say it ain't so, rob

Oh brother!

Ya think there'll be any comeuppance for the bastards?

Hope springs eternal....

Oh & I hafta say that MvS is now officially my fave AAR podcast - you guys are SO FUNNY!!!

= )

Alamo, 74, remains held without bond, charged with violating the Mann Act, a federal law that bans transporting women or girls across state lines for "prostitution or debauchery, or for any other immoral purpose.

With the Indiana operation, state officials have seized 32 children associated with the ministries over allegations of beatings and sexual abuse." - Yahoo

I've never trusted him. I wouldn't doubt that he's Obama's new Rezco.

China, India Looking More `Third World' Again: William Pesek

Dec. 3 (Bloomberg) -- Investors in China and India might be excused for feeling a bit of whiplash these days.

Three months ago, Asia's two nascent superpowers were said to be immune from the credit crisis gripping developed nations. More recently, their economic booms were supposed to stabilize global growth. Now, both countries are suddenly looking inward and fretting over the destabilizing effects of sluggish growth.

It's a reminder that 2008 is the year of the contrarian. As it began and a global recession loomed, the so-called BRICs -- Brazil, Russia, India and China -- were supposed to save us. Let's hope Jim O'Neill, the Goldman Sachs Group Inc. economist who in 2001 coined the acronym, is right that the ``BRIC consumer is going to rescue the world.''

Yet India hasn't begun to count the fallout from its worst terrorist attack in 15 years. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's decision this week to grab the finance portfolio from Palaniappan Chidambaram shows how concerned India is about its growth outlook.

Singh is a respected economist. He opened India to foreign investors as finance minister in the 1990s. Yet won't he be busy enough trying to avoid hostilities with Pakistan, from where the Mumbai attackers reportedly may hail?

China is doing its best to show it's on top of things. Its efforts seem more like growing panic than steady policy making. The central bank cut its key interest rate by the most in 11 years last week, and the government said ``forceful'' measures were needed to arrest a faster-than-expected economic decline.

Spinning Growth

``China and India were touted as the saviors of world growth, but very quickly they're looking third world again, so investors are stampeding for the exit,'' says Simon Grose-Hodge, a strategist at LGT Group in Singapore.

More here:

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601039&refer=columnist_pesek&si...

Salaries too high..

Crappy business plan..

Screwing the employees..

Blaming the advertisers..

Continual bailouts...

Inevitable Bankruptcy..

Pulled from the flames by Clear Channel..

AAR has always been ahead of the curve..!!!

GM, Chrysler May Accept Bankruptcy to Receive Bailout

General Motors Corp. and Chrysler LLC executives are considering accepting a pre-arranged bankruptcy as the last-resort price of getting a multibillion-dollar government bailout, said a person familiar with their internal discussions.

Auto executives have warned bankruptcy would lead to liquidation as customers abandoned the companies. Staff for three members of Congress have asked restructuring experts if a pre-arranged bankruptcy -- negotiated with workers, creditors and lenders -- could be used to reorganize the industry without liquidation, a person familiar with that matter said.
...
The Democrats’ goal of preserving a U.S. auto industry is not doable without a bankruptcy, said Lynn LoPucki, who teaches bankruptcy law at Harvard University and the University of California at Los Angeles.

“A workout requires everybody’s agreement,” he said. “If I own bonds, GM can’t force me to take less than 100 cents on the dollar outside of bankruptcy court. Bankruptcy is the only thing that can work because GM and the government need the ability to force people to go along with the plan. Paying everyone in full is prohibitively expensive.

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601070&sid=adBazxCdli5Y&refer=h...

NEW YORK (AP) -- Former Gov. Eliot Spitzer is back in the media, this time as a member of the Fourth Estate.

The online magazine Slate on Wednesday evening quietly posted Spitzer's first column, headlined "Too Big Not To Fail." It argued against costly economic government bailouts to huge financial institutions.

http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081204/NEWS/812...

He was booted out of office, and now to get his voice heard, he's become a journalist. At least he's not giving up on what he thinks is a major wrong!

On December 5, 1933, the Twenty-First Amendment was ratified by Utah, at which point it had the necessary three-fourths majority of states’ approval and became law. With that, the Eighteenth Amendment was repealed and Prohibition came to an end after more than thirteen years. - Repeal Day

I'm bringing this up to give you folks a chance to prepare your parties - WHICH ARE MANDATORY THIS YEAR!

So, unless you want your taxes tripled only to give tax breaks to the wealthiest and McCain to win the 2012 election, you will pay attention to this warning and celebrate.

Ileana Ros Lehtinen, GOP Congresswoman, Hangs Up On Obama Twice

MIAMI — When a man sounding remarkably like President-elect Barack Obama called a Florida congresswoman Wednesday, she assumed it was a crank call.

So Republican Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen hung up. But, the Miami Herald reports, this was no prank.

"I thought it was one of the radio stations in South Florida playing an incredible, elaborate, terrific prank on me," Ros-Lehtinen told the newspaper. "They got Fidel Castro to go along. They've gotten Hugo Chavez and others to fall for their tricks. I said, 'Oh, no, I won't be punked.'"

The call came about 1 p.m. Obama congratulated her on her re-election, saying he was looking forward to working with her as the ranking Republican member of the House Foreign Affairs committee, Ros-Lehtinen told the newspaper.

The conversation lasted about a minute when she cut Obama off, telling him she wasn't falling for the hoax and that he was a better impersonator than the guy on Saturday Night Live, she said.

Then Rahm Emanuel, Obama's chief of staff, called the congresswoman to tell her it wasn't a joke. But she hung up on him, too. It took a call from Rep. Howard Berman, chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee, to persuade Ros-Lehtinen that Obama really did want to talk to her.

When the two finally talked, Ros-Lehtinen said she and Obama had a good conversation and she congratulated him for his victory despite how hard she campaigned for his opponent, Sen. John McCain.

He didn't even blame her for mistaking him for a radio-station prank, she said.

~-~-~

"Stay with Fox News: we will protect you from raging fire, Iranian nut jobs, angry gay lovers, and the Jew whispering to the black man." - Jon Stewart

Israel is drawing up plans to attack Iran's nuclear facilities and is prepared to launch a strike without backing from the US, it has been reported.

Officials in the Israeli Defence Ministry told the Jerusalem Post that while they prefer to act in consultation with the US, they were preparing plans that would allow them to act in isolation.

"It is always better to coordinate," a senior Defence Ministry official told the newspaper. "But we are also preparing options that do not include coordination."

However defence officials played down the reports today, telling The Times that an attack by Israeli forces alone would probably fail to take out all of Iran’s nuclear facilities, which experts say are scattered across several sites, some deep underground.

Related Links
Israel fears US will dither while Iran goes nuclear
Iran 'has enough uranium to build a bomb'
“We could not risk an operation which would only partially succeed," one defence official told The Times.

"That would leave us open to a nuclear attack from Iran’s remaining weapons stock. Israel would likely need the support, the backing, of forces from a Western ally to successfully carry out the operation,” he said.

A senior Israeli official quotes in the Jerusalem Post said that while it would be difficult, it would not be impossible to launch a strike against Iran without permission from the US.

"There are a wide range of risks one takes when embarking on such an operation," a senior Israeli official was quoted as saying.

I'm so damn sick of hearing I made $80/hr

I'm getting really tired of this meme. I heard a caller to CNN today saying autoworkers need to take a 50% pay cut because they're making $80 an hour and watching a machine work for them. Let me tell you some things.

I worked at a Ford plant on a F150 line from 2006-2007. I worked my ass off. I sweat in well over 100 degree heat, I bled from injuries, I had constant severe back pains, and many other things. Every week the emergency bell went off in the plant and people were rushed to the hospital with serious injuries. I don't remember any machine doing any work for me at all. Those little video clips you see on the news are not the norm for auto plants any more than the images of Iraq on CNN are. They're sanitized images.

Oh, I made $14.84/hr as well. They don't pay people $28 anymore unless you were working there since before the two-tiered wage structure was enacted. I also got almost no benefits. My medical insurance was ER only. No drug coverage, no office calls. I got sick last fall with a kidney infection and it cost me $4,000 even with my so called insurance. I didn't get paid time off for being severely ill either.

Mind you, this is a UAW job with the Big 3.

I'm so goddamn sick of being told I just made too much money and had it sooooo good. Nobody would work like an animal like that for $14 an hour unless they had no choice, and people don't.

I was laid off at the end of this July. I have no "Job Bank" or any such, another concession the union made for newer workers. I just collect unemployment and beg for a fast food or retail job.

Sorry, needed to vent. I know none of you people know me. Have a good day, and don't believe this anti-union lie the media is spreading.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&add...

I'm feeling alot better! Alot.

I lost some weight with the stomach bug, and it headbutted right into Pageant. I leave work every night and go straight to practice. Tonight is dress rehearsal with make-up - but they will be taping, and our audience will be approximately 1500 homeless and/or families in need of assistance that we will feed prior to the show. Why they don't count this as one of the actual performances, I don't know. Maybe so no one will ask for a ticket.

Anyway, the point of that diatribe is that I haven't had time for dinner all week. End result: I've lost 10 lbs. since Sunday. That's a bag of kitty litter!!! A bowling ball! Woo hoo! I've lost a bowling ball...

Anyway, it's showtime!!!

Have to noticed how President Obama is setting his administration up on a War Footing...?

Not that I am complaining mind you...

But he really doesn't need them for Iraq or Afghanistan...

I was looking at this girl's take on her home state of Oklahoma..

http://oudaily.com/news/2008/nov/25/column-oklahoma-heartbreak/

And then I read articles posted here about how Sarah Palin is the toast of Georgia, and how her husband wants Alaska outta here, and I listen to the village idiot whose post is above this one, and I just wonder how we could ever all eat at the same table.

I just don't see it happening.

When conservative governments get away with their crimes, when they are given sanction to set the terms of their own legacy, the consequences for the future, when the same band of thieves returns to Washington to plunder, are grave.

Read the whole article here:

http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2008/12/great-restoration-by-dday-its-goo...

beware - FOX content.

They are still at it. Yes Rubin is involved.

Campaign Promises on Ending the War in Iraq Now Muted by Reality

By THOM SHANKER

Published: December 3, 2008

WASHINGTON — On the campaign trail, Senator Barack Obama offered a pledge that electrified and motivated his liberal base, vowing to “end the war” in Iraq.

But as he moves closer to the White House, President-elect Obama is making clearer than ever that tens of thousands of American troops will be left behind in Iraq, even if he can make good on his campaign promise to pull all combat forces out within 16 months.

“I said that I would remove our combat troops from Iraq in 16 months, with the understanding that it might be necessary — likely to be necessary — to maintain a residual force to provide potential training, logistical support, to protect our civilians in Iraq,” Mr. Obama said this week as he introduced his national security team.

Publicly at least, Mr. Obama has not set a firm number for that “residual force,” a phrase certain to become central to the debate on the way ahead in Iraq, though one of his national security advisers, Richard Danzig, said during the campaign that it could amount to 30,000 to 55,000 troops. Nor has Mr. Obama laid out any timetable beyond 16 months for troop drawdowns, or suggested when he believes a time might come for a declaration that the war is over.

yes. Both Texas and Alaska have it in their constitution as terms of annexation.

HIGHLY unlikely.

Obama Abandons Windfall Profits Tax on Oil Companies; Liberals Smell a Corporate Rat.

December 03, 2008 2:47 PM

Shortly after clinching the Democratic presidential nomination in June, Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., told voters "I'll make oil companies like Exxon pay a tax on their windfall profits, and we'll use the money to help families pay for their skyrocketing energy costs and other bills."

But not so fast.

The American Small Business League recently noticed that President-elect Obama's reference to a windfall profits tax -- which was once posted on the Obama Transition Team website after Mr. Obama's election victory -- is no longer there, having been removed in what the group called "an unceremonious and abrupt manner."

The Houston Chronicle first reported the story today.

"With the election behind him, President-elect Obama has failed to justify the removal of the windfall profits tax from his tax plan," says American Small Business League President Lloyd Chapman in a press release. "The subtle and unexplained elimination of this issue from the Obama-Biden agenda should concern Americans from every background. The American Small Business League questions whether the sudden elimination of this issue is a further indication that large corporations are already demonstrating their ability to influence the Obama Administration... President-elect Obama owes the American people an explanation as to why these campaign promises have been pulled from his agenda."

CORE VALUE #1

Lower taxes - on you, your neighbors and the businesses you own or work for.
A tactic the government could employ to improve the economy would be to lower taxes. Conservative Americans have always stood for lower taxes. In January, Barack Obama himself may join us. There have been hints that he would be willing to consider a tax cut. He has promised a tax cut for 95% of all Americans and time will tell how that plays out.

The tax cut has to be a genuine tax cut to work, not a welfare style tax "rebate." Knowing that more than…

Relapse!
Paulson: Give me one more hit of cheap credit, man, and then I promise to straighten out.

--David Kurtz

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=washingtonstory&sid=aElD2EJR0B2k

This was the paper money question. With regard to England all the colonies were debtors, and throughout history the debtor class has sought to depreciate the currency.

All the colonies had issued paper money in large quantities. In all save Pennsylvania it had greatly depreciated in value. In some colonies it had become practically valueless, and there had been successive issues, or "tenors," as they were called, each of which had been used to redeem the previous one, and all of which were almost equally worthless. The English merchants who did business in the colonies were compelled to accept this paper money in payment for the goods they sold, as all of the colonies had enacted most stringent laws enforcing the legal tender character of the bills. - CAUSES OF THE REVOLUTION

Some things never change. We are still run by scoundrels and smugglers.

46% of the folks voted against Obama...

Yet the majority of the 97% like what he is doing...

By moving to the right Obama has been able to unite the country and avoid controversy..

-----

Thursday, December 4, 2008 9:02 AM

Polls: Americans Approve Of Obama's Cabinet Picks, Policies

By MARY GILBERT

Grim economic news keeps coming, but Americans seem optimistic that President-elect Barack Obama can turn things around, giving the incoming POTUS high marks for the Cabinet officials he has selected so far.

Nearly eight in 10 respondents to a recent USA Today/Gallup survey reported that they approve of the way Obama is handling the transition between administrations, including a 57 percent majority of Republicans. That's higher than either George W. Bush (61 percent) or Bill Clinton (68 percent) registered immediately before they took office. A Democracy Corps/Greenberg Quinlan Rosner (D) poll found Obama's support to be lower, at 53 percent approval, but with just 19 percent disapproval. Twenty-eight percent of respondents to that poll declined to express an opinion.

Those surveyed by USA Today/Gallup overwhelmingly approved of Obama's decision to retain Defense Secretary Robert Gates: Eighty percent approved, compared with just 14 percent who disagreed. Hillary Rodham Clinton also inspired confidence, as nearly seven in 10 approved of her selection as secretary of State.

Similarly, a Lifetime Networks poll, conducted by WomanTrend and Lake Research Partners, found that 71 percent of women support Clinton's nomination -- but that two-thirds want Obama to make his Cabinet picks based solely on experience and qualifications rather than gender equity.

“I said that I would remove our combat troops from Iraq in 16 months, with the understanding that it might be necessary — likely to be necessary — to maintain a residual force to provide potential training, logistical support, to protect our civilians in Iraq,” Mr. Obama said this week as he introduced his national security team.

So like all your regurgitated crap you post, this is not new to anyone with half a brain.

~-~-~

The windfall profits tax...Oil's not $150.00 a barrel anymore. Gas isn't $4.00 a gallon anymore.

This is because the Energy Act of 2008 effectively closed the Enron Loophole. It immediately halted the uncontrolled rise in oil prices as the energy speculators who were manipulating, particularly through the unregulated Intercontinental Commodity Exchange, were sent running for the exits.

That being said, I personally agree with Sirota on this issue:

[I]f oil prices are down and oil industry profits are truly down, what's the harm in passing a windfall profits tax? Even if you buy the right-wing nonsense about a windfall profits tax "hurting the industry" or "hurting the economy" when it is applied, if there really are no windfall profits to tax, then it won't be applied.

That's what a windfall profits tax really is - a safety valve regulation against profiteering, and one that can raise needed revenues when profiteering occurs. If there is supposedly no profiteering occurring, then what's the supposed harm?

