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Friday, February 25, 2011
The Kids Are All Right
Anyway, I have decided that 24 is much more fun to watch on Netflix withouth the ads than it ever was before, so I'm off to get lost in something besides the real political news which is kind of nauseating me these days.
update march 2, '11, ok I give, I keep watching the show thinking that Jack Bauer will develop at least a tiny brain to go with those big balls, but no. And his ditzy daughter the hostage queen doesn't learn either. *sigh* I give up, I'm tired of having my intelligence insulted.
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Restrepo
Restrepo
Sebastian Junger, author of The Perfect Storm, teamed with photographer Tim Hetherington and spent a year embedded with the Second Platoon in Afghanistan, chronicling the hard work, fear and brotherhood that come with repelling a deadly enemy. Hunkered down with the soldiers in one of the region's most strategic valleys, the filmmakers uncover the dark humor, sleepless surreality and constant anxiety of war in this Oscar-nominated documentary.
NYT movie review.
"...Hanging out with the members of Battle Company in their hilltop outposts in the Korangal Valley between May 2007 and July 2008, Mr. Junger and Mr. Hetherington recorded firefights, reconnaissance missions, sessions of rowdy horseplay and hours of grinding boredom..."
IMDB page.
Streaming on Netflix. I was startled to the point of being breathless a couple of times when the firefights started, but my PTSD is a cakewalk compared to what some of these kids are dealing with. I wonder if the meds I take might help some of these kids. It doesn't turn me into a zombie, it just pushes the emotions back so that they don't completely overwhelm me, run my life and keep me from sleeping, so it might. As I was watching I had to force myself to stop asking the question that some of the soldiers asked on camera at the beginning: "What the fuck are we doing here?"
The only other Oscar nominated documentary I have seen this year is "Exit Through the Gift Shop" which is about a nutjob who follows Banksy around with a camera. Way different, and frankly, this documentary is better. Way better. As hard as it was to watch, it was worth it.
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Columbia Journalism Review - Economic Crisis
Economic crisis, The Audit -- Feb 17, 2011
Audit Notes: Goldman's Marks, Taibbi, Dakota Tea, etc.
By Dean Starkman
"...And lest you think this is all a hot-aired rant from the left, it’s worth reading his treatment of the strange, and strangely under-covered, case of SEC investigator Gary Aguirre, who lost his job when he tried to interview Wall Street stud John Mack in an insider-trading probe:..."
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Blue Girl finds Photo of the Day
visit Blue Girl (in a Red State) for her and YD's NightOwl Newsraps, they're fabulous. Here are some other pictures that I have fallen in love with in the last coupe of days.
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Hello? Hellloooo? Helllllooooooooooo!?
Fuckingaskippychristonapogostick, are the French the only ones connecting the protests and revolutions to the soaring costs of FOOD? Well whataya know, the head of the World Bank gets it. Read the wiki page linked, of course he gets it!
Rising food prices nearing danger point: World Bank
By Agence France-Presse
Saturday, February 19th, 2011 -- 6:19 pm
"...Soaring food, fuel and other basic costs have been one of the key factors driving political unrest across the Middle East and North Africa which has forced the ouster of long-standing autocratic rulers in Egypt and Tunisia..."
Thousands protest in Bolivia over food prices
(AFP) – 1 day ago
Price protests erupt across Algeria
Unrest spreads from capital to several towns as youths protest over rising costs and increasing unemployment.
Last Modified: 07 Jan 2011 10:15 GMT
"Static state salaries and inflation, particularly with respect to prices for food and key staples, have hit ordinary Libyans hard in the last two years,"
Fourteen people were killed this weekend in the deadliest incidents yet in an unprecedented wave of protests in Tunisia sparked by high food prices and unemployment,
Arab and Middle East revolt - an interactive map
Trace the current spate of protests from Morocco to Iran ...
