Posts with the tag Jon Stewart

Jon Stewart spoofs and doctors warn: avoid GMOs

Nj from Palos Verdes Peninsula, CA — Fri, 15 May 2009 13:00:22 EDT

Last night on Comedy Central, Jon Stewart's brilliant mockery of genetically engineered wheat puts the only humorous twist on an otherwise serious health risk that now concerns the American Academy of Environmental Medicine: genetically modified foods.

On May 8th, the American Academy of Environmental Medicine (AAEM) called on “Physicians to educate their patients, the medical community, and the public to avoid GM (genetically modified) foods when possible and provide educational materials concerning GM foods and health risks.” Their position paper stated, “Several animal studies indicate serious health risks associated with GM food,” including infertility, immune problems, accelerated aging, insulin regulation, and changes in major organs and the gastrointestinal system. AAEM states, “GM foods have not been properly tested” and “pose a serious health risk.” They conclude, “There is more than a casual association between GM foods and adverse health effects. There is causation,” as defined by recognized scientific criteria. “The strength of association and consistency between GM foods and disease is confirmed in several animal studies.” AAEM called for a moratorium, long-term independent studies, and labeling.

A second US medical association is currently drafting a similar resolution, and more and more doctors are already prescribing GM-free diets. “I strongly recommend patients eat strictly non-genetically modified foods,” says Dr. Amy Dean, a Michigan internal medicine specialist. Ohio allergist John Boyles says “I used to test for soy allergies all the time, but now that soy is genetically engineered, it is so dangerous that I tell people never to eat it.”

According to AAEM, “There is more than a casual association between GM foods and adverse health effects. There is causation” as defined by recognized scientific criteria. “The strength of association and consistency between GM foods and disease is confirmed in several animal studies.” Some experts go a step further. After reviewing more than 600 scientific journals, world renowned biologist Pushpa. M. Bhargava concluded that genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are a major contributor to the sharply deteriorating health of Americans.

Pregnant women and babies at great risk

Among the population, biologist David Schubert of the Salk Institute warns that “children are the most likely to be adversely effected by toxins and other dietary problems” related to GM foods. Similarly, the UK Royal Society recommends that GM foods be rigorously researched before being fed to pregnant or breast-feeding women and babies. Tragically, not a single human clinical trial has been published. Dr. Schubert says without adequate studies, the children become “the experimental animals.”

The experience of actual GM-fed experimental animals is scary. When GM soy was fed to female rats, most of their babies died within three weeks—compared to a 10% death rate among the control group fed natural soy. The GM-fed babies were also smaller, and later had problems getting pregnant.

When male rats were fed GM soy, their testicles actually changed color—from the normal pink to dark blue. Mice fed GM soy altered young sperm. Even the embryos of GM fed parent mice had significant changes in their DNA. Mice fed GM corn in an Austrian government study had fewer babies, which were also smaller normal.

Reproductive problems also plague livestock. Most of the Indian buffalos that ate GM cottonseed had complications such as premature deliveries, abortions, infertility, and prolapsed uteruses. Many calves died. In the US, about two dozen farmers reported thousands of pigs became sterile after consuming certain GM corn varieties. Some had false pregnancies; others gave birth to bags of water. Cows and bulls also became infertile when fed the same corn.

In the US population, the incidence of low birth weight babies, infertility, and infant mortality are all escalating.

Food designed to produce poison

GM corn and cotton are engineered to produce their own built-in pesticide in every cell. When bugs bite the plant, the poison splits open their stomach and kills them. Biotech companies claim that the pesticide, called Bt—produced from soil bacteria Bacillus thuringiensis—has a history of safe use, since organic farmers and others use Bt bacteria spray for natural insect control. Genetic engineers insert Bt genes into corn and cotton, so the plants do the killing.

The Bt-toxin produced in GM plants, however, is thousands of times more concentrated than natural Bt spray, is designed to be more toxic, has properties of an allergen, and unlike the spray, cannot be washed off the plant.

Moreover, studies confirm that even the less toxic natural bacterial spray is harmful. When dispersed by plane to kill gypsy moths in the Pacific Northwest, about 500 people reported allergy or flu-like symptoms. Some had to go to the emergency room.

The exact same symptoms are now being reported by farm workers throughout India, from handling Bt cotton. In 2008, based on medical records, the Sunday India reported, “Victims of itching have increased massively this year . . . related to BT cotton farming.”

GMOs provoke immune reactions

AAEM states, “Multiple animal studies show significant immune dysregulation,” including increase in cytokines, which are “associated with asthma, allergy, and inflammation”—all on the rise in the US.

According to GM food safety expert Dr. Arpad Pusztai, changes in the immune status of GM animals are “a consistent feature of all the studies.” Even Monsanto’s own research showed significant immune system changes in rats fed Bt corn. A November 2008 by the Italian government also found that mice have an immune reaction to Bt corn.
GM soy and corn each contain two new proteins with allergenic properties, GM soy has up to seven times more trypsin inhibitor—a known soy allergen, and skin prick tests show some people react to GM, but not to non-GM soy. Soon after GM soy was introduced to the UK, soy allergies skyrocketed by 50%. Perhaps the US epidemic of food allergies and asthma is a casualty of genetic manipulation.

