PUBLISHED COMMENTARY ESSAYS + ARTICLES

 of   Michael Hammerschlag  
AUDIO OF TV, RADIO TALK SHOWS + REPORTS
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-----"Creating alcohol from grain is very inefficient, and in 25-30 years a starving world won't sit idly by while we waste foodstuff on a massive scale just to run our cars..'" - Energy for the Long Run
-----"Iraq will explode into Civil War between the 63% Shiites and 17% Sunni former rulers (and the 19% Kurds?); Bosnia across California; - Maybe partitioning Iraq could mitigate or prevent the coming bloodbath."- Stopping The Next Bosnia 2003
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TRIPOD GRAPHICS must be accessed from  TRIPOD page eg. AUDIO,  MENU, PHOTOS, or TRIPOD HOME    REDUCE FONTS. Some articles are large jpegs and must be navigated around by directional arrows. 2 Panels are 2 articles side by side on same page (PLUS)- pan to see 2nd
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GEORGIA'S FOLLY & the RAGE OF THE BEAR- new Kiev:   Saakashvili's reckless invasion of S. Ossetia was bound to provoke a virulent Russian reaction, but it has disappeared in the news as the world's condemnation falls entirely on Russia;  McCain's foreign policy advisor is a paid lobbyist for Georgia- did he or Administration encourage this to create a new bugaboo enemy to intimidate voters, since terrorism wasn't working anymore?; Georgia isn't Budapest or Prague, but the Russians can't resist grinding their face in the dirt as an object lesson for Ukraine, Estonia, or Poland - Scoop, OpedNews

ARE WE COOKED?
- Global Warming Worse Than You Think-new 8 Latest Scientific Findings each show warming will be much worse than worst case estimate; 850,000 yr old 4 km Antarctic ice cores prove radical temperature changes 5-12C happened as fast as 3 years; CO2 generation exploding from Chinese (+ Indian) coal power plants; Methane's threat from melting tundra and gigantic ocean bottom methane hydrate deposits (twice all other fossil fuels combined!); High altitude sulfur from commercial jets have cooled the whole earth 1 C- so real global warming is over double what we see, and airline collapses could instantly raise worldwide temps; 1/3 of Gulf Stream not flowing North; 1/3 of warming from black atmospheric soot from soaring coal burning; Catastrophic ice sheet collapse into deep ocean could make worldwide killer tsunamis; 8 Feedback loops multiply effects many fold, inc. ice pack going from 90% reflecting to 80% absorbing; CO2 in oceans released as it gets warmer; increased CO2 in ocean dissolving limestone shells, deforesting a WA state every year; Interviews w 5 top GW scientists fm Nasa Goddard, UAlaska, USGS, UCLA - coming;

THE BUSH BATTERED DOLLAR - Scoop, OpedNews   Malaga, Spain:  With 4-6 trillion dollars of tax cuts to the rich + his wanton war, Bush has rung up more deficits than all Presidents combined. Since he took office, the dollar has dropped 47%, 8% in just a recent 5 weeks- halving the value of trillions of dollars of foreign investments. For Americans living abroad the slow sickening slide of the dollar is devastating- every week less Rubles or Euros or Crowns. The now worthless Republican-deregulated junk mortgage derivative bonds are supposedly more than all the real stocks and bonds put together... and world markets are hanging by a thread. Swiss UBS Bank just wrote off $37 billion, and Japan could have $300 billion of losses. A collapse by any major player could create a chain reaction that would cause a worldwide depression. Desperate to prevent that, the Fed injected $500 bil just to stabilize things.- May '08

ENDLESS SUMMER- Element Moscow (travel) ORIGINAL   Morocco: Beautiful, spacious, stylish Valencia, Spain is a place without winter; where the museums are mostly free and open till 8:30pm (even 1am!), where the food is good and people live well, where 2200 years of history and an Islamic heritage are on display in the architecture. LOCAL - Mar 13, '08

ROMAN HOLIDAY- Element Moscow (travel) ORIGINAL   Rome: Tired of the frigid gloom of the third Rome's mud season? Get away - to the first Rome. From the bldgs of the Forum, to the massive Colosseum (where up to a million people died over 330 years), to the most perfectly preserved lg ancient building, the Pantheon ... Rome is magnificent. LOCAL     3000 years of Roman history are splayed out, with Christian churches cannibalizing ancient buildings, and a dizzying array of overlapping layers of antiquity.- Jan 22, 08

NO SYMPATHY FOR THE DEVIL- Moscow: Putin visited the NKVD killing fields of Butovo and expressed sympathy for the tens of millions of victims of the purges and murders, for the first time; Before he had exalted the security agencies and diminished the crimes of his agency; Many places have had genocidal monsters, but only Russia still has fans of them; supposedly 35% would vote for Stalin now if he were running- Oped News ; Nov 07

THE INFINITE PUTIN - Capital Times   ORIGINAL    Moscow: Putin is supposed to leave office in March, but that was impossible to believe. Appointing unknown crony Viktor Zubkov PM (told only the day before and rammed through rubber stamp Congress 2 days later) ends the doubt. Zubkov will be anointed President (+ win), Putin will become Prime Minister, and Zubkov will resign in 6-12 months to let Vladimir Vladimirovich return as Prez. Massive conflicts of interests in the Kremlin, where mini oligarch ministers control the biggest corporations in the world and can't separate their interests from those of the state, crushing and absorbing competitors.- October 4, '07, (On May 7 Putin became PM)

PUTIN'S CHILDREN
(Orig.) - International Herald Tribune- SCAN    July 6 -  from Moscow    The Putin Youth groups: Nashi, Young Guard, Young Russia; badger and terrorize anyone who even differs with Kremlin positions; By propagandizing the vulnerable, is the Kremlin poisoning the seed corn of young minds? On June 12th, Russian Independence Day, Red Sq. was reserved for the Party faithful   po Ryccki    ONLINE IHT vers.

