Palinism

Booman Tribune ~ A Progressive Community: "It's Bushism stripped of all its redeeming features."

When All Else Fails, Laugh | Taylor Marsh – TaylorMarsh.com – News, Opinion and Weblog on Progressive Politics

When All Else Fails, Laugh | Taylor Marsh – TaylorMarsh.com – News, Opinion and Weblog on Progressive Politics
The Pumas did not die

Burglary Suspect Found At 'Alibi' Bar - News Story - WMTW Portland

Burglary Suspect Found At 'Alibi' Bar - News Story - WMTW Portland: "LEWISTON, Idaho -- Police said it didn't take them long to locate an Idaho man suspected in the robbery of a Cedars Inn -- he was next door at The Alibi bar."

National Opt-Out Day

National Opt-Out Day: "    The government should not have the ability to virtually strip search anyone it wants. The problem is compounded in that if you do not want to go through the naked body scanner, the government has made the alternative perhaps worse!  In an effort to try and make everyone comply with the scanners, the government has instituted 'enhanced' pat downs.  There are reports from travelers across the country about how the TSA now touches the genitals and private areas of men, women and children in a much more aggressive manner.  We do not believe the government has a right to see you naked or aggressively feel you up just because you bought an airline ticket.  "

Jersey Girls Dodge A Hairy Bullet | Angry Black Lady Chronicles

Jersey Girls Dodge A Hairy Bullet | Angry Black Lady Chronicles: "In horrifying news that had the women of New Jersey on the verge of packing up their bags, grabbing their hairy vaginas, and getting the hell out of dodge, the state Board of Cosmetology and Hairstyling considered a ban on Brazilian bikini waxes."

Chicago- Saturday in the Park "Live" (1972)

I heard that this was a really interesting paper

[1011.1868] Asymptotically Optimal Randomized Rumor Spreading: "We propose a new protocol solving the fundamental problem of disseminating a piece of information to all members of a group of n players. It builds upon the classical randomized rumor spreading protocol and several extensions. The main achievements are the following:
Our protocol spreads the rumor to all other nodes in the asymptotically optimal time of (1 + o(1)) \log_2 n. The whole process can be implemented in a way such that only O(n f(n)) calls are made, where f(n)= \omega(1) can be arbitrary.
In contrast to other protocols suggested in the literature, our algorithm only uses push operations, i.e., only informed nodes take active actions in the network. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first randomized push algorithm that achieves an asymptotically optimal running time"

[1011.1960] Ubiquitous Computing: Potentials and Challenges

[1011.1960] Ubiquitous Computing: Potentials and Challenges: "The world is witnessing the birth of a revolutionary computing paradigm that promises to have a profound effect on the way we interact with computers, devices, physical spaces, and other people. This new technology, called ubiquitous computing, envisions a world where embedded processors, computers, sensors, and digital communications are inexpensive commodities that are available everywhere. Ubiquitous computing will surround users with a comfortable and convenient information environment that merges physical and computational infrastructures into an integrated habitat. This habitat will feature a proliferation of hundreds or thousands of computing devices and sensors that will provide new functionality, offer specialized services, and boost productivity and interaction. This paper presents a comprehensive discussion on the central trends in ubiquitous computing considering them form technical, social and economic perspectives. It clearly identifies different application areas and sectors that will benefit from the potentials of ubiquitous computing. It also brings forth the challenges of ubiquitous computing that require active solutions and management."

Inhofe: Obama Doesn't Know Where Oklahoma Is (VIDEO) | TPMDC

Inhofe: Obama Doesn't Know Where Oklahoma Is (VIDEO) | TPMDC: "'I can assure you, Neil, that if we leave it up to Obama to do something for Oklahoma, nothing's going to get done,' Inhofe said. 'I mean Obama doesn't care about Okla-- he doesn't know where Oklahoma is. I would probably say the same thing about South Carolina and maybe even Kentucky.'"

For polar bears, the price of rapid evolution is a weaker skull | Not Exactly Rocket Science | Discover Magazine

For polar bears, the price of rapid evolution is a weaker skull | Not Exactly Rocket Science | Discover Magazine

“As a consequence of exceptional rapid specialization to a high arctic diet of seal flesh, the polar bear appears to have lost the generalized feeding abilities of its close relative. As a result, if current climate trends continue, one of the most striking examples of rapid… evolution may be lost as quickly as it appeared."

Evolution and climate change in one post. Surely this should get some comments from the knuckle-draggers

The Muppet Show - Sax and Violence

The Muppet Show: "Cowboy Time"

Joe Miller is still a WATB

Roger Ailes: "'There have been serious allegations of voter fraud, voter intimidation, voter bullying,' Brown told reporters at the large warehouse where counting of write-in ballots, 98% of them for Murkowski so far, was winding up its second day."

Balloon Juice » Blog Archive » It’s Just Like I Done Told Y’all.

Balloon Juice » Blog Archive » It’s Just Like I Done Told Y’all.: "So, that’s my question to all of you.  Are some things just a [insert whatever] thing?  A gay thing; an Asian thing; a g-thang, whatever.  Do you feel like you have some experience that makes you better able to understand the nuances of a situation?  Or do you think it’s a bullshit cop-out to claim ownership over a particular issue?"

Media Matters' David Brock to have lunch with Rupert Murdoch | Media Matters for America

Media Matters' David Brock to have lunch with Rupert Murdoch | Media Matters for America: "In an online charity auction benefitting the Global Poverty Project, Media Matters won the lunch with Mr. Murdoch with a bid of $86,000.  The online auction site, Charity Buzz, described the event as a 'once in a lifetime chance to sit with self-made billionaire Rupert Murdoch, face to face over a friendly lunch and get his feedback first hand on your proposed business ideas. Valid for a total of 6 people.' The meeting will 'take place over a friendly lunch at a mutually convenient time in New York City, exact location to be determined.'"

UK security official tries to board plane with banned liquids |

UK security official tries to board plane with banned liquids |: "

Home Office minister Baroness Neville-Jones, in charge of national security, was en route to a Washington summit when she was found to have an oversized aerosol can in her bag. Strict rules for the amount of fluids permitted in hand luggage were introduced in 2006 after al-Qaeda plotters came close to blowing up seven aircraft in mid-air using liquid explosives hidden in drink bottles.

This is such utter bullshit. They came no closer to blowing up planes than I am to becoming president of the US.

How the cat that got the cream then drank it | Not Exactly Rocket Science | Discover Magazine

How the cat that got the cream then drank it | Not Exactly Rocket Science | Discover Magazine: "Cats have been our companions for almost 10,000 years. They have been worshipped by Egyptians, killed (or not) by physicists, and captioned by geeks. And in all that time, no one has quite appreciated how impressively they drink. Using high-speed videos, Pedro Reis and Roman Stocker from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology has shown that lapping cats are masters of physics. Every flick of their tongues finely balances a pair of forces, at high speed, to draw a column of water into their thirsty jaws."

How Solar Power Could Become Cheaper Than Coal | Alternative Energy | DISCOVER Magazine

How Solar Power Could Become Cheaper Than Coal | Alternative Energy | DISCOVER Magazine: "The limitations of current-generation solar cells are painfully clear. Although experimental cells have reached efficiencies greater than 40 percent, most silicon-based commercial designs struggle to get past about 20 percent. The lower the efficiency, the more cells it takes to generate a given amount of electricity. That in turn makes photovoltaics bulky and expensive. As a result, the United States had just 800 megawatts of grid-connected solar photovoltaic power in 2008, and solar accounted for less than a tenth of one percent of all energy consumed in the country."

The Pi-on | Cosmic Variance | Discover Magazine

The Pi-on | Cosmic Variance | Discover Magazine: "But the point of the question is that GR says we don’t live in Euclidean space; we move through a curved spacetime manifold. That’s okay. In a curved space, we could imagine defining the “diameter” of a circle as the maximum geodesic distance connecting two of its points, and taking the ratio of the circumference with that diameter, and indeed it would typically not give us 3.14159… But that doesn’t mean π is changing from place to place; it just means that the ratio of circumference to diameter (defined this way) in a curved space doesn’t equal π. If the circumference/diameter ratio is less than π, you are in a positively curved space, such as a sphere; if it is greater than π, you are in a negatively curved space, such as a saddle. Geometry can also be much more complicated than that, with different ratios depending on how the circle is oriented in space, which is why curvature is properly measured by tensors rather than by a simple number."

Consumer safety group says skip the deep-fried turkey - Holy Kaw!

Consumer safety group says skip the deep-fried turkey - Holy Kaw!: "Just in case your cholesterol count and arteries weren’t already begging you to just bake the bird, Underwriters Laboratories is pulling its approval (that little “UL” mark) off all turkey fryers this year.

According to the U.S. Fire Administration, sixty-nine percent of the 4300 fires that take place on Thanksgiving Day are due to the use of fryers, with the following states claiming the top ten spots: Texas, Illinois, Ohio, Michigan, New York, Florida, Pennsylvania, Indiana, Missouri and South Carolina."

Physics Buzz: Solving Two Mysteries at Once

Physics Buzz: Solving Two Mysteries at Once: "The portions of universe that we can see appear to consist almost entirely matter, rather than an equal balance of matter and antimatter. At the same time, most of the universe seems to be made of something we can't see at all - dark matter. These two facts are among the outstanding puzzles in physics. A new paper proposes that they may actually be two aspects of the same mystery."

Only the Weak Survive by Nouriel Roubini - Project Syndicate

Only the Weak Survive by Nouriel Roubini - Project Syndicate: "Currency wars eventually lead to trade wars, as the recent US congressional threat against China shows. With US unemployment and Chinese growth both at almost 10%, the only mystery is that the drums of trade war are not louder than they are."

A World of Multiple Reserve Currencies by Barry Eichengreen - Project Syndicate

A World of Multiple Reserve Currencies by Barry Eichengreen - Project Syndicate: "The implication is that the dollar, the euro, and the renminbi will share the roles of invoicing currency, settlement currency, and reserve currency in coming years.

To be sure, all three currencies have their critics. Willingness to hold the dollar may be undercut by concern with America’s twin fiscal and external deficits. Uncertainty about whether the European Union will hold together could limit the use of the euro. And, although China is aggressively promoting international use of the renminbi in trade settlements, it has a long way to go before its currency is attractive as a vehicle for foreign investment and holding reserves.

But the very fact that there are questions about all three currencies means that none of them will obviously dominate. There will be an international market for all three."

New Rules for Hot Money by Nouriel Roubini - Project Syndicate

New Rules for Hot Money by Nouriel Roubini - Project Syndicate: "Of course, currency appreciation should not be prevented altogether. When justified by economic fundamentals, the exchange rate should be allowed to rise gradually. But when a currency’s appreciation is triggered by capital inflows that represent the asset-diversification preferences of advanced-economy investors, it can and should be resisted."

US-Sino Currency Rap Battle

Chrome is up in the air, in the clouds, literally | ZDNet

Chrome is up in the air, in the clouds, literally | ZDNet: "I’d give this a 9.5 on the PR campaign scale. Business passengers have dreamed of in flight access for years and consumers are now just as hooked. Nearly every surfer knows about Internet Explorer and Firefox (the reincarnated Netscape Navigator) and Chrome has made a huge dent over the past year. This will only heighten awareness of the open source browser."

The geopolitics of passions - Focus - Al Jazeera English

The geopolitics of passions - Focus - Al Jazeera English: "While patience and negotiation without passion and the willingness to fight lead to dishonourable defeat, an escalation of mutual humiliation without respect for the other side can only lead to mutual suicide."

Uncovering Algeria's civil war - In Depth - Al Jazeera English

Uncovering Algeria's civil war - In Depth - Al Jazeera English: "Challenging the dominant narrative on Algeria's brutal civil war has never been an easy task. But an investigation into the killing of seven French monks in the midst of the conflict is providing a rare opportunity to dig further into the allegations that the country's secret services deliberately fostered the descent into violence."

Myanmar court denies Suu Kyi appeal - Asia-Pacific - Al Jazeera English

Myanmar court denies Suu Kyi appeal - Asia-Pacific - Al Jazeera English: "A Myanmar court has rejected an appeal by the country's detained opposition leader against her house arrest, amid hopes she will be released.

It was the third and final appeal by Aung San Suu Kyi, 65, who has spent most of the last 20 years locked up in her home in Yangon.

Never the less, officials said on Wednesday that preparations for Aung San Suu Kyi's anticipated release - within days of Sunday's general elections - were under way.

Lawyers for the Nobel peace laureate said they expected her to be freed on Saturday, when the latest detention order expires, but had hoped she would also be acquitted to prove her innocence."

Cholera crisis deepens in Haiti - Americas - Al Jazeera English

Cholera crisis deepens in Haiti - Americas - Al Jazeera English: "Haiti's cholera crisis has deepened as three more deaths in Port-au-Prince, the capital, raised fears the epidemic could be set to rocket in unsanitary camps full of survivors from January's earthquake.

The Haitian health ministry said on Thursday that 724 people around the country had now died from the highly contagious water-borne disease and that the number of infections had passed the 11,000 mark.

The outbreak, Haiti's first in more than 50 years, erupted in the Artibonite River valley in mid-October and initially seemed to have been contained to central and northern areas.

There have been roughly 1,000 new cases on each day this week and the death curve is getting steadily steeper with 60 new fatalities recorded on Wednesday and more than 80 on Thursday."

How Baidu Won China - BusinessWeek

How Baidu Won China - BusinessWeek: "While Li has earned the grudging respect of Google execs, Baidu's tactics are a sharp contrast with the Google founders' sincere, if not always sincerely observed, slogan: Don't be evil. If crawling the Web empirically and without commercial bias is the moral duty of a search engine, Baidu is, at least in the eyes of its competitors, not a moral company. For years legions of advertisers have complained on Chinese Web forums that Baidu secretly penalizes the search rankings of websites that decrease their spending on Baidu. Archrival Chinese Internet company Alibaba, Jack Ma's Internet conglomerate that runs the Taobao e-commerce site and is 40 percent owned by Yahoo, says Baidu unfairly penalizes the search ranking of companies that accept ads from some Taobao merchants."

