1/ A very discouraging story from Bill McKibben, who is leading the struggle to get governments to get serious about climate change. He writes in the Washington Post about how Exxon Mobil, the largest energy company in the world, has no plans whatever to change their quest for oil and gas and will resist any attempts to do anything that would reduce their profits.
It's beyond words......the business plan of Exxon is to continue to wreck the planet, come what may. I am by nature an optimist, but faced with the power, money and influence of these huge oil companies it's going to take a revolt to get anything done....
In the meantime, if your house might be vulnerable to rising seas and extreme weather I would definitely think about moving, because it ain't going to be getting better.........
Rex Tillerson in Paris this week. (Christophe Morin /Gt/Bloomberg)
By Bill McKibben June 9 at 3:49 PM
Bill McKibben is a distinguished scholar at Middlebury College and a founder of the group 350.org.
If historians someday need to explain how mankind managed to blow the fight against climate change, they need only point to last month’s shareholder meeting at Exxon Mobil headquarters in Dallas.
The meeting came two days after Texas smashed old rainfall records — almost doubled them, in some cases — and as authorities were still searching for families swept away after rivers crested many feet beyond their previous records. As Exxon Mobil’s Rex Tillerson — the highest-paid chief executive of the richest fossil fuel firm on the planet — gave his talk, the death toll from India’s heat wave mounted and pictures circulated on the Internet of Delhi’s pavement literally melting. Meanwhile, satellite images showed Antarctica’s Larsen B ice shelf on the edge of disintegration.
2/ Hillary is in the news this weekend, with a major speech channeling FDR but as this great story from Matt Taibbi says does she really mean what she is saying with her supposed acceptance of populist causes? Good question....Taibbi doesn't think so, and he is one of our best political reporters....
Say this for the Democrats in the Clinton era: they're never boring.
From brilliant responses to sex scandals to impossible smoke-but-not-inhale policy hedges to calculated collapses on everything from gay rights to financial deregulation, the Clinton Dems over the years have proven themselves masters of messaging and political survival.
They've turned the act of choosing winning over principle into an art form.
The latest trick? Insulting their own voters at the start of a race. It would be unbelievable, if they hadn't spent decades preparing us to believe it.
The background for the latest chutzpah-rich gambit has been an alarming slide in Hillary Clinton's recent polling numbers. A series of different surveys have all shown that in the wake of her email scandal and revelations about the Clinton Foundation, Hillary's negatives have jumped, and her positives are way down.
"Less than 50 percent of respondents" have favorable feelings about the candidate, as Michael Barone at Real Clear Politics put it.
In response, the Clinton campaign is launching a campaign to fire up the liberal base. They're going to accomplish this, they say, by having Hillary adopt "polarizing" positions she doesn't actually believe in. This comes via a trial balloon the campaign itself floated in The New York Times over the weekend.
3/ If you haven't seen the video of the McKinney, Texas cop bullying and terrifying a bunch of black teenagers in bathing suits, here is the full seven minute version....and it's horrifying. This is the face of white rage....watch the cop throw a 14 year old girl in a bikini to the ground and put his full weight on her back.
The cop has since resigned, but only because of the video - how many times does something like this happen, blatant racism by cops....my guess is all the time, and not just in red states.....
Mystery man - when you watch the video, who is the big white man below? Is he an off duty cop?
CREDIT: SCREENSHOT FROM YOUTUBE
A video uploaded to YouTube on Saturday shows predominantly white cops detaining, handcuffing and, at one point, physically holding down black teenagers at a neighborhood pool. At one point, an unidentified white officer grabs a black teenage girl in a bikini by the hair and wrestles her to the ground. When other black teenagers try to intervene, that cop draws his weapon and briefly chases after two black young men. After these two African American young men flee, the cop returns to the girl in the bikini, forcing her face into the ground and then sitting on her in an apparent effort to prevent her from standing up.
4/ Jon Stewart with an excellent commentary on the Mckinney incident....with Jessica Williams.....
One of his better ones, and he makes a great point - we're making progress....white cop draws gun on black kids, but noone's dead........
