At some point, Krugman’s going to realize no one in this administration is listening.
[...]edited by: Lisa Mossie,
Pennsylvania Editor
At some point, Krugman’s going to realize no one in this administration is listening.
[...]
Wow, I can’t believe it. If you keep me in the top five, that makes me a finalist. So go vote if you haven’t already!
It sure would be funny if I won this thing, wouldn’t it? I’ll remind you when the second round of voting [...]
For all the liberals who hypnotized themselves into thinking Obama was an anti-war candidate. It was a major case of projection – he was always pretty clear that he was going to expand the war in Afghanistan.
[...]Glenn calls him out as the amoral piece of crap he is.
[...]You know, it really is depressing – and infuriating – to see how little will actually be accomplished with this so-called health care “reform.”
And unless the House waves a magic wand in the conference committee hearings, I doubt anything will change:
Measured against the promises President Obama and congressional Democrats [...]
Well, the couch is inside. (Good thing, since it’s pouring rain.) I had a friend come over to take the wall unit apart, and then he and my other friend carried the sofa upstairs. (Oh, and he also removed my window a.c. and put it away.)
I have to say, though, [...]
What Digby said. What Taibbi said, what Krugman said, what just about anybody with a brain said.
[...]Can someone please get me a Xanax? Matt Taibbi:
… The Obama administration is filled with people connected to Rubin, including Orszag (who headed Rubin’s Hamilton Project, an economic think-tank founded by Rubin*), NEC director Larry Summers (who worked under Rubin in the Clinton White House), Tim Geithner (ditto), NEC [...]
It’s like deja vu all over again. Despite the fact that we know the causes of deficits are more important than the actual deficits, despite the fact that most top economists are calling for more economic stimulus and jobs programs, the New York Times has embraced the anti-deficit theme [...]
The Mamas and the Papas:
[...]
I’ll bet this has something to do with why the French get universal health care and we don’t.
[...]A growing trend: students applying to honors programs at community college to save money.
[...]From the New York Times, we find out just how many Americans now qualify for food assistance:
MARTINSVILLE, Ohio — With food stamp use at record highs and climbing every month, a program once scorned as a failed welfare scheme now helps feed one in eight Americans and one in [...]
If the Obama administration doesn’t realize they’re playing with fire over this, they’re just plain stupid.
[...]I’ve been saying this all along to people: The only real obstacles are in your head. There’s no reason in the world to keep throwing good money after bad.
And he’s right. Banks won’t negotiate with borrowers until more people start to do this:
Go ahead. Break the chains. Stop paying [...]
For Glenn Beck to admit he was wrong:
Experts around the world believed the ice was recovering because satellite images showed it expanding. But David Barber says the thick, multi-year frozen sheets crucial to the northern ecosystem have been replaced by thin “rotten” ice that can’t support weight of the [...]
Our commenting friend Izquierdo was in town from the Left Coast to see his daughter (today is his birthday – happy birthday, Iz!) and talked me into going to see some kind of holiday show in the lobby of the new Comcast world headquarters. (I never even heard of it [...]
New couch does not fit past IKEA wall unit. Still hurt all over from last night – the thought of taking unit apart is akin to climbing Mt. Everest. The new couch is sitting on my front lawn.
Why oh why did I not think of this before I sold my [...]
Despite my aching body, I really wanted to go to Noz’s birthday party tonight. So I gave myself a little pep talk, got dressed and walked to my car. But I slipped and fell on a patch of mud and pitched right into a deep mud puddle. (There went my [...]
Like Glenn, I just don’t get the double standard. I’m literal that way, I still care about the exact same issues.
[...]It’s now Obama’s war, God help him:
KABUL, Afghanistan — An American military detention camp in Afghanistan is still secretly holding inmates for sometimes weeks at a time and without access to the International Committee of the Red Cross, according to human rights researchers and former detainees held at the [...]
Okay, the new couch is here. And so is the old one. The new one is presently out on the side porch because I simply don’t have enough upper body strength to lift it. (I wondered, but the seller insisted it was “really light.” It wasn’t.)
So I told the artist [...]
If you have neighbors you think might be in this position, send over some leftovers:
ALBANY, N.Y. — Older Americans who were raised on stories of the Great Depression and acquired lifelong habits of thrift now find themselves crowding soup kitchens and food pantries in greater numbers for the first [...]
Just wanted to send a shout-out to friend and commenter upyernoz, who’s celebrating his 40th birthday AND getting ready to adopt a child (from Kazakhstan, no less – you know there’s a punchline in there somewhere).
Also, to those who wondered: Chris and his wife named the new baby William. They [...]
I thought this was interesting, because I’ve always dated comedians. (Not professionals, but you get the idea. And yeah, there’s probably a dig in there somewhere, and also some clues as to why they all ended badly. Hmm.)
But I’m always funnier. (At least, I think I am – because [...]
Rickie Lee:
[...]Member of the Four Aces and local TV icon Al Alberts, 87. His show was so strange, you never wanted to miss it:
US singer Al Alberts, a former member of the hit 1950s pop group The Four Aces, has died at the age of 87.