Animals dying in large numbers

In India, animals graze on cotton plants after harvest. But when shepherds let sheep graze on Bt cotton plants, thousands died. Post mortems showed severe irritation and black patches in both intestines and liver (as well as enlarged bile ducts). Investigators said preliminary evidence “strongly suggests that the sheep mortality was due to a toxin. . . . most probably Bt-toxin.” In a small follow-up feeding study, all sheep fed Bt cotton plants died within 30 days; those that grazed on natural cotton plants remained healthy.

In a small village in Andhra Pradesh, buffalo grazed on cotton plants for eight years without incident. On January 3rd, 2008, the buffalo grazed on Bt cotton plants for the first time. All 13 were sick the next day; all died within 3 days.

Bt corn was also implicated in the deaths of cows in Germany, and horses, water buffaloes, and chickens in The Philippines.

In lab studies, twice the number of chickens fed Liberty Link corn died; 7 of 20 rats fed a GM tomato developed bleeding stomachs; another 7 of 40 died within two weeks. Monsanto’s own study showed evidence of poisoning in major organs of rats fed Bt corn, according to top French toxicologist, G. E. Seralini.

Worst finding of all—GMOs remain inside of us

The only published human feeding study revealed what may be the most dangerous problem from GM foods. The gene inserted into GM soy transfers into the DNA of bacteria living inside our intestines and continues to function. This means that long after we stop eating GMOs, we may still have potentially harmful GM proteins produced continuously inside of us. Put more plainly, eating a corn chip produced from Bt corn might transform our intestinal bacteria into living pesticide factories, possibly for the rest of our lives.

When evidence of gene transfer is reported at medical conferences around the US, doctors often respond by citing the huge increase of gastrointestinal problems among their patients over the last decade. GM foods might be colonizing the gut flora of North Americans.

Denials, attacks, and hijacked regulators

Scientists at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had warned about all these problems even in the early 1990s. According to documents released from a lawsuit, the scientific consensus at the agency was that GM foods were inherently dangerous, and might create hard-to-detect allergies, poisons, gene transfer to gut bacteria, new diseases, and nutritional problems. They urged their superiors to require rigorous long-term tests. But the White House had ordered the agency to promote biotechnology and the FDA responded by recruiting Michael Taylor, Monsanto’s former attorney, to head up the formation of GMO policy. That policy, which is in effect today, denies knowledge of scientists’ concerns and declares that no safety studies on GMOs are required. It is up to Monsanto and the other biotech companies to determine if their foods are safe. Mr. Taylor later became Monsanto’s vice president.

Dangerously few studies, untraceable diseases

A 2007 review of published scientific literature on the “potential toxic effects/health risks of GM plants” revealed “that experimental data are very scarce.” The author concludes his review by asking, “Where is the scientific evidence showing that GM plants/food are toxicologically safe, as assumed by the biotechnology companies?”

Famed Canadian geneticist David Suzuki answers, “The experiments simply haven’t been done and we now have become the guinea pigs.” He adds, “Anyone that says, ‘Oh, we know that this is perfectly safe,’ I say is either unbelievably stupid or deliberately lying.”

Dr. Schubert points out, “If there are problems, we will probably never know because the cause will not be traceable and many diseases take a very long time to develop.” If GMOs happen to cause immediate and acute symptoms with a unique signature, perhaps then we might have a chance to trace the cause.

This is precisely what happened during an epidemic in the US in the late 1980s. The disease was fast acting, deadly, and caused a unique measurable change in the blood—but it still took more than four years to identify that an epidemic was even occurring. By then it had killed about 100 Americans and caused 5,000-10,000 people to fall sick or become permanently disabled. It was caused by a genetically engineered brand of a food supplement called L-tryptophan.

If other GM foods are contributing to the rise of autism, obesity, diabetes, asthma, cancer, heart disease, allergies, reproductive problems, or any other common health problem now plaguing Americans, we may never know. In fact, since animals fed GMOs had such a wide variety of problems, susceptible people may react to GM food with multiple symptoms. It is therefore telling that in the first nine years after the largescale introduction of GM crops, the incidence of people with three or more chronic diseases nearly doubled, from 7% to 13%.

To help identify if GMOs are causing harm, the AAEM asks their “members, the medical community, and the independent scientific community to gather case studies potentially related to GM food consumption and health effects, begin epidemiological research to investigate the role of GM foods on human health, and conduct safe methods of determining the effect of GM foods on human health.”

Citizens shouldn’t wait for the results before acting responsibly. It’s time to take the doctors advice: Avoid GM foods. That principally means staying away from anything with soy or corn derivatives, cottonseed and canola oil, and sugar from GM sugar beets—unless it says organic or “non-GMO.” There is a pocket Non-GMO Shopping Guide, co-produced by the Institute for Responsible Technology and the Center for Food Safety, which is available as a download, in natural food stores, and in many doctors’ offices.

When even a small percentage of people conscientiously choose healthier non-GMO brands, the food industry will respond as they did in Europe—by removing all GM ingredients. Consumers are at the top of the food chain, and we can join the doctors by writing a prescription for change.

