Sunday, March 30, 2014

Davids Daily Dose - Sunday March 30th




1/  Paul Krugman is one of the few economic journalists to see America for what it is......not a democracy, but very close to an oligarchy aided and abetted by our media and power structure. The elites pretend to care what "the people" think every election cycle, but they have at least a third of the country brainwashed into voting against their own interests [R], another third get it but are just demoralised by the lack of leadership [D], and the last third can't be bothered to vote.

Remember this - all of the negative advertising, the attack ads and the character assassination isn't to change anyone's mind. It's to fill the other side with a feeling of hopelessness, uncertainty and frustration so they stay at home and don't vote. 

It seems safe to say that “Capital in the Twenty-First Century,” the magnum opus of the French economist Thomas Piketty, will be the most important economics book of the year — and maybe of the decade. Mr. Piketty, arguably the world’s leading expert on income and wealth inequality, does more than document the growing concentration of income in the hands of a small economic elite. He also makes a powerful case that we’re on the way back to “patrimonial capitalism,” in which the commanding heights of the economy are dominated not just by wealth, but also by inherited wealth, in which birth matters more than effort and talent.
To be sure, Mr. Piketty concedes that we aren’t there yet. So far, the rise of America’s 1 percent has mainly been driven by executive salaries and bonuses rather than income from investments, let alone inherited wealth. But six of the 10 wealthiest Americans are already heirs rather than self-made entrepreneurs, and the children of today’s economic elite start from a position of immense privilege. As Mr. Piketty notes, “the risk of a drift toward oligarchy is real and gives little reason for optimism.”
Indeed. And if you want to feel even less optimistic, consider what many U.S. politicians are up to. America’s nascent oligarchy may not yet be fully formed — but one of our two main political parties already seems committed to defending the oligarchy’s interests.
Despite the frantic efforts of some Republicans to pretend otherwise, most people realize that today’s G.O.P. favors the interests of the rich over those of ordinary families. I suspect, however, that fewer people realize the extent to which the party favors returns on wealth over wages and salaries. And the dominance of income from capital, which can be inherited, over wages — the dominance of wealth over work — is what patrimonial capitalism is all about.












2/  A two minute Rachel Maddow clip from a year ago of an old, white male anti-abortion Ohio Legislator completely dumbfounded by an obvious question.....a classic......

Rachel Maddow: Al Jazeera English just made a really good documentary in which they interviewed a state legislator from Ohio. This guy is a co-sponsor of a bill in Ohio to dramatically roll back the time in which a woman is allowed to have an abortion in that state. So he gets interviewed by Al Jazeera and he tells Al Jazeera in the interview that what he really wants is for there to be no legal abortion at all in Ohio except to save a woman's life. Then, this is the important part, watch what happens next. Watch what happens after he says that with the follow-up question here from the reporter. This is kind of amazing, watch:



Al Jazeera English's 25 minute doc "The Abortion Wars", mentioned in the above segment. It shows how the religious crazies are indoctrinating squads of kids to go out and protest at womens clinics........




And a final word on the contraception/abortion issue from Tom Tomorrow.......maybe the Supreme Court should read this [I'm talking to you Scalia!]













3/  February 2014 fail compilation from TwisterNederland, [mostly European] accidents, Russian dashboard cams, drunks, crashes and most of all pain.......seven minutes of mayhem......













4/  We are well aware Beijing is an environmental disaster of smog, pollution and smoke, but Paris? Wow - who knew?

Welcome to the dead zone: Our planet's greatest cities are facing a major pollution crisis(Credit: AP/Francois Mori/Vadim Georgiev via Shutterstock/Salon)
Last week, Paris and Beijing had one of those feuds that city-watchers love so much. (Such head-to-head battles, like great inter-urban sporting events, fuel the illusion that cities are singular, indivisible, cultural entities.) In this case, it was a race to the bottom: Observers noticed, during the five-day air quality crisis in Paris last week, that there was more particulate matter in the Parisian atmosphere than in Beijing.
This was true, for a moment, but the comparison soon backfired on certain gleeful Chinese media outlets. When the proper way to explain the hazardousness of the air is by saying it’s “worse than Beijing,” nobody has anything to brag about. Last weekend marked the worst air quality crisis in Paris in two decades, during which the air quality index (AQI) – which measures ozone, several poisonous gases, and particle pollution – reached the 180s, more than twice the recommended limits for human health. Yet it doesn’t hold a candle to the 500+ readings recorded in Beijing in January 2013.
Parisians say they are coughing and wheezing; and Beijing has been described by a government think tank as “unfit for human habitation.” But both cities can breathe easy, at least metaphorically speaking. According to the Urban Outdoor Air Pollution Database, published by the World Health Organization, all but two of the 20 worst cities for coarse-particle pollution are in India, Pakistan and Iran. Rounding out the list are Ulaanbataar, in Mongolia, and Gaborone, Botswana. Beijing, with an average PM10 content of 121, is barely in the top 50. Paris’ average annual coarse particle pollution is measured at 38, hundreds of spots below.












