1/ Politics
It was disturbing to see an article this Sunday from Peter Ortzag, Obama's budget director who has just resigned, recommending the tax cuts for the wealthy be extended, so it's relief to see the President has come out strongly against this proposal. Now if he could just appoint Elizabeth Warren to the Consumer Protection Agency, and fire the asshole Timothy Geithner......
Mr. Obama’s opposition to allowing the high-end tax cuts to remain in place for even another year or two would be the signal many Congressional Democrats have been awaiting as they prepare for a showdown with Republicans on the issue and ends speculation that the White House might be open to an extension. Democrats say only the president can rally wavering lawmakers who, amid the party’s weakened poll numbers, feel increasingly vulnerable to Republican attacks if they let the top rates lapse at the end of this year as scheduled.
2/ Gainesville "Christians" burning the Koran
I heard an interview on the radio Wednesday with this "Reverend" and it turns out he was fired from his tenure at a church in Germany for being a fanatic and also financial irregularities.....he has a parish of 50 in Gainesville, Fl., who will witness the torching of the Muslim sacred book. Just some things to keep in mind....
1/ this is a blatant publicity stunt
2/ his congregation of 50 are of course dumb North Florida rednecks
3/ the media are feeding this frenzy
4/ "Pastor Jones" is an evil looney....
5/ everyone who has a responsible bone in their body is condemning this, from the President, General Petraeus to Sec. of State Clinton and even Haley Barbour.
Pastor Terry Jones of the Dove World Outreach Center, the 50-member church in northwest Gainesville, plans to burn at least one Quran on Saturday, the ninth anniversary of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. Jones says Islam is a religion "of the devil" and lists on his website "10 reasons to burn the Koran," the Muslim holy book
3/ Gainesville "Christians" #2
Funny column from Gail Collins on this idiot, but she makes the very reasonable point that at any given time 5% of the country is actually crazy.....
When this sort of thing happens, it is important to remember that about 5 percent of our population is and always will be totally crazy. I don’t mean mentally ill. According to the National Institute for Mental Health, 26 percent of American adults suffer from a diagnosable mental disorder in any given year. So, basically, that’s just normal life. I mean crazy in the sense of “Thinks it is a good plan to joke with the flight attendant about seeing a bomb in the restroom.”
There is nothing you can do about the crazy 5 percent except ask the police to keep an eye on them during large public events, where they sometimes appear carrying machine guns just to make a political point about the Second Amendment. And, in situations like a Koran-burning, make it clear that the rest of us disagree.
4/ Hacking the British Royal Family's cellphones
Fascinating story in the NYT magazine about a British tabloid newspaper specialising in gossip, sex scandals and muckraking using private detectives to hack into the British Royal family's cell messages, and many other celebs as well.
Ho hum, normal stuff you say.....the interesting bit is the newspaper is part of News Corp [Rupert Murdoch], who after this scandal was exposed leaned on Scotland Yard to limit the investigation and close it quickly. The editor of the paper who ordered the hacking then became the Minister of Communications in the new Conservative Government in the UK [6 months ago].....
So this is also a tale of the powerful reach of one of the oligarchs [Murdoch] - even when his newspaper the News of the World illegally hacked the Royal Family's phones they can get to the supposedly heart of the British police force, Scotland Yard.
Really interesting story, and not just for Brits......these oligarchs are really, really powerful......
AS OF THIS SUMMER, five people have filed lawsuits accusing News Group Newspapers, a division of Rupert Murdoch’s publishing empire that includes News of the World, of breaking into their voice mail. Additional cases are being prepared, including one seeking a judicial review of Scotland Yard’s handling of the investigation. The litigation is beginning to expose just how far the hacking went, something that Scotland Yard did not do. In fact, an examination based on police records, court documents and interviews with investigators and reporters shows that Britain’s revered police agency failed to pursue leads suggesting that one of the country’s most powerful newspapers was routinely listening in on its citizens.
5/ Apple has come up with a new idea for their stores, which is to have a chat bar where you can talk to a geek for hours and hours if you want to....'The Onion" reports on this social and business phenomenon.....
6/ Plastic packaging
Ever cut your fingers trying to get into a package designed to resist terrorists? Plastic so tough it needs heavy duty sissors? Well Amazon is on your side, but manufacturers are resisting change.....these corporations hate change....it puts up their costs.....so screw your fingers.....
For nearly two years, Amazon has been trying to get manufacturers to adopt “frustration-free packaging” that gets rid of plastic cases and air-bubble wrap — major irritants for consumers and one of Amazon’s biggest sources of customer complaints.
7/ Amazing - there's an accident, you are the victim and 911 is called.....you go to hospital, and get a bill for the paramedics and fire truck that came to the scene. Remember, you're the victim! It wasn't your fault!
Cities and counties are so desperate for revenue they are billing everyone, even the innocent, for emergency responses.....I have a feeling this kind of outrageous stuff is just beginning....
Mr. Feldman had become enmeshed in what appears to be a nascent budget-balancing trend in municipal government: police and fire departments have begun to charge accident victims as a way to offset budget cuts.
Ambulance charges have long been common and are usually paid by health insurance, but fees for other responders are relatively new. The charge is variously called a “crash tax” or “resource recovery,” depending on one’s point of view. In either case, motorists are billed for services they may have thought were covered by taxpayers.
Sometimes the victim’s insurer pays. But if it declines, motorists may face threats from a collection agency if they don’t pay.
