1/ Good column from Paul Krugman on how the long term unemployed have fallen off Congress's radar and have basically been written off, which if you saw the David Simon interview last week you will understand completely. The Republicans in the House have written off the unemployed as lazy scroungers, which is completely at odds with the truth.......
Good article.......
Writing Off the Unemployed
FEB. 9, 2014
Back in 1987 my Princeton colleague Alan Blinder published a very good book titled “Hard Heads, Soft Hearts.” It was, as you might guess, a call for tough-minded but compassionate economic policy. Unfortunately, what we actually got — especially, although not only, from Republicans — was the opposite. And it’s difficult to find a better example of the hardhearted, softheaded nature of today’s G.O.P. than what happened last week, as Senate Republicans once again used the filibuster to block aid to the long-term unemployed.
What do we know about long-term unemployment in America?
First, it’s still at near-record levels. Historically, the long-term unemployed — those out of work for 27 weeks or more — have usually been between 10 and 20 percent of total unemployment. Today the number is 35.8 percent. Yet extended unemployment benefits, which went into effect in 2008, have now been allowed to lapse. As a result, few of the long-term unemployed are receiving any kind of support.
Second, if you think the typical long-term unemployed American is one of Those People — nonwhite, poorly educated, etc. — you’re wrong, according to research by the Urban Institute’s Josh Mitchell. Half of the long-term unemployed are non-Hispanic whites. College graduates are less likely to lose their jobs than workers with less education, but once they do they are actually a bit more likely than others to join the ranks of the long-term unemployed. And workers over 45 are especially likely to spend a long time unemployed.
Third, in a weak job market long-term unemployment tends to be self-perpetuating, because employers in effect discriminate against the jobless. Many people have suspected that this was the case, and last year Rand Ghayad of Northeastern University provided adramatic confirmation. He sent out thousands of fictitious résumés in response to job ads, and found that potential employers were drastically less likely to respond if the fictitious applicant had been out of work more than six months, even if he or she was better qualified than other applicants.
What all of this suggests is that the long-term unemployed are mainly victims of circumstances — ordinary American workers who had the bad luck to lose their jobs (which can happen to anyone) at a time of extraordinary labor market weakness, with three times as many people seeking jobs as there are job openings. Once that happened, the very fact of their unemployment made it very hard to find a new job.
2/ Jon Stewart with a very good four minute segment on football player Michael Sam and his coming out as gay.......Jon's closing remarks are a wow......
The news: In typically humorous fashion, Jon Stewart and the writers at The Daily Show have the perfect response to suggestions that NFL scouts are worried about the “controversy” around Michael Sam’s coming out, to the point that it would hurt the openly gay defensive lineman’s draft stock:
3/ We have been governed by "trickle down" economics in this country since Reagan was elected, and it doesn't work. It has actually resulted in the opposite - extreme wealth flowing upwards to the 1%......
In this 4 minute clip a really rich guy explains why it doesn't work, with brief comments from Robert Reich.....
Interesting little video.....
Meet Nick Hanauer. He’s a very wealthy man, his family owns a lot of things, and he’s invested in some big companies that started out small (ahem ... Amazon...). He’s got a few things to say about who the job creators really are in our country, and it goes totally against the standard trope you usually hear from politicians and talking heads. Delightfully so.
4/ A sports broadcaster in Texas [yes, Texas!] with commentary on Michael Sam.......two brave minutes [he's in Dallas, Texas!]......
Dale Hansen of Dallas ABC affiliate WFAA—who won a Peabody Award for his reporting on theSMU football scandal—had an excellent response to the criticism of NFL prospect Michael Sam, who announced on Sunday that he was gay. In his "Dale Hansen Unplugged" segment, the sportscaster rejects all arguments that say Sam would make things "uncomfortable" in the NFL.
http://deadspin.com/texas-
5/ Oh lordy.....a powerful Times story, almost an essay about Fresno in the Central Valley in California, how even though the drought is affecting them very badly lawns are now being watered in the middle of the night.....
The Dust Bowl Returns
We fretted over the anomalous weather, to be sure. A high-pressure system parked off the Alaskan coast had produced not just our high temperatures but also soaring levels of fine particulate matter in the air and more than 50 rainless days, worsening a three-year drought, the most severe in half a millennium. If it’s this bad in January, we wondered, what’s it going to be like in July? But then we’d return to the beer taps, or meander over to peruse food truck menus.
Life in the Central Valley revolves around two intricately related concerns: the quality of the air and the quantity of the water. Although Fresno is the state’s fifth-largest city, it is really just a sprawling farm town in the middle of the nation’s most productive agricultural region, often called “America’s fruit basket.” Surrounded by mountains, which trap the pollution created by a surging population, interstate transportation and tens of thousands of farms, the valley has noxious air, even on good days.
