from The Week Magazine
... after a Catholic cardinal in Chile denounced Madonna's "incredibly shameful behavior" at a concert in Santiago and called her an "offense to God." Cardinal Jorge Medina made the remarks at a mass for the late dictator Augusto Piochet, under who's rule tens of thousands of political opponents were executed, tortured or "disappeared".
My comment: Yeah, well ... after all, Madonna is a Jew (sorta) ... Pinochet wasn't.
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Stampede for 'Bush shoe' creates 100 new jobs
Guardian, UK
Their deployment as a makeshift missile robbed President George Bush of his dignity and landed their owner in jail. But the world's most notorious pair of shoes have yielded an unexpected bonanza for a Turkish shoemaker.
Ramazan Baydan, owner of the Istanbul-based Baydan Shoe Company, has been swamped with orders from across the world, after insisting that his company produced the black leather shoes which the Iraqi journalist Muntazar al-Zaidi threw at Bush during a press conference in Baghdad last Sunday.
Baydan has recruited an extra 100 staff to meet orders for 300,000 pairs of Model 271 - more than four times the shoe's normal annual sale - following an outpouring of support for Zaidi's act, which was intended as a protest, but led to his arrest by Iraqi security forces.
Orders have come mainly from the US and Britain, and from neighbouring Muslim countries, he said.
... more after the click.
Their deployment as a makeshift missile robbed President George Bush of his dignity and landed their owner in jail. But the world's most notorious pair of shoes have yielded an unexpected bonanza for a Turkish shoemaker.
Ramazan Baydan, owner of the Istanbul-based Baydan Shoe Company, has been swamped with orders from across the world, after insisting that his company produced the black leather shoes which the Iraqi journalist Muntazar al-Zaidi threw at Bush during a press conference in Baghdad last Sunday.
Baydan has recruited an extra 100 staff to meet orders for 300,000 pairs of Model 271 - more than four times the shoe's normal annual sale - following an outpouring of support for Zaidi's act, which was intended as a protest, but led to his arrest by Iraqi security forces.
Orders have come mainly from the US and Britain, and from neighbouring Muslim countries, he said.
... more after the click.
White House Philosophy Stoked Mortgage Bonfire
NYTimes
WASHINGTON — The global financial system was teetering on the edge of collapse when President Bush and his economics team huddled in the Roosevelt Room of the White House for a briefing that, in the words of one participant, “scared the hell out of everybody.”
It was Sept. 18. Lehman Brothers had just gone belly-up, overwhelmed by toxic mortgages. Bank of America had swallowed Merrill Lynch in a hastily arranged sale. Two days earlier, Mr. Bush had agreed to pump $85 billion into the failing insurance giant American International Group.
The president listened as Ben S. Bernanke, chairman of the Federal Reserve, laid out the latest terrifying news: The credit markets, gripped by panic, had frozen overnight, and banks were refusing to lend money.
Then his Treasury secretary, Henry M. Paulson Jr., told him that to stave off disaster, he would have to sign off on the biggest government bailout in history.
Mr. Bush, according to several people in the room, paused for a single, stunned moment to take it all in.
“How,” he wondered aloud, “did we get here?”
Eight years after arriving in Washington vowing to spread the dream of homeownership, Mr. Bush is leaving office, as he himself said recently, “faced with the prospect of a global meltdown” with roots in the housing sector he so ardently championed.
There are plenty of culprits, like lenders who peddled easy credit, consumers who took on mortgages they could not afford and Wall Street chieftains who loaded up on mortgage-backed securities without regard to the risk.
But the story of how we got here is partly one of Mr. Bush’s own making, according to a review of his tenure that included interviews with dozens of current and former administration officials.
... get the rest in the NYT after the click.
My comment: Unrestricted, unregulated "free-market" capitalism is a market philosophy that pirates of the Somali coast have adopted. They invest a little capital (in AK-47s and speed boats), take a few risks and net a multi-billion dollar container ship loaded with Nike sneakers headed for the Port of Newark that they can ransom for a couple million.
The idea that an industry can (or will) police itself is absurd. Think study hall in high school when the teacher left the room.
The belief that if we keep giving money to the people who need it least will result in some of it trickling down (particularly in a global economy) is naive.
The thing that differentiates civilization from the jungle is the existence of rules. Any system that has the goal of eliminating the rules also has the goal of eliminating civilization.
WASHINGTON — The global financial system was teetering on the edge of collapse when President Bush and his economics team huddled in the Roosevelt Room of the White House for a briefing that, in the words of one participant, “scared the hell out of everybody.”
It was Sept. 18. Lehman Brothers had just gone belly-up, overwhelmed by toxic mortgages. Bank of America had swallowed Merrill Lynch in a hastily arranged sale. Two days earlier, Mr. Bush had agreed to pump $85 billion into the failing insurance giant American International Group.
The president listened as Ben S. Bernanke, chairman of the Federal Reserve, laid out the latest terrifying news: The credit markets, gripped by panic, had frozen overnight, and banks were refusing to lend money.
