More Tax Woes

Seriously guys? I mean... come on! From Politico to my inbox:

Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius has paid back taxes of more than $7,000 stemming from "unintentional errors" revealed during her accountant's review of recent tax returns.

Pretty soon, the Obama administration will have to start preemptively doing possible cabinet members' taxes as a part of the vetting process. Ugh.

Like what you see? RSS FEED | TWITTER FEED | HOME

Read More

Tweet Of The Day II

"I am, sadly, developing a pair of perky little A cup man boobs. Moobs." -rainnwilson



Like what you see? RSS FEED | TWITTER FEED | HOME

Read More

Mail Bag

In my inbox today from Epic Records: Ben Folds' new album, Ben Folds Presents: University A Capella! Folds says:

This is not a novelty. I consider this my new record... I'm incredibly proud of this. If this were Ben World, this would be my greatest hits album. I'd rather this be my greatest hits record than someone collecting my masters and slapping on a photo of me leaning against a piano. This is a better way. I'm a songwriter, and these are my songs.

Neat-o. I love me some Ben Folds -- especially when he teams up with William Shatner...

...I'm not kidding.

Like what you see? RSS FEED | TWITTER FEED | HOME

Read More

Tweet Of The Day

"thinking of things that have outlived their use. the k in u.k. maybe. do we need monarchs and "kingdoms" today? #nope -brooksbayne



Like what you see? RSS FEED | TWITTER FEED | HOME

Read More

More Newspaper Troubles

Sun-Times Media Group Inc., owner of the Chicago Sun-Times, has filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy.

Tick-tock...

Like what you see? RSS FEED | TWITTER FEED | HOME

Read More

HANNAN 2012?

I know I know...he isn't an American Citizen...but gosh I loved this guys speech last week. It hits the nail right on the head on what my mind is saying right now. I'll just let him speak...

Prime Minister, I see you’ve already mastered the essential craft of the European politician, namely the ability to say one thing in this chamber and a very different thing to your home electorate. You’ve spoken here about free trade, and amen to that. Who would have guessed, listening to you just now, that you were the author of the phrase ‘British jobs for British workers’ and that you have subsidised, where you have not nationalised outright, swathes of our economy, including the car industry and many of the banks? Perhaps you would have more moral authority in this house if your actions matched your words? Perhaps you would have more legitimacy in the councils of the world if the United Kingdom were not going into this recession in the worst condition of any G20 country?

The truth, Prime Minister, is that you have run out of our money. The country as a whole is now in negative equity. Every British child is born owing around £20,000. Servicing the interest on that debt is going to cost more than educating the child. Now, once again today you try to spread the blame around; you spoke about an international recession, international crisis. Well, it is true that we are all sailing together into the squalls. But not every vessel in the convoy is in the same dilapidated condition. Other ships used the good years to caulk their hulls and clear their rigging; in other words – to pay off debt. But you used the good years to raise borrowing yet further. As a consequence, under your captaincy, our hull is pressed deep into the water line under the accumulated weight of your debt We are now running a deficit that touches 10% of GDP, an almost unbelievable figure. More than Pakistan, more than Hungary; countries where the IMF have already been called in. Now, it’s not that you’re not apologising; like everyone else I have long accepted that you’re pathologically incapable of accepting responsibility for these things. It’s that you’re carrying on, wilfully worsening our situation, wantonly spending what little we have left. Last year - in the last twelve months – a hundred thousand private sector jobs have been lost and yet you created thirty thousand public sector jobs.

Prime Minister, you cannot carry on for ever squeezing the productive bit of the economy in order to fund an unprecedented engorgement of the unproductive bit. You cannot spend your way out of recession or borrow your way out of debt. And when you repeat, in that wooden and perfunctory way, that our situation is better than others, that we’re ‘well-placed to weather the storm’, I have to tell you that you sound like a Brezhnev-era apparatchik giving the party line. You know, and we know, and you know that we know that it’s nonsense! Everyone knows that Britain is worse off than any other country as we go into these hard times. The IMF has said so; the European Commission has said so; the markets have said so – which is why our currency has devalued by thirty percent. And soon the voters too will get their chance to say so. They can see what the markets have already seen: that you are the devalued Prime Minister of a devalued government.

Like what you see? RSS FEED TWITTER FEED HOME

Read More

You've Got To Be Kidding Me

In today's episode of WTF?

REDMOND, Washington (CNN) -- Should a bridge that would connect two campuses at Microsoft's headquarters be funded with $11 million from the federal stimulus package?

Critics of using stimulus money for the bridge say it would give the software giant a break on a pet project. They also say it serves as a warning sign of how some stimulus money is not being used to finance new projects but is being diverted to public works already under way.

Supporters argue the bridge is an ideal public-private partnership that will benefit an entire community while fulfilling the stimulus package's goal of getting people back to work.

"It's going create just under 400 jobs for 18 months constructing the bridge," says Redmond Mayor John Marchione. "It's also connecting our technical sector with our retail and commercial sectors so people can cross the freeway to shop and help traffic flow."

It's on Microsoft's corporate campus. O-kaaaaaay...

The full story says that Microsoft will be paying for about half of the project, so it's not as bad as I thought at first glance. But, surely the city of Redmond has more important public projects on which the money could be spent. Public works projects that would benefit the residents of the city first -- not a corporate entity.  I don't mind popping for some economic stimulus, but there need to be real, lasting jobs created -- enough that we continue to reap the benefits of this sacrifice for many years to come.

A bridge on the campus of one of the most wealthy corporations in the world is not a step in the right direction.

Head nod: Below The Beltway

Like what you see? RSS FEED | TWITTER FEED | HOME

Read More

Synth Sensation

I can almost see Eddie Murphy putting a banana in a tailpipe...  

PS: that is a reference to Beverly Hills Cop, not some strange innuendo...

