Minimum Wage Hike And A Tight Economy
Minimum wage workers are set to get a pay bump later this week: Thursday, the federal minimum wage will go from $5.85 to $6.55.
"The minimum wage in 1968, if you adjust it for inflation, was $9.88. "
A classical economics analysis of supply and demand implies that by mandating a price floor above the equilibrium wage, minimum wage laws should cause unemployment.
some key facts about these states show that a number of factors unrelated to minimum wage increases are actually responsible for high unemployment rates:...
Employment and the Minimum Wage
Salaries of Members of Congress: A List of
Payable Rates and Effective Dates, 1789-2008 (pdf)
...1978, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1986, 1988, and 1989).
The Ethics Reform Act of 1989 changed the method by which the annual adjustment is determined for Members and other senior officials, based on a formula using changes in private sector wages and salaries as measured by the Employment Cost Index. Under this revised method, annual adjustments were accepted 12 times (those scheduled forJanuary 1991, 1992, 1993, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, and 2008)and denied six times those scheduled for January 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1999, and 2007)
The annual adjustment automatically goes into effect unless:
(1) Congress statutorily prohibits the adjustment;
(2) Congress statutorily revises the adjustment; or
(3) the annual base pay3 adjustment of GS employees is established at a rate less than the scheduled increase for Members, in which case Members would be paid the lower rate
Projected January 2009 Member Pay Increase of 2.8%
Under the formula established in the Ethics Reform Act, Members may receive a pay adjustment in January 2009 of 2.8%.5 This adjustment — if not revised by Congress oradjustment procedure, Members originally were scheduled to receive a 2.7% increase in January 2008, based upon the formula set forth in the Ethics Reform Act of 1989.6 This increase would have raised their salaries to $169,700. The scheduled Member increase was revised to 2.5%, resulting in a salary in 2008 of $169,300, due to factors related to the increase in the base pay of General Schedule (GS) employees.
...Secretary of Defense Robert Gates launched a fierce verbal assault on… go ahead, take a guess: the "creeping militarization" of U.S. foreign policy. It seems that too many unappetizing "peacekeeping" tasks, once handled by other departments of the government, are now in the military's lap, which turns out not to be quite as capacious as once imagined. "The Foreign Service is not the Foreign Legion, and the U.S. military should never be mistaken for a Peace Corps with guns" were among his exact words. ...
The Three Trillion Dollar War
Have you Had Enough?
Monday, July 21, 2008
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Africa
I don't know much about Africa except what I see here and there, I've never studied it. I haven't wanted to. For the most part, it disgusts me. Yes, yes, I know, it is where humanity started and spread out from. Part of the reason for my disgust. It is the origin of the most destructive creature on earth.
Africa is mired in poverty and misery.
Yeah, but isn't it the fault of white people that Africa is such a mess?
Is it all the results of European colonization that continues today in the form of unfair trade practices?
(update 10:58 AM 7/21/2008 EU offers to cut farm tariffs by 60 percent
Is it US food aid combined with US agricultural subsidies?
Is it the history of Arab slave traders?
Is it the history of the Atlantic slave trade?
Enslavement went both ways.
It still does, although I have not much sympathy for women who marry these schmucks. Why any woman shoud have to deal with what is legally allowed in the grey area of this map is beyond me. Don't tell me culture has nothing to do with fertility rates . How do you bring a culture into the 21st century? How do you encourage birth control in cultures that value children more than the abilty to take care of them? Part of the failures are
cultural, part are history, and part are simple ecology. Something that global warming will exacerbate.
We ignore the lessons of Africa, especially here in the dry, western part of the US, at our own peril.
Africa is mired in poverty and misery.
Yeah, but isn't it the fault of white people that Africa is such a mess?
Is it all the results of European colonization that continues today in the form of unfair trade practices?
(update 10:58 AM 7/21/2008 EU offers to cut farm tariffs by 60 percent
Is it US food aid combined with US agricultural subsidies?
Is it the history of Arab slave traders?
Is it the history of the Atlantic slave trade?
Enslavement went both ways.
It still does, although I have not much sympathy for women who marry these schmucks. Why any woman shoud have to deal with what is legally allowed in the grey area of this map is beyond me. Don't tell me culture has nothing to do with fertility rates . How do you bring a culture into the 21st century? How do you encourage birth control in cultures that value children more than the abilty to take care of them? Part of the failures are
cultural, part are history, and part are simple ecology. Something that global warming will exacerbate.