RATTLING RUSTING SABERS-   from Moscow- The US's proposed "missile shield" in Eastern Europe has provoked a heated reaction by Russia; Encircled by NATO against promises, facing renewed US nuclear development and bases in FSU, the US cancelling ABM treaty + non-proliferation regimes; Have the Russians been betrayed? Heavy handed cutoffs of gas + oil supplies to neighbors have led them to seek shelter with the West, no matter how destabilizing. Can Russia glean respect without threats?    OpedNews, Scoop

FADING FREEDOMS- Capital Times - from Moscow (must view in IE) Step by step democracy has become a fading photograph of the nineties, as Putin restricts, harrasses and crushes political independence, the free press, and concentrates all power in the Kremlin; Giant state industries reconstituting as the state forces out foreign oilcos- March 24      LONG with Pics

THE SOCIAL SECURITY SCAM + DEBT BOMB (IE only) ARCHIVE In the News Energy Bulletin- LOCAL - SS trust fund has no cash, so Bush's privatization plan would need to borrow $200-300 bil a year; Deficit is real threat to SSS; Dollar has dropped 38% since mid 2001- disaster if foreigners stop buying our bonds that fund deficit, let alone sell them; Cause epidemic of home forclosures+ bankruptcies- Mar 10, 2005-  Los Angeles Herald, SCOOP -NZ, Smkg Chp    DEBT CLOCK

DEATH OF A BEAR - from Moscow    Boris Yeltsin, despite his faults, was a courageous decent leader and a historical giant; Tagged with much that wasn't his fault, the early Boris broke up the largest empire on earth without bloodshed + ended the Cold War that could have killed 500 million- Scoop, Johnson Russia List, OpedNews- April 22, 2007

THE PRESIDENT'S CONTEMPT - new After 7 years of lies, corruption, national security failures, and a disastrous unjustified war, the new Dem Congress is asking questions; Heedless of the Constitution, Bush is giving no answers + with unprecedented arrogance, directed staffers to not testify; Time for inherent contempt charges? Tally of Bush's cost in human lives- OpedNews, Online Journal- Aug 2007

9-11 NARCISSISM - The Oliver Stone movie World Trade Center is another moving hagiopic to the terrible sacrifice of 9-11. But we've been celebrating ourselves for being victims for 5 years now, and it's too much. It's time to stop congratulating ourselves for something we didn't do. And we didn't do many things.- Aug 2006 Scoop, Worldnews

NSA Director Gen. William Odom (news article) exclusive (REALAUDIO)- 52 min    Dissects strategic blunder of Iraq, escape strategies, geopolitical consequences, Iran attack, Korea- April 7, 2006 -Watson Institute Brown Univ.- OpedNews, Scoop + 69,000 venues- My Questions 7m (wma)

AN OUNCE OF PREVENTION   updated 6-1-6 AlterNet   Scoop   OpEd News  ALT    ALT2    Against every rule of occupation, almost no effort was made to secure the vast munitions stores of Iraq after the invasion;  250,000 tons, 39% of the ordinance was looted by insurgents and is killing our soldiers every day. IED deaths have more than doubled in the last year- now 71% of US hostile fatalities, and there's enough looted armaments to make ten 500 lb IED's a day for the next 274 years. Interview of Military Intelligence agent who reveals how even an ammo dump next to huge US base was negligently allowed to be looted.- Oct 28, '05

LIVING in the DANGER ZONE - COA News   Reporters risk themselves in war zones for far more than glory, Vulnerability of freelancers, Tales of personal terror in the dissolving Russian Empire; A prayer for Jill Caroll- Jan 20, '06

THE COPYCAT EFFECT- ARCHIVE  MediaChannel  proves sensational media coverage of deadly mayhem causes people to copy it; Loren Coleman's important new book; Media + journalistic response; Ethics and better approaches; Analysis of newsmags coverage; Possible imminent risks: CLEAR and PRESENT DANGERS - Columbine + Waco/OKC bombing anniversaries and apocalyptic cults re: NBC's Revelations- April 21, 2005

CALIFORNIA ENERGY RIPOFF WASN'T JUST CRIME- 6 power companies, led by Enron, by manipulating power production, raised rates up to 90 fold; CAL paid in one day what it had been paying in 3 months; Used this vast scam to punish Gore voting state (+12%) and depose Dem governor; secret Cheney Energy Task Force likely plotted Iraq war - Bartcop, Buzzflash

