Sunday, November 30, 2008

Food For Thought

Spending isn't the lone solution to our economic problems.  Not by a long shot.

Political Economy: Fundamentally Flawed

The American consumer is king. That’s evident in the latest news about the economy, which showed that a drop in purchases of everything from flat-panel televisions to clothes to cars is pushing the United States into a potentially deep and [...]
As long as we're talking about spending and the economy:

Holiday shopping off to higher start; Online sales reported up 2%, modest gain in stores

Early indications pointed to slightly higher sales, both online and at stores, as the crucial holiday shopping season kicked off this weekend in the midst of a major economic downturn. Online, initial returns showed a 2% gain in [...]

Looking For Acorns

Ya' know, I have a backyard filled with oak trees and I haven't seen many acorns this year. Most years, we have to worry about the dogs eating them, but not this year. Hmmmm.

The case of the missing acorns

Interesting article in today's Washington Post about the dearth of acorns this year. I've been noticing the squirrels in my local park seem pretty thin for this time of year. There are no acorns:  "The idea seemed too crazy to Rod Simmons, a measured, careful field botanist. Naturalists in Arlington County couldn't find any acorns. None. No [...]

Deal?

Done.  Or so they say.

Obama to name Clinton secretary of state on Monday

President-elect Barack Obama planned to nominate Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton as his secretary of state on Monday, transforming a once-bitter political rivalry into a high-level strategic and diplomatic partnership. Obama will name the New York senator to his[...]

Bill Clinton will release identity of donors; Hillary to be announced as Sec of State on Monday (reportedly)

Bill Clinton has refused for a while to release the list of donors to his library and foundation. If he's truly now prepared to release those names, it means Hillary will be our next Secretary of State. Get ready for the world to like us again. "Former President Bill Clinton has agreed to make public 200,000 donors to [...]

Saturday, November 29, 2008

Not Out Of The Woods

Just in case you got all caught up in revelry over Wall Street's good week, the economy is still in trouble. I know,  I look for every little bright spot I can find, too.  But, let's look at the auto industry for a moment.

Local Pillars, Auto Dealerships Teeter Amid a Big 3 Decline

Car dealers have been struggling for years but what remains of their sales is evaporating along with consumer confidence and[...]

The Issue of Loyalty

President Bush is big on loyalty. No doubt about it.  He thinks it's served him well.  But, has it?

Overrated loyalty

George W. Bush's fascination with "loyalty" is practically legendary. The president considers it the single most important trait a person in public service can have, far exceeding competence and qualification. Bush, for example, picked Dick Cheney because he [...]

A New, Old, Christmas Tradition

One of my (sometimes) hobbies is collecting old radio programs - drama, comedy, you name it - from the 30's, 40's and 50's.  Thanks to a blogger that I read regularly, here's a marvelous story to share with your children (or grandchildren).  It's a series, designed to start today (November 29th) and end on Christmas. So, if you stumble upon this post a bit late, you'll have to do some catching up.  Enjoy!

The Cinnamon Bear: An Old-Time Radio Christmas Tradition

Because I love The Cinnamon Bear so much, I post this exact same article every year on the 29th of November. If you have young children — and even if you don’t — I encourage you to listen to these old radio broadcasts with your family. Holiday traditions don’t have to be expensive. Some of the [...]

The Donation Myth

Looks like lots of repeat donors might have fueled the Obama campaign funding myth.

Study: Obama's Small Donor Base Image A Myth

Everybody knows how President-elect Barack Obama's amazing campaign money machine was dominated by several million regular folks sending in hard-earned amounts under $200, a real sign of his broadbased grassroots support.Except, it turns out, that's not really true.In fact, Obama's base of small donors was almost exactly the same percent as [...]

The Return Of The College Kids

We survived extended college experiences with both of our kids.  Survived and, actually, everybody thrived! Perhaps that's why this piece in today's New York Times made me smile.

Motherlode: Home From College for Thanksgiving

They're baaaaaaaaaack. Three months ago they loaded your car with everything they own and set off for the independent life of a college student. Now they've returned, these hybrid creatures, ones who think of your new storage/TV/exercise room as "my room" but who see no need to call and tell you [...].

Dogsitting Saga

It's day three of the dogsitting marathon.  The kids return and claim their dogs tomorrow. I'm certainly getting my exercise, letting them in and out.  They all park themselves in the big windows at the front of the house, waiting for ANY movement (human or otherwise) anywhere up and down the street.  Seeing such movement, they feel the immediate need to start barking, to protect us from whatever dire danger said objects might hold. It all starts early in the morning, when the newspaper carrier arrives. Our dogs know the routine and ignore the regular carrier. They do let us know if the car or carrier is different, but most mornings they just let it happen. Not so with the guest dogs.  They started barking about 3:30 this morning, which meant I had to get up and let them into the back yard. Then, they decide it's kind of fun to make me get up and go through the routine several times, with no evidence of ANYTHING to prompt repeated outbursts of barking.  Of course, I hate to discourage the barking, just in case there WAS something to warn us about.  So, I spent an hour or so, running up and down the stairs, letting them all in and out.
Then, of course, there are the periodic face-offs between our little old shaggy haired dog and our daughter's frisky little terrier. Both are males and ours feels the need to exert his Alpha status on a fairly regular basis. Usually, he just gets in the other pup's face and stares him down, letting him know he's not going to pass. They have, however, really gotten into it a couple of times, so it's a constant chore to keep an eye on the two of them.
All for the kids.  Good thing they're worth it!
Here's something to give you a weekend chuckle:

Report: Murdoch ‘absolutely despises’ Bill O’Reilly; Ailes ‘loathes him.’

In a forthcoming biography of Rupert Murdoch entitled “The Man Who Owns The News,” author Michael Wolff reports that the Fox News bosses have no fondness for Bill O’Reilly but are willing to tolerate him for his ratings: “It is not just Murdoch (and everybody else at News Corp.’s highest levels) who absolutely despises Bill O’Reilly, [...]

