By Dean Baker, PoliPoint Press. Posted February 7, 2009.
Anyone with common sense, a grasp of simple arithmetic and a desire to go against the consensus should have seen the financial crisis coming.
Naomi Klein: Public Revolt Builds Against Rip-off Rescue Plans for the Economy
Naomi Klein
More stories by Dean Baker
Editor's Note: The following is an excerpt from Plunder and Blunder: The Rise and Fall of the Bubble Economy by Dean Baker, published by PoliPoint Press, 2009.
Facing Foreclosure? Don't Leave. Squat.
By Amy Goodman, Democracy Now!
Posted February 6, 2009.
My parents bought a brand new house almost forty years ago for $39,000. It had five bedrooms, three full bathrooms, a living room and a family room, 26,00 square feet, and it was in a nice neighborhood. They raised their kids in it and maintained it well. Still, when they told me a few years of years ago it was worth $750,000 I knew the economy was in deep shit, and that the price was overinflated.
Saturday, February 07, 2009
Friday, February 06, 2009
Birds instead of squirrels out today
That Gawd-awful noise you hear is the wet 10 or 12 or 14 lane freeway I was standing 15 yards away from. They keep widening the freeway instead of improving the mass transit system here. If you listen closely you can hear the birds.
I'm reading about another fine mess that Barack Obama has to try to clean up. It's big and a bummer.
Tomgram: The Empire v. The Graveyard
Whistling Past the Afghan Graveyard
Where Empires Go to Die
By Tom Engelhardt
Thursday, February 05, 2009
Dinosaurs in San Diego
Backhoe Operator Finds Mammoth Tusk, Skull
Posted: Feb 4, 2009 04:10 PM PST
And some idiot making a porn in his helicopter
Posted Feb 5th 2009 11:30AM by TMZ staff
Flying while distracted, real safe asshole.
Posted: Feb 4, 2009 04:10 PM PST
And some idiot making a porn in his helicopter
Posted Feb 5th 2009 11:30AM by TMZ staff
Flying while distracted, real safe asshole.
On teh Gays
I support Gay marriage. I have a new icon on the sidebar and it, like the gays I have known and loved, brings some color to my life.
You don't like that? Well, there's about a gazillion blogs out there, have at it!
I don't blog about it a lot, because frankly, it seems silly to me to have to.
Yes, I was shocked and disappointed with the h8er bigots on the corner by my house and I told them so.
Yes, I was shocked and disappointed when Prop (h)8 passed.
This showed up in my mailbox this morning and it broke my heart.
California Supreme Court to hear Prop. 8 arguments
The justices announce a March 5 hearing on the constitutionality of the ban on same-sex marriage. Their decision will come within 90 days of the session.
By Maura Dolan and Jessica Garrison
February 4, 2009
Moving on to the big Supreme Court.
Ginsburg is hospitalized with pancreatic cancer
Thursday, Feb. 5, 2009
WASHINGTON (AP) - Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has undergone surgery for pancreatic cancer, apparently at an early stage.
Head of Supreme Court worries about 'partisanship'
By ARTHUR H. ROTSTEIN Associated Press Writer
Thursday, Feb. 5, 2009
Are you fucking kidding me?
He wasn't before!
Update 1:30 PM 2/6/2009 Scalia gets nasty with a college student over a question
By John Amato Friday Feb 06, 2009 11:45am
You don't like that? Well, there's about a gazillion blogs out there, have at it!
I don't blog about it a lot, because frankly, it seems silly to me to have to.
Yes, I was shocked and disappointed with the h8er bigots on the corner by my house and I told them so.
Yes, I was shocked and disappointed when Prop (h)8 passed.
This showed up in my mailbox this morning and it broke my heart.
California Supreme Court to hear Prop. 8 arguments
The justices announce a March 5 hearing on the constitutionality of the ban on same-sex marriage. Their decision will come within 90 days of the session.
By Maura Dolan and Jessica Garrison
February 4, 2009
Moving on to the big Supreme Court.
Ginsburg is hospitalized with pancreatic cancer
Thursday, Feb. 5, 2009
WASHINGTON (AP) - Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has undergone surgery for pancreatic cancer, apparently at an early stage.
Head of Supreme Court worries about 'partisanship'
By ARTHUR H. ROTSTEIN Associated Press Writer
Thursday, Feb. 5, 2009
Are you fucking kidding me?
He wasn't before!
Update 1:30 PM 2/6/2009 Scalia gets nasty with a college student over a question
By John Amato Friday Feb 06, 2009 11:45am
State Department To Blackwater: You're Fired, Leave Iraq by May
$1.2 Billion Contract Won't Be Renewed Following Iraqi Refusal to License U.S. Firm
By BRIAN ROSS and KIRIT RADIA
January 30, 2009
By BRIAN ROSS and KIRIT RADIA
January 30, 2009
How the hell did I miss this one?
WOOOOO HOOOOOO!!!!!
Wednesday, February 04, 2009
The Anti-Empire Report
February 3rd, 2009
by William Blum
http://www.killinghope.org/ (I've read Killing Hope, and some other stuff too)
Change (in rhetoric) we can believe in.
hat tip to Left I on the News
Why are you still here? Click on the title link. This guy knows the history of American foreign policy, and no, not the crap they try to shove down your throat in your basic high school American History class.
The War on Terror is a Hoax
By Paul Craig Roberts
February 04, 2009
...If America were infected with terrorists, we would not need the government to tell us. We would know it from events....
...Yet, the neocons, who are the Americans most hated by Muslims, remain unscathed.
The “war on terror” is a hoax that fronts for American control of oil pipelines, the profits of the military-security complex, the assault on civil liberty by fomenters of a police state, and Israel’s territorial expansion...
...The great mystery is: why after 60 years of oppression are the Palestinians still an unarmed people? Clearly, the Muslim countries are complicit with Israel and the US in keeping the Palestinians unarmed...
The truth. It's chunkylicious today. Chew on that fer a spell.
For more on the Byzantine politics of the Middle East and the West
read Treacherous Alliance By Trita Parsi
by William Blum
http://www.killinghope.org/ (I've read Killing Hope, and some other stuff too)
Change (in rhetoric) we can believe in.
hat tip to Left I on the News
Why are you still here? Click on the title link. This guy knows the history of American foreign policy, and no, not the crap they try to shove down your throat in your basic high school American History class.
The War on Terror is a Hoax
By Paul Craig Roberts
February 04, 2009
...If America were infected with terrorists, we would not need the government to tell us. We would know it from events....
...Yet, the neocons, who are the Americans most hated by Muslims, remain unscathed.
The “war on terror” is a hoax that fronts for American control of oil pipelines, the profits of the military-security complex, the assault on civil liberty by fomenters of a police state, and Israel’s territorial expansion...
...The great mystery is: why after 60 years of oppression are the Palestinians still an unarmed people? Clearly, the Muslim countries are complicit with Israel and the US in keeping the Palestinians unarmed...
The truth. It's chunkylicious today. Chew on that fer a spell.
For more on the Byzantine politics of the Middle East and the West
read Treacherous Alliance By Trita Parsi
The stimulus bill
$100 billion jolt of 'green stimulus'
Transit Paradox: Ridership Up, Services Down
Wednesday February 4, 2009
Stimulus: Economic Boon or Bloated Bust?
BU experts pick apart the plan
BU Today staff
Stimulus package: Big money, huge plans
Where $800 billion would go and what it might produce
Janet Hook, Noam Levey, Jim Puzzanghera, Richard Simon and Jim Tankersley contributed to this report Washington Bureau
February 1, 2009
...The bill also increases by $7,500 the tax credit for first-time home buyers, if they make less than $75,000 a year. It provides a new tax credit for up to $2,500 in college tuition and related expenses for people earning less than $80,000 a year....