UNPATRIOTIC SPYING - OpedNews,  Scoop, Online Journal  The FBI is doing full spectrum warrantless monitoring of 30,000 people a year, but are there even 3000 legitimate terrorism suspects a year?  Now the Pentagon, CIA, NSA have also been spying on Americans- all illegally or illegitimately. No judge, no magistrate, no control, no limits;  Records are open to state, local, and corporate "authorities" and are never destroyed. Thousands can rip through anyone's life, and could this vindictive administration avoid persecuting critics? Billions of domestic calls indexed, analyzed; With stunning revelation from Joe Wilson. Jan 5, 06


STOPPING the NEXT BOSNIA- ARCHIVE com. scoop Capital Times -Dec 13, 2003 FULL version. - It seems obvious we will be forced out of Iraq, which will explode into Civil War between the 63% Shiites and 17% Sunni former rulers (and the 19% Kurds?); Bosnia across California; Beirut in the third biggest oil country- Maybe partitioning Iraq could mitigate or prevent the coming bloodbath - Nov 4;      TALK SHOW (audio) on subj.- 40min w Barry Farber- Dec 4, 03     Brown U. Conf. on Kurds (audio) 4:03 min- Oct 1

A WARM + BRIGHT FUTURE ARCHIVE  In the News part 1-(Maui Time- Sept 1-14, 1998) + part 2 (9/15-28)  Evidence and results of worldwide unprecedented warming- hottest ten years in last 2000 all since 1981. 1998 hottest year ever, 1997 hottest before that, each month a new world's record (inc 9/2005). Discusses nitrogen oxides, methane, + water vapor's huge contributions (3-5 TIMES what we've been computing).  Part 1 - Evidence for worldwide global warming- may cause a possible ice age    What we can do + what we will do; Weather extremes + resulting deaths..       Letter from VP Al Gore about article (jpeg)            HTML FULL Article     US NEWS cover story on Global Warming 2/28/00 - Antarctic Meltdown    WEST ANTARCTIC ICESLIDE        4800 Cu. Mi. ARCTIC ICE MELTED- 2-17-05   POINT of NO RETURN - 9-16    GULF STREAM DROPS 30% 12-1   COLD WAVE KILLS THOUSAND IN EUROPE - 1-20-06    ICE AGE HERE?   DIMMING the SUN- pollution has stopped 2° rise

OVER THERE (gif)- Capital Times Feb 26, 2005 HTML Bush claims we are fighting them there so they won't come here, and that seems logical, even to some liberals; After all, there haven't been more attacks in America- Feb 15     Washington Dispatch

HUNTING  TRUTH - The Trouble with Harry- MediaChannel  Is the Veep's shooting accident story as honest as the Iraqi WMD's?, Accident report shows much closer distance than 90 ft claimed- smaller pellet spread, too many pellets + too much penetration; Cheney + Willeford abandon him and go 100 yards farther, Cheney shoots him in the safe zone in a line towards the car, "Witness" sees everything from inside car 100 yards away; with Interviews of Corpus Christi reporters, ballistics experts; investigative shotgun pattern comparisons; Whittington blasted by 2/3 of shot in shell!- Feb 15-25

BUSH's BIG BETRAYAL ARCHIVE  First Cheney + Co. tried to bully the CIA into claiming Iraq was an imminent threat; then they created their own "intelligence" outfit, which incorporated every wild rumor. After Iraq Niger uranium purchase was proved a cheap forgery, betray CIA second time by trying to blame them. Worse, they punish Ambassador that reported on Niger forgery by outing his wife as a CIA agent; The CIA has many ways to hurt him; imperial lies + stupidities carefully filed and indexed. - SmChp, Liberal Slant, Buzzflash, Bartcop- July 23, 03   One of the First Commentaries about Plame Scandal

SPEAKING LOUDLY WITHOUT ANY STICK - ARCHIVE Nightmare of North Korean nukes: the most dangerous country in the world has started to produce a nuclear arsenal + has missiles; Administration response?- no negotiations, no problem;   But Saddam needs crushing;   History of NK terrorism- Liberal Slant 1/4/03

RI NIGHTCLUB FIRE - In the news, Exclusive - Worst fire in quarter century rips through smallest state- w photos, interviews, radio reports  MIRROR                                         Inferno horror at The Station nightclub, R.I. 2-21 (3-14)-2003

RADIO COMMENTARY on backpack bombs in London re Iraq fm Jan '03

CLOUD WORLD: MISSION to TITAN- Jan 14 the 11 year $3 billion Cassini mission to Saturn, successfully dropped a landing probe into the most earthlike atmosphere in the Solar System, Titan. Bigger than planets Mercury or Pluto, it has a nitrogen atmosphere 1.5 X Earth's pressure and 4½X as dense. But it is a bitter –178ºC, leading to speculation of lakes, oceans, and volcanoes of liquid methane- photos seem to show that (inc.); w interview of Huygens scientist ESA, Germany- SCOOP (NZ), MSN-UK

GETTING GOOD NEWS: The Government vs. the Press in Times of War (audio)   Mike's BROWN U. LECTURE (listing)- History of Press restrictions in Wars since WW2; How Vietnam changed everything and made the media the enemy- 27 min., Salomon Hall, Brown Univ.- Dec 13, 04  Poster

-   Columnized   What would America do if we were hit with a terrorist nuclear attack ... with this President, Congress, and a packed Supreme Court? Hyperbolic nightmare scenario- Nov 23- Op-Ed News, USA Editorial, Tokyo Hello, North American Media, Chinese American News, South American Business Daily, Saudi Post, Hiroshima Post, Scoop, Liberia Sport, World Economist, Turkmen Post, Tunesia Cup, World News Network

