Searching through my emails this morning, I came across an oldie, but clearly a goodie. Enjoy!

As I’ve mentioned before, my father is a photojournalist and editor. Having grown up with a darkroom in our basement, I remember watching him develop prints from an early age (with that lovely smell of chemicals which is unavoidable and unforgettable). I often find that photos speak to me more than words often do. I have the feeling I’m not alone in this belief, so I want to draw your attention to some amazing photographs presented in this year’s “Photos of the Year” awards from Editor and Publisher. You can see the nicely arranged flash presentation here.

“All over our country people are hurting.” Bill Moyers started Friday’s Journal with these words. He went on to describe the pain and uncertainty many in this world are feeling right now. Questioning how it is politicians remain so out of touch from the reality of the every day and the issues with which most Americans are regularly dealing.

Most blogs, news organizations, pundits, columnists and comedians have been focused almost 24/7 on the election these past number of months and, on a personal level, I am no exception. My partner in life and crime told me the other day that she can’t wait until the election is over so she can get me back. I can’t wait until the election is over to get my life back. However, with all of my personal focus spent on politics, I have opted instead to blog about subjects such as the economy, torture, unethical pharmaceutical giants and jackasses like Bill O’Reilly making a fool of himself.

I don’t know that this decision was a conscious one I made for any particular reason at the time. But after watching Bill Moyers’ interview with music and film producer, Mark Johnson, the pieces of the puzzle fell into place for me. There was enough ugliness, enough crap being slung and enough guessing, opinionating and whining about politics from almost every other source available to fill a thousand Albert Hall’s without MediaSlackers.com being brought down too. While the other subjects written about here have not exactly been positive or friendly, at least they haven’t been about this campaign. Moyers couldn’t have put it better when he said,

“How foreign and fraudulent the politics of sleaze, the polarizing almost savage pursuit of power that strokes the paranoia in us in order to divide and conquer. When this election is over, no matter who wins, there will be much to repair, if we have the will for it.”

The interview with Jackson is well worth the time to watch it and available in full here. Now I’m really looking forward to seeing his documentary entitled, “Playing for Change: Peace Through Music;” because if anything can bring us back together, not just as a country but as a planet, music is the key.

Here is a clip from the film featuring musicians from all over the world singing, “Stand By Me.”

Scott Horton, a writer for Harper’s magazine and prominent international human rights attorney who we have previously quoted and praised, has written a piece detailing the possible buckling at the knees of PBS’ executives in charge of programming. In addition, NPR and The Discovery Channel may have felt pressured to dial down their programming regarding the Bush administration’s policy on torture. In particular, PBS, in the face of continued budget cuts initiated at the White House level, may have decided to delay its airing of a damning documentary on torture from Emmy and Dupont Award winning producer Sherry Jones, until after the Bush administration leaves office in January.

Horton starts his piece, “This spring, PBS’s distinguished Frontline series aired a mildly critical account of the lead-up to the Iraq War entitled “Bush’s War.” As the airing of the program was announced, the Bush Administration proposed to slash public funding for PBS by roughly half for 2009, by 56% for 2010 and eliminating funding entirely for 2011. Did PBS get the message? Perhaps.”

The documentary entitled, “Torturing Democracy” will be broadcast instead by WNET in New York, WGBH in Boston and some 65% of other PBS stations, this Thursday evening. Here are some excerpts from the program or you can watch it in its entirety on the film’s website.

UPDATE: One thing to add is that WETA in Washington, DC has declined to air the documentary. WETA CEO, Sherry Percy Rockefeller is the wife of Jay Rockefeller, the leading Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee. Should this be of concern? What does Senator Rockefeller have against the airing of this documentary? Horton details it further in his piece.

From the blog of Andrew Baron:

“Open Letter to James C. Mullen, CEO of Biogen

**URGENT**

cc: Lance Armstrong, President Bill Clinton, Senator John Kerry, Senator Tom Harkin, Senator Ted Kennedy, Dr. Andrew von Eschenbach (Head of FDA)

Mr. Mullen, my name is Andrew Baron and my father Frederick (61 yrs. old), has final stage multiple myeloma has been recommended the drug Tysabri as a last chance effort for life.

Please read this carefully.

Last Thursday, his doctors at the Mayo Clinic determined that he may only have about 24-48 hours to live.

In what can only be defined as a miracle in timing, a few days ago, one of his doctors who has been studying his tumor cells in the lab for years found an antibody with an exact match: Tysabri which is manufactured by your company, Biogen Idec. In the test tube, it attached to the antigens on the surface of the tumor 100%.”

He continues the letter here on his blog.

As one of the comments on his blog points out, Biogen already knows of Tysabri’s use in treating multiple myeloma.