~-~-~

"Stay with Fox News: we will protect you from raging fire, Iranian nut jobs, angry gay lovers, and the Jew whispering to the black man." - Jon Stewart

Walk on your friends - Boston.com

The Texas Ethics Commission will hold a public hearing today to review the case of state Supreme Court Justice Nathan Hecht. Hecht, a Republican, is accused of receiving discounted rates in 2006 from the law firm Jackson Walker when he used the company to defend him before the Commission on Judicial Conduct for promoting the Harriet Miers nomination for the U.S. Supreme Court. Texas judges are forbidden from making public political endorsements. (Houston Chronicle)

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/6145109.html

If you are happy and I am happy...everyone is happy...!!!

Well, almost everyone...!!!

What more can Obama deliver..??

Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, who came under fire during the presidential campaign for accepting free trips, filed disclosure forms Wednesday. The trips took place in 2007. According to Alaska law, reports must be filed within 30 days of the trip. The disclosure form says that the delay was "not ... due to administrative error." A spokesman attributed it to staff oversight. (AP)

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/P/PALIN_ETHICS?SITE=DCTMS&SECTION=H...

It’s official. The National Bureau of Economic Research formally announced the US has been in a recession since December 2007. However, it is the Federal Reserve’s Beige Book released yesterday which gives us a very detailed look at the breadth of the problems the economy faces.

Overall economic activity weakened across all Federal Reserve Districts since the last report.

(with fun, albeit depressing, charts and graphs that even a simpleton like wardog can understand)

~-~-~

"Stay with Fox News: we will protect you from raging fire, Iranian nut jobs, angry gay lovers, and the Jew whispering to the black man." - Jon Stewart

Yeah but, what can you do for me now..???

Obama is lookin for folks who will follow his drift to the right...

So far so good..!!!

Hey zeek, I just learned what zydeco was, not terribly long ago...somebody I know inspired me to get outta my comfort zone and learn more about music. I went to see Rosie Ledet at a little dive nearby.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_chM5PqjvA

What freaked me out was watching them get on their ancient blue cargo van and get high between songs. They were parked right out front.

You have to ask yourself...????

What happened in November of 2006...???

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.....

Let's think....

Oh, oh, oh.... I know...!!!

We had an Off-year election in Congress...

Who won.....????

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm....

Let's think....

Oh, oh, oh.... I know...!!!

The Democrats..!!!!!

And everything started down hill...!!!

See how easy it is if you look at Outcomes...!!!!

Report: Political Advisers Telling Matthews To Quit MSNBC
The Politico reports that Chris Matthews has been meeting with political operatives to discuss a timetable for his possible Senate candidacy -- and they're advising him to quit MSNBC and get organized ahead of his contract's expiration in June. "I said, 'if you want to be a U.S. senator, step up and get into the race,'" said one participant.

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1208/16190.html

And We Think Our Politics is Fun?
I mentioned a couple days ago how Canada's Tory Prime Minister had managed to act with such hubris, economic stupidity and desire to castrate the political opposition that he'd manage to galvanize the three very disparate opposition parties into organizing what amounts to a constitutional coup against Harper's government.

How this works is that Harper got close to a majority in the recent election. But not quite. So he's running a minority government. So if the two parties of the center-left and left could team up with the Quebec secessionist party, they could boot Harper with a simple vote of no confidence in his government. And Harper had pushed things so far that that's precisely what was about to happen.

So now Harper has gone to Governor General Michaelle Jean (technically an appointee of Queen Elizabeth II, Canada's head of state) and received permission to suspend Parliament until January. In other words, he's just shut the legislature down so it can't do anything.

--Josh Marshall

http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/548382

Report: Pre-Arranged Bankruptcy On The Table For Automakers
As auto execs testify today, GM and Chrysler are mulling a prepackaged bankruptcy -- which would require less government money -- that could come with a bailout.

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=washingtonstory&sid=a8NiLMoTo1v8

way before the Dems gained a slim majority. And the constant use of fillibuster and other means of disruption by the Repubs just helped to shut down the Congress.

So Wado, your "outcomes" were from a problem that preceeded the Dems taking the majority.

You really are a piece of work that years ago they would call "job lots".

Look it up!

Obama wanted Martin to lose:

Chris Cillizza's Politics Blog -- The Fix

GA-Senate Runoff: Winners and Losers

WINNERS

Barack Obama: There were some within the Democratic strategist set who argued that a visit to Georgia by the president-elect could put Martin over the top. The Obama inner circle resisted -- cutting a radio ad for Martin using its massive email list to help raise money for the Democrat but never broaching the possibility of a personal visit. Had Chambliss won by a point or two that decision would have been second-guessed; Chambliss' 14-point margin justified Obama's decision to stay out.
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/thefix/2008/12/ga-senate_runoff_winners...

I know I'm inspired by the wisdom of a leader that knows when it's expedient to be a complete coward. Besides campaigning is so ugly. So partisan.
"There is no Red America. No Blue America."
How true.

Even if that is so...

They had two years for correct and improve...

That's why it would not have been a bad thing if the Dems had 60 seats...

But if they don't want to be accountable, don't take the job...

My Ford babies are hanging tough!!! :-)

http://www.kansascity.com/business/story/919584.html

Buy union, people. :-)

Health insurers lay out a path to universal care
Group calls for public-private partnership
By Lisa Wangsness, Globe Staff | December 4, 2008

WASHINGTON - Leaders of the nation's largest health insurance industry lobbying group yesterday announced a series of proposals they said would help achieve universal coverage, control costs, and improve the quality of care.

"The heart of our proposal is a public-private partnership that builds on the employer-based coverage that 170 million Americans rely on today," said James Roosevelt, Jr., the president and chief executive of Tufts Health Plan. "We have laid out a workable, realistic path to universal coverage. . . . We want to make sure no one falls through the cracks of our healthcare system because of age, health status, or income."

America's Health Insurance Plans, the organization that represents insurance companies covering some 200 million Americans, unveiled the plan at the National Press Club. The proposals - stated so generally that the group's president, Karen Ignagni, said they would be impossible to price - included recommendations for insuring everyone, containing costs, improving quality, and reducing administrative hassles for doctors.

Insurers oppose the creation of a Medicare-style public insurance option, which both President-elect Barack Obama and Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus have proposed, which they believe will force private companies to compete with the government on an uneven playing field. The insurers also do not support an employer mandate.

The ideas hinge on a proposal the lobbying group put forward last month: Insurers would agree to stop denying coverage to people because of preexisting conditions as long as all individuals were required by law to buy insurance. That would prevent people from buying insurance only when they need it and force younger and healthier people to share the cost of care for older and sicker people.

The insurers also proposed that regulations be revised so that basic high-deductible health insurance plans with a streamlined set of benefits would be available in all 50 states. The "essential benefits" plan would include coverage for wellness and disease management as well as chronic and acute care.

To help make coverage affordable to middle-class people, particularly the self-employed and those who work for small businesses, the government would give refundable tax credits on a sliding scale, according to income. Medicaid should cover everybody under the poverty level, the insurers said, and the State Children's Health Insurance Program should cover all children up to 300 percent of the poverty level.

To help control health costs, the insurers said, Congress should set a goal of reducing the growth of healthcare costs by as much as 30 percent over five years, for a savings of $500 billion, through steps including eliminating unnecessary treatments and paying doctors for better care, not more care.

The insurers' plan also calls for improving the quality of care by devoting more expertise and money to preventive and wellness care; investing in more research to determine the best treatment protocols and providing this information to doctors; and standardizing technology that is used to record and transmit patient information.

Health Care for America Now, a coalition of mostly left-leaning organizations, including the liberal group MoveOn, immediately issued a statement criticizing the insurers, saying their plan would still allow insurance companies to charge older and sicker people huge premiums and would do nothing to cap executive salaries.

But a spokesman for US Senator Edward M. Kennedy, whose staff has been meeting with the insurers and others to develop a reform initiatives, responded positively, saying, "The insurance industry has advanced serious proposals that deserve serious analysis and consideration."

http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2008/12/04/health_...

Activists say EPA rule change on mine waste near streams is Bush 'parting gift' to industry

VICKI SMITH
AP News

Dec 03, 2008 17:04 EST

Angry environmentalists launched an online campaign Wednesday urging President-elect Barack Obama to undo a federal rule that clarifies when coal companies can dump mining waste in streams, calling it a long-awaited "parting gift" from the Bush administration.

North Carolina-based Appalachian Voices and others blasted Tuesday's Environmental Protection Agency decision to endorse the mining rule as the death of freshwater streams and the likely start of a new surge in mountaintop removal surface mining across Virginia, West Virginia, Tennessee and Kentucky.

Although the regulation would apply nationwide, mountaintop removal operations are of special interest in Appalachia, where surface mines now outnumber those underground.

An EPA study estimated 400,000 acres of forest were wiped out and nearly 724 miles of streams buried between 1985 and 2001 by mountaintop mining, in which forests are clear cut and holes are drilled to blast apart rock. Massive machines, some with buckets big enough to hold 24 compact cars, scoop coal from the exposed seams.

The rock and dirt left behind is dumped into adjacent valleys, changing the natural shape of the earth, lowering the height of the mountain and covering streams.

The rule, proposed by the federal Office of Surface Mining and expected to take effect next month, would govern how mining companies can encroach into a buffer zone designed to protect streams. The Bush administration finalized the rule Wednesday and it will be published in the Federal Register later this month.

West Virginia attorney Joe Lovett, who has filed several lawsuits over mountaintop removal mining, said the rule essentially handicaps Obama, taking away a tool his administration could use to rein in the practice.

"For the industry, this is a parting gift," Lovett said.

But the National Mining Association says environmentalists are misrepresenting the rule as a free pass for Big Coal. It argues operators will have to conduct even more rigorous, time-consuming analyses of their disposal plans before mining begins.

"The rule does not make it easier to conduct mining activities within the stream buffer zone," said NMA spokeswoman Carol Raulston.

Dumping excess rock and soil has always been allowed, she said, as long as operators comply with federal water quality laws.

"Enforcing a law and removing a law are two different things," countered Naoma resident Vernon Haltom, co-director of Coal River Mountain Watch, an environmental group trying to stop a mountaintop mine and preserve the site for a wind farm.

"To me," he said, "it's the difference between having traffic cops that are sleeping on the job and having no speed limit."

Lawmakers and the governors of Kentucky and Tennessee had urged the EPA to block the regulation.

More here:

http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/news/2008/12/activists_slam_epa_decisio...

That's because they have maps.

FIGHT OVER BECERRA?.... By and large, Barack Obama's cabinet selections have been met with very little resistance from the right. There's been some fuss over Eric Holder, but the conservative reactions have been surprisingly muted.

It appears, however, that one prospective choice might actually generate some heat. Greg Sargent has the story:

[Obama's] rumored choice for U.S. Trade Representative, Congressman Xavier Becerra, is reportedly worrying some pro-big business and free-trade types.

The possibility that Obama might award the post to Becerra -- who professed his regret for voting for NAFTA, opposed the Central American Free Trade Agreement, and once pronounced U.S. trade policy as "broken" -- is already being praised by some progressives. David Sirota sees it as a sign that "Obama is serious about reforming our trade policies."

And now Business Week reports on some rumblings of opposition from the pro-business and free-trade camp:

Philip Levy, who's now with the conservative American Enterprise Institute, told the mag that the choice is "troubling," arguing that "to oppose Nafta is in many ways to lash out symbolically against trade." A business lobbyist added to the mag that he and his colleagues are "pretty concerned."

Becerra, who has been active in trade policy debates on the Hill for a while now, hasn't always been predictable. He voted for Nafta, for example, but later regretted it. Becerra opposed the Central American Free Trade Agreement, but supported China's entry into the World Trade Organization, and supported the free-trade agreement between the U.S. and Peru last year.

The AEI crowd may be "concerned," but it's worth noting that pro-trade business groups like the National Foreign Trade Council had generally positive things to say about Becerra. "He's been articulate in support of open markets" while also advocating tougher "labor and environmental provisions," said NFTC president William Reinsch. "Within the confines of where the Democratic caucus is, he's been good."

Greg noted that it'll be worth "watching closely ... to see how Obama reacts in the face of corporate opposition, should Becerra be the pick and should business groups oppose it." Quite right. But also watch to see if corporate interests end up splitting on this -- if business groups go all out on Becerra, they'll run the risk of Obama picking a Trade Rep. who's even less friendly to their agenda.

I can't help but think, AEI complaints notwithstanding, most of the business interests would conclude Becerra is "good enough."

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2008_12/015911.php

these guys are old friends of mine, have known them for more than 20 years

Dennis Leary firefighters show to tackle 9/11 conspiracy theories
Ron Brynaert

Dennis Leary, famous for his biting, sarcastic comedy and his religious chain smoking, revealed to a fan at a Los Angeles book signing that his critically acclaimed FX show "Rescue Me" about NYC firefighters will tackle 9/11 conspiracy theories in the coming season.

"When asked by a hesitant fan as to whether or not the actor thought there should be a reinvestigation into the events leading up to and surrounding the 9/11 tragedy, Leary's eyes lit up as he revealed that conspiracy and reinvestigation into 9/11 are, in fact, major plot lines in the first 10 episodes of Rescue Me season 5, set to premiere in April 2009 for a 22-episode run on FX," Erin Broadley reported for LA Weekly.

Broadley continues, "But when another fan pushed it too far and asked Leary's personal opinion about the conspiracy surrounding Building 7's collapse, the actor and author was quick with his response. 'You guys don't want to get into that with me,' Leary said, suddenly serious as he explained that he 'knew several of the guys who had been there working to hold that building up.' Leary then paused, politely changed the subject and returned to meeting fans."

Writing for conspiracy site Prison Planet, Paul Joseph Watson complains, "The L.A. Weekly failed to report what happened at the end of the conversation. After the question about Building 7, security thugs stepped in, blocked the camera and proceeded to kick the protagonists out of the bookstore. There was no hostility or impoliteness on the part of the 9/11 truthers, but apparently Leary’s security thinks it necessary to physically eject anyone who expresses an opinion different to his."

"Break out the tin-foil hats," Don Kaplan mocked in Wednesday's New York Post.

Prison Planet notes that one of Leary's co-stars, Daniel Sunjata, "has been a vocal advocate for the 9/11 truth movement in questioning 9/11 and he likely had a massive influence on the decision of the script writers to dramatize the issue." Sunjata even wore a shirt to an awards ceremony in April of 2007 brandishing the message, "9/11 was an inside job."

"The prevalence of 9/11 truth in a plethora of different mediums is exactly what is required to spread the truth and wake up people who would not necessarily come into contact with this information through the usual channels," Watson writes for Prison Planet. "We applaud the staff of Rescue Me for having the fortitude to tackle this vital issue."

A video of the encounter, taken from the website Framing the World, can be seen below:

http://rawstory.com/news/2008/Dennis_Leary_firefighters_show_to_tackle_1...

There are plenty of reasons to take the multiverse seriously. Three key theories - quantum mechanics, cosmic inflation and string theory - all converge on the idea. But the reason physicists talk about the multiverse as an alternative to God is because it helps explain why the universe is so bio-friendly. From the strength of gravity to the mass of a proton, it's as if the universe were designed just for us. If, however, there are an infinite number of universes - with physical constants that vary from one to the next - our cosy neighbourhood isn't only possible, it's inevitable.

observers are creating the universe and its entire history right now - NewScientist

Obama citizenship at SCOTUS tomorrow
Email Print Link
Posted December 4, 2008 10:02 AM
The Swamp

by Frank James

The U.S. Supreme Court's justices will discuss at their Friday conference tomorrow the Obama's-not-a-natural-born-citizen lawsuit known as Donofrio v. Wells.

As Chicago Tribune reporter James Janega writes:

The suit originally sought to stay the election, and was filed on behalf of Leo Donofrio against New Jersey Secretary of State Nina Mitchell Wells.

Legal experts say the appeal has little chance of succeeding, despite appearing on the court's schedule. Legal records show it is only the tip of an iceberg of nationwide efforts seeking to derail Obama's election over accusations that he either wasn't born a U.S. citizen or that he later renounced his citizenship in Indonesia.
http://www.swamppolitics.com/news/politics/blog/2008/12/obama_citizenshi...

Obama Spokesperson Reaffirms Commitment To Rolling Back Oil Company Subsidies

A spokesperson for the Obama transition team is reaffirming the President-elect's commitment to rolling back the subsidies that oil companies enjoy, confirming that Obama's campaign promise on this score is still fully operative.