We ignore the lessons of Africa, especially here in the dry, western part of the US, at our own peril.
Saturday, July 19, 2008
Matt Taibbi nails it again
Economic Realities Are Killing Our Era of Fantasy Politics
By Matt Taibbi, RollingStone.com. Posted July 19, 2008.
Election season will be packed with horserace media distractions, but our economic situation is becoming a matter of life and death.
...If you're reading this and you had to drive to work today or pay a credit card bill in the last few weeks you know better than I do for sure how fucked up things have gotten. I hear talk from people out on the campaign trail about mortgages and bankruptcies and bill collectors that are enough to make your ass clench with 100 percent pure panic.
None of this is a secret. Here, however, is something that is a secret: that this is a class issue that is being intentionally downplayed by a political/media consensus bent on selling the public a version of reality where class resentments, or class distinctions even, do not exist...
...We're also going to be fed truckloads of onerous horseshit about the candidate wives...
By Matt Taibbi, RollingStone.com. Posted July 19, 2008.
Election season will be packed with horserace media distractions, but our economic situation is becoming a matter of life and death.
...If you're reading this and you had to drive to work today or pay a credit card bill in the last few weeks you know better than I do for sure how fucked up things have gotten. I hear talk from people out on the campaign trail about mortgages and bankruptcies and bill collectors that are enough to make your ass clench with 100 percent pure panic.
None of this is a secret. Here, however, is something that is a secret: that this is a class issue that is being intentionally downplayed by a political/media consensus bent on selling the public a version of reality where class resentments, or class distinctions even, do not exist...
...We're also going to be fed truckloads of onerous horseshit about the candidate wives...
Friday, July 18, 2008
Naomi Wolf's alarming message
Makes this crap make sense.
Netroots Summit Grapples with Bipartisan Attacks on Rule of Law
Hat Tip to Ornery Bastard
Friday squirrel blogging
Got flowers?
Got poop?How about fleas?
Rigidly Male-Dominated Societies Are Violent; The U.S. Is No Different
By Riane Eisler, The Wip. Posted July 11, 2008.
Until people (including progressives) stop thinking of "women's issues" secondary, the U.S. will continue on its path of poverty and war.
...For both the mullahs in Iran and the rightist-fundamentalist alliance in the United States, "getting women back into their traditional place" in a "traditional family" has been a top priority...
Rice hopes Iran will change course in Geneva talks
Fri Jul 18, 2008 12:34pm EDT
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said on Friday the United States would not soften its refusal to negotiate directly with Iran until Tehran gave up its nuclear program.
In a change of policy, a senior State Department official, William Burns will attend nuclear talks in Geneva along with other major powers to hear Iran's response to an incentives package offered last month. Previously, the United States did not participate in such meetings with Iran.
Crackdown focuses on arms smuggling from Iran
By ROBERT BURNS – 1 hour ago
CAMP VICTORY, Iraq (AP) — U.S. forces in Iraq are launching a new crackdown on weapons smuggling from Iran, in part by tighter monitoring of border crossings, a U.S. commander told The Associated Press on Friday.
Hmmmmmmmmmm. We'll see. I wonder what they will be discussing in Tehran? This guy, maybe? I hope the talks are effective, but I'm not holding my breath.
A little background from an Iranian scholar, educated in the US
Thursday, July 17, 2008
What I woke up thinking about this morning
The Dominant Animal: Human Evolution and the Environment (Hardcover)by Paul R. Ehrlich (Author), Anne H. Ehrlich (Author)
...But the Ehrlichs also explore the flip side of this triumphant story of innovation and conquest. As we clear forests to raise crops and build cities, lace the continents with highways, and create chemicals never before seen in nature, we may be undermining our own supremacy. The threats of environmental damage are clear from the daily headlines, but the outcome is far from destined. Humanity can again adapt—if we learn from our evolutionary past...
Ethiopia : Failed leader + failed regime = failed state
Alemayehu G. Mariam
The Failed States Index for 2008 is out; and the Land of Famine, Gross Human Rights Violations, Stolen Elections and Poverty is re-certified as a "Failed State", again!
“Farmers have the solution in their hands. Government should turn its focus to the farmers. If government continues providing relief aid and PSNP, then the recipients easily develop a dependency syndrome that will eventually become hard to overcome.”
