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RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) -- Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah, considered a reformer by the standards of his own ultraconservative kingdom, decreed on Sunday that women will for the first time have the right to vote and run in local elections due in 2015. ... For the nation's women, it is a giant leap forward, though they remain unable to serve as Cabinet ministers, drive or travel abroad without permission from a male guardian. link
and Made History A major news story that deserves attention here is the election in Denmark. The Left won after 10 years of Right wing wins. How? They have a young, energetic liberal female leader named Helle Thorning-Schmidt. She now is the first woman prime minister in Danish history. ..Social Democratic party celebrated the successful end of a campaign that focused on Denmark's recent economic drift and promised to tax banks, to increase the Danish workday by 12 minutes, and not to "jump on the austerity bandwagon" as other European states are doing, as Thorning-Schmidt put it.
A major news story that deserves attention here is the election in Denmark. The Left won after 10 years of Right wing wins. How? They have a young, energetic liberal female leader named Helle Thorning-Schmidt. She now is the first woman prime minister in Danish history.
..Social Democratic party celebrated the successful end of a campaign that focused on Denmark's recent economic drift and promised to tax banks, to increase the Danish workday by 12 minutes, and not to "jump on the austerity bandwagon" as other European states are doing, as Thorning-Schmidt put it.
The Social Democrats had the worst election in more than 100 years (108 years to be precise) for the third time in a row, and the second with Helle Thorning-Schmidt as their leader. Also, not only did she receive far less votes than she got at the last election, she also got far less votes than the (still) current PM, whose liberal party is now the biggest in the parliament.
The reason Helle Thorning-Schmidt won was that the center party the Radicals and the far, far left party the Unity Party, which both had a phenomenal election - as well as female leaders - were backing her.
Bonus info: The Unity Party, which is made up of a conglomerate of former left leaning and communist parties, and have been run as a collective, decided a few years ago to appoint a spokeswoman, and chose a sweet looking but very able, tough, eloquent young woman. She became so popular among especially the young crowd - they are also rumored to arrange some great parties, heh - that the party went from barely making it at the last election, to getting 12 people elected this time around. And here's the funny part: While 3 other young women and one man, all academics like her, were elected, so were 7 old, activists, worker, male, former communists. These are who the next PM will be dependant on. Gonna be interesting to follow. ;-) Parent
"In the end, if the people cannot trust their government to do the job for which it exists - to protect them and to promote their common welfare - all else is lost." Barack Obama, University of Nairobi, August 28, 2006 An Honest Government, A Hopeful Future
Barack Obama, University of Nairobi, August 28, 2006 An Honest Government, A Hopeful Future
September 24, 2011 Watch police PEN UP AND MACE peaceful female Occupy Wall Street protesters... (video)
September 25, 2011 Police arrest 80 `Occupy Wall St.' protestors
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"The leadership for civil rights has to take place in the White House or it is going to take place in the streets." 1964 "This is the first generation in all of recorded history that can do something about the scourge of poverty. We have the means to do it. We can banish hunger from the face of the earth." 1965 "My philosophy has always been that benefits should percolate up rather than trickle down." 1971 "The moral test of a government is how it treats those who are at the dawn of life, the children; those who are in the twilight of life, the aged; and those who are in the shadow of life, the sick, the needy, and the handicapped." 1976 "There is no such thing as an acceptable level of unemployment, because hunger is not acceptable, poverty is not acceptable, poor health is not acceptable, and a ruined life is not acceptable." "The gap between the rich and the poor is the most dangerous threat to world peace we have." -- Hubert Humphrey
"This is the first generation in all of recorded history that can do something about the scourge of poverty. We have the means to do it. We can banish hunger from the face of the earth." 1965
"My philosophy has always been that benefits should percolate up rather than trickle down." 1971
"The moral test of a government is how it treats those who are at the dawn of life, the children; those who are in the twilight of life, the aged; and those who are in the shadow of life, the sick, the needy, and the handicapped." 1976
"There is no such thing as an acceptable level of unemployment, because hunger is not acceptable, poverty is not acceptable, poor health is not acceptable, and a ruined life is not acceptable."
"The gap between the rich and the poor is the most dangerous threat to world peace we have."
-- Hubert Humphrey
"with liberty and justice for all", etc., etc.
One young woman, bless her heart, went right from her cage back to the scene of the crime of the millenium to continue the protest. Maybe there is hope for this joint yet. Parent
Chris Hedges: Occupy Wall Street is `where the hope of America lies' (video interview) Parent
Nationally? Whaddya expect from a media as married to Wall St. as our political parties...crooked is as crooked does. Parent
It's long past time for an American Awakening and Uprising, a broader and deeper Awakening than the Arab Awakening the US Government is doing it's best to help quash. There are 310 million Americans who, so far, are acting like they are outnumbered by a few thousand wall streeters, media moguls, insurance company and weapons manufacturer execs and other assorted 'plutocrats', 100 senators, 435 congresspeople, and maybe a couple of hundred in the US Administration. So far. -- Don't Look Out The Window
There are 310 million Americans who, so far, are acting like they are outnumbered by a few thousand wall streeters, media moguls, insurance company and weapons manufacturer execs and other assorted 'plutocrats', 100 senators, 435 congresspeople, and maybe a couple of hundred in the US Administration.