"Yes," replied Obama transition team spokesperson Nick Shapiro, when we asked him whether Obama remained committed to rolling back the oil company subsidies.

We posed the question to the Obama in the wake of yesterday's news that Obama wasn't imposing a windfall profits tax on the oil companies, something that got some progressives to worry whether Obama was preparing to soften his policies in the face of corporate opposition.

The Obama spokesperson's reaffirmation of his commitment to rolling back oil company subsidies could help mitigate such angst. It's unclear how or when the rollback will take place, since Obama hasn't even taken office yet.

~-~-~

Apparently, many misunderstand the whole idea of "change." By "change," Obama means bringing in people who *aren't* idiots.

good clip here; Roger the baritone sax player on the right used to be my boyfriend a long time ago (15 years already?) - he's now married to the (japanese) piano player

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WKcmw53rvJs

(Gawd i hope this doesn't screw up the blog code down-page. And my sincere apologies to those seeing this before lunch.)

is this really the guy? straight out of Grimm Brothers fairy tales of horror, hansel and gretel lost in the woods

that's him.

[double-posted, weird]

In widely expected, but technically breaking, news Kay Baily Hutchison has formed an exploratory committee to run for Texas Governor in 2010. She'll be challenging Texas' current and longest serving Governor, Rick "Good Hair" Perry.

Here's the link Statesman Story but you should also read the comments. Surrogates for Perry and KBH are already tearing each other apart and she's just declared!

This is a surrogate for the battle for the soul of the Texas GOP. Perry has actively courted the conservative wing. KBH has laid low, and acted a little more moderate. She'll probably kill Perry in the primary--but it will be really ugly. She'll probably mop the floor with any Democratic challenger. Lord knows why she's so popular, but them's the facts.

Other points. This will be an open Senate seat soon.

Houston Mayor Bill White [D] is widely expected to run for whatever race KBH isn't in.

~-~-~

Apparently, many misunderstand the whole idea of "change." By "change," Obama means bringing in people who *aren't* idiots.

It comes from a news link Fernando posted further up. The actual article is far more disturbing though (and darkly supports the Hansel & Gretel connection):

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081204/ap_on_re_us/evangelist_child_abuse;_...

Dr. Weil Thinks So

"If Americans ate more hemp I think it would correct the imbalance of fatty acids in the diet. I think we'd see a decrease in inflammatory diseases and...heart disease,"

Weil commented on a You Tube paen to hemp's promise on the hemp.org web site.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-kZTLHEPrMc&e

What Weil says is based on the fact that Americans eat a lot more Omega 6 fatty acids compared to their intake of Omega 3 fatty acids, to our health detriment, according to most researchers. Evolutionarily, humans might have had about a 1-to-1 balance of 6's to 3's. Today, the ration can be someplace around 15-to-1! That's because so many of the processed foods we eat contain polyunsaturated fatty acids in vegetable oils like corn oil.
...

Hussein Onyango Obama, a British soldier in the second world war, was locked up as a Mau Mau rebel in Kenya

According to the Times, Barack Obama's grandfather was imprisoned and tortured by the British during Kenya's Mau Mau uprising.

The claim is spread across three pages of the newspaper and illustrated with black and white photographs of detention camps operated by British soldiers in the 1950s.

Hussein Onyango Obama, the president-elect's paternal grandfather, had served with the British army in Burma during the second world war and later found work back in Kenya as a military cook.

Like many army veterans, he returned to Africa hoping to win greater freedoms. But his aspirations soon turned to resentment of the occupying British.

He became involved in the Mau Mau independence movement and was arrested as early as 1949, probably on charges of membership of a banned organisation.

During two years' detention he was subjected to horrific violence, according to the story's authors, Ben Macintyre and Paul Orengoh. Tortures inflicted on Kenyan prisoners sometimes involved such barbaric implements as "castration pliers".

"The African warders were instructed by the white soldiers to whip him every morning and evening till he confessed," Sarah Onyango, 87, tells the Times.

The behaviour of British soldiers is the subject of continuing legal action in the UK courts from victims seeking reparations for torture and mistreatment suffered more than 50 years ago. The Kenyan Human Rights Commission is still gathering evidence.

The alleged torture of Onyango reportedly left him permanently scarred and bitterly anti-British. Barack Obama's memoirs, the paper observes, show that he too is no admirer of British colonialism.

Obama's family connection to the Mau Mau was already known – some US commentators have even used the label to smear him as a "Mau Mau insurgent".
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/deadlineusa/2008/dec/03/obama-grandfathe...

A Georgia man has filed a lawsuit against contractor KBR and its former parent company, Halliburton, saying the companies exposed everyone at Joint Base Balad in Iraq to unsafe water, food and hazardous fumes from the burn pit there.

Joshua Eller, who worked as a civilian computer-aided drafting technician with the 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing, said military personnel, contractors and third-country nationals may have been sickened by contamination at the largest U.S. installation in Iraq, home to more than 30,000 service members, Defense Department civilians and contractors.

“Defendants promised the United States government that they would supply safe water for hygienic and recreational uses, safe food supplies and properly operate base incinerators to dispose of medical waste safely,” according to the lawsuit, filed Nov. 26 in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas. “Defendants utterly failed to perform their promised duties.”

Eller and his attorneys are seeking to have the lawsuit declared a class action.

Diana Gabriel, a spokeswoman for Halliburton, said her company is “improperly named” in the lawsuit. “As such, we expect Halliburton to be dismissed from the action as Halliburton has no responsibility, legal or otherwise, for the actions alleged,” Gabriel said. “It would be inappropriate for Halliburton to comment on the merits of a matter affecting only the interest of KBR.”

Halliburton announced in April 2007 that it had dissolved its ties with KBR, which had been its contracting, engineering and construction unit since the 1960s.

How convenient...!

~-~-~

Apparently, many misunderstand the whole idea of "change." By "change," Obama means bringing in people who *aren't* idiots.

we'll keep them safely away from the alamo monster

-observers are creating the universe and its entire history right now - NewScientist-

You are looking outside your Self for answers, for love, and neither is there. There is nothing lasting outside of your Self. All else is transient.
...
You have forgotten that there is only One. All is in All and All is All.

http://www.realmofpossibilities.com/

obsession of yours with all things obama?

sick

Why is tuition so high in state universities that the NYT is wondering if families will go on being able to afford it.......?

'For example, less than 14 percent of the University of Oregon's total revenue came from state funds in 2003-04, compared to 32 percent in 1985-86, while tuition fees accounted for more than 33 percent of the university's budget, compared to 22 percent twenty years ago. Meanwhile, the University of Michigan has lost 12 percent of its state funding, or $43 million, over the past two years. According to UM spokeswoman Julie Peterson, state money now only accounts for 8 percent of the university's budget. "We can't rely on state funding alone," said Peterson. "It simply isn't enough....."

A big drain on state budgets is the penitentiary system. In just the decade 1980 to 1990, the prison and jail population in the US doubled. Since 1980, the prison population has quadrupled. By the end of 2006, over 2 million persons were in prison and another 5 million were on probation or on parole.

I remember reading in the Ann Arbor News in 1988 about a big debate at the statehouse in Lansing over funding for prisons versus funding for universities. The prisons won.
http://www.juancole.com/

For the GOP, Economic Meltdown May Have Happened a Wee Bit Early

...

I think key officials inside the Administration knew that the financial system was swirling inside the economic toilet bowl and would undergo a massive meltdown; after all, there were numerous economists, inside and outside the government, who a year ago were warning about the housing bubble getting ready to burst, with disastrous impact on the availability of credit. But, in this scenario, the CheneyBush higher-ups believed that, with luck, denial and a helluva lot of deficit financing, they could delay the inevitable collapse until after the election.

The catastrophe would then happen on Obama's watch, making sure to cripple all his "liberal" plans and programs.

...

It's important to remember that the presidential race was pretty much even before the financial disaster manifested itself. The polling indicated that only a percentage point or two separated Obama and McCain. Karl Rove was in his element, with a "margin of error" that would permit just enough "tweaking" in the polls and vote numbers to guarantee a Republican victory in the White House.

McCain wanted Lieberman as his running mate, but went along with the HardRight choice of Sarah Palin. Her addition to the ticket solidified the red-meat conservatives and the fundamentalists, guaranteeing that the GOP's base votes would volunteer in large numbers and show up in force on Election Day. This, they believed, would balance out the hordes of enthusiastic younger supporters who would be working and voting for Obama.

But that strategy depended on holding off the economic collapse until after November 4th. The Republicans missed their target by just a few weeks, and the rest is history. The Obama turnout was immense, too many moderate Republicans and Independents couldn't stomach Palin's manifest ignorance and incompetence. Thus, the McCain/Palin campaign, watching the economic disaster unfold and realizing the significance of that electorally, was forced to turn to downright nasty political name-calling and implied racism as the only arrows left in their quiver.

The result was a landslide for Obama, both in terms of the popular vote (by more than 7,000,000) and, especially, in the decisive Electoral College numbers where Obama triumphed by more than a two-to-one margin.

~-~-~

Outcomes? The Dems are responsible for the financial market meltdown, high gas prices, the housing crisis, everything...! So, what do the people do? THEY ELECT A DEMOCRAT AS PRESIDENT TO CONTINUE THESE DISASTROUS POLICIES! Nice try, Wado... nice try.

~-~-~

Apparently, many misunderstand the whole idea of "change." By "change," Obama means bringing in people who *aren't* idiots.

After the Great Bank Robbery of 2008, Republican Pundits Attack the Unions! (Brent Budowsky)
@ 10:03 am
$7,800,000,000,000 has now been spent bailing out Wall Street and banks, and Republicans such as John Feehery attack labor unions for being "out of touch, counterproductive, inefficient, unnecessary, corrupt and anachronistic.”

Earth to Republicans, earth to Feehery: Of the $7.8 trillion being spent, so far, on bailouts, one needs a microscope to find how much the unions are responsible for this fiasco. The 10-ton elephant in the room who is really responsible can be found in the Wall Street masters of the universe, and the giant banks, whom Mr. Feehery and his Republican friends aided and abetted, every step of the way, in their policies, between their fundraisers. > Read More

http://pundits.thehill.com/2008/12/01/after-the-great-bank-robbery-of-20...

definitely worth viewing:

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/crash/

- Guardian UK

Looks kinda like a big dodo bird.

Requiem for a Maverick
By SilentPatriot Thursday Dec 04, 2008 9:00am

Matt Taibbi reflects on the failed McCain candidacy in perhaps the best and most-entertaining article of the entire political season. Here's a taste.

Rolling Stone:

John McCain and Sarah Palin, after all, represented two completely different approaches to Republican conservatism. McCain comes from the school of politicking that goes after as many votes as possible by waving a flag and saying as little as possible, which is to say he was basically a third-way Democrat with a Goldwater fetish. His basic plan heading into the general election seemed strikingly similar to that of the dipshit vice president character from the uninspiring but weirdly prescient Chris Rock movie Head of State, who ran on a platform of "I've been vice president for the last eight years, I'm a war hero and I'm Sharon Stone's cousin."

McCain's shtick wasn't exactly that, but it was close. He was a war hero who married an heiress to a beer distributorship and had been in the Senate since the Mesozoic Era. His greatest strength as a politician had up until this year been his ability to "reach across the aisle," a quality that in the modern Republican Party was normally about as popular as open bisexuality. His presence atop the ticket this year was evidence of profound anxiety within the party about its chances in the general election. After eight disastrous years of Bush, they thought they had lost the middle — so they picked a middling guy to get it back.

Which made sense, right up until the moment when they stuck him with Pinochet in heels for a running mate. Sarah Palin would have been a brilliant choice as a presidential nominee — and she will be, in 2012, when she leads the inevitable Republican counter-revolution against Obama's presidency. She's a classic divide-and-conquer politician, an unapologetic Witch Hunter and True Believer with a gift for whipping up the mob against the infidel. In a way that even George W. Bush never was, she is Karl Rove's wet dream, the Osama bin Laden of soccer moms, crusading against germs, communism, atheism and other such unclean elements strictly banned by American law.

Seriously...read the whole thing. It's well worth your time.

http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/story/24375710/requiem_for_a_maveri...

Specter, MSNBC host tied in Penn. race

http://blog.seattlepi.nwsource.com/seattlepolitics/archives/156125.asp

A new Rasmussen Reports poll shows Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Penn., tied in a hypothetical matchup with MSNBC host Chris Matthews. In a survey of 500 likely voters in Pennsylvania Specter has 46 percent, Matthews 43 percent. That's within the poll's 4.5 percent margin of error.

Matthews hasn't said whether he'll challenge Specter in 2010, but Politico reports that some people at his network are hoping he'll make up his mind soon.

If Matthews is serious about running, some within the network hope he commits to the Pennsylvania Senate race sooner rather than later. Otherwise, his nightly presence on "Hardball" provides easy fodder to critics fueling the narrative that MSNBC is in the tank for the Democratic party. After NBC News was stung by criticism during the presidential campaign -- charged with bias resulting from the antics of more outspoken personalities on MSNBC -- staffers worry the situation will be repeated over the next six months.

*************************

"The Once and Future Rajah of Bhong."

Oh, well you let me know when you are are willing to allow Democrats to take Responsibility...

Hahahahahahahaha...

How about the Twelfth Day of Never...!!!

Sorry the day you take office you take the Responsibility..

-----

The POWER OF THE PURSE refers to the constitutional power given Congress to raise and spend money.

By JEREMY SCAHILL

What ultimately ties Obama's team together is their unified support for the classic US foreign policy recipe: the hidden hand of the free market, backed up by the iron fist of US militarism to defend the America First doctrine. Continue

http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article21373.htm

"Chavez must die" commenter again

1 Comments:

At 9:00 AM PST , Blogger manwanwa networks said...

Eva Gollinger earns a lot of money as the devils advocat , we are talkin big bucks .
Chavez spent millions of US dollars
in anti-american propaganda and xenophobic training and other hate crimes , like racisms against the white or upper class people .
this is a message from the venezuelan resistance
Hugo Chavez must DIE....
sorry about my english

I'm glad you liked it. Still have my feeling in a knot after seeing that bumper sticker yesterday.

I saw that American Experience...really umm..depressing...

Someone here posted an article about a 90 year old lady who shot herself when the man came to evict her from her home...She lived...I think her name is Addy. Anyway...there is a show on KPFK called Beneath the Surface with Michael Slate - you can podcast the dec 2 edition..it was moving...I believe they have agreed to let the lady have her house now..but not sure of the details of how that came about...

?

At the grand age of 127 (that's 27 in human years), is Mischief the world's oldest cat?

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1091541/At-grand-age-127-thats-2...

Maybe he's not very curious. Or perhaps he had more than nine lives.

Whatever the reason, at the age of 27, Mischief is one old cat.

A whisker away from officially entering the record books as the UK's longest living domestic feline, he is still purring along nicely.

Mischief - with an age of 127 in cat years - is almost certainly the oldest living cat in Britain, and quite possibly the oldest in the world.

His owners put his longevity down to pure laziness.

'People ask what we're feeding him to keep him going so long - they think it must be a diet of vitamins or something,' Donna Thorne, 33, said.

'But we don't do anything special, he is just a greedy and lazy boy who will eat anything that he can get his paws on.

'When he was younger he was fairly active, but now he doesn't move much unless food is involved. I suppose his laziness has ultimately preserved him.'

She added: 'Every year we think he might slip away but he just keeps going on and on.'

Mischief is fed dry cat food every day and pouches of meat every other day.

He sleeps for at least 16 hours a day and no longer ventures outside of the family's home in St Austell, Cornwall.

Mrs Thorne, a housekeeper, said Mischief was still a 'huge part' of their family and is adored by their 20-month-old daughter, Skye.

Her husband Chris, 51, has owned Mischief since he was 24.

He said: 'I can't imagine what it would be like without having the old thing around.'

A spokesman for Guinness World Records said the oldest cat in Britain was previously Willow, 26, from Shrewsbury.

The oldest cat in the world was Creme Puff of Austin, Texas, who made it to 38.

Calculating how old a cat is in human years is not an exact science.

According to pet food makers Purina, their first two years are roughly equal to the first 25 of a human.

Each additional year equals around four 'cat years'.
*************************

"The Once and Future Rajah of Bhong."

Whats up Hun :)

How you been?

to the executive branch....you can podcast that interview from moyers a month or so ago...

"if you don't believe in Jeebuzz, then go to hell."

I took that as wishing bad things upon me.

All's well...How about you?

"Behind the ostensible government sits enthroned an invisible government owing NO allegiance and acknowledging NO responsibility to the people."

ty for that - I will take a look - and hello 2 u 2!!

>>According to pet food makers Purina, their first two years are roughly equal to the first 25 of a human.

>>Each additional year equals around four 'cat years'.

So, assuming a cat lives 10 years, it is safe to say it has spent most of it's life in middle age.

This explains my cats's ongoing mid-life crisis.

Tell you what, I am getting genuinely sick of taking them out shopping for sports cars and Harleys every spare minute...
*************************

"The Once and Future Rajah of Bhong."

Just say no to negativity"

Came as one with all the links..I hope I have time d/l them all before I go home today...

>>I hope I have time d/l them all before I go home today...

get a big bowl of popcorn and settle in for a non-stop thrill ride of adventure and intrigue!
*************************

"The Once and Future Rajah of Bhong."

There is a fair amount of nut jobs out there. Those that wish people death and those that use their interpretation of religion to wish bad things for people that don't agree with them.

This world of ours gets crazier every year. I don't wish people death, I do wish them what others have to endure just to live today whether religious or not.

----

I put up a new open mic re: Obama Here:

http://www.samsedershow.com/node/4151

NEW YORK (Billboard) - Newly released data suggests that the U.S. radio industry could be on track to record its worst annual drop in ad revenue in decades.

According to the Radio Advertising Bureau (RAB), total ad revenue for all U.S. radio markets dropped 10 percent in October from a year earlier. Local revenue fell 15 percent, while national revenue slipped 1 percent.

October marked the industry's 18th consecutive month of year-on-year revenue declines, according to James Boyle, a senior broadcast analyst at research firm C.L. King & Associates in New York.

Given that total ad revenue is down 7 percent year to date through the end of October, the continuing decline evokes comparisons to 2001, when ad revenue was down 7 percent for the entire year, Boyle said in a November 24 research note. But, he observed, that was against a tough comparison to 2000, when revenue grew 12 percent.

"One actually has to go all the way back to 1954, when radio ad revenue was down 9 percent against the prior year's dip of 2 percent" to find a worse decline, Boyle said. "1954 was the fourth straight year of substantial radio advertising underperformance versus total domestic ad revenue."

That was also the year, Boyle quipped, "when 'The Lone Ranger' had its last new radio episode and Sen. Joseph McCarthy was railing against hidden Communists."

http://www.reuters.com/article/entertainmentNews/idUSTRE4B287U20081203?f...

Been watching them since '84 when they were still a 'brass band'. My friend's agency has booked them for years and the got packaged a lot with my friends' band over time.

Oil down to $46 after
nearly four-year lowrates

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Oil pared some losses on Thursday after an early fall below $46 a barrel to its lowest in nearly four years, in response to the bleak outlook for the world economy and oil demand.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20081204/bs_nm/us_markets_oil;_ylt=Ahe8vpr7UK...

10 baffling medical conditions

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Persistent sexual arousal syndrome. An allergy to cold temperatures. Music-induced seizures.

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/OnCall/story?id=6378009&page=1

'Several cities' could have no
daily paper as soon as 2010

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Newspaper and newspaper groups are likely to default on their debt and go out of business next year -- leaving "several cities" with no daily newspaper at all, Fitch Ratings says in a report on media released Wednesday.

http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_con...

Massive firings, buyouts
at Gannett newspapers

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gannett is in the midst of perhaps the largest mass, chainwide layoffs -- not just buyouts -- in the history of the newspaper industry.

http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_con...

Don't be reposting sick, irritating links to stories smearing our 44th president. Besides Kim Jong il is still alive.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cTnQA12IPMo&feature=related

messes with my computer. Or at least my home page. Slows it down to a crawl!

If I close mvslive, it's back to normal. The blog works okay but my home page is slow and it take forever for other links to load up.

Does anyone else have that problem?

Iraq's three-member presidential council approved a security pact with the United States setting out a three-year timeframe for the full withdrawal of American troops, a spokesman said. The final legal hurdle to the deal was cleared even as Iraqis faced another round of bombings in a deadly week as insurgents try to chip away at recent security gains. The presidential council's decision marked the final step for the agreement, which will replace a U.N. mandate that expires on Dec. 31. The top two U.S. officials in Iraq welcomed the ratification of the security pact and a parallel agreement covering cooperation in other areas, which will take effect on Jan. 1.

~-~-~

Apparently, many misunderstand the whole idea of "change." By "change," Obama means bringing in people who *aren't* idiots.

Obama Should Prosecute Bush Officials Who Designed Torture Policy

by Michael Ratner

Read the words of Lt. Gen. Antonio M. Taguba, who investigated the Abu Ghraib scandal for the Pentagon. "There is no longer any doubt as to whether the current administration has committed war crimes," he concluded. "The only question that remains to be answered is whether those who ordered the use of torture will be held to account."

Despite Taguba's words and reams of documentation supporting his statement, there has been little discussion about holding officials accountable for their design and implementation of the torture program.

In his first nationally televised interview, President-elect Barack Obama made this promise: "I have said repeatedly that America doesn't torture. And I'm going to make sure that we don't torture."

The best way to do that is to prosecute those who designed the torture policies.
http://www.commondreams.org/view/2008/12/04-8

And shortly we'll see about this Congress as well--

Why Do Feinstein and Wyden Sound Much Different on the Torture Issue Now?

by Glenn Greenwald

I'm sure we'll be hearing shortly -- from many precincts -- that those of us who insist that Democrats fulfill their commitment to compel the CIA's compliance in all cases with the extant Army Field Manual (not some brand new, more permissive set of guidelines written and issued in secret and which provides for exceptions), are guilty of being dreaded "ideologues," purity trolls and civil liberties extremists.
http://www.commondreams.org/view/2008/12/04-2

Schumer: Barofsky Hold Removed
By Zachary Roth - December 4, 2008, 12:53PM
Politico reports:

The anonymous hold on Neil Barofsky, the Bush administration's TARP special IG, was lifted late Wednesday, according to Chuck Schumer. That clears the way for (sic) quick voice vote on his nomination.

The government watchdog group POGO had also written on their website this morning that the hold had been lifted.

Still no confirmation on whether Kentucky GOPer Jim Bunning was behind it. But we've posted his photograph anyway.

http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2008/12/schumer_barofsky_hold_...

Bank of America to Stop Financing Mountaintop Mining
By Tom Zeller Jr.

The Natural Resources Defense Council, one of the nation’s most powerful environmental groups, has managed to persuade Bank of America, one of the nation’s leading financial institutions, to take a measured stand against certain surface mining practices.

From an announcement released Wednesday by the bank:

Bank of America is particularly concerned about surface mining conducted through mountain top removal in locations such as central Appalachia. We therefore will phase out financing of companies whose predominant method of extracting coal is through mountain top removal. While we acknowledge that surface mining is economically efficient and creates jobs, it can be conducted in a way that minimizes environmental impacts in certain geographies.

At the N.R.D.C.’s Switchboard blog, Rob Perks, director of the organization’s Center for Advocacy Campaigns in Washington, said the group managed to persuade Bank of America executives to visit several mountaintop mine sites in Appalachia — including Kayford Mountain, which has been laid low by mountaintop mining methods.

“NRDC decided we could be more useful engaging BofA in a different way,” Mr. Parks wrote. “By talking to the bank’s executives directly and explaining the great opportunity available to them as responsible corporate citizens to help end this travesty.”

The Toronto Star examined the practice of mountaintop mining — and the controversy surrounding it — earlier this year:

Instead of extracting coal the old-fashioned way, by burrowing, the mountain is extracted from the coal – blown up sequentially to reveal each black seam. Everything left over – trees, soil, plants and rock – is considered “overburden.” It’s dumped into the valleys below, filling them up.

Some say as many as 470 mountains in West Virginia, Kentucky and Virginia have been flattened this way. For the industry, it’s a financial jackpot – fast, cheap and thorough. But for the mountains, and the communities nestled between them, it’s war.

For their part, mining interests have long argued that mountaintop mining and its ancillary effects on the landscape, water flows and other areas of the environment are wildly overblown.

Earlier this year, in an op-ed published in The Tampa Tribune, Bill K. Caylor, the president of the Kentucky Coal Association, said of mountaintop mining practices: “Drinking water sources are not being polluted. Appalachian communities are not destroyed. E.P.A. did not rewrite rules to pollute more streams.”

http://greeninc.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/12/04/bank-of-america-to-stop-fin...

Chevron in the White House

by Amy Goodman

Nigerians know well the power of the military-industrial complex in their own country. While Obama was swept into office promising change, his choice of Marine Gen. James Jones as national security adviser probably has U.S. corporate titans breathing easy, leaving the poor of the Niger Delta with the acrid air and oil-slicked water that lie behind Chevron's profits.
http://www.commondreams.org/view/2008/12/04-6

We, the working poor are being given the shaft.

Real wages have been stagnate

Healthcare is joke

We need serious action and organizing.

This is no lie, we are losing out Civil Liberties, hard fought for and gained by grit....... pure grit and American spirit. The Spirit of Freedom and Power of the PPL.

Well, Thats my Schpeil.

Bob

It's tiresome to need to point this out at this late date but, yes, George W. Bush and his administration misled the country while making the case for war with Iraq and, remarkably, are still trying to mislead people about it. In a Dec. 1 interview with ABC News' Charlie Gibson, Bush said that "the biggest regret" of his presidency was "the intelligence failure in Iraq."

In other words, his biggest regret wasn't regret over anything he did but rather regret over something that was done to him, a vague "intelligence failure" rather than a misguided decision to invade another country.

...

This is, even by Bush standards, a pretty breathtaking revision of history.

Rove: We Wouldn't Have Invaded Iraq If...

And yet, his remarks stand in contrast to those offered by the president himself, both recently and in the past.

Back in December 2005, however, Bush did just that, declaring the WMD issue effectively irrelevant when he said that, "knowing what I know today, I would have still made that decision."

"So, if you had had this -- if the weapons had been out of the equation because the intelligence did not conclude that he had them, it was still the right call?" Fox News' Brit Hume asked.

"Absolutely," replied Bush.

Even Wado can't fall for this incredible amount of bullshit... or can he?

~-~-~

Apparently, many misunderstand the whole idea of "change." By "change," Obama means bringing in people who *aren't* idiots.

http://www.kansascity.com/679/story/922149.html

Yes, PA Secretary of Agriculture Dennis Wolff - the Monsanto shill who approved a stealth milk labeling ban last year - says he is in talks with the Obama Administration for a post at the USDA. That news comes as part of a Friday night news dump - so Bush Administration.
http://www.unbossed.com/index.php?itemid=2409

Hello, my name is Dennis Wolff, and I'm Secretary of Agriculture for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and also owner of Pen-Col Farms.

Today I wanted to talk to you about a new trend I find alarming. It's called "extra labeling" or some call it "fear marketing."

Non-artificial hormone, antibiotic free, and pesticide free are all labels we see on milk cartons today. And they confuse the consumers. It seems to create a good milk, bad milk scenario. And it puts the image of milk at risk.
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/12/4/135520/690/890/669323
Obama's Ag Sec: FAR WORSE Than Previously Thought

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/12/03/AR200812...

kerfluffle going on here...I think it's ok...we don't need to be defensive about it...it's not like we know anything other that what we read...so it makes the blog nicely balanced with information...

he doing that seems to be for the people and what he is doing that seems to be against the people...

*

Bob...

Study Finds Poverty in Mexico at 74.3% - On October 30, La Jornada published the results of a study by a researcher with the National Polytechnic Institute (IPN, its initials in Spanish). It found that poverty increased dramatically, in spite of the expenditure of billions of dollars. This means that there are some 78.1 million Mexicans living in poverty, of which 8 million live in extreme poverty.

...
The mark of our time is a universal conversion of energy - a shift from Fear to Love. In essence it is a re-definition of identity. Contrary to all appearances it is springtime in the Universe. The seeds of human consciousness have slept through the barrenness of a long winter, many preparing to burst asunder to sprout the mighty Tree of Life. Here and there seeds are bursting already and with every passing day more souls promise their awakening by stirring in their sleep.
...

MVS is a resource hog.

always going to slow down a computer that does'nt have massive memory and cpu power.

and that's if you have a a really good broadband connection to begin with.

have you tried here?

http://www.mogulus.com/mvsLive

Fernando...I don't understand the science part and between you and I we could figure out what's being said in the book...The preface suggests the reader try to get through the physics part of the book...I am trying...but I don't get it...I will send you a copy of the book - if you read books.

They're at it again.

Even against a backdrop of economic crisis and real suffering, the religious right is once again whipping up the supposed "war on Christmas."

Sign our petition: we need leadership, not culture wars. http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=9Tr8oGq0oFbXU7ckO...

Just this week, we got word that Utah state senator Chris Buttars is actually championing a resolution that would codify a preference for "Merry Christmas" over "Happy Holidays," and James Dobson and Focus on the Family launched their "I stand for Christmas" campaign which encourages consumers to shop at "Christmas Friendly" stores right as Focus laid off nearly 20% of their workforce.

Sign our petition and we'll give it to Dobson and Senator Buttars, letting them know that people of faith are tired of these games.

We'll also keep monitoring the news and will send the petition to other pundits and politicians who waste time on these frivolous issues. With a record number of Americans now on food stamps and thousands being foreclosed on every month, we need our leaders to focus on the issues that really impact our lives, like creating good jobs and making sure people can stay in their homes.

Let's send a strong message: people of faith expect their leaders to work for solutions, not fan the culture wars. These individuals are doing their nation--and their faith tradition--a disservice. Help for those most in need is much closer to the true spirit of the holiday they claim to defend than saying the words "Merry Christmas."

Public figures need to know: in this time of crisis, we can't afford these distractions.

Thanks for all you do (and Happy Holidays!)*,

Beth, Katie, Dan, Kristin, Jennifer and Ron

The Faithful America Team

*From Middle English "holy day" http://www.yourdictionary.com/holiday
*************************

"The Once and Future Rajah of Bhong."

don't know...

and I'll let you know what how far I get. I can usually understand physics. String theory doesn't scare me.

I'll try that tomorrow.

Getting ready to go to work. Will pop in b4 I leave.

I have a good understanding of Seth Material I think...Never read the Perennial Philosophy, but I have it...Goodie..let's kick it around when you wanna...I want to 'get it' more...

http://brucelipton.com/

Molecular Biologist

"Think beyond your genes..."

A renaissance in cellular biology has recently revealed the molecular mechanisms bridging the mind-body connection. Once thought to be in the domain of the genes, the control of health and behavior are now dynamically linked to the environment, and more importantly, our perception of the environment.

In this transformational online seminar, noted lecturer and cell biologist Dr. Bruce Lipton takes you on a fast-paced journey from the microcosm of the cell to the macrocosm of the mind. Based on his bestselling book, The Biology of Belief, Bruce shares a solid scientific foundation for the “Power of Positive Thinking” and “The Laws of Attraction.” Discover how childhood programming and your “learned” perceptions control your behavior, regulate gene expression, and even contribute to the rewriting of your genetic code. More importantly, Bruce helps you understand why and how you may unconsciously sabotage your deepest desires for health, happiness, and prosperity.

feel safer with so many dead Iraqi and Afghani citizens?

Is Wolf on CNN or Fox now? They're doing a story titled "Will the Supreme Court prevent an Obama presidency" to do with that whole birth certifcate case...

William Blum is right..what's with all the vote first ask questions later crap?

I am happy to be in Blum's company as far as voting for Nader tho...

Its like look, Obama is a far right candidate especially to pro workers movements and Human rights activists

However He is green....

and He seems to follow the rule of law.

But I dunno, his cabinet is full of war criminals.

blood for money

I just cant believe the soldiers

yet you destroy an economy ppl get desperate

Trained Killers Crazy Mercenaries

CIA trained paramilitarys.

Wow, its nuckin Futz

Does Iran's President Want Israel Wiped Off The Map - Does He Deny The Holocaust?

An analysis of media rhetoric on its way to war against Iran - Commenting on the alleged statements of Iran's President Ahmadinejad .

By Anneliese Fikentscher and Andreas Neumann
Translation to English: Erik Appleby

http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article12790.htm

RNC Chairman: GOP Senator’s Reelection In Deep Red State Proves Obama Mandate ‘Nothing But Hot Air’

In a Politico op-ed published today, RNC Chairman Mike Duncan tried to squeeze the maximum propaganda benefit from Tuesday’s reelection of Saxby Chambliss (R-GA). He claimed that the (very predictable) Republican victory “proved” that the 2008 election had not given progressives a mandate, and that the country remained fundamentally conservative:

Georgians refuted any notion that the ideology of the country has shifted to the left. They supported the candidate who believes that people should keep their hard-earned dollars; that every American resource should be leveraged to address our energy crisis; that the role of judges is to interpret the Constitution; and that America must be vigilant against the very real threats to our nation and its citizens.

Notably, Chambliss won in spite of strong support by President-elect Obama and Democrat organizations for Jim Martin. Georgian’s [sic] clearly sent a message that any rhetoric about a liberal mandate is nothing but hot air.

The reelection of a sitting Republican senator in a deeply red state came as surprise to no one; in fact, the competitiveness of Chambliss’s Democratic challenger was far more unexpected.

However, Fox Business host Neil Cavuto suggested yesterday that Chambliss’s win was “a sign that voters are already reconsidering the Democratic victory they gave the country last month.” Yet when pressed by Phil Singer, the former head of communications for Hillary Clinton, even Cavuto had to admit the Republican victory was not “a rejection of anything bigger here.”

As staunch conservative Charles Krauthammer noted yesterday on Fox News, “If the Republicans can’t win a straight up Senate race in Georgia, they ought to disband and join a country club.”

~-~-~

Apparently, many misunderstand the whole idea of "change." By "change," Obama means bringing in people who *aren't* idiots.

I'ma be taped tonight. Was crunching the numbers earlier and figured out I'm going to be seen by up to 30,000 people.

Got my ankle brace on already :) Feels great!

Don't say 'break a leg!'

we don't need to be defensive about it.

~-~-~

Well, if I overreacted to something gd posted about the predictiable Georgia Senate race then whatev. I clearly disagreed with the use of the word "fraud" re: Obama.

...BUT... when gd gave actual credibility to anything Wado had posted, well, that was the proverbial straw.

Sorry A, but one can only stoop so low. ;-p

~-~-~

Apparently, many misunderstand the whole idea of "change." By "change," Obama means bringing in people who *aren't* idiots.

Australia MPs 'face breath tests'

Politicians in an Australian state could be breathalysed before voting after reports of bad behaviour by MPs.

In the latest incident, New South Wales MP Andrew Fraser resigned from his frontbench role after shoving a female MP after attending a Christmas party.

In September, state police minister Matt Brown resigned after allegedly dancing in his underpants at a drunken party in his parliamentary office.

Several MPs have now backed a proposal to supply breath test kits.

"Honestly, if you are going to have breathalysers for people driving cranes you should have breathalysers for people writing laws," New South Wales Greens MP John Kaye told the Sydney-based Daily Telegraph newspaper.

Barry O'Farrell, leader of the coalition opposition, said he would gladly submit to an alcohol test before entering parliament.

And the Speaker Richard Torbay said he would have no problem with the idea as long as tests were voluntary.

'High standards'

"I think it is important to establish high standards that the community expects," Mr Torbay told the Telegraph.

Health minister John Della Bosca said that, in his experience, MPs took their obligations seriously. But he said he had no objections to installing a breathalyser machine in the parliament bar.

The Daily Telegraph also joined the debate, running a front page headline "Breath test this mob" and writing in an editorial: "If our politicians are drunk on the job, we've a right to know."

Support for the idea has also come from the Rail, Bus and Tram Union, which said MPs should undergo the same tests as its members.

"All rail workers are subjected to random drug and alcohol tests, an infringement on their personal lives that they are told is necessary due to the safety-critical nature of their work," said secretary Nick Lewocki.

"But driving the state is every bit as safety-critical, and decisions our politicians make on issues as diverse as health, education and transport policy do affect public lives."

The altercation involving Mr Fraser, an opposition MP, happened on Tuesday night when he was involved in a heated exchange with Labour MP John Aquilina.

When Mr Fraser's National Party colleague Katrina Hodgkinson tried to intervene, he shoved her away.

NSW National Party leader Andrew Stoner told the Sydney Morning Herald that Mr Fraser had earlier been at the NSW Farmers Federation Christmas drinks party, although Mr Stoner said he did not know if his colleague was drunk.

Mr Fraser is no stranger to parliamentary controversy: in 2005 he was suspended after chasing a minister around the chamber and grabbing him by the shirt before eventually being restrained.

*************************

"The Once and Future Rajah of Bhong."

>>Politicians in an Australian state could be breathalysed before voting

In this country there should be an IQ test...but more than likely they'd do a credit search instead.

*************************

"The Once and Future Rajah of Bhong."

Corker: Their Subsidies Are Socialism, Ours Are Just Good Business?
By: Jane Hamsher Thursday December 4, 2008 12:29 pm 6
diggs
digg it

Listening to the insufferable Bob Corker of Tennessee hector Ron Gettelfinger in the auto industry hearings is getting hard to take. He's demanding that the UAW screw over its pensioners because their reluctance to sacrifice the fund they paid into over a lifetime is somehow making the Detroit auto makers uncompetitive, and says that Republicans will be happy to give the companies money on the condition that they file bankruptcy and tear up their union contracts.

It's all about union busting.

He hasn't mentioned the subsidies his own state of Tennessee has given to foreign automakers, making it harder for the Big 2 1/2 to compete:

Tennessee offered its richest incentive package — and perhaps the most government assistance and tax breaks ever for an American automobile plant — to lure Volkswagen to Chattanooga.

But the state’s chief business recruiter said Wednesday that the benefits from VW’s $1 billion assembly plant far will exceed what could top $500 million in government assistance and tax breaks for the project.

“The Volkswagen investment in this community is going to have a tremendous economic gain for the entire region,” said Matt Kisber, Tennessee’s commissioner for economic and community development. “I’m confident we’re going to have a very reasonable incentive package when you look at the initial costs of what is being offered compared with a much bigger long-term return.”

Yes, that's the logic -- these incentives will bring more money to the region than they cost. But it doesn't always work out that way. Ask South Carolina:

By the late 1990s there were signs that the big giveaway to BMW by South Carolina was exacerbating a fiscal crisis in the state. While the carmaker and other companies were enjoying minimal levels of corporate taxation, the state's schools were falling into greater disrepair and educational achievement was worsening. Funds for other government services such as highway maintenance and public safety were also in short supply, leading to tax increases for families. "The foreign companies that come in here don't care that the schools are terrible," one philanthropist told a reporter. "They just want the cheap labor. And the incentives are so extraordinary."

As David Cay Johnston noted in Free Lunch, these kinds of subsidies frequently wind up costing communities much more than they ever make back:

Johnson writes: "The tribute Cabela's demanded from Hamburg [Pennsylvania] amounted to roughly $8,000 for each man, woman, and child in town." Johnson points out that between 2004 and 2006, Cabela's earned $223.4 million. During those years, it collected at least $293.7 million in subsidies, more than its reported profits. Meanwhile a family business selling fishing and hunting gear was driven out of business in Hamburg.

Funny nobody is mentioning this.

Bob Casey also takes on the $73 an hour myth that Richard Shelby, John Kyl and others keep repeating. "It's a lie, and they know it's a lie" said Casey.

More here:

http://firedoglake.com/2008/12/04/corker-their-subsidies-are-socialism-o...

I will be interested to see how long it will take before you come to admit the reality of Outcomes...???

Some people pretend all thier lives...

You wouldn't do that, would you Boi..???

Prime: FNC: 494 | CNN: 348 | MSNBC: 496 | HLN: 306

The points to notice:

1. Keith beat O'Leilly

2. Rachel beat H&C

WTG Rachel! :)

~-~-~

Apparently, many misunderstand the whole idea of "change." By "change," Obama means bringing in people who *aren't* idiots.

Off to work.

Read my open mic GBC

http://www.samsedershow.com/node/4151

Later

>>Some people pretend all thier lives...

if THAT ain't the pot calling the kettle black.

At least GBC isn't forced to change his nic (and his POV) every time the political wind shifts.
*************************

"The Once and Future Rajah of Bhong."

When an election hinges on a couple of dozen of ballots missing in a precinct, every fucking vote really does fucking count. What's fascinating is that while Franken's campaign keeps posting about ballots found and lost, Coleman's keeps posting about what a bastard they think Franken is. Also, they're being total assholes about the whole thing, sarcastically calling it "the Great Minnesota Recount." Yeah, take that, democracy, you bitch; Norm Coleman is calling you out.

Predictably, conservatives' heads are collectively exploding over the threat of counting votes. In her latest "column" (if by "column," you mean, "the soap scum, semen, and filth-encrusted hair you pull from a clogged bathtub drain"), Ann Coulter predictably attacks Franken and the "suspicious" fact that ballots keep getting discovered in Democratic-leaning precincts. Of course, one can spin that to look suspicious in both directions, but Coulter prefers it as proof that Minnesota Democrats are stealing the election. And then there's this little piece of prime stupid: "Franken can pretend to be generous -- by not demanding that all rejected absentee ballots be counted -- while in fact being manipulative -- by requesting that only the ballots with votes for him be counted." Um...Franken wanted all the uncounted rejected ballots reviewed, and that's what the state is doing.

It's hilarious, watching Bill O'Reilly spit and froth over whatever shit enters his brain about his pre-Olbermann arch-nemesis (eeevil George Soros is involved), or Sean Hannity justify whatever lie he wants to propagate about the recount. The constant refrain is that Franken can't just "accept" the results.

And maybe what Franken's doing is saying back, "Not until the results are in." The saddest part is that, because of 2000 in Florida and 2004 in Ohio, it is a bold and radical statement.

http://rudepundit.blogspot.com/

~-~-~

Apparently, many misunderstand the whole idea of "change." By "change," Obama means bringing in people who *aren't* idiots.

I don't change...

Barack changes...

Hillary changes...

The 3% comes over to the 97%...

War and Taxes go on forever...

Outcomes are clear...

What I am waiting for is a 3% candidate to win something..

Then you won't have to pretend at all...!

me think that..with the Obama oil tax thingie..and your found article said the opposite of the ones me and ghetto saw...so I was thinking, hey that's good cuz we can see both sides then...and not have to be attached to either 'outcome' (sorry!)

Franken says he'll drop 633 challenges in recount

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gMpTmr96V5hKIfyHT4Av4j...

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Democrat Al Franken withdrew 633 challenges to ballots Wednesday in Minnesota's U.S. Senate race in what could be a first step toward a quicker conclusion to the recount.

Franken's attorney, Marc Elias, said many more withdrawals are likely. An attorney for Republican Norm Coleman said he may follow suit soon.

Any reduction in the pile of challenged ballots — more than 6,000 so far — will alleviate work for the canvassing board that meets Dec. 16 to begin examining those ballots.

Coleman defeated Franken in the election by 215 votes, a margin so small that it triggered an automatic recount.

By Wednesday night, Coleman led by 316 votes, according to recount totals posted by Minnesota's secretary of state. But that apparent lead was far overshadowed by the thousands of ballots challenged by the two campaigns.

Each candidate has challenged about the same number of votes.

Senate recount: Coleman campaign withdraws 650 ballot challenges

http://www.startribune.com/politics/national/senate/35541229.html?elr=KA...
U.S. Sen. Norm Coleman's campaign said today it was withdrawing 650 ballot challenges in the Senate recount, roughly matching the number of withdrawals announced Wednesday by Democrat Al Franken.

Fritz Knaak, Coleman's lead recount attorney, also said he had today asked to meet with the Franken campaign to try to further reduce the thousands of challenges filed by the two campaigns.

The withdrawals by both sides -- the first since the recount began -- comes as the recount is set to finish Friday and the state canvassing board is schduled to meet Dec.16.

Knaak said today's announcement came after Coleman personally instructed him to take the action, and was in part a response to Franken's withdrawals.

*************************

"The Once and Future Rajah of Bhong."

Save it for someone who reads your posts, WD
*************************

"The Once and Future Rajah of Bhong."

Hahahahahahahaha..

Save What Chubby?

Oh, I watched your video..!!

Dustin Pedroia’s New Deal: Crazy, Stupid, or Genius?

http://www.bostonmagazine.com/boston_daily/2008/12/04/dustin-pedroias-ne...

Who says no to a guaranteed $40 million? No one in their right mind, but then Major League Baseball players have rarely been accused of being in touch with Planet Earth when it comes to their wages.

Dustin Pedroia signed a 6-year, $40.5 million contract yesterday, which at once provides a lifetime of security for a too-small second baseman whom people have questioned since Little League, and which also sells him short, pardon the pun.

There’s a reason why Scott Boras never lets his clients sign before free agency—almost without exception they will make more, and usually a lot more, on the open market. Not coincidentally, that’s also the reason Boras is among the most loathed creatures in all of professional sports.

Pedroia’s is not represented by Boras, obviously, and while his new deal make him a very rich man it also cuts out his chance at free agency for two seasons. That makes it a good, and potentially great, deal for the Red Sox who locked up the league MVP well into the next decade and avoided the ugliness of arbitration hearings.
*************************

"The Once and Future Rajah of Bhong."

what complete and utter weak-ass, do-nothing bullshit looks like, take a look at this:

http://change.gov/newsroom/entry/join_the_discussion_daschles_healthcare...

gottago

In addition, Susan Rice is more than progressive enough on world affairs. Another good sign is that Samantha Power is on the Transition Team, and will have a voice on who in addition is selected to complete Obama's national security team.
=========
These are clintonoids. Very much support hawkish policies. Who bombed Iraq for 8 years? Bombing cities in Serbia because we chose to side with the Kossovars? Clinton Administration committed crimes much like Bushco. It's just that they were smoother at it.

Hi, everyone!

This is Jeff Santos. I just wanted to let everyone know that we are taking an extremely important step toward bringing progressive voices to the Boston airwaves. Every Monday through Friday, beginning on Monday, December 1, 2008, I will be broadcasting my talk show live on WWZN (1510 AM) from 6 to 9 a.m., and Peter B. Collins will be heard live on the same station from 6 to 9 p.m. You can also hear our shows by streaming live from the following website:

http://www.1510wwzn.com/ (click "Listen Live")

You can hear Peter B. Collins from his own website as well:

http://www.peterbcollins.com/

We'd love to hear from you, so please call into both shows:

Jeff Santos Show: 1-617-237-1234
Peter B. Collins: 1-888-5PETERB (1-888-573-8372)

We will add another national show in January. Our goal is to have a 24/7 lineup of progressive voices in Boston in the very near future. Stay tuned for further information. Thank you for your continued support! Please tune in and spread the word!

Jeff Santos

The Mad Scientist Bringing Back the Dead.... Really.

http://www.esquire.com/features/best-and-brightest-2008/bringing-back-th...

Bubbling cauldrons, toxic substances, insane and dangerous ideas -- whatever happened to that kind of science? Take a look at Mark Roth in his lab in Seattle. It's mad. It's heroic. It's science the way it's supposed to be. (...)
*************************

"The Once and Future Rajah of Bhong."

Turkey's Sinister Blend of Watergate and the Dreyfus Affair
Inside the Ergenekon Case

By ECE TEMELKURAN

Turkey is facing a new round in her relationship with democracy. Opponents of the Islamic governing party, known as the AK for the initials of its Turkish name, are being accused being members of a secret state gang called Ergenekon. The trials in this case, which are expected to last for years, began last month. The sinister undertow portends the likelihood that Turkey is about to experience its own version of a 'colored revolution'.

A few weeks ago in Diyarbak?r, in the Kurdish region of Turkey, a prominent Kurdish intellectual said: ‘Maybe I should appear as a commentator on the Ergenekon case’. Putting on a sour, hesitant face she carried on: ‘Since my husband’s assassin is still unknown I can be counted as a victim of deep state like many other Kurdish and Turkish leftists.’ The group of well-known intellectuals from both ethnicities gathered round the table were silent; nobody knew how to respond. Those who had for years been vocal about any political issue were now, like many of their peers, speechless.

That is why one should be warned about the Ergenekon case. Since the Ergenekon case represents the advanced level of classical Turkish chaos, this is not a good time to start learning about Turkey unless you are experienced in this ‘lonely and beloved country’. Of course, it makes the story easier if you are promoting a certain political engagement such as Kemalism or political Islam, but if you want to maintain a leftist stance on the Ergenekon case, there starts the hesitation, silence and confusion. And unfortunately this messy, pervasive state of mind has arisen at one of the most important cross-roads of not only Turkish political history but also the Middle East.
www.counterpunch.org

Feeding the Bern Bear!

I violated an oath today. No, it wasn't the "I won't engage in conversation with The Body Of No oath, though I have violated it too many times to count.

It was the "I won't listen to the Rush Limbaugh Show because I've been there...done that" oath. In my defense, I was installing fiberglass insulation...so, subconsciously, maybe I decided that physical misery should be conjoined with mental misery?

Among the myriad of absurdities uttered by a man who amazes me only in his ability to sell air time by repeating long-discredited and hateful nonsense was this: Congress doesn't know anything about business and the economy yet its members sit in judgement of the CEO's of the three major auto industries.

In answer to Limbaugh's foolishness I say this:

toniD, whose greatest skill is culinary despite her arthritic handicap, and Fernando whose greatest skill is being an okay guy despite being handicapped as a Texan, both predicted the drastic downturn in the economy which, one can safely assume, would include the auto industry.

Last I checked, neither toniD nor Fernando is drawing CEO pay at the helm of any of the Big Three U.S. automakers.

(Here is where I wrap up my anti-Limbaugh argument argument.) If toniD and Fernando figured it out long ago, then certainly Congress is entitled to ask why the CEO's of the Big Three did not?

Limbaugh, in his typically unchallenged rant, blamed CAFE standards and the like, all of which originated from government regulations decreed by Congress. Notably absent from his rant is the ability of foreign automobile manufacturers to consistently build and sell automobiles that exceed the CAFE standards outside of the long arm of the U.S. Congress.

I honestly don't understand how Limbaugh draws an audience despite my low opinion of the intellect of the average American? Sure, there will always be a few War Dogs who are eternally thankful for Velcro straps on their tennis shoes, but I'd like to think that even the shoestring-challenged would eventually come to the realization that they are being used by a pandering asshole who laughs all of the way to the bank.

...or to the Denny's parking lot.

the whole day got nice.

One thing leads to another.

Think meatball!!!

fear, greed and stupidity is the answer.

but you knew that.

the better question is what's the corollary?

i'd guess love, patience, compassion, and a healthy sense of humor make progress in the right direction.

Submitted by Sunshine Jim on Thu, 12/04/2008 - 9:26pm.
fear, greed and stupidity is the answer.
------
Uh, prey on the stupid because their fear fuels Limbaugh's greed?

Yeah, that's pretty much the whole ball of wax.

Don't get me started on religion. You'll thank me for it later.

I know times are tough down in the knobs, none the less for $7.00 a month you can listen to XM...

You could pay for that by picking up pop bottles on the side of the road...

But I do love that you are drawn to Rush...

This is twice you have tuned in since I have had a chance to listen to Rush..

I think you have a dirty little habit growing...

Hahahahahahahahaha...

I had a great sexual experience in a Denny's parking lot!

TMI??

(You have no idea!)

Evening bloggi!

When did it become fashionable for guys to mix clothing patterns?

Herringbone jacket, pin-striped shirt, polka-dotted tie? (Or some combo thereof)

Did I miss something?

>>Feeding the Bern Bear!

Genius!!! A cinematographic accomplishment of the highest order!

Author, Author!!!
*************************

"The Once and Future Rajah of Bhong."

Thanks Chubbs.

He was cool, for a bear in a pit. Old retired circus bear, I think.

He'd just sit and put his front paws together like he was praying, begging for the fruit/bear feed we'd throw to him. Like a dog, if you held up your hands like that, then withheld the food, he'd mimic you to get some.

As seen in the vid, I tried to be neighborly, letting the young French girl throw something down. But she wasn't into it, or not a good throw, or whatever. You can see him hunting for the dropped pieces for some time.

But yeah, after stopping there and at a Swiss Tierpark (farm/zoo) we had to lie to Passport control..."no, no where near farm animals, officer"

>>He was cool, for a bear in a pit. Old retired circus bear, I think.

I don't know why, but that reminds me of `The World According to Garp'.

My recent Youtube experiences have made me really appreciate bloggers like yourself who share pics and videos. I think it really helps figure out who these people I spend way too much time with really are.

or at least it helps fill in the gaps.
*************************

"The Once and Future Rajah of Bhong."

Submitted by OBAMAS 97 PERCENT on Thu, 12/04/2008 - 9:42pm.
...This is twice you have tuned in since I have had a chance to listen to Rush..
-----
Above is a typical example of your incapability with the English language, War Dog. Perhaps you can explain how your sentence makes sense?

Aside from your cerebral shortcomings, be advised that I was busy cutting and fitting insulation when I realized that the radio was fully fifteen minutes into the Focus On The Family show. After a twist of the dial and a reascension onto the scaffold, Mr. Hillbilly Heroin graced me with his hateful nonsense.

And one more thing. War Dog never missed an opportunity to comment when I mentioned hearing Rush Limbaugh.

You are a child. Consider yourself lucky that you found a blue collar job that was sufficient to pay your way through life. Wits and creativity ain't your bailiwick.

Of course, Harold has the advantage of a great camera and lots of interesting travels to draw on.

I can't believe how underviewed your videos are! I've bookmarked your page and promise to watch them as time allows.

You really need to pimp your work, Harold...Your's is not a light to be hidden under a basket.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/hdj/
*************************

"The Once and Future Rajah of Bhong."

I was busy cutting and fitting insulation

----

Hahahahahahaha..

Good-times.. fittin insulation... New tar paper on the outside too...???

Rush doesn't fix well into this timezone...

But I do miss him!

While you are one of the millions of ditto-heads listening to Rush, I sometimes get to be one of the 400 listening to Sam...

Times are tough all over...!

Submitted by Chubby Bubba on Thu, 12/04/2008 - 10:24pm.
Of course, Harold has the advantage of a great camera and lots of interesting travels to draw on.
-----
Sometimes a rainy day excursion in a wiperless Volvo is as interesting as travelling can be.

When did you ever assume I'm part of your mythical 3% Dawg?

And you didn't answer my question. Like you never do. Why, if the Democrats destroyed the economy by being elected in '06, would the country vote a demoract into the WH, plus gains in the house and senate in '08?

Simple. YOU CAN'T.

Don't assume I'm part of of something that exists only in your mind.

Besides, if scientific studies are correct, and I realize that goes against your "intelligent design where men road dinosaurs like horses" argument, I'm part of the 10%.

Look it up, you fucking moron.

~-~-~

Alice, I know I know... I'm just beyond irritated someone like gd would give ANY validity to Wardog on this blog.

That pissed me off. Sorry, but it did.

~-~-~

Apparently, many misunderstand the whole idea of "change." By "change," Obama means bringing in people who *aren't* idiots.

>>This is twice you have tuned in since I have had a chance to listen to Rush..

Well...I think we need to dissect the sucker to parse it's meaning...

first, lets juggle the sentence fragments to see if it helps...

'since I have had a chance to listen to Rush, This is twice you have tuned in'...

and now substitute for that pesky `since'...

`Because I have had a chance to listen to Rush, this is twice you have tuned in'

now let's get rid of the passive voice and redundant words...

`Because I listen to Rush, this is twice you have tuned in'

simplified again...

`Because I listen to Rush, you have tuned in twice.'

You see? He is claiming credit for you listening to Rush!

*************************

"The Once and Future Rajah of Bhong."

Ya, and Jesus is coming to do my laundry.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/12/04/the-onion-bashes-bush-lit_n_148...

The Onion Bashes Bush (Literally)

HuffPost | Dan Duray | December 4, 2008 11:07 AM

For the past few weeks, the popular satire newspaper The Onion has been running stories in this briefs section that put the outgoing president through massive physical trauma... and then forgo a punchline.

The most recent example:

KANSAS CITY, MO--President Bush sustained serious head injuries, massive internal bleeding, and a broken left leg Monday morning after being accidentally dragged behind the presidential motorcade for a period of 15 minutes. According to Secret Service spokesman Ed Donovan, Bush's necktie became caught in the trunk of the motorcade's second vehicle at 4:13 p.m., shortly before the driver accelerated. The president was dragged down 175th Street for 26 blocks and through four stoplights, leaving a trail of blood more than a mile long. Upon hearing shouts emanating from behind his vehicle, the driver abruptly applied the brakes, causing the third car in the motorcade to run over the president's left leg at a speed of approximately 25 miles per hour. President Bush is resting comfortably in Bethesda Naval Hospital.

In the weeks leading up to the above story, President Bush has fallen down the stairs of the Washington Monument, had his arm taken off by a crocodile, and passed a three-pound kidney stone.

>>Sometimes a rainy day excursion in a wiperless Volvo is as interesting as travelling can be.

2 L's in traveling? OK...I'll take your word for it ;)

Was that `wiperless Volvo' or `Viperless Wolvo'?

but seriously, that drive would have been really bad video. except for the close ups of my white knuckles as I chain-smoke and try to make out just what those pointilized bits of light on the windshield ought to be.

The worst part of the trip was when a semi would pass in the lane next to me. The spray made me look for the reflective `turtles' on the left side of the lane (and slow way the fuck down) to see how the road curved. It worked well enough until the time one passed as I was approaching to a ramp merging with the freeway. Fortunately, there was no traffic on it and the worst I had to deal with was a few moments of not knowing exactly where I was in my lane.

*************************

"The Once and Future Rajah of Bhong."

Oh, you are part of the 3%...

No doubt about that one...!

6% difference between Obama and McCain...

Now Obama has becomes McCain...

The numbers swing from one side of the 97% to the other...

But never leave the Center...

Nothing changes...

Not even Prop 8 on the Left Coast...

How 97% can it get..??

Submitted by OBAMAS 97 PERCENT on Thu, 12/04/2008 - 10:28pm.
Good-times.. fittin insulation... New tar paper on the outside too...???
----
Nope. The exterior skin is v-grooved one-by-eight cedar lap siding surrounding six windows taller than you are. The entire wall was removed and is in the process of being replaced including wiring in conduit that would pass most of the municipal codes in the U.S.

But you wouldn't understand. This stuff comes easily to anyone with a three digit I.Q. and a modicum of mechanical aptitude.

Submitted by Chubby Bubba on Thu, 12/04/2008 - 10:47pm.
2 L's in traveling? OK...I'll take your word for it ;)
-----
It goes either way. I switch back and forth indiscriminately. The double-L is rapidly falling out of favor.

>>The double-L is rapidly falling out of favor.

you mean "falling out of favour?" ;)
*************************

"The Once and Future Rajah of Bhong."

To measure another bikers condition on a steep hill you listen to his respiration as you pass him on the climb..

In your video, you breath like a you are climbing the Continental Divide, but you are walking in the yard at sea level..

Might be time to get to work on that...

Just sayin..

maybe I won't go there after all...
*************************

"The Once and Future Rajah of Bhong."

Submitted by Chubby Bubba on Thu, 12/04/2008 - 11:01pm.
you mean "falling out of favour?" ;)
------
At long last, another Anglophile!

>>At long last, another Anglophile!

Why, it's my favourite colour and/or flavour!
*************************

"The Once and Future Rajah of Bhong."

Wow... so touchy...

It's just that the last time I was down your way I notice most of the Tar Paper had been rubbed off the lower 4 feet of most of the houses...

I ask a guy at the feed store and he told me, "The damn hogs like to rub up against the house and ya gotta replace it every year."

He said they call it Barry County Siding..!!!

6% difference between Obama and McCain...

Would make 94%, not 97%, if you are basing your claim on 100% of Americans actually giving a shit.

Now Obama has becomes McCain...

Becomes? Becoming? Became? Bewitched?

The numbers swing from one side of the 97% to the other...

Oh! THAT'S where the 3% get their power! In that brief interim in swinging back and forth between 97% and 97%!

But never leave the Center...

Center-right! Center-right! C'mon! You just won a senate seat in Georgia fer Chrissakes! This PROVES the nation is center-right!

Nothing changes...

You'll die someday. And Jesus has some pretty harsh words about how you've treated his fellow men...

Not even Prop 8 on the Left Coast...

How 97% can it get..??

Uh, the final tally was 52% to 48%. How do you equate that to your 97% argument?

Do you not see the futility in your own ... oh, nevermind.

~-~-~

Apparently, many misunderstand the whole idea of "change." By "change," Obama means bringing in people who *aren't* idiots.

Submitted by OBAMAS 97 PERCENT on Thu, 12/04/2008 - 11:11pm.
It's just that the last time I was down your way I notice most of the Tar Paper had been rubbed off the lower 4 feet of most of the houses...
----
Those are your bootstrap Republican, conservative, undereducated, god-fearing, Protestant Christian, Missouri brethren that you are denigrating.

They love war and hate taxes.

I picked up a guy and he felt me up....I remember the blouse I was wearing..I was 14. It was not very much fun for me.

That is my political statement for the day....

GBC,

For what it's worth, I climbed down off of the scaffolding to turn off the radio when Limbaugh started doing "Barney Frank is a queen" jokes.

...talk about playing to the lowest common denominator.

>>for me it was a bobs big boy in Glendale

what brought on this sudden disclosure?

Maybe Wardog's posting so much reminded you of boobs? ;)
*************************

"The Once and Future Rajah of Bhong."

I have no doubt your friends, neighbors, and relatives are of the highest quality.

The salt of the earth so to speak...

Ain't no shame in cinder blocks nor tar paper...

for me it was a bobs big boy in Glendale
Submitted by mhappenow on Thu, 12/04/2008 - 11:32pm.
I picked up a guy and he felt me up....
------
Is "bobs big boy" a franchise or a euphemism?

I can't blame congresswoman Ros-Lehtinen for hanging up on Obama...even the second time.

How could she be sure Obama wasn't trying to punk her by posing as himself?
*************************

"The Once and Future Rajah of Bhong."

musing about Denny's. That is about as far as I can go with my brain tonight. I don't ever read any of wado's posts and I also dont read any of the responses. My brain is too burnt out to wax politically tonight.

I have pictured your sisters wonderful house many times today. It was such an intimate look, Chubbs.

The house was originally a one roomed school house. It was known (and still is to old timers) as the old Orcas school house.

When they moved in, the place had horrible orange wall paper in the living room.
*************************

"The Once and Future Rajah of Bhong."

Geithner Seeks to Push FDIC’s Bair Out After Clashes (Update1)
By Robert Schmidt

Dec. 4 (Bloomberg) -- Timothy Geithner, President-elect Barack Obama’s choice for U.S. Treasury Secretary, is seeking to push Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. Chairman Sheila Bair out of office.

Geithner, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, has argued Bair isn’t a team player and is too focused on protecting her agency rather than the financial system as a whole, according to two congressional officials and a person familiar with his thinking. Bair has battled with Geithner and fellow regulators over aid to Citigroup Inc. and other emergency actions, making her enemies in the Bush administration.

“The idea of having an independent actor on the stage with you who might not be singing the same tune can make you nervous,” said Wayne Abernathy, a former Treasury official who is now executive vice president with the American Bankers Association in Washington. “They recognize that she’s a very independent person.”

It isn’t clear that Obama would ask Bair to step down. Such a move would be fraught with political risk for the new administration, especially on Capitol Hill, where Bair’s campaign to rework mortgages for struggling homeowners has won respect from top lawmakers, including Senate Banking Committee Chairman Christopher Dodd and Barney Frank, his counterpart in the House.

Bair’s spokesman Andrew Gray said the chairman supports the Geithner nomination and is continuing to focus on the work of the FDIC. Obama’s transition spokeswoman Stephanie Cutter had no comment.

Obama Plan

Even if Bair remains at the FDIC, the Obama economic team has decided that she won’t play a central role in policy, the people said. While Bair, like Obama, has favored aid for Main Street as well as Wall Street, the new administration will have its own plan to help the millions of people facing eviction from their homes. It will also have its own team to run the government’s $700 billion bailout program, they added.

Pushing out the head of the FDIC, which oversees more than 5,000 banks and savings institutions, would clash with the pledges made by Obama’s own transition team. Bair has become the most prominent Republican regulator, and the incoming administration has promised to give Republicans important jobs.

“You’ll see Republicans again, in his administration, not just a token member in the Cabinet, but you’ll see them spread throughout the administration,” transition director John Podesta said in an interview with Bloomberg Television last week.