5/  More cell phone crashing - this one is at Disneyland....three amusing minutes....

It sure can be annoying being forced to hear someone carrying on a loud and obnoxious conversation as if there wasn’t another person within miles of them.

So, how can we combat this irritating and often exasperating experience?

Greg Benson has an answer and I must admit, it is not only brilliant, but pretty damn hilarious. Benson has created a technique to stop people from having these loud “private”conversations on their cellphones when they are in public. He refers to his technique as, “cellphone crashing”.
Here’s how it works. Benson will sidle up to an unwitting person who is in the middle of having a loud cellphone conversation. As the person is talking, Benson pretends to also be talking on his cellphone, answering the person as if the two were having an actual conversation.
What makes this so funny is how Benson situates himself next to the person and directly answers the questions or comments made by the other person, often prompting them to ask him if he is talking to them. Benson will usually tell them that he is on a phone call and asks them not to be rude.








6/  I wasn't aware of a mini ice age in the 17th century - were you? There was record cold for about 60 years, and it decimated the global population by a third. 

A fascinating story from the Times, with some lessons for us today - climate change can have serious consequences.....



Photo
CreditSam Vanallemeersch




COLUMBUS, Ohio — CLIMATOLOGISTS call it the Little Ice Age; historians, the General Crisis.
During the 17th century, longer winters and cooler summers disrupted growing seasons and destroyed harvests across Europe. It was the coldest century in a period of glacial expansion that lasted from the early 14th century until the mid-19th century. The summer of 1641 was the third-coldest recorded over the past six centuries in Europe; the winter of 1641-42 was the coldest ever recorded in Scandinavia. The unusual cold that lasted from the 1620s until the 1690s included ice on both the Bosporus and the Baltic so thick that people could walk from one side to the other.
The deep cold in Europe and extreme weather events elsewhere resulted in a series of droughts, floods and harvest failures that led to forced migrations, wars and revolutions. The fatal synergy between human and natural disasters eradicated perhaps one-third of the human population.
There are two ways to consider the impact of climate change. We can predict the future based on current trends or we can study a well-documented episode of the past.
What happened in the 17th century suggests that altered weather conditions can have catastrophic political and social consequences. Today, the nation’s intelligence agencies have warned of similar repercussions as the planet warms — including more frequent but unpredictable crises involving water, food, energy supply chains and public health. States could fail, famine could overtake large populations and flood or disease could cross borders and lead to internal instability or international conflict.
Earth scientists have discerned three factors at work globally during the 17th century: increased volcanic eruptions, twice as many El NiƱo episodes (unusually warm ocean conditions along the tropical west coast of South America), and the virtual disappearance of sunspots, reducing solar output to warm the Earth.
The 17th century saw a proliferation of wars, civil wars and rebellions and more cases of state breakdown around the globe than any previous or subsequent age. Just in the year 1648, rebellions paralyzed both Russia (the largest state in the world) and France (the most populous state in Europe); civil wars broke out in Ukraine, England and Scotland; and irate subjects in Istanbul (Europe’s largest city) strangled Sultan Ibrahim.











7/ The Daily Show's Samantha Bee with another one of her theatre-like riffs on 'Morning Joe", the Joe Scarborough/Mika duo. An unusual, clever and funny piece - five minutes......