Friday, November 28, 2008

Hardball Without Chris?

He says it's not gonna happen.

Chris Matthews Denies Staffing Up For Possible 2010 Senate Bid

Chris Matthews is denying reports that he's recruiting staffers from the Obama campaign for a possible race for Senator from Pennsylvania in 2010. "It is absolutely not true," Matthews said in a statement posted on FiveThirtyEight.com. Matthews appears to be [...]

Good Advice

Consider this as you run around town, doing your Christmas shopping. You KNOW you'll be tempted...

Research on mice links fast food to Alzheimer's

Mice fed junk food for nine months showed signs of developing the abnormal brain tangles strongly associated with Alzheimer's disease, a Swedish researcher said on Friday. The findings, which come from a series of published papers by a researcher at[...]

Happy Holidays

They call it a "sea change".  And not in a good way.

Bush Admin Issues New Medicaid Rule That Forces Struggling Americans To Pay More For Health Care

As rising unemployment swells Medicaid rolls, the Bush administration issues a new federal rule that would allow states to “deny care or coverage to Medicaid beneficiaries who do not pay their premiums or their share of the cost for a particular item or service.” In what the New York Times describes as a “sea [...]

The Big Friday

It's the official beginning of the Christmas shopping season - Black Friday, they call it. So far we've had a Wal-Mart employee trampled to death, a female shopper worried she had miscarried in the midst of the crush (she and the baby are okay), and who knows what all else is happening out there. I'm doing my part by staying away. Bah, Humbug.

UPDATE: Two people killed in a shooting inside California Toys R Us store.

Let's all learn a lesson this year.
Christmas Shopping in a Time of Recession
The silver lining of our bleak economy: teaching our kids that the holidays are about more than [...]

Thursday, November 27, 2008

Happy Turkey Day

I'm a couple of days out of the blogging loop.  Got to babysit the granddaughter yesterday, so that pretty much ate up the day!  But you couldn't ask for a better way to spend the day!  Today is Thanksgiving, but we celebrated last Sunday with the kids and their respective spouse and fiance. So, I'm fixing a couple of Cornish Hens to have after Judie gets off work (yes, Books A Million is OPEN on Thanksgiving!). There is much going on in the world - terror attacks in India, protest problems in Thailand, the news does not take a holiday, especially when it's overseas.  Locally, there is a bit of good news. Little Rock police have made an arrest in connection with the brutal murder of a local TV anchor/reporter.  The case, they say, is solid.

On the other hand, here's something to consider as you prepare your Thanksgiving meal.

Food Prices Expected To Keep Rising

For more than a year, food manufacturers have been shaving package sizes and raising prices, declaring that they had little choice because of unprecedented increases in the cost of raw ingredients like corn, soybeans and wheat.Now, with the price of grains and other commodities plunging, it may seem logical that [...]

Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Ooops

Looks like we may have a Constitutional issue with Hillary as SoS. I'm just curious as to WHY this clause was written into the Constitution.  A pay raise could kill an appointment?

Is Hillary constitutionally barred from State Department job?

Interesting, and odd, turn of events. From Ambinder at TIME - well, Pete Williams apparently first reported this: "Article One, Section Six of the U.S. Constitution says: [...]

Staying On

Looks like Gates is gonna stick around for Obama.

Gates will stay on as Secretary of Defense.

Secretary of Defense Robert Gates has agreed to stay on under President-elect Obama “for at least the first year.” Obama will make the announcement official next week when he introduces his national security team. Politico’s Mike Allen reports: The selection of a member of President Bush’s inner circle allows Obama to deliver on his promise of [...]

Time For A Guilt-Free Nap

Here's something you should tuck away for Turkey Day!  That post-meal nap is good for you.  VERY good for you, apparently. Just don't snore!

Nap Without Guilt: It's Good For Your Memory

Just in time for the holidays, some medical advice most people will like: Take a nap. Interrupting sleep seriously disrupts memory-making, compelling new research suggests. But on the flip side, taking a nap may boost [...]

Classic Punishment

Not only is this great TV news reporting, I love the judge's creative sentence for these young'uns. You'll love it!

In Charge at Citibank

It makes ya' wonder, doesn't it?  If anyone's in charge at Citibank, they certainly made some serious errors in judgement.

Citibank Never Figured That Housing Prices Would Drop

There is an article in the NYT on the fall of Citibank that has some startling admissions, but none more shocking than this: I'm watching a lot of CNBC these days (which I admit is like standing next to a roulette table), where they are arguing right now about who is responsible for the Citibank disaster, which is being described as "a slow moving train wreck." WSJ op-ed wonders "Why are[...]

Pushing Healthcare

Already, work appears to be underway on a strategy for changing the way Americans get healthcare.

In Private Retreat, Health Care Reformers Gird For Major Battle With Insurance Industry

Here's yet another encouraging piece of news on the health care front. I'm told that dozens of the heaviest hitters from the health care reform world met for a private retreat in Virginia last week and spent two days girding [...]

The Minnesota Vote

Is it just me, or is Hank Paulson not a very good public speaker?  Maybe it's because I don't understand high finance, but I come away from his speeches and news conferences more confused.  The talking heads do try to explain things, but I'm not sure THEY understand everything.  I usually look to the stock market for some guidance, but that's not working too well.  The Dow is all over the map. It's the red rubber ball syndrome. 

Meanwhile, don't forget they're still counting votes up in Minnesota!

Franken Camp Warns Of Another Potential Disaster: Missing Ballots

Just in case you thought the Minnesota recount couldn't get any messier... The Franken campaign is now calling attention to yet another wrinkle in the Minnesota recount: Reports from around the state that ballots have been going missing. In many [...]

Monday, November 24, 2008

Makes Perfect Sense

This is pretty much right along the lines of a discussion we had around here today...there is a reason Obama is staying high profile.