Like what you see? RSS FEED | TWITTER FEED | HOME

Read More

'Super Laser' Now Functional

Now witness the power of this fully armed and operational battlestation!  

After more than a decade of work and $3.5 billion, engineers have completed the world's most powerful laser, capable of simulating the energy force of a hydrogen bomb and the sun itself.

The federal Energy Department will announce Tuesday that it has officially certified the National Ignition Facility at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California, clearing the way for a series of experiments over the next year that eventually is hoped will mimic the heat and pressure found at the center of the sun.

The facility, the size of a football field, comprises 192 separate laser beams, each traveling 1,000 feet in one-thousandth of a second to converge simultaneously on a target the size of a pencil eraser.

Credit to Allahpundit for the Star Wars phrasiology -- I had to recycle it because I felt that it fit so well...

Like what you see? RSS FEED | TWITTER FEED | HOME

Read More

Rush: 'If He Fails, America Is Saved'

There are no words...

Like what you see? RSS FEED | TWITTER FEED | HOME

Read More

Ted Kennedy Is Back

Reporting for duty in the Senate:

Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-MA) is back in the Senate today to chair a confirmation hearing for Gov. Kathleen Sebelius's (D-KS) nomination to be Secretary of Health and Human Services. Kennedy has been working behind the scenes on health care reform but has been absent from most committee meetings as he fights brain cancer.

Like what you see? RSS FEED | TWITTER FEED | HOME

Read More

Joe The Plumber In Steel City

It seems JTP is not necessarily loved by all 'regular Joes':

Samuel Joseph Wurzelbacher — better known as Joe the Plumber — headlined a raucous rally against pro-union legislation Monday night where critics and supporters of the Employee Free Choice Act jeered one another.

Two Green Tree police officers broke up several arguments to prevent fights in the midst of a crowd of about 150 packed inside a Radisson ballroom. The crowd was divided about evenly between union members and opponents of the so-called "card check" bill. No one was arrested.

Wurzelbacher, in a flannel shirt, T-shirt and jeans, drew some of the loudest rebukes from union members, who booed and jeered him for not having a plumber's license in his native Ohio.

Like what you see? RSS FEED | TWITTER FEED | HOME

Read More

Quote Of The Day II

"We have to recognize Republican candidates in the Northeast are going to be different than candidates in the Midwest, who are going to look different than candidates on the West Coast. We have to first recognize the fundamental role of any representative, to represent his constituents, not a particular party. That doesn’t mean you take the party platform necessarily and throw it out the window, but also that you don’t become so exclusive to say ‘Well if this person doesn’t agree with me 100 percent, then they aren’t a true Republican.'" -Aaron Schock, the 27-year-old Republican Congressman from Illinois, in an interview with Meghan McCain.

Perhaps Michael Steele should step-down and give the RNC chairmanship to Schock...

Like what you see? RSS FEED | TWITTER FEED | HOME

Read More

What Is A 'Fag-Enabler' Anyway?

More craziness from the kooks of the Westboro Baptist Church. A march on the White House.  Oh goodie.  

View the whole series mindf**k here.

Like what you see? RSS FEED | TWITTER FEED | HOME

Read More

How's That War On Drugs Going?

Thoughts from Jack Cafferty:

Someone described insanity as doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result each time. That's a perfect description of the war on drugs.

The United States is the largest illegal drug market in the world. Americans want their weed, crack, cocaine, heroin, whatever. And they're willing to pay big money to get it.

The drug suppliers are only too happy to oblige. The Mexican drug cartels now have operations in 230 American cities. That's 230 American cities!

And we're not just talking about border towns, but places such as Anchorage, Alaska; Boston, Massachusetts; Atlanta, Georgia; and Billings, Montana. They're everywhere. And they don't just bring drugs, but violence and crime as well -- lots of it at no extra charge.

In a back-and-forth with Vast yesterday (on Twitter -- follow me!), I agreed that marriage equality will hopefully happen prior to the legalization of marijuana -- but that neither should be illegal.

What is wrong with us?

Like what you see? RSS FEED | TWITTER FEED | HOME

Read More

Built Ford Tough

Really?

Ford said Tuesday that it will cover payments for up to 12 months on any new Ford, Lincoln or Mercury vehicle if customers lose their jobs and will offer 0% financing on select Ford, Lincoln and Mercury vehicles through Ford Motor Credit.

How 'tough' can a company remain if they cover the payments of the unemployed? My guess is that guarantees like that won't last long -- especially in an economy like ours.

Like what you see? RSS FEED | TWITTER FEED | HOME

Read More

Quote Of The Day

"If I'm corrupt, it's because I take care of my district. My job as a member of Congress is to make sure that we take care of what we see is necessary. Not the bureaucrats who are unelected over there in whatever White House, whether it's Republican or Democrat. Those bureaucrats would like to control everything. Every president would like to have all the power and not have Congress change anything. But we're closest to the people." -Congressman John Murtha (D-Pa).

Did he admit to corruption in that statement?

Like what you see? RSS FEED | TWITTER FEED | HOME

Read More

Goodbye, Encarta

I was wondering when this announcement would come:

Microsoft delivered the coup de grâce Monday to its dying Encarta encyclopedia, acknowledging what everyone else realized long ago: it just couldn’t compete with Wikipedia, a free, collaborative project that has become the leading encyclopedia on the Web.

In January, Wikipedia got 97 percent of the visits that Web surfers in the United States made to online encyclopedias, according to the Internet ratings service Hitwise. Encarta was second, with 1.27 percent. Unlike Wikipedia, where volunteer editors quickly update popular entries, Encarta can be embarrassingly outdated. The entry for Joseph R. Biden Jr., for example, identifies him as vice president-elect and a U.S. senator.

The Encarta software will be removed from stores by June, Microsoft said, and the affiliated worldwide Web sites will be closed by the end of October.

