Archive for March, 2009
Think
“As far as I knew, white women were never lonely, except in books. White men adored them, black men desired them and black women worked for them.”
Maya Angelou
Civil Disobedience – the French Way
(UPDATE I below.)
I’ve always respected how the French speak out and make demands of their government and employers (through protests and strikes). They don’t take things lying down like we do. They’ve got class too. Turns out, workers at a 3M plant in a town south of Paris have been holding their boss hostage since yesterday but if the strike doesn’t end this evening, they plan to bring him “mussels and french fries for dinner.“
(I know the French have been known to riot as well but I think this particular story is pretty great; not because of the work situation but because of the assertive but relatively peaceful way the workers are going about making their point. I’ll try to follow up and let you know what happens.)
UPDATE I: French workers release factory boss.
Not Such a Good Deal
Bloomberg: California home prices sank 41% last month on foreclosures. (Emphasis added.)
One Saturday a few months ago I caught the tail end of a show (didn’t catch the name but I think it was on HGTV) that followed a busload of people driving around Southern California looking at (and making offers on) foreclosed homes. The trip was organized by a local realtor and the meme was, of course, that the homes were great deals and that the participants had better snatch them up ASAP while the prices were so low.
Poor people.
Chris Matthews Assures Us That Barack Obama Knows He’s an African-American
Chris Matthews was Keith Olbermann’s first guest tonight on Countdown immediately after President Obama’s press conference. During his rundown, Matthews said that Obama, “does know that he’s African-American.”
Phew. What a relief. Thanks Chris.
No Wonder Politico Is Jealous of Ed Schultz
Politico had a fit when “liberal” radio talk show host Ed Schultz sat in the front row – next to Helen Thomas no less – during President Obama’s first press conference last month. Watching Obama’s second presser today gave me what I think might be a clue as to why. Obama called on Politico’s Mike Allen and he was sitting in the third row.
These guys have been in the front row for eight years but now they’re having to hold hands and share and they can’t stand it.
Chuck Todd Needs to Get Out More Often
Chuck Todd, NBC’s “chief White House correspondent” is sitting in the front row at President Obama’s second news conference tonight. He was roughly the third reporter who Obama called on. Todd asked Obama why he hasn’t asked the American people to make any sacrifices in the face of this economic crisis.
What? The American people are already sacrificing (and thank God Obama pointed that out) when it comes to things like stagnant wages, loss of retirement savings and income and health care costs (to name but a few).
What the hell is Todd thinking (or is he)?
I know cocooning is big right now but come on.
Meow
Have joined-at-the-hip Rudy and Judi Giuliani split?
If so, this would be his ah, third failed marriage? Ah yes, those vaunted “family values” at work again.
Mark Udall Watch: Campaign for America’s Future Launches Campaign Against Conservative Democrats
Campaign for America’s Future has launched a campaign against DINO’s, who it calls “conservadems” (too kind, IMHO). Both of my senators, Michael Bennet and Mark Udall, are on their list of “blue dog” Democrats who need to decide “who’s (sic) side they are on.”
Exactly, especially when it comes to Mark Udall. He lives down the road from me and has pranced around for years and years and years acting like Mr. Liberal-Berkenstock-wearing-cool-guy, getting reelected every time while still repeatedly voting to fund the Iraq war, etc., etc. Now he joins a group that has vowed to stand in Obama’s way. If you ask me, Republicans were created to do that; we Democrats need to stand together.
Anyway, I’m livid about what Udall’s doing as are many of my friends. Udall can believe and do whatever he wants obviously, but insofar as he campaigned as a very, very strong progressive but has now joined a conservative coalition, well, he’s a traitor and I intend to do everything I can to hold him accountable.
Check the site out. Make sure your “representatives” aren’t turning coat on you.
The Small Font
Don’t know if the size of the font bothers you but it does me. I think it’s way too small. However, I have to pay extra in order to be able to adjust it so I’m thinking about it. Bear with me.
Thanks.
Some Good News
Obama’s EPA has put mountaintop removal on hold. Yippee!
Have you ever seen mountaintop removal in person or in pictures? It’s grotesque. How would you like that in your back yard (not to mention having miles of piles of what they remove clogging up nearby valleys and streams). Humans gone insane without any respect whatsoever for our Mother Earth.
Think
“Beautiful young people are accidents of nature, but beautiful old people are works of art.”
- Eleanor Roosevelt
Nail on the Head
Gawker nails the incestuous relationship between the likes of Politico and Drudge (and Fox and CNN and MSNBC and ABC and CBS and…) that serves them, but not us.
Wall Street is Holding a Gun to Our Head
Obama Dials Down Wall Street Criticism, because the banks threatened: “If you want our help to get credit flowing again to consumers and businesses, stop the rush to penalize our bonuses.”