Two three minute segments....
Jon Stewart tonight tackled the police confrontation in McKinney, hoping for a “fun summer story” but instead getting something much less “fun.”
He mocked how the officer conducted himself and how he yelled at some of the people there, before bringing on Jessica Williams, who was dressed in appropriate swimwear: a bikini and body armor.
Williams did say there’s at least some “progress” here. Stewart looked a little confused and Williams explained, “It’s progress because a cop pulled a gun on a group of black kids and nobody is dead.”
5/ Bill Maher had an intelligent panel discussion on the McKinney issue with some common sense as well as the amusing zingers......he had a [right wing] black guest and you won't believe his take on the horrific incident.....a great six minutes....
Bill Maher (Credit: HBO)
On Friday’s “Real Time” Bill Maher said that everyone knows a guy just like former McKinney, Texas police Cpl. Eric Casebolt, “the high school loser” type.
Opening up his McKinney segment, Maher told panelists — among them, Ron Christie (Daily Beast), Alexis Goldstein (The Other 98) and Mike Pesca (Slate) — that Casebolt obviously just wanted to “re-litigate his sh*tty adolescence” by being a cop because “now he’s got some power.”
The “Real Time” host continued: “He can lord it over people. It’s not that hard to weed out that personality type, is it?”
6/ We have talked to a lot of Democrats about Hillary, and most of them would agree with this excellent column from Frank Bruni in the Times.....
For anyone who is interested in politics, and in 2016 is likely to grit their teeth and vote for Madame....
LATELY I’ve been running into people even more put off by the Clintons than the nefarious operatives in the “vast right wing conspiracy” ever were.
They’re called Democrats.
I had breakfast with one last week. I’d quote him directly, but The Times doesn’t permit profanity.
He’s furious at Hillary and Bill, because they’ve once again created all these ugly, obvious messes that they could and should have avoided. He’s disgusted, because he has come to believe that they’re tainted.
He’s also resolute: He’s voting — even rooting — for Hillary.
Party loyalty motivates him. On top of which, he’s worried about the Supreme Court and how a Republican president might pack it.
And he keeps hearing the voices of little girls in his life who have asked him whether a woman can be president of the United States in reality, not just on some TV show.
He wants them to see: Yes, she can.
So here he stands, or rather squirms, exhilarated by what Hillary embodies and repelled by what she represents, wanting to see her take the oath and wanting never to lay eyes on her and Bill again, determined that they reclaim the White House and despairing of the muddy road there and the certain muck beyond. He’s a riot of warring emotions, a paradox with a pulse.
The Clintons will do that to a person.
7/ Bill Maher's opening monologue on Friday was a really good one, skewering Caitlin Jenner as well as a lot of other jokes......a funny seven minutes.....
Bill Maher cracked a few jokes about Caitlyn Jennerin his monologue tonight, while telling people to stop heralding this as the biggest deal ever.
Right off the top, Maher fumbled on the right pronoun to use, but then told the “pronoun police” to kiss his ass, because this takes some getting used to.
And he also thought people were kind of exaggerating how serious this is, saying, “This is a has-been from reality TV who got breast implants. This is someone who used to be Kim Kardashian‘s stepfather, and is now Kim Kardashian’s stepmother. She’s not Rosa Parks.”He also did a riff on Jenner’s genital situation (not the first person to do so) and even got in a dig at Rush Limbaugh.
8/ Even if you watch Fox News you should have heard of the TPP by now, because the President's fast track authority died in the House Friday because of a revolt by House Democrats.....
So what is the TPP? Simon Johnson, one of our smartest economists, gives you a summary.....
The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) is a proposed free trade agreement (FTA) between the United States and 11 other countries. It is comprised of two main parts: reductions in tariffs (and related non-tariff barriers), of the kind typically seen in trade agreements; and new rules for foreign direct investment and intellectual property rights, which have not previously been prominent in FTAs.