Global wheat production will probably drop 4.3 percent to 653 million metric tons in 2010-2011 from the previous year, while demand may expand 1.2 percent to 667 million tons,...
How the fuck do you figure an effective 8% loss in production merits a 76% increase in price?
Why is Glenn Beck so full of shit?
February 18, 2011 11:25 pm ET
And Why Isn't Wall Street in Jail?
By Matt Taibbi
FEBRUARY 16, 2011 9:00 AM ET
"...To understand the significance of this, one has to think carefully about the efficacy of fines as a punishment for a defendant pool that includes the richest people on earth — people who simply get their companies to pay their fines for them. Conversely, one has to consider the powerful deterrent to further wrongdoing that the state is missing by not introducing this particular class of people to the experience of incarceration. "You put Lloyd Blankfein in pound-me-in-the-ass prison for one six-month term, and all this bullshit would stop, all over Wall Street," says a former congressional aide. "That's all it would take. Just once."...
Friday, February 18, 2011
Fuck you in your lying ass Mike Pence you rethug liar piece of shit
Just moments ago, the U.S. House voted to bar all federal aid to Planned Parenthood clinics across the country.
The 240-185 vote occurred on an amendment to H.R.1 offered by Rep. Mike Pence (R-IN) that prohibits any assistance to every Planned Parenthood agency in the United States. The amendment, in fact, lists all of those agencies by name.
"...And once again, I must think that it would deliver no end of displeasure to them were they to find out that thousands of contributions were being sent to Planned Parenthood in their names -- that they, in fact, had become fundraisers for an organization they evidently despise..."
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Progress, but not here
Posted by Tom Engelhardt at 10:02am, February 17, 2011.
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Had enough in the Middle East
Middle East protests: Country by country
Arab leaders warned of 'revolution'
Arab League chief warns regional leaders that recent political upheaval is linked to deteriorating economic conditions.
Last Modified: 19 Jan 2011 20:28 GMT
and um, other places also:
Food Riots Threaten Latin America on Surging Commodities in UN Assessment
By Nicholas Larkin - Feb 16, 2011 12:26 AM PT
Countries in Latin America and Africa, including Bolivia and Mozambique, are most at risk of food riots as prices advance, the United Nations reported.
Regulating Commodity Speculation Back In EU Spotlight
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Yeah, What BadTux said
Yup, I'm feelin' pretty lazy these days too, probably because I feel hopeless regarding the Idiocracy that is my country.
Maybe it's because I just finished watching another documentary on illegal immigration, this one about kids. I felt nothing when I watched it, probably because I was born and raised in a Mexican border town. That could change a person's perspective and make them see things that others might not see while watching that particular documentary.
Maybe it's just the hopeless feeling I get when I think about the Idiocracy that is my country.
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Grammys tonight
Friday, February 11, 2011
Tired of the news
Tuesday, February 08, 2011
Do nothing Republicans
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
I'm assuming my congresswhore Bilbray is fundraising. A LOT. Since the asshole never represented me or did anything that I care about, I try not to pay attention to the bills that he votes in diametric opposition to my values.
Time to head back to Netflix viewing. Romantic comedies were never so interesting to me, hey I am a woman, and action flicks get really tedious to me. I just don't like car chases, explosions, gunfights, damsel in distress rescues and all the bullshit regarding national security and war. I did enjoy a movie and a documentary about The Runaways, and I loved a Norwegian film that translated as "Buddy."
Monday, February 07, 2011
DC "blindsided?"
Pox Americana
Driving Through the Gates of Hell and Other American Pastimes in the Greater Middle East
By Tom Engelhardt
"As we've watched the dramatic events in the Middle East, you would hardly know that we had a thing to do with them....