Dollars for Docs - ProPublica

Dollars for Docs - ProPublica: "Drug companies have long kept secret details of the payments they make to doctors for promoting their drugs. But seven companies have begun posting names and compensation on the Web, some as the result of legal settlements. ProPublica compiled these disclosures, totaling $258 million, into a single database that allows patients to search for their doctor. Receiving payments isn’t necessarily wrong, but it does raise ethical issues."

Why should public transit "pay for itself"?

CBC News - Nova Scotia - Manors bus service saved: "The route was to have been cancelled on Nov. 22 because Metro Transit officials said it's under used and doesn't pay for itself."

CBC News - Nova Scotia - Flooded N.S. gets dry forecast

CBC News - Nova Scotia - Flooded N.S. gets dry forecast

The sun is shining in southwestern Nova Scotia as conditions slowly begin to improve in the wake of torrential rains that wiped out a bridge, flooded homes and displaced more than 100 people.

What struck me about this story is the meanspiritedness of some of the commenters.

Glad that all of my ex-inlaws (would that make them outlaws?) are safe

CBC News - Toronto - Elderly vets thwart theft of poppy money

CBC News - Toronto - Elderly vets thwart theft of poppy money: "'I said, 'What are you doing here?' He said, 'Give me all your bills',' said John Dietsch, 84.

'And at that point, I didn't see the gun at first. Then I made a rush for him. And we struggled, and I was knocked down.'

Another veteran, Earl Gray, then wrestled the man to the ground, Dietsch said.

'I wasn't thinking,' said Gray, 64, when asked why he tackled the man. 'He had a gun, and John Dietsch grabbed him, and he went down, and then I was there, and … [it was] just instinct. I don't know. I just grabbed him."

CBC News - Nova Scotia - Poppy jar theft shocks coffee shop workers

CBC News - Nova Scotia - Poppy jar theft shocks coffee shop workers: "Staff members at a Tim Hortons in Dartmouth, N.S., are furious after a poppy jar was stolen from the counter of their store.

Surveillance video from the coffee shop on Main Street near Forest Hills Parkway shows a man slowly moving the poppy can closer to the counter's edge early Wednesday morning.

When staff members walk away, the man takes the poppies and money before leaving the store."

Joe Miller is a WATB

Joe Miller: Alaska Election Officials Using 'Different Standard' for Lisa Murkowski: "Miller, who has sued to disqualify any apparent votes for Murkowski that misspelled her name, told ABC News that the state Division of Elections has 'decided to change the approach' to the way it counts write-ins."

Atheist Advertising -- or Evangelizing? The Holiday Ad Blitz Starts Early

Atheist Advertising -- or Evangelizing? The Holiday Ad Blitz Starts Early: "William Donohue of the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights said his organization was countering the humanist efforts by mailing a Nativity scene to each of the nation's 50 governors with a letter pressing them to display the crèche 'in the Capitol Rotunda alongside secular symbols (e.g., a Christmas tree) this coming Christmas season.'

In a press release, Donohue said it was 'a Christmas campaign that almost everyone will like, save for embittered atheists.'

'So let the militant atheists do their thing, appealing to debased motives. We're taking the moral high road,' he concluded."

'Decision Points': What George W. Bush's Memoir Reveals - TIME

'Decision Points': What George W. Bush's Memoir Reveals - TIME: "As I read on, trapped in the sketchy carelessness of this presidency, I was surprised by how angry I didn't become. For me, at least, weariness has replaced anger. Bush's was an exhausting presidency that will, I suspect, be remembered more for its waste — of time, lives, money, moral standing and economic strength — than for anything else. We have survived nearly a decade now since Sept. 11, and the cataclysmic events of that day have receded, not just in memory but in importance, compared with the global economic changes and Wall Street sociopathy that together challenge America's future pre-eminence. We have not been successfully attacked since, a matter of luck and skill. We do have Bush to thank, in part, for that — but far too much testosterone was spent kicking irrelevant butts and landing, breathless with self-regard, on carrier decks to celebrate victories that were Pyrrhic at best. We struggle to recover from the thoughtless carnage of his tenure."

GOP Presidential Debates Will Begin in Spring 2011 - Chris Good - Politics - The Atlantic

GOP Presidential Debates Will Begin in Spring 2011 - Chris Good - Politics - The Atlantic: "This could be a bit early, depending on when exactly it happens: NBC and Politico will co-host the first Republican 2012 presidential debate, to be held sometime during this coming spring."

OpenTable.com Is Top U.S. IPO Performer Since 2009 - Alexis Madrigal - Technology - The Atlantic

OpenTable.com Is Top U.S. IPO Performer Since 2009 - Alexis Madrigal - Technology - The Atlantic: "Over the last two years, the online restaurant reservations site OpenTable has outperformed all other IPOs. I sure wouldn't have guessed that. Chalk that up to a soft market for IPOs and a business that's shown impressive revenue growth. OpenTable gets paid by restaurants when you book through their service."

The DADT Review: A Massive Non-Event - The Daily Dish | By Andrew Sullivan

The DADT Review: A Massive Non-Event - The Daily Dish | By Andrew Sullivan: "While most of the military leadership has signaled their support for ending the military's discriminatory 'don't ask, don't tell' policy prohibiting gays and lesbians from serving openly, the Marine leadership has consistently been opposed. The previous Marine commandant, James Conway, estimated that '90 percent' of marines would be opposed to ending DADT, and his successor Gen. James Amos has expressed opposition as well. ... The branch of the service most opposed are the Marines, although they're still in the minority at 40 percent, far from the ludicrous 90 percent predicted by Conway."

Dark Days Ahead for Florida Under Governor Scottdemort | MyFDL

Dark Days Ahead for Florida Under Governor Scottdemort | MyFDL: "At the Harry Potter Lexicon, the most famous quote attributed to Voldemort is “There is no good and evil, there is only power, and those too weak to seek it.” That seems entirely fitting for an incoming governor who was CEO of the company that has set the record for the largest Medicare fraud settlement ever paid to the US Government. He now is saying, even before he has been sworn in, “I don’t think anybody’s trying to go after my power.” Scott and Voldemort really look and sound like the same person to me, so from now on it seems to make sense just to refer to Governor Scottdemort."

Daily Kos: Republicans don't do bipartisanship

Daily Kos: Republicans don't do bipartisanship: "The Democrats need to stop buying into a myth that means but their own destruction. They need to use every media opportunity to hammer home the point that they have tried to cooperate and compromise while the Republicans have not and will not. They need to vote to pass middle class tax cuts, repeal Don't Ask Don't Tell, and appoint and confirm judges, while they can. Nothing good will get done once the Republicans take control of the House. If the Democrats intend to get anything done, they need to do it now, they need to be focused and uncompromising, they need to ignore their critics, and they need to be constantly mindful that the clock is ticking."

Rachel Maddow: The Interview with Jon Stewart | Video Cafe

Rachel Maddow: The Interview with Jon Stewart | Video Cafe: "Rachel Maddow talked to Jon Stewart about his Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear and the perceptions that many had about what he was trying to achieve during the rally. Stewart discussed the role of the media in playing up the partisan divide in America and rather than tackling issues of corruption. They discussed the differences between what Fox and MSNBC are doing and the role that the 24/7 news cycle has had on our media."