The new rules part has become controversial. The case for introducing an investor-state dispute settlement seems less than compelling – this would favor foreign investors over domestic investors, not an idea that sits well with the standard idea of equality before the law (going back at least 800 years) and a direct contradiction to the usual principles of FTAs (emphasizing non-discrimination across types of investors). As currently formulated, it would also be open to considerable abuse. And the precise rules under consideration for patent protection appear likely to reduce access to affordable medicines in both our trading partners and potentially also in the United States.
As a result, advocates of TPP are now emphasizing the benefits of tariff reductions in terms of boosting US exports. But the administration’s claims in this regard are greatly exaggerated and the United States Trade Representative (USTR) is unfortunately refusing to fully discuss the broader trade impact, including the precise impact of higher imports into the United States.
In an interview with Politico this week, Ambassador Michael Froman, listed some examples of high tariffs on American goods in other countries – and emphasized that these might come down as part of TPP.
There are two main problems with Mr. Froman’s list. First, he naturally picked the relatively few goods that have such tariffs. We have free trade agreements already with many of the countries in TPP (details here), so most tariffs are already quite low.
9/ Jon Stewart celebrates the entry of Rick Perry to the clown car of Republican candidates for President.....Perry is even better than Trump!!!! A good five minutes......
Jon Stewart won’t be around to cover much of the 2016 election, but that doesn’t mean he can’t squeeze some campaign-related comedy out of the proceedings. And Lincoln Chafee calling forAmerica to go on the metric system certainly helped.
But as for Rick Perry, Stewart was just over-the-moon excited, crying out, “Prayer really does work!”
He recalled how Perry “oops’ed himself out of the 2012 race and mocked his “new” glasses-wearing persona. As for Jeb Bush, Stewart was just bored with the wait, and Jessica Williams called him a human jar of mayonnaise.
He recalled how Perry “oops’ed himself out of the 2012 race and mocked his “new” glasses-wearing persona. As for Jeb Bush, Stewart was just bored with the wait, and Jessica Williams called him a human jar of mayonnaise.
10/ Why do so many people eat junk food? Because it's engineered by very clever scientists to taste better than "normal" food. A really good story on why we can't give up chemical food.....
And while you are reading the story think about this - fruits and vegetables that you should be eating have been blanded down to look better, and bred to stay fresh looking so they last longer on the supermarket shelves.....Big Ag isn't interested in the taste, so to get vibrant taste you eat the junk food.
Eat local or organic folks.....
(Credit: Yulia von Eisenstein via Shutterstock)
When Doritos first hit store shelves in 1964, they weren’t Cool Ranch Doritos or Jumpin’ Jack Monterey Cheese Doritos or Jacked Ranch Dipped Hot Wings Doritos. (That last one — believe it or not — is for real.) In the beginning, they were just triangular corn chips with a little salt.
What turned Doritos into a $5 billion global brand wasn’t variety or clever marketing. It was desire — the kind of laboratory-developed, biological desire that makes you want to eat another and another and another. “Without that synthetic flavoring, I don’t think people would eat much junk food at all,” says Toronto food writer Mark Shatzker.
In his new book, “The Dorito Effect: The Surprising New Truth About Food and Flavor,” Schatzker takes the fat, sugar and glut of calories that are causing obesity and goes a step further. The problem, Schatzker says, isn’t the what; it’s the why. We eat the bad stuff — the McDonald’s fries, the Krispy Kreme donuts, the Spicy Sweet Chili Doritos — because it’s chemically engineered to taste really, really good.
11/ Gene Kelly was one of the best dancers who has ever lived, but I'll bet you have never seen him dance with roller skates on.....a classic and very impressive four minutes......
When I watch these old clips I love the extras pretending they aren't watching Gene.....
12/ The wonderful cartoonist Tom Tomorrow with a look at the TPP......
13/ Further to the story about how junk food is engineered to taste better [#10], one solution is to grow your own.....maybe not quite as ambitiously as this couple, but at least grow your own tomatoes....
Survivalist communities and preppers all over America have learned that the properly tilled land can produce tremendous amounts of food. Well-balanced soil is quite generous and will give back much more than it receives. A few organic seeds, adequate watering, and some rich compost can provide even a novice farmer with a bountiful harvest.