...In addition to the $30 billion for highway and bridge construction and maintenance, the bill provides $20 billion for school projects, from repairs to projects such as installing solar roofs. Among other provisions: $3 billion for airport improvements; $2.5 billion for new commuter or other light rail systems; $2 billion to modernize existing transit systems; $1.1 billion to improve intercity passenger rail service.The measure also provides $4.5 billion to the Army Corps of Engineers for "environmental restoration, flood protection, hydropower, and navigation infrastructure critical to the economy"; $3.1 billion for infrastructure projects on federal lands; and $1.5 billion to make low-income housing using green technologies
Yeah. From what I've seen the amount that is headed for long term sustainability seems like a pretty small portion of $800 billion. In a country where next fucking quarter's earnings are stressed to a ridiculous degree, this does not surprise me.
We suck at long term planning. Nobel-prize-winning physicist Steven Chu, the new head of Energy is concerned about climate change affecting California's farms.
According to the California Department of Food and Agriculture, "California agriculture is nearly a $36.6 billion dollar industry that generates $100 billion in related economic activity."
Transit Paradox: Ridership Up, Services Down
Wednesday February 4, 2009
Stimulus: Economic Boon or Bloated Bust?
BU experts pick apart the plan
BU Today staff
Stimulus package: Big money, huge plans
Where $800 billion would go and what it might produce
Janet Hook, Noam Levey, Jim Puzzanghera, Richard Simon and Jim Tankersley contributed to this report Washington Bureau
February 1, 2009
...The bill also increases by $7,500 the tax credit for first-time home buyers, if they make less than $75,000 a year. It provides a new tax credit for up to $2,500 in college tuition and related expenses for people earning less than $80,000 a year....
...In addition to the $30 billion for highway and bridge construction and maintenance, the bill provides $20 billion for school projects, from repairs to projects such as installing solar roofs. Among other provisions: $3 billion for airport improvements; $2.5 billion for new commuter or other light rail systems; $2 billion to modernize existing transit systems; $1.1 billion to improve intercity passenger rail service.The measure also provides $4.5 billion to the Army Corps of Engineers for "environmental restoration, flood protection, hydropower, and navigation infrastructure critical to the economy"; $3.1 billion for infrastructure projects on federal lands; and $1.5 billion to make low-income housing using green technologies
Yeah. From what I've seen the amount that is headed for long term sustainability seems like a pretty small portion of $800 billion. In a country where next fucking quarter's earnings are stressed to a ridiculous degree, this does not surprise me.
We suck at long term planning. Nobel-prize-winning physicist Steven Chu, the new head of Energy is concerned about climate change affecting California's farms.
According to the California Department of Food and Agriculture, "California agriculture is nearly a $36.6 billion dollar industry that generates $100 billion in related economic activity."
Hump day
Holder is in.
Greed is out.
My congressman is a dickhead.
Oh look, he proved it again.
Recent House Votes
Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009 - Vote Passed (250-177, 6 Not Voting)The House gave final approval to this wage discrimination measure.
Greed is out.
My congressman is a dickhead.
Oh look, he proved it again.
Recent House Votes
Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009 - Vote Passed (250-177, 6 Not Voting)The House gave final approval to this wage discrimination measure.
Rep. Brian Bilbray voted NO......send e-mail or see bio
Fer christsakes, this dickhead has at least one daughter. I sure hope she marries well. Somehow I doubt that, but hey there's always dickhead congressmen besides her father that she could latch onto.
I'm going to go finish reading another depressing yet important book.
Tuesday, February 03, 2009
Blogroll Amnesty Day
Whew. I've been all over blogtopia (skippy's word) and I've discovered a few things.
1) People who don't have blogrolls bug me.
2) People who insist on posting really long posts bug me.
3) People who are catergorize their posts endlessly bug me.
4) People who blog and appear to believe that they are the best writers evah bug me.
You know what doesn't bug me?
The fact that anybody who can get to a computer with an internet connection can have a blog, and they can choose to write about whatever they want to, and they can set it up and run it however they want to.
And I can read what they write.
Or not.
So, here's another batch, & don't forget my first batch.
WOK3
"is dissent illegal yet?"
I haven't asked what the blog title means yet, but I like the blog.
The Sunny Skeptic
Some great stuff from a "militant atheist."
Tome of the Unknown Writer
Who (unlike me) is a real writer.
Reverend Manny and The Twilight Empire
(who always leaves a cute or peaceful sign off when he leaves comments!)