Glenn Beck's Anti-Semitic Attack on George Soros - The Daily Beast

Glenn Beck's Anti-Semitic Attack on George Soros - The Daily Beast: "Beck’s implication is that there was something sinister in Soros’ support for anti-communist civil society organizations in the former Soviet Union. Further, he sees such support as evidence that Soros will engineer a communist coup here in the United States. This kind of thinking only makes sense within the conspiratorial mind-set of classic anti-Semitism, in which Jews threaten all governments equally. And as a wealthy Jew with a distinct Eastern European accent, Soros is a perfect target for such theories."

Balloon Juice » Blog Archive » Google’s Veteran’s Day Logo is All Muslim ‘n Shit

Balloon Juice » Blog Archive » Google’s Veteran’s Day Logo is All Muslim ‘n Shit: "What the fuck?! Does it look like those socialist Muslim-loving American-hating googling bastards celebrated Veteran’s Day by changing their logo to a burning flag with a crescent moon sticking out of it? Because that’s what it looks like to me! Google hates us for our freedom! This is an outrage!"

Daily Kos: Poll: It's not just Democratic politicians who lack a spine

Daily Kos: Poll: It's not just Democratic politicians who lack a spine: "My half-baked theory is that partisans are responding to the rhetoric of their leaders. Republicans speak forcefully about defending their principles as they stand firm in the way of Democratic communism. Democrats speak forcefully about nothing, apologize constantly for being Democrats, and literally beg Republicans for bipartisan cover for their initiatives."

Lest We Forget

In Flanders Fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep,

Balloon Juice Comment du jour - On Jonah Goldberg

Balloon Juice » Blog Archive » Stupid or Evil?: "Jonah Goldberg is the event horizon of stupid. He is the point at which the last glimpse of stupid is stretched out long and thin and slowed to near-eternity in time (in our frame of reference) and sucked into the black hole that is the deep seething mass of stupid so dense that nothing but Goldberg radiation escapes to signal the stupidalarity."

Balloon Juice » Bring on the Brawndo!

Balloon Juice » Bring on the Brawndo!

Blog Category of the day

Balloon Juice » Blog Archive » Stupid or Evil?

Balloon Juice » Blog Archive » Stupid or Evil?: "I’m just going to have to and go with stupid AND evil."

C-SPAN Caller Has Solution for Bush Tax Cuts Debate - Just Let Democrats Pay the Taxes | Video Cafe

C-SPAN Caller Has Solution for Bush Tax Cuts Debate - Just Let Democrats Pay the Taxes | Video Cafe: "Sadly people like Bob don't seem to understand that when everyone in a society doesn't feel that it is their duty to make sure that the most vulnerable in that society are protected, we don't have a civilized society any more. And we surely don't have a middle class. Someone's duped Bob into carrying water for the have mores out there and it's a sorry statement about just where this country is headed when there are tragically way too may Bobs out there that actually believe this same garbage."

I love Zandar but this confused me

Zandar Versus The Stupid: Last Call

Appreciate it. After all, this blog is nothing without you guys.

This was in reference to the fact that there is tip jar and it would be nice if people occasionally dropped some bucks into it. Color me confused but telling someone that you are asking for money that you are nothing without them strikes me as odd. I guess that is why i will never make it in marketing ...

Having said that, Zandar does good stuff and if any of my 100 or so readers (yeah ... big deal) feel the urge to drop over there and toss a dollar or two into the pot I think it would be nice of you.

Daily Kos: Republicans don't do bipartisanship

Daily Kos: Republicans don't do bipartisanship: "The Democrats need to stop buying into a myth that means but their own destruction. They need to use every media opportunity to hammer home the point that they have tried to cooperate and compromise while the Republicans have not and will not. They need to vote to pass middle class tax cuts, repeal Don't Ask Don't Tell, and appoint and confirm judges, while they can. Nothing good will get done once the Republicans take control of the House. If the Democrats intend to get anything done, they need to do it now, they need to be focused and uncompromising, they need to ignore their critics, and they need to be constantly mindful that the clock is ticking."

Joe Barton: Health Care Repeal Is My Alamo | TPMDC

Joe Barton: Health Care Repeal Is My Alamo | TPMDC: "The ranking member on the House Energy and Commerce Committee and one of the men vying to be the next chair of the powerful panel when Republicans take over the House next year, Barton laid out his plan for, essentially, undoing most of what President Obama and Democrats accomplished in the past two years. He laid out the central fronts: the battle to repeal what he calls Obamacare, the fight against the EPA, backing the growing insurgency opposed to net neutrality regulations, taking on 'environmental radicalism' and -- of course -- defending the 'traditional, incandescent light bulb' against government regulators who want to replace it with what Barton called 'the little, squiggly, pig-tailed ones.'"

Bachmann Drops Out Of GOP Conference Chair Race | TPMDC

Bachmann Drops Out Of GOP Conference Chair Race | TPMDC: "However, she only picked up the public support of five other House members: Her close ally Steve King of Iowa, Louie Gohmert of Texas, and her fellow Minnesotans John Kline, Erik Paulsen and Chip Cravaack."

Obsidian Wings: Shariah justice

Obsidian Wings: Shariah justice: "As Hodgson discusses, this also explains some aspects of Islamic family law. He points out that in pretty much *all* 'advanced' societies, upper-class men have the option of keeping and having children by more than one woman: that is, they may be de facto polygynous. Traditional Christian societies are de jure monogamous, which means that only one of those women (and her children) count: mistresses, concubines, slaves and their children are not entitled to support or inheritance. Christian marriage doesn't protect children in general, it ensures that some children (and their mothers) get preferential treatment, while others may be righteously neglected."

Sikhs Call Airport Screening for Turbans 'Security Theater' | Islamophobia Today eNewspaper

Sikhs Call Airport Screening for Turbans 'Security Theater' | Islamophobia Today eNewspaper: "WASHINGTON (RNS) Leaders of three Sikh organizations say they’ve been told by federal transportation officials that turbans will always be searched at U.S. airports, a move that Sikh officials called unnecessary and unfair."

The Stig farm – more pictures emerge - BBC Top Gear

The Stig farm – more pictures emerge - BBC Top Gear: "In the meantime, here are some more pics of our freshly farmed produce. And count yourself lucky you're not party to the smell of several dozen free-range Stigs..."

21-year-old gets Ferrari 599 GTO - BBC Top Gear

21-year-old gets Ferrari 599 GTO - BBC Top Gear: "Dhiaa Al-Essa is a twenty-one-year-old Saudi student. He likes hats. As you can see from the picture above, he also likes Ferraris. That black and red one on the right is a Ferrari 599 GTO, delivered via the lucrative and all-too prevalent medium of Middle Eastern Taste Vacuum."

Gourmet food?

Really?

Private sector should lead gold standard adoption | Analysis & Opinion |

Private sector should lead gold standard adoption | Analysis & Opinion |: "An alternative route for dealing with global distrust of currencies inflated by excessive monetary easing would be for the private sector to start using gold in ordinary transactions. Exporters from Germany or China, for example, distrusting the dollar and not wishing to use the possibly fissiparous euro or the state-controlled yuan, could invoice customers in gold, thus creating gold-denominated trade paper. Banks wishing to serve such customers could offer gold-denominated accounts, either hedging themselves in the futures market or maintaining a gold fractional reserve against such accounts."