International bestselling author and independent filmmaker Jeffrey M. Smith is the Executive Director of the Institute for Responsible Technology and the leading spokesperson on the health dangers of GMOs. His first book, Seeds of Deception is the world’s bestselling book on the subject. His second, Genetic Roulette: The Documented Health Risks of Genetically Engineered Foods, identifies 65 risks of GMOs and demonstrates how superficial government approvals are not competent to find most of them. He invited the biotech industry to respond in writing with evidence to counter each risk, but correctly predicted that they would refuse, since they don’t have the data to show their products are safe.

interviews

j.b. — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 02:56:46 EDT

the interviews on the daily show and rachel were phenomenal. heres hoping wolf is as satisfying today. KUDOS

Karl Rove's blatant deception exposed by Jon Stewart on video

Matt Beane — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 13:07:15 EDT

I saw this today.

It reminded me of a Law and Order or Perry Mason moment - this would have been the moment that the judge levied a perjury charge. It would at least win the case for the other side.

I'm so grateful that people with such writing skills and comedic heart are paying this much attention to our political process:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/09/04/jon-stewart-hits-karl-rov_n_123852.html

Only 4 minutes of your time to watch. It got me very energized today - and I had a great laugh!

Matt

Jon Stewart- PROVES MCSAME THEORY

A from Atlanta, GA — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 17:33:53 EDT

Maybe this has been told before but it bears repeating:

OMG! Everybody, look at the clip of Jon Stewart Sept 5th episode of The Daily Show. He compares the August 3, 2000 speech of G.W.Bush to John McCains' NOMINATION ACCEPTANCE speech of Sept 4th 2008 using a split screen. MANY PARTS ARE THE SAME SPEECH! While McCain was giving it, I thought something sounded familiar. Go to the Daily Show Website/Archieves This has been noted out here and what a shame it is that we have to get some of our real and true information concerning this presidential election from a comedy show. The Bush speech writers actually had the nerve to recycle the same speech and shove it down our throats, again. They think we all are so stupid, that nobody would remember that speech. 2. First time voters do not know McCain and I am tired of all the pundits trying to make us believe that everybody knows him. He has not put a sliver of meat onto the bones as far as details on his policies go, just saying WE will do this or that is not policy, geez. 3. If you thought we were rapidly becoming the laughing stocks of the world before, it will be confirmed if we actually allow Gov. Palin to get through these next 2 months without speaking much more to the press. Wake up or we are Doomed folks!!! USE THIS IN A NATIONWIDE ADD

COMIC RELIEF—Your Source for REAL Election Issues Information.

Canadian for Obama — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 14:15:26 EDT

Last night I watched Senator Obama on the David Letterman Show and thought "gee, this is one of the best interviews that I've seen with the senator". I learned a lot of new things about Barack. He seemed at ease and it was like watching a conversation between two reasonable and intelligent individuals. That was a refreshing treat after the smut that the so-called mainstream media has been perpetrating for the past several days.

Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9hf6qd8b65s

Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZXc5AVHgaE

Part 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v0gt3BQqa-A

Following on the heels of Letterman was Craig Ferguson on the Late Late Show doing a diatribe on the ridiculous antics of mainstream media's non-coverage of essential issues. He opines that people want to hear from real people about real issues "...this is a very important election but you wouldn't know it by the news coverage". "Why are we talking about animals and cosmetics?" "Why is John McCain hanging around while his vice-presidential candidate is up there [Alaska] campaigning to be president?" "What are you going to do for this country, pal?" To the TV news media "...take this thing seriously". To the public "...if you don't vote, you're a moron! It is your DUTY to vote!"

Craig Ferguson - If you don't vote, you're a moron.: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pdRVQ4xwwmQ

Do me the honor of being my fellow Americans and vote: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s1good-Ifdg&NR=1

Jon Stewart (The Daily Show) and Stephen Colbert (Colbert Report) have also made points, in their inimitably comic ways, 'outting' many outrageous claims by the McCain campaign by showing clips of Republican operatives that are in direct opposition to their assertions.

I find it bizarre that the source for real election issues is coming from television's comedians. Then again, the administration of the last 8 years, while it cannot be characterized as funny by any measure, has been an absolute abusurdity.

Thanks Dave, Craig, Jon and Stephen for telling it like it is and showing us the truth through a bit of comic relief.

Sexism according to Republicans (By Jon Stewart of the Daily Show)

Blue Girl in South Carolina — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 14:59:36 EDT

This is a must-see video by Jon Stewart of the Daily Show demonstrating the right-wing perspectives of what "sexism" is -- and how it applies to democrats vs. republicans:

http://www.thedailyshow.com/video/index.jhtml?videoId=184086&title=sarah-palin-gender-card

Compare McCain's acceptance to Bush's

Joseph from San Francisco, CA — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 16:02:46 EDT

We need a commercial like what Jon Stewart did last week:

http://www.thedailyshow.com/video/index.jhtml?videoId=184111&title=john-mccains-big-acceptance

Check out minute 5:00. That's what this campaign could leverage to allow McCain to show just how much he is like Bush. Priceless!

Jon Stewart for Secretary of State!

srvlonghorn — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 23:34:52 EDT

Members of Obama's team need to watch the Daily Show and take notes.

I'm being serious.

Where else can you find a show that points out John McCain's inconsistent stance on several issues, his poor class rank, his involvement with the S&L scandal, how similar his acceptance speech was to George Bush's acceptance speech, the hypocrisy in the Republican's message, the absurdity in selecting Sarah Palin, the Republicans blunders and lies that the news media just doesn't talk about....just to name a few!

