Everyone has their own taste when it comes to music.

What may be considered music to one’s ears, may be considered simply torturous to others. Just because I feel that Michael Bolton sounds like a cat getting skinned alive, and that his music is some sort of cruel joke to all of mankind, doesn’t mean that some other tone deaf person has to agree with me.

One thing is for certain, whether it is the sweet voice of Bonnie Raitt or the overrated raspy voice of Bruce who stepped in it Springsteen… if it is played at decibels to make you feel that your ears are going to bleed and it is played over and over… it can be quite torturous no matter who it is.

Everyone is aware that the prisoners at Gitmo (Guantánamo Bay) were needlessly tortured by water boarding along with other degrading and unspeakable acts. 

One of the methods used was music played repeatedly and at ear piercing levels. The songs used and some of the artists who made that music are not too happy to say the least. How would you feel if one of your songs was used to torture someone? I am sure you would be horrified.

Well, Michael Stipe of REM, along with twenty or so other artists have aired their disgust, and have banned together and formed Close Gitmo Now.   

A little info on Gitmo first, before we get into which performers are saying Gitmo has to go.

Gitmo has held nearly 800 detainees in it’s history. An alarming majority of those detainees were never charged, nor went to trial. Only THREE of those detainees have ever been convicted of a crime.To keep Gitmo open is costing tax payers MILLIONS.

So what did the spokesman for the CIA say when it came to using music as torture?
He said nuh-uh.

George Little, a CIA spokesman said:

“music was used only for security, rather than “punitive purposes”

And in a 2005 CIA document, it stated,

“loud music or white noise was needed “to mask sound and prevent communication among detainees”

So what tunes and artists made it to the Gitmo “top 20″?

According to the National Security Archive, they used anything from the Meow Mix jingle, to the Barney theme song. They used such artists as Marylin Manson to Britney Spears. Although the Meow Mix jingle and the Barney theme song both make me cringe and is enough to drive anyone buggy, at ANY volume… I wonder if the Meow Mix or the Barney people have a problem with the fact their music was used at Gitmo? I haven’t heard anything from either of them and I have to say, if they don’t have a problem with it, then I have a problem with them.

Why would they use the Meow Mix jingle and the Barney theme if it was just “to mask sound and prevent communication among detainees”?
And why were detainees subjected to “variable light patterns” while this music was played? Is the CIA going to say they wanted to have a disco effect for the detainees? Although it really wouldn’t surprise me in the least.

If the CIA claims are true, then why didn’t they just use classical music at non dangerous levels without light patterns? The term liar liar pants on fire comes to mind.

Another little pesky factor besides the CIA not having the permission of the artists to use their music, is the fact that the artist’s music was used as an interrogation tool.

So which artists are pissed and saying close Gitmo now ?
Bonnie Raitt, Jackson Brown, REM, Pearl Jam, Roseanne Cash just to name a few.

Bonnie Raitt and Jackson Brown

Roseanne Cash recently appeared on The Daily Show with John Stewart to tell everyone about the petition they have created which people can sign at www.closegitmonow.org

The BBC recently reported:

REM call for Guantanamo closure

Rock bands including Pearl Jam and REM have joined a coalition of musicians to support the US president’s efforts to close the Guantanamo Bay prison.

The National Campaign to Close Guantanamo, which also includes former military officers, launched on Tuesday.

Many of the artists who have signed up are angry that their music was used as an interrogation tool in the jail.

But CIA spokesman George Little said music was used only for security, rather than “punitive purposes”.

In a statement, REM said: “We have spent the past 30 years supporting causes related to peace and justice. To now learn that some of our friends’ music may have been used as part of the torture tactics without their consent or knowledge, is horrific. It’s anti-American, period.”

Other artists to sign up to the coalition include Jackson Browne, Steve Earle, Roseanne Cash, Billy Bragg, Bonnie Raitt and Rage Against The Machine.

On behalf of the campaign, the National Security Archive in Washington is filing a Freedom of Information Act request seeking classified records that detail the use of loud music as an interrogation device.

‘Terrify and punish’

A report published in November 2008 by the Senate Armed Services Committee report, has already made several references to the technique.