Following up on her hit dedication to Fox News’ The FiveThe Daily Show‘s Samantha Bee returned Wednesday night with a crazy piece of performance art about the weird family dynamics of Morning Joe, how all the guests are so eager to please “daddy”Joe Scarborough, and how they love to “starf*ck like nobody’s business.”
Bee described the great, parental chemistry of Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski, and looked at their vast array of children (all the show’s regular guests) “always completely agreeing with their dad!” But mommy and daddy also like talking about their big, important friends like Michael BloombergFred Armisen, and Chris Christie.
Why? Because “if they’re not friends with Joe and Mika, they don’t exist! They’re nothing!”














8/  One of the consistent themes in our politics is Democrats lacking a spine, and Bill Maher takes them wonderfully to task with this five minute pep talk......if only they would listen. Noone respects a wimp........where's Alan Grayson?

Bill Maher ended his show Friday night with a plea for Democrats to stop feebly going along with the Republicans and “stand your ground” on issues like Obamacare instead of going “Yeah, sucks to be us right now” and lamely apologizing for everything like a husband who says of his wife, “She’s not perfect, but it’s better than masturbating alone!”
Maher told Democrats to start trotting out the Obamacare success stories. He said it’s not that hard to do; “You just need someone who’s been to a gynecologist, not Bigfoot!” He cried, “It’s not like you’re trying to sell a Vince Vaughn movie, this is a good thing!”
But Maher got very adamant about Democrats abandoning the “false meme” from the right that Jimmy Carter‘s presidency was a failure, saying the real failure came from “wimps” who never had his back.













9/  A pretty good primer on what [and what not] to eat from the Times's food guru Mark Bittman......essentially he says only eat what your grandparents would have eaten, before packaged foods......

Love the title - "Butter Is Back".....

Julia Child, goddess of fat, is beaming somewhere. Butter is back, and when you’re looking for a few chunks of pork for a stew, you can resume searching for the best pieces — the ones with the most fat. Eventually, your friends will stop glaring at you as if you’re trying to kill them.
That the worm is turning became increasingly evident a couple of weeks ago, when a meta-analysis published in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine found that there’s just no evidence to support the notion that saturated fat increases the risk of heart disease. (In fact, there’s some evidence that a lack of saturated fat may be damaging.) The researchers looked at 72 different studies and, as usual, said more work — including more clinical studies — is needed. For sure. But the days of skinless chicken breasts and tubs of I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter may finally be drawing to a close.
The tip of this iceberg has been visible for years, and we’re finally beginning to see the base. Of course, no study is perfect and few are definitive. But the real villains in our diet — sugar and ultra-processed foods — are becoming increasingly apparent. You can go back to eating butter, if you haven’t already.
This doesn’t mean you abandon fruit for beef and cheese; you just abandon fake food for real food, and in that category of real food you can include good meat and dairy. I would argue, however, that you might not include most industrially produced animal products; stand by.
Since the 1970s almost everyone in this country has been subjected to a barrage of propaganda about saturated fat. It was bad for you; it would kill you. Never mind that much of the nonsaturated fat was in the form of trans fats, now demonstrated to be harmful. Never mind that many polyunsaturated fats are chemically extracted oils that may also, in the long run, be shown to be problematic.










10/  Lady Gaga has a new video out "G.U.Y.", and it's more like a short film than a traditional music vid. It's completely outrageous, costumes are amazing, dancers wonderful and yet.....it's like she's trying too hard, but maybe it's just me. Anyway the film is 12 minutes, but only eight minutes is the actual film - there are four minutes of credits, set to a different song!

Note - in only a week it's had 22 million hits......

Directed by Mother Monster herself, the “G.U.Y.” video clocks in at 11 minutes and 46 seconds, and features snippets of “ARTPOP” and “Venus” before diving into the main event. (Four minutes are credits at the end of the video, set to “Manicure.”)
Once again, Gaga has filled a video to the brim with references to Greek mythology and pop culture, all woven into the bigger picture of her personal narrative. (She’s called “pop culture acid.”) The result is stunning and set at the beautiful Hearst Castle in San Simean, Calif.













11/  Hmmmm.....further to #1 about the rise of the oligarchy, consider this story about the options you can order on some of the very high end cars like Porsches, Bentley's etc......who is buying these indulgences? Oligarchs and multi-multi-millionaires.......