The political atmosphere surrounding crop irrigation is equally toxic. Some farms in the western Valley — crippled by cuts in water allocations, salt buildup in the soil and depleted aquifers — now resemble the dust bowl that drove so many Tom Joads here in the 1930s. Farmers line highways with signs insisting that “food grows where water flows,” while environmentalists counter that the agriculture industry consumes 75 percent of the water transported by California’s byzantine water system.
6/ A painful article - "I'm A Member of the American "Used To Haves", which is an essay by a middle class person who has fallen down the economic ladder to the working poor.....as I said, painful, but truly excellent.
After reading this you may have a different attitude to people having hard times......along the lines of "there but for the grace......."
I used to have a house. I used to go on vacations. I used to shop at department stores, get my hair done and even enjoy pedicures. Now, I don't. I'm a member of the American "Used-to-Haves."
Now, I'm renting an apartment and I'm desperately awaiting a check so I can pay the rent. Yet, I'm lucky to have an apartment that includes utilities. Despite my college degree from a prestigious college, and solid employment track record, I can't get a job. It's been so long since my corporate days, I now feel unemployable.
My age doesn't help. But I'm as healthy as a thoroughbred, I appear quite young and would gladly accept a basic salary. I'm a bargain! But no. I'm freelancing for $15 an hour these days, but I used to earn $100 an hour. In fact, all the freelance hourly rates have been driven down to $15-30 an hour. To make ends meet, I also work as an aide ($13.75 an hour) and run a small local company. And my annual earnings are under $20,000.
I'm lucky to be in Massachusetts, where my health care is paid for, and fortunate to be of sound health and mind. But on days when I feel hopeless, I can envision myself 20 years from now, living in hardscrabble poverty. Female friends my age who are in similar financial circumstances are terrified of the future. If we can't get decent paying jobs today, there's little hope of getting a corporate job with benefits in the future. And during the past few years as we've struggled, we went through all of our savings, 401(k)s and anything left in the bottoms of our pocketbooks. So we can see ourselves as old, pathetic bent-over women, living in bus shelters, our ragged belongings in supermarket carts.
For the "Used-to-Haves," every day is a struggle to hold onto hope. Everywhere we look is a reminder of what we used to have.
7/ Are you a fan of tap dancing? If so, you will appreciate this wonderful two minute performance with seven excellent dancers......
While most of the universe has grown incredibly weary of the Pitch Perfect"Cups" song — and the accompanying cup-banging routine — this group's cover is a complete game-changer.
Why? Because they tap dance. Tap. Dance.
The impressiveness is expanded ten-fold when you realize the number was choreographed by Christopher Rice, currently a swing in The Book of Mormon. Several of Rice's Broadway colleagues also make appearances in the routine, giving Anna Kendrick's original performance a run for its plastic cups.
8/ Floridians interested in politics will like this. Or hate it!!!
Charlie Crist was brave enough to go on the Bill Maher show as the featured interview last week, and he survived! Actually he did fine, and comes across as a decent fellow.....eight minutes of seeing our future Governor [hopefully!] in action......
9/ Incredible video of Felix Baumgartner jumping 24 miles from space in 2012........fascinating footage of a historic event - eight minutes of very cool images of space and technology at work......
You might remember Felix Baugartner, the crazy daredevil who jumped from the “edge of space”back in 2012. Though the historic jump from Earth’s stratosphere was almost a year and a half ago, new footage was just released.
It shows a perspective not yet seen before in its entirety: his.
10/ Most sensible people go to Costco, but here are a few reasons to keep going and supporting the company in the sincerest possible way - with your dollars......
The title of this is "11 Things You Don't Know About Costco"......
Is it truly the "anti-Walmart?"
Often much less maligned than its retail warehouse counterparts, Costco has developed a sort of cult following among thrifty shoppers and supporters of workers' rights alike. But if you're one of these wholesale superfans, how much do you truly know about the company?
You may have heard that the first Costco warehouse opened in Seattle and that their Kirkland brand was originally supposed to be "Seattle Signature." Perhaps you're also aware that the company spends no money on advertisements, instead hoping programs like their "treasure hunts," which feature steep but limited-time discounts on luxury -- and occasionally outlandish -- items, will keep customers coming back. But if you're a true die-hard fan of the shopping mecca, you'll need to read on for the true treasures.
11/ Bill Maher with a raunchy "New Rules", saying old people have their sex lives subsidized by the Federal Government, including free penis pumps, which is TMI but very applicable if you live in The Villages.....
A most amusing 5 minutes with some good zingers.....
Old people get money for treatments and such, far more than children do, so Bill Maher had just one question for them: “why are they the angriest people politically?” Maher got a bit too graphic in talking about the various ways these old folks are getting it on to make the point that the government pays for them to at least “go out with a bang.”