Cigna CEO: Don't repeal U.S. health law | Reuters

Cigna CEO: Don't repeal U.S. health law | Reuters: "(Reuters) - Repealing the new U.S. healthcare law would be a waste of time, but there is room to improve it, the chief executive of health insurer Cigna Corp (CI.N) said on Tuesday."

NJ Transit gets $271M bill for scrapped tunnel | TPM News Pages

NJ Transit gets $271M bill for scrapped tunnel | TPM News Pages: "NJ Transit owes the federal government $271 million for the Hudson River rail tunnel that Gov. Chris Christie scrapped last month."

The Coming Tax Cut Showdown - Swampland - TIME.com

The Coming Tax Cut Showdown - Swampland - TIME.com: "What can be expected is a whole lot of political theater whatever the outcome. This is an issue that neatly divides the bases of the Democratic and Republican parties. It will also serve as an early test of negotiating heft. Both Democrats and Republicans are now competing for the mantle of the party of reasonable, effective, sober governance. And the outcome of this early battle is likely to set the stage for the bigger fights to come next year."

Miller: We Can Assume All Poor Spellers Support Me | Talking Points Memo

Miller: We Can Assume All Poor Spellers Support Me | Talking Points Memo: "But Miller's lawyer has another argument. Namely, that ballots with mispellings of Murkowski's name should be interpreted not as votes for her but rather as protest votes against her."

Wishful betting can contaminate financial markets, study shows

Wishful betting can contaminate financial markets, study shows: "In the paper, 'Contagion of Wishful Thinking in Markets,' researchers from The University of Texas at Austin and Cornell University demonstrate how wishful betting can contaminate beliefs throughout markets, as other market participants infer wishful bettors possess more favorable information than they do. As a consequence, investors who initially held accurate beliefs become overly optimistic about stock values. The research will be published in a forthcoming issue of Management Science."

Pictures: Dead Sea Scrolls Being Digitized for Web

Pictures: Dead Sea Scrolls Being Digitized for Web: "The Dead Sea Scrolls—the oldest known surviving biblical and extra-biblical texts in the world—are slated to be scanned with high-resolution multispectral imaging equipment and shared online, the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) and Google announced Tuesday, when this picture was taken in an IAA lab."

Cricket Has World's Biggest Testicles (But Puny Output)

Cricket Has World's Biggest Testicles (But Puny Output): "The sperm-producing organs account for 14 percent of the body mass of males of this bushcricket species. The previous record holder's testicles—belonging to the fruit fly Drosophila bifurca—tipped the scales at about 11 percent of its body mass."

Wonk Room » House Republicans Name An Already Expired Program As First Spending Item They Would Cut

Wonk Room » House Republicans Name An Already Expired Program As First Spending Item They Would Cut: "But the crux of the issue is that eliminating the TANF emergency fund will save exactly zero dollars, because the program has already expired! It was funded at $5 billion for two years, and ended on September 30, 2010. It’s over, and there is no money for Price to save."

AirTran pilots voting on deal to boost pay | ajc.com

AirTran pilots voting on deal to boost pay | ajc.com: "Pilots at AirTran Airways began voting on a proposed labor contract Tuesday that would boost pay more than 25 percent for some as their company prepares to merge with Southwest Airlines."

Will Bishop Long attend religious rally at the Dome? | ajc.com

Will Bishop Long attend religious rally at the Dome? | ajc.com: "Bishop Eddie Long, facing a string of legal problems, may not speak at The Stand Campaign, a popular religious rally that draws tens of thousands and is set for Saturday at the Georgia Dome."

Sightseeing Ferris wheel for Atlanta? | ajc.com

Sightseeing Ferris wheel for Atlanta? | ajc.com: "Is Atlanta ready for its own Eye in the sky? More to the point, would anyone pay a development group to build it?"

Why Apache keeps Google at a safe distance | ZDNet

Why Apache keeps Google at a safe distance | ZDNet: "The relationship between Apache and Google is a bit like that between England and America.

It’s special, it can be close, but if you want to start a fight just call a Brit an “American poodle” or Apache a Google follower. I did, and it was the one point in my talk with them that things got vewy, vewy quiet."

Building the India-US Partnership by Ashley J. Tellis - Project Syndicate

Building the India-US Partnership by Ashley J. Tellis - Project Syndicate: "WASHINGTON, DC – President Barack Obama’s first presidential visit to India offers a unique opportunity to cement a global partnership with a rapidly emerging power. Set to become the world’s third or fourth largest economy by 2030, India could become America’s most important strategic partner."

Why is China Lashing Out? by Ian Buruma - Project Syndicate

Why is China Lashing Out? by Ian Buruma - Project Syndicate: "Yet the Chinese government’s response to Liu’s Nobel Prize has been extraordinary. Instead of a show of lofty disdain, or official silence, it made a colossal fuss, protesting fiercely about plots to undermine China, and putting dozens of prominent Chinese intellectuals, including Liu’s wife, Liu Xia, under house arrest. As a result, the utterly powerless, hitherto quite obscure Liu Xiaobo, has become not only world famous, but much better known inside China, too."

A Superpower in Decline: Is the American Dream Over? - SPIEGEL ONLINE - News - International

A Superpower in Decline: Is the American Dream Over? - SPIEGEL ONLINE - News - International: "Until it all ended. Now people are leaving the state. Florida's population decreased by 58,000 in 2009. Some members of the same American middle class who had once planned to spend their golden years lying under palm trees are now lined up in front of soup kitchens. In Lee County on Florida's southwest coast, 80,000 people need government food stamps to make ends meet -- four times as many as in 2006. Unemployment figures are sharply on the rise in the state, which has now come to symbolize the decline of the America Dream, or perhaps even its total failure, its naïveté. Could the dream, in fact, be over?"

People's Choice Awards: Who got skunked | Awards Tracker | Los Angeles Times

People's Choice Awards: Who got skunked | Awards Tracker | Los Angeles Times: "Oscar heavyweight 'The Social Network' isn't nominated for favorite movie at the People's Choice Awards, but it scored a consolation bid for favorite drama movie. 'The Twilight Saga: Eclipse' was lucky enough to land in both categories when nominations were unveiled earlier Tuesday."

Robert De Niro named Golden Globes' 2011 Cecil B. DeMille honoree | Awards Tracker | Los Angeles Times

Robert De Niro named Golden Globes' 2011 Cecil B. DeMille honoree | Awards Tracker | Los Angeles Times: "The Hollywood Foreign Press Assn. enlisted the help of actor Kevin Spacey Tuesday morning to announce 2011's Cecil B. DeMille award winner Robert De Niro. Said Spacey of De Niro: 'He's unafraid to transform himself inside and out for a role. Some of cinemas most unforgettable moments have been created by him.'"