Personally, I haven't used an CD-ROM encyclopedia -- much less a bound reference source -- in years. Since the Internet Age began, there has been no need.  Thank you Wikipedia... I think.

Like what you see? RSS FEED | TWITTER FEED | HOME

Read More

Happy Birthday

My high-school-friend and buddy-who-lived-across-the-street is now 32. Happy Birthday Zach -- even if it is a day late! I hope you had a good one!






Like what you see? RSS FEED | TWITTER FEED | HOME

Read More

Tweet Of The Day II

"Pretty sure a microwave isn't supposed to make that noise. I wonder what th-- CRUSH KILL DESTROY ALL HUMANS!" -wilw



Like what you see? RSS FEED | TWITTER FEED | HOME

Read More

The 'Joint Special Operations Command'

Ummm...

The Bush administration established a secret special operations unit unmonitored by Congress with authority to assassinate high-value targets in as many as a dozen countries, New Yorker reporter Seymour Hersh told CNN Monday.

In an interview on CNN's The Situation Room, Hersh said the group — called the Joint Special Operations Command — reported to Vice President Dick Cheney and was delegated authority to assassinate individuals based on their own intelligence.

I'm going to reserve judgment until there is more proof -- or at least some corroboration from another source.  But if this allegation is true... I just don't know what to say.

Like what you see? RSS FEED | TWITTER FEED | HOME

Read More

Hard Wuerk

-M.Wuerker, Wuerking Drawings

Like what you see? RSS FEED | TWITTER FEED | HOME

Read More

Dashboard Vader

Darth Vader in a hula skirt. Set to music.

Head nod: Boing Boing

Like what you see? RSS FEED | TWITTER FEED | HOME

Read More

In Case You Have Forgotten

On this day in 1981, President Ronald Reagan was shot in an assassination attempt.

I was five-years-old at the time and strangely, I remember this happening. Weird.

Like what you see? RSS FEED | TWITTER FEED | HOME

Read More

Nicholas Sparks' New Project

Absolutely not safe for work. Check your volume levels and view at your own risk!

Funny.

Like what you see? RSS FEED | TWITTER FEED | HOME

Read More

Dick Cheney's Fear

A fantastic op-ed for the Sunday Times by Andrew Sullivan:

So what was Cheney thinking? My guess is that he fears he is in trouble. This fear has been created by Obama, but indirectly. Obama has declined to launch a prosecution of Cheney for war crimes, as many in his party (and outside it) would like. He has set up a review of detention, rendition and interrogation policies. And he has simply declassified many of the infamous torture memos kept under wraps by Bush.

He has the power to do this, and much of the time it is in response to outside requests. But as the memos have emerged, the awful truth of what Cheney actually authorised becomes harder and harder to deny. And Cheney is desperately trying to maintain a grip on the narrative before it grips him by the throat.

Read the whole thing here.

Like what you see? RSS FEED | TWITTER FEED | HOME

Read More

ShamWTF?

Ugh:

ShamWow pitchman Vince Shlomi was arrested on felony battery charges in Miami last month following a violent encounter with a hooker...

Just... ugh.

Like what you see? RSS FEED | TWITTER FEED | HOME

Read More

Quote Of The Day II

"No. We want him to succeed. We want to persuade him that perhaps some of his policies are not going to help him succeed." -Bill O'Reilly, responding to the direct question, 'do you want President Obama to fail?'

I've been fairly critical of O'Reilly lately -- with his stalker-esque tactics to 'journalism' -- but here I have to give the guy credit. He's being fair to Obama. He won't call him a socialist, unlike his colleague Sean Hannity, and he won't emulate Rush Limbaugh's position on wishing failure on our president. I can respect that.

Like what you see? RSS FEED | TWITTER FEED | HOME

Read More

Tweet Of The Day

"AUTO NEWS. Matchbox Cars: Too big to fail? I don't think so, because: tiny." -pourmecoffee



Like what you see? RSS FEED | TWITTER FEED | HOME

Read More

Easy Come, Easy Go

GraphJam.com

Like what you see? RSS FEED | TWITTER FEED | HOME

Read More

More North Korean Missles

Oh goodie:  

A North Korean rocket slated for launch sometime early next month can be clearly seen in a satellite photograph taken Sunday, the Institute for Science and International Security said Sunday.

The satellite imagery, obtained by the ISIS from DigitalGlobe, is said to show the rocket at the Musudan-ri launch site in northeastern North Korea. The image casts a shadow on the ground below.

Seriously North Korea? Still with the missles? Hey, I've got an idea, how about you stop spending all of your money on weapons and junk, and start trading products and services with other countries. You know, things like... FOOD.

Like what you see? RSS FEED | TWITTER FEED | HOME

Read More

Our Contradiction On Weed

If you ask me, our country has gone completely insane:

Smoking pot doesn’t cause schizophrenia, but marijuana as an issue sure gives our political system the symptoms. We have just elected our third president in a row who at least tried marijuana in early adulthood, yet it remains illegal.

As we discovered again this week, President Obama, like his two predecessors, supports imprisoning people for making the same choices he made.

Beyond imprisonment, one of my policy students, who was honest on a security clearance about her one time use of pot, could lose her job for doing what Clinton, Bush and Obama did.

On television, leading comedian Jon Stewart and America’s sweetheart, Sandra Bullock, swap pot smoking stories with lighthearted abandon, laughing along with their audience, who, like most Americans, end up voting for politicians who support draconian punishments for pot users and dealers.

Year after year, major Hollywood films like Pineapple Express show potsmoking in a positive light, yet legalization remains unmentionable to both our political parties. And America’s most popular Olympian, Michael Phelps, like the majority of people his age, has tried pot, but loses millions in sponsorship when it is revealed that he has done what most of his fans have done.

Read the rest here -- it's well worth it.