So far.
-- Don't Look Out The Window
I promise only Lipton Tea Bags!
;-) Parent
I told a story to the American people, it wasn't the specifics of my healthcare plan or Afghanistan, the reason people put me in this office is people felt that I had connected our current predicaments with the broader arc of American history. And where we might go as a diverse and forward looking nation. And that narrative thread we just lost, in the day to day problems solving that was going on. And that wasn't because of bad execution on any particular issue. I think I was so consumed with the problems in front of me that I didn't step back and remember what's the particular requirement of the President that no one else can do? And what the President can do that nobody else can do is tell a story to the American people about where we are and where we are going.
You just couldn't make this stuff up. I don't know about everyone else, but I'm done with his stories. I hired him to do a job. I hired him because of his campaign specifics about healthcare and Afghanistan. And I say this from a place of love to him, "Please piss off for treating me once again like some lightheaded idiot!"
I do appreciate his place in history, and what he represents as a symbol of the possibilities of America. But we have more important things to worry about at the moment. Parent
My brain is visually wired though, not auditory...I never glazed over. You must show me something shiny before I glaze over :) Parent
O can't just roll up his sleeves and get to friggin' work, and the phucker can't even tell the RIGHT story, forget a good one. Jaysus. Parent
Well, I suppose village griot is better than village idiot. Parent
http://grassrootsfund.org/docs/WhatIsPublicNarrative08.pdf
That's essentially Obama's working manual for what he says above. He used Ganz in 08 and unfortunately he thinks it the primary tool of the presidency as well (if Suskind is accurate). Parent
He came to believe that his real problem at the start of his Presidency was too much debating of facts and relitigating (his word) of the existing problems and possible solutions over and over and over again, never actually applying an action/solution. I can't fully disagree with him there. But his response to coming to that conclusion was then to decide without the benefit of advise or expert advisors to extend the Bush tax cuts in trade for extended unemployment benefits, which immediately caused his whole nation's balance sheet to be so unstable that I think it was the last nail in the coffin for our country's AAA rating. Everything he has had allowed to happen with Wall Street and the banks though has only created moral hazard, and he let and continues to allow Geithner to get away with what he has gotten away with concerning all that.
It was agreed that Citi would be taken over and unwound to demonstrate to the public that the government could successfully do that with a too big to fail troubled bank, and that would lead to confidence in that area and no need to make a run on your own troubled bank. And the banks would have seen up close and personal that if they would not return to health they would be dealt with. That did not happen though. The people were told things that caused many of them to sit down and shut up because someone was going to do something about all this. But nobody did and the exact same problems and dangers to the stability of the country persist. Parent
If a great protest falls upon Wall Street, and no reporter is there to write about it, does it make a noise? The other day I blogged about how the "occupation" of Wall Street in New York City by thousands of demonstrators for more than a week has raised hardly a blip on the domestic news media radar screen. It's as if editors and news directors (and their corporate masters) have decided there's nothing new to see here. So move on, move on (wait, even that sounds too radical). But it's even worse than malign neglect, because in the rare moments when a mainstream news outlet does mention the protests (which like those in Wisconsin beforehand have been very peaceful, and which have attracted Web-based pizza orders from afar), the tone is almost ominous. Consider, for example, this lead-in from CNN "Situation Room" host Wolf Blitzer last Monday: "Protests here in New York on Wall Street entering a third day. Should New Yorkers be worried at all about what's going on?" Well, they should be concerned about what's going on, Wolfster -- not with how the protesters are conducting themselves, but rather with what's going on with you and your colleagues at CNN and across journalism in general. For instance, how about some concern with the way the police are handling these essentially peaceful if (to financial elites) bothersome protests? New York Police made 80 arrests on Saturday -- I only know that, though, because I read it in The Guardian, a news outlet in the UK, not the US. The Guardian said the NYPD was accused of heavy-handed tactics after making the arrests on Saturday when protesters marched uptown from their makeshift camp in a private park in the financial district. "Footage has emerged on YouTube showing stocky police officers coralling a group of young female protesters and then spraying them with mace, despite being surrounded and apparently posing threats of only the verbal kind," The Guardian reported. Nope, you won't find that kind of basic, pithy coverage in the US, even for the most part at the New York Times, much less at Faux News or your hometown news outlets. There's another alternative to subscribing to a foreign news site: Like some of my friends and I, you can watch the proceedings live via streaming feeds and cut out the editors and their censorious mindset. Go to: http://www.livestream.com/globalrevolution Now, besides Web-based pizza love, you can send supplies to the protesters in their tent city via a nearby UPS Store. See more info at globalrevolution's streaming page. No doubt somebody by now could use some deodorant, or a toothbrush, or a nail clipper, or vitamins. Why not send some love to our uppity brethren in the Big Apple?