8/ Movie Trailer
"My Soul to Take", directed by Wes Craven....coming this fall.....looks like a good spooky movie......2 minutes......
n the sleepy town of Riverton, legend tells of a serial killer who swore he would return to murder the seven children born the night he died. Now, 16 years later, people are disappearing again. Has the psychopath been reincarnated as one of the seven teens, or did he survive the night he was left for dead? Only one of the kids knows the answer…
9/ Florida Department of Corrections
Hmmmm........wonder if this is one of those hopelessly corrupt State agencies we hear about....oh yeah....guilty! Even the Republicans who control Florida Government are pissed, so you know they are really bad....
Ironic isn't it - Floridians, especially the poor, get sentenced to hard time for minor drug offences but the system that incarcerates them is riddled with thieves....
Senate Majority Alex Diaz de la Portilla wrote a blistering letter to DOC Secretary Walt McNeil in late August where he said that lawmakers never gave the agency permission to build a new facility. Instead the department was supposed to rebid the existing services contract. He said it was a "disgrace to the state of Florida that DOC feels the need to waste taxpayer dollars on unnecessary infrastructure when there is a current budget deficit that is unprecedented in Florida history."
10/ Music Video
The band "Paramore" with "Careful". Based on a live performance, but with touring video added.....great song, lovely singer, but check out the drummer - amazing! These new rock bands are excellent......
11/ TV this week
"Nikita" - looks like a good series....hot star as well......
"Hellcats" - dreadful review......
The latest incarnation, “Nikita,” which begins on the CW network on Thursday, is a surprisingly sophisticated and satisfying adaptation. It’s as sleek as the 1997-2001 television series “La Femme Nikita,” which starred Peta Wilson, but darker and more hard-nosed.
In this version Nikita (Maggie Q, “Live Free or Die Hard”) is on the run from the rogue agency that turned her into an assassin and she is more of an avenging insurgent than a victim. Nikita is determined to not just escape her former employers/captors but also to expose and destroy them.
So do some of the worst, a point underscored by “Hellcats,”a new CW series on Wednesdays, about cheerleaders, that is absolutely awful. “Glee” has proved that there is plenty of room for innovation and wit in the youthful-angst genre, but “Hellcats,” inspired by the 2000 movie “Bring It On,” doesn’t even try.
"Terriers" - from Shawn Ryan, the creator of "The Shield" which was a greatshow, but this one may not be as good as that.....
We are in the era now of the light-and-funny cop show — perhaps a reflection of violent crime’s decline in various American cities. “Terriers” is at home in the genre but stands rungs above a cheap effort like “Psych” (USA). If it didn’t, I would borrow the sledgehammer the writers have deployed to carve out a few clichés and use it to wage an attack. “Terriers” stirs generous impulses even as it gives birth to what seems like the 6,349th television cop who has done war with the top shelf and bottom shelf of every bar in his precinct, lost a woman and committed his midlife to brooding over her.
Todays video - WWW.......White Women's Workout......controversial, but funny.....
Todays walking joke
The Importance of Walking
1 Walking can add minutes to your life. This enables you at 85 years old to spend an additional 5 months in a nursing home at $7000 per month.
2 My grandpa started walking five miles a day when he was 60. Now he's 97 years old and we don't know where he is.
3 I like long walks, especially when they are taken by people who annoy me.
4 The only reason I would take up walking is so that I could hear heavy breathing again.
5 I have to walk early in the morning, before my brain figures out what I'm doing..
6 I joined a health club last year, spent about 400 bucks. Haven't lost a pound. Apparently you have to go there.
7 Every time I hear the dirty word 'exercise', I wash my mouth out with chocolate.
8 The advantage of exercising every day is so when you die, they'll say, 'Well, she looks good doesn't she?'
9 If you are going to try cross-country skiing, start with a small country.
10 I know I got a lot of exercise the last few years......just getting over the hill.
11 We all get heavier as we get older, because there's a lot more information in our heads. (That's my story and I'm sticking to it.)
12 AND -- Every time I start thinking too much about how I look, I just find a Happy Hour and by the time I leave, I look just fine!
Todays political joke
I met a fairy today who said she would grant me one wish.
"I want to live forever," I said.
"Sorry" said the fairy, "I'm not allowed to grant wishes like that!"
"Fine," I said, "I want to die after the Republicans get their heads out of their asses!"
"You crafty bastard," said the fairy.
Todays blonde joke
Non-Stop Flight
On a plane flight from Seattle to Chicago, a blonde was sitting in economy class. About half way through the flight, she got up and moved to an empty seat in first class. A flight attendant who observed this, went over to her and politely explained that she had to move back to economy class because that was what her ticket was for. The blonde replied, "I'm blonde, I'm beautiful, I'm going to Chicago and I'm staying right here."
After several attempts to explain to the blonde why she had to return to economy class, the flight attendant gave up. She went to the cockpit and explained the situation to the pilot and co-pilot. The co-pilot said, "Let me try." He went up to the blonde and politely tried to explain to her why she needed to return to her seat in economy class.
But the blonde only replied, "I'm blonde, I'm beautiful, I'm going to Chicago and I'm staying right here." Frustrated, the co-pilot returned to the cockpit. He suggested that perhaps they should have the airline call the police and have her arrested when they land.
"Wait a minute," said the pilot. "Did you say she's blonde? I can handle this. My wife is a blonde. I speak Blonde." So he went up to the woman sitting in first class and whispered something in her ear.
"I'm sorry," said the blonde, and she promptly got up and returned to her seat in economy class.
"What did you say to her?" ask the astonished flight attendant and co-pilot.
To which the pilot replied, "I just told her that first class isn't going to Chicago."
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