May, 2013 archive
Dustbiters 0
I missed it when it happened, because such things usually go down on Friday, so the mess can be cleaned up over the weekend, but yet another bank disappeared, this one on Tuesday:
Designer Pattern of Misconduct 0
Der Spiegel interviews a garment worker who survived the building collapse in Bangladesh, that is, one of the persons who makes the clothes you wear for the brands you trust.
A nugget:
Read it; see the fee hand of the market at work.
School for Scamdal 0
Mike reports on the efforts of corporations to steal privatize our public schools.
The Secesh 0
Here. Nothing to add.
“Wolf! Wolf! Wolf!” 4
Reg Henry counsels caution. A nugget:
This reserve is justified by the experience of recent years. During the Clinton administration, those crying wolf were in full throat over the Whitewater scandal, which wasted much time, cost millions of dollars to investigate and left the Clintons sitting pretty.
(snip)
And so it goes. From the moment President Barack Obama was inaugurated, the hate machine was cranked up. This happened with the last occupant of the White House, too, but that was a Model T hate machine compared with the super-duper, industrial-strength lie mixer rolled out for Mr. Obama. No other president in memory has had to fend off claims that he was not actually an American — and that was just for starters.
If you look at the facts on the supposed scandal, there’s really not much there there.
“An Armed Society Is a Polite Society” 0
Bowl yourself over with politeness.
“The guy just stepped up to bowl,” Jim Miller said. “I think he hit his leg on his back swing.”
I guess he can tell his friends that he shot 30-aught-6.
Afterthought:
How many gun nuts have to shoot themselves or members of their families before they figure out that there’s something wrong in this picture?
The Rich Are Different from You and Me 0
Purchasing preference. (Warning: Too many “horribles.” Not that they are unwarranted, just beat to death.)
Majority Rule 1
F. T. Rea publishes a parable for our polity.
Benghazi Bugaloo, Reprise 0
Rachel Maddow tries to separate truth from fiction, and finds out that one thing is certain: ABC got itself suckered.
Nothing To Do, Nowhere To Go 0
Not very good.
(snip)
The four-week moving average, a less volatile measure than the weekly figures, rose to 339,250 last week from 338,000.
Benghazi Bugaloo 0
Trudy Rubin zeroes in on the scandal:
As chair of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, Issa is ready to manipulate the pain and anger of relatives and colleagues of the victims, but shows little interest in making U.S. diplomats safer. The hearing he held last week ignored the real issues raised by Benghazi in favor of promoting conspiracy theories about “talking points” that administration officials used after the tragedy.
Follow the link for her explication of the issues vs. the Republican talking points non-issues.
Dulcet Tones 0
In which I achieve Enlightenment.
Facebook Frolics 0
MarketWatch looks back at last year’s Facebook IPO.
They are not sanguine. A nugget:
An IPO that was held up as a symbol of nearly limitless potential and possibility for entrepreneurs also came to show how Wall Street’s relentless temptation to take one more nickel from the table can poison the whole affair.
If you like the true crime genre, read the rest.
Dick Destiny would likely call it one more story from the culture of lickspittle.
iNvasion of the iJunk 0
Another brainstorm from the folks who would sell you things you don’t need at prices you can’t afford. From MarketWatch:
Picture, if you give a damn, at the link.
If this thing catches on, it’s only weeks until some bozo releases a hack for the iWebcam. And a dollar to a doughnut it will be called “iSpy.”