Rwanda: Eradicating Poverty - Develop a Woman, Develop a Nation
The New Times (Kigali)
OPINION
16 July 2008
Posted to the web 17 July 2008
Dependent on remittances ,
A nation that trains and exports more nurses than any other suffers from Catholic stupidity,
again and again
News of U.N. Food Aid Initiatives for Haiti Ignore the Overpopulation Problem
April 21, 2008
“Despite the potential problem, history has demonstrated that cooperation, rather than conflict, is likely in shared basins,” says UNESCO.
However, the fact remains that throughout the world water supplies are running dry and the situation is being compounded by inappropriate management of water resources that will likely unravel previous international cooperation around water.
'Birth dearth' worries pale in comparison to overpopulation
Water and food shortages present larger challenges than economic woes linked to a declining population, says author.
By David R. Francis
from the July 14, 2008 edition
Senate passes stupid aid bill
-- The bill does not explicitly authorize bringing together HIV programs and family planning programs under one roof, even though from a practical standpoint this integration is crucial to protect women's health, including safe pregnancy.
SOURCE Global AIDS Alliance
As the population grows, the actual number of poor people is rises as well. 35 The rich must live more simply that the poor may simply live.
We take the cake on wasteful water usage ,
but we're not alone
My friend laughed when I asked her if she was glad she didn't have to live in my head.
...But the Ehrlichs also explore the flip side of this triumphant story of innovation and conquest. As we clear forests to raise crops and build cities, lace the continents with highways, and create chemicals never before seen in nature, we may be undermining our own supremacy. The threats of environmental damage are clear from the daily headlines, but the outcome is far from destined. Humanity can again adapt—if we learn from our evolutionary past...
Ethiopia : Failed leader + failed regime = failed state
Alemayehu G. Mariam
The Failed States Index for 2008 is out; and the Land of Famine, Gross Human Rights Violations, Stolen Elections and Poverty is re-certified as a "Failed State", again!
“Farmers have the solution in their hands. Government should turn its focus to the farmers. If government continues providing relief aid and PSNP, then the recipients easily develop a dependency syndrome that will eventually become hard to overcome.”
Rwanda: Eradicating Poverty - Develop a Woman, Develop a Nation
The New Times (Kigali)
OPINION
16 July 2008
Posted to the web 17 July 2008
Dependent on remittances ,
A nation that trains and exports more nurses than any other suffers from Catholic stupidity,
again and again
News of U.N. Food Aid Initiatives for Haiti Ignore the Overpopulation Problem
April 21, 2008
“Despite the potential problem, history has demonstrated that cooperation, rather than conflict, is likely in shared basins,” says UNESCO.
However, the fact remains that throughout the world water supplies are running dry and the situation is being compounded by inappropriate management of water resources that will likely unravel previous international cooperation around water.
'Birth dearth' worries pale in comparison to overpopulation
Water and food shortages present larger challenges than economic woes linked to a declining population, says author.
By David R. Francis
from the July 14, 2008 edition
Senate passes stupid aid bill
-- The bill does not explicitly authorize bringing together HIV programs and family planning programs under one roof, even though from a practical standpoint this integration is crucial to protect women's health, including safe pregnancy.
SOURCE Global AIDS Alliance
As the population grows, the actual number of poor people is rises as well. 35 The rich must live more simply that the poor may simply live.
We take the cake on wasteful water usage ,
but we're not alone
My friend laughed when I asked her if she was glad she didn't have to live in my head.
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Europe Backpedals on Biofuels .
..."But the allure has dimmed amid growing evidence that the kind of targets proposed by the EU are contributing to deforestation and helping force up food prices." In the overall energy landscape, the EU currently produces 8.5% of its energy from renewable sources....
Naomi Klein on Democracy Now (mp3 audio file)
A journalist who actually does her homework instead of selling shit for huge corporations. I find it easier to listen to her, rather than watch her. Don't ask me why, you don't want to know, it's really ashallow reason.
Update 12:16 PM 8/4/2008
'eh no it's not, Klein bugs me because she's a Pollyanna when it comes to population numbers. Don't you have to take statistics to get a degree in Economics?
Update at 12:12 PM 7/17/2008
Naomi mentions Hunt Oil and their illegal contracts in Iraq with the Kurds. Heh, look what popped up today --
The Pentagon and the Hunt for Black Gold The Oil Deal Nobody Wants to Talk About
by Nick Turse
..."But the allure has dimmed amid growing evidence that the kind of targets proposed by the EU are contributing to deforestation and helping force up food prices." In the overall energy landscape, the EU currently produces 8.5% of its energy from renewable sources....