Like what you see? RSS FEED | TWITTER FEED | HOME

Read More

Get Your Credit Report

Vast (I think?) brought this to my attention some time ago -- and I thought it was interesting.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has sponsored a series of ads to educate people about getting a 'free' credit report. They are essentially knock-offs of the FreeCreditReport.com ads (that I'm SURE you've seen on tv) and employ similar songs and visuals.

Like what you see? RSS FEED | TWITTER FEED | HOME

Read More

Action

Wow. I wasn't expecting this kind of action from the White House:

In surprising findings to be outlined at the White House on Monday, President Obama has concluded that neither GM nor Chrysler as they now exist deserve more bailouts. But the White House is sparing them for a month or two, and is promising American consumers that the government will stand behind warranties if the automakers fail.

Most remarkably, the administration demanded that GM CEO Rick Wagoner resign so the company could remake itself “with a clean sheet of paper.” And he did, effective immediately. The administration also said GM has been given a “goal of replacing a majority of the board over the coming months.”

The administration found that both carmakers had failed to prove their “viability” as required under the terms of the massive government loans they’ve already received, and determined that neither should receive another bailout.

More as the story develops...

Like what you see? RSS FEED | TWITTER FEED | HOME

Read More

Awesome Commentary

That should tickle your British fancy for a bit, no? I love how political correctness is thrown aside, and yet he never really says anything offensive. Great commentary.

Like what you see? RSS FEED | TWITTER FEED | HOME

Read More

The Early Neoconservative Movement

What neocons might have said in the early 1900s:

For too long the meat packing and pharmaceutical industries have shouldered the burden and blame for irresponsible, blind consumerism. The passage of The Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906, regulating the production and sale of toxic food and drug products, will have disastrous and crippling effects on its respective industries.

Read the rest here.

Like what you see? RSS FEED | TWITTER FEED | HOME

Read More

Google Cutting Jobs

As goes The Google, so goes the Internet...

Google is cutting its sales and marketing team by roughly 200 employees, in its largest round of layoffs yet.

The move is the web search leader's latest effort to cut costs amid a tough economy and a broad slowdown in advertising spending.

Coming off a year in which the company earned $4.2 billion on revenue of $21.8 billion, Google still is trimming its expenses in attempt to protect its profit margins and prevent its stock price from falling further.

Google's fortunes are tied to ad revenue that is dwindling as both marketers and consumers cut down on spending. In 2008, 97 percent of Google's revenue came from advertising. Some analysts say they believe the Mountain View company may finally be suffering its first quarter-to-quarter decline since it went public in 2004.

I don't know... but to see such a successful company like Google starting to make cutbacks is probably not a good thing.

Like what you see? RSS FEED | TWITTER FEED | HOME

Read More

Quote Of The Day

"[W]hat is this guy famous for, asking a question? That’s retarded. I think his fifteen minutes of fame should have ended a while, ago. I’m not trying to be mean, And, it’s nothing personal. But, come on now. Is Pawlenty going to tap him next to be the poster-child for these “Sam’s Club Republicans” he keeps talking about?

Joe the Plumber is a gimmick. The people see through that. If you really want to campaign against this bill why don’t you find a spokesperson who would actually be harmed by it? Stop reinforcing the idea that all Republicans are rich elitists that can’t communicate with the 'common man'." Monique Stuart, talking about JTP campaigning against Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA) in Pennsylvania.

Head nod: Below The Beltway

Like what you see? RSS FEED | TWITTER FEED | HOME

Read More

Mike Pence Pwned

We get Mr. Pence, Obama = more taxes, higher spending and Republicans = lower taxes and less spending. But, I think that Nora O'Donnell raises a good point: How can you attack the President's proposal when yours is still incomplete? It would be nice to see some solid numbers and deficit projections in the GOP's plan. In fact, it seems a little bit junior-varsity to release such a small document that lacks so much substance -- almost like Republican leaders were rushing just to put something out into the ether...

Like what you see? RSS FEED | TWITTER FEED | HOME

Read More

To Be In D.C.

Three main points about D.C. over the weekend:

1. Rain (drizzle?) sucks for a field trip.
2. Walking around all day takes it's toll on a man who is out-of-shape.
3. One day is not nearly enough time to see the sights.

As you can see from my picture of the capitol building, the weather was, shall we say, less-than-cooperative. The cherry blossoms were already starting to bloom, which made for a pretty enviroment, but a turd is a turd -- even if you put a bow on it.

Despite the lousy weather, TPW and I were determined to see the sights of our nation's capital. Unfortunately, due to lack of time and long lines, we were only able to see about half of what we originally intended.

My biggest disappointment was the line outside of the National Archive that prevented us from viewing The Constitution, The Declaration of Independence and all of the other precious national treasures that are housed there.

However, the exhibits that we saw at The Museum Of American History were nothing short of awesome (the Abraham Lincoln exhibit in particular).

The moral of the story: One day is not NEARLY enough time to see the sights in Washington, D.C. Oh, and wear comfortable walking shoes...

Like what you see? RSS FEED | TWITTER FEED | HOME

Read More

Saturday, Errr... Sunday Morning Cartoon

Because I was in Washington all day yesterday (I had to walk out my front door at 6:00 a.m.), I didn't get to post a cartoon. So, here is what I found using the search string 'Sunday Morning Cartoons':


Yeah. They can't all be winners I suppose.

PS: thanks to Vast for posting up something yesterday. I never watched Thundarr -- but am now intrigued because it looks like he's carrying a... Lightsaber.

Like what you see? RSS FEED | TWITTER FEED | HOME

Read More

A Vast Cartoon

I miss me some Thundarr.



Like what you see? RSS FEED | TWITTER FEED | HOME

Read More

Um... Wow

I know I said I was done for today, but...