Filling the vacuum

Watching Obama's press conference today, I think I noticed three separate instances in which he mentioned having another press conference tomorrow. I had the same question Kevin did: "I'm not sure why Obama wants to have a [...]
UPDATE: And, it would appear, it's working.

Obama Gets High Marks for Transition

President-elect Obama's honeymoon is underway: [...]

How Many Millions Make A Trillion?

Absolutely astronomical numbers being tossed around today. This had better work.  Seriously.

The new price tag being bandied around: $7.4 trillion 

Forget the $700 billion Bush bailout. And forget the additional $700 billion proposed by the Obama team and favored by Congressional Democrats.That's small talk, folks. Look at this plan and [...]

Borrowed From The Blogosphere

As everyone is noting, this story is so inspiring, but so sad. You will shed a tear. You will realize the inspiration. It's also a darn good example of how to put together a TV news story.

The Torture Lies Continue

I know it's the duty of a press spokesman to stand by the boss, but Dana Perino is setting a new level of lying. Is it really THAT bad? If you buy into this argument, it is.

Perino: ‘I absolutely feel comfortable’ lying about the Bush administration’s torture record.

Last week, White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said unequivocally, “We did not torture.” This is a lie. In a wide-ranging interview with the Washington Post’s Howard Kurtz, Perino refused to retract her claim: When a reporter asked last week about reports that Obama’s team plans to review techniques for interrogating terror suspects, Perino said that the [...]

Transition Cooperation

It's quite encouraging to see President Bush confer with Barack Obama about the Citibank bailout this weekend. The fact that the President says there will more talking between the two about similar situations is, likewise, encouraging.  It's all starting to position Obama as a President-Elect with much more power than we usually see...Almost-daily news briefings, policy statements and appointments that obviously are pleasing to Wall Street. One question - is there REALLY an "office of the President-Elect"?

Get This

James Rosen and Steven Thomma write for McClatchy Newspapers: Whether by design or necessity, Obama appeared to be using the deepening economic crisis to step to the forefront and seize the stage in order to reassure a nervous nation two months before he takes office. One prominent Republican, former Secretary of Treasury James Baker, suggested that Obama [...]

Huffington Post

I have a new piece that just went up in the Media area of Huffington Post.  Topic this time?

The Future of Low Power TV

I'm surprisingly optimistic this time, thanks to our wonderful economy.  And I just might encourage you to do a little channel surfing with a pair of rabbit ears. Just like the "good old days" - BC (before cable)

Saturday, November 22, 2008

Yes, Indeed. It's Bad Out There

When one of the richest counties in America is noting that times are tough, well...

Going Hungry in Marin County, California

Reporting live from Marin County, one of the richest regions in the US. After a local newspaper last week reported on the growing shortages of food in Marin's food pantries, I started doing some good old fashioned investigating. Conclusion: The crisis we are facing here, where our local Food Bank is struggling to [...]

The Siegelman Saga Rolls On

His battle continues, but he's picking up warriors all the time.

New Twist in Appeal of Ex-Alabama Governor

Accusations from a Justice employee buttress Democrats’ claims that the case against Gov. Don Siegelman was politically tainted [...]

The Economic Plan

Barack Obama tossed in a few more details in his radio address this morning. Funding seems to be the main question. If it's largely federal funds, aren't we talking a rebirth of the old WPA-type programs?

Obama economic plan aims for 2.5M new jobs by 2011 (radio address)

President-elect Barack Obama promoted an economic plan Saturday he said would create 2.5 million jobs by rebuilding roads and bridges and modernizing schools while developing alternative energy sources and more efficient cars. "These aren't just steps to pull our [...]

Early Thanksgiving

I'm headed out on this chilly Saturday morning to pick up the monthly bushel basket of locally grown/produced foods.  Sustainability.  That's what it's all about.  Then, I'm coming home to put a turkey in the smoker for an early Thanksgiving with the kids.  They're both headed out of town for the "real" turkey day with their respective spouse and future spouse.  So, I'm making them testers for an interesting looking smoked turkey recipe I found online. If it turns out really tasty, I'll share it here.  I'm smoking it today, for dinner tomorrow, so as to not risk a timing error since guessing the total time in the smoker is an inexact science, at best. Tempurature. Tempurature. Tempurature.  That's what counts.

UPDATE: This turkey had better be GREAT! It took an hour of prep work before going into the smoker!

To keep you busy, consider this as a fascinating suggestion.  And, remember, the stock market shot up 500 points yesterday with word of Obama's treasury secretary pick...

Bush: Go now

Here's an idea I can heartily endorse: Bush and Cheney resign now. That would put House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in charge -- and beginning an early implementation of the Obama regime. There's an [...]

Friday, November 21, 2008

A Huckabee Fan

Oh. My. Goodness.  This is just kinda freaky.  And, I don't think Janet is gonna be pleased.

Huckabee Groupie: ‘He’s Fine’

An Arkansas Project correspondent sends along this deeply disturbing video of a Mike Huckabee groupie breathlessly recounting her meeting with Huck at a book signing at a Costco in Northern Virginia (her testimony kicks in around 1:25). I’m not sure if I mentioned this, but it’s disturbing. Deeply. Just watch: Also disturbing is the “Team [...]

Cabinet Picks

Lots of rumors that Hillary Clinton as secretary of State is a "done deal", but the principles are still saying it's "on track".  Others, however, seem more concrete.

Obama's Cabinet Taking Shape: Geithner For Treasury, Richardson At Commerce

Those Cabinet appointments are finally starting to come -- and they're coming fast, too, just at a time when a tumbling economy and uncertain marketplace need to know who they're dealing with. Barack Obama has reportedly made his picks for [...]
Interestingly, even the far-right bloggers are pretty well pleased with the names we're hearing:

Interesting times

I may well have been wrong in doubting that Barack Obama would nominate Hillary Clinton to be Secretary of State. It seems that[...]

Coincidence?

I think not.

GM CEO To Continue Flying Private, Company Will Downsize Jet Fleet

From ABC News: "General Motors said today that it is putting two of its five corporate jets out of service because the planes are not being used enough. The top three executives at GM, however,[...]