Maddow Shows How the "National" Media Isn't National At Allby: David SirotaThu Jan 20, 2011 at 13:30 |
"Last night, MSNBC's Rachel Maddow rightly asked a taboo question of our "national" media: Why has it largely ignored what the FBI says is a major terrorist bombing attempt on Spokane, Washington? In the segment, you can see she cites examples of the "national" media hyperventilating about bomb scares that ended up being false alarms. She cites these examples to wonder why, in the face of a bomb scare that's actually real, the same "national" media has ignored the Spokane story? ..." |
If the NY-DC media bubble cannot inform the people of the United States about danger, how can we expect them to stop tripping over their dicks internationally? They may understand campaign contributions, election cycles and the coming quarter's earnings but the effin megalomaniacs are so myopically focused on those things that they can't even see how dangerous they are to the world.
And, Oh, yeah, I'm getting better at spotting CIA planted stories, especially with the Egypt thing going on. Some of the absolute nonsense I have read in the last couple of weeks is fucking hiliarous.
Asia Times / By Pepe Escobar 16 COMMENTS
Why the US Fears Arab Democracy
As much as Mubarak is a slave to US foreign policy, Obama is boxed in by geopolitical imperatives and enormous corporate interests he cannot even dream of upsetting.
Saturday, February 05, 2011
Natural Gas and New Mexico
Thousands in NM without natural gas service
By SUE MAJOR HOLMES Associated Press
Stocks Posted Best Weekly Gain In 2-Months (AAPL, BAC, BIDU, BP, ERTS, FCX, FSLR, MEE, PFE, SLW, V, XOM)
Written by TradersHuddle Staff
Friday, 04 February 2011 21:33
"...Energy, materials, and financials were the bets performing sectors. The energy sector rallied 2.6% lifted by higher crude oil prices and by M&A activity in the coal space. Crude oil extended its gains, climbing to a two-year high of $92.84 per barrel, before settling with a 3.2% gain at $92.19 per barrel. Traders continued to press the possibility of crude oil flow being interrupted at the Suez Canal and of possible Egypt unrest spillover to other oil producing countries in the Middle East..."
New Mexico Board Votes to Adopt Greenhouse Gas Cap-and-Trade Rules
Published Nov. 2, 2010
"...PNM Resources, the Albuquerque-based parent firm of the utility Public Service Co. of New Mexico, has opposed the regional greenhouse gas regulations and issued a statement indicating that it may consider legal action. The company is among many that would prefer a national approach to energy and emissions regulations of this type..."
Speculation On A Monster Rebound, Higher Oil
Andrew Wilkinson, Interactive Brokers, 01.28.11, 02:58 PM EST
Monster Worldwide has been a horror show, dropping about 20%. Some options players wager on a snap back rally.
Patterson-UTI Energy: Shares of the provider of contract services to the North American oil and natural gas industry were up 2.25% this afternoon to stand at $22.90 just before 2:30 p.m. in New York.
Thursday 3 Feb 2011 UK Guardian
Terry McAllister
Shell's search for profits widens even as the oil price climbs
• Shell now 'world's largest trader' as well as oil major
• Plans to explore in Arctic, Iraq, Russia and deep sea
"...Shell is also busy building up its positions in the deep waters of the Gulf of Mexico and off Brazil, despite the safety concerns triggered by BP's Deepwater Horizon spill..."
Natural gas leak reported at offshore platform in the Gulf of Mexico
Published: Tuesday, January 18, 2011, 9:20 PM Updated: Tuesday, January 18, 2011, 9:21 PM AP
Saboteurs attack Egypt gas pipeline to Jordan
By Agence France-Presse
Saturday, February 5th, 2011 -- 8:12 am
"..."The pipeline to Jordan has been attacked and the supply to Israel has been cut off," the official said..."
Friday, February 04, 2011
It's (Partly) the Food, Stupid!
Why isn't this on the front page!?
"rapacious speculator
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost
Food Speculation Behind Food Riots N Tunisia, Algeria, Sudan, Jordan, Egypt, Yemen, Morocco
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
Danny is closely following Egypt
Is Friday “The Day Of Departure?” If Hosni Is Going, Who Is Coming?
