Social Commentary:
This is interesting. Banks think they have found a way to make money no matter what happens. As Houston Auctions Fail, JPMorgan Exploits Taxpayers By Darrell Preston March 6 (Bloomberg) -- The collapse of the auction-rate bond market may...
Posted on March 7, 2008 10:05 AM • 2 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
This absolutely blows my mind. Evidently, it is OK to drop cluster bombs on municipal areas. But show your derrière, and you're off the job. Israeli soldiers suspended for mooning Palestinians JERUSALEM (AFP) - The Israeli army said on Sunday...
Posted on February 3, 2008 10:36 AM • 1 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
This came in an email from a neighbor. It's from FreeThoughtPedia.com While not as sophisticated as Janet's treatment, I think it is amusing. Image below the fold....
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Posted on December 29, 2007 7:25 PM • 1 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Mike Huckabee is on the warpath again. In Washington state, there has been an outbreak of psittacosis, a pulmonary infection caused by contact with imported birds that carry Chlamydophila psittaci bacteria. Responding to the outbreak, Huckabee decried the widespread...
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Posted on December 29, 2007 4:25 PM • 2 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Now, if only they would offer these online for free... 10. Collegiate Sexualities at Occidental College. 9. Body Politics: Power, Pain, and Pleasure at Williams College. 8. Issues Dividing America at Columbia University. 7. Whiteness and Multiculturalism at Ithaca College....
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Posted on December 19, 2007 11:25 AM • 6 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Christians have a solemn duty. The reason will become clear. Recently, there was a strong reaction in the Blogosphere about Governor Mitt Romney's "Faith In America" Address. I noticed in particular the posts on Effect Measure, Matthew Yglesias, and Dispatches...
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Posted on December 14, 2007 9:09 AM • 7 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Uprising Radio reports on an item of social justice: San Diego County Searches Welfare Recipients’ Homes Published on 28 Nov 2007 at 12:06 pm GUEST: Eric Isaacson, Partner in the law firm, Coughlin-Stoia, and cooperating attorney with the ACLU of...
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Posted on December 1, 2007 3:34 PM • 0 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
I've rarely linked to Kos before; this is probably the second time (I'm a liberal, just not that kind of liberal). However, the recent post on the reality of the Iraq war demands some commentary. Plus, there is no point...
Posted on November 26, 2007 7:17 PM • 2 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
On 24 November, 1859, Charles Darwin's book, On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life, was published. Things haven't been the same, ever since. For example, the...
Posted on November 24, 2007 7:12 AM • 3 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
According to the Guardian: ...because it minimally adheres to certain superficial conventions, it can masquerade as a "news" outfit and enjoy all the rights that accrue to that......
Posted on November 19, 2007 4:33 PM • 4 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Currently, both the House and the Senate are leaning away from granting immunity to telecommunications companies that were involved in warrantless domestic spying. In an unrelated debacle, the State Department tried to grant immunity to Blackwater personnel who shot...
Posted on November 16, 2007 7:50 AM • 0 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Sometimes we hear the allegation that the war in Iraq is about oil. That is only an approximation of the truth. Really, it is about money. Oil at this point is merely a proxy for money. Certain corporations that are...
Posted on October 21, 2007 7:15 AM • 2 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Today is Blog Action Day, during which many persons have agreed to write a blog post about environmental concerns. This is one of thousands. Consider Climate Change, and consider the Iraq War. Other than both being among the biggest mistakes...
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Posted on October 15, 2007 9:01 PM • 2 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has some choice words for Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin. Rice Worried by Putin's Broad Powers Rice Criticizes Putin's Concentration of Power, Says It Interferes With Move to Democracy By MATTHEW LEE Associated Press Writer...
Posted on October 13, 2007 2:50 PM • 1 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Problem #1: College Republicans were shamed by Operation Yellow Elephant. They think it is a good idea to have a war, so long as they do not have to risk their own lives. Now they need a way to redeem...
Posted on October 9, 2007 11:55 AM • 2 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Researchers studying the European common lizard (Zootoca vivipara, formerly Lacerta vivipara) have learned of a three-part mating strategy. Different members of the species have disticutly different mating strategies. Additionally, the colors of the bellies are correlated with the mating...
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Posted on October 9, 2007 8:02 AM • 1 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
This topic has been covered by Ed Brayton, twice, and by PZ Myers. This is a little update. A minister made headlines a couple of weeks ago when he called for "imprecatory prayer" against leaders of the the group, Americans...
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Posted on August 25, 2007 6:03 PM • 3 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
No money down, but the payments go on forever. The only people who win are the bankers and the contractors. We make it easy to get in. But like herpes and condominiums, it is hard to get rid of. When...
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Posted on August 18, 2007 12:50 PM • 2 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
The headline: Federal Deficit Sharply Lower. The text: The lower year-to-date deficit was the result of a record of $2.12 trillion in revenues. Spending, however, was higher -- $2.27 trillion, which also marked an all-time high. So we spent...
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Posted on August 11, 2007 7:44 AM • 3 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
The US Army Crops of Engineers accidentally dumped hundreds of unexploded pieces of ordnance on the beach at Surf City. Now, they want the city to help pay for the cleanup. "If they