Frank Proposal

Bair, who was appointed by President George W. Bush to a term as chairman that ends in 2011, has been lobbying behind the scenes for a stepped-up role in the Obama administration. Frank, a Massachusetts Democrat, has suggested that she be named to a special post to oversee government-wide programs to stop foreclosures.

Bair “brings a lot of credibility” on crafting ideas to ease the mortgage crisis, said Kevin Petrasic, a former Office of Thrift Supervision official who now works at law firm Paul, Hastings, Janofsky & Walker in Washington.

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=washingtonstory&sid=aTFflUwD.Qbg

Remember that recorder to help me "be a better blogger"?

It came today and I wanted to test it. So naturally I ticked off my daughter and asked her to make noise while she was studying. I told her why I needed the noise but that it wasn't just any noise I needed. I told her I wanted to check the fidelity of the noise. So she made some noise. here it is.

This is the kind of music she listens to all day long...

>>Network Timeout

>>The server at www.rancholaluna.net is taking too long to respond.

>> The requested site did not respond to a connection request and the browser has stopped waiting for a reply.

* Could the server be experiencing high demand or a temporary outage? Try again later.
* Are you unable to browse other sites? Check the computer's network connection.
* Is your computer or network protected by a firewall or proxy? Incorrect settings can interfere with Web browsing.
* Still having trouble? Consult your network administrator or Internet provider for assistance.

RATS!!!
*************************

"The Once and Future Rajah of Bhong."

are you sure about that URL, Ferd?

http://www.rancholaluna.net//MEDIA/STE-001.wav
*************************

"The Once and Future Rajah of Bhong."

nice guitar, especially in the beginning

http://www.mercurynews.com/crime/ci_11141595

Police chief is charged in boy's death at gun fair

...The Oct. 26 death at the Machine Gun Shoot and Firearms Expo at the Westfield Sportsman's Club horrified the region and provoked outcry from parents, lawmakers, and some gun enthusiasts who condemned it as a senseless tragedy.

In the event, the 8-year-old's father, Dr. Charles Bizilj, stood 10-feet behind his son while the boy aimed at a pumpkin with an automatic weapon that fires 1,700 rounds a minute and is notoriously difficult to handle. When Christopher squeezed the trigger, the gun jerked out of control and fired a bullet into the right side of his head...

it's in wave form right off the recorder. It's not a particularly good audio for content but you definitely see what the recorder can do.

Boy was she pissed off when I distracted her. But after she gets to picking on it her mood changes.

>>nice guitar, especially in the beginning

not the youtube video, but the .wav file.

since I haven't heard it yet I can't be sure it isn't the one you mean.

I just rebooted in case it was a resource overload. but I think I'm having a hard time getting to the site.

there it is!

and there IS guitar music!
*************************

"The Once and Future Rajah of Bhong."

>>n the event, the 8-year-old's father, Dr. Charles Bizilj, stood 10-feet behind his son while the boy aimed at a pumpkin with an automatic weapon that fires 1,700 rounds a minute and is notoriously difficult to handle.

and this guy is a Doctor of some sort!?!

To think my neice was all freaked out about her 16 year old son because he was target shooting .22s with his cousin and his friends over the weekend.

I can't really understand...let 8 year old fire automatic weapons (with only one hand!) under the "supervision" of a 15 year old?

and as a father you stand and watch?

I mean, he should have at very least told the kid to hold it with 2 hands for at least the first shot.

But, that's not all of it, as there was plenty of blame to go around.
*************************

"The Once and Future Rajah of Bhong."

Crank, the truly disturbing thing about your story is there is no shortage of stories like that.

On any given day there's at least half a dozen stupid stories, although not as mind-blowing as your's.
*************************

"The Once and Future Rajah of Bhong."

Bait: "A resource overload is a bad thing?"

Crown Prince Abdullah: "Not in my book."

Cruise ship stranded in Antarctic

A cruise ship carrying 122 people has run aground on the Antarctic coast, the Argentine navy has reported.

Admiral Daniel Martin said the Panama-registered ship, the Ushuaia, was leaking fuel and that a "minimal amount of water" was coming in.

He told local TV that none of the passengers had been hurt and the ship was not in danger of sinking.

The navy said another passenger ship in the area was on its way to rescue those on board.

Argentina and Chile are both reported to be sending a rescue mission to the Ushuaia, which is carrying 89 passengers and 33 crew members. Their nationalities were not immediately known.

"The aim is to get the passengers off as soon as possible and this they're going to do with the Atlantic Dream, which will soon be arriving there," said Adm Martin, referring to the vessel making its way to the stricken ship.

The head of the Argentine National Antarctica Directorate, Mariano Memolli, said the ship ran aground in Wilhelmina Bay, a peninsula stretching towards the southern tip of South America.

Tourist travel to Antarctica is believed to have increased five-fold in the last 15 years.

During 2006-7, more than 37,000 visited the region, according to figures from the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators (IAATO). Most of those visitors arrived by sea.

The organisation has expressed concern that some vessels are not adequately strengthened for icy seas.

This increases the risk of serious accidents and the risk of an oil spillage if a ship is damaged.

A year ago, 150 people had to be evacuated to lifeboats when their ship hit an iceberg close to the South Shetland Islands in the Antarctic Ocean and started sinking.

The 2,400-tonne M/S Explorer had sustained a hole in its hull and eventually sank. All those on board were picked up by a nearby ship.

"The Once and Future Rajah of Bhong."

Cool Fernando & Daughter.. :)

As like,just about everything:
You know what they say,practice,practice,practice..

She sounded good.. :)
Let her get warmed up a little bit,then tape her..

I'd like to hear more of her..
Tell her to keep it up..
**
What type of recorder did you get ?
Multi-Track ?
Can you record in Mp3 format,too ?

I need to get one too,Big time..
Most of them are so expensive though.. :(

"Hello to our friends and fans in domestic surveillance."

Net speed rules come into force

Customers will be better informed about the speed of their net connection under new rules.

The Ofcom-backed code of practice has won pledges from net firms to give more information about line speeds.

Net firms covering 95% of the UK's broadband users have signed up to the voluntary scheme which comes into force on 5 December.

Over the next six months Ofcom will monitor net firms to ensure they live up to their promises.

No penalty

The code of conduct was drawn up in response to research that suggested consumers were confused by adverts that promised broadband speeds that few consumers could achieve.

Almost a quarter of people do not get the speed they expect, according to early results from Ofcom research, which is due to be published in full in 2009.

The code requires net firms to:

• Give new customers an accurate estimate of the maximum speed their line can support.

• Explain how technical issues could slow speeds and give advice about how to combat these problems.

• Downgrade a customer's deal, at no penalty, if line speeds are a lot lower than the original estimate.

Customers must also get timely warnings if they breach the data download caps that many net firms impose on customers.

Consumers can check whether their net firm has signed up to the code of practice via the Ofcom website.

Anna Bradley, chair of Ofcom's Communications Consumer Panel, welcomed the code.

"The new code will help consumers make better informed choices," she said in a statement.

"It addresses the concerns that we raised with Ofcom and the ISPs last year about broadband speeds - about the mismatch between the speeds that consumers think they are buying and what they actually get."
*************************

"The Once and Future Rajah of Bhong."

>>Customers will be better informed about the speed of their net connection under new rules

Don't worry, this could never happen in America.

Not with the telcoms bills they pass in congress. We'd be more likely to see a law telling us it is none of our business if we aren't getting the performance promised.
*************************

"The Once and Future Rajah of Bhong."

>>Customers will be better
Submitted by Chubby Bubba on Fri, 12/05/2008 - 1:11am.
*******

So True,Chubbs !
**
How ya doing ?

"Hello to our friends and fans in domestic surveillance."

I'm doing OK, how about you?
*************************

"The Once and Future Rajah of Bhong."

- Zoom H2 MMR.

And it's an amazing mp3 player too. This thing rocks, it takes an SD card and records in wav and variable bit rates. Its available for less than $160 on the net. I'm thinking maybe I can get Alejandra to play her piano too.

CAT PRIN -- the tailor for a cat you know -- it is -- fact which will become dearer than former if a cat has clothes on

http://www.petoffice.co.jp/catprin/english/#usagi

Don't you doubt? "Although I want to dress with dress extravagant with my cat, doesn't a cat dislike having" clothes on?
It is impossible that continue for time long to be sure, and you continue dressing a cat. But about [ to which you dress a cat and take a commemorative photo on special days, such as a birthday of a cat, ] is OK.

We want you to enjoy the clothes of the cat of CAT PRIN as follows by the reason for calling it ...

1. You need to dress a cat. And you will say to a cat together with a family. "It has changed just for a moment". [ "it being very dear" or ] You will pass pleasant one time.

2. If a family and a cat become fortunate, you will take a commemorative photo! Therefore, please photo your cat lovelily with much trouble.

3. If it finishes taking a photograph, you will make it remove clothes from a cat immediately. You will say then, without forgetting the language of gratitude to a cat. "-- be flooded -- a way -- good -- having done one's best -- ! -- "

- Costume play article

- Frog transformation set [Be suitable an upper person.]

- Anne of Green Gables is under cleaning. [-- a super-upper person -- turning --]

- The hat of a rabbit [Be suitable an upper person.]
- Shawl of a rabbit [For beginners]

- The hat of Leopard [Be suitable an upper person.]
Shawl of Leopard [For beginner - Shawl of Leopard [For beginners]

- Blouse & shirt
- Young lady blouse [For beginners] - necktie shirt - foppish [Be suitable a middle-class person.]
- Sailor color [Be suitable a middle-class person.]

- Fashion miscellaneous goods
- Tippett of a Dalmatian pattern [Be suitable a middle-class person.]

*************************

"The Once and Future Rajah of Bhong."

torture should be defined more broadly.

It's a
new
Submitted by Fernando on Fri, 12/05/2008 - 1:20am.
- Zoom H2 MMR.

**
Oh..Is it just 1 track ?

Piano is cool..
Wish I could p1ay the keys better..
Never learned to read music..
But,I can sometimes make something sound ok
on piano..Thx.. :)

"Hello to our friends and fans in domestic surveillance."

I have yet to read the manual.
I'm such a kid with these things.

I think so MMR
Submitted by Fernando on Fri, 12/05/2008 - 1:40am.
I have yet to read the manual.
I'm such a kid with these things.
*******
You gave me the link..
I just need to get off me ass & check it out..
Have to go to the store first..

They come out with new crazy sh*t every day..
Don't worry..It's hard to keep up with it all.. :)

"Hello to our friends and fans in domestic surveillance."

>>[Be suitable a middle-class person.]

may have learned English from Wardog.
*************************

"The Once and Future Rajah of Bhong."

another day down as we head for the equinox.

evening gang, good on ya!

>>1. You need to dress a cat. And you will say to a cat together with a family. "It has changed just for a moment". [ "it being very dear" or ] You will pass pleasant one time.

is this a threat? a threat of passing away pleasantly?

or a warning about dying in one's sleep after dressing up your cat?

perhaps at the hands of a disgruntled cat?
*************************

"The Once and Future Rajah of Bhong."

hey, Jim, what'd you do today?
*************************

"The Once and Future Rajah of Bhong."

how da fishys?

Sushi yet?

http://www.reciva.com ?

It has NOVA M & AAR & a bunch of other good stations.

the fish are doing really good.

why don't you bring that fancy new recorder over and ask them yourself?

I am planning a video of them eating, loosely based on the works of Akira Kurosawa.

look for it soon!
*************************

"The Once and Future Rajah of Bhong."

I really liked the bunny cages btw. I felt like we were taking a walk with you in your video. That was good stuff.

cleaning the shop and the yard,

playing with the doggers, reading a good book and making dinner.

simple stuff, easy to do and satisfying.

I just finished a shoot and am uploading the video.

I ran into a problem w/the shot. fed the fish then muffed the first take. by the time I was ready for the next shot the fish had finished their feeding frenzy.

I may go for a second shoot in the morning.
*************************

"The Once and Future Rajah of Bhong."

Been falling behind on my blog reading, current job is sucking up my time and I'm going through serious Internets withdrawal. I'll try to catch up this weekend, but I've got a show Saturday ... Grrr.

Hopefully I'll be back working only part-time for The Man in January, so if my attendance here becomes sparse that's what's up. I'm not like, out cheating with some hot young Other Blog or anything...

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
http://www.vodamusic.com/blog/

All that cash you're sinking into their health care and pensions Chubbby, and they show their thanks by shutting down the set after one take ...
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
http://www.vodamusic.com/blog/

whoa!

how you city folks carry on!

'World Series champ, Rookie of the Year, All-Star, Gold Glove, Silver Slugger Award, MVP, and now a six-year, $40.5 million contract that will keep him in a Red Sox uniform at least until he’s 32.'

"I probably would have made a lot more money. I understand that, without a doubt. But I’m here in a place that I love. My family loves it. They treat us unbelievable. It’s like a family here. I’m happy with this, extremely excited. My wife is excited. My parents are ecstatic. I want to be here. I want to play for the Red Sox. I don’t want to play for anyone else."

http://telegram.com/article/20081204/NEWS/812040700/1009
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
http://www.vodamusic.com/blog/

my Other blog is a delivery truck. :)
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MARLBORO— Ever since Max Wallack saw homeless people living on streets and beneath underpasses and highways during a visit to Chicago as a 6-year-old, he has felt an obligation to help the homeless.

It’s taken him six years, but Max, a high honors ninth-grader at the Advanced Math and Science Academy Charter School in Marlboro, has done just that. The gifted 12-year-old won first place in the national Trash to Treasure contest with his invention, called The Home Dome. The easy-to-assemble dwelling is made entirely of Styrofoam peanuts stuffed into discarded plastic grocery bags tied to a wire frame. It also includes a built-in bed.

Max said his latest invention can be used to improve the living conditions of homeless people, disaster victims or refugees. It also helps the environment by finding a reuse for Styrofoam, one of the most bulky and difficult to dispose of types of trash.
...

'Max’s inventions and successful competitions have earned him close to $40,000.'
...

"I don’t really care about the money. I care about helping people," said Max.

http://www.telegram.com/article/20081204/NEWS/812040738
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http://www.vodamusic.com/blog/

'Solar taxi' goes round the world

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7766249.stm

A solar-powered car has arrived at the UN climate change talks in the Polish city of Poznan after a round-the-world trip covering almost 40 countries.

At the wheel of the "solar taxi" was Swiss teacher Louis Palmer who made the 52,000km (32,000 mile) 17-month trip.

He said the feat proved solar power was a viable alternative to oil-based fuels and could help fight global warming.

But he said the prototype would need serious modification before it could be mass produced.

The small blue-and-white three-wheeler tows a trailer packed with batteries charged by the sun. It can travel for 300km on a single charge and reach speeds of 90km/h (55mph).

"People love this idea of a solar car," Mr Palmer said outside the venue of the UN climate talks. "I hope that the car industry hears...and makes electric cars in future."

Mr Palmer, 36, said the car ran "like a Swiss clock," breaking down only twice during the gruelling trip through 38 nations starting in Lucerne in July 2007.

Passengers included UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, Monaco's Prince Albert, Hollywood filmmaker James Cameron, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Sweden's Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt, he said.

The car runs on solar power but Mr Palmer also had a battery for travel at night or in less sunny nations, such as winter-time Poland, that he recharged from local electricity.

He says the prototype cost as much as two Ferraris to build, but would cost around 10,000 euros ($12,620) if mass produced, with an extra 4,000 euros for solar panels.

Mr Palmer said he now plans to return home: "I promised my mother to be back before Christmas."

But next year, he plans to arrange a trip with six vehicles around the world in 80 days drawing power from sources such as hydro, geothermal and wind energy.

*************************

"The Once and Future Rajah of Bhong."

I got home, ate dinner, sniped the blog with my Denny's post and fell asleep...lol! I hate falling asleep before 10PM! Now I'm going to be up all night...might as well grab a beer, I guess...

Speaking of new toys...that was a cool WAV Fernando. it took me back to when I was a teenager and used to play my electric guitar in my room for hours and hours. I loved that thing. Now I have more instruments and play less.

What a joke adulthood is sometimes! :)

Police chief, gun club indicted in boy’s Uzi death

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

SPRINGFIELD— A police chief whose company sponsored a gun fair and two other men have been indicted on charges of involuntary manslaughter in the death of an 8-year-old boy who accidentally shot himself in the head with an Uzi at the gun fair.