Naomi Klein on Democracy Now (mp3 audio file)
A journalist who actually does her homework instead of selling shit for huge corporations. I find it easier to listen to her, rather than watch her. Don't ask me why, you don't want to know, it's really a
Update 12:16 PM 8/4/2008
'eh no it's not, Klein bugs me because she's a Pollyanna when it comes to population numbers. Don't you have to take statistics to get a degree in Economics?
Update at 12:12 PM 7/17/2008
Naomi mentions Hunt Oil and their illegal contracts in Iraq with the Kurds. Heh, look what popped up today --
The Pentagon and the Hunt for Black Gold The Oil Deal Nobody Wants to Talk About
by Nick Turse
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
GAH
AOl straw poll
Mmmm. There's a reason why I shook off the AOL training wheels ten years ago.
This book looks sort of interesting also
Did somebody forget to tell Condi that the Cold War is over?
Mmmm. There's a reason why I shook off the AOL training wheels ten years ago.
This book looks sort of interesting also
Did somebody forget to tell Condi that the Cold War is over?
Monday, July 14, 2008
Witch hunt for oil speculators is pointless
And "poppycock" says Matt Simmons. The high oil prices aren't going away. Period. Pull your fucking head out of your ass America.
(update: yeesh, that last little gem is for the people who don't usually read my blog, I know the ones who do read it occasionally don't suffer from head-up-ass syndrome)
Losses are heartbreaking
(click on pic for full article)
She told me my arm was gone. We argued about that for five minutes. I mean, I could feel it.
By Stephen Dobyns Published Wednesday, July 9, 2008
...The number of amputees who suffer from phantom pain ranges from 50 to 95 percent, depending on which specialist is asked, but the most agreed upon number is around 75 percent...
...So far the Iraq War has led to amputations for more than 750 servicemen and women. The high number is due in part to the body armor that protects the trunk. Without it, many of these soldiers would have died. In fact, about 92 percent of those wounded in Iraq survive their wounds, as opposed to 76 percent in Vietnam...
...As with any war, sympathy and attention goes to the soldiers injured in combat, and of these Iraq has provided nearly 100,000. The first Iraq War amputees were treated at Walter Reed Army Medical Center outside of Washington. Then, as their number increased, the Department of Defense opened a second amputee care center at Brooke Army Medical Center at Fort Houston in San Antonio, Texas, in early 2005.
A third amputee care center was officially opened in San Diego on October 15 as part of the Comprehensive Combat Casualty Care Center, or C5, of the Naval Medical Center. The 30,000-square-foot facility is not only a showpiece of new technology, with an accurate motion-capture system and an advanced bionic technology room used for gait adjustment, but also includes a 3500-square-foot obstacle course with a 30-foot climbing wall. It cost $4.4 million to build and another $4 million to outfit and staff. A major focus of C5 is to get the amputees moving as soon as possible, taking them on ski trips, having them engage in sports, and even learning to surf.
----------------
The last time I was at the DMV I was startled by a mlitary veteran amputee. He was moving pretty fast on that prosthesis, which I only noticed because he was in shorts. I knew he was military because of the sticker on his vehicle. He was young. Who knows how he lost it, around here, we call these
sailor killers.
She told me my arm was gone. We argued about that for five minutes. I mean, I could feel it.
By Stephen Dobyns Published Wednesday, July 9, 2008
...The number of amputees who suffer from phantom pain ranges from 50 to 95 percent, depending on which specialist is asked, but the most agreed upon number is around 75 percent...
...So far the Iraq War has led to amputations for more than 750 servicemen and women. The high number is due in part to the body armor that protects the trunk. Without it, many of these soldiers would have died. In fact, about 92 percent of those wounded in Iraq survive their wounds, as opposed to 76 percent in Vietnam...
...As with any war, sympathy and attention goes to the soldiers injured in combat, and of these Iraq has provided nearly 100,000. The first Iraq War amputees were treated at Walter Reed Army Medical Center outside of Washington. Then, as their number increased, the Department of Defense opened a second amputee care center at Brooke Army Medical Center at Fort Houston in San Antonio, Texas, in early 2005.
