March, 2009 archive
Bonddad on the GDP 0
Follow the link for the analysis:
(chart snipped)
Exports were the one solid performer — until last quarter when they dropped over 20%. Imports dropped as well due to the lack of consumer demand.
The bottom line is simple: there is no area of the economy looking good right now.
Covering Up 0
CIA destroyed 92 tapes of its interrogations of prisoners. The tapes were subject to a discovery proceeding:
The ACLU immediately called for the judge to issue a “prompt finding of contempt” against the CIA.
Amrit Singh, an attorney with the ACLU and counsel on the case said to Raw Story, “The large number of video tapes destroyed confirms that this was a systemic attempt to evade court orders.”
Singh added, “It’s about time, now that the court knows 92 tapes have been destroyed, that it hold the CIA accountable for the destruction of the tapes.”
In other news, Attorney General Holder again rules out Bushie torture:
“Waterboarding is torture. My justice department will not justify it, will not rationalize it and will not condone it,” Holder said in a speech to the Jewish Council of Public Affairs.
His 15 Minutes of Fame Are So Over 2
Why We Need a Single-Payer Health Insurance System 0
Read this. All the way through.
The Cost of Perpetuating Ignorance 2
Steve sums up the successes of “abstinence only” sex education:
Later on, he has this quotation from the news story that prompted his post.
“Believe it or not, kids today get less information in schools about birth control than their parents did,” Columbia University professor Leslie M. Kantor said.
If they are getting less information than I did, they are truly in deep yoghurt. Or Jello. Or something.
The Reflection at the Bottom of the Well 0
MarketPlace Morning Report just told me over Marconi’s Magic Box that, in the current economic situation, there are still . . .
Somehow, I suspect that sales of single malts are down and sales of Olde Razorblade are up.
Bread and Milk (Updated) 5
About four inches of snow so far (measured on the tonneau cover of my pick ’em up truck when I picked up my paper from my delivery person who does damned good work) and more coming.
I’ve ranted before about the screwy response of Delawareans to a forecast of snow. They act as if they were packing to explore Antartica. On foot. With no dog sleds.
The local rag did a piece on that today.
What I can’t figure out is why the story started with a report from Lowe’s.
Delawareans can be screwy, but I’ve never heard of one stocking up on plywood and nails and plumbing fixtures before a snow storm.
Addendum:
Bill, in the comments, suggests they were thinking “snow shovel panic,” which I didn’t think of because I have a snow shovel–same one I’ve had for 15 years. I think we had snow shovel panic earlier with one of the snows we didn’t have earlier.
Mithras reports chaos in his home town:
Substance, Not Just Style 0
Nice catch by CC.
The Audacity of Nope 0
The Booman analyzes the effects of the Republican Party’s policy of “Just say, ‘No'”:
One of Bill Clinton’s nicknames was “Slick Willie.” It would more accurately have been “Slippery Willie.” Mr. Clinton had a knack for slipping out of tough spots, most of which were of his own creation.
Mr. Obama is not slippery. But he sure as heck is slick, slicker than the Republicans have yet comprehended. If politics were chess, he would be Deep Blue.
Republicans are still acting as if the tactics they used against Mr. Clinton (mostly screaming, lying–Vince Foster q. v.–finger-pointing, and fantasizing about other persons’ sex lives) will work against Mr. Obama.
They won’t.
Drinking Liberally 0
Tuesday, Triumph Brewing Company, Chestnut between Letitia and 2nd, Philadelphia, Pa., USA, 6 p.
Sane persons talking about sanity.
If the weather forecast holds true, I’ll be there. Otherwise, otherwise.
Hell, your job is going away anyway. What else is there to do?
Ending the Silly 0
One becomes certain that the Department of Homeland Security’s (which should never have been created and was one, maybe the only, thing Bush was right about and Democrats were wrong about–and should have been named the Department of Domestic Security if it had to be) stupid color-coded terror alert system, which was always directed more to promoting the fear that Bushism thrived on than at providing useful information, is on the way out when it becomes the subject of a poll at Parade dot com.
Weather 1
The forecast is for snow.
Looks like they may be right this time (radar as of 4 p. m.):
The worst snow storms we get in these parts are not the ones Karen sends here from Colorado. They tend to drop most of their snow over the Midwest and the western slope of the Appalachians.
The worst ones are the ones that come up from the south, all full of moisture sucked up from the Atlantic Ocean and the Chesapeake Bay.
Like this one six years ago.
Right now, the prediction is for two to four inches, enough to be annoying.
Yes, we have bread and milk.
Grand Designs 0
Dick Polman takes a look at current Republican strategy. He sums it us thus:
And there’s arguably no better way for CPAC to signal the paucity of thought on the right, and thus alienate more voters, than to free up some time at the podium for…Joe the Plumber. Which is what happened yesterday, I kid you not. Need we say more?
Follow the link for the whole analysis.
One More Time: The Internet Is a Public Place 2
Persons keep learning the hard way:
Swann described herself as “shocked” at the perfunctory nature of her ejection as a result of the comment “on her personal site”. She protested: “I did not even put the company’s name, I just put that my job was boring. They were just being nosy, going through everything. I think it is really sad, it makes them look stupid that they are going to be so petty.”
Afterthought:
Some jobs are boring, for heaven’s sake. Even the most exciting jobs have boring bits. Even Superman had to do his laundry (at least, I hope, for Lois Lane’s sake, that he did his laundry).
Anyone who enjoys at least half of his or her job is luckier than most.
The company clearly has overreacted, but she’s still out of a job.
What Went Wrong 0
This American Life explains how the Wall Street banks broke the banks, and, in the process, defines in plain language all the gibberish terms and acronyms that Wall Street bankers use to conceal their foolish greed. From the website:
If you want to know what’s going on, listen to this show.
I’ll link to the audio when it is posted. The audio is available for streaming or downloading at the link above.
The Rest of the Story (Updated) 0
R. I. P. Paul Harvey.
In the olden days, I used to listen to him on WAMU-AM, which used to be one of the best radio stations in the country. (Now it’s just another wingnut talker).
He never let a fact stand in the way of a good story in his Rest of the Story feature.
Addendum:
Harry Shearer has an appreciation, starting about 30 minutes into the show.