The Westfield Sportsman’s Club also faces the manslaughter charge in the death of Christopher Bizilj (bah-SEAL) of Ashford, Conn., who lost control of the 9mm micro submachine gun as it recoiled while he was firing at a pumpkin.

The boy’s father was 10 feet behind him and reaching for his camera when the child fired the weapon.

http://telegram.com/article/20081204/ALERT01/812040278

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http://www.vodamusic.com/blog/

You better straighten out the Blog before Toni wakes up.. ;-)

"Hello to our friends and fans in domestic surveillance."

I'm glad to see some indictment came out of that absurd situation. When I first read about it, the report and all of the people involved, including the kid's father, had such a matter of fact tone about the whole situation that it disgusted me.

"The father was not charged because he was a layman and based his decision on information from others who should have known it was too dangerous, Bennett said."

I can't even imagine ever letting my kid shoot an Uzi! That dude's going to suffer for his ignorance, idiocy and bullshit machismo for the rest of his days.

What about the idiot who let a 15 year old `supervise'? and the genius who thought up letting kids in free?

Jesus, what is wrong with people?

*************************

"The Once and Future Rajah of Bhong."

funny, Firefox didn't notice the `end center' command was missing.

On my browser everything went back to align right after my post.

Thanks for the heads up, I'd hate to ruin ToniD's day by making her look at a messy blog first thing in the morning.
*************************

"The Once and Future Rajah of Bhong."

Landmark Hollywood Strip Club Burns To Ground

"It took about an hour to douse the fire, which was mainly confined to the attic..."

lazy reporting in this country has truly reached ridiculous lows...

I don't know what's more stupid, the disparity between the headline and the quote, or the phrase "mainly confined".

Great photo though! (note, building still standing mural undamaged)

caption anyone?

the fire was "mainly confined to the attic" but still managed to "Burn(s) To Ground?"

Which was it, confined to the attic or burned to the ground?

unless the attic burned to the ground...which I'd have a hard time visualizing.

*************************

"The Once and Future Rajah of Bhong."

Apparently these were the "experts" to whom the "layman" father deferred.

Dare I say that there might be some amount of blessing for this kid (and the rest of humanity) that he didn't get to continue growing up in that environment.

Yep.

>>caption anyone?

"The place for HOT chicks"
*************************

"The Once and Future Rajah of Bhong."

FIRE CHIEF: "Gus, I think you just made Captain"

CUE MUSIC: MOTLEY CRUE "GIRLS GIRLS GIRLS"

FADE TO BLACK

How Yall doin? Fine Here, listenin to music.

Drinkin Smokin Smokin

Listnin to that devil hip hop

anyhoo JIMMER gimme a call if you wish

Had a hell of night tonight

went out, meant some new and old folks

"Hello to our friends and fans in domestic surveillance."

I saw this and thought of you and the recipe you gave me, which I will have forevermore... ;D

Date: Dec 4, 2008 2:55 PM
Subject: RE: Jose Cuervo Christmas Cookies ...LOL ~ ENJOY!
Body: ----------------- Bulletin Message -----------------
From: Irishl♥ss ☮
Date: Dec 4, 2008 2:21 PM

Irishl♥ss ☮

LOL...GO RAIBH MÍLE MAITH AGAT~

Éireannach ♥ Aingeal}}}

Jose Cuervo Christmas Cookies

1 cup of water
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup of sugar
1 tsp salt
1 cup or brown sugar
4 large eggs
1 cup nuts
2 cups of dried fruit
1 bottle Jose Cuervo Tequila

Sample the Cuervo to check quality.

Take a large bowl,
check the Cuervo again, to be sure it is of the highest quality,
pour one level cup and drink.

Turn on the electric mixer.

Beat one cup of butter
in a large fluffy bowl.

Add one peastoon of sugar. Beat again.

At this point
it's best to make sure the Cuervo is still ok, try another
cup just in case.

Turn off the mixerer thingy.

Break 2 leggs and add to the bowl and chuck in the cup
of dried fruit.

Pick the frigging fruit off the floor.

Mix on the turner.

If the fried druit gets stuck in the beaters just pry
it loose with a drewscriver.

Sample the Cuervo to check for tonsisticity.

Next, sift two cups of salt, or something.

Who geeves a sheet . Check the Jose Cuervo. Now shift the lemon juice and strain your nuts.

Add one table.

Add a spoon of sugar, or somefink.

Whatever you can
find.

Greash the oven.

Turn the cake tin 360 degrees and try not to fall
over.

Don't forget to beat off the turner.

Finally, throw the bowl through the window, finish the
Cose Juervo and make sure to put the stove in the wishdasher.

Cherry Mistmas !

Jobs data coming out this morning
Chris in Paris · 12/05/2008 06:01:00 AM ET · Link
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Forecasts are all over the place with the consensus estimate being 340,000 lost jobs though one forecaster predicts the number to be closer to 425,000. As unpopular as the Big Auto bailout may be, this can get much worse quickly without something being done. The fallout from failure in the auto industry could impact millions at a time when the US is already struggling.

What disturbs me most about the "Big 3" is Chrysler being part of these talks. The Chrysler CEO Robert Nardelli sold himself as a big impact player during his tenure at Home Depot. He was paid enormous amounts of money and never did anything to deserve the pay. There's no way a bailout can go forward with him at the wheel. (The other CEOs ought to be shown the door as well along with the rest of the top management that led them to this moment.) Even worse than Nardelli's history of hype and failure is the money behind Chrysler.

After being pushed away from Daimler, Cerberus Capital Management became the lead investor. The capital management funds were at the forefront of many big money moves - based on ridiculous amounts of credit, of course - but this specific fund is supposed to be worth around $25 billion. Let them fund their own damned investments or go back to their shareholders and get loans from them. They wanted to the upside of highly leveraged deals so let them live with the downside.

http://www.cnbc.com/id/28064451

British banks refuse to pass on full rate cuts to customers
Chris in Paris · 12/05/2008 03:22:00 AM ET · Link
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Of course, it could be worse. Citi, for example, has actually raised its rates on credit cards despite the prime rate dropping from 8.25% to 4%. Americablog reader DM said that Citi explained that the rate increase was due to "market conditions" yet the market back on planet earth says those rates should be declining, not increasing. This is how Citi treats its good customers so one can imagine how the rest are treated.

In the UK, banks are lowering rates to customers for borrowing, though not by the full amount that's been passed on to the banks. British politicians - strange as it may seem to us - are bothering to make a fuss and demand the full amount to be passed on to borrowers. As in the US, banks in the UK have also been handed a lifeline courtesy of the taxpayers, so to hit clients both ways seems outrageous to the Brits. Funny people there.
Britain's bailed-out high street banks risked the wrath of the government last night after they refused to pass on to all their mortgage customers the full benefits of the Bank of England's decision to cut borrowing costs to the lowest level since 1951.

Despite joint pressure from Gordon Brown and the chancellor Alistair Darling to match the one percentage point reduction in the bank rate to 2%, both the Royal Bank of Scotland and the Halifax said their standard variable rates (SVR) would not be reduced by the full amount.

Halifax, Britain's biggest mortgage lender, said it would trim only a quarter point off its SVR home loan although customers on tracker mortgages would receive the cut in full, worth £82 a month on a £150,000 mortgage. RBS said it would "strike an appropriate balance" between the needs of borrowers and savers, but would pass on the cut in full to business customers.

The cuts in mortgage rates were triggered by the announcement from Threadneedle Street that it had cut the bank rate to its joint lowest in history in an attempt to prevent the economy sliding deeper into recession.

Darling said last night that borrowing costs had come down by a total of three percentage points in two months. "This will help people and businesses - and I want to see these cuts passed on."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2008/dec/05/interest-rates

Citigroup execs graciously forego bonuses
Chris in Paris · 12/05/2008 02:18:00 AM ET · Link
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Gee, how nice of them to debate the issue and come to this conclusion. Oh right, they still haven't had the decency to confirm this and are only "considering" this option. Never mind that Citi lost billions due to bad management decisions and needed a bailout to stay afloat while they led the way with dragging down the US and global economy. It's perhaps best that they still think about it even though other Wall Street failures - who lost much less - have already announced that they are not handing out bonuses. It remains a mystery why anyone at Citi is receiving a bonus, executive or not. When you fail this badly, you don't reward people. Period.
Citigroup Inc's top executives and Robert Rubin, a director and senior counselor at the firm, are ready to forgo their bonuses this year as the bank reels from the effects of the financial crisis, the Financial Times reported.

Rubin, a former U.S. treasury secretary in the Clinton administration, told the board he felt the funds that would have been used for his bonus could be better spent on other employees, according to a person close to Rubin, the paper reported.

The U.S. government's rescue of the bank made it almost impossible for the company's board to award cash bonuses to other senior executives, led by Chief Executive Vikram Pandit, people close to the situation told the paper.

Citigroup could not be immediately reached for comment.

No formal decision on bonuses would be taken until January, but Citigroup's executives had to make a significant gesture to defuse criticism from politicians and regulators, people familiar with the situation told the paper.

Rising dissent among employees, many of whom face redundancy or lower bonuses, has also weighed on the company's deliberations, the paper said.
Let them get mad and leave or try their luck elsewhere if they think they're so valuable. Too many Americans are getting by with less who had nothing to with creating this problem and they're not receiving a bailout or a bonus.

http://www.cnbc.com/id/28045658

Justice Dept. may indict Blackwater guards for Iraq massacre
John Aravosis (DC) · 12/05/2008 12:15:00 AM ET · Link

See, that wasn't that hard now was it? Amazing what actually doing your job can accomplish, you "Justice" Department folks. Funny, they start practicing justice just as the Obama folks prepare to kick em out.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081205/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/blackwater_prosecu...

sometimes? How about consistently. I'll never grow up.

HAPPY REPEAL DAY!!!!

That goes double for you
Ms_Anthrope on Fri, 12/05/2008 - 7:47am.

Now be a good American, celebrate the 23rd Amendment.

Obama may reach out to world's Muslims on first international trip as president
John Aravosis (DC) · 12/04/2008 07:43:00 PM ET · Link
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Brilliant idea. Whether you like 'em or not, Muslims make up between 1 and 1.8 billion of the world's 6.6 billion people. It would be nice if more of them had a better opinion of us. Obama is uniquely positioned - particularly because of the secret-Muslim slurs against him - to reach out to the Muslim world. Starting with, apparently, Indonesia, the world's largest Muslim country. Ben Smith reports:
Barack Obama told a group of donors in California early last year that his first international trip would be to Muslim Indonesia, a supporter who was present recalled today....

As Leary notes, there's a logic to an Indonesia trip: It's giant, Muslim, democratic -- and a place Obama lived as a child.

He said Obama told donors to “imagine if on January 20, 2009 a guy named Barack Hussein Obama was sworn in on the US Capitol steps as the President of the United States, what that would say to the world, especially the Muslim world, about our nation.”

It says, the long national nightmare may finally be over.

http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/1208/Donor_Obama_suggested_Jakart...

Record number of Americans using food stamps: report
By Roberta Rampton Roberta Rampton
Wed Dec 3, 6:22 pm ET

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Food stamps, the main U.S. antihunger program which helps the needy buy food, set a record in September as more than 31.5 million Americans used the program -- up 17 percent from a year ago, according to government data.

The number of people using food stamps in September surpassed the previous peak of 29.85 million seen in November 2005 when victims of hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Wilma received emergency benefits, said Jean Daniel of the USDA's Food and Nutrition Service.

September's tally -- the latest month available -- was also boosted by hurricane and flood aid, Daniel said on Wednesday.

But anti-hunger groups said the economic downturn is the main reason behind the higher figures.

"It's a disturbing trend," said Ellen Vollinger, legal director with the Food Research and Action Center. She said she expects more people will turn to food stamps as unemployment figures rise and the economy remains weak.

One in 10 Americans were participating in the food stamp program as of September, said Dottie Rosenbaum, analyst with Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a think tank.

That's approaching the all-time high of 10.5 percent of the population that used the program in 1994, and is similar to levels seen in the early 1980s, she said.

States that have seen a drop in job numbers and increase in home foreclosures such as Florida and Nevada also have seen a marked increase in food stamp use, Rosenbaum said.

Food banks are struggling to meet increased requests for food, said Maura Daly of Feeding America, a network of food banks.

"The tough economic time that our nation is facing is having a tremendous impact on the level of food assistance needed across the country," Daly said.

On average, people who used food stamps received $100 per month in benefits in September. That increased slightly in October to account for higher food prices, but hunger groups said the benefits still don't go far enough at a time of high food prices and home heating costs.

Last month, the USDA said 36.2 million Americans or 11 percent of households struggle to get enough food to eat, and one-third of them had to sometimes skip or cut back on meals.

Hunger groups want Congress and the new administration to increase food stamp benefits as part of an economic stimulus package they hope will come in early 2009.

The benefits go directly to people who spend it at local grocery stores, supporting businesses and jobs, said Vollinger of the Food Research and Action Center.

"They (the benefits) don't sit in a pocket," she said, pointing to USDA estimates that $5 in food stamp spending generates $9 in economic activity.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20081203/us_nm/us_foodstamps_usa/print

Global recession got you down? Happy friends could do more to improve your mood than money, U.S. researchers said in the British Medical Journal. - Bloomberg

Highest job loss since 1976 Per CNN

533,000 jobs lost in November.

I consider myself lucky to have the part time job I have at my age and in my condition! And I really feel bad about all these people losing thier jobs with little mouths to feed, clothe and school. Hope they can get some work fast.

Employers cut 533,000 jobs in November, the most in 34 years. Unemployment rate rises to 6.7 percent.

that at least I've already lived my life and my daughter is in school.

I can't imagine graduating this semester from college and NEEDING a job to start paying off loans.

were down 80 30 min ago. Now down 130 on the scale of this disaster.
immediate update just writing comment now down 160
UpdateII on the time it took to update - down 172
UpdateIII - down 196

Any takers that stops are engaged sometime today?

Good thing it's Repeal Day!

Fidel Castro says Cuba could talk with Obama

Reuters - 54 minutes ago

HAVANA (Reuters) - Cuba's former leader Fidel Castro said on Thursday his country could talk to U.S. President-elect Barack Obama, in Havana's latest overture to the incoming Democratic administration in Washington.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20081205/us_nm/us_cuba_usa_obama;_ylt=AhvaAPa...

AP IMPACT: Some bailout holdings down $9 billion

AP - 1 hour, 12 minutes ago

Stock intended to eventually earn taxpayers a profit as part of the Bush administration's massive bank bailout has lost a third of its value — about $9 billion — in barely one month, according to an Associated Press analysis. Shares in virtually every bank that received federal money have remained below the prices the government negotiated.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081205/ap_on_bi_ge/bailout_returns;_ylt=Ao4...

Auto bailout could be tied to gov't-run overhaul

AP - 15 minutes ago

WASHINGTON - The government would order a major restructuring of Detroit's struggling Big Three auto companies in exchange for a multibillion-dollar bailout under a plan circulating in Congress.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081205/ap_on_go_co/congress_autos;_ylt=AvKA...

U.S. Stock Futures Extend Losses as Plunge in Payrolls Exceeds Forecasts
U.S. stock-index futures tumbled after employers cut more jobs than economists forecast in November, spurring concern that the recession is deepening.

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601103&sid=auuOm0WXdt9g&refer=n...

Lawmakers Dodd, Frank Warn Paulson May Not Get Second Half of TARP Money Two top U.S. lawmakers warned Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson that he may not get the second half of the $700 billion financial rescue fund, joining Republicans upset with how the program is being managed.

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601068&sid=ad0zAYvGDuvc&refer=e...

Bernanke Says Government Must Step Up Efforts to Prevent Home Foreclosures

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke urged using more taxpayer funds for new efforts to prevent home foreclosures, saying the private sector is incapable of coping with the crisis on its own.

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601068&sid=abINDLzbaE54&refer=e...

If that bailout money went to bail out the middle class, the banks would have been fine and loaning out money again.

When will they learn that the economic engine of the US is not the financial institutions but the middle class!

New Thread..

"Hello to our friends and fans in domestic surveillance."

http://www.samsedershow.com/node/4154#comments

Obama himself, and his followers still refuse to believe it! I can only hope hard working, intelligent American's can get out to vote on election day.
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