Carlson sent fake ‘Olbermann’ emails to Philly columnist | The Upshot Yahoo! News

Carlson sent fake ‘Olbermann’ emails to Philly columnist | The Upshot Yahoo! News: "Tucker Carlson boasted in July that his site, the Daily Caller, had bought the domain name for liberal MSNBC host Keith Olbermann. Carlson, a conservative journalist and pundit, even said he would start using the email address keith@keitholbermann.com as a gag.
So it was interesting to see that Olbermann allegedly sent some angry emails to the Philadelphia Daily News' Stu Bykofsky using the email address keith@keitholbermann.com.
Phawker.com, which published the exchange, claimed it was 'guaranteed 100% for real.'And Bykofsky later confirmed to media industry watcher Jim Romenesko that he was writing to keith@keitholbermann.com, which he believed to be Olbermann."

Moroccan raid on Western Sahara camp killed 11 - Polisario | Jordan Times

Moroccan raid on Western Sahara camp killed 11 - Polisario | Jordan Times: "ALGIERS (AFP) - A Moroccan raid to clear a camp in the Western Sahara left 11 refugees dead, the Polisario Front independence movement said Tuesday, as Moroccan authorities upped their own death toll to six."

Middle East Business News | Local Jordan Business Events | Davos Jordan Times Amman-based daily Newspaper

Middle East Business News | Local Jordan Business Events | Davos Jordan Times Amman-based daily Newspaper: "Reforming education is key to creating a culture of entrepreneurship in the country, a panel discussion concluded on Monday."

Democracy day | Jordan Times

Democracy day | Jordan Times: "Around 53 per cent of eligible voters headed to the polls to elect their representatives in the 16th Parliament, which will meet within weeks in a revival of the country’s legislative life."

Justice for Some by Joseph E. Stiglitz - Project Syndicate

Justice for Some by Joseph E. Stiglitz - Project Syndicate: "NEW YORK – The mortgage debacle in the United States has raised deep questions about “the rule of law,” the universally accepted hallmark of an advanced, civilized society. The rule of law is supposed to protect the weak against the strong, and ensure that everyone is treated fairly. In America in the wake of the sub-prime mortgage crisis, it has done neither."

Is America Catching the “British Disease?” by Barry Eichengreen - Project Syndicate

Is America Catching the “British Disease?” by Barry Eichengreen - Project Syndicate: "Doomed to slow growth, the US of today, like the exhausted Britain that emerged from World War II, will be forced to curtail its international commitments. This will create space for rising powers like China, but it will also expose the world to a period of heightened geopolitical uncertainty."

CBC News - Health - Cancer faker pleads guilty to fraud

CBC News - Health - Cancer faker pleads guilty to fraud: "A Timmins, Ont., woman has pleaded guilty to defrauding a car dealership by pretending to have cancer and be raising money for treatment."

CBC News - Health - Text messages helped Kenyans with HIV

CBC News - Health - Text messages helped Kenyans with HIV: "Sending simple text messages by cellphone to HIV patients in Kenya increased the likelihood that they would stay healthy, Canadian researchers have found.

The messages were sent once a week, asking 'Mambo?' or 'How are you?' in Kishwahili.

Study participants were more likely to follow their medication regimen, 62 per cent, compared with 50 per cent among those who didn't get the texts, researchers from the University of British Columbia and the University of Manitoba reported in Tuesday's online issue of The Lancet."

CBC News - Money - Bailouts should be borne by banks: Carney

CBC News - Money - Bailouts should be borne by banks: Carney: "Bank of Canada governor Mark Carney backs proposed new international rules that would make banks and their shareholders and creditors — not governments — pay the cost of any future financial crisis like the Wall Street money crunch that triggered the recent recession.

Carney said Tuesday that the bailout of many big banks around the world created a moral hazard that, if left unchecked, will distort behaviour and inflate costs"

CBC News - Money - Air Canada fined in price-fixing scheme

CBC News - Money - Air Canada fined in price-fixing scheme: "The European Union has fined 11 airlines, Air Canada among them, a total of almost $1.1 billion for fixing prices on international cargo shipments, leading to higher prices for businesses to move their goods."

CBC News - Technology & Science - Big Bang phase recreated

CBC News - Technology & Science - Big Bang phase recreated: "The world's largest high-energy particle collider has recreated conditions similar to an early phase of the Big Bang.

The extreme heat, thousands of times hotter than the centre of the sun, was the result of the Large Hadron Collider's first collisions of heavy particles called lead ions."

CBC News - Technology & Science - Rising temperatures threaten wind energy: study

CBC News - Technology & Science - Rising temperatures threaten wind energy: study: "As global temperatures rise, wind speeds drop, says a Texas researcher who has calculated by how much and points out it will mean less wind for powering turbines.

The conundrum is that while wind is promoted as a renewable source of energy, greenhouse gases released by the burning of fossil fuels impede the ability to produce clean electricity from wind."

CBC News - Technology & Science - Fish-farm sea lice more widespread than thought

CBC News - Technology & Science - Fish-farm sea lice more widespread than thought: "Salmon farms are transferring sea lice to wild salmon in a much larger area of British Columbia's coastal waters than first thought, according to new research by B.C. scientists."

CBC News - British Columbia - 3-year-old to be questioned in B.C. shooting

CBC News - British Columbia - 3-year-old to be questioned in B.C. shooting: "Police say they expect to question a three-year-old boy who might have witnessed the murder of his father in New Westminster, B.C., on Monday."

CBC News - Nova Scotia - Johanna Skibsrud wins Giller Prize

CBC News - Nova Scotia - Johanna Skibsrud wins Giller Prize: "Montreal-based writer and poet Johanna Skibsrud has won the $50,000 Giller Prize for The Sentimentalists, her first novel."

CBC News - New Brunswick - Tory MP used public funds to back candidate

CBC News - New Brunswick - Tory MP used public funds to back candidate: "A departing Conservative MP used publicly funded House of Commons resources to back his potential successor — a candidate who once headed the Canadian Taxpayers Federation and was a senior aide to the prime minister."

CBC News - Nova Scotia - Southwest N.S. water levels start to fall

CBC News - Nova Scotia - Southwest N.S. water levels start to fall: "Water levels were beginning to recede Tuesday in parts of southwestern Nova Scotia after the worst flooding in a century, emergency management officials said.

But even as levels started to fall, communities hit the hardest were still contending with powerful waters after more than 200 millimetres of rain fell over four days."

CBC News - Nova Scotia - N.S. denies automatic access to patient info

CBC News - Nova Scotia - N.S. denies automatic access to patient info: "Nova Scotia's NDP government has denied a request by two Halifax hospital foundations for access to patient names and addresses for fundraising purposes.

'Automatic access without a patient's expressed consent is not given to the foundations,' Health Minister Maureen MacDonald told reporters in Halifax on Tuesday.

MacDonald had been lobbied for changes to a new Personal Health Information Protection Act that would make patient names and addresses automatically available to foundations through a provision called 'implied access.'"

Button escapes Brazil gun attack - 2010 - Al Jazeera English

Button escapes Brazil gun attack - 2010 - Al Jazeera English: "Jenson Button, the Formula One world champion, has escaped unhurt from an attempted armed attack outside the Brazilian Grand Prix circuit in the city of Sao Paulo, according to his McLaren team."

Al-Awlaki urges American killings - Middle East - Al Jazeera English

Al-Awlaki urges American killings - Middle East - Al Jazeera English: "Anwar al-Awlaki, a US-born Islamic cleric linked to al-Qaeda in Yemen, has released a video in which he calls for Muslims around the world to kill Americans.