A $365 painted Porsche key is a relative bargain. CreditAnn Johansson for The New York Times
They can caress a sample of the leather that, for $380, will soon cover the fuse box of their new Porsche 911. Or they can marvel at the $2,070 personalized and illuminated carbon-fiber doorsill guards of their Panamera Turbo S. Go ahead, put your signature on your sills.
BEVERLY HILLS, CALIF. — Up a flight of stairs from the PorscheDesign boutique on Rodeo Drive, in a room of modernist sofas and chairs, low white coffee tables and oversize video monitors, is the Porsche Exclusive-Personal Design suite. Prospective car buyers come to this luxury lounge to optimize their accessories: Here, they can choose precisely the right optional extras to maximize their vehicular happiness.
Or maybe they’ll request a color sample of the Liquid Metal Chrome Blue paint available on the 918 Spyder hybrid supercar. (It adds $63,000 to the car’s $847,975 base price.)
That’s right: $63,000 for paint.
Here, have a glass of wine while contemplating the luster, sheen and brilliance.
“We don’t sell cars; we just help in coming up with ideas,” said Sascha Glaeser, the German-born manager of the Porsche Exclusive studio. “The dealers still sell the cars and, to be honest, they get more money, because when people talk to us, they tend to add more options to the cars.”
Picking and choosing from long lists of options was once a normal part of the car-buying process. But today it’s a luxury experience reserved almost exclusively for high-end machines retailing in the six- and even seven-figure stratosphere. And those options have grown ever more indulgent.
Like the $9,875 teak decking available on a Rolls-Royce convertible, the Phantom Drophead CoupĆ©, or the $10,545 frosted-glass bottle chiller with bespoke crystal champagne flutes that Bentley offers in its Mulsanne sedan. At this rarefied level, the $390 that Bentley charges for a “jewel fuel-filler cap” on the Mulsanne seems modest. Although it is, of course, only a gas cap.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/23/automobiles/sticker-shock-from-the-options-sheet.html












12/  As you may know Hobby Lobby recently went before the Supreme Court because the ACA says they have to cover contraception in their health care policies, and since the billionaire owners are religious nut jobs this disturbs their delicate psyches....so they sued the Gumment, and because the Supreme Court is right wing they will probably win.....

Jon Stewart looks at this case, four minutes of very funny commentary, and a second part [3 mins]  with Jordan Keppler, the Daily Show's Senior Legal Correspondent

Image Comedy Central
COMEDY CENTRAL
Earlier this week, the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments in Sebelius v. Hobby Lobby Stores, the case in which a craft store chain is claiming the Affordable Care Act's birth control mandate violates its religious beliefs. You may be thinking that a private corporation suing over its religious beliefs sounds asinine. Jon Stewart explained last night that, well, indeed it is.  
Not only is it the silliest sounding Supreme Court case, as Stewart said, "since 1950'sBrown v. Board of Titty Farts," but Hobby Lobby's lawsuit is a thinly veiled attack on Obama's healthcare law as a whole, disguised as an assertion of religious rights. See, the craft store claims it is a corporation founded on biblical principles. You know, like that one time Jesus took up knitting:

























13/  The excellent Lauren Ritchie in the Orlando Sentinel with a followup to the Lake County class size kerfuffle, where our school board was caught fudging the numbers of students in classrooms. Noone cares at State level, so a metaphorical tap on the wrist and all is well......

We live in Floriduh, ranked 48th in spending per pupil for public education and in Lake County, in the bottom third of all 67 Florida counties and yet our pond scum Governor beats the drums for corporations to relocate here. But our Republican elites don't get it - higher tech companies won't come here because of the lousy schools for their employees kids, and a semi-educated worker pool for their staff positions. All we can attract are polluters, and private prison systems......

Lake County admittedly violated an amendment to the Florida Constitution limiting the size of classes in public schools, and the state doesn't care.
The state Department of Education said last week that it won't fine the district for class-size violations because Lake caught the "mistakes" and 'fessed up.
That's what happens when government is forced to do something it doesn't want. It creates regulations and digs in its bureaucratic heels.
In a gobbledygook statement, the DOE revealed that Lake County never really was out of compliance — it caught the "errors" and fixed everything within the "appeal window," so it's all good.
Never mind the statement from a Minneola High teacher declaring that an assistant principal ordered her to go along with a scheme to create fake classes on paper and "transfer" students into them, to make it appear that the schools met the class-size amendment while the students stayed in her classroom.
The education department simply doesn't care. It cares only about the numbers. Even though this is a constitutional amendment, mandated by voters, not just some pesky little law, it chose to let the district investigate itself. That's always so effective, isn't it?