It looks like Bill O'Reilly may start to regret all of that 'journalistic' stalking that he (or his producers) has been doing. UPS has pulled their advertising from his show as a result of ThinkProgress' campaign:

Today UPS announced it will stop advertising on O’Reilly’s show. Here is the statement UPS emailed out just moments ago:

Thank you for sending an e-mail expressing concern about UPS advertising during the Bill O’Reilly show on FOX News. We do consider such comments as we review ad placement decisions which involve a variety of news, entertainment and sports programming. At this time, we have no plans to continue advertising during this show.

While I'm sure that O'Reilly's show is far from being canceled -- I think that this represents something big...

Like what you see? RSS FEED | TWITTER FEED | HOME

Read More

It's Good To Be In D.C.

That's it for me today. I'll be heading to Washington, D.C. tomorrow with TPW and a busload of her students. Should be... interesting. Here's to hoping that the weather is nice because it's so good to be in D.C.!

I'm taking the heavy camera -- so hopefully I'll have some nice shots to share when we get back.

Like what you see? RSS FEED | TWITTER FEED | HOME

Read More

Nerd Humor

Head nod: Matthew Gannon

Like what you see? RSS FEED | TWITTER FEED | HOME

Read More

Do we still blame Bush?

When Bush was President...he was blamed everytime gas went up and up (but I dont think ever got credit when it went down and down). Anyway...I just have a question so I know going forward.

Who do I blame for a barrel of oil going up to $54 this week...the highest since election time? Gas has risen about $.10-$.15 a gallon this week around my house...I just need to know from my liberal friends whether or not I still blame Bush or is it someone else now? Do we just blame Bush until he's dead when oil prices fluctuate or do we ask Barack Obama why oil prices are going up? Just curious...please let me know what the stance is.

Like what you see? RSS FEED TWITTER FEED HOME

Read More

Tweet Of The Day II

"writing a new Cerebral Itch bizplan using the GOP budget as a template - now if I can figure out how to use crayons with my thumbs up my ass" -cerebralitch



Like what you see? RSS FEED | TWITTER FEED | HOME

Read More

Hard Wuerk

-M.Wuerker, Wuerking Drawings

Like what you see? RSS FEED | TWITTER FEED | HOME

Read More

How am I gonna explain this to the "Big Guy"

So much for the moderate Presidency. Reagan, Bush, Clinton and Bush all agreed to this...but not the moderate President Barack Obama.

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The Obama administration plans to reverse a regulation from late in the Bush administration allowing health-care workers to refuse to provide services based on moral objections, an official said Friday. The rule protects the rights of health care providers who refuse to participate in certain procedures. The Provider Refusal Rule was proposed by the Bush White House in August and enacted on January 20, the day President Barack Obama took office. It expanded on a 30-year-old law establishing a "conscience clause" for "health-care professionals who don't want to perform abortions." Under the rule, workers in health-care settings -- from doctors to janitors -- can refuse to provide services, information or advice to patients on subjects such as contraception, family planning, blood transfusions and even vaccine counseling if they are morally against it.

Now...correct me if I am wrong...but isn't this the same Barack Obama who said we should "be our brothers and sisters keeper"? Wasn't this the same Barack Obama who commented: "We may not agree on abortion, but surely we can agree on reducing the number of unwanted pregnancies in this country"? By the above phrases you assume he would take a more moderate approach to abortion...instead...he goes in the other direction.

I had high hopes that President Obama would not be the liberal ideologist that my friends Hannity and Limbaugh said he would. So why would he want to make a doctor perform a homicide they don't believe in? I don't know how you agree with this. I dont like where this country is headed folks...$3.6 Trillion Budget, Government owning banks and telling us how much money CEO's can make, telling doctors what services they must provide even if they don't agree with it, we can't say terrorism because it uses the politics of fear (despite "terrorists" blowing up buildings and planes).

And now...the end is near...and soon I face...my final curtain. - Liberty and Freedom in the USA (also a Frank Sinatra/Paul Anka song)

Like what you see? RSS FEED TWITTER FEED HOME

Read More

New York Times Cutting Jobs

It appears that the zenith of which I spoke on Wednesday has yet to be reached:

The New York Times Company budget plans announced Thursday, including a temporary 5 percent pay cut for most employees, should avert newsroom staff cuts at the flagship Times newspaper this year, the executive editor, Bill Keller, said.

The cuts were mandated for management and nonunion employees, and the Newspaper Guild has been asked to agree to them for those it represents on the newsroom staff. If the union does not agree, Mr. Keller said during a meeting of hundreds of staff members in the paper’s main newsroom, “we will face layoffs, probably on the order of 60 to 70 people,” out of almost 1,300 on the news staff.

Also on Thursday, The Times laid off 100 people in its business operations, and Mr. Keller said it would make other cuts, like reducing spending on freelancers by 10 to 15 percent and possibly consolidating some sections.

Ouch.

Like what you see? RSS FEED | TWITTER FEED | HOME

Read More

Take My Breath Away

To gaze upon it's beauty is simply... just... wow.

You are not worthy of this car:

This is the Vulca S. You probably won't ever see one, let alone drive one, because it's more exclusive than a VIP room at the Pink Elephant and you need an AIG bonus to afford one.

The Vulca S is the first car entirely designed and built by Italian coachbuilders Faralli & Mazzanti. Just ten - that's right, ten - will be built, every one of them by hand over the course of 11 months. During that time, customers will stay at the coachbuilder's private villa in Tuscany so as to oversee every aspect of construction.

More at Wired.

Like what you see? RSS FEED | TWITTER FEED | HOME

Read More

Really? A Snuggie?

I don't know which is more embarrassing for Tucker Carlson, Grover Norquist or Andrew Breitbart: Being photographed in a Snuggie, or being mentioned with the likes of Joe The Plumber...

Like what you see? RSS FEED | TWITTER FEED | HOME

Read More

Quote Of The Day

"I’m personally supportive of [marriage] equality for gay couples and I believe that it will happen over time. I think that more and more Americans are insistent that, at a minimum, gay couples should be treated with respect and when they see a political party trying to stigmatize a group of people who are hardworking, who play by the rules, who raise decent families, they’re troubled by it.” -Steve Schmidt, former campaign manager for Senator John McCain.