HOW KERRY LOST
 
- The first Catholic candidate in 44 years lost the Catholic vote, almost lost the Hispanic vote, lost ground with women; and neglected to talk about the immorality of Bush's "values"... If he actually did lose- Nov 4-20- Crisis Papers

KERRY's COMEBACKWashington Dispatch - Kerry outmatched the accidental President in the first debate but he could have put him away had he concentrated on Bush's greatest weakness; With evaluation of all debates, and strategy- Oct 2-16

NO RESPONSIBILITY IN BUSH'S FANTASY WORLD   ALT Bush steamed straight ahead in a speech that penalized no one for the systematic brutalization of our Army prisoner policy and ignored the insanity of dumping entire Iraq mess on a government in 5 weeks that doesn't exist -May 25   SmrkCp

DUNNING DEAN   DID the DOCTOR GET GORED - mediachannel    COLUMNIZED  HTML Did the media try to destroy Howard Dean by harping on his liberalness and inexperience (both untrue), and electability until it became a self-fulfilling prophecy with Dems desperate to defeat Bush? Analysis of coverage of campaign fm Wash. Post, Newsweek, New Republic, US News, TV debates; with NH reporting - Jan 26 (contains next article)

A BRUTAL WAKE-UP CALL - (9-12-01) We have been heedless and careless in failing to dispatch bin Laden, protect our airliners w skymarshals or an air cap over our cities; blind in our ignorance of the growing Palestinian rage; stupid in our cruel embargo of a crushed foe; arrogant in our imagined invulnerability// Our enemies noticed...but will reap the whirlwind- Liberal Slant-Sept 12, 2001 PHOTOS:   WTC Ruins 12/6   View fm Summit     More Summit     Ruin Stills fm Video 9P  IMAGES of 9-11 6P

MONSTERS from the NORTHWEST-   ARCHIVE   not surprising one sniper is from Seattle area- world capital for serial killers- causes, effects, and personal impacts- 11/1/02    Gunman in black kills 7 at Seattle party house w shotgun and handgun- 3/06Seattle Times

HOWARD
DEAN and the WORLD
- (columnized doc) - Dems are asking who can stop Dean, but they should ask, should we even try? Dean's world view is solidly in the mainstream, inc. Iraq- increasingly strident attacks on him are sign of desperation, but may doom Party candidate; Rove is actually afraid of Dean; With analysis of Dean's foreign policy; inc. questioning him and reporting from NH- Jan 2-17 Liberal Slant, Smr Chp, BushWatch, Bartcop, Democrats;    AUDIO of NH Town Meetings       TALK SHOW on subject w Barry Farber- 38min- Jan 6

JFK- LINGERING SHADOWS - 40 years ago the crime of the century occured and the echos still reverberate;  The conspiracy theories defeat themselves, multiplying like mutant strains, till the truth itself is just another aberration, another chip in a pile of chips;  With interview of historical conspiracist - Nov 17, 03 

FIRM of MIND, SOFT on FACTS - Bush has, with a steady stream of lies, deceptions, and propaganda, has managed to convince half the country that Saddam supports Al Qaida or even was behind 9-11. Iraq invasion historic blunder that may echo through the decades- 3-17-03 Liberal Slant, Bartcop ALT   WARBLOG 3/19-5/19/03

FAREWELL COLUMBIA- The nightmare of manned spacecraft- an immolating reentry- finally has struck after being staved off for 42 years. What should NASA have done to prevent it? Personal wonders of space. - Liberal Slant 2/3/03

TREMBLING ON THE BRINK-- ARCHIVE Online Journal 1/16/02  In the News ALT HTML    Pakistan + India have mobilized almost all their forces and are marching towards a war that neither can control; Both countries have 30-100 nuclear bombs and the missiles to deliver them; With such tiny numbers, paranoia and pressure for a first strike could be irresistible- a threat that will last a decade; Kashmiri terrorism-    Cover

BUSH's WANTON WAR- Liberal Slant   Saddam is a monster, but Bush's militancy is due to the '93 plot to kill his father and upcoming elections, not any imminent danger or 9-11 guilt. Punishing enemies is a family tradition, where he started his career- Bartcop 10/12/02 LOCAL     Smk Chp vers.

AIRLINE INSECURITY-5 months after 9-11 gaping security holes exist in the airline system. "Screening" now means "passenger bag matching", but they can't even manage that for the connecting flight; Skymarshals are nowhere to be found, even by pilots; and up to 50,000 Al Qaeda members lust for revenge; 2200 bag scanning machines are needed by Dec- new orders since 911?- ten until March 5- March 12,02         Radio Comments

BLIND FAITH- War Without End- Liberal Slant   Bush, who received only 47% of the vote, has demanded the removal of Arafat (whom he's never met), who received 88%, though the most likely successor is Hamas. Our extreme tilt towards Israeli hard liners risks our position as an honest broker of peace, increases potential US terrorists from a few thousand to millions, and perhaps extended our war a decade. The real problem in the Middle East- Liberal Slant- July 15,02   ALTERN

