Wednesday Afternoon Open Thread

By Big Tent Democrat, Section Blog Related
Posted on Wed Dec 01, 2010 at 03:51:29 PM EST
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Wednesday Afternoon Open Thread | 33 comments (33 topical)

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THATS WHAT I'M TALKIN ABOUT (5.00 / 1) (#3)
by Capt Howdy on Wed Dec 01, 2010 at 04:32:31 PM EST

NASA creates buzz with 'extraterrestrial' announcement

WASHINGTON -- The US space agency has created a buzz with its announcement of a press conference Thursday to discuss a scientific finding that relates to the hunt for life beyond the planet Earth.
"NASA will hold a news conference at 2 pm EST (1900 GMT) on Thursday, December 2, to discuss an astrobiology finding that will impact the search for evidence of extraterrestrial life," it said on its website.
Space enthusiasts and believers in alien life took to the blogosphere in a flurry of speculation over the potential meaning of the announcement, though NASA declined to elaborate further.
Those scheduled to speak included Mary Voytek, who heads NASA's astrobiology program; Felisa Wolfe-Simon, a NASA astrobiology research fellow from the US Geological Survey; and Pamela Conrad, an astrobiologistat NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center.
Astrobiology relates to the study of life in the universe, including its origin and evolution, where it is located and how it might survive in the future.

with that hype it better not be Segue level or NASA will get their windows broken.

ok (5.00 / 1) (#33)
by Capt Howdy on Thu Dec 02, 2010 at 11:26:05 AM EST

actually pretty interesting

Hours before their special news conference today, the cat is out of the bag: NASA has discovered a completely new life form that doesn't share the biological building blocks of anything currently living in planet Earth. This changes everything.

Parent

Likely just ... (none / 0) (#13)
by Robot Porter on Wed Dec 01, 2010 at 08:05:18 PM EST

this.

Hope it's something better. But I think it's just this.

Parent

: segue (none / 0) (#19)
by Capt Howdy on Thu Dec 02, 2010 at 09:15:07 AM EST

level

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: I had hoped (none / 0) (#20)
by Capt Howdy on Thu Dec 02, 2010 at 09:17:05 AM EST

it might be about that moon of Saturn with the geysers of H20. unlike the water moon of Jupiter which would require penetrating miles of ice to sample it the water geysers make it possible to look at the water to possible find any thing that looked like microbial life.

Parent

foreign policy (none / 0) (#1)
by Capt Howdy on Wed Dec 01, 2010 at 04:18:43 PM EST

The attack on two of Iran's leading nuclear physicists is likely the work of a joint American and Israeli covert program to sabotage Iran's nuclear program, argues Reza Aslan.

And this would be a surprise to who exactly? :) (5.00 / 1) (#2)
by republicratitarian on Wed Dec 01, 2010 at 04:31:12 PM EST

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heh (none / 0) (#4)
by Capt Howdy on Wed Dec 01, 2010 at 04:32:50 PM EST

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Seriously... (none / 0) (#5)
by kdog on Wed Dec 01, 2010 at 04:46:02 PM EST

but remember fellas, innocent until proven guilty.

We will just have to wait on Julian to obtain and post the evidence.

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: He will never get the evidence (none / 0) (#10)
by Militarytracy on Wed Dec 01, 2010 at 06:10:42 PM EST

on this :)

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Fed made $9 Trillion in loans? (none / 0) (#6)
by republicratitarian on Wed Dec 01, 2010 at 04:47:09 PM EST

I hadn't seen these numbers before, is this right?
Seems a bit high to me.

Who knows... (5.00 / 1) (#8)
by kdog on Wed Dec 01, 2010 at 05:13:39 PM EST

we still can't look at the books, right? Though we do get to find out which grifters get socialized loans 2 years after the fact.

Wouldn't it be cool if your credit report had a two year lag, or if you could borrow cash at those sweetheart rates.

Parent

I'm happy (none / 0) (#12)
by CoralGables on Wed Dec 01, 2010 at 06:38:09 PM EST

with my one month lag. I borrow at a great sweetheart rate for 4 weeks every month of the year. It's known as my credit card which is then paid in full when the bill is due. They give me a kickback and I pay no interest.

Parent

: So you're a "deadbeat"... (none / 0) (#16)
by kdog on Thu Dec 02, 2010 at 08:49:10 AM EST

in credit card industry parlance...good for you, though I must warn of the risk of lying down with bankster dogs...watch your back pal:)
Imagine if you decided to go on an epic credit card end of the world bender, and the shady credit report outfits couldn't get wind of it for 2 years...that would be some party CG! Equality under the law!

Parent

For more info, I would suggest you (5.00 / 2) (#15)
by Anne on Thu Dec 02, 2010 at 07:13:46 AM EST

take a look at the reporting over at naked capitalism as well as DDay's FDL News Desk.

It should be noted that the $9 trillion was not the total lending; that's just the figure for what was borrowed by some of the largest US banks/firms:

New documents show that the most loan and other aid for U.S. institutions over time went to Citigroup ($2.2 trillion), followed by Merrill Lynch ($2.1 trillion), Morgan Stanley ($2 trillion), Bear Stearns ($960 billion), Bank of America ($887 billion), Goldman Sachs ($615 billion), JPMorgan Chase ($178 billion) and Wells Fargo ($154 billion).