A third amputee care center was officially opened in San Diego on October 15 as part of the Comprehensive Combat Casualty Care Center, or C5, of the Naval Medical Center. The 30,000-square-foot facility is not only a showpiece of new technology, with an accurate motion-capture system and an advanced bionic technology room used for gait adjustment, but also includes a 3500-square-foot obstacle course with a 30-foot climbing wall. It cost $4.4 million to build and another $4 million to outfit and staff. A major focus of C5 is to get the amputees moving as soon as possible, taking them on ski trips, having them engage in sports, and even learning to surf.
----------------
The last time I was at the DMV I was startled by a mlitary veteran amputee. He was moving pretty fast on that prosthesis, which I only noticed because he was in shorts. I knew he was military because of the sticker on his vehicle. He was young. Who knows how he lost it, around here, we call these
sailor killers.
Sunday, July 13, 2008
Let's have the truth about illegal immigration please
Escondido tries to rid itself of undocumented immigrants
By Anna Gorman, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
July 13, 2008
Immigration sweeps, driver's license checkpoints, city codes and proposed policies add up to an intentionally hostile environment.
NO, Read the comments , the opinions are all over the place, but most people who actually have to deal with the consequences of it, rather than benefit from it, have had it up to HERE with illegal immigration.
The ability of politicians who pander to big business make me want to vomit:
Andrew Ysiano, publisher of the Stockton-based Latino Times newspaper praised Villaraigosa for his ability to grasp the needs of immigrants and the poor while governing the nation's second-largest city."It's a difficult thing to do . . . and he's done it well," said Ysiano, who is a Republican.
By Anna Gorman, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
July 13, 2008
Immigration sweeps, driver's license checkpoints, city codes and proposed policies add up to an intentionally hostile environment.
NO, Read the comments , the opinions are all over the place, but most people who actually have to deal with the consequences of it, rather than benefit from it, have had it up to HERE with illegal immigration.
The ability of politicians who pander to big business make me want to vomit:
Andrew Ysiano, publisher of the Stockton-based Latino Times newspaper praised Villaraigosa for his ability to grasp the needs of immigrants and the poor while governing the nation's second-largest city."It's a difficult thing to do . . . and he's done it well," said Ysiano, who is a Republican.
Funny stuff
My friend sent me this this morning.
I found this comment in aCar Club discussion page. I think it says it all.
"OPEC sells oil for $136.00 a barrel. (Now $147 and climbing...)OPEC nations buy U.S. grain at $7.00 a bushel. Solution: Sell grain for $136.00 a bushel. ($147...)Can't buy it? Tough! Eat your oil! Ought to go well with a nice thick grilled filet of camel ass!!!"
FAIR TRADE is a two-way deal
I found this comment in aCar Club discussion page. I think it says it all.
"OPEC sells oil for $136.00 a barrel. (Now $147 and climbing...)OPEC nations buy U.S. grain at $7.00 a bushel. Solution: Sell grain for $136.00 a bushel. ($147...)Can't buy it? Tough! Eat your oil! Ought to go well with a nice thick grilled filet of camel ass!!!"
FAIR TRADE is a two-way deal
Friday, July 11, 2008
"Demographic challenge of high growth rates"
Jobs for Jordan
Week of 7.11.08
Got to give Queen Rania some credit here for trying to deal with an astronomical population growth rate, and a culture of denial of reality.
Mmmm. The Middle East doesn't have enough jobs for all of the young people entering the workforce. What a nice diplomatic report that barely mentions the culture of assuming that having many children is sustainable. What arrogance to assume that blue collar work is shameful. You want to feed your 6 kids? Get real, or get a clue and don't have so many. There are 6.7 billion people on the planet. There were 3 billion when I was born. There is only so much arable land, and water supplies are seriously stressed all over the planet, Hel-looooooo?
Let's Compare and Contrast here, mmmmmkay?
Annual population growth rates:
Jordan
United States
Egypt
China
Women in developement
Gee, here's a thought. How about you send your women to work in the family planning services sector? It might create a growth industry, you know, that slowing down of human population growth, and then your other industries might be able to keep up.
Birth rates
Unemployment rates
Week of 7.11.08
Got to give Queen Rania some credit here for trying to deal with an astronomical population growth rate, and a culture of denial of reality.