Then his Treasury secretary, Henry M. Paulson Jr., told him that to stave off disaster, he would have to sign off on the biggest government bailout in history.
Mr. Bush, according to several people in the room, paused for a single, stunned moment to take it all in.
“How,” he wondered aloud, “did we get here?”
Eight years after arriving in Washington vowing to spread the dream of homeownership, Mr. Bush is leaving office, as he himself said recently, “faced with the prospect of a global meltdown” with roots in the housing sector he so ardently championed.
There are plenty of culprits, like lenders who peddled easy credit, consumers who took on mortgages they could not afford and Wall Street chieftains who loaded up on mortgage-backed securities without regard to the risk.
But the story of how we got here is partly one of Mr. Bush’s own making, according to a review of his tenure that included interviews with dozens of current and former administration officials.
... get the rest in the NYT after the click.
My comment: Unrestricted, unregulated "free-market" capitalism is a market philosophy that pirates of the Somali coast have adopted. They invest a little capital (in AK-47s and speed boats), take a few risks and net a multi-billion dollar container ship loaded with Nike sneakers headed for the Port of Newark that they can ransom for a couple million.
The idea that an industry can (or will) police itself is absurd. Think study hall in high school when the teacher left the room.
The belief that if we keep giving money to the people who need it least will result in some of it trickling down (particularly in a global economy) is naive.
The thing that differentiates civilization from the jungle is the existence of rules. Any system that has the goal of eliminating the rules also has the goal of eliminating civilization.
Monday, December 22, 2008
Just a thought ...
"The two symbols of the Republican Party: an elephant, and a big fat white guy who is threatened by change."
-- Seth MacFarlane
-- Seth MacFarlane
Friday, December 19, 2008
Incompetent
‘Incompetent’ is the top word that Americans associate with President Bush
In a Pew survey released today, “just 11% said Bush will be remembered as an outstanding or above average president,” which is “by far the lowest positive end-of-term rating for any of the past four presidents.” Sixty-four percent of respondents said that the Bush administration “will be remembered more for its failures than its accomplishments.” The poll also asked people to describe Bush in a word. The top word that came to mind for 56 respondents was “incompetent“ ...
... see the rest on "Think Progress" after the click.
My comment: There are those who think the world is filled with Bush Haters, but the emotion is not as personal as they like to characterize it. Disappointment would be a good word. Surveying the Bush legacy fills me with sadness ... not hate.
In a Pew survey released today, “just 11% said Bush will be remembered as an outstanding or above average president,” which is “by far the lowest positive end-of-term rating for any of the past four presidents.” Sixty-four percent of respondents said that the Bush administration “will be remembered more for its failures than its accomplishments.” The poll also asked people to describe Bush in a word. The top word that came to mind for 56 respondents was “incompetent“ ...
... see the rest on "Think Progress" after the click.
My comment: There are those who think the world is filled with Bush Haters, but the emotion is not as personal as they like to characterize it. Disappointment would be a good word. Surveying the Bush legacy fills me with sadness ... not hate.
Bushism of the Day
from Slate
"I've abandoned free-market principles to save the free-market system."
— G. W. Bush, Washington, D.C., Dec. 16, 2008
My comment: I remember back in the 60s, during the Vietnam War, when we were told that we had to destroy Vietnamese villages in order to save them. Nice to see that brand of logic still seems to work.
"I've abandoned free-market principles to save the free-market system."
— G. W. Bush, Washington, D.C., Dec. 16, 2008
My comment: I remember back in the 60s, during the Vietnam War, when we were told that we had to destroy Vietnamese villages in order to save them. Nice to see that brand of logic still seems to work.
Plastic Surgery Business Sags Amid Recession
Sixty-two percent of plastic surgeons who responded to a recent questionnaire from the American Society of Plastic Surgeons said they had performed fewer procedures in the first half of this year compared with the same period last year, according to the latest anecdotal information from the group.
...
More recently, a quarterly earnings statement from Mentor Corporation, a breast implant manufacturer, reported that the number of breast implants sold in the United States decreased 5 percent during the three months ending Sept. 26 over the same period last year. In the last month, two manufacturers of cosmetic medical devices have closed.
... get the rest of the story on HuffPo after the click.
My comment: It's enough to take the lead outa your pencil!
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Q: What is the percentage of total personal bankruptcies caused by health care bills?
A: A Harvard study published in 2005 found that about half of those who filed for bankruptcy said health care expenses, illness or related job-loss led them to do so. Twenty-seven percent cited uncovered medical bills specifically, and 2 percent said they had mortgaged their home to pay what they owed.
... more on FactCheck.org after the click.
My comment: Of course, this only applies to the USA where Universal Health Care is considered socialism regardless of how pragmatic it may be as a solution to improving health care and allowing American industries to be competitive in the global market. Ideology trumps everything in some quarters.
... more on FactCheck.org after the click.
