June, 2010 archive
The Galt and the Lamers 0
Be sure to start with episode one, linked in beginning of the post.
Spill Now, Pay Later. And Pay, and Pay, and Pay . . . 0
MarketWatch compares the effects Katrina and Buccaneer Petroleum. Katrina comes off looking pretty good. As you watch it, remember that MarketWatch is part of Rupert Murdoch’s Wall Street Journal. The focus on dollars, rather than on nature or any sort of holistic take on things, is simply how they see the world. In the Wall Street World, dollars are the wholistic take.
The Logical Result of the Anti-Vaccine Hysteria . . . 1
. . . the claims behind which have been totally discredited.
“There have been 35 pertussis cases reported this year, which is more than four times the number reported by this time last year,” San Mateo County Health Officer Dr. Scott Morrow said in a statement.
Virginia Beach Hands across the Sand 3
From the local rag:
The event was part of an international campaign called Hands Across the Sand. In Virginia Beach, the event at 31st Street attracted participants with signs and petitions. Starting at noon, the line stretched from 31st Street to 22nd Street with a few gaps, and participants shuffled down the beach and held hands.
“I’m very, very excited. In my book, it was 100 percent successful,” said Eileen Levandoski, organizer of the Virginia events. “This was phenomenal, the fact that we were able to pull this off in the first place.”
From my position, I did not realize how far the line stretched. There were other events at other local beaches, as well as throughout the country.
Neocon Con Job 0
Succintly summarized by the Steven D. in a piece on BP’s wild well:
Have Cake, Eat It Too, Mope Dept. 1
The police say that they called off the chase before the accident.
Michael Jones claims the Vineland officers were negligent in chasing him at high speeds. He blames them for the March 30 accident that left him injured and killed an 81-year-old man.
I would consider that he was negligent in ripping off the vehicle in the first place, but that’s me.
Most police departments in the Mid-Atlantic part of the country–I don’t know about the rest–have policies to minimize high-speed chases. They have found that the odds of their ending without injury or death, often to bystanders as happened here, are slim, while the odds of catching the mope later are fat high.
This looks to me like a case of creative defense attorney. It will be interesting to see where this one goes (though I suspect the outcome won’t be widely reported).
Which leads to the question: In English idiom, why isn’t the opposite of “slim odds,” “fat odds”?
Obama, Can’t Win for Losing Dept. 0
Steve Benen explains.
Much criticism of Obama does not contain an undercurrent of racism.
It contains an undertow. In the eyes of some, he will never get anything right.
I’m a Veteran of Cynicism (and Not of the Armed Services, Just To Prevent Misunderstanding) 0
When I saw this:
my first thought was that it was designed to divert attention from this:
___________________
Note Below: Of the apparently fraudulent charity, U. S. Navy Veterans Association. Follow the second link for details.
Times-Dispatch link via Not Larry Sabato.
“As You Pass through the Lobby, Be Sure To Buy a Teeshirt and Some Bumper Stickers” 0
Steve M. muses on movements, marketing, and magickal thinking.
Stamped by the Past 0
Where I grew up, S&H Green Stamps ruled the grocery stores (according to the article at the link, they’ve gone virtual).
I remember my mother’s dragging us to the S&H store, but, for the life of me can’t remember what she got with the darn things:
Top Value Stamps are long gone, but Quam’s red Camaro is living proof they were well worth collecting.
Neat car show pictures at the link.
Deepwater Horizon: What Actually Happened? 0
Fresh Air interviewed Henry Fortune, a science reporter for the New York Times. Here’s part of the description of the interview:
More than anything else I have read or heard, this interview got into the nuts-and-bolts of what actually goes on on drilling platforms, how they work, and their day-to-day operations. Follow the link to listen or to read highlights from the transcript.
My title is a little misleading. Comparing the investigation of Deepwater Horizon with the investigation of the space shuttle Challenger, Mr. Fortune suspects that it will be at least six months before there is a sound theory of what actually happened and a couple of years before preventive action is possible.
Jindal Bells, Sour Notes Dept. 0
Steve Benen on Bobby Jindal’s fantasy world:
When CBS asked why, Jindal said he’s forbidden from deploying more because it’s up to “the Coast Guard and BP” to “authorize individual tasks.”
In reality, Jindal is either deeply confused about something he should understand, or he was lying. Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen, the national incident commander, said unequivocally that there is “nothing standing in the governor’s way from utilizing more National Guard troops.”
Either he does not understand his job or he does not understand facts.
Video at the link.
Spill Here, Spill Now, Booms Away Dept. 0
From an update on BP’s wild well at Facing South:
But the boom has proved no match for the steady stream of spilled oil flowing to the shore. In the Barataria Bay where Facing South explored, much of the boom had fallen apart or drifted away.
Even where the has flimsy boom has survived the battering of ocean waves and weather, ocean surges easily push the oil over the small protective barriers — allowing oil to drench coastal land, and trapping it there to cause further damage.
Also, what Brendan said.
QOTD 0
George Orwell, from the Quotemaster (subscribe here):
The nationalist not only does not disapprove of atrocities committed by his own side, but he has a remarkable capacity for not even hearing about them.
Hit Job 0
John Cole on Dave Weigel.
The Entitlement Society 0
Michael Silverstein, in the Philadelphia Inquirer, explains how “securitization” works with a down-to-home example.
I can’t excerpt or summarize it. It has to be taken in from beginning to end.
Additional reading (but make sure to read it second). I can isolate a snippet from this one:
