2011 archive
How To Rob a Bank 0
From the description:
Bank of America has become the poster-child for corruption and incompetence ever since they took a taxpayer-funded bailout to save themselves from their own incompetence. They then took that bailout money and paid record-breaking bonuses to their executives, and raised fees for their own customers. And today, it looks like the company is poised to repeat history again. Sam Seder talks about the next round of troubles facing Bank of America with William Black, author of the book “The Best Way to Rob a Bank is to Own One.”
No Moderates Need Apply 0
Kay at Balloon Juice speaks sense (emphasis added):
There’s one Republican Party, just like there’s one Democratic Party. I don’t run around pretending there’s another, alternate Democratic Party that is much, much better than the group that currently exists. I’d sometimes like to do that, but I don’t, because that’s purely aspirational on my part. It’s not reality.
Like all organizations, the GOP is a group of people. It’s a sum of parts. This fantasy mainstream “Republican Party” exists only in the memories of newspaper editorial writers. There are no activist members or leaders of the imaginary GOP. An organization like that no longer exists. This is what they are. Deal with it.
Remember that on the next election day. What you see is what you will get.
Attack of the iPeople 0
It’s a bleedin’ cult, for Pete’s sake:
Mitt the Flip Detroit the Bird, Reprise 0
No there, there.
Stray Thought, Veterans’ Day Dept. 0
Perhaps the best way to honor the troops would be to stop sending them to die for lies.
Tradition 0
From Balloon Juice.
Update from the Foreclosure-Based Economy 0
Should process servers worry about their long-term employment?
However, the volume of new foreclosures was roughly half its level a year ago, the service reported.
“Post-Racial” Racism 0
Sam Seder discusses contemporary American racism in the light of President Obama’s campaign and election with Professor Randall Kennedy.
“. . . Crazy Is the Taste Republicans Never Tire of” 0
Nothing To Do, Nowhere To Go 0
Under 400k. It’s not clear how from the story how many persons are still out of work but no longer eligible for unemployment compensation, but it’s likely a lot.
Jobless claims fell by 10,000 to 390,000 in the week ended Nov. 5, Labor Department figures showed today in Washington. The median forecast of economists in a Bloomberg News survey called for 400,000 new claims. The number of people on unemployment benefit rolls decreased, while those getting extended payments rose.
(snip)
Today’s data showed the four-week moving average, a less volatile measure than the weekly figures, fell to 400,000 last week, the lowest since April, from 405,250 the previous week.
The number of people continuing to receive jobless benefits fell by 92,000 in the week ended Oct. 29 to 3.62 million. They were forecast at 3.68 million.
The continuing claims figure does not include the number of Americans receiving extended benefits under federal programs.
The Internet Is a Public Place 0
Don’t keep those racy pictures in your email account, folks.
Bionic Men, Pigskin Shields 0
Bob Molinaro, a most excellent sports writer at the local rag, considers the Penn State pederasty case.
As fed up as I am with big time sports (with the exception of baseball, with which I approach fed up only occasionally) and with sports coverage, I delight in his columns regularly. The man can write
A nugget:
It’s hard to know, though, what infiltrates the football bubble.
Proof of how warped people can be is found in an ESPN.com story that wonders about the impact of the scandal on Penn State recruiting.
Break Time 0
Off to drink liberally.