14/  A fascinating story about how Rick Scott's efforts to reach Hispanic voters has come off the rails, after his staff annoyed a billionaire.......I suppose it's called riding the tail of the dragon....billionaires are useful for the money, but don't piss them off!

TALLAHASSEE — Florida Gov. Rick Scott has stockpiled millions for a focused TV ad campaign and is backed by a highly disciplined Republican Party, but all it took to throw them off stride was one rich, angry donor with a send button.
Nearly a week after the controversy, Scott hasn't addressed it, and passed up two chances to clear the air Wednesday. In Scott's defense, some Republicans say Fernandez hurt his own credibility, and Scott's, by undermining the campaign in incendiary emails to GOP insiders.
Coral Gables billionaire Mike Fernandez was co-finance chairman of Scott's campaign, gave $1 million to his re-election effort and helped raise much more by opening two of his homes to wealthy Republican donors. He sat near the first family at Scott's State of the State speech three weeks ago before everything fell apart with his resignation followed by leaked emails laced with frustration and armchair quarterbacking, a rare public display of campaign dirty linen.
Nearly a week after the controversy, Scott hasn't addressed it, and passed up two chances to clear the air Wednesday. In Scott's defense, some Republicans say Fernandez hurt his own credibility, and Scott's, by undermining the campaign in incendiary emails to GOP insiders.

"You settle these things behind closed doors. You don't go outside and publicly humiliate the governor. Mike broke the code," said lobbyist Brian Ballard, a Scott supporter and member of finance teams of statewide and presidential candidates.
Nearly a week after the controversy, Scott hasn't addressed it, and passed up two chances to clear the air Wednesday. In Scott's defense, some Republicans say Fernandez hurt his own credibility, and Scott's, by undermining the campaign in incendiary emails to GOP insiders.











15/  A respected magazine has listed the 20 best small towns to visit in the country, and Mount Dora is #14. Woop woop!

They beckon from nearly every corner of the country, from grand rivers and awesome mountains, from the Great Plains and a misty farm valley and a venerable whaling harbor, and what never fails to charm us is that each one follows its own, unhurried clock, saving up stories to tell and making time to talk. They are America's Best Small Towns to visit, and for this, our third annual search-and-enjoy mission, we've singled out communities for particular strengths in history, music, visual arts, learning, food, theater and science. It's not solitude we're seeking—the fruits of human creativity are best shared—but, rather, enrichments unbothered by the growl of our increasingly urban lives. We worked with the geographical information systems company Esri, which analyzed tons of data to find towns or cities of fewer than 15,000 residents where cultural opportunities abound, at least on a per capita basis

14. Mount Dora, FL

(Downtown Mount Dora; photo by Julie Fletcher, VISIT FLORIDA)
Forget Orlando—the next time you're planning a trip to Central Florida, think about stopping by Mount Dora City, a town of about 13,162 nestled between hills and orange groves on the edge of Lake Dora.
Two of Mount Dora City's annual festivals are renowned throughout the country for their quality: the nationally ranked Mount Dora Arts Festival and the Fall Craft Fair, which is the largest outdoor event in the southeast United States. Mount Dora City also caters to antique enthusiasts, who come from all around the state—and country—to browse the town's offerings.
The Mount Dora Craft Fair. (Courtesy of Visit Mount Dora)
In the center of town sits Donnelly Park, a tree-shaded block that offers visitors a place to picnic or indulge in a game of tennis or shuffleboard. Nearby, visit Palm Island Park, home to one of the most beautiful nature walks in Florida.
The oldest structure in town is the 86-room Lakeside Inn, built in 1883. The Mount Dora Area Chamber of Commerce, inside the 1915 rail depot, attracts a large number of visitors each year, who come to marvel at its historic architecture. Mount Dora City is also home to the world-famous Renninger's Florida Twin Markets, a flea market and antique market held each Saturday and Sunday in the town.




Here's a really good new 30 second commercial spot for Mount Dora......note your scribe and Mary have a 2 second cameo in this video.....











Todays video - the"The Natural Effect"..........clever satire.......