Its sad how if we want to hear the truth we have to watch a comedy program. Everytime I watch the show I laugh then I cry.

A Daily Show Inspired Ad

Meghan from New York, NY — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 14:50:24 EDT

Why not capitalize of the love Americans have for self-incriminating politicians? The best of the Daily Show is always the politician/media personality vs. themselves montage.

Why not show McCain on taxes or on drilling or on Iraq. Or Sarah on that infamous bridge? Use humor and let them tear themselves apart.

Reflections on the Past Week...The New Palin-McCain Double-Talk Express, etc.

Wordman — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 14:11:05 EDT

Once again I honor Senator's McCain's military service and the courage he displayed as a POW in Vietnam. Certainly worthy of an inspirational movie or naming streets, bridges or buildings for him or we could even construct a McCain memorial in the appropriate setting. But it does not uniquely qualify him to hold the office of President of the United States. And his biography from that life experience forward is certainly not an untarnished testimony to honor and courage. There is the failed marriage and his involvement in the Keating 5 scandal. He developed a reputation as a maverick over the years, but his words and actions since his failed bid for the Republican nomination for President in 2000 reflect either a change in his core values and principles or an unmasking of an underlying cynicism and political ambition that the country was not aware of. Little wonder that we recently witnessed his angry refusal of a reporter's request to define "honor". McCain "the maverick" might have shown the courage he did as a freshman congressman when he opposed Reagan's disastrous deployment of our marines to Lebanon and spoken out against the infinitely more foolhardy decision of Bush and the neo-cons to manipulate the country into the ruinous Iraq conflict. He would not have voted with Bush and his peers 90% of the time over the past 8 yrs and so easily reversed his positions on tax cuts for the rich, torture, immigration and a host of other critical issues. McCain "the maverick" would have chosen Joe Lieberman or Tom Ridge as his running mate. And even though I do not share many of their views, I could have felt reasonably assured that they had the seasoning and judgment to safely be a heartbeat away from the Presidency. He would not have courted Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson or more recently sought out the support of John Hagee and Rod Parsley and he surely would not have allowed himself to be forced into the choice of a ultra-conservative neophyte as his running mate by a social conservative cabal. The nomination of Gov Palin as VP for the Republican Party--a "pit bull with lip stick" as she so aptly described herself. She delivered the offensively sarcastic and condescending lines they wrote for her with such relish. Nothing out of character there if you've had the opportunity to review her record as a politician and the calculating, ruthless approach she has taken to furthering her career. And the smoothness with which she misrepresented her record and belittled Senator Obama's life story and accomplishments--she effectively energized the Republican base as we all sat and watched the final transformation of the McCain Straight Talk Express into the Palin-McCain Double Talk Express. And now the right wing pundits and hate-mongers scathingly attack the media for their hurried attempts to vet this little-known, political neophyte with the potential of being elected in less than eight weeks to an office which would place her a heartbeat away from the Presidency . I'll close for now by recommending to you the excellent commentary of Jon Stewart of the Daily Show on the hypocrisy so evident in their protestations--http://www.thedailyshow.com/video/index.jhtml?videoId=184086&title=sarah-palin-gender-card

Jon Stewart gets it

Stephen Lee — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 09:24:18 EDT

http://www.thedailyshow.com/video/index.jhtml?videoId=184086&title=sarah-palin-gender-card

Speaks for it self.....

Palin? You've got to be kidding!!!

Ms. Sweet — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 23:45:05 EDT

Judith Warner's post at the NY Times says it far better than I can: http://warner.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/09/04/the-mirrored-ceiling/?em

Follow that up with some humor from Jon Stewart. Simply fantastic!

http://www.thedailyshow.com/video/index.jhtml?videoId=184095&title=sarah-palin-vet-this

Peace, Ms. Sweet

Let's have a little fun in the process . . . :0)

Lisa Caid — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 04:10:59 EDT

Mom always used to say, "Don't take yourself too seriously!" Here are two intriguing clips appearing first this week on The Colbert Report and The Daily Show. Both are linked below for your viewing pleasure. Please be advised that spot two is for adults only.

Spot one - http://www.comedycentral.com/colbertreport/videos.jhtml?videoId=180131: an interview by Stephen Colbert of my newest hero, social conservative and Obama supporter, John McWhorter (http://www.manhattan-institute.org/html/mcwhorter.htm). The answer to the question posed at 2:27 minutes in to this 4:57 minute clip is one of the reasons I so admire this man, John.

Spot two - http://www.thedailyshow.com/video/index.jhtml?videoId=183521&title=john-mccain-chooses-a-running: an interview by Jon Stewart of senior female and women's issue correspondent Samatha Bee regarding McCain's VP pick must be found at 2:57 minutes in to this 4:42 minute clip! This one made me laugh 'til I cried!

Hope your weekend ends happily!

Notes on Entrepreneurs & Freedom Fighters

oklib77 — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 00:19:18 EDT

Anyone here read Thomas Frank's truly fab excerpt from his book, The Wrecking Crew, in Harper's? Anyone else here read about how ultimate loser, Ralph Reed, skipped his own McCain fundraiser?

***** How is it that the Right Wing has taken the lead re the language of both policy & social politics? Obama is our best hope since Kennedy & FDR to reverse this travesty.