Mmmm. The Middle East doesn't have enough jobs for all of the young people entering the workforce. What a nice diplomatic report that barely mentions the culture of assuming that having many children is sustainable. What arrogance to assume that blue collar work is shameful. You want to feed your 6 kids? Get real, or get a clue and don't have so many. There are 6.7 billion people on the planet. There were 3 billion when I was born. There is only so much arable land, and water supplies are seriously stressed all over the planet, Hel-looooooo?
Let's Compare and Contrast here, mmmmmkay?
Annual population growth rates:
Jordan
United States
Egypt
China
Women in developement
Gee, here's a thought. How about you send your women to work in the family planning services sector? It might create a growth industry, you know, that slowing down of human population growth, and then your other industries might be able to keep up.
Birth rates
Unemployment rates
Friday squirrel blogging
We're not allowed to have pets here, especially not small caged rodents like mice, rats or hamsters. The management says they attract rodents, and that the squirrels are "wild animals."
Bwwaaa ha ha ha ha, gee, nobody has rodents for pets, so how're they attracting rodents again?
The management can't do anything about these "wild animals" here. In many years of watching these critters I've seen them taken down exactly twice by exactly two other "wild animals." Once by a hawk, once by a coyote. The coyote was hungry, the squirrel was fat. Wild animals my ass. These rodents run the place. Just wait till I catch a pic of one of thse little fat-asses practically challenging me to shoo them off my porch before they poop on it.
Oui Oui, I agree with the French on this one
Study: Electronic Voting Increased Counting Errors in France
Peter Sayer, IDG News Service
timestamp(1215618610000,'longDateTime')
Jul 9, 2008 8:50 am
...There were discrepancies between the number of signatures and the number of votes at around 29.8 percent of polling stations studied using electronic voting machines, compared to just 5.3 percent of those using paper ballots, and those discrepancies were larger in the stations using voting machines...
How do you say "No shit?" sarcastically in French?
Is that redundant?
Update 5:21 PM 7/23/2008 Vote revokes French 35-hour week
Yeah right.
Peter Sayer, IDG News Service
timestamp(1215618610000,'longDateTime')
Jul 9, 2008 8:50 am
...There were discrepancies between the number of signatures and the number of votes at around 29.8 percent of polling stations studied using electronic voting machines, compared to just 5.3 percent of those using paper ballots, and those discrepancies were larger in the stations using voting machines...
How do you say "No shit?" sarcastically in French?
Is that redundant?
Update 5:21 PM 7/23/2008 Vote revokes French 35-hour week
Yeah right.
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Bathtub Admirals
I laughed a LOT, I cried a little. It's one of the best books I've ever read. You don't need to know anything about the Navy to love it, but it helps. My husband complained that I snatched it away from him even though I promised him he could read it first. Tough. I told him I would have it finished before he came home from work. Turns out I couldn't put it down and I had it almost finished before he went to work this morning.
Wednesday, July 09, 2008
Military vs diplomacy (& the people's will)
McCain and Obama call for new pressure on Iran
By CHARLES BABINGTON – 1 hour ago
SOUTH PARK, Pa. (AP) — The two main presidential candidates agreed Wednesday that Iran's missile tests call for renewed pressure on that country, but Democrat Barack Obama stressed direct diplomacy while Republican John McCain focused on tougher sanctions against Tehran...
U.S. panel focuses on China R&D
George Leopold
EE Times
(07/09/2008 12:13 PM EDT)
WASHINGTON — A congressional commission established to monitor U.S.-China economic and security relations will probe China's domestic and foreign-funded research and development during a hearing scheduled for July 16.
Russia threatens military response to US missile defence deal
From The Times
July 9, 2008
When the hell are the nutjobs in charge of this country going to figure out that the American people have had just about enough of the bullshit outlined above?
Stauber Interviews Sirota: The War, Dems, MoveOn and The Uprising
Submitted by John Stauber on Tue, 07/08/2008 - 12:55.
By CHARLES BABINGTON – 1 hour ago
SOUTH PARK, Pa. (AP) — The two main presidential candidates agreed Wednesday that Iran's missile tests call for renewed pressure on that country, but Democrat Barack Obama stressed direct diplomacy while Republican John McCain focused on tougher sanctions against Tehran...
U.S. panel focuses on China R&D
George Leopold
EE Times
(07/09/2008 12:13 PM EDT)
WASHINGTON — A congressional commission established to monitor U.S.-China economic and security relations will probe China's domestic and foreign-funded research and development during a hearing scheduled for July 16.