The other day I blogged about how the "occupation" of Wall Street in New York City by thousands of demonstrators for more than a week has raised hardly a blip on the domestic news media radar screen. It's as if editors and news directors (and their corporate masters) have decided there's nothing new to see here. So move on, move on (wait, even that sounds too radical).
But it's even worse than malign neglect, because in the rare moments when a mainstream news outlet does mention the protests (which like those in Wisconsin beforehand have been very peaceful, and which have attracted Web-based pizza orders from afar), the tone is almost ominous. Consider, for example, this lead-in from CNN "Situation Room" host Wolf Blitzer last Monday: "Protests here in New York on Wall Street entering a third day. Should New Yorkers be worried at all about what's going on?"
Well, they should be concerned about what's going on, Wolfster -- not with how the protesters are conducting themselves, but rather with what's going on with you and your colleagues at CNN and across journalism in general.
For instance, how about some concern with the way the police are handling these essentially peaceful if (to financial elites) bothersome protests? New York Police made 80 arrests on Saturday -- I only know that, though, because I read it in The Guardian, a news outlet in the UK, not the US. The Guardian said the NYPD was accused of heavy-handed tactics after making the arrests on Saturday when protesters marched uptown from their makeshift camp in a private park in the financial district.
"Footage has emerged on YouTube showing stocky police officers coralling a group of young female protesters and then spraying them with mace, despite being surrounded and apparently posing threats of only the verbal kind," The Guardian reported.
Nope, you won't find that kind of basic, pithy coverage in the US, even for the most part at the New York Times, much less at Faux News or your hometown news outlets.
There's another alternative to subscribing to a foreign news site: Like some of my friends and I, you can watch the proceedings live via streaming feeds and cut out the editors and their censorious mindset. Go to:
http://www.livestream.com/globalrevolution
Now, besides Web-based pizza love, you can send supplies to the protesters in their tent city via a nearby UPS Store. See more info at globalrevolution's streaming page. No doubt somebody by now could use some deodorant, or a toothbrush, or a nail clipper, or vitamins. Why not send some love to our uppity brethren in the Big Apple?
Kirk Gibson, '88 MVP. Hit a paltry .276, had maybe 20 homers and 76 lousy RBI. The single most important everyday player in the entire league that year. With those stats? Creditball is more like it.
I'm not in the Joe Morgan rant against moneyball category, I just think it's almost entirely a myth as it relates to building a team around. Remember Sandy Alderson bringing that crap to the Pods? That worked out well. Now Alderson, of course, is in NY, where he has more money to spend that almost anyone in the league. And he still stinks.
Movie looks fun, tho. Parent
We saw the trailer and because of how Brad Pitt was acting and looking middle aged and scruffy Josh didn't recognize him. He said that that actor looks familiar but who is he? Parent
The Canadian side of the family showed up in full force.From all over the country they came to pay there respects. We were expecting approx.125 people, 250 arrived.People started coming Friday until today. It was amazing. People sent all kind of picture of her from throughout her life. I always thought I had the most beautiful mother in the the world. She had these flashing green eyes. Even at the age of 89, she had the legs of movie star,and the walk to go with them. Men would stop just to see her walk by. When she was about eighty, I suggested a walker. She told me " the walker would not look good with her high heels''. LOL Seeing pictures of my mom at such a young aged, she looked like my grandchildren. One night when I am thinking of her and writing about her, I might post some pictures. I was released from the hospital, Friday morning place on continuous O2(I will talk about this another time). The best part for me was having a my grandchildren and children together (It's been about 4yrs). The boy's are taller than there grandfather(he was not happy). The girls are just beautiful. They would not leave my side. I am so proud of them. My brother made a video of her life, there was not a dry eye in the house.
I am glad that so many family members were able to make the trip, and that you were surrounded by your children and grandchildren. It's funny, isn't it, saying the final goodbye to your mother with the younger generations by your side. The most basic illustration of that whole "life goes on" thing, eh?
I hope you feel better soon. Take care. Parent
All the best to you - I hope your own health improves. Your grandchildren need you with them a good long time. Parent
Good luck with your health issues. You sound like a tough soul, and I'm sure you will not only survive but come out stronger. Parent
If there's a "best part" about a memorial service, it's got to be the opportunity to not just reflect on shared memories, but to hear new stories and get new insight into someone we loved so much; it's comforting to know there are so many people who were touched by our loved ones, and to know that he or she will truly live on in the memories of so many people.