In the sermon, which appeared on several pro al-Qaeda websites on Monday, al-Awlaki said that clerics do not need to issue any special fatwas or religious rulings allowing Americans to be killed because 'all Americans are the enemy'.

'Don't consult with anybody in killing the Americans,' he said in the 23-minute message that he delivered in Arabic.

'Fighting the devil doesn't require consultation or prayers seeking divine guidance. They are the party of the devils,' he added.

'It is 'either us or them.'

Al-Awlaki was dressed in a traditional Yemeni garb - a white robe, turban and a sheathed dagger tucked into his waistband - and wore round spectacles while sitting behind a desk."

Obama: US-Muslim mistrust must end - Asia-Pacific - Al Jazeera English

Obama: US-Muslim mistrust must end - Asia-Pacific - Al Jazeera English: "'I said then, and I will repeat now, that no single speech can eradicate years of mistrust. But I believed then, and I believe today, that we have a choice. We can choose to be defined by our differences, and give into a future of suspicion and mistrust. Or we can choose to do the hard work of forging common ground, and commit ourselves to the steady pursuit of progress.'"

Badass Quote of the Day : Dispatches from the Culture Wars

Badass Quote of the Day : Dispatches from the Culture Wars: "Unfortunately, this requires that the Democrats in DC become less invertebrate, something they seem to have a difficult time doing."

candescence.org : Archive » Super-Sizing Childhood Toys

candescence.org : Archive » Super-Sizing Childhood Toys: "Just a couple of projects that have caught my eye over the past few weeks with a common theme – super-sizing toys from our childhood. The first project is Jeri Ellsworth’s 52″ net-controlled Etch-A-Sketch. It was built from an HD TV and is controllable via an IRC bot."

First drive: Hyundai Genesis Coupe 380GT

First drive: Hyundai Genesis Coupe 380GT: "Can a Hyundai ever be genuinely desirable? This is the car that sets out to make it harder than ever to say ‘no’ as an answer.

The Genesis Coupe shares its name and some of its vehicle architecture with the Genesis sedan, though it couldn’t look or feel more different.

If the four-door Genesis remains on the conservative side of the fence, the two-door twin’s design is nothing but dynamic with its fastback roof, rising waistline, double-creased flanks and wheelarch-filling 19-inch wheels.

The Coupe is effectively a replacement for the Tiburon and there’s a familiarity to the silhouette, though the new model is noticeably bigger."

China's trade surplus hit $US27b as exports jump | Asia | Economy

China's trade surplus hit $US27b as exports jump | Asia | Economy: "China's exports rose 22.9 per cent in October from a year earlier, and imports increased by 25.3 per cent, the official Xinhua News Agency said today."

Does Britain really need the military? | Politics | The Guardian

Does Britain really need the military? | Politics | The Guardian: "Six months ago I proposed in the Guardian that if Britain was short of money it should cut defence. I did not mean reduce defence, or trim defence. I meant cut it altogether. We are desperately short of money and absolutely no one is threatening to attack us now or in the foreseeable, indeed conceivable, future. Besides, as we have seen this past week, other ways of ensuring security make more pressing claims on us. We just do not need an army, navy or air force. So why are we paying £45bn for them?"

Girls to the Front author Sara Marcus on riot grrrl, DIY feminism, and Rockville - Amanda Hess | TBD.com

Girls to the Front author Sara Marcus on riot grrrl, DIY feminism, and Rockville - Amanda Hess | TBD.com: "SM: The riot grrrl ethos is not necessarily the idea that like, playing music is this radical political act. Plenty of female musicians today are like, ‘I’m grateful for the road that was paved for me. I just kind of want to make my music.’ What people are nostalgic for is the sense of community and support, and the way that people created local scenes to encourage one another to create things. Our culture has become so delocalized that that often gets lost. But it’s not even the music specifically, but the politics of riot grrrl that people are nostalgic for. Riot grrrl was about seeing things that were unfair and naming them as unfair. It was about drawing political angles to things that were going on in your life and that you saw going on to the world around you. As people grow up, it become s a little impolite to mention those things. But they’re still going on."

The Myth of Record-High Gold - NYTimes.com

The Myth of Record-High Gold - NYTimes.com: "Gold is at a record only if you fail to adjust for inflation. And you should almost always adjust for inflation. Otherwise, you end up with a series of meaningless records — Gold reaches record high! Oil reaches record high! Lettuce reaches record high! — that depend on the fact that a dollar in 2010 does not have the same value as a dollar did in, say, 1980."

Bachmann: I Motivated People To 'Put That Gavel In John Boehner's Hands' | TPMDC

Bachmann: I Motivated People To 'Put That Gavel In John Boehner's Hands' | TPMDC: "In an interview with Politico, Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) touted her qualifications in her underdog bid for House GOP Conference Chair. As she pitched it, she helped to mobilize so many Tea Party activists for the Republican Party, with such events as her large-scale Tea Party event at the Capitol a year ago. And as such, she played a key role in delivering the House to the Republicans."

Marine Commandant - We're Not Ready for DADT Repeal | Crooks and Liars

Marine Commandant - We're Not Ready for DADT Repeal | Crooks and Liars: "There's a lot to like about Marines. They're bright people, loyal to the Corps, strong-minded and elite warriors. Most of them are more well-versed on military history than the majority of Army soldiers. And yet, when they latch onto a bad idea, they will stubbornly refuse to consider that they made a really bad decision in the first place. And so we watch as General James Amos, newly minted commandant of the Marine Corps, follows his predecessor in saying that the Marines aren't ready for 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell.'"

Bush: “I probably won’t even vote for McCain” | Westminster Blog: The latest on UK politics | FT.com

Bush: “I probably won’t even vote for McCain” | Westminster Blog: The latest on UK politics | FT.com: "Naturally the election came up in conversation. Trying to be even-handed and polite, the Brits said something diplomatic about McCain’s campaign, expecting Bush to express some warm words of support for the Republican candidate.

Not a chance. “I probably won’t even vote for the guy,” Bush told the group, according to two people present.“I had to endorse him. But I’d have endorsed Obama if they’d asked me.”"

GOP nominee sues in AK Senate race | TPM News Pages

GOP nominee sues in AK Senate race | TPM News Pages: "GOP nominee Joe Miller is asking a federal judge to keep the state from using discretion in counting write-in ballots in Alaska's hotly contested U.S. Senate race."

Not usually a Sully fan... - First Draft

Not usually a Sully fan... - First Draft: "If a black Republican president had come in, helped turn around the banking and auto industries (at a small profit!), insured millions through the private sector while cutting Medicare, overseen a sharp decline in illegal immigration, ramped up the war in Afghanistan, reinstituted pay-as-you go in the Congress, set up a debt commission to offer hard choices for future debt reduction, and seen private sector job growth outstrip the public sector's in a slow but dogged recovery, somehow I don't think that Republican would be regarded as a socialist."