Worse - yes, it can get worse - not only was this emergency lending vastly larger than TARP, for example, but what the Fed was taking back in collateral was junk, or worse:

Until September 15, 2008, the collateral accepted by the Fed at the Primary Dealer Credit Facility remained relatively robust, in terms of credit ratings.
On September 15, as Lehman Brothers and everything else hit the fan, the Fed began accepting total garbage as collateral. Including CCC-rated (beyond junk bond status) collateral from JPMorgan Chase, Citigroup, Lehman Brothers, Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley [...]
The Fed accepted a total of $1.31 trillion in junk-rated collateral between Sept. 15, 2008 and May 12, 2009 through the Primary Dealer Credit Facility. TARP was nothing compared to this.

And, foreign banks were among the largest recipients of loans:

One may be forgiven to believe that ... the Fed only bailed out foreign Central Banks, which in turn took the money and funded their own banks. It turns out that is only half the story: we now know the Fed also acted in a secondary bail out capacity, providing over $350 billion in short term funding exclusively to 35 foreign banks, of which the biggest beneficiaries were UBS, Dexia and BNP. Since the funding provided was in the form of ultra-short maturity commercial paper it was essentially equivalent to cash funding. In other words, between October 27, 2008 and August 6, 2009, the Fed spent $350 billion in taxpayer funds to save 35 foreign banks....

Seems like the more we know, the worse we feel, eh?

Parent

This all seems like news to me (none / 0) (#17)
by republicratitarian on Thu Dec 02, 2010 at 08:54:53 AM EST

These numbers are almost beyond comprehension. What financial institution would need a trillion dollars or more in loans? I would never have guessed that any of them had that much in assets or liabilities.

Maybe we are more effed than we realize.

Parent

: I figured that the Fed was juicing everything (none / 0) (#18)
by Militarytracy on Thu Dec 02, 2010 at 09:11:52 AM EST

The initial figures on how insolvent we were was astonishing, and the money to cover that could only come from the Fed.

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Ya think? (none / 0) (#11)
by Militarytracy on Wed Dec 01, 2010 at 06:11:26 PM EST

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hard time (none / 0) (#7)
by Capt Howdy on Wed Dec 01, 2010 at 05:00:44 PM EST

(somehow I never really got to working)

Convicted Murderer Posts Prison Party Pics on Facebook

Justin Walker is serving a 30-year sentence for the killing of an Oklahoma Sheriff. "Jus N" has a Facebook page. Also, apparently, a Blackberry, a bong, a stash of weed, knives, some booze and other goodies inside his jail cell.
Oklahoma's FOX 23 News found out about "Jus N Walk" and his Facebook page, which, sadly, no longer contains the photographs of Walker taking bong rips, drinking hooch and licking shanks.

: And let that... (5.00 / 1) (#9)
by kdog on Wed Dec 01, 2010 at 05:21:53 PM EST

be a lesson to you kids...stay off Facebook!

Parent

Lots of good (none / 0) (#14)
by Ga6thDem on Wed Dec 01, 2010 at 09:41:02 PM EST

conversation going on today here. Thanks BTD for the great posts!

my christmas shopping is done (none / 0) (#21)
by Capt Howdy on Thu Dec 02, 2010 at 09:21:29 AM EST

3 Wolf Moon Fleece Adult Footed Pajamas - with Drop Seat

No Badonkdonk? (none / 0) (#24)
by jeffinalabama on Thu Dec 02, 2010 at 10:05:04 AM EST

I'm surprised! Maybe it's not necessary in the Midwest, but what about zombies?

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ok (none / 0) (#26)
by Capt Howdy on Thu Dec 02, 2010 at 10:08:06 AM EST

you made me google

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Argh! Misspelled, and broken link! (none / 0) (#27)
by jeffinalabama on Thu Dec 02, 2010 at 10:35:07 AM EST

try this.

The reviews were most helpful, along with the related products.

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ok (none / 0) (#28)
by Capt Howdy on Thu Dec 02, 2010 at 10:36:09 AM EST

thats funny
google what you typed

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no actually sorry (none / 0) (#29)
by Capt Howdy on Thu Dec 02, 2010 at 10:37:41 AM EST

google Badonkadonk
its not that. well it IS that but its not all.

Parent

: Yeah, after I googled (none / 0) (#30)
by jeffinalabama on Thu Dec 02, 2010 at 10:39:56 AM EST

the first, I was... surprised, lol!

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someone (none / 0) (#22)
by Capt Howdy on Thu Dec 02, 2010 at 09:58:28 AM EST

please explain to me why this guy would be better than president Palin:

The folksy Mississippi governor has a leg up on the GOP competition if he runs for president: He's played the press like a violin. Lloyd Grove on his media magic.
When he was running for president and even when he wasn't, Arizona Sen. John McCain liked to joke that the journalistic establishment was "my base." In the case of Haley Barbour, it might not be a joke.

: and (none / 0) (#23)
by Capt Howdy on Thu Dec 02, 2010 at 10:01:05 AM EST

whistling past the graveyard continues
The myth of Palin's frontrunner status
By Jennifer Rubin
RIGHT TURN

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from (none / 0) (#25)
by Capt Howdy on Thu Dec 02, 2010 at 10:06:42 AM EST

yesterdays sick and pathetic dog news to todays sick and funny dog news.

A YOUNG Toowoomba man yesterday tied the knot with his best friend - a five-year-old labrador.
The couple decided on the location - and to tie the knot - after stumbling upon a wedding in Laurel Bank Park during an afternoon walk.
"I said that could be us," Mr Guiso said.
"She didn't say anything so I took that as a yes."

I could totally see myself doing this. but I would have to do it in MASS cause it would definitely be the male I would marry.