MD, USA.

Total hip arthroplasty is a common and relatively safe procedure with consistently good results. Despite its popularity and excellent results, THA is a major operation with several major neurovascular structures within reach of retractors, scalpel blades, drills, screws, and reamers. A thorough knowledge of their anatomic location and proximity to the operative field, along with a basic understanding of the principles of vascular surgery can help avoid potentially devastating consequences. Specifically, the surgeon should avoid placement of screws in the anterior-superior quadrant, be vigilant when placing retractors, and avoid excessive tension on the sciatic nerve.

Crash - Must Be Seen

The Dodger apologizes for a long hiatus, both on personal commentary and scientific commentary.

BrooklynDodger spent a hot saturday afternoon watching what's likely the best movie of the year. Crash takes the plot device of Pulp Fiction - unrelated stories featuring characters who keep meeting over a day or so - and applies it to serious themes. We have the boiling racial and class [class doesn't make it to the reviews much] of Los Angeles as the energy which drives the plot. And each character is performs a good or evil act proportionally opposite to the good or evil in their personality.

The actors are great, a lot of big names for a movie with a totally indie feel.