News Views

Honestly, do you know anybody who doesn't check online news at least a few times a day? I'd have to think to a prior generation in my family to come up with anyone.

Most Consider The Web Most Reliable Source of News

Well, this says something. A Zogby Poll, commissioned by IFC, found 37.6% of those asked consider the Internets the most reliable source of news. 20.3% consider [...]

Unemployment Extension

Good change of heart by the White House.  If 6% is the break-point, Arkansas just came in at 5.4%, so that looks like another 7 weeks of jobless benefits for us, not the 13 weeks states who top 6% will get.

I'm glad he changed his mind

On Oct. 8, the White House was asked whether the president is willing to extend unemployment benefits. Dana Perino didn't use the word "veto," but she made it quite clear that the administration opposed [...]

Two Schools of Thought

Here's the video of the day, courtesy of Sarah Palin. On one hand, you don't think your turkey just walked itself into that nice little plastic bag, do you?  On the other hand, it's not real smart to do a TV interview while some guy kills turkeys just behind you.  And, please, be careful of the words you use.  Some of her lines just make things worse.  Be warned, unless you're a hunter, you might find this a bit gruesome. This is the "unblurred" version.

Thursday, November 20, 2008

The Coulter Factor

Oh, well. It couldn't happen to a "nicer" person.

How the mighty do fall: Ann Coulter pitching right-wing stock-tip scams

I'm sure a lot of you were wondering what happened to Ann Coulter this election season. The right has trotted her out to wage culture wars reliably ever since 1998. But she hardly was visible at all this year.Well, if you happen to be one of those lost souls who belongs to the Conservative Book Club, then you received one of these [...]

Fairness Doctrine, Part Two

If you lean to the right and have been climbing on board this "fairness doctrine" bandwagon, thanks to Rush and the others, take a deep breath. I'm all for trying to have some level of balance on radio and TV stations, but the fairness doctrine was almost impossible to manage. Now, please, let the New Republic calm your fears. Please. This is a non-issue.
Bum Rush 
Obama's secret plan to muzzle talk radio.  Very, very secret.  —  Rush Limbaugh, Fox News, and other friends have spent the past year screaming about the horrors of Barack Obama.  And, while it's true that they talked ad nauseam about socialism and the Weathermen and Jeremiah Wright […]

Today's "Bad Guy"

Yesterday, we had a trifecta - all three Detroit guys who flew to Washington on their private jets to beg for tax dollars.  Today, we're jumping over to the banking industry for another stellar example of a "bad guy"...

Pro Publica: Golden Parachute Soars, We Pay

From Paul Kiel: "The South Financial Group, South Carolina's largest bank, announced earlier this week that it had been approved to receive $347 million from the U.S. government. But the bank's founder and longtime CEO Mack Whittle won't be sticking [...]
UPDATE: He might not get away with it...

Suit Seeks To Block Whittle's Executive Pay

Mack Whittle is being sued by a shareholder of South Financial, who is trying to block his $18 million compensation package. The shareholder, Vernon Mercier, said the suit was prompted by last week's announcement that South Financial would receive bailout [...]

Living The Life of a Pirate

Seems some of those rogues are doing quite well for themselves, living off the cash they extorted from the ships' owners. Amazingly, there doesn't seem to be much in the way of repurcussions for what they did.

Somali Pirates Living in Luxury

You probably don’t visualize a pirate as being anywhere else except on a pirate ship. But some of those infamous Somali pirates are using their stolen loot to build mansions, hire servants and buy luxury cars. Now of course nobody is condoning what these pirates are doing, or making any sort of apologies for them. [...]
UPDATE: Another descriptive bit of reporting:

Pirates Transform Villages Into Boomtowns

Somalia's increasingly brazen pirates are building sprawling stone houses, cruising in luxury cars, marrying beautiful women _ even hiring caterers to prepare Western-style food for their hostages. And in an impoverished country where every public institution has crumbled, they have become [...]

Just A Handshake

Sometimes, what doesn't happen says more that what DOES happen!

World leaders refuse to shake Bush’s hand during G20 photo-op.

CNN’s Rick Sanchez highlighted yesterday that during last weekend’s G20 Economic Summit, leaders from around the world refused to acknowledge or shake hands with President Bush as they walked on stage for a photo-op. As Sanchez explained, everyone was “greeting each other and shaking hands, but Bush walks with his head down like the dejected [...]

UPDATE: So, it really wasn't the snub seen 'round the world, after all.

Formatting Posts

Okay, folks. I just spent some time reformatting the first page of posts. I've been using a third party software product to write the posts, but they didn't end up looking like I wanted. In other words, they looked fine in the editor, but had strange line breaks when they got to blogger. So, I'm back to the blogger interface for a while, until I can figure out the issue with the other product. Sorry for the ugly posts!

Bargain Hunting

The New York Times has a great article today on how even online shopping sites have been forced to deeply discount prices on a lot of items. Great advice for all!

Web Sites Wage Holiday Price Wars

As deserted malls and department stores struggle to court consumers with steep discounts, an even more ferocious price war is being [...]




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Wednesday, November 19, 2008

I Wonder..

I really DO wonder if any of my information was stolen. I'm getting progressively more concerned about this kind of stuff the older I get.

Massive privacy breach leads to extortion over medical records

Wow. This company has records on 15% of the entire US population - and those records now appear to be in the hands of criminals. "Corporate custodians of confidential medical data should be closely monitoring events connected to a nightmarish computer security breach in the St.Louis region. Express Scripts is [...]


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If Ever

If ever I had a fleeting thought that giving some money to the automakers might be a good thing, these idiots at the helm killed it today. At least they killed it for me.  Congress better sit on the cash.

Annals of Bad PR

Detroit CEOs fly private jets to DC to seek taxpayer bailout [...]
UPDATE:  Still more details and they paint an even uglier picture.  These guys' heads are so far into the clouds that they truly can't see what's happening down below.

