2010 archive
The Entitlement Society 0
Eric Zorn reports in the Chicago Trib:
The nanny, the lawn service, the maid service, the private school for their three children, the cable TV … “If these cuts don’t work, we will sell our house,” he bleated.
I am somehow unable to feel Professor Henderson’s pain. Never having been elevated to ranks of the privileged, I cannot grasp the horror of having to vacuum one’s own floors, of having to rear one’s own children, or of having to push one’s own lawn mower.
“Dumb” Is Not a Generational Issue 0
Columns like this are a waste of time.
They are, at best, intellectual jello. A moment of sweetness with no lasting value.
Furrfu.
iMeglomania 0
Pretty soon, they’ll sue Sesame Street for being “brought to you by the letter i.”
From El Reg:
Apple is reportedly arguing that a video projector with the word “Pod” in its name would cause confusion with its own iPod products.
(snip)
A lawyer representing Sector Labs tells the publication there’s a growing trend of dominant tech firms trying to assume ownership of ordinary words.
“An Armed Society Is a Polite Society” 0
Yet more politeness grows from the barrel of a gun.
Robert G. Lambert, 52, of Trainer, who is white, has been charged with aggravated assault, terroristic threats, harassment, and ethnic intimidation in the incident.
He was dawdling down the road “at a low rate of speed” when they passed him on the way to work.
Also, just down the road from this guy, another burst of politeness:
But that’s not how the people near the bullets remember it.
Stanley allegedly fired from his third-floor apartment window between 7:36 p.m. and 1:40 a.m., when New Castle County SWAT officers took him into custody. The officers used an explosive on his door, then sent a robot into the apartment as a precaution before they went in themselves.
Dustbiters 0
Banks that used to master the universe, but are no more:
Plus three credit unions:
Credit Atrios for the link to the creditless unions.
A Taste of Honey 0
Well, maybe not so much:
Americans consume about 350 million pounds of honey per year, but just 150 million pounds are made domestically, creating a booming market for importers and ample temptation to cut pure honey with additives such as corn syrup that are far less expensive to produce.
“Contract on America” Redux 0
The Republicans pledge more of the same of what got us here. If AA operated on the same principles, their meetings would open with a round of cocktails.
| The Daily Show With Jon Stewart | Mon – Thurs 11p / 10c | |||
| Postcards From the Pledge | ||||
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Talking Points Memo rounds up Republican reactions.
The Booman comments.
I Wooden Stand for This . . . 0
. . . because wood is heavier and more difficult to cart away:
A day or so later, the rest were gone.
Likely stolen to be sold as scrap.
Get Your Nostalgia Here 0
Zandar reports on the breadlines.
Asking the Right Question 0
ThePoliticalCat, in a post entitled “I Pay Taxes So the Rich Don’t Have To”:
Read the whole thing.
Va. Beach Democratic Committee Fourth Saturday Breakfast 0
Date: Saturday, September 25th
Time: 9-10:30 a. m.
Location: Bubba’s Deli & BBQ, 3600 Dam Neck Rd, Virginia Beach (west side of Dam Neck Rd. between Princess Anne Blvd. and Rosemont Rd.; access via service road at Lansdowne Ct. next to the Farmers Market).
Cost: Adults $10.00, Under 12 &6.00 for all-you-can-eat buffet (it’s a pretty good buffet, too–plenty of variety).
More information here.
Nothing To Do, Nowhere To Go 0
In a follow-up to the preceding post, another form of Wall Street derivative. For all practical purposes, no change from last week.
Initial jobless claims increased by 12,000 to 465,000 in the week ended Sept. 18, Labor Department figures showed today in Washington. The total number of people receiving unemployment insurance declined, while those getting extended payments rose.
Employers that have slowed firings since the recession ended in June 2009 haven’t stepped up the pace of hiring enough to reduce an unemployment rate hovering near a 26-year high. A lack of job growth may signal consumer spending will be restrained in the second half of the year, economists said.
New and Improved Bags of Air 0
When you open up your “portfolio,” there’s no there there, nothing there but air.
Bloomberg:
Within six months, Miller had lost about 30 percent of her $20,000 investment and the bonds were converted into shares of Merck & Co. in a falling stock market. The San Diego resident, who still doesn’t understand what happened to her money, had purchased bonds known as structured notes that include built-in derivatives.
Read the whole thing.