***** Hate to come on like Lichtenstein, or a tired, old semiotics don, but, Democrats must learn how to use language better. Liberal should not be a swear word.

***** Andrew Sullivan on the Daily Dish today nailed it re McCain's torture. By Bush's, Cheney's, Rumsfeld's, Fleith's, Gonzalez's, Yoo's, HELL, even Mukasey's definition, McCain was not tortured. Of course, McCain was tortured. I would wish that hell on no one, but the double standard & Orwellian Newspeak of this administration is so disgusting as to make me ill.

***** Just for kicks: Time Horizon.

***** My idea of Freedom Fighter does not include Oliver North within its purview. I think more of John Henry Faulk, or Barbara Jordan.

***** I wish I was there at that meeting between McCain, Bush, & Rove, to hear the apologies for So Carolina 2000, & the grim mafia-like assurances re this current election. McCain is nowt himself anymore, a Faustian bargain made in order to win.

***** The McCain campaign's negative, ridiculous TV ads have had their effect & have since been toned down in order to absorb a backlash. They are desperate, Faustian howls at the moon; Rovian war games. There will be more ugliness from Camp McBush/Rove, for sure, but they have yet to define their candidate. Watch how the "Morning in America" McCain moments fall flat & Obama seizes the high ground & makes this country feel good again, & begin to squelch fear in their hearts & believe.

***** "Evrybody had a hard year ... Evrybody pulled their socks up/Everybody put their foot down."

***** All credit to Jon Stewart & his fab Daily Show for these "just for kicks" language notes. & here's another one: Enhanced Interrogation.

***** Michigan is ours, but it will be tight. Colorado is ours, but it will be tight.

***** The convention will be magical. Clinton speaking on the anniversary of a Woman's right to vote, & Obama accepting the nomination on Martin Luther King's "I Have A Dream" anniversary. I cannot wait.

Let's win this thing folks. My polling station is within walking distance (by the way, I don't have a drivers license & have never driven!) & so is the Contra Costa County dem HQ! I'll be hitting the phone lines & the doors these coming months & I want you folks to do the same.

Oh yeah, they had that scandal, too!

Fred - Team Liaison - Smyrna-Vinings — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 11:38:49 EDT

Recently, I was at an America concert and around the middle of the performance, Gerry Beckley -- one of the band founders and lead singers -- joked that "we've now arrived at the 'oh yeah, they did that one' portion of the show." Unfortunately, that's what it's like with the Bush Administration's scandals.

There have been so many scandals throughout the 7 and a half years of Bush's "leadership," that I think we all have problems keeping track of them and even remembering them from time to time -- even the big ones. That's why when I saw David Iglesias on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart last night, I felt compelled to talk about that scandal today...

Thank You Jon Stewart!

joshua case for Obama — Sat, 07 Jun 2008 04:36:35 EDT

Well, while I have not been able to watch Jon Stewart regularly since moving to Europe, his freshness and honesty have always been welcomed!

If you have been following this campaign stuff for as long as I have, this video shines a light on how in the beginning, it was all 'Hillary has this nomination all locked up'. The broadcasters couldn't have been more wrong!

Check out this video!

joshua case for Obama!

ps.
and the stuff about McCain...exactly my point!

Daily Show does AIPAC

Chinni — Sat, 07 Jun 2008 00:38:52 EDT

Daily Show does AIPAC

Go Jon Stewart! - Our political process needs you. Our country needs you! This world needs you!

The Daily Show – If At First You Don't Concede

Mikeystyle — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 21:55:17 EDT

Aasif Mandvi attends the Clinton rally to find out if the most watched primary season in history is coming to an end.

http://www.thedailyshow.com/video/index.jhtml?videoId=171109&title=if-at-first-you-dont-concede

The Daily Show - Obama Makes History

Mikeystyle — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 21:37:44 EDT

http://www.thedailyshow.com/video/index.jhtml?videoId=171106&title=headlines-obama-makes-history

Jon Stewart's positive comments about Obama!

Ed — Thu, 15 May 2008 14:58:07 EDT

Jon Stewart was on Larry King's show about a month ago. When asked about his assessment of soon to be President Obama he said that clearly he was an inspirational figure. That we are in a point in time where many people felt that they were not heard.

He complimented Barack for having a disdain of partisanship and then mentioned some in this country who say Are we ready? Are we ready for a woman president? Will guys not get to be able to drive. IMO- he clearly is a fan of Barack and that goes a long way to Election Day.

Prediction: Obama will easily beat John McCain in November. At times McCain has said things and the next day come out and said that he can not remember saying what he did. McCain is an honorable man and will gather support and try to keep it close.

But in the end Obama's victory will look like Reagan's victory in 1980 against Jimmy Carter.

Sikh American sings a beautiful Punjabi poem about Obama with subtitles!

Neil — Tue, 13 May 2008 03:37:23 EDT

So it seems the Democratic nominee may finally be set. After what a most astute commentator has called “The LONG FLAT SEEMINGLY ENDLESS BATAAN DEATH MARCH to THE WHITE HOUSE,” the end is finally within sight. It seems that Obama has numerically emerged the victor.

Members of this community have obviously been very active in campaigning for Senator Obama. I am sure they are pleased.