Yet another reason why Big Auto is failing

Clueless. Absolutely clueless. Anyone who is serious about keeping their company afloat - let alone snag billions - needs to re-think the way they do business. Management always loves to criticize the unions for costing too much but this royal [...]






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Google and LIFE

What a deal! Google has LIFE magazine pics. Millions of them! Like this:



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Good Golly!

What a sweet deal! Doncha just kinda, sorta, think that there might be a tax dollar or two in this deal? That sinking feeling in the pit of your stomach is the new norm, I'm afraid.

AIG paying $3 million to executives who were fired

Amazing that AIG does not yet get it. It's time to use the power that the government has over there and cleanhouse. The excuse from AIG is that this was deferred compensation that was previously earned. Um, yeah, but that previously earned revenue has been shown to be complete rubbish which is [...]

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Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Huckabee, Still Wrong

Oh, this isn't gonna paint him in a good light. Except for the FAR right.

Huckabee Claims Civil Rights Of Gays Are Not Being Violated: They Aren’t Getting Their ‘Skulls Cracked’

Today on ABC’s “The View,” former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabe discussed his pride that an African-American has been elected president. When host Joy Behar asked if he feels the same about gay rights, he said that the two were “a different set of rights,” and suggested that the gay rights movement hasn’t suffered enough violence [...]


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Indictments

But, do they really mean anything?

Vice President Cheney and former Attorney General Gonzales indicted.

A South Texas grand jury has returned multi-count indictments against Vice President Dick Cheney and former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales on charges related to the alleged abuse of prisoners in Willacy County’s federal detention centers: "The indictment accuses Cheney and Gonzales of engaging in organized criminal activity. It criticizes Cheney’s investment in the Vanguard Group, which [...]
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Racism Lives On

The reports continue. And, once again, I must say this puts a really shameful face on America, even on its youth. What are they so afraid of?

UPDATED: Chilling Reports by Students: Classmates With Guns Talk of Shooting Obama -- And Racism in Wasilla, Alaska

Here at E&P, starting over a week ago, we have been chronicling local anti-Obama incidents, many far from the national spotlight, usually involving racist attacks of a verbal, physical or even criminal nature. We are following this largely from the Web pages of smaller daily or weekly newspapers. A few days ago, [...]



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Rove's Fingers Were Deep Into the Pie

There's just no end to the confirmation reports. Each one puts the Bush Administration a bit deeper into a bad situation.

New Senate Report On US Attorney Firings Finds Rove Helped Compile List

The Justice Department already found, in its report on the U.S. Attorney firings, that the White House engineered the firings, and that inappropriate political concerns had played in to several of the dismissals. Still, the Senate Judiciary Committee released a [...]



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About That Bailout...

The questions are being asked.  Seriously.  I'm not hearing much in the way of convincing answers...

Did Bush/Paulson Scam Us? Were We Fooled Again?

...According to my sources in DC, many in Congress are beginning to
believe that Bush and Paulson bailed out their friends on Wall Street,
with few conditions to lend the money out. Many now feel that's all
they really wanted. There are rumors flying around DC that [...]



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Getting Off With Nary A Slap on the Wrist

Welcome home, Joe. No hard feelings, here.

Senate Democrats allow Lieberman to go unpunished: We ‘feel good about what we did today.’


Today
in a closed-door meeting, Senate Democrats voted 42-13 to allow Joe
Lieberman (I-CT) to keep his chairmanship of the Senate Homeland
Security Committee, despite his attacks on Barack Obama during the
campaign season. Shortly afterward, Senate Democrats held a press
conference during which they stood by Lieberman and surrounded him with
their support. Some [...]





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The Abortion Battle

From Political Animal, Steve Benen has details of some behind-the-scenes compromise efforts on the abortion issue.  The efforts have the far-right in a tizzy.

Now they tell us

For several years now, leading Democrats -- some of whom support abortion rights, some of whom don't -- have made a good-faith effort to find some common ground with conservatives on preventing unwanted pregnancies and reducing [...]
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Tuesday Troubles

We're into day two of what promises to be an unusually chilly stretch around these parts. We're doing an early Thanksgiving with the kids this weekend and I want to smoke the turkey, but with a predicted high of 48 on Saturday, I'm not sure. 

News today? The stock market popped higher after the open, but (at this writing), it's pulling back.  Can't we get just a few good days?  Please? Then, there's this:

Child Hunger In US Rose 50 Percent In 2007

New government figures show that almost 700,000 children went hungry in the United States at some point in 2007, up more than 50 percent from the year before to mark the highest point since 1998. And that's even before [...]

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Sunday, November 16, 2008

Here We Go, Again

Looks like this week could shape up to be more of the same, thanks to the economy.  I'm not sure that lower consumer prices is really a BAD thing, but the market probably won't like it.

Housing starts expected to hit half-century low: Consumer prices falling at fastest pace in 60 years

Few observers have ever seen anything like the economic data that will be released in the coming week, with the consumer price index and housing starts each expected to breach records dating back to the late 1940s. With the global economy [...]
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Here's Where The Jobs Are...

Making Spam, THAT'S where the jobs are.  A sign, I'm afraid, of the times. I've just never found a way to make this stuff taste very good. I don't think I'm alone, but, it may be time to try again.

Spam is back and it's hot

And I'm not talking about the stuff in your email box. We're talking the original Spam, the original mystery meat, that you remember from camping trips as a kid. I think I had my fill of Spam as a kid when we crammed a family of five plus a dog into our little sailboat on the Chesapeake Bay. It could last forever so it always made it into [...]
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The Push Is On

Shiver!  It's a chilly Sunday morning here in Arkansas.  Unusually chilly for this time of year.  Right down around freezing when I put the coffee on a couple of hours ago.  Been thumbing through the Sunday paper and a revived (so far) Bloglines.  Much of the discussion seems to focus on jobs.  No big surprise. It's tough out there.  I'm still looking for something new and there's just not much locally for someone with my skill set. Everybody is making do with existing staff, cutting back on expansion and advertising. Thus, the push is on.