I'm so sorry you have had the stress and worry of health problems on top of everything else, and hope there is relief and resolution in sight; please take care of yourself, and let us know how things are going. Parent
She sounds like a lovely woman, one of a kind; as I'm sure she was. Parent
The shift in political strategy comes as Google faces a serious antitrust threat, punctuated by a high-profile hearing on the company held Wednesday afternoon in the Senate. But Google's investment in the infrastructure of the conservative movement goes much deeper than what's been reported this summer. The company known for its progressive politics is now giving money to the Heritage Foundation, the American Enterprise Institute, the Competitive Enterprise Institute, the Republican Governors Association, the GOP firm The David All Group, Crossroads Strategies, the Republican Attorneys General Association and the Republican State Leadership Committee, among others. On Thursday, Google and Fox News cosponsored a Republican presidential debate. In the last nine months, Google has hired 18 lobbying shops -- not 18 lobbyists, but 18 firms, a dozen of them since July, a head-turning torrent of hiring that also includes consultants not required to register as lobbyists. "I consider myself a public works project right here," Sen. Pat Leahy (D-Vt.), chairman of the committee leading the antitrust investigation, told HuffPost. "My colleagues call it the Leahy Full Employment Act." The GOP effort hasn't quite sunk in: Republicans in the House and Senate reacted with pleasant surprise when told by HuffPost that Google had started donating to movement conservatives. "Are you saying they're finally becoming bipartisan? That's a good thing. Bipartisanship is a positive thing," said Sen. John Cornyn of Texas, the head of the Senate GOP's fundraising arm and one of three Republicans on the subcommittee holding the antitrust hearing. "I understand why people feel like they need to have people they can talk to on both sides."
The company known for its progressive politics is now giving money to the Heritage Foundation, the American Enterprise Institute, the Competitive Enterprise Institute, the Republican Governors Association, the GOP firm The David All Group, Crossroads Strategies, the Republican Attorneys General Association and the Republican State Leadership Committee, among others. On Thursday, Google and Fox News cosponsored a Republican presidential debate.
In the last nine months, Google has hired 18 lobbying shops -- not 18 lobbyists, but 18 firms, a dozen of them since July, a head-turning torrent of hiring that also includes consultants not required to register as lobbyists.
"I consider myself a public works project right here," Sen. Pat Leahy (D-Vt.), chairman of the committee leading the antitrust investigation, told HuffPost. "My colleagues call it the Leahy Full Employment Act."
The GOP effort hasn't quite sunk in: Republicans in the House and Senate reacted with pleasant surprise when told by HuffPost that Google had started donating to movement conservatives. "Are you saying they're finally becoming bipartisan? That's a good thing. Bipartisanship is a positive thing," said Sen. John Cornyn of Texas, the head of the Senate GOP's fundraising arm and one of three Republicans on the subcommittee holding the antitrust hearing. "I understand why people feel like they need to have people they can talk to on both sides."
There's a scene in one of the earlier episodes where the DEA agents are talking about the war on drugs. One of the cops is quoted as saying "this isn't a war, wars end". Then I thought about how wars don't really end anymore either.
Today I opened the paper and saw that a 16 year old was killed and a 14 year old critically injured last night, about 1/2 a mile from me.
Some days it all just feels so hopeless.
Enjoy "The Wire" ride...some of the best television drama ever made right there. Parent
Although I can't decide if I'm really worried that Brady threw 4 picks, or encouraged that we still played a close game despite Brady throwing 4 picks - with the feeling that that won't happen again.
I can't believe Brady has "lost it". So thinking he just had a bad game makes me feel a little better. Sort of...
Question for you - should jets and pats fans officially start worrying about Buffulo? I went into this season just sort of assuming we would be fighting it out for the division title. Might be time to start drinking some upstate hateraid too. Although I must admit that the jets box score was my silver lining :) Parent
The Bills defenders made some great plays on a couple of balls, one of which was on a very freaky deflection, AND news! New Englands D isn't that good. And they didn't, (or couldn't) run the ball. I don't care how great your passing game is, you can't allow yourself to be THAT one dimensional. Never works in the long run.
Fitz has improved markedly, the only guy right now who can cover Stevie Johnson is Revis (maybe), and the Bills, unlike last year, are stopping the run now. Parent
That game was tough, because they could have come away with the end if it weren't for some unlucky/bad move right at the end.
I remember when they called the touchdown back thinking "oh cr@p". Because had it actually gone in, they would have had another chance to score and then who knows what would have happened. No idea what was going on with the lost T.O. except that Belicheck completely lost his cool.
That being said, our D needs some serious work and your guys definitely earned it. But for a loss, I guess it could've been worse. I am not feeling good about our corners right now though. They got completely outplayed. Parent
Brady's still phenomenal, imo. Four picks and all.