No Wonder Wall Street’s Happy
“Suppose Timothy Geithner announced a new program that would tax every family $10,000 dollars and give the money to Wall Street banks and hedge funds.”
More here.
Bliss
My boy dog, Al, eating an ice cube. He’s such a happy soul.
(His sister, Miss Tillie, is in the background.)
Dick Wadhams – the Colorado GOP Epitomizes the Definition of Insanity
Last weekend the Colorado GOP re-elected Dick Wadhams (known locally as Dickwad) to lead its party into the future. Wadhams is the same guy who lead Colorado to a blue governor, a blue state legislature and to two blue senators.
Maybe it’s just me but I’m hearing noise in the back of my head about the definition of insanty and something about doing the same thing over and over again..
Heaven
Lemon-scented Mascarpone Trifle
(I add two teaspoons of vanilla to the mascarpone/lemon zest mixture and I think brushing the pound cake with plain lemon juice is better than using Creme de Cassis.)
This is one of those things I wish I’d never tried (like creme brulee and crawfish po’ boys). But I did, and man-o-man, it’s out of this world. I made it today for the second time. It’s a great way to use up (fresh or tired) strawberries (or blueberries or any other berries).
AIG – If You Believe in What You Do, Stand Tall
“AIG Who? Company Name Removed from Facade of New York Building.“
Looks like there might be just a wee bit of shame or embarrassment seeping in here. (Reality strikes!)
The Right’s Dangerous Trash Talk
In the most recent trash talk from the right, Tammy Bruce called the Obamas, “trash in the White House,” and Michele Bachmann (R-MN) said she wants the people of her state to be “armed and dangerous” over President Barack Obama’s plan to reduce global warming “because we need to fight back.”
Obama has been in office, what, ten weeks? And this is the language they’re using already?
I remember trying to be civil for eight years of Bush, five of them in public on the News Hounds’ blog. And while I bit my lip at times and shook with anger at others, I succeeded. Now it’s time for the right to take some some responsibility and tone down the rhetoric around here or something very bad is going to happen. One of their idiot minions will do the unthinkable, deluded into thinking he/she is saving the world and will emerge a hero, which, I’m beginning to think, is precisely what the likes of Bruce and Bachmann are hoping for.
CNBC Hypes a “Baby Rolls Royce”
I tuned in to CNBC this morning before the market opened and lo and behold, there was Phil LeBeau drooling over a “baby Rolls Royce” that – woohoo, I’ll take two – is selling for $280,000 (a bargain at $100,000 less than an adult Rolls).
I dropped in again at roughly 1:55 p.m. and there they were again, drooling over that bargain-priced Rolls.
Ah yes. CNBC connects with the masses again caters to the top 1% of 1% of 1%. $280,000 for a car? There are millions of people out there who would be thrilled to have that kind of money socket away to see them through their retirement years, never mind using it to buy a car.
Yo, Talking Heads: Zip It
At this moment Obama is holding a press conference about the budget. CNN and MSNBC are showing a split screen while their talking heads are telling us what he’s saying putting their spin on it. (Fox isn’t covering it at all, natch, even though they covered every single move Bush made for the first seven years of his tenure.)
Why, oh why, won’t these guys shut up and let us hear it for ourselves?
Canada Has Gone Crazy
Canada has barred George Galloway, a fierce anti-war activist, from entering the country, claiming he’s a “threat to national security.” But days ago it welcomed George Bush with open arms.
A man who is anti-war is a “threat to national security” but a man who lied a world into an illegal war isn’t? There are no words…
Good Question
Atrios makes a very good point about the bank bailouts and Tim Geithner’s “plan.”
The second paragraph is just so right on. If the point of all this is to get the banks to lend again, why aren’t we throwing money at the successful, stable banks who are in a position to do that?
Joe Biden Brings Down the House at the Gridiron Dinner
It sounds like Joe Biden was hilarious last night when he stood in for Obama at the annual Gridiron Dinner. My favorite: “I understand these are dark days for the newspaper business, but I hate it when people say that newspapers are obsolete. That’s totally untrue. I know from firsthand experience. I recently got a puppy, and you can’t housebreak a puppy on the Internet.”
Lipstick at $70.00 a Pop?
I remember when my mother – a child of the Depression – had one, one, lipstick. When it was gone, she reluctantly ventured out to find another; invariably discovering that her favorite brand and color was no longer available. She’d come home and show me the new color and the “fancy” design of the tube and she’d settle into liking the new new thing, even if she didn’t. I’m willing to bet those lipsticks cost her something like $4 or $5.
Fast forward fifty years and lookie here. A tube of lipstick for $70.00?