Shamanaqua
"In the Natural World, there is no good nor evil, only the footsteps of Man"
You link to me I link to you.
Snow in London bringing poeple together?
click on pic for audio report
Yeah yeah, like the blackouts in New York...
The hurricanes and tornadoes in Texas and Florida …
The rain in southern California…
BZZZZZZZT. Wrong answer, people still drive like assholes in the rain here.
Like earthquakes in southern California.
BZZZZZT. Nope. We laugh at those unless it’s a really bad one, which is rare.
Hmmmm, what brings people in SoCal together?
I was going to make a joke about that silly show True Beauty. Yeah I watch it, so what? My artist friend and I are rooting for the SD County kid, who happens to be an artist, and doesn't appear to take himself overly seriously (he likes streaking to lighten things up) OK?
And then I remembered that people come together in San Diego when the fires are bad here.
Tilt
Suck it up, this is a way bummer dude post.
It’s Not Going to Be OK
Posted on Feb 2, 2009
By Chris Hedges
How Taxpayers Finance Fantasy Wars
By Chalmers Johnson
Road Trip
Clusterfuck Nation by Jim Kunstler
Our stystem and infrastructure are pretty flawed and about to wreak havoc on us.
It’s Not Going to Be OK
Posted on Feb 2, 2009
By Chris Hedges
How Taxpayers Finance Fantasy Wars
By Chalmers Johnson
Road Trip
Clusterfuck Nation by Jim Kunstler
Our stystem and infrastructure are pretty flawed and about to wreak havoc on us.
Monday, February 02, 2009
Fixing the blogroll *sigh*
Gah
I give up. I'll be switching back to the blogger bloglist. If you'd like me to link to you and you will reciprocate, please let me know and I'll fix it as I slog through adding the links again, one by one.
Update 5:19 PM 2/2/2009 Ok, I think I'm ok now. If I goofed and deleted your link whilst slogging a way here, please let me know in the comments section, and I'll fix it.
For today though, poke me with a fork, I'm done.
I should read this:
Tomgram: Chalmers Johnson, Economic Death Spiral at the Pentagon posted February 02, 2009 5:32 pm
Nah fuggit, it's that time again...
I swear I'm addicted to this song.
I give up. I'll be switching back to the blogger bloglist. If you'd like me to link to you and you will reciprocate, please let me know and I'll fix it as I slog through adding the links again, one by one.
Update 5:19 PM 2/2/2009 Ok, I think I'm ok now. If I goofed and deleted your link whilst slogging a way here, please let me know in the comments section, and I'll fix it.
For today though, poke me with a fork, I'm done.
I should read this:
Tomgram: Chalmers Johnson, Economic Death Spiral at the Pentagon posted February 02, 2009 5:32 pm
Nah fuggit, it's that time again...
I swear I'm addicted to this song.
Sunday, February 01, 2009
The Cars -- Just What I Needed
Whoa, there's a lot of us out there doing the BAD thing
More sites to gawk at, thanks skippy!
You missed my picks? Here.
Ob Rag BlogFreaks, Uppity Women and Politicos
Indigenous Nudity A frank commentary of American politics, personal finance and culture.
One Sided War gods are mean but people are worse
Oh Well: A Commentary on News and Politics This is a blog examining the political, social and economic issues from my own irrelevant perspective. When examining some of these issues, I just have to shake my head and say, "Oh well. Whatever happens, happens."
San Diego Politico News, commentary and opinion dedicated to advancing a Progressive Political and Social agenda here in San Diego County.
The Rational Realist Opinions and insights on alternative investments with a focus on real estate securities.
Angry Renter.comRenters and responsible homeowners against a government mortgage bailout
Uh Oh, I'm supposed to go watch movies with a friend, because we're not into football. Mmmmmmmm, I have a feeling that I may not make it.
Yeah, and one other thing--- Can somebody tell me why a college age kid smoking a bong hit is a huge newz story? Fer Christsakes, I was a competitive swimmer and the first time I took a bong hit I was twelve. BFD. When he starts training again he's not going to have time for it. He's got ADHD and he's not working out right now, he's probably trying to shut his head up and calm down for ten freaking minutes. I could have told you this was coming.
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