Democrats Focus on Jobs, Jobs, Jobs

The newly-strengthened majority party is pushing hard for a massive infrastructure program, automaker bailouts and [...]      
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Saturday, November 15, 2008

Come On America

This is 2008.  Not 1808.

Greg Mitchell: Racial Incidents and Threats Against Obama Soar: Here Is a Chronicle

Since election day, the number of threats against the president-elect, and racial or violent incidents directed at his supporters, have soared. The Secret Service is concerned, but the national media have largely ignored the disturbing pattern. So a few days ago, over at the Editor & Publisher site, we started chronicling the incidents, which [...]
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Saturday Shuffle

I have a long list of things to do today, plus bloglines appears to be lacking updates again today.  That pushes me back to an outdated collection of blogs in Google Reader (ya, I know, I can fix that.  But....) where it's not nearly as easy to pull posts into this blog.  Nevertheless, here's one I just couldn't pass up...

White House serves $500 wine for economic crisis meeting

No wonder Bush has been such a blockhead with the economy. This is a person that no matter what, does not get it. There are plenty of fine wines out there for a fraction of the price and when you get into the $500 range, you are often buying for your ego more than anything. There are exceptions but [...]
Oh, yes.  There is food, too.


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Friday, November 14, 2008

Not Speaking Officially

We've got ourselves a rogue priest over in South Carolina...

SC priest: no communion for Obama voters

Is the Catholic church really throwing down the gauntlet on this one, or do we have one Palmetto State priest freelancing for hype? "A South Carolina Roman Catholic priest has told his parishioners that they should refrain from receiving Holy Communion if they voted for Barack Obama because the Democratic president-elect supports abortion, and [...]
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TV Troubles

My latest effort for Huffington Post just went "live".  I'm painting a bleak picture of where television is today, and what's around the corner.

What's Missing? Optimism, That's What
Hang around any television station these days and sniff out the attitude. It's far from positive. Nearly every projection for advertising revenue is headed the wrong way. Auto dealerships, long a crucial part of every station' advertiser portfolio [...]
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Siegelman Update

Oh, my!  The Don Siegelman story out of Alabama just got pulled back into the headlines. In a big way.

Siegelman: New Revelations "More Frightening Than Anything That Came Before."

Former Alabama governor Don Siegelman says that new revelations about his prosecution amount to "outrageous criminal conduct in the US Attorney's office and the Department of Justice," and are "more frightening than anything that has come before." And he believes [...]

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Feeling Like the '90s

I'm not sayin' Obama is going to be Bill Clinton re-born, but a lot of the names are really, really, familiar.

"Clintonites Are Everywhere"

Politico has a good rundown of all the Clintonites that have been invited into Obama's government, and what it all means. Money quote: "Obama is showing great good sense in making use of their experience," said William Galston, a former [...]

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The Change Is, Apparently, Official

It's now on paper, in black and white, in the Plum Book.  The Bush Administration rewrote the rules on the office of Vice President.

Cheney Codifies His False View Of Vice President’s Office Into Official ‘Plum Book’ Of Federal Jobs

Every four years, the federal government produces the “Plum Book,” listing “more than 7,000 government jobs that are likely to open up with the presidential transition.” This year, the book was published by the Senate Committee on Government Affairs (publication duty alternates between the Senate and the House Committee on Government Reform), which is chaired [...]
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Thursday, November 13, 2008

Palin's Very Bad Day

The trainwreck in Miami.  Via Keith Olbermann.

From The Right

The latest sucker-punch.  Honestly, I'm tired of this old religion/church argument.

Obama Attended Jeremiah Wright’s Services “Every Week”

Though he claimed otherwise on the campaign trail, in a 2004 interview, Obama boasted of regular attendance at Trinity Church with Jeremiah Wright’s anti-white, anti-American sermons. President-elect Barack Obama said in 2004 – while he was a state legislator running for a U.S. Senate seat – that he attended services at Trinity United Church of Christ [...]
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Just One Minute

If you're a fan of Keith Olbermann (heck, you might enjoy it even if you hate him), this is a marvelously well-edited 1:00 version of all of his "Special Comments". I truly had to chuckle out loud!

Get the latest news satire and funny videos at 236.com.

Would Hillary Take It?

Loud chatter tonight on NBC/MSNBC that Hillary Clinton may be in the running to become Secretary of State in the Obama administration. Hmmm. What do you think?
First Read: Hillary Clinton for secretary of state?
Two Obama advisers have told NBC News that Hillary Clinton is under consideration to be secretary of state. Would she be interested? Those who know Clinton say possibly.  But her office says [...]
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Conspiracy Theories

Oh, those funny GOP folks in Minnesota.  They're having a heyday with some outlandish conspiracy theories in the Franken/Coleman shootout.

Debunked: '32 Franken Ballots in a Car' Story is Complete Nonsense, Never Happened

For those following the nonsense being put forward by the GOP conspiracy theorists (such as Sean Hannity, Norm Coleman, RedState blog, PowerLine blog and all their fact-free friends), David Brauer at the Minneapolis Post does a terrific job of debunking the whole "32 ballots driven around in an election director's [...]
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Not A Good Move

Rule number 1 - Careful with that Facebook page.  Rule number 2 - don't be a racist idiot.

U. of Texas Player Kicked Off Team For Racially Charged Threats On Obama

This story has little to do with sports, although you wouldn't know it from reading this article. Former center for the University of Texas Longhorns, Buck Burnette, made a racially charged threat against the president-elect of our nation and is lucky he only got kicked off his school's football team and didn't land himself in jail. The article brings up [...]
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An Outspoken Governor

But, I must say, this is another example of how the Republican Governor's meeting is turning into quite the little trainwreck.