In one case interrogators played records to “stress” a prisoner, Mohamedou Ould Slahi, who believed music was forbidden.

In 2003, he was questioned while being “exposed to variable lighting patterns” and repeated plays of a song called Let the Bodies Hit the Floor by the band Drowning Pool.

Jayne Huckerby, from New York University’s Center for Human Rights and Global Justice, said loud music was also played at clandestine prisons run by the CIA.

Following an early information request, Ms Huckerby received a CIA document dated December 2005 in which the agency explained that the use of loud music or white noise was needed “to mask sound and prevent communication among detainees”.

She argued that such sounds were not a “benign security tool,” but a way “to humiliate, terrify, punish, disorient and deprive detainees of sleep, in violation of international law”.

According to the National Security Archive, tracks by AC/DC, Britney Spears, the Bee Gees and Marilyn Manson were used at Guantanamo.

The Meow mix cat food jingle, the Barney theme song and an assortment of Sesame Street tunes also were played into detainees’ cells.

But the CIA insisted any music was played “at levels far below a live rock band”.

And Major Diana Haynie, a spokeswoman for Joint Task Force Guantanamo, said loud music has not been used with detainees since the fall of 2003.

Barack Obama pledged to close the Guantanamo detention camp by January, but Republican opposition in Congress has made fulfilling that promise look less likely.

 

So one of the reasons that Gitmo remains open is due to Republican opposition?
Although I am certianly not surprised by this…. WHY ARE THEY OPPOSED?
What reasons could the Republicans have to want to keep Gitmo going?

The NY Times stated that the estimated annual cost to operate Guantánamo Bay is anywhere from $90 million to $118 million. There are 226 detainees left at Gitmo. That is a cost of $400.000 to $520.000 per detainee. To incarcerate a prisoner in a supermax prison would be $75,000 in the US. Is anyone paying attention to this simple math? Get the facts

At a time when the US is in such an economic mess due to the carnage that was left behind by the lovely Bush administration, perhaps the millions of dollars spent on keeping Gitmo open can be used elsewhere? Ya think?

Now before our comment section turns into a shouting match between Republicans and Democrats…..
and people telling me to get my facts straight, (I only report what is out there) remember that this article is about how horrible it was to use an artist’s music to torture people AND the fact that their music was used without their consent. Not to mention what it costs to keep Gitmo going.

So if you have a comment about Close Gitmo Now or the musicians who started the petition, then that is fine. But if you want to argue about what Obama has done or not done to clean up Bush’s mess that he left behind, or the BS spin and scare tactics that the Republicans are using when it comes to the health care plan, (you know who you are, you silly teabaggers) OR if you are a Michael Bolton fan, then please go argue elsewhere. *SNICKER*

Can’t We All Just Get Along?

Pamela Anderson with Henrik Winther

Pamela Anderson has a bone to pick with Kentucky Fried Chicken. She is a member of PETA. Although she has been criticized in the past for being a bit of a hypocrite when it comes to PETA, as far as what she has worn and eaten, I have to say that  this fight against Kentucky Fried Chicken is justified in my opinion.

Now I am not a big fan of corporate food chains to begin with. The most I ever venture into is a Crackle Barrel or Burger King if I am on the highway and the choices of meal stops are very limited. I haven’t been in a Kentucky Fried Chicken since the late 1970’s, and after watching the KFC chicken processing video, I never will.

I had the misfortune of suffering through the entire video of Kentucky Fried Chicken’s processing plant which you can view at  www.kentuckyfriedcruelty.com and I was totally horrified to say the least. Workers throwing chickens against the walls, stomping on them alive, clipping their beaks off on arrival, over crowding, boiling them alive and the tale of terror goes on.

Pamela Anderson has contacted Kentucky Fried Chicken and has asked them to be more humane in their processing plants and and even asked Kentucky’s governor to remove a bust of Col. Sanders from the State Capitol Building. Pam went as far as to contact Henrik Winther, president of Rostik, KFC’s Russian partners and asked them to watch the slaughter house video.

Pam has appeared in billboard adds in her “lettuce bikini top” and TV spots asking people to boycott Kentucky Fried Chicken until they change their evil ways.