Ever since Big Agra took over the farming of America’s vast farmlands, most people are disconnected from the process of food production from seed to table. Agribusiness has so thoroughly monopolized farming and husbandry that many children in the cities think that the food comes from supermarkets and grocery stores, not grainfields and orchard groves.
Now comes along a family just south of LA that has set the bar a little higher for the many residential farms that are popping up all over the place. Their track record is quite extraordinary by any standard. Here are the latest numbers from a family that farms just 4,000 square feet of land.
14/ A great "New Rules" from Bill Maher last week about the so-called persecution of Christians......an edgy and funny five minutes, and he calls the O'Reilly's out in a clever way.......
This really got to me because we were talking to one of the owners of a B&B, a sophisticated and worldly fellow, and he slipped how Christianity is on the defensive into conversation......needless to say yours truly let it pass, as we were in Mississippi!
Bill Maher is getting tired of conservatives and Republicans complaining about Christians being persecuted in America, despite Christians being a significant majority of the American population (and of the Democratic Party as well).
He ran through a series of quotes from 2016 candidates and conservative pundits decrying Christian persecution or attacks against the right. Bill O’Reilly said a few weeks ago that it’s open season on Christians and white men in America; Maher snarkily pointed to “all those recent videos of police shooting unarmed white clergymen” as evidence.
And what pissed Maher off the most about these cries of Christian persecution is that he’s the only one they can really argue is doing it, and doesn’t want the credit going to anyone else for his efforts.
But more seriously, he demanded to know where the persecution is coming from. Maher went through a whole list of people and institutions the right claims is persecuting Christians and, one by one, said it’s just not happening.
15/ This story disturbed me because it's a symptom of what's happening in the Red States that may cross over to the rest of the country.......an "Open Carry" group in Abilene, Texas was threatening a guy who called the police, and the police basically backed down from the confrontation. Three idiots with AR 15's were threatening someone and were on his lawn, yet the police backed away. If the three gunmen were black or Hispanic and yelled at the cops like these guys did in the video they would all be dead....
The problem is that after the Cliven Bundy fiasco, the cops know if they do anything drastic there will be hundreds of these whites supremacists in their city the next day raising havoc.....
Maybe I'm overthinking this story, but I believe this is a serious issue.....
What happens when three belligerent, heavily-armed white guys with rifles strapped to their backs pick a fight with police officers? Nothing, apparently. We can only imagine how this “open carry” encounter would have turned out if these men had been black.
Crooks and Liars reports the gun safety group Moms Demand Action posted a shocking video from a pro-gun Open Carry rally in Abilene, Texas on Wednesday. In the video, Open Carry Founder CJ Crisham can only be heard and not seen, because he’s holding the camera. But … hoo boy! … what we hear is quite an earful.
Be afraid, very afraid. This is what you get when you live in a red state run by Republicans who cater to an ever-shrinking demographic of paranoid white people preparing for Obama’s war on Texas
16/ I have not watched "Game Of Thrones", that delight is still to come, but for anyone who is a fan of the series Bad Lip Reading has done a hilarious spoof of the characters.....five minutes of fun.....
17/ I passed on my letter to Jennifer Sullivan to all of you, and if and when I get a reply I will of course share it, but Scott Maxwell in the Orlando Sentinel spells out the hypocrisy of our Floriduh State Legislators about their refusal to take the $52 billion in Federal funds for Medicaid........
Florida's health-care debate is over.
But our problems remain. In fact, they're growing.
As many as 800,000 uninsured Floridians will continue to go without coverage.
The state budget is a mess — with as much as $400 million of your tax dollars now being siphoned away from schools, roads and other needs to plug holes created by the rejected federal money.
Businesses could face millions in fines because the federally provided health care now won't be available for their employees.
Hospitals could lose $200 million.
Todays video - Miley Cyrus on the 40th anniversary of SNL with a most impressive rendition of "50 Ways To Leave Your Lover", by Paul Simon......she actually has a great voice!