Head nod: Towleroad

Like what you see? RSS FEED | TWITTER FEED | HOME

Read More

Tweet Of The Day

"Michael Steele: 'I'm an excellent driver. Rush lets me drive slow on the driveway every Saturday.'" -pourmecoffee



Like what you see? RSS FEED | TWITTER FEED | HOME

Read More

'Why God Invented C-SPAN'

"That's what your wife said."  OH SNAP!  

Head nod: Karen Tumulty

PS: I know that the C-SPAN embeddable player sucks. If you find a better version on YouTube or elsewhere, let me know...

Like what you see? RSS FEED | TWITTER FEED | HOME

Read More

DDR In School?

...and funded by the school district too:

The Little Falls City School District recently received a $4,000 grant from the Dale Memorial Trust Fund to purchase three Dance Dance Revolution fitness bundles to accommodate large and small class sizes.

As a result, the district has a total of six metal arcade pads, 18 practice mats, 24 pedometers and three copies of the game.

Based on current plans, more than 2,500 schools are expected to use the game by the end of the decade.

Although, technically the money came from a grant.  But, seriously?  What ever happened to dodgeball? Next, we'll be seeing Guitar Hero in music classes...

Head nod: Ainsley @ Kottke

Like what you see? RSS FEED | TWITTER FEED | HOME

Read More

Ron Paul Questions Timothy Geithner

Does Congressman Ron Paul ever get answers? It seems like he always has questions, but nobody ever appropriately responds to his queries.

I will say that he comes off looking a lot better than Michele Bachman...

Like what you see? RSS FEED | TWITTER FEED | HOME

Read More

More Marriage Equality News

First Vermont, now New Hampshire:

The New Hampshire House narrowly passed a bill Thursday that would allow gay couples to marry.

The final vote on HB 436 was 186-179, and came after nearly three hours of debate.

The bill now moves to the Senate.

Those who pushed for passage of the bill said it was a matter of equal rights and that it will bring an end to discrimination against homosexuals. They said the state’s civil unions law, passed in 2007, is not the equivalent of marriage.

It seems to me that New Hampshire is in for a tougher fight than that of Vermont's. The vote was a much more narrow margin than what the Vermont Senate experienced (VT Senate vote: 26-4 vs. NH House vote: 186-179). Either way, progress is indeed being made.

Like what you see? RSS FEED | TWITTER FEED | HOME

Read More

As Sarah Palin Turns

It's all very soap-opera-ish, no?

Some of Sarah Palin's former campaign aides are frustrated with the Alaska governor for remarking in a lengthy, freewheeling speech that she had refused to pray with them before last October's vice presidential debate.

Palin told the story in a speech to a GOP dinner in Alaska last Friday.

"So I'm looking around for somebody to pray with, I just need maybe a little help, maybe a little extra," she said of the moments before the debate. "And the McCain campaign, love 'em, you know, they're a lot of people around me, but nobody I could find that I wanted to hold hands with and pray."

As the audience laughed, Palin noted that she meant no disrespect to the McCain campaign and that ended up saying a prayer with her daughter Piper.

A handful of the McCain campaign staffers who traveled with the former vice presidential nominee nearly every day for two months caught wind of Palin's remarks on Thursday morning — and they aren't thrilled with her quip.

"We all talked this A.M.," said one former Palin aide in an e-mail. "This set off a nerve for sure with a lot of people."

"It's yet another example of the few staff still loyal to Palin questioning their loyalty and ardent defense of her over the several months since the campaign," said the aide, who was granted anonymity to speak candidly about campaign colleagues.

[snip]

"It's about us people who were on the plane, who showed extreme loyalty to Palin, continually getting thrown under the bus or slapped in the face by her comments, whether she means it or not," the staffer said, adding that Palin's remarks "cause you to question not only your loyalty but her judgment as a leader."

If I were Governor Palin -- or John McCain for that matter -- I would simply avoid talking about the campaign. It seems to me that no good comes from re-hashing what appears to be a fairly touchy subject to most, if not all parties involved.

Don't misunderstand, I'm not criticizing Governor Palin (for a change), I'm simply saying that everytime that she bring up the campaign in a speech or in a press conference, she gets this kind of coverage. Maybe avoiding the topic would be in her best interests...

Cue the TeamSarah.org Troll Patrol in 3... 2... 1...

Head nod: Below The Beltway

Like what you see? RSS FEED | TWITTER FEED | HOME

Read More

The GOP Fu-dget Plan

For some time now myself and others have been railing on the idea that the GOP has been simply fighting against the President’s plan for moving the country forward and fixing our economy without providing some sort of alternative to the President’s budget.

Today the GOP put out a Budget Alternative, or at least a blue-print for one. Maybe it’s a rough draft? Here is video from Fox News as posted on the Daily KOS.

The President’s 142 page budget blue-print, contains very detailed information divided by each Government Department. Under the section for the Department of Agriculture for instance. It starts out with a 9 point summary and then goes into detail on various programs within that department such as…

Protects the Nation’s forests. The Budget reflects the President’s commitment to protecting and restoring our national forests as a cornerstone of a healthy, sustainable environment. The Budget provides a $50 million increase (plus inflation) for national forest operations to protect natural resources and maintain facilities, including those that are restored with 2009 American recovery and reinvestment Act investments.
Responsibly Budgets for Wildfires. The Budget fully funds the 10-year average suppression costs, establishes a discretionary funding reserve, and ensures fire management resources are used in a cost-effective manner
in high-priority areas. The $282 million discretionary contingent reserve provides funding for firefighting when the $1.1 billion appropriated 10-year average is exhausted. This proposal will ensure that fire management resources are sufficient to allow for other critical Forest Service activities.