Alberts led the quartet to success [...]
In 2000, the Pentagon admitted it has lost — yes, lost — $2.3 trillion. In 2003, the San Francisco Chronicle reported that a subsequent Department of Defense study said it was only $1 trillion. To put such numbers in perspective, contemplate what those sums could finance. $1 trillion, [...]
Frank:
[...]Mr. Waits:
[...]Melody Gardot:
[...]Diana Krall:
[...]I decided a few weeks ago to get rid of my couch. It’s really big – it’s a queen-size sleeper with one of those chaise lounge things that stick out on one end. I fell in love with it when I first saw it, but after two years, the thrill [...]
I dunno, I just don’t get off on institutionalized shopping. Plus, at 3 a.m., a person should be home in their cozy bed, not standing in a long line at Best Buy.
My brother-in-law is a store manager, and he had to be in work at 4 a.m. today. That’s [...]
Why spend all that money for a new TV? Remember what I learned last year: If you’re in the market for an LCD TV, check Craigslist the day after Christmas – when everyone upgrades, and they have to get rid of the “old” one.
[...]Today, I give thanks for my kids, my family, my friends, for an apartment with heat and electric included, for a car that runs, readers who always give me something to think about, music, books, the occasional medical provider who knows what he or she is doing, compassionate people, people [...]
What is it good for? Absolutely nothing.
[...]You absolutely shouldn’t go out and get the newest Rolling Stone, because you’d read the new Matt Taibbi story about how Obama handed economic policy over to Wall Street and the RS editorial about what serious doubts they have about Obama, and then you’d be really depressed.
Taibbi [...]
You remember AIG, right? The bottomless pit into which the government poured our money?
AIG had reason to be pleased with its purchase. Water utilities are one hell of a profitable business, with international corporations easily making a 20 to 30% profit margin, according to a 2007 report by Food [...]
Parts 1 and 2:
[...]I totally stole this from Will. Gnarls Barkley:
Gnarls Barkley “Crazy”
Gnarls Barkley | MySpace Music Videos
My friend Natasha, who’s written about her past life inside an abusive relationship, points out “Every Breath You Take” isn’t a love song and reminds us why the movie “Twilight” sends a bad message:
i can certainly appreciate the schlock factor in enjoying a movie. hell, i still like labyrinth. it’s [...]
Speaking of extreme makeovers: I’m watching Rachel Ray, and her staff located a soup kitchen in Wilmington, Ohio that’s been overwhelmed by local job losses – and running out of food. Not only did Ray restock their pantry (enough for a year), she had her team do a complete [...]
This happened in the next neighborhood over, and it’s so very sad. It turns out that the cop who shot this kid has been the subject of seven civilian complaints – and apparently has a drinking problem.
He should have been booted off the force a long time ago, [...]
Hahahahahahahahahahahaha! This should be good:
Former CNN anchor Lou Dobbs, pondering a future in politics, is trying to wipe away his image as an enemy of Latino immigrants by positioning himself as a champion of that fast-growing ethnic bloc.
Mr. Dobbs, who left the network last week, has said in recent [...]
My landlady told me a few days ago how surprised she was to hear an interview on the local NPR station with two families from our neighborhood, part of the 100 local families using a local church’s food bank. When I saw her the next day, she said she’d mentioned [...]
I wonder what’s going on?
[...]When a Washington Post columnist headlines his piece “Whose Side Is Obama On?” and the column is pretty much an all-out attack on Tim Geither, I’d say we’re already in the second stage of Geithner’s exit. The White House will deny it, of course – until the day it [...]
It seems that Kent Conrad is holding the health care bill hostage – in exchange for a Social Security commission, of course. Read all the disgusting details here.
Oh, and Kent? How do we have an employer-based system when millions of people are out of work?
[...]John Mayer:
[...]Never, ever, ever let your child go to one to the proprietary chain schools you see on TV. (Okay, there are a handful of good ones, but double-check everything they tell you – and talk to graduates about their job placement.) I worked at one briefly, and it was such [...]
From the Media Mobilizing Project, this infuriating news.
On Tuesday, we officially learned that Comcast has challenged the City of Philadelphia’s application to the federal government for stimulus funds to build broadband infrastructure for disenfranchised communities. This decision by Comcast exhibits the worst of corporate malfeasance and it must be [...]
No wonder Rahm hates him. Every time Howard Dean opens his mouth, he proves that Rahm’s master strategy is sinking the ship:
“I think if you passed the Senate bill tomorrow it would be OK. But then the problem is they don’t have any defense for their members in 2010,” Dean [...]
BUT WHAT ABOUT THE DEFICIT????
WASHINGTON (CBS News) ― President Obama vowed to “finish the job” in Afghanistan today, less than 24 hours after his final meeting on determining a new strategy going forward in the war.
At a brief press conference following a meeting with India’s prime minister, Manmohan Singh, [...]