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Crazy Day

Oh, what a day this Thursday is starting to be.  The stock market is bouncing around like a rubber ball, confused by the economic bailout program. Sarah Palin held a news conference unlike any I've ever seen - just three or four questions.  What's up with that? 
Meanwhile, the House and Senate both hold oversight meetings to try to figure out what the heck is going on. Paulson is taking a real beating and rightfully so.

No oversight of $700 billion bailout: "it's a mess."

This shouldn't be a surprise. The Bush administration provided no oversight of Iraq. No oversight of the economy. No oversight of the country. So, this shouldn't be a surprise: [...]
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Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Your Investments

Hey, New York Times, some of us who aren't quite to retirement age are a tad bit worried, too.

Retirees Cope With Dwindling Portfolios

With the economy in free fall and stocks down, legions of middle- and upper-middle-class retirees are suddenly worried about having enough to carry them [...]
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Haines Goes For The Jugular

This takes my "quote of the day" honors, hands down. There's video on the link and it's going to become a classic.

CNBC's Mark Haines Thinks Treasury Treats US Like Mushrooms: Kept In Dark, Fed BS

CNBC's Squawk On The Street anchor Mark Haines had a unique analogy for the way he thinks the Treasury Department has been handling the economic rescue plan. He's pretty steamed about a perceived lack of transparency and consistency in Treasury's communications.When discussing the economy with CNBC's Steve Liesman and co-anchor Erin Burnett, Haines said he said he no longer wanted to be treated like a "mushroom." [...]

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Flip

Meet Flop - better known as Hank Paulson.  What the heck is up with the bailout plan? That was the most confused/confusing news conference I've watched in a long time.

Paulson: TARP? What TARP?

Remember that $700 billion plan to buy toxic waste assets that we had to pass immediately or it would be the end of the world? Well, Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson never bought those toxic assets. Instead he ran around giving money directly to bad banks. Have you noticed how much better [...]
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Ready. Set. Go!

The push is on for universal health care. Already! And, yes, I'm talking about universal health care HERE.  In the good old USA.

The Baucus Plan

It's just a first step, and there are all kinds of political and policy details yet to come, but Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus' (D-Mont.) healthcare blueprint, unveiled today, is a very big deal. It's not [...]
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Surprised?

I'm betting a lot of folks who don't like Obama are going to be a bit surprised by this...

Obama administration to ratchet up hunt for bin Laden

President-elect Barack Obama wants to renew the U.S. commitment to finding al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, according to his national security advisers. The Obama team believes the Bush administration has downplayed the importance of catching the FBI's [...]
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Happy H Day!

It's an absolutely ugly day around here - chilly, rainy, breezy.  Just looked at the online radar and it's just rolling through here - wave after wave - if the entire line will just slide about 10 miles to the southeast, we'll  be okay. That, sadly, appears to be a really big "if" for right now. In the meantime, maybe a bit of video, courtesy of MSNBC and Rachel Maddow, will (at least) give you a chuckle -

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

All The Way To The Top

The economy is hitting EVERYBODY now. Truly EVERYBODY.
Ski Town For The Ultra-Rich Files For Bankruptcy
The Yellowstone Club, an exclusive mountain retreat for the ultra-rich, said it filed for bankruptcy Monday after failing to secure new financing -- underscoring that even the elite can't escape the country's current economic troubles. Spokesman Bill Keegan said the club filed[...]
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Ah, Yes...

The KKK shines on.

Police: Woman slain as she tried to leave KKK rite

An Oklahoma woman invited to a rural Louisiana campsite for a Ku Klux Klan initiation ritual was shot and killed after she asked to be taken back to town, the sheriff of a New Orleans suburb said Tuesday. Eight people were arrested after authorities found the woman's body hidden under [...]
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A Bit Of Advice

Watch what the kids are eating.  Arkansas ranks WAY up there when it comes to overweight kids.  No matter where you are, this isn't something to laugh about.

Fat Kids Have The Arteries Of 45-Year-Olds, Study Shows

Obese children as young as 10 had the arteries of 45-year-olds and other heart abnormalities that greatly raise their risk of heart disease, say doctors who used ultrasound tests to take a peek inside."As the old saying goes, you're as old as your arteries are," said Dr. Geetha Raghuveer of Children's Hospital in Kansas City, who led one of the studies. "This is [...]
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Monday, November 10, 2008

Let's Talk About Being " Happy"

My goodness, but Keith Olbermann nailed it tonight. Not only has Arkansas' foster child situation been an embarrassment, but California has a bigger problem.

Just Click

Oh, by the way, my first piece at Huffington Post has posted. Go. Read.

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100 Seconds

That's all it will take.  Everything you need to know about today. In 100 seconds.

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Usually Funny

From a usually funny blogger, comes stinging criticism of Arkansas' just-passed initiative to make sure gays and unmarried couples can't adopt children. It's a sad change that was promoted (I got approached by a petitioner who said something like "it was a change to make Arkansas' adoption laws better for the children". Right..

Fostering and Adoption in Arkansas

This isn't the least bit funny or entertaining, but I have to get this off my chest. Arkansas voters passed by a 57% majority, a vile proposition stating: [...]
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Well, Lookee Here!

Some of you are gonna hate to hear this, but it looks like Keith Olbermann's not going anywhere for a long time!  Like until after the 2012 elections!

Olbermann Extends MSNBC Deal…

MSNBC’s release on Olbermann extending his deal with MSNBC. Note the part about “play a prominent role in MSNBC’s coverage of all major news events”. Is that MSNBC’s way of saying Olbermann will be more than an “analyst” to get around saying that Olbermann will not just be an analyst after the Matthews/Olbermann implosion earlier [...]
You wonder why?

The Scoreboard: Friday, Nov. 7


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The Big Decline

True, I could be talking about the Stock Market.  But this is more about the president's popularity. Note the new CNN poll referenced in the update. Least popular president. Ever.

Least popular president meets one of the most popular presidents-elect.