What about Fred Jackson though? He's one of the best intelligent, see-the-field and use-his-blockers runners I've seen in awhile.. reminds me of Marcus Allen; and a little of Jim Brown (though that might be getting a little carried away.) Parent
To be honest it seemed like both teams were relying a lot more on the passing game but maybe that's just what I noticed.
Fitz was throwing bombs down the field and your guys always got to it first, except when Kyle Arrington did. And they actually caught the ball (ahem Ochocinco). Parent
Unfortunately if you do not have a strong tolerance for feeling hopeless, you'd best stop watching now. Parent
It is phenomenal television. With most cop shows, within 10 minutes of the show I've made 9 predictions, 7-8 of which usually come true within the episode. For the first episode of this show I made about 20 predictions, none of which have happened yet, and most of which probably never will.
And I am already 1/3 of the way through the first season because I just couldn't stop watching. Parent
And you are right...not much of what you have predicted so far is correct, unless you are wasting your time in your current profession and should really be a top-notch screenwriter! Parent
I did get used to some of it, but other times I felt like I was watching a foreign language film. Parent
I didn't even really notice the language. But I also grew up in the city, in public school, with a lot of hip hop/rap all over the radio.
The one problem I've had is getting all the names straight. I had a harder time with the police side of things than the street side of things since there are so many different groups and they tend to use rank a lot - and I can never remember what rank is what. Now that you mention it I specifically remember thinking that the street slang was very intuitive. So even when I didn't previously know the terms they used I knew what they meant. Parent
And don't fret about keeping the names straight. It will all come together.
While I love all 5 seasons of The Wire, my faces are the season about the labor union at the docks and the season about Baltimore public schools. They were outstanding. Parent
While I love all 5 seasons of The Wire, my faves are the season about the labor union at the docks and the season about Baltimore public schools. They were outstanding. Parent
Possible upset today: Jets fans look out for Oakland.
Getting ready to watch the Colts and the Steelers. The Colts without Peyton Manning are pretty dismal. I hope Peyton heals up. Truth be told, though, I'm kinda thinking Peyton does not come back from this neck injury. Oh, he wants to; he really wants to be out on that field taking the snaps. But. . . third surgery for the neck and a trip to Europe for stem cell therapy, and Manning is still in street clothes on the sidelines. Parent
See what I mean. Parent
Trying not to get too "up" after this win - next week we have the Jets - who are coming off a loss at Oakland, and will have the usual getting-revenge-on-Baltimore-for-not-naming-Rex-as-head-coach fire behind them - at home on Sunday night; man, I hate those Sunday night games!
I can only hope it's the Week 1 and Week 3 Ravens who show up, and that the Week 2 Ravens are long gone, lol. Parent
But that Erlacher is still something to watch! Parent
The good news? Baseball season is over for the Cubs. Our long loyal fan nightmare is over, at least until hope springs forth again next April. :-) Parent
My hope dies earlier and earlier every year. Maybe because my Dad is no longer with us to keep it alive. I am glad he was spared that Bears-Pack game though. Parent
Many consider Obama to be "Bush lite".
So a question arises.
If Romney is Obama lite, and Obama is Bush lite, does that make Romney twice removed from Bush as opposed to Obama's status as being only once removed?
The bigger story is that the GOP is desperately seeking a nominee named Somebody Else. Parent
The beltway Repubs are pulling their "next in line trick." Be interesting to see if the rank and file put up with it. Parent
Just like Bill O'Reilly is nothing but a humble, working class fella from Leavittown..
What shameless, unadulterated, b.s. Father Coughlin time.. Parent
But don't get all excited, Romney or your other choices will not be nominated so my failure to include them is meaningless. Kinda like noting that it rains in Seattle.
Donald, remember....
He who laughs last.
Although I see Cain as VP.
So, Perry or a player to be named. Parent
"Perry really did throw up all over himself in the debate, at a time when he needed to raise his game. He did worse, it seems to me, than in previous debates. ... Perry is one-half a step away from almost total collapse as a candidate," said Fox News commentator Brit Hume. link
From what I've heard, Fox opinion is gospel for Republicans. Parent
And quoting Hume when he says something nasty about a Repub and not a Demo is risible.
Perry is suffering from "not being a beltway Repub" just as Palin did so he can, as she did, expect scant help and a lot of criticism from the so-called conservative media.
He's also the number one target of the lame stream media. They and their Masters, aka Democrats, fear a Perry candidacy above all things. And a Perry?Cain duo makes them tremble in their Gucci's and toss and turn in their satin sheets.
Having said that, he's in a fight. Right now he's being attacked by a bunch of candidates who, having little to show except for their support for the "social issues," think they can win by making him as small as they are.
Perry should start reminding them that such things as in state tuition for the illegal immigrant children brought here by their parents, something I oppose, is a state issue and that as a President he wouldn't have any say in that but he could close the border by providing the resources, something no President has ever done.