Maher said the reason more tax dollars go to grandma is “because she votes and young people don’t.” And that’s how you end up with millions of dollars in taxpayer money spent on penis pumps. And as Maher put it, old folks are “fucking like rabbits” and now STDs in seniors have tripled because “70 is the new 69, and the old folks home is the new freshman dorm.”
And so that’s how Maher got around to the big question: “why are they the angriest people politically?” He said, “You’re getting all the money and half the pussy!” And, on top of that, “you’re lucky enough to be in a country that will keep you hard until you’re stiff.”
12/ Reading what the Chairman of AOL said makes me think I should start a "Dick Of The Week" award......what an asshole....
He said two sick babies of employees are making them cut health benefits and 401K contributions to their staff.......he has since recanted, but he's still a slimy piece of pond scum......
Any of you out there with AOL accounts? Remember gmail is free.......
AOL Chairman and CEO Tim Armstrong blamed the babies of two employees for increasing the company’s benefit costs on Thursday, explaining in a conference call that AOL had to pay millions out in medical bills and alter its entire benefits package. The remarks came just hours after the company announced changes to its 401(k) plans and complained that Obamacare has increased costs by $7.1 million.
“We had two AOL-ers that had distressed babies that were born that we paid a million dollars each to make sure those babies were OK in general,” Armstrong said on a conference call first reported by Capital New York. “And those are the things that add up into our benefits cost. So when we had the final decision about what benefits to cut because of the increased healthcare costs, we made the decision, and I made the decision, to basically change the 401(k) plan.” Under the new program, AOL employees will not be able to collect any matching funds toward their retirement savings from the company for any given year if they leave before Dec. 31 of that year.
But health care experts ThinkProgress contacted questioned why a large self-insured company with more than 5,000 employees could not absorb the additional health care costs associated with the pregnancies. Large employers typically purchase reinsurance, which could cover a substantial share of big claims and ensure stability in cases of larger-than expected medical payouts.
14/ The Subway story about the way they make their breads broke this week, and the food chain will now be taking the disgusting rubberising additive out of their sandwiches.....but please - it was one of the few fast food chains I thought was halfway decent.
Now, yech....what else are they slipping you? And look at the other fast food chains using this awful chemical....
These 5 Disgusting Ingredients Were Approved For Your Consumption by the FDAImage Credit: Flickr
Subway is generally thought of as healthy fast food, even with new ingredients like Fritos and Sriracha sauce, and the fact that its bread is full of a controversial chemical, azodicarbonamide.
A blogger, Vani Hari of "Food Babe," originally outed the fast food chain for using it and launched an online petition calling for its removal. Azodicarbonamide, which is also used to make yoga mats and shoe rubber, is banned in other countries because it is linked to respiratory issues, allergies and asthma. Subway says it was planning to get rid of the chemical before the petition started circulating online.
The chemical also appears in breads at other fast food chains like Wendy's, McDonald's and Starbucks because of its ability to pass off cheap, chemically-processed food as "freshly baked" by recreating a perfect, dough-y texture. The U.K., Europe and Australia consider it harmful and have banned azodicarbonamide as a food additive.
15/ Don't normally watch these types of videos, but Mary made me look at this one, and I must confess I reached for a Kleenex towards the end.....three minutes......it's in Chinese, but the sentiments are universal......
Grab the tissues, you're going to need them in three minutes.
This Thursday, the year of the horse begins with a Lunar New Year’s Eve dinner, which is often regarded as the most important dinner for Chinese families.
In Chinese culture, it's customary for children to travel home to kick off the Lunar New Year with family. Reunions during this time of year are perceived as a fortuitous way of reinforcing familial ties by wrapping up the previous year, and starting the new one together.
16/ Does Governor Skeletor think we won't notice the corruption reeking out of his administration? Look at the spin in this story from a Jacksonville paper.
Maybe he just doesn't care that it get's in the papers, as long as it doesn't get on the TV news.....what a disgusting, slimy piece of faeces this freak is.....
Companies owned by Gov. Rick Scott's finance chairman won potentially billions in Medicaid contracts
By Matt Dixon Fri, Jan 24, 2014 @ 11:17 pm | updated Tue, Jan 28, 2014 @ 1:15 pm
Associated Press
Gov. Rick Scott's finance chairman has donated $1M to Scott's reelection.
TALLAHASSEE — Two companies partly owned by the finance chairman of Gov. Rick Scott’s re-election campaign have won contracts worth potentially billions to serve Medicaid patients in regions across the state.
The contracts are part of Florida’s transition to so-called Medicaid “managed care,” which dices the state into 11 regions. Private insurers compete for contracts to serve Medicaid patients in those regions.
The average estimated first year-value of those 11 contracts is $1 billion.