However, within the Sikh community, I believe a false dichotomy has often been presented. Some have stated that while many young Sikhs have been far more engaged with the Obama campaign, older members of our community have fundraised for the Clinton campaign. I believe that this age-difference distinction has always been grossly exaggerated.

Using Occam’s razor, a simpler thesis may suffice. While Hillary Clinton was the favorite at the beginning of the campaign, as the winds changed others were slower to jump on Obama’s bandwagon. I am sure we will see many ‘older’ Sikhs fundraising for Obama as we get nearer to the fall.

In fact, here is one voice that defies such characterization. Here is one Punjabi poet’s dedication to Obama (yes , you get subtitles too!).

CHECK IT OUT: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dryC1vlBCys

In California, Pashaura Singh Dhillon is a well-known voice. Whether at the Gurdwara, a mela, or even at a poetry reading, his appearance is calming and radiating. He is a kind man and a delight. He is also active in helping promote the events within the Sikh community.

Here is a bit of biography from his website: www.pashaurasinghdhillon.com:

Actively involved in community matters, along with other members, I have helped in forming the Sikh Council of Central California Fresno, the Punjabi Sahit Sabha California, and the Indo-US Heritage Association in Fresno, California. I take great interest to help organize events such as Interfaith Alliance functions, Nagar Kirtan in Selma, Literary Meetings, as well as events close to my heart such as commemorating functions in the fond memory of the Gadhri Babas and other freedom fighters who laid down their lives to free India. As General Secretary for the Sikh Council of Central California, we helped raise over $50,000 during the 9/11 Disaster Relief fundraisers. Representing the Sikh Council of Central California, I am currently helping to coordinate a Punjabi language course fundraising event at the Guru Nanak Heritage Institute for Punjabi Studies where the local community there has established a Punjabi language course for the past ten years at the San Jose State University. A similar effort is also in the process to start up a Punjabi language course in the Central Valley at the California State University, Fresno. [link]

Any thoughts on the poem? Or the election news and coverage?

The Daily Show with Jon Stewart

Corrinne Davies — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 08:45:31 EDT

I was watching “The Daily Show” the other day where Jon presented the Pennsylvania primary results. I must say, as a Pennsylvanian and as an Obama supporter/volunteer that I absolutely loved the way Jon Stewart presented the results. It was almost as if he had read my mind. I could really relate with the video clip of the correspondents giving interviews in PA after the primary. Now that PA has NOT decided anything we are no longer important, nobody cares what we think. I find it amusing we got all this attention but after the party we woke up alone and forgotten. Tossed away like a piece of trash.

I was under no illusion that Barrack was going to win. I knew he would lose PA but I didn’t know by how much. The thing that is really driving me mad is how Hilary is doing this song and dance about how she amazingly won PA, acting as if she were the underdog in that state or something. She was predicted to win PA by a huge margin, why is she acting so shocked that she won, that she has turned the tide. Barack did what he could, his volunteers did what they could to try to cut into Hilary’s margin and make it a closer race but the odds of us actually winning were highly unlikely. The cable news networks have been going on an on about how much of a margin there would need to be for either of the candidates for them to consider it a win. Double digits was the magical number needed by Hillary to stay in the race as if she would actually drop out regardless of how awful the result could have been. Everybody has been going on about how she pulled it off and go her double digit lead in PA. I did the math and the margin was a 9.2 lead. Back when I was in Elementary school we were taught that if you are going to round a number to the next whole number, you take the last digit and if it is greater than 5 than you round the number up and if it less that five you round down, then there is this grey area about which direction you round if that digit is equal to 5 but that was not the case here. 9.2 clearly rounds down to 9. Jon was right – there are two digits in 9.2 – doesn’t seem to matter what side of them decimal point they fall on as long as there are two digits.

Hilary has some crazy new math she invented to prove that she’s winning the popular vote. First she doesn’t bother to count caucus states because she claims they don’t represent the real electorate (of course this has nothing to do with the fact that she loses in caucus states), then she goes on to include the popular vote from both Florida and Michigan even though these states had their delegates stripped because the broke the rules. Neither candidate campaigned in Florida which is a disservice to Obama because he has often gone into states with these huge margins in Clintons favor but he has managed to cut into her leads and often does better than expected in states that Strongly favored Clinton.

To make matters worse Obama wasn’t even on the ticket in Michigan because all the candidates were asked to remove their names from the ballot because the vote here wasn’t going to count. Everybody removed their names except Hillary which works out very conveniently for her in her new math system. She gets all the poplar votes from that state and just ignores the fact that some of those uncommitted votes would have gone to Obama had his name stayed on….but we will never know. It wouldn’t be fair to give him all the uncommitted votes either because I’m sure there were individuals that wanted to vote for Edwards in that mix of uncommitted. She couldn’t even win a state where he name was the only one on the ballot. Her math gets even more complex when she starts declaring that she has won all the big states, all the states that are important in the general election. Basically she is stepping on and trash talking all the states that didn’t’ vote for her, saying they aren’t important. The only states that matter are the big ones that she has won. Lets not forget that Obama did walk away from Texas with more delegates even though many of the media networks still give the win in Texas to Clinton.

I’m just sick and tired of the cable news networks rehashing the same old shit day after day. Watching The Daily Show is like a breath of fresh air in the midst of all this indecision insanity and cable news bullshit.