One of the first things that jumps out at me from from the GOP’s 19 page document, is the numerous misuses of the term “Democrat”.

By any reasonable definition, the Democrat budget spends too much.

The popper term there would have been “Democratic.” But that is a fairly minor thing and now that I’ve gotten it off my chest I’ll leave it alone.

The GOP also uses about 75% of their 19 pages attacking the Democratic budget proposal, and another 2 pages for the pretty blue front and back covers. Now I know what your saying, the President also used 2 pages of his 142 for a front and back cover.

In the brief section on healthcare the GOP makes this statement.

With regard to entitlements, Republicans support the notion that wealthy seniors like Warren Buffett and George Soros can afford to pay $2 per day more for their Medicare prescription drug coverage.

Hello… why is Warren Buffett and George Soros allowed to be part of the Medicare prescription drug program anyhow? You can’t tell me that Buffett’s $62 Billion net worth can’t afford the $4.00 generic bottles of prescription drugs at Wal-Mart or Target like the rest of us have to do.

The next section which is called, creates jobs & lowers taxes, doesn’t seem to include any information about creating jobs except for this small section.

Republicans also propose a new tax deduction that allows businesses with less than 500 employees to take a tax deduction equal to 20 percent of their income, ensuring that these engines of growth will continue to fuel our economic recovery and companies can compete with their foreign counterparts, while keeping jobs here at home.

The rest of the section rails against the proposed cap and trade system that is meant to create incentives for utility companies to reduce carbon emissions and from screwing up the environment. Now it is true that the program will increase costs to utilities that will probably be passed on to the rest of us. So the choice seems to be, pay a higher utility bill, or let the utility companies continue to kill the planet.

And of course we can't forget this gem...

Republicans propose a simple and fair tax code with a marginal tax rate for income up to $100,000 of 10 percent and 25 percent for any income thereafter

So I get about a 4.6% tax break in my pre-deduction tax bracket of $35,150, everyone over $164,000 gets an 8% tax cut and everyone over $354,000 get a 10% tax cut.

(Sarcasm Alert) That seems fair. (End sarcasm alert).

The GOP also uses this section to address our addiction to foreign oil. So what is the GOP’s solution?

Republicans realize that there are better solutions to restore freedom and security in our energy market. Republicans recognize the importance of exploring for American oil and gas in an environmentally-sound manner and support immediately leasing oil and gas resources in the OCS through an expedited and streamlined procedure.

OFF SHORE DRILLING!!! WOO HOO. The next time I want to slap my fat ass down on a California beach wearing a criminally small swim suit, I’ll get a beautiful view of… OIL RIGS. Ok, ok, I know, they won’t actually be directly in view from the beach, but seriously. If we are going to get this nation to break it’s addiction to foreign oil, we have to break our addiction to oil, period.

Look, I understand people, including myself, have been ribbing the GOP for being the party of “No Solutions.” But just a small word of advise from an average “Liberal” American. If your going to have a big press conference to put out your alternative “budget” proposal, shouldn’t it have at least a few details? Even Fox News is asking the question, “Where’s the budget Beef?”


By the way, Thank you Keith Olbermann for the "Fudget" idea.

Like what you see? RSS FEED | TWITTER FEED | HOME

Read More

Quote Of The Day II

"I have to say that there was one question that was voted on that ranked fairly high, and that was whether legalizing marijuana would improve the economy and job creation. I don't know what that says about the online audience.

"The answer is no, I do not think that is a good strategy to grow our economy." -President Barack Obama in an on-line townhall forum today.

One word: BOOOOOO!

Like what you see? RSS FEED | TWITTER FEED | HOME

Read More

Almost Famous

From my e-mail inbox, a strangely flattering backhanded compliment from B-Diddy:

I was voted most likely to be famous…and you were voted most likely to marry a hot woman despite being a sorry sack of shit. Only one of our “most likely’s” have come true so far.

In case you are wondering, the Diddy and I are cooking up something that may turn out to be interesting. Oh, and yes, he was kidding -- partially. I do have a hot wife...

Like what you see? RSS FEED | TWITTER FEED | HOME

Read More

Tweet Of The Day II

"Curse those stupid Sand People & what they did to mom. I can't even enjoy the beach without breaking out in hives." -darthvader



Like what you see? RSS FEED | TWITTER FEED | HOME

Read More

Word Up

Apparently the time in America when we can use the word "terrorism" is now...up.

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano has an explanation about why she never mentioned the word "terrorism" during her first testimony on Capitol Hill.
Napolitano tells the German news site Spiegel Online that while she presumes there is always a threat from terrorism: "I referred to "man-caused" disasters. That is perhaps only a nuance, but it demonstrates that we want to move away from the politics of fear toward a policy of being prepared for all risks that can occur." - Breit Bair

I love that we can use words like CATASTROPHE

(WASHINGTON (AP) - Republicans tried to push back against the ballooning size of President Barack Obama's economic recovery plan Wednesday, even as he warned that the financial crisis will turn into "a catastrophe" if the bill isn't passed quickly)

to describe the economy because that's not using the politics of fear? We say Exxon puts our planet "at risk" and denounce the telecoms that have cooperated with U.S. intelligence as “special interests" but we call TERRORIST ACTIVITY "man-caused" disasters.

How quickly we forget that sunny morning in September.

Like what you see? RSS FEED TWITTER FEED HOME

Read More

Jesse Watters Sure Is Busy

I talked about this 'guerrilla journalism' the other day. I'm curious to know what type of career path Mr. Watters thinks he is following:

Judge J. Rogers Padgett, 13th Judicial Circuit in Florida, 3/24/09: O’Reilly producer Jesse Watters confronts Padgett at a convenience store, then uses his body to ensure Padgett cannot close his car door.

Amanda Terkel, Managing Editor at ThinkProgress, 3/21/09: O’Reilly producer Jesse Watters follows Terkel for two hours and confronts her outside of a hotel in Virginia while she is on vacation.