MIXED SIGNALS- President Bush has promised to punish states that shelter terrorists while soliciting Pakistan + Iran's help, 2 of the leading supporters of terrorism// Now he claims we won't overthrow the Taliban, but then whom is this war against?- Sept 22,2001- Liberal Slant      Interview w Commander Massoud (saying Paki army were fighting w Taliban- reporter killed in Israel in April)     WTC Ruins 12/6   Summit PHOTOS     More Photos

"WHOOPS"- How the Networks Got it Wrong- PROBLEM POLLING POLICY - Nat. Scoop- Intellectual Capita1- 11/25/00 - Inside story on the screw-ups (3-4) at the VNS and Florida counties that caused the networks to blow the election call in a strong article/analysis/commentary against the networks and projection policy and the squirrelly polls w interviews w TV news execs, Walter Cronkite, Florida officials, pollsters, Sen. Gorton and VNS people, voting machine reps.- MediaChannel.org- 12/26/00 Anchor of largest media related network. IF DOESN'T LOAD      Issue Cover    Talk Show

Media Tenor Book
w Whoops Article MEDIOCRACY- HAIL To The THIEF - (page down) 234 pgs       Table of Contents

SAMPLE BALLOT DECEPTIVE, DIFFERENT -     Dems denied hand count in Duval Co. - Nat. scoop         Capital Times - Madison WI - Nov 25, 2000                   HTML longer vers.          Duval Sample Ballot & Actual Ballots (Florida Documents)

END of BUSH's ROHYPNOL HONEYMOON?- Bush's Blunders in Foreign Policy, the Environment, the Economy, + Corporate Payoffs have won him dislike throughout world + awakened a blindly non-critical press- onlinejournal.com- April 12, 01

NETWORK NEWS HEADS IN THE DOCK - Tauzin Hearings Confused by Red Herrings, Election Woes- Exclusive
Comprehensive Jigsaw Narrative of Tauzin Hearings testimony + Network Reports (CNN,CBS,ABC,RTI) + Our analysis- with TABLES + TIMELINE- Relative Times of Network Calls, Minute x minute CBS/CNN Election Nt Miscall Timeline- March 13, 2001- MediaChannel.org - Issue Cover

CRIME  STORY -(gif) Dec 94 - UNTOLD STORY of REASONS Behind 1st CHECHEN WAR - Exclusive; Hijackings of Buses with Children, Raids + Stripping of Trains, Hundreds of Billions of Counterfeiting, Vicious Chechen Mafia; Historical Genocides and Hatreds; STORY Western Media repeated was simplistic "Soviet Bear Rising" HTML vers (hear '94 NPR talk show on Chechen War + rise of Russian Mafia) NPR Comments on Moscow theater storming- slider to 25:30

IT'S THE ECONOMY, STUPID
- (Don't Wreck It) - onlinejournal.com- Greenspan endorses a tax cut; Danger of George Bush's $1.6 tril one- Jan 26, 2001

RELATIVITY- OnlineJournal +  Bartcop    A rumination on the changing firmament of truth + the nature of  integrity as it pertains to vote-counting and the election- Jan 4, 2001

MONSTER MERGER MANIA-
$800 billion of mergers a year. Good for the economy, improve efficiency, good for stockholders? Untold is brutal downsizing of target company workers, crushing load of debt, monopolist concentration of power, and obscene amount of executive profits. Criticizes crooked management of Bishop Estate, largest charity in US: 2 weeks later Governor ordered massive investigation- West Hawaii Today
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NEW HOPE for IRAN-   (scroll right)                                                   new- NPR  TOTN comments on Iran- 1/22/03    Move slider to 21:45-24:40
Overwhelming election of Khatami; likelihood of overthrow of Islamic dictators. A country of children: 70% under 25 years, 40% under 14- tired of sexual and cultural repression: strict segregation of sexes, no dances, Western videos, movies, handholding. Corruption of ruling mullahs and perversion of Islamic values: 98% of clergy NOT in leadership. Origin of Shiite's obsession with death and sacrifice. America's options- (forecasts lifting of Rushdie Fatwa)            HTML Printable vers. Merger          IRAN HTML            Bishop Estate Firestorm - Hon. Advertiser Aug 17, '97

COMET PHOTO ALTERED, UH SCIENTIST SAYS
-
.. - (Honolulu Advertiser)-Sun Front Page-April 20,'97- Nat. scoop
Faking of Univ of Hawaii telescope photo to "show" a "spaceship" following Hale-Bopp comet by psychic "remote viewing" institute; Publicized on Art Bell national radio show + website, may have been incitement for San Diego Heavens Gate cult suicide
. Original Article before lame editing- CLICK HERE                         AP RELEASE of article - (small)

IT'S ONLY WORDS - (onlinejournal.com) - the Inauguration + how George Bush's words have no connection with his actions - Jan 22, 2001 ISSUE Cover

THE SWAN HAS FLOW AWAY - West Hawaii Today (gif) The Firing of Russian Gen. Lebed from Security Council
- The most popular and toughest politician in Russia driven from Yeltsin's government; Litany of his offenses;

THE NEWS, ALL THE NEWS, AND NOTHING BUT THE NEWS- (Columbia Journalism Review)
Analysis + examination of plethora of late late night news programs; Distilled from 22 page art.; CBS Nightwatch, NBC Overnight, ABC Last Word, America Tonight, + others; (more complete version from Isthmus, Madison WI.- 1st page CJR vers. with "FOLLY of CUTTING..." below)