Hillary’s hypothetical campaign (from the daily show)

Mikeystyle — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 10:02:06 EDT

More proof that a fake news show is closer to real journalism.

“Senator Clinton would already have the nomination locked up if only the Democratic nominating process were conducted hypothetically.”

http://www.thedailyshow.com/video/index.jhtml?videoId=166850&title=indecision-2008-clintons

Obama on the daily show with Jon Stewart

Mikeystyle — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 11:35:31 EDT

http://www.comedycentral.com/videos/index.jhtml?videoId=166515

Jon Stewart's Reality Check

YesWeCan Carol — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 10:37:10 EDT

In case you missed this precious moment in "Silly Season", Jon has put bitterness into perspective:

http://www.redlasso.com/ClipPlayer.aspx?id=2e8f3421-9fc1-4727-ad7b-21172957794a

What a week...

IllegerateNoMore — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 10:08:25 EDT

Alright, lots to talk about this week. There was the Wright controversy, Hilary's Bosnia blunder, and the Richardson endorsement.

First, obviously, I have to expound on the Wright issue. The internet, has, I believe, ended the age of the sound bite. Thank God, or Al Gore, or DARPA, whomever you prefer. Nowadays, when the broadcast and cable news media throw a couple of short clips of someone saying something deplorable, as with Rev. Wright; one can go onto the internet, bring up YouTube and find something like this.

While it certainly doesn't excuse Rev. Wright's statements, it does put some in a little more context. And that's one sermon out of somewhere around four thousand, six hundred eighty. Quite clearly he wasn't saying these anti-American things every week or else he wouldn't have had a congregation. Not to mention that in that particular sermon he did have a point, and a point which I think we as Americans should acknowledge.

After the Wright flap, Senator Obama delivered perhaps the most important speech made so far in this 21st Century. As Jon Stewart exclaimed: "A prominent American politician spoke about race as though we were adults!".

Second, let's talk about this. Wow. Now, as far as politics are concerned, I'm fairly jaded. I've seen lots of lies and scandals and gaffs in the past twenty years. But I have never seen any lie so ridiculously blatent as this. Not only ridiculous and blatent, but utterly pointless.

Hilary keeps trying to come up with a silver bullet "Commander-In-Chief" test that she has passed, but Senator Obama has not. First, she said she'd been in Washington longer. Obama countered by saying that wasn't neccessarily a good thing. Then she claimed that she was more of a morning person. That didn't work either. Now she's claiming that being shot at or making a hostile landing in a developing country is the test. But not only has Senator Obama done that as well, but she's outright fabricated a dramatic tale in which she's the victim of the Secret Service("...too dangerous, the President couldn't go, so send the First Lady."), poor military planning and Bosnian militants.

Senator Clinton claimed that there was supposed to be a greeting ceremony, but that there wasn't, and they were told to run with their heads down to the motorcade. This can clearly be seen to be a fabrication at 0:10 and 0:25 of the first video, where the greeting ceremony, with the plane on the tarmac in the background, can clearly be seen. WOW.

And finally, there were a couple of endorsements, most significantly from Governor Bill Richardson, proving that Dave Chappele can see the future.

19 Years, 51 Weeks, 5 Hours, 30 Minutes Old and Illegerate No More,
Brandon William Wicks

HRC's red phone ad stars Obama WA precinct captain

Taube — Sat, 08 Mar 2008 17:42:00 EST

'The so-called "red-phone ad": The first girl in the ad is young Casey Knowles. It's stock footage from eight years ago when she worked as a TV extra - footage owned now by Getty Images and used by the Clinton campaign.

But they couldn't have picked a more unwilling star.

"It's really sort of ironic that my image would be used to advocate for Hillary when I myself do not," said Casey.

She may only be 17, but Casey has some very strong political opinions. She turns 18 - legal voting age - in April, in plenty of time before the general election.

"It's perfect timing because I have a candidate that I really identify with," she said.

"I've been campaigning for Barack Obama for a few months now," she said. "I was actually a precinct captain at the caucuses a few months ago. I attended his rally a few months ago and I'm a very, very avid supporter." ' source: http://www.king5.com/topstories/stories/NW_030708WAB_hillary_ad_KC.328ab14f.html

NOTE: Casey's family only knew about HRC's red phone ad because Jon Stewart ran it on The Daily Show on Thursday 03 06 08. Imagine if Casey had seen it on March 2. THIS would have been the big news story all day March 3.

a small hinge of history...Wag the Dog anyone?

THANK YOU JOHN STEWART!

Adoyo — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 09:19:04 EST

Laughter really is the best medicine! As folks are rallying to work even harder after the New Hampshire results, here, too, comes Jon Stewart to lift our spirits with some much-needed levity by ribbing the media for its coverage of the New Hampsire Primary.

Daily Show: New Hampsire Primary

In the midst of all the winks and giggles, Stewart manages to shine the light on an important point: the media seems to have set the stage to make the primary outcome seem more dramatic than it really was by playing the expectations game to favor Clinton (see an earlier blog entry about the dynamics of the Expectations Game).

The best part is of John Stewart's clip starting about halfway through with "pop culture metaphors". The Chris Matthews' "Lawrence of Arabia" analogy is particularly PRICELESS!

Daily Show: New Hampsire Primary

Check out the video. I hope you enjoy it!