It's called "fixing a problem by prevention." Parent
And, if one considers where Perry does most of his thinking, maybe he would be better described as below-the-beltway -- long with being unreconstructed, and sentimental about bringing back the days of Judge Roy Bean. Parent
And, among other things, are still yearning to send the little children of Iran "back to the stone age" (as expression of your immense christian love.)
lol Parent
The Lame Stream Media is all the rest..
Fow is as "lame" and "main" as any of the others.
Except that the others aren't openly sleazy, and or, stupid enough to make a claim like "Fair and Balanced". Parent
The divisive, extremist, Bush-without-Prozac won't get it, the Teabaggers and Rapturists stay home, and Obama wins again. For better or worse. Parent
The teabaggin'-fer-Jesus and minority-haters stay home. And it's 08 all over again. Parent
Somebody Else would run against himself or herself.
Unfortunately, "Nobody" is not a viable candidate this year. But Someone Else is moving up quickly. In fact, Somebody Else is going to be interviewed by Same Old next Saturday on MTP. Parent
The only way a Perry or Bachmann wins the nomination is if tons of Democrats cross over in open primary states and play havoc with the process. Parent
Honestly I see more "rogue Dems" voting for Romney in the off chance that if one of these people wins it better not be a crazy person. Parent
Remember the busing of college kids into Iowa? And the whole Texas primary thing? And the fact already encouraged Dems in Michigan to vote in the Republican primary to play havoc with the results? Parent
I also think you are comparing apples and oranges here. In 2008 you had 2 candidates that were neck and neck with very strong supporters, so people were willing to go to greater lengths to influence things, and every little thing that people did had an impact because the race was so close.
I don't think the Republican primary will be nearly as close, nor as exciting, as the 2008 primary. So you will have fewer people willing to do such things, and it will have less of an impact, because races aren't usually that close. Parent
At the end of the day, you need enough people who care. I think there are way more "average people who care" and will vote how they want to vote, than there are people who will in someway be manipulated into voting for the opposite of what they want. Parent
...than there are people who will in someway be manipulated into voting for the opposite of what they want.
OFA WANTS a Perry or Bachmann nomination. What makes you so sure the true believers are going to sit home and possibly let Mitt Romney win the nomination - a candidate who stands the best chance of actually beating their candidate?
Voting and playing hijinks with the Republican primaries are exactly what they want. Parent
I get that they are supposedly rabid Obama supporters. But frankly I think you are either making these people up or highly inflating their numbers.
Whoever "they" are, they do not control the election process.
People just aren't as excited about Obama this time around. And I think they could easily be offset by Dems who would go the other way out of fear that Perry or Bachmann would actually win. Parent
Barackobama.com is the official re-election campaign website of President Barack Obama. Visit the site for the latest updates from the Obama campaign
In the interim, changed to "Organizing for America in Jan. 2009. The group was allowed to go fairly dormant and was never really utilized as advertised.
President-elect Barack Obama announced the formation of a new group known as "Organizing for America" that aims to continue the grassroots advocacy that the former Illinois Senator began in his presidential campaign. ... The new group will work within the Democratic National Committee -- led by Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine -- to advance the Obama agenda. link
in the off chance that if one of these people wins it better not be a crazy person.
Although I think some would vote for the craziest.
I live in an open primary state and it has occurred to me that if the chances improve for a Republican victory, I could cast a primary vote for the sanest Republican still standing.
I have no idea now if I will pursue that option and actually think that Obama will win in 2012. Parent
The current "format" is worn out and the "people" are ready for more action. Just turn'em lose on the same stage with no moderators... not that is likely to happen.
BTW - Maddow is not fair and balanced? I tell you I am shocked, yes shocked to discover this. Parent
Congratulations? Do you also do windows?
Great idea, Jim! Parent
Ok, maybe i'm alone.
Just yanking your chain. Parent
And my spouse and I, after many long trips now, swear by No Jet Lag. Parent
I also need to work at staying hydrated but do not enjoy the constant balancing act in trying not to tip over a tiny cup of water on the food tray. I don't even want the darn food tray open most of the time, cutting into the tight seating space. I found (also on the great online travel catalog sites where we get No Jet Lag, compression socks, etc.) a foldup cup holder that hooks onto the top of the closed food tray and holds, securely, a bottle of water or soda or whatever. I also always tuck in protein bars. Parent
If not sure of whether and/or what sort of electricity, prongs, etc., are ahead, there is excellent info on magelllans.com, one of the sites where we find the other helpful tools for travel, whether on the plane or on another continent. With the various continents where we have been for weeks at a time, we now have quite the full range of adapters (the universal adapter is not always that universal). Parent
There is much good advice on the 'Net for travelers but there also is some to take with a grain of salt -- and some go on and on. We have not gone wrong with the advice on this site, and I -- the one who does the research -- find it succinct and easy to follow, unlike some wordy and too-technical sites. Parent
It's good to get up and walk around as much as possible during your flight. Also, flexing your ankles and rotating them helps keep the blood flowing through your legs rather than pooling.