Social Conservative Bryan Fischer: Get Rid Of The 'Curse' That Is The Grizzly Bear | TPMMuckraker

Social Conservative Bryan Fischer: Get Rid Of The 'Curse' That Is The Grizzly Bear | TPMMuckraker: "Which is why Fischer, who is the 'Director of Issues Analysis' for the conservative Christian group the American Family Association, wrote a blog post today called 'A hot dog on two legs - time for open season on Yellowstone grizzlies,' in which he refers to Grizzly Bears as a 'curse' and says that 'it's time' for the grizzlies to go."

Tea Partiers: AZ Town's New Trash Plan Reeks Of Socialism | TPMDC

Tea Partiers: AZ Town's New Trash Plan Reeks Of Socialism | TPMDC: "Tea Party groups have come out strongly against the measure. The Republic reports some people have dubbed it 'trashcare,' as if it were the local, municipal waste-related cousin of 'Obamacare.' Fliers were distributed that read 'The Hills Will Have Eyes,' and which raised the specter of a 'Fountain Hills Green Police' poking around citizens' garbage bins. On its website, Arizona Campaign for Liberty warned that 'The Fountain Hills Mayor & Town Council is attempting to restrict resident's choice in trash services by forcing residents into a single payer system!' The Fountain Hills Tea Party's website reads, 'Once more, government is trying to interfere with free market economics.'"

Fox News Discusses Return Of Gold As Everyday Currency (VIDEO) | TPMMuckraker

Fox News Discusses Return Of Gold As Everyday Currency (VIDEO) | TPMMuckraker: "'I can see the creeping use of gold as a medium of exchange,' Varney said. 'For example, we're about to see, on the streets of two cities in America, vending machines where you can put your dollars in and get out small amounts of gold.'"

Zandar Versus The Stupid: Macroecono-Moose, Part 2

Zandar Versus The Stupid: Macroecono-Moose, Part 2: "The best part? Wingers are lining up to say how Sarah Palin sticking her nose into something she clearly doesn't understand actually justifies their own clueless position on this, like she's a genuine polymath of a Renaissance policy wonk or something, you betcha."

Stand up and Cheer

ThinkProgress » 5th Circuit Rules That High School Cheerleader Is Required To Cheer For Her Alleged Rapist: "The United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, one of the most right-wing courts in the country, sanctioned a former high school cheerleader because she brought a lawsuit claiming that she shouldn’t be required to cheer for her alleged rapist:"

Swampland cmmenter of the day

The W. Show - Swampland - TIME.com: "How ironic is it that THE most incompetent President of modern times sits in the White House (or is off on an incredibly expensive royal tour somewhere) while the anti-American left (aka Democrats) continue to be obsessed with a former President, who while not the best public speaker, was vastly better at performing the duties of chief executive and protecting this nation."

Youtube - Hi, I'm a Tea-Partier

Book Rec - Anthem - Ayn Rand

A book to get for your Kindle that is worth every penny you pay for it.

Movie non-Rec - Iron Man 2

Worst big budget movie that I have ever seen. The plot was stupid, the writing was horrible and even the effects couldn't save it.

Of course it made a kajillion dollars so what do I know

Book rec - DW 2.0 - Inmon, Strauss, Neushloss

A book that has given me many ideas about how to properly think about how to get the right information to folks in the right way at the right time.

Book Rec - The Soul of a New Machine - Tracy Kidder

I read this book years ago and recently replaced my copy. That is pretty much the highest rec I can give a book

On Conan O'Brien

It is hard to overstate the level of dont-give-a-fuck I have for Conan O'Brien's return to TV.

FB Blogging

My friends on Facebook will hopefully note that my blog posts are coming through a little more clearly now. I am trying out a new RSS to FB service ... let's see how it goes.

Eric Cantor is concerned

Cantor: If Pelosi stays then Democrats haven't learned lesson | Video Cafe: "'Democratic members in the House elect Nancy Pelosi as their leader,' Eric Cantor (R-VA) told Fox News Chris Wallace Sunday. 'It's almost as if they just didn't get the message from the voters this election.'"

Lindsey Graham is a fuckwit

CBC News - Nova Scotia - 'Neuter' Iran, U.S. senator tells Halifax conference: "Republican Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina said his party would support military action against Iran that would destroy its ability to fight back while allowing its people to rise up."

US Airways Lost and Found Department Rocks

In comparison to the shitty experience I am currently going through with Pep Boys, I can say that I am thrilled with the folks at the lost and found service of US Airways. I left my Kindle behind on a flight from Philadephia to Jacksonville and US Airways found and returned it to me safe and sound. Now THAT is how you do it.

And yes, I sent a nice note thanking them.

Confused by Research?

BPA’s Bad for Humans, but Why Is U.S. Studying Chinese Workers’ Exposure? | MyFDL

I’m a little skeptical about three concurrent five-year studies with groups ranging from 417 to 634 in number; it seems like a lot being done by the same folks at the same time, but I don’t have any feel for whether this is typical or not.
The big news story buried inside both this Independent-UK article and in the year-old ScienceDaily article is that the Center for Disease Control’s U.S. National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health is funding studies on Chinese citizens in China based.
What the…? Would anybody care to explain why U.S. tax dollars are testing BPA exposures in China and not here on U.S. workers?

My comments are:

1. If you don't know is something is typical or not then you have absolutely no reason to be "a little skeptical". The smart thing to do would be to find out if it is typical before commenting. 
2. Why is the "big news" that the research is being done overseas
3. Does anyone have any doubt that if the research was being done on American workers then folks would be up in arms at using them as guinea pigs.

What Can Pep Boys do to fix this?

My Pep Boys story.

Took our car in to Pep Boys on Saturday to have them replace the starter. They couldn't get their hands on a starter until Monday so I asked them if they could install one on Sunday if I could get one from another vendor. They said sure and so I delivered them a shiny new starter at about noon on Sunday.

The nice young man at the counter assured me that they would have the starter installed just as soon as one of their techs came back from lunch. Happy, we wandered off for an afternoon of window shopping and generally hanging out with friends.  

We grew a little concerned when we had not heard from them by about 4:30 (they were closing at 6:00 ) so we scampered back over to see how things were going ... the job had not been started. The nice young man at the counter and I had a chat about how I wasn't very impressed with this situation and wanted his assurance that the part would be installed and i would have the car back by the time they closed. He wouldn't give me that assurance (he said it would be about an hour and a half but couldnt be sure it might not be longer) and so we wandered off, not very happily but knowing that there was really nothing we could do to speed the situation up.

At 5:10 the phone rang and it was Pep Boys ... the motor was all installed and we could come pick it up the car. Maria went to get it and noticed that it was  making some odd noises and generally not being itself. She got home, turned it off and tried to restart it ... accent on the word tried ... it wouldn't start. Just made some horrible noises. 

I called the nice young man at the counter and asked him what he was going to do to make this right. His response was that I should have it towed in to the shop in the morning and they would look at it. Not really having any choice this is what we shall do.

Now, my expectation is that they will make good on this little fiasco since Pep Boys is a national chain with a PR operation that knows that crappy service like this ends up on sites like "ripoffreport.com" and that never is pleasant for the manager responsible.

We shall see

Progressives For Steny? Liberal Members Line Up For Moderate Minority Whip | TPMDC

Progressives For Steny? Liberal Members Line Up For Moderate Minority Whip | TPMDC: "But the vast majority of Americans are liberals. Most just don't know it."