The two companies are owned largely by Mike Fernandez, a South Florida health-care executive. Last week he was formally announced as Scott’s finance director. Fernandez and companies he controls have given nearly $1.8 million to a committee supporting Scott’s re-election.
That includes a single $1 million check from Fernandez to Scott’s committee. Before Fernandez, an individual had never given a check of $1 million or more to a candidate-aligned committee.
Florida’s Agency for Health Care Administration has in place a multi-prong competitive-bid process used when awarding the contracts. That process, agency officials said, ensured that favorites were not played.
“No companies received an award as a result of favoritism,” said Michelle Dahnke, an agency spokeswoman. “The agency followed Florida’s strict procurement laws in … letter and in spirit at all times.”
Todays video - a tracking shot in the movies is when a camera follows an action or actor without cutting so it is one continuous flow of film. This is rare in TV programs, so "True Detective", an acclaimed show on HBO had their first series end with a six minute tracking shot......note - lots of violence and bad language.....
Todays jokey questions
How important does a person have to be before they are considered assassinated instead of just murdered?
Why do you have to 'put your two cents in'... but it's only a 'penny for your thoughts'? Where's that extra penny going to?
Why do you have to 'put your two cents in'... but it's only a 'penny for your thoughts'? Where's that extra penny going to?
Once you're in heaven, do you get stuck wearing the clothes you were buried in for eternity?
Why does a round pizza come in a square box?
What disease did cured ham actually have?
Why is it that people say they 'slept like a baby' when babies wake up like every two hours?
If a deaf person has to go to court, is it still called a hearing?
Why are you IN a movie, but you're ON TV?
Why do doctors leave the room while you change?
They're going to see you naked anyway...
Why is 'bra' singular and 'panties' plural?
If corn oil is made from corn, and vegetable oil is made from vegetables, what is baby oil made from?
If electricity comes from electrons, does morality come from morons?
Do the Alphabet song and Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star have the same tune?
Why did you just try singing the two songs above?
Why do they call it an asteroid when it's outside the hemisphere, but call it a hemorrhoid when it's in your butt?
Did you ever notice that when you blow in a dog's face, he gets mad at you, but when you take him for a car ride, he sticks his head out the window?
Why do we press harder on a remote control when we know the batteries are getting dead?
Why do banks charge a fee on 'insufficient funds' when they know there is not enough money?
Why does someone believe you when you say there are four trillion stars, but check when you say the paint is wet?
Why doesn't Tarzan have a beard?
Why does Superman stop bullets with his chest, but ducks when you throw a revolver at him?
Why do Kamikaze pilots wear helmets?
Whose idea was it to put an 'S' in the word 'lisp'?
If people evolved from apes,
why are there still apes?
Why is it that no matter what color bubble bath you use the bubbles are always white?
Is there ever a day that mattresses
are not on sale?
Why is it that no plastic bag will open from the end on your first try?
How do those dead bugs get into those enclosed light fixtures?
In winter why do we try to keep the house as warm as it was in summer when we complained about the heat?
How come you never hear father-in-law jokes?
And my FAVORITE.........
The statistics on sanity is that one out of every four persons are suffering from some sort of mental illness. Think of your three best friends -- if they're okay, then it's you.
Todays bar joke
I couldn't help but over-hear two guys in their mid-twenties while sitting at a bar.
One of the guys says to his buddy, "Man you look tired."
His buddy says, "Dude I'm exhausted. My girlfriend and I have sex all the time. I just don't know what to do."
A fellow about my age (65), sitting a couple of stools down had also overheard the conversation. He looked over at the two young men and with the wisdom of years says,
"Marry her. That'll put a stop to that shit"
Todays old dude jokeAn 86-year-old man went to his doctor
for his quarterly check-up...
The doctor asked him how he was feeling, and the
86-year-old said ,'Things are great
and I've never felt better.'
I now have a 20 year-old bride
who is pregnant with my child.
"So what do you think about that Doc ?"
The doctor considered his question for a minute
and then began to tell a story.
"I have an older friend , much like you, who is an avid hunter and never misses a season."
One day he was setting off to go hunting.
In a bit of a hurry , he accidentally picked up his
walking cane instead of his gun."
"As he neared a lake , he came across a very large male beaver sitting at the water's edge..
He realized he'd left his gun at home and so he couldn't shoot the magnificent creature.
Out of habit he raised his cane , aimed it at the animal as if
it were his favorite hunting rifle and went 'bang, bang'."
"Miraculously , two shots rang out and the
beaver fell over dead.
Now, what do you think of that ?" asked the doctor.
The 86-year-old said ,
"Logic would strongly suggest that somebody else
pumped a couple of rounds into that beaver."
The doctor replied , "My point exactly."
No comments:
Post a Comment