I bought a pair of “ballet flats” recently. Brown “Nubuck.” An inch-wide elastic nylon (or polyester?) strap stretchs from side to side over the top of the foot to hold the shoe on. I remember when that would be considered downright cheap. Cheap. Cheap. I remember leather straps – yes leather straps and gold-toned buckles you actually had to cinch, like a watch strap.
Now we’re settling for a stretch band? And what’s with Velcro everywhere on shoes? Remember eyelets and shoelaces?
And don’t get me started about those “rolled edges” around the cuff, neck and hem of sweaters and T’s. More unfinished, cheap crapola we’re supposed to think is The New Trend.
And look at this. The picture isn’t all that clear but the Vogue cover model is wearing a “sweater” consisting of open threads of yarn. We’re supposed to by buy this and to think it’s a “sweater”?
Seems to me the scamming’s going way beyond Wall Street.
Hey, Maybe the Debut of FBN Caused the Dow to Crash
Daniel Gross over at Slate points out that the Dow “has fallen about 50 percent from its closing peak of 14,164 on Oct. 9, 2007. (That was the week the Fox Business Channel debuted…)”
Heehee.
You’ve Been “Gopped”
I got this from a friend (h/t NA). No links. No idea if it’s “true,” but I love it and I’m going to start using it. Fespite the alleged dominance of the “liberal media,” we’re being GOPped at this moment (as in spending all day talking about Obama and what he said about the Special Olympics without being given any historical perspective).
WE’VE BEEN “GOPPED”
FROM THE BPI BUREAU -NY (MAR 2, 2009 )
A NEW WORD IS RAPIDLY CIRCULATING IN THE AMERICAN LEXICON AS A RESULT OF A VIRAL INTERNET CAMPAIGN THAT BEGAN IN NEW YORK. THE WORD IS “GOPPED” & IT IS QUICKLY BECOMING THE TERM FOR THOSE WHO WANT TO REMIND THE PUBLIC OF HOW & WHERE THE CURRENT ECONOMIC MELTDOWN & OTHER NATIONAL PROBLEMS BEGAN. THE TERM “GOPPED”, DERIVES FROM ITS FIRST 3 LETTERS, G-O-P, & IS THE PAST TENSE OF THE INFINITIVE “TO GOP” MEANING “TO CREATE REPUBLICAN RUIN OF THE AMERICAN ECONOMY DUE TO GREED, INCOMPETENCE & GENERAL LACK OF OVERSIGHT.”
THE WORD’S CREATOR. ROBERT T ARPMAGEN, IS A LINGUISTIC SPECIALIST WHO WANTED TO REMIND US OF WHERE THIS ALL STARTED. “MARK MY WORDS,” ARPMAGEN SAYS, “THE GOP IS ALREADY TRYING TO MAKE THIS PROBLEM OBAMA’S FAULT. THEY HOPE THAT OUR TENDENCY TO FORGET WILL TAKE THE HEAT OFF THEIR BACKS. AS THINGS GET WORSE IN THE COMING YEAR, AMNESIA WILL TAKE OVER. THE BLAME WILL BE SHIFTED TO THE GUY WHO INHERITED THIS DISASTER. IT WILL GO TO OBAMA & THE DEMOCRATS. WE NEED TO PLACE RESPONSIBILITY ON THOSE WHO CREATED THIS MESS IN THE FIRST PLACE. WE NEED A GOOD REMINDER WORD.”
ONE PERSON RECENTLY SAID THAT WHEN RUSH LIMBAUGH WISHED FAILURE FOR OBAMA, THAT LIMBAUGH WAS “GOPPING” THE AMERICAN PUBLIC ONCE AGAIN. ANOTHER SAID THAT WHEN DICK CHENEY PUSHED THE WAR IN IRAQ WHICH WILL COST A TRILLION OR MORE DOLLARS, HE ESSENTIALLY SAID “GOP YOU!” TO HARD WORKING AMERICAN TAXPAYERS.
“THE GOPPING CREATED BY BUSH, CHENEY & ASSOCIATES WILL AFFECT AMERICANS FOR GENERATIONS,” ARPMAGEN SAYS, “& SADLY THEIR LEGACY WILL BECOME OUR HISTORY. LET’S NEVER FORGET WHERE THIS ALL BEGAN: “WE’VE BEEN GOPPED!”
Re Presidents and the Special Olympics
Obama made a crack last night about the Special Olympics. Yes, it was insensitive and crass but he apologized immediately. Nonetheless, we’ve been hearing about it all day and we’ll probably will hear about it all the weekend.
Meanwhile, do you remember the wingers ranting and raving back in 2007 when W. vetoed a bill containing funding for the Special Olympics? Me neither.