Pamela is not alone in her fight against KFC. Many celebrities as well as musicians have joined her fight. From Paul McCartney, Phil Collins, Tommy Lee (natch), and Pink, to the Smashing Pumpkins and Chrissie Hynde of the Pretenders. For the full list of  almost 60 celebs that support this boycott click here. And some of the celebs have provided short videos. These stars are asking people to “Kick the Bucket” and sign the petition.

Kentucky Fried Cruelty Activists explain their beef with KFC:

The roughly 1 billion chickens killed each year for KFC’s buckets are crammed by the tens of thousands into excrement-filled sheds that stink of ammonia fumes. The birds’ legs and wings often break because they’re bred to be too top-heavy and because workers carelessly shove them into transport crates and shackles.

Chickens’ throats are slit and the animals are dropped into tanks of scalding-hot water to remove their feathers, often while they are still conscious and able to feel pain.

KFC lets frustrated factory-farm and slaughterhouse workers handle live birds, so many of the animals end up being sadistically abused. At a KFC “Supplier of the Year” slaughterhouse in West Virginia, workers were documented tearing the heads off live birds, spitting tobacco into their eyes, spray-painting their faces, and violently stomping on them. This was discovered more than two years after KFC promised PETA that it was taking animal welfare seriously.

KFC hides behind its Animal Welfare Advisory Council, even though five members of the council have resigned in frustration. One of them, Adele Douglass, told the Chicago Tribune that KFC “never had any meetings. They never asked any advice, and then they touted to the press that they had this animal-welfare advisory committee. I felt like I was being used.”

And How KFC Can Clean Up Their Act:

PETA wants KFC to adopt the animal welfare programdeveloped by five members of its own animal welfare board. These advisors are the world’s top poultry experts; they advise the meat industry in North America and Europe and believe that KFC can—and should—adopt them. KFC has yet to do any of the following:

Adopt the “Animal Care Standards” program. This would lower the amount of ammonia in the air in factory farms, improve the living spaces and lighting in chicken sheds, prohibit the intentional starving of breeding birds, and ensure that birds are provided with mental and physical stimulation.

Switch to controlled-atmosphere killing (CAK). This would prevent live birds in slaughterhouses from being abused by workers, having their throats slit, or being scalded while they were still conscious. CAK would also improve conditions for workers and decrease contamination levels in chickens’ flesh.

Switch to mechanized chicken gathering. This would drastically reduce the number of broken bones and painful bruising that birds endure when factory-farm workers carelessly throw them into transport crates.

Breed for health rather than rapid growth, and stop feeding drugs to chickens. This would reduce the rate at which birds suffer painful, crippling diseases and injuries, such as broken legs, heart attacks, and lung failures.

Make all welfare standards transparent and verifiable. This would simply ensure that the animal welfare program is being adhered to through announced and unannounced independent audits (the results of which must be made available to the public through KFC’s Web site).
 

Seems like all reasonable requests to me. So if people have to pay a little more for their bucket of bird, then so be it. Besides, these places are only adding to the ever mounting and staggering problem of obesity in the US. Fast food chains play a huge part in the rising cost of health care due to all the health problems associated with being overweight.

Now I am not a fan of Pamela Anderson’s one iota. I can write an entire article on her that would rip her a new one as far as her and Tommy Lee’s shenanigans over the years, besides her overall phony fake parts appearance. And some will say she does all this for the publicity. Whatever. It’s still a good cause and KFC can certainly be less cruel. I know all slaughter houses are a nightmare, and I am certainly not dismissing all the other cruelties that go on in other places, but simple measures can be taken to make them less cruel. And I will admit that I am a bit of a hypocrite due to the fact that I am not a vegetarian myself, but I do try to limit my eating habits.

Many people think PETA goes way too far, but I agree with what they have asked of KFC, and I saw the horrific processing video. And since I HATE corporate fast food chains already… this campaign gets my vote. I am also in full agreement with PETA’s stance on any circus that uses elephants and big cats in their shows. Go to the Cirque baby! Animal free circuses all the way!