Russell Tice, Former NSA Analyst, 2/6/09: O’Reilly producer Jesse Watters confronts Tice outside of his home.

...

Jessica Alba, Actor, 1/19/09: O’Reilly producer Jesse Watters confronts Alba on a red carpet.

Hendrik Hertzberg, Senior Editor at The New Yorker, 12/2/08: O’Reilly producer Jesse Watters confronts Hertzberg as he walks down the street.

Helen Jones-Kelley, Director of the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, 11/6/08: O’Reilly producer Jesse Watters follows Jones-Kelley — after she refused to talk to him — to a fire station, where a police chief intervenes to stop the harassment.

Bill Ayers, Distinguished Professor of Education at the University of Illinois at Chicago, 10/24/08: O’Reilly producer Jesse Watters confronts Ayers in his driveway, causing Ayers to call the police.

Stan O’Neal, CEO of Merrill Lynch, 10/20/08: O’Reilly producer Jesse Watters confronts O’Neal outside of his apartment.

Cynthia Tucker, Columnist at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 9/6/08: O’Reilly producer Jesse Watters confronts Tucker while she gets the mail.

Jenna Kern, Member of the Unitarian Universalist Church, 8/21/08: O’Reilly producer Jesse Watters confronts Kern in her driveway outside of her home.

...

Gov. Jim Douglas (R-VT), 7/14/08: O’Reilly producer Jesse Watters confronts Douglas at a Governors Conference in Philadelphia.

...

Gov. Katheen Sebelius (D-KS), 7/14/08: O’Reilly producer Jesse Watters confronts Sebelius at a Governors Conference in Philadelphia.

Gov. Jon Corzine (D-NJ), 7/14/08: O’Reilly producer Jesse Watters confronts Corzine at a Governors Conference in Philadelphia.

...

Homeless Veterans, 1/31/08: O’Reilly producer Jesse Watters confronts the group outside of Fox News headquarters as they try to deliver a petition to O’Reilly.

Jeffrey Immelt, CEO of General Electric, 1/9/08: O’Reilly producer Jesse Watters confronts Immelt in a restaurant as he has dinner with his family.

Scott McClellan, Former White House Press Secretary Under George W. Bush, 11/29/07: O’Reilly producer Jesse Watters attempts to confront McClellan at his house, but nobody answers the door.

Roger Oglesby, Reporter for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, 11/12/07: O’Reilly producer Jesse Watters confronts Oglesby outside of his car.

Rosie O’Donnell, TV Host, Actor, and Author, 10/28/07: O’Reilly producer Jesse Watters confronts O’Donnell at a book signing for her book “Celebrity Detox.”

Mike Nifong, North Carolina District Attorney and Prosecutor in the Duke University Lacrosse Scandal, 8/24/07: O’Reilly producer Jesse Watters confronts Nifong outside of his home.

Judge Manuel Lopez, US Sixth Circuit, 8/24/07: O’Reilly producer Jesse Watters confronts Lopez outside of his home, Lopez promptly called the police to report that Watters was trespassing.

David Barger, CEO of JetBlue, 7/22/07: O’Reilly producer Jesse Watters confronts Barger outside of his apartment building.

...

Dr. George Garcia, Boulder High School Official, 5/29/07: O’Reilly producer Jesse Watters confronts Garcia on a wooded road away from his school.

Bud Jenkins, Boulder High School Principal, 5/29/07: O’Reilly producer Jesse Watters confronts Jenkins in the parking lot of his school.

Dr. Helayne Jones, Boulder High School Official, 5/29/07: O’Reilly Producer Jesse Watters confronts Jones inside of her garage as she tries to enter her home.

...

Bill Arkin, Blogger at the Washington Post, 2/05/07: O’Reilly producer Jesse Watters confronted Arkin as he loaded his car at the grocery store.

Pedro Irigonegary, Attorney for Dr. George Tiller, 11/7/06: O’Reilly producer Jesse Watters confronts Irigonegary outside of his law office.

Dr. George Tiller, Kansas Doctor Involved in Abortion Scandal, 11/3/06: O’Reilly Producer Jesse Watters confronts Tiller as he pumps gas at a QuickTrip gas station.

Judge Eileen Gallagher, Ohio Common Pleas, 7/26/06: O’Reilly producer Jesse Watters confronts Gallagher outside of her chambers.

Judge John Connor, Ohio Common Pleas, 3/24/06: O’Reilly producer Jesse Watters confronts Connor outside of his garage.

And I've only copied over the instances involving Jesse Watters...

10 years from now, what potential employer is going to look at this guy's body of work and say, 'Hell yeah, I want him working on my show!'?

Like what you see? RSS FEED | TWITTER FEED | HOME

Read More

Eric Cantor: Britney Spears Fan?

I thought this article was a joke. It reads like something from The Onion:

House Republican Whip Eric Cantor — among the unlikeliest attendees at a Britney Spears concert earlier this week in Washington — told CNN Thursday he went to the teen-dominated show for a political event, to "help the team."

"I had a political event there, and it was simply because it was there to help the team, that's why I was there," Cantor told CNN's Dana Bash.

According to a Republican aide, Cantor was specifically raising money at the concert for his political action committee, ERICPAC. The event was hosted by the Truckers Association, which has a box at the Verizon Center, where Spears was performing.

The Web site Wonkette first reported Cantor was spotted at the event, which took place as President Obama held a prime-time press conference.

Cantor told CNN the concert — part of the singer's "Circus" tour — was "quite a show."

"I hand it to the performer, she was something," he said.

The congressman also said his daughter was "really mad" he did not bring her to the concert. "She had school that day, and the next, and I wasn't going to bring her up here to miss it."

Next stop: an N'Sync reunion show.

Like what you see? RSS FEED | TWITTER FEED | HOME

Read More