Democracy in San Diego?
Wal-Mart Buys San Diego
Dude, this shit is par for the course here in my lovely home town.
Walmart PAC donated to vote-flippers’ favored charities
FEBRUARY 4, 2011 - 1:13 PM
by Dave Maass
Councilmember Marti Emerald on Supercenters
Posted on February 4, 2011 by admin
Tuesday, February 01, 2011
Congratulations commodities speculators and traders
Bankers and Speculators Helped Create Egyptian Crisis
By Danny Schechter
Last Updated: Feb 1, 2011
Get out.
Fuck off and die please.
I dunno what I'll blog about today, but it WON'T be Egypt
Republicans Redefine Rape, Outraging Liberals
<> By CAITLIN DICKSON | January 28, 2011 5:07pm
On Rape, War Crimes, and Republicans
Exclusive: Dem calls GOP rape-redefining bill ‘a violent act against women’
By Sahil Kapur
Tuesday, February 1st, 2011 -- 8:23 am
THE ODIOUS GOP PLAN TO REDEFINE RAPE.
Friday, January 28, 2011
Thirteen Days
Thirteen Days (2000)
The film is set during the two-week Cuban missile crisis in October of 1962, and it centers on how President John F. Kennedy, Attorney General Robert Kennedy, and others handled the explosive situation.
The Pentagonistas were doing a circle jerk that could have led to nuclear war instead of letting the Presidents of the US and USSR actually communicate directly. Fucking warmongering idiots.
Men just irritate the living shit right out of me. I wonder how many pairs of villages that shared the same water well avoided wars because the women talked to each other instead of letting their testosterone fueled men loose on each other.
I read, then escape, and then rinse and repeat.
P. 292
"...In the two years leading up to the oil embargo....
The point man for weaving together the complex economic relationship with the Saudis was a little-known fellow by the name of Gerald Parsky. His grasp of U.S. tax laws enable him to advise Arab countries how to benefit from IRS tax exemptions for foreign investment in real estate..."
Oh. Shit. If we are dealing with foreign capital that started that giant sucking sound in the 70's, how bad is it now?
At which point my head hurts enough to hit the escape button and find out what is on Netflix? Oh, so glad you asked! I recently discovered that the first four years of "Brothers and Sisters" is streaming on Netflix. Either I'm getting senile, or I missed the first half of the first year.
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Happy Birthday to me
I feel very appreciated today.
Update 7:30 pm - Watching this response to the SOTU speech What a fucking tool.
Monday, January 24, 2011
Trying to read now
War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy (Andrew Bromfield translation, earlier and shorter)
What was I thinking? I still haven't finished Family of Secrets or Globalization and it's Discontents. I used to read for fun. I'm not having much fun reading these days. Fuckin' 9/11.
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Rachel Maddow is AWESOME
Goddamned Old Pricks (GOP)
GOP bill would block D.C. abortion funding
By Ben Pershing
"..."The new Republican majority has spent its first three weeks preaching about the need to reduce the federal government's power," Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.) said in a press release. "Yet the third bill they introduced this Congress prohibits a local jurisdiction from spending its own local funds."...
O'Reilly promotes effort to recall Sheriff Dupnik for 'divisive' talk -- with Nazi-coddler Russell Pearce cheerleading
Was Comcast Behind Keith Olbermann’s Exit from MSNBC?
Jan. 21 2011 - 10:51 pm
"...But Comcast has its own calculations. An intrinsically conservative corporation, it’s not overly friendly to congenital boat-rockers like Olbermann..."
The More Americans That Go On Food Stamps The More Money JP Morgan Makes
JP Morgan is the largest processor of food stamp benefits in the United States. JP Morgan has contracted to provide food stamp debit cards in 26 U.S. states and the District of Columbia. JP Morgan is paid for each case that it handles, so that means that the more Americans that go on food stamps, the more profits JP Morgan makes.
January 20, 2011 5:03 PM