Russia threatens military response to US missile defence deal
From The Times
July 9, 2008
When the hell are the nutjobs in charge of this country going to figure out that the American people have had just about enough of the bullshit outlined above?
Stauber Interviews Sirota: The War, Dems, MoveOn and The Uprising
Submitted by John Stauber on Tue, 07/08/2008 - 12:55.
Tuesday, July 08, 2008
Fiction break
Reading this , and one of these , and one of these .I haven't seen the movie /Ed McBain's 87th Precinct: Lightning (1995) (TV)
Ahh fun stuff. Flew through everything except the Alexander book. Obviously "custom" photo cropping is not something Microsoft makes easy. Does Microsoft make anything easy? (excepting dividends for shareholders that is). I'm irritated that the scanner has become a pain in the patoot.
For today's (actually yesterday's) reality slap upside the head go here .
Monday, July 07, 2008
Why We Fight
I bought this this morning. I let you know how full of shit McCain is now compared to what he said while being interviewed for this fabulous documentary. It's all you need to know about how American politics really works. At least that was my impression the last time I watched it...
This clip is where McSame shows who he is fellating and it's not the American people. He wins and we're (lemmee say it again) McFucked.
Friday, July 04, 2008
Happy Fourth
Mmmm mmmm, the barbeque was fabulous and Greg Palast wrote the most beautiful essay on why the 4th of July is worth celebrating.
Thursday, July 03, 2008
Hmmmm
Tenn. inmate released after 22 years on death row
By ROSE FRENCH Associated Press Writer
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Judge Orders Google to Turn Over YouTube Records
By MIGUEL HELFT
Published: July 4, 2008
SAN FRANCISCO — A federal judge in New York has ordered Google to turn over to Viacom a database linking users of YouTube, the Web’s largest video site by far, with every clip they have watched there...
Are you kidding me?
Well, I wonder how much trouble I'll get in for this one?
Hope the Judge doesn't own a Mercedes.
By ROSE FRENCH Associated Press Writer
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Judge Orders Google to Turn Over YouTube Records
By MIGUEL HELFT
Published: July 4, 2008
SAN FRANCISCO — A federal judge in New York has ordered Google to turn over to Viacom a database linking users of YouTube, the Web’s largest video site by far, with every clip they have watched there...
Are you kidding me?
Well, I wonder how much trouble I'll get in for this one?
Hope the Judge doesn't own a Mercedes.
Tuesday, July 01, 2008
Painful laughter from a friend
My friend sent me this recently. But still, how sad is this anyway?
While I stood in line today at a supermarket check-out stand listening to the clerk at the register inform a woman with a baby on her hip that she was $1.62 short to meet the purchase price of a loaf of bread, George Bush signed off on $162 Billion to continue the War he started in Iraq and abandoned in Afghanistan... 1.62 and 162 billion are not that far apart. Just remove the decimal point and add nine zeros and you will be on target.The Constitution bars naturalized citizens from holding office as the President. It is silent on the subject of U.S. born morons.
Abhi
I didn't ask whether Abhi read this today:
How Ignorant Are We?
...
"About 1 in 4 Americans can name more than one of the five freedoms guaranteed by the First Amendment (freedom of speech, religion, press, assembly and petition for redress of grievances.) But more than half of Americans can name at least two members of the fictional cartoon family, according to a survey.
"The study by the new McCormick Tribune Freedom Museum found that 22 percent of Americans could name all five Simpson family members, compared with just 1 in 1,000 people who could name all five First Amendment freedoms."...
While I stood in line today at a supermarket check-out stand listening to the clerk at the register inform a woman with a baby on her hip that she was $1.62 short to meet the purchase price of a loaf of bread, George Bush signed off on $162 Billion to continue the War he started in Iraq and abandoned in Afghanistan... 1.62 and 162 billion are not that far apart. Just remove the decimal point and add nine zeros and you will be on target.The Constitution bars naturalized citizens from holding office as the President. It is silent on the subject of U.S. born morons.
Abhi
I didn't ask whether Abhi read this today:
How Ignorant Are We?
...
"About 1 in 4 Americans can name more than one of the five freedoms guaranteed by the First Amendment (freedom of speech, religion, press, assembly and petition for redress of grievances.) But more than half of Americans can name at least two members of the fictional cartoon family, according to a survey.
"The study by the new McCormick Tribune Freedom Museum found that 22 percent of Americans could name all five Simpson family members, compared with just 1 in 1,000 people who could name all five First Amendment freedoms."...