A little test-- when I was in the hospital this spring having my appendix removed the nurses were a little concerned about clots. So, they had me straighten out my legs, point my toes as far forward as I could, and then, with the legs still straight, pull the toes as far back toward my body as I could. You will feel the pull in your calves. If you have a clot, the nurses assured me, when you pull back the pain in your legs will be excruciating. Not the pull of too tight calves, but real honest-to-god major pain. Do this often on your plane ride. Parent
The worst was a trip where the guy on the aisle was asleep stretched out as far as he could blocking my path to the restroom. I finally had to crawl/step over him and he didn't even wake up. Must have taken a pill or something. The flight attendant took pity and moved me when I came back.
Anyway, I did that Denver-San Fran - Osaka route about 5 times. Very painful. Never did come up with a foolproof strategy for handling it, other than using my frequent flier miles for upgrades whenever possible. Parent
What is needed most? Food, bankets, or bail? Parent
Come on lawyers, does anyone know? Parent
Report: OccupyWallSt.net is a PayPal scam.
Never did find a link to information you requested although I know I saw one on one of the blogs. May not have gone back far enough on FDL. Parent
Link to Day 10 report.
The protest may be one of the most important events that almost no one knows about; that there is a near-total news blackout on it tells me that there may be a fear that what started on Wall Street would spread across the country like wildfire - and would then be impossible to ignore or address.
Here's a link to an excellent article from Katrina Orlowski, and an excerpt:
It's been over a week now of protests, meetings, and confrontations with police on Wall Street, and yet mainstream North American media outlets, who have provided us with daily updates on uprisings in Egypt, Libya, and Spain, to name a few, have given either thin or dismissive notice to what is happening on Manhattan. Known as the Occupy Wall Street campaign, it started on September 17 with thousands marching into New York's financial district, waving slogans such as "Wall Street is Our Street" and "We are the 99%." Cops were waiting for the crowds on Wall Street, so they set up camp a block away and have been there ever since, day and night. Fueling these protests is the widening gap between the wealthy and everyone else, which continues to grow because of rising unemployment and mortgage foreclosures. In other words, this is a much different kind of movement from the tax-cut loving Tea Party protests that the media eagerly covers. This might make more sense when one considers that the Tea Party protests are funded by the ultra-right billionaire Koch Brothers, and treated as a grassroots mega-story by Rupert Murdoch's Fox News. [snip] The New York Times tucked its September 23 story into its regional section (as if this weren't a story of significance beyond New York) and topped the supposed news piece with a dismissively biased headline: Gunning for Wall Street, With Faulty Aim. In case readers didn't get the point, the writer's snide asides included describing Occupy Wall Street as "a diffuse and leaderless convocation of activists against greed, corporate influence, gross social inequality and other nasty byproducts of wayward capitalism not easily extinguishable by street theater." Indeed, this tone of patronizing distancing from the supposedly naïve and therefore irrelevant protesters saturates much coverage of the protest. The Associated Press account that the Wall Street Journal and others published four days ago led this way: "In a small granite plaza a block from the New York Stock Exchange, a group of 20-somethings in flannel pajama pants and tie-dyed T-shirts are plotting the demise of Wall Street as we know it." Aren't news reporters taught to adopt a fair and objective voice? Would that not include simply relaying the actions and ideas of the protesters without first making fun of them?
Fueling these protests is the widening gap between the wealthy and everyone else, which continues to grow because of rising unemployment and mortgage foreclosures. In other words, this is a much different kind of movement from the tax-cut loving Tea Party protests that the media eagerly covers. This might make more sense when one considers that the Tea Party protests are funded by the ultra-right billionaire Koch Brothers, and treated as a grassroots mega-story by Rupert Murdoch's Fox News.
[snip]
The New York Times tucked its September 23 story into its regional section (as if this weren't a story of significance beyond New York) and topped the supposed news piece with a dismissively biased headline: Gunning for Wall Street, With Faulty Aim. In case readers didn't get the point, the writer's snide asides included describing Occupy Wall Street as "a diffuse and leaderless convocation of activists against greed, corporate influence, gross social inequality and other nasty byproducts of wayward capitalism not easily extinguishable by street theater."
Indeed, this tone of patronizing distancing from the supposedly naïve and therefore irrelevant protesters saturates much coverage of the protest. The Associated Press account that the Wall Street Journal and others published four days ago led this way: "In a small granite plaza a block from the New York Stock Exchange, a group of 20-somethings in flannel pajama pants and tie-dyed T-shirts are plotting the demise of Wall Street as we know it." Aren't news reporters taught to adopt a fair and objective voice? Would that not include simply relaying the actions and ideas of the protesters without first making fun of them?