Today, President-elect Barack Obama is scheduled to meet with President Bush at the White House. The New York Times notes that the visit will be both “historic” and “perhaps awkward,” since Obama consistently criticized Bush on the campaign trail. A new Gallup analysis also finds that the meeting will be “a remarkable contrast between one [...]
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The Good Old Days

Hat tip to A. J. Lindsey and his great blog about the wonderful years when KAAY radio was one of the rock powerhouses in the United States.  He passes along a couple of memories from the "good old days".  They don't make commercial campaigns like this today:

And, as long as we're remembering those days, also thanks to A. J., the days when radio stations actually had jingles!

Totally unrelated, but kind of neat (for me) - my first article went live today on Huffington Post.  Head on over there and feel free to leave a comment.
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Saturday, November 08, 2008

Watching The Numbers

Wondering how the nation's accepting Barack Obama?  Apparently, he's not scaring quite as many people as originally thought.  The positive numbers are pretty high..

Barack Obama's favorable ratings rise

Just a few days after a historic presidential election that played out against a backdrop of deep satisfaction with the way things are going in America, President-elect Barack Obama has gained several points in the public's image of the Democrat who won the election. On election eve, [...]
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Aw, Come On, Norm!

Why not let the truth come out?  Why fight it?  All it does it make you look bad. Oh, that's right. In the eyes of many, you didn't look too good already...

Coleman Files to Stop Statewide Canvass in Minnesota Senate Race

Senator Norm Coleman isn't waiting for the recount. He's filing to stop the canvass of votes that will certify the unofficial totals reported. That's right, Coleman wants to win the election based on the unofficial totals. After pressuring Franken to concede and claiming a win, Coleman [...]
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Give Us A Break!

Seems those of us here in the U.S. just can't get a real break when it comes to gasoline prices.  Just as prices start to become somewhat reasonable (yes, SOMEWHAT reasonable), the great guys at OPEC figure we've got money to throw around.  Need an excuse to move ahead, quickly, on finding other sources to power our vehicles?

OPEC president: Oil cuts likely if no price rally

OPEC nations could further reduce oil output if moves last month to slash production do not bolster plummeting oil prices, OPEC president Chakib Khelil said Saturday. Khelil, who is also Algeria's energy minister, said an OPEC report would [...]
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Quotes: Back To Haunt Them

Oh, will they ever learn?  And, please, don't let the next administration think statements can never come back to haunt them!

White House: We Never ‘Cheerlead’ On The Economy, Admitting It Is In A ‘Recession’ Is ‘Irrelevant’

In yesterday’s White House Press conference, spokesperson Tony Fratto responded to a question about whether or not the economy is currently in recession by saying, “We don’t make determinations or predictions on…the bottom of the business cycle.” Noting the obvious euphemism, one reporter observed, “I may be wrong, but I’ve never heard anyone ever say [...]


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Friday, November 07, 2008

Good Golly

They're at it, hot and heavy.

Morris, Hannity, Limbaugh implicate Obama in stock-market decline -- analysts disagree

On November 6, Fox News contributor and syndicated columnist Dick Morris, Fox News host Sean Hannity, and nationally syndicated radio host Rush Limbaugh asserted that President-elect Barack Obama is to blame for the decline of the stock market following the November 4 presidential election. Several analysts, however, disagree -- including some [...]

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Cheers!

From one of the staunchly right-leaning blogs I follow comes a most unexpected post. Pilgrim, you nailed this issue.  Thanks!

Election 2008: Arkansas Bans Adoption Of Children By Gays And Unmarried Couples

My views on this probably won't set well with some of my fellow conservatives, but [...]
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Weekend Reading

If you haven't found the time to read through the seven-part Newsweek series on the 2008 Campaigns, this weekend would be a great time to do it. It's spectacular work by a sizable team of writers.
Click Here and start reading. Note that there are links to all seven parts near the top of the page. Yes, it really is THAT good.

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Oh, Man, They Are Upset

This is fun to watch.  I figured this might happen when even the Fox News folks started running with the Sarah Palin stories, fed by sources in the campaign. Get your scorecard ready!

A Boycott Of Fox News By Conservatives

Bloggers on Free Republic, AKA Freepers, are mad as Hell and they aren’t going to take it any more. The treatment of Sarah Palin by Fox reporter Carl Cameron and others has incensed them to the point where they are vowing never to watch again. I’ve compiled some of the comments from the site for [...]
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A Sense of Humor

It's a good thing.  And, just for the record, this Obama dog thing--it MUST be a shelter dog. Please...

Obama's Puppy Plans

During his presser Friday, the president-elect fields a question from Chicago Sun Times' Lynn Sweet on the kind of dog he and his wife are looking at for their daughters. Says they want one that's both hypoallergenic because Malia is allergic and a shelter dog, or "mutt" -- quickly adding, "like me." "Whether we're going to be [...]
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It's The Stupid Economy

GM is really in trouble.  GM says it has only enough money to operate through the end of the year.
Ford's in trouble, too.
Unemployment is at a 14 year high.
However, Porsche is doing just great, thank you!
The stock market lost another ten percent in the past couple of days, this just after we met with our financial guy and he was hoping the freefall was bottoming out. Let's see what happens to the market after Obama meets with reporters this afternoon.
How's that for an exciting rundown of the morning headlines?

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Thursday, November 06, 2008

Olbermann, Too

Okay, Campbell Brown on CNN got the nod just below from a decent commentary.  Olbermann nailed the same topic, in a slightly different manner.

It's All Politics

Had the house to myself for a couple of hours tonight, so I immersed myself in TV politics, Olbermann, Maddow and Campbell Brown.  She was pretty "right on" with her commentary tonight. I'm becoming somewhat impressed.

Tonight's Word

Irony. Short and simple.

County Where Palin Hailed "Real America" Voted Overwhelmingly For Obama

Remember Guilford County, North Carolina, the place where Sarah Palin said she was happy to be in "Real America"? Well, the North Carolina numbers are now all in, and guess what: Obama won this "Real American" county -- by a [...]
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