Monday, June 30, 2008
grumble grumble grumble rassaa frasssaa, grrrrrrrr. Vista sucks. The POS 'puter I bought sucks. The only good news I have is that I heard on NPR that Vista sucks so badly that support will be available for winXP till 2014.
Yes, I know I shoulda bought a MAC. I also heard that more and more people are buying MACs and therefore the assholes who write malware will be more and more focused on MAC OS.
Gah. Be back soon.
Yes, I know I shoulda bought a MAC. I also heard that more and more people are buying MACs and therefore the assholes who write malware will be more and more focused on MAC OS.
Gah. Be back soon.
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Mixed feelings this AM.
First the funny stuff. Amita Sharma has a lovely voice with slight inflections that are interesting to try to figure out. This morning on the local NPR station I really don't know where she was emotionally, but I was laughing my ass off:
San Diego Wants Blackwater to Make Training Facility Wheelchair Accessible
I can't stand Bonfiglio, & I love Mike Aguirre AND his brother.
Still plugging along until the isp sends the right driver. Dayang I miss reading y'all, but this thing is just sooooo slow. Oy. Be back soon. Vista is a pain in the ass so far.
Not happy with the Supreme Court this morning either:
Court rejects death penalty for raping children
By MARK SHERMAN, Associated Press Writer 1 hour, 58 minutes ago
WASHINGTON - The Supreme Court has struck down a Louisiana law that allows the execution of people convicted of a raping a child...
and
The Supreme Court on Wednesday also cut the $2.5 billion punitive damages award in the 1989 Exxon Valdez disaster to $500 million.
and watch the Supreme Court be responsible for more dead cetaceans:
Supreme Court to decide Navy sonar appeal
Mon Jun 23, 2008 1:29pm
Seriously. Who does the Supreme Court protect in these cases? It ain't the whales.
San Diego Wants Blackwater to Make Training Facility Wheelchair Accessible
I can't stand Bonfiglio, & I love Mike Aguirre AND his brother.
Still plugging along until the isp sends the right driver. Dayang I miss reading y'all, but this thing is just sooooo slow. Oy. Be back soon. Vista is a pain in the ass so far.
Not happy with the Supreme Court this morning either:
Court rejects death penalty for raping children
By MARK SHERMAN, Associated Press Writer 1 hour, 58 minutes ago
WASHINGTON - The Supreme Court has struck down a Louisiana law that allows the execution of people convicted of a raping a child...
and
The Supreme Court on Wednesday also cut the $2.5 billion punitive damages award in the 1989 Exxon Valdez disaster to $500 million.
and watch the Supreme Court be responsible for more dead cetaceans:
Supreme Court to decide Navy sonar appeal
Mon Jun 23, 2008 1:29pm
Seriously. Who does the Supreme Court protect in these cases? It ain't the whales.
Friday, June 20, 2008
that's it, decision made
Gonna buy a new 'puter. Not looking forward to it because I heard Vista sucks, but I'm too cheap to buy a Mac for me. Only para mi princesa. She got a promotion on her job, yeah!!!!! Yes, I AM the luckiest mom in the world.
And, well wouldja lookit here. Some GOOD news on this first day of summer!!!
abstinence only education loses funding
And, well wouldja lookit here. Some GOOD news on this first day of summer!!!
abstinence only education loses funding
Sunday, June 15, 2008
*sigh*
Still in limbo. Can't decide whether to buy a new computer or gamble on a new hard drive on the old one, the other one, not this one. The one I'm using right now is ten years old and has 256 MB of ram. In other words, slower than shit, which is why I'm going through liberal-blogger withdrawls (NPR radio just ain't cutting it, I miss y'all ALOT) and why I haven't posted anything, or visited anyone. Arrrrgh.
Anyhoo, Happy Father's Day and I'll be back soon.
Geeks? I'll be happy to send info (I actually kept the 'puter info the last time I bought one) if you're interested in helping me decide what to do.
Anyhoo, Happy Father's Day and I'll be back soon.
Geeks? I'll be happy to send info (I actually kept the 'puter info the last time I bought one) if you're interested in helping me decide what to do.
Friday, June 06, 2008
The World Without Us
I'll let you know if I think it's a bad thing. So far, (5 CDs into the 10 CD audio-book) I'm rooting for nature to re-take and possibly heal this planet. Humans are pretty destructive critters and they have been for a few million years
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