Truly objective media coverage probably falls under the category of "biting the hand that feeds them." Parent
"Straight Up and Down," by Brian Jonestown Massacre -- sounds like the middle section of the greatest single the Rolling Stones never recorded
I'll keep watching, but as he says, I will probably never be satisfied with the lack of real characterization.
What this tells me is that the pro austerity and anti austerity absolutists and the Keynsian absolutists are probably not quite right.
The best answer is likely somewhere in the middle.
Jack, a chirpy, fair-haired six-year old with a fondness for Toy Story movies, is the only person in the world known to have both Down's Syndrome and CINCA Syndrome, a degenerative disease that causes crippling headaches, severe arthritis, skin rashes, deafness and blindness. If Jack had started school four years ago, he would have been assigned a dedicated special needs assistant to help him through a full day. But government cuts since Ireland's housing crash in 2008 mean he will only be able to attend for an hour a day, damaging his chances of learning to communicate through pictures or sign language. ... But as the cuts continue, it's getting harder to decide what should go next. The seven-month old coalition government, headed by Enda Kenny's center-right Fine Gael party, needs to find another 12 billion euros in savings or increased tax receipts between 2012 and 2015 -- probably more if global economic prospects worsen. ... Take hospitals. Even on quiet days, emergency departments in large Irish hospitals can be chaotic. People on trolleys clog corridors, sometimes waiting days for a proper bed. Exhausted doctors dodge between them as they try to grab a few hours' sleep, like medics in a disaster zone. Emergency departments have got even busier since the financial crash because fewer people can afford doctors' fees or private health insurance. Staff reductions have forced some patients to wait twice as long to see specialists for non-emergency procedures. If their condition worsens, they too end up in the emergency ward. ... "It's so unbelievably serious and it's only going to get much, much worse," said one Irish doctor, who declined to be named because he was not authorized to speak to the media. "We're putting out fires constantly -- there are more people who are coming in acutely sick and there is much less room to practice any kind of preventative medicine." ... But a progress report in June warned that slimming down public services was likely to hit the most vulnerable in society -- children, the elderly, the sick and unemployed. link
If Jack had started school four years ago, he would have been assigned a dedicated special needs assistant to help him through a full day. But government cuts since Ireland's housing crash in 2008 mean he will only be able to attend for an hour a day, damaging his chances of learning to communicate through pictures or sign language. ... But as the cuts continue, it's getting harder to decide what should go next. The seven-month old coalition government, headed by Enda Kenny's center-right Fine Gael party, needs to find another 12 billion euros in savings or increased tax receipts between 2012 and 2015 -- probably more if global economic prospects worsen. ... Take hospitals. Even on quiet days, emergency departments in large Irish hospitals can be chaotic. People on trolleys clog corridors, sometimes waiting days for a proper bed. Exhausted doctors dodge between them as they try to grab a few hours' sleep, like medics in a disaster zone.
Emergency departments have got even busier since the financial crash because fewer people can afford doctors' fees or private health insurance. Staff reductions have forced some patients to wait twice as long to see specialists for non-emergency procedures. If their condition worsens, they too end up in the emergency ward. ... "It's so unbelievably serious and it's only going to get much, much worse," said one Irish doctor, who declined to be named because he was not authorized to speak to the media. "We're putting out fires constantly -- there are more people who are coming in acutely sick and there is much less room to practice any kind of preventative medicine." ... But a progress report in June warned that slimming down public services was likely to hit the most vulnerable in society -- children, the elderly, the sick and unemployed. link
Unemployment rates are around 14 percent and the EU and IMF are demanding more savings. Parent
So it is hurting, but is it working? The short answer is yes, at least as far as its creditors are concerned. The yield on its 10-year bonds was 8.65 per cent yesterday, much lower than fellow bailout countries Portugal and Greece (11.65 per cent and 23 per cent respectively). In dollar terms Irish bonds with a maturity of more than a year have returned 17.4 per cent since 17 June - the best returns of any sovereign. Despite the "cuts equals recession" mantra, the IMF expects the economy to eke out growth of 0.4 per cent this year and 1.5 per cent next - hardly firing on all cylinders but growth nonetheless. The ECB is "very impressed" with its deficit reduction performance so far. Unlike Greece, there is no emergency conference call for Ireland every time it is due another tranche of aid. link
In dollar terms Irish bonds with a maturity of more than a year have returned 17.4 per cent since 17 June - the best returns of any sovereign. Despite the "cuts equals recession" mantra, the IMF expects the economy to eke out growth of 0.4 per cent this year and 1.5 per cent next - hardly firing on all cylinders but growth nonetheless.
The ECB is "very impressed" with its deficit reduction performance so far. Unlike Greece, there is no emergency conference call for Ireland every time it is due another tranche of aid. link