In Remembrance

Don — Tue, 11 Sep 2007 13:25:20 EDT

I wrote my 9/11 blog a bit early, on August 14th, in response to Keith Olbermann's mention of a truly demented radio sequence on right-wingnut John Gibson's radio show. Below is the text of that blog:

I'm rushing the season a little, but Keith Olbermann on Countdown picked someone from Fox News as his "Worst Person in the World" for the 9000th time. Today, it was John Gibson, who, on his Fox News Radio Show on August 10th, entertained a discussion of a column published the day before in the Philadelphia Daily News. The column was written by a conservative named Stu Bykofsky, and declared that America needs another 9/11 to straighten it out.
I'll let that sink in for a minute.
There's an informative article about this on mediamatters.org, including the voice audio and a text transcript of that portion of the broadcast. The article also contains a link to the column. I recommend you watch the YouTube clip below before examining the material on mediamatters. It's a moving 9/11 remembrance video that features the relevant portion of the post-9/11 Jon Stewart Daily Show broadcast.
I lived in Manhattan for nearly nine years. When I walked outside my apartment building down on Houston Street in the West Village, the World Trade Center towers dominated the sky to the south. I even worked briefly in one of the towers. Although I was in Washington State on 9/11/2001, I was deeply affected. For some time, I watched the lists of the dead in case someone I'd known had been among the victims. I had left Manhattan over 20 years before, and the names on the lists were unfamiliar. But that's not how I felt. The breathing, bustling heart of Manhattan never leaves you if you've lived there any length of time. Those brokers and administrative assistants and data processors and policemen and firemen were my brothers and sisters. My grief was nothing special or unique, but it was very real.
I'm not going to editorialize very much about all this. As we near yet another sad anniversary of 9/11, we all have our private thoughts and reactions to our memories, and to these latest references to the tragedy. I'll leave you to them.
I don't think you'll find much sentiment in the Fox broadcast or the Daily News column, but the video below is unabashed in its emotion. It's a fitting homage. As you watch, you'll remember what we lost, but you might also reconnect with what we somehow gained.
I don't need another 9/11. I haven't forgotten a thing.

At the bottom of that blog entry was an embedded YouTube video in memory of 9/11, featuring Jon Stewart's comments on his first broadcast after the tragedy. The blogging software here appears to strip object embedding code, so I'll just link to that video here. You can see the original blog post here.

(Caveat: my apartment was actually on Hudson Street. Hey, it was a long time ago. I had forgotten.)

With Jon Stewart Last Night

tolerford — Thu, 23 Aug 2007 09:00:49 EDT

Comfortable, confident, relaxed, easy to smile and laugh, still my candidate. Especially liked his reaction when Stewart comically implied that Obama is saying things "we're not supposed to say!" It's not just Obama's comparative youth. My official prognostication is that he will retain this productive perspective until the day he dies. He's got a good woman who gives him a balanced happiness: intelligent conversation at home as well as in his professional life. Murdock's Fox leading the perspective, the others following like sheep, it's unrealistic to look for adequate, accurate coverage except in rare instances. With Clinton in the race, it's going to be low-down and dirty the whole way. Maybe authentic character CAN win.

You, Me, Obama and Stewart

Jason Zimmerman — Thu, 16 Aug 2007 08:50:54 EDT

How many of you receive your daily news source from Jon Stewart? Don’t be bashful, like most progressive college students, I do as well. Jon Stewart’s show on Comedy Central is one of the most honest and critical variety shows that is one of the best news shows on cable. Lucky for all of us, Barack Obama will appear on the Daily Show next Wednesday, the 22nd of August.

And you could be there.

Head over to Obama’s website here, and invite your friends and family to join in support of Barack Obama. When they go to register at My. BarackObama, they will get the chance to share their story of support. The Obama camp will select the most interesting story and give them a free travel ticket as well as a ticket to the show. Plus, the person who invites them, hopefully you, will receive the same package.

So, start inviting your friends and family, and maybe you’ll get to laugh out loud live during one of Stewart’s infamous monologues.

Take Barack's Message With You

Tobin Van Ostern — Mon, 25 Jun 2007 13:08:54 EDT

A few days ago we launched a mobile text messaging program. Not only can you sign up for texts, you can also download wallpaper and ringtones for your cellphone (try texting ringtone1 to OBAMA).

The ringtones are an innovative way to get Senator Obama’s message out there. As John Della Volpe, director of polling at Harvard University’s Institute of Politics and founder of SocialSphere Strategies, puts it the ringtone is “going to create conversations.” When it plays while you are out in public and someone asks you about it, just ask them to text GO to OBAMA and they will get more information about Senator Obama.

We hope you will find these ringtones fun and enjoyable. For those times when your cell might ring out at an inopportune moment, such as class, I suspect that teachers might be a bit more lenient when they realize that its public policy and civic participation coming out of your cellphone.

Jon Stewart has gotten the Obama ringtone fever ( Daily Show clip). Shortly after our launch he did a hilarious segment highlighting the new ringtones in a variety of means from referencing a bus equipped with spinning rims adorned with Obama logos to Stewart himself dancing to the beats. Stewart’s glowstick dance moves paired with Obama’s ringtones must have been a hit –downloads of the ringtones doubled following the show’s airing.