Miley Cyrus whipped out her impressive vocal range during her performance at "SNL 40" on Sunday night.
The 22-year-old paid tribute to Paul Simon with a sultry rendition of "50 Ways to Leave Your Lover," captivating the star-studded audience as she belted out the song's soulful notes. It was a far departure from Cyrus' usual onstage antics as she covered up in a white pantsuit and had Fred Armisen back her on the tambourine.
Todays kid joke
A boss wondered why one of his most valued employees had not rung in sick one day. Having an urgent problem with a main computer, he phoned the employee’s home number and was greeted with a child’s whisper, ‘Hello?
‘Is your Daddy home?’ he asked.
‘Yes’, whispered the small voice.
‘May I speak to him?’
The child whispered ‘No.’
Surprised and wanting to talk to an adult, the boss asked, ‘Is your Mummy there?’
‘Yes.’
‘Well may I speak to her, then?’ Again the small voice whispered ‘No.’
Hoping there was somebody with whom he could leave a message, the boss asked, ‘Is anybody else there?’
‘Yes,’ whispered the child, ‘a policeman.’
Wondering what the police would be doing at his employee’s home, the boss asked, ‘May I speak to the policeman?’
‘No, he’s busy,’ whispered the child.
‘Busy doing what?’
‘Talking to Mummy and Daddy and the Fireman,’ came the whispered reply.
Growing more worried as he heard a loud noise in the background coming down the phone, the boss asked ‘What’s that noise?’
‘A helicopter’, answered the whispering voice.
‘What’s going on there?’ demanded the boss, now really apprehensive.
Again, whispering, the child answered, ‘The search team has just landed a helicopter.’
Alarmed, concerned, and a little frustrated, the boss asked ‘What are they searching for?’
Still whispering, the young voice replied with a muffled giggle… ‘ME!’
Todays teenager joke
A woman takes her 16-year-old daughter to the doctor.
The doctor says, "Okay, Mrs. Jones, what's the problem?"
The mother says, "It's my daughter Darla, she keeps getting these cravings, she's putting on weight and is sick most mornings.
The doctor gives Darla a good examination then turns to the mother and says, "Well,I don't know how to tell you this but your Darla is pregnant - about 4 months would be my guess."
The doctor gives Darla a good examination then turns to the mother and says, "Well,I don't know how to tell you this but your Darla is pregnant - about 4 months would be my guess."
The mother says, "Pregnant?! She can't be, she has never ever been left alone with a man! Have you Darla?"
Darla says, 
"No mother! I've never even kissed a man!"
The doctor walked over to the window and just stares out it. About five minutes pass and finally the mother says, "Is there something wrong out there doctor?
"No mother! I've never even kissed a man!" The doctor walked over to the window and just stares out it. About five minutes pass and finally the mother says, "Is there something wrong out there doctor?
The doctor replies, "No, not really, it's just that the last time anything like this happened, a star appeared in the east and three wise men came over the hill. I'll be damned if I'm going to miss it this time!"
Todays Senior joke [sort of]
Say you are an older senior citizen and can no longer take care of yourself and the government says there is no Nursing Home care
available for you. So, what do you do? You opt for Medicare Part G.
The plan gives anyone 75 or older a gun (Part G) and one bullet. You are allowed to shoot one worthless politician.
This means you will be sent to prison for the rest of your life where you will receive three meals a day, a roof over your head, central heating and air conditioning, cable TV, a library, and all the Health Care you need. Need new teeth? No problem. Need glasses? That's great. Need a hearing aid, new hip, knees, kidney, lungs, sex change, or heart? They are all covered! As an added bonus, your kids can come and visit you at least as often as they do now! And, who will be paying for all of this? The same government that just told you they can't afford for you to go into a nursing home. And you will get rid of a useless politician while you are at it. And now, because you are a prisoner, you don't have to pay any more income taxes!
Is this a great country or what?Now that you have solved your senior financial plan, enjoy the rest of your week!And lets start with Mitch McConnell!
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