I digress….
So before you pull in to that next drive thru… stop and think of what you are supporting. If the chicken processing video you watched of your next lunch or dinner being prepped didn’t bother you, perhaps when you order that next KFC Chunky Chicken Pot Pie , Mmm mmm, that has 770 calories and 42 grams of fat,  and 2,160 mgs of sodium, will make you think twice.

For all the caloric, fat content and sodium levels of all KFC’s menu items, go here, and feel ill. Check out the stats on other fast food menu items too. I guarantee you won’t be making as many trips as you used to!

Kentucky Fried Cruelty Website Logo

It is with great sadness we share with you the death of legendary Hollywood icon Paul Newman from cancer at age 83. The Oscar-winning (The Color Of Money) actor whose on-screen charisma was only eclipsed by his off-screen philanthropy died his home last night from complications of cancer. In recent months Glosslip’s k has written about reports of Newman’s ailing health, as well as, he and his wife, fellow actress Joanne Woodward celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary.

Newman and wife Joanne started a food-based company in 1982 called “Newman’s Own” that donated all profits to various charities. All in all, through this company, Newman donate more than $250 million to wonderful causes, including a camp he helped set for gravely ill children. A camp Newman visited regularly where he spent time with sick children and oversaw the good works being done there.

I am sure k will have more to say on this matter. Like me, k considers Paul Newman a hero in all walks of his life.

I’m no Oprah fan by any stretch, but I am a Simon Cowell fan, mainly because he tells it like it is, he isn’t pretending to be something he is not, and he’s nice to his mother.  And apparently the acid-tongued judge has a heart under all that gruff and bravado (which I’ve known all along):

Simon Cowell has paid off a family’s £80,000 [$160,000] mortgage after being touched by the plight of their three-year-old daughter, who has a rare form of cancer. [...]

Cowell, who was on the programme to promote his X-Factor starlet Leona Lewis, was close to tears after watching a video interview with Madelaine’s parents, Randy and Amy, in which they told of the financial burden of her treatment.

When Miss Winfrey brought on the couple and introduced them to Cowell, he told them: “I know you are having problems with your mortgage. As of this afternoon, your mortgage has been paid off.”

Since Madelaine was diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer last month after developing a cyst in her nose, the Stoens have had to travel more than 100 miles from their Minnesota home each day for treatments.

Madelaine, who is starting to lose her hair, faces a year of being in and out of hospital as she undergoes radiation treatment.

Later Cowell told Miss Winfrey: “The money for me is not the important part. It’s when you see that film and that little girl.

“I said to the parents, ‘It doesn’t stop there. If there are any problems, I’m her guardian angel now.’”

Now that’s what I’m talkin’bout.  Stars who give back, who put their money where their mouth is, who don’t act like their footsteps are gold and their money is best kept to themselves.  While Simon certainly has enough money to buy himself racy sports cars and expensive toys, he doesn’t keep all his money to himself.  This amount is undoubtedly a drop in the bucket to Simon, but it’s a huge amount to this family, and he realizes that.  Despite what people might think, I’ve not got a problem with stars buying outlandish, expensive stuff for themselves…as long as they realize it’s all temporal, and become involved, not just throw money at something and forget about it two seconds later.

If more stars would act like Simon, I’d be out of a job.  To whom much is given, much is required.

Our prayers are with this little girl and her family.

 

Soccer (oh wait, football…no, check that, it’s soccer) star David Beckham has opened his third academy for aspiring young people:

The state-of-the-art World of Sport complex has been set up to benefit the children of Brazil and provide them with on-site coaching and access to top-class facilities, much in the same way as his academies in London and Los Angeles.

Beckham said: “This is by far the best training camp I have ever seen.

“It will be the best football facility in the world and I am very proud to have an academy in Brazil where kids can come and enjoy themselves and play football in a safe environment.”

Davey Boy also hopes that his new facility will draw soccer clubs from all over the world to train, and hopefully to help future athletes in the form of Brazil’s young people.

But here’s what I really want to say about the whole thing:

PULL YOUR PANTS UP!!!

Great balls of fire…he’s a zillionaire, but he can’t afford pants that fit right?  Yank that belt tighter!  Srsly!