First things first! Nancy’s right:
The deficit debate in Washington misses the fundamental point, said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) on Tuesday, arguing that the primary objective for policy makers should be job creation — without which, the deficit will explode as tax revenues collapse.
“What I’ve told the members is [...]
I sent $10 a few weeks ago to those high school kids from West Philly High who beat out MIT in a super-efficient car design competition. They’re raising money to fund their work in the next phase of the contest. (If only you knew how few advantages the kids at [...]
Editor & Publisher has a much-needed look at how the right wing worked to perpetuate their attacks on the group – and how readily the media accepted their framing – even worse, willingly amplified it.
UPDATE: Marcy points out that the beat reporters who were already familiar with ACORN [...]
In a system without the filibuster, the threat of repeal, as opposed to the impossibility of action, becomes the dominant player in legislative design, and it’s much to be preferred. The clear accountability of passing laws and being judged on their success is far superior to the [...]
Well, the insurance company never paid the $60 in back co-pays they said they would, and the doctor’s office is saying I HAVE to pay them.
Back to the threats, I suppose. I really hate insurance companies. They’re liars and thieves.
[...]In a breathtakingly tight argument, Chris Matthews corners Rhode Island Bishop Thomas Tobin, who has banned Rep. Patrick Kennedy, D-R.I., from receiving Holy Communion due to his views on abortion.
Because here’s the moral hypocrisy at the heart of the Church’s abortion position: If it’s really and truly murder, you’re talking [...]
Written by Pulitzer Prize winner Connie Schultz, who happens to be married to Sen. Sherrod Brown:
Politicians fond of limiting women’s reproductive rights often say they personally oppose abortion. They cite their religion, as if this carves out an exception in that whole separation-of-church-and-state thing so they can use their [...]
I have to say that even when I’ve been pretty damned close to busted, the thing that always made me feel a lot better was being able to help someone else who was even worse off.
So I’d like to recommend this as something you may want to explore for [...]
So Glenn Beck held a rally in Florida, and he’s claiming 25,000-30,000 showed up.
Comments on the organizer’s website say it was “at least 5,000.” Judging from the pictures, I’m guessing it was closer to three thousand. People who live in smaller towns and have never been to big rallies [...]
If you want to get really depressed about the economy and the people who are supposed to be fixing it, you could read this.
[...]Finally got an appointment to get molded for the custom brace I’m supposed to have for my ankle. The authorization got lost somewhere in the limbo between my insurance claims person and the hospital. Turns out they told the orthopedist’s office they would approve the brace, but not the orthotics [...]
Interesting story in the L.A. Times about Joe Sestak’s campaign to win the Democratic nomination for Senate in Pennsylvania. Looks like the campaign is inoculating themselves about the single biggest negative about Sestak – the nagging rumor that he’s impossible to work for:
Sestak is, at times to the chagrin [...]
On the Blood Pressure Merry-Go-Round! It seems I’m allergic to ACE inhibitors, and the cardiologist wants me to stop taking them. (I already did.) I broke out in a huge rash of pimples on my back, something I haven’t had since I was a teenager. Plus, there’s something called the [...]
Nothing harder sometimes than seeing everything you predicted come true. Oh well! Imagine, a “visionary” DLC-lite mayor who thinks the real problem is that our city taxes are too high.
[...]From Chicago journalist Kristen McQueary, this deplorable story:
As a journalist covering Chicago politics, verifying information is like climbing a mountain of sand. With each step you take, the deeper you sink.
Last week while researching claims from a local Tea Party activist, I found myself asking a family for proof [...]
Big Star:
[...]I’ve been thinking about this ever since I saw a full-page age for a paternity testing kit in Rolling Stone, because this is probably more common than anyone thinks.
How would you feel if you found out your ex-wife was going to marry the biological father of the child you [...]
I like the guy’s way of thinking:
Washington (CNN) – A freshman Democratic senator said Sunday that he will support his party’s efforts to pass health care reform legislation even if that means losing his seat in next year’s midterm elections.
“If you get to the final point and you are [...]
If you’re looking for something to read today, Taibbi has some good insights.
[...]In other words, no real health care reform at all and no relief for the voters for years. If this is how they roll, the Democrats have already lost the midterm elections:
After announcing her intent to support a health care debate this afternoon, Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-LA) told reporters [...]
We’re not going to give you an “A” for effort. Either you deliver, or pay the price.
[...]
I love old doors, and there are quite a few left in my part of the city. We were running errands in Fishtown today and I stopped to snap these:
[...]Oh, such tender feelings! The “let’s melt down the planet, it’ll be fun” crowd is upset to find those scientists working against them say mean things.
[...]Off to the farmers market this morning, where I hope to buy Thanksgiving pie!
[...]The Monsters of Folk:
[...]Evanescence:
[...]I’m in a Big Star kinda groove this weekend:
[...]Ben Folds:
[...]Thank God for the Congressional Black Caucus, whose members so often stand up for working people:
A bloc of African American House Democrats, angry and worried that not enough is being done about high unemployment by the administration, forced the postponement of a much-anticipated vote Thursday on comprehensive financial regulation [...]