My comment: Of course, this only applies to the USA where Universal Health Care is considered socialism regardless of how pragmatic it may be as a solution to improving health care and allowing American industries to be competitive in the global market. Ideology trumps everything in some quarters.
Jehovah's Witnesses to Deliver Mail
In a move that proponents say will save the federal government millions of dollars, the United States Postal Service announced today that the Watchtower Bible And Tract Society will begin having it's members deliver the mail.
Known as Jehovah's Witnesses, they are notable for their door-to-door proselytizing and have an impressive record of visiting even the most remote of locations on a regular basis. "They cover an incredible amount of territory" says USPS spokesman Larry Toppy. "Even a bush league Witness can put the most seasoned postal employee to shame."
... read the rest on Spoof.com after the click.
Known as Jehovah's Witnesses, they are notable for their door-to-door proselytizing and have an impressive record of visiting even the most remote of locations on a regular basis. "They cover an incredible amount of territory" says USPS spokesman Larry Toppy. "Even a bush league Witness can put the most seasoned postal employee to shame."
... read the rest on Spoof.com after the click.
Phyllis Diller's Christmas Card
An envelope stuffed with a torn piece of brown paper bag on which is hand written:
My comment: It isn't always easy to get into the holiday spirit, is it ...
Money's scarce
Times are hard
Here's your f*@%ing
Christmas card ...
My comment: It isn't always easy to get into the holiday spirit, is it ...
What's in a Logo
The development of the Barack Obama campaign mark ... more thought goes into these things than you might think:
Part I
... or get the video here.
Part II
... or get the video here.
Stupidity like this makes my head hurt
from Eavesdrop DC by EavesdropDC
In the American Wars and Politics section at the National Museum of American History:
Woman: I am so lucky my family fled Germany before the Nazis invaded!
Man: You mean Poland?
Woman: What? The Nazis were from Poland?
Man: No - your family is from Poland.
Woman: Where were the Nazis from?
In the American Wars and Politics section at the National Museum of American History:
Woman: I am so lucky my family fled Germany before the Nazis invaded!
Man: You mean Poland?
Woman: What? The Nazis were from Poland?
Man: No - your family is from Poland.
Woman: Where were the Nazis from?
Monday, December 15, 2008
Sunday, December 14, 2008
The Rule of Law ... and what ever happened to it?
GLENN GREENWALD: ... Let’s just quickly describe in the most dispassionate terms, as few of euphemisms, as possible, where we are and what has happened over the last eight years. We have a law in place that says it is a felony offense punishable by five years in prison or a $10,000 fine to eavesdrop on American citizens without warrants. We have laws in place that say that it is a felony punishable by decades in prison to subject detainees in our custody to treatment that violates the Geneva Conventions or that is inhumane or coercive.
We know that the president and his top aides have violated these laws. The facts are indisputable that they’ve done so. And yet as a country, as a political class, we’re deciding basically in unison that the president and our highest political officials are free to break the most serious laws that we have, that our citizens have enacted, with complete impunity, without consequences, without being held accountable under the law.
And when you juxtapose that with the fact that we are a country that has probably the most merciless criminal justice system on the planet when it comes to ordinary Americans. We imprison more of our population than any country in the world. We have less than five percent of the world’s population. And yet 25 percent almost of prisoners worldwide are inside the United States.
What you have is a two-tiered system of justice where ordinary Americans are subjected to the most merciless criminal justice system in the world. They break the law. The full weight of the criminal justice system comes crashing down upon them. But our political class, the same elites who have imposed that incredibly harsh framework on ordinary Americans, have essentially exempted themselves and the leaders of that political class from the law.
They have license to break the law. That’s what we’re deciding now as we say George Bush and his top advisors shouldn’t be investigated let alone prosecuted for the laws that we know that they’ve broken. And I can’t think of anything more damaging to our country because the rule of law is the lynchpin of everything we have.
... video here.
We know that the president and his top aides have violated these laws. The facts are indisputable that they’ve done so. And yet as a country, as a political class, we’re deciding basically in unison that the president and our highest political officials are free to break the most serious laws that we have, that our citizens have enacted, with complete impunity, without consequences, without being held accountable under the law.
And when you juxtapose that with the fact that we are a country that has probably the most merciless criminal justice system on the planet when it comes to ordinary Americans. We imprison more of our population than any country in the world. We have less than five percent of the world’s population. And yet 25 percent almost of prisoners worldwide are inside the United States.
What you have is a two-tiered system of justice where ordinary Americans are subjected to the most merciless criminal justice system in the world. They break the law. The full weight of the criminal justice system comes crashing down upon them. But our political class, the same elites who have imposed that incredibly harsh framework on ordinary Americans, have essentially exempted themselves and the leaders of that political class from the law.
They have license to break the law. That’s what we’re deciding now as we say George Bush and his top advisors shouldn’t be investigated let alone prosecuted for the laws that we know that they’ve broken. And I can’t think of anything more damaging to our country because the rule of law is the lynchpin of everything we have.
... video here.
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