Todays Australian joke
 
An Aussie drover walks into a bar with
his pet crocodile by his side.
6BF6B82E743F4F82858EDACE793BAB8D@BushaPCHe puts the crocodile up on the bar.
He turns to the astonished patrons.
'I'll make you a deal.  I'll open this crocodile's mouth 
and place my manhood inside.
EE0DE9BC590749F98829442E39FF7177@BushaPC
Then the croc will close his
mouth for one minute.
9B25D867E15E4B74AE406CF3D77CFBF8@BushaPC
'Then he'll open his mouth
And I'll remove my unit unscathed.

In return for witnessing this
spectacle,
each of you will buy me a drink.'
A592436732EE41D69667C4D223A48759@BushaPC
The crowd murmured their approval.
The man stood up on the bar,
dropped his trousers,
and placed his Johnson and related parts in the 
crocodile's open mouth.
The croc closed his mouth
as the crowd gasped.

After a minute,
the man grabbed a beer
bottle and smacked the
crocodile hard on the top of
its head.

The croc opened his mouth
and the man removed his genitals 
unscathed as promised.
The crowd cheered,
and the first of his free
drinks were delivered.
1F266FB0F46A441A99096DDE83ECC4DB@BushaPC


The man stood up again and made another offer.
'I'll pay anyone $100 who's willing to give it a try.'



A hush fell over the crowd.  
After a while, a hand went up in the 
back of the bar.


45E707BD05D04F9C9D6C649FDDEB2D69@BushaPC
A Blonde woman timidly
spoke up..........

'I'll try it -
Just don't hit me so hard
with the beer bottle!'
 
 
 
 

 
 
 



Todays blind person joke

A woman goes into Bass Pro Shop to buy a rod and reel for her grandson's
birthday. She doesn't know which one to get so she just grabs one and goes over to the counter.

A Bass Pro Shop associate is standing there wearing dark shades. She says, "Excuse me, sir. Can you tell me anything about this rod and reel?"

He says, "Ma'am, I'm completely blind; but if you'll drop it on the counter, I can tell you everything from the sound it makes."

She doesn't believe him but drops it on the counter anyway.

He says, "That's a six-foot Shakespeare graphite rod with a Zebco 404 reel and 10-LB. test line. It's a good all around combination and it's on sale this week for only $20.00."

She says, "It's amazing that you can tell all that just by the sound of it dropping on the counter. I'll take it!" As she opens her purse, her credit card drops on the floor.

"Oh, that sounds like a Master Card," he says.

She bends down to pick it up and accidentally farts. At first she is really embarrassed, but then realizes there is no way the blind clerk could tell it was she who tooted. Being blind, he wouldn't know that she was the only person around.

The man rings up the sale and says, "That'll be $34.50 please."

The woman is totally confused by this and asks, "Didn't you tell me the rod and reel were on sale for $20.00? How did you get $34.50?"

He replies, "Yes, Ma'am. The rod and reel is $20.00, but the Duck Call is $11.00 and the Bear Repellent is $3.50."










 
Todays compilation jokes

 

This says it all….
 
Pythagoras’ Theorem.…………………………24 words.
The Lord’s Prayer……………………………………66 words.
Archimedes’ Principle…………………………………67 words.
The Ten Commandments……………………………….179 words.
The Gettysburg Address………………………………………286 words.
The US Declaration of Independence………………………..1,300 words.
The US Constitution with all 27 Amendments……………………7,818 words.
EU Regulations on the sale of Cabbages……………………………………26,911 words
 
 


Impossibilities in the world.
 1.     You can’t count your hair.
 2.     You can’t wash your eyes with soap.
 3.     You can’t breathe when your tongue is out.
  Put your tongue back in your mouth you silly person.
 
  


Ten (10) things I know about you.
 1.     You are reading this
 2.     You are human.
 3.     You can’t say the letter ”P” without separating your lips.
 4.     You just attempted to do it.
 6.     You are laughing at yourself
7.     You have a smile on your face and you skipped No. 5.
 8.     You just checked to see if there is a No. 5.
 9.     You are laughing at this because you are a fun loving person & everyone does it too.
 10.  You are probably going to send this on to see who else falls for it.
 
You have received this e-mail because I did not want to be alone in the ‘idiot’ category.