WELCOME TO DODGE- VIOLENCE TAKING ROOT IN MOSCOW- scroll right (Moscow News-English- most respected liberal paper in Russia)-Aug 27,93-
Epidemic of Gangland shootouts, contract murders, government willful ignorance of organized crime. Dangerous effects of violence + death; What can + must be done HTML 1st
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UP, UP, AND AWAY- (Moscow News- Sept 24, 93) Effects and dangers of rampant inflation (2600%)

FLORIDA'S SLANTED SECRETARY
- Online Journal- Katherine Harris may face the music for violating oath of office- Dec 4, 2000        Jan 14: 40 suits filed against Sec St + $2/3 million spent defending her already    Longer HTML vers.                   FL Div. Elections Letter ordering Supervisors to NOT do Hand-Count      P. 1

SANCTIONS ON SANCTIONS- (Moscow Guardian- Aug 20, 93)- Uselessness + immorality of endless sanctions- In Iraq, Cuba, Serbia, South Africa; Hurting the innocents rather than the leaders
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A VULNERABLE WINDOW OF OPPORTUNITY-scroll right (Moscow Tribune- Mar 5, 93) Chance to buy + decommission Ukrainian, Kazakh, Byelorussian Nuclear bombs and Plutonium; Cheap at any price....

NEXT STAR OF BETHLEHEM?
- (Seattle Times)- Meaning and implications of Israeli nuclear arsenal (200 bombs?); Vanunu's proof, kidnapping, + imprisonment
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SNOW ON THE TUBE - scroll down (Jackson Hole News- Weekly column on television- funny, hip, vicious, snide reflections on trends, shows, + actors.... JHN won Pulitzer for best paper in under 50,000 person city (Jackson has 4000)

FOLLY OF CUTTING SPACE SPENDING- (Providence Journal) Miracles of Voyager revelations- Jupiter + Saturn Moons; Madness of Reagan plan to cut funding for receipt of data from Uranus + Neptune
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THE NEWS, ALL THE NEWS + NOTHING BUT THE NEWS -- (scroll right) CJR art (page 1 of 4) ...

JACKSON DESERVES A SEAT AT THE TABLE - Seattle Times- Jackson's energy, eloquence, careful reasoned arguments, + superb performance in 1988 debates has earned him a shot at Sec. State

THE BLUES CALLING
- (Moscow News Nov 5,93) Funny take on diseased Moscow phone system and a listing of it's many ailments
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AROUND THE WORLD IN 63 DAYS- scroll down (We/Mui- Feb 7,94 weekly- Moscow/Wash DC -Hearst/Izvestia)- (Full Front Page-2nd sec) story of round the world Russia aircraft expedition, hitting 50 odd countries, 7 continents, in antique planes.. inc. Soviet DC-3.. In Russian + English editions

NOT SO DANDY LITTLE WAR -(Moscow Tribune- Oct 15,93) reflections on Oct '93 revolt; ~200 killed in attempted Yeltsin overthrow; Yeltsin's possible culpability; 25 Government soldiers that defended television center from 3000 Communists
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THE CULT OF THE WARRIOR
-scroll right (MosNews-) Wry commentary on Russians' penchant for ritualistic abuse and casual violence; Rude, sullen, offensive service possibly cured by Mafia murders...

MOVIE REVIEW- Tombstone-- Moscow Radisson Slavjansky Hotel- Moscow News-Jan 94       HTML vers.
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A BOY NAMED SUE - (Mos News- Feb 94) -scroll right- Funny reflection on Russian penchants + redundancy of names: 60% of country are Sergei, Oleg, Lena, + Natasha; COMMUNIST names- Tractor, Vladlen; Persecution of "unsafe" names so better stick w old stalwarts       HTML Vers.

MAD FANTASY OF LIMITED NUCLEAR WAR
-scr. right (Prov.Journal) Dangerous lunacy and impossibility of limited nuclear warfighting strategies
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OUR FAILURE OF WILL IN IRAN - (East Side/West Side-also in Prov. Journal)- Outrage of Iran Hostage Crisis + our weakness in dealing with it

MY LECTURE ABOUT "RUSSIA on the EDGE"- Ad for my '95 lecture on Russia and its myriad problems

THE MAN IN THE MIDDLE- (Mos News- April 23,93) Supreme Court Justice Valerie Zorkin plotting perilous middle road in power struggle between Yeltsin and Parliament + allies Veep Rutskoi and Speaker of Congress; Rule of law new concept in Russia
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SYMPATHY FOR THE DEVILS- scr. down (Moscow Guardian- Jun 11,93) Dismissal of prosecutors in '91 Coup plotters case; Perversion of law in typical Soviet style; Prosecutors go on trial for libel while plotters go free-

WINDS OF CHANGE - Predicts collapse of the Warsaw Pact + possible end of the Cold War in June '89... 5 months before the Berlin Wall fell

ENERGY for the LONG RUN - East Side/West Side   Discusses alternative energy sources during Iranian gas crunch; Wind, Electric car, Nuclear, Advocates big fusion program; Predicts serious global warming and end of age of oil (in 20-30 years)- Feb 1980

Effusive Letter from VP GORE (3rd) about articles


Michael Hammerschlag is a journalist whose written political commentary and articles for Seattle Times, Providence Journal, Columbia Journalism Review, Honolulu Advertiser, Capital Times (Madison,WI), Outside, Modern Photography, Intellectual Capital, Media Channel; and Moscow News, Tribune, Guardian, Times, + We/Mui in Russia; produced documentaries on the Presidential campaign and been a TV reporter, and reported from Soviet Union/Russia from '91-'94 in Moscow and St. Petersburg, with trips to Kiev, Minsk, Yaroslav, Zagorsk, Siberia, Ekaterinaburg, Murmansk, Irkutsk, Lake Baikal, Brest, as the largest contiguous empire in history came crashing down. He's currently writing a book about his time there. This is a small collection of published articles spanning 21 years.

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HTML ARTICLES

RISING DRAGON Feb '97 Dangers of China burgeoning wealth and power. Aggressive actions in firing missiles 22 miles from Taipei, huge amphibious landing "training", occupying Spratley Is., murdering Tibetans and their culture, rage + paranoia over world acknowledging Taiwan.1.23 billion people- if they all run east at noon, they could change the rotation of the earth, and 20 mil added every year- 2 people every 3 seconds.        LETTER fm US Sen JACK REED (D-RI) about article

The STATE of SPACE Oct'97 Likelihood of space disaster in Russian space program and Mir (from 2 years in Russia); America's mistakes (predicts cost cutting would lead to lost missions- subsequently 3 Mars and several launches met disaster) + needs in space and latest wonders from Galileo spacecraft around Jupiter: massive water ocean on Europa; and Cassini launch to Saturn and Titan.

NON-WAGE SLAVES - Johnson Russia List - Sept 10, '98 (Center for Defense Information + Carnegie Corp) Abusive Russian habit of not paying workers or creditors, employees for months- including submarine captains and nuclear workers; Makes business ex. difficult and semi-criminalized; Security concerns

BACK TO THE FUTURE -Johnson Russia List - Sept 29, '98   Disastrous reappointment of Victor Gerashchenko as Russian Central Bank Chrmn, whose reckless policies caused 40,000% hyperinflation before- regarded as worst central banker in the world

SOME SOLUTIONS - semi-funny ideas on Presidential election resolution- Nov 26, 2000

PRIVATE WARS - Feb '84      Analyzed media's ability to cover wars in Vietnam, +  Predicted new restrictive policies in Grenada, Lebanon, Falklands was ominous trend that could cripple Press ability to cover conflicts       Jan '91     Press is rigidly controlled in Gulf War, not allowed free movement or to talk to soldiers without officers present; Reporters set out on their own  + are captured + tortured by Iraqis

QUÉ SERA SERA- Rumination on the vagaries of fate, fatalism, and the line between life + death: in the Russian Oct. revolt, Mt. St. Helens explosion, + the Moscow metro- Nov '93

SUPREME ARROGANCE
- Online Journal- Supreme Court trashes separation of powers + destroys its legitimacy in Presidential race decision- Dec 13, 2000

IT'S THE END OF THE WORLD AS WE KNOW IT - Science + history behind meteor, asteroid, + cometary impacts (rel. to Armageddon + Deep Impact)

STORMING LIONS -- Nov 18th, 2001+ Nov '98 Leonid Meteor Showers w End of World article above

MOVIE REVIEWS- Internet Movie Database- Badlands (1973) , Dolores Claiborne (1995), Jackal, The (1997), Magnolia (1999), Omen, The (1976), Summer Lovers (1982), Zulu (1964)
                                     Tombstone-- Moscow Radison Slavonsky - Moscow News- Jan 94       HTML vers.                                       Altered States - RI  Times    
                                     SNOW ON THE TUBE - scroll right (Jackson Hole News- Weekly column on television- funny, hip, snide reflections on trends, shows, movies, + actors

NUCLEAR CHICKEN-1998 -Likelihood of India-Pakistan nuclear exchange. Danger from nukes far higher when only a few, rather than thousands, because first strike will destroy enemies' bombs. Both have missiles + Pakistan has promised to mount nukes on them- which WILL lead to a war, because nation doesn't attack because he wants to destroy enemy, attacks because convinced enemy is about to. Periodically 1000 people are hacked and beaten to death in religious riots in India: both peoples are highly excitable and hate each other more than the Arabs and Israelis. +50% probability of nuke war in next 3-5 years. Have written 3 long papers on nuclear threat over 30 years.

The NAME of the GAME (July '98) Fame has become so pathologically desired that people will do anything for it. Monica, Paula, Linda + anyone who achieves major fame through any means will likely be a millionaire, yet the media feigns ignorance of this contaminating fact. What is his "strategy", questioned pundits when Ginsburg (Monica's lawyer) was on all 5 Sun. panel news shows one day. The twisted kids blowing away their classmates are partly motivated and validated by the massive exposure of TV- they too want to exist in the nat. consciousness, rather than the painful swamp of adolescent politics.

MUCH OLDER ARTICLES (nongraphic simple text) can be seen at http://home.switchboard.com/hamer on one huge page.

Articles sent on request- inc. USPS address- hammerschlag@bigfoot.com

ILLEGAL DRUGS

In Oct `99, the US government admitted that the source of Gulf War Syndrome could have been the anti-nerve  gas drug that a 1/2 million soldiers were forced to take... 3 years after concrete medical experiments proved it. Infuriatingly this letter wasn't run (as about 70% of my nat. mag letters have been). When the pyridostigmine bromide story was coming out in `96, SUDDENLY, the Pentagon revealed that 5 or 10 or 22 thousand troops were exposed to nerve gases when they detonated Iraqi bombs and shells in an ammo dump- the timing (5 1/2 years later) was so convenient that they must have been panicked to admit their culpability in hurting many more troops than Sadaam. Wonder what's changed. The delayed upshot of this is some soldiers' refusal to take the Anthrax vaccine.                     LETTER TO NEWSWEEK Sept 26, 1996


                                          LONG ARTICLES

TAKING  THE  PLUNGE - Thrill of first time tandem parachute free fall (1 vertical mile) - PHOTOS- Rocket Seattle

UP THE GRAND - Solo Climb of Grand Teton + Middle Teton Mtns. w unwanted glissade - Jackson Hole News (cancelled due to climbing fatalities)

RETURN TO MT. ST. HELEN (w photos)- Exploration and Climbing of Mt. St Helens 7 1/2 years after almost vaporized in the 20 megaton explosion

SCUBA DUBA
- Comparative Assessment + Wonders of all the Dive Shop Trips in Cozumel, Mexico- the best scuba site in the world


                                          PHOTOGRAPHY  TRIPOD PHOTO HOME - w thumbs

BOUNCE IT- FOR NEXT to NOTHING- (Modern Photography)- Details the building and operation of a removable bounce flash attachment, w photos (orig. in color)

LAVA PHOTO- VOLCANO NAT. PK>- Honolulu Advertiser- Sun front page

FANTASTIC VOYAGE- (Maui Time) Profile of Maui photographer Robert Terrebonne w his photos

THE CAVES OF PARADISE- (w Photos) Spectacular Blue Colors inside Ice Caves under Paradise Glacier (~7000 ft) on side of Mt. Rainier (highest snowfall on earth-128ft/season) -
                                                                     Outside Magazine                                Now melted away due to global warming
4 PANELS (4P)are very large jpeg's that navigated by directional arrows or pg up/down w 4 photos on one page (some big enough to each fill screen)

LAVA ART PHOTOGRAPHS- 4P- 50 ft from Kilauea lava flows where it flows into ocean on the Big Island- Day, Twilight, Night (fm color zerox)
AUTHOR SILLOUHETTED BY SPRAYING LAVA FOUNTAINS- Night (all available below)- PHOTO's all intentionally lo-res

MOUNTED, SIGNED, BLACK 8x10 1/4" PHOTOBOARD LAVA + HAWAII Photos with ARTICLE on BACK Available for $25 (delivery inc.) E-mail with phone # and address                       772-594-8228 - fax         Exhibited at 5 galleries in Hawaii  

PU-U-O-O Volcano- Actual Cone of Longest Erupting Volcano (1983-now) in Recorded History- Day, Twilight, Night w glow from lava lake- lo res (available below)

MAUNA KEA Summit - Summit of Highest mountain in Pacific with largest telescopes + astronomical complex in world in snow 13,796 ft (available below) U KIRT + KECK Telescopes

WORLD TRADE CENTER - View from Summit 1/2000 4P    More 4P        RUINS Photos 3P 12/8/2001         Ruin Stills fm Video 9P

RUSSIAN REVOLT - Moscow 10/3-4/93     5 Photos fm Ostankino TV Cent. Battle                   White House (Parliament) burning after tank shell attack (B+W)

SKYDIVING TANDEM- 4P- Seattle- Lake Sammamish tandem freefall from 8500 ft; Jumping, Landing, and Packing

QUONSET NAS AIR SHOW-4P F-117 Nighthawk Stealth Bomber, F 14 Tomcat, A-10 Warthog
                                       Blue Angels Naval Dem -4P. Team-F 18's - Cobra Attack Helicopter, Rocket Truck, F-15

JOHN McCAIN at East Greenwich Armory, RI- Feb 2000

(from video)   GARY HART 3-18-03   coming   JANET RENO 3-30-03     ROBERT MACNAMARA 10-23-02       STEPHEN FLYNN 2-10-03

TALL SHIPS in NEWPORT-4P- Sagres- Portuguese, Courageous + Newport Br    Cisne Blanco- Brazilian    Kreuzenshtern - German/Russian, HMS Rose, Providence

S. FLORIDA 4P- May 2001- Sunset on 7-Mile Bridge- Keys, Sand Castle S¦kyscrapers- Miami Beach, Gator eating chicken- Everglades

-----"Once the image of American financial invincibility is breached, flight from our bonds could become a flood. To keep countries buying, bond interest payments will have to be jacked way up- causing all interest rates to rise, and causing an avalanche of bankruptcies (+ foreclosures) by firms and people bloated by cheap credit." - SS Scam+Debt Bomb
-----"Why do you trust this President? He's lied about everything else"- Debate w Cong. Patrick Kennedy on eve of Iraq Invasion- "a blunder that may echo down through the decades." Mar '03

-----"Oil is the raw material for nearly all of our organic chemicals, plastics, and drugs; and a future world may look back with incredulity at our stupidity, 'They just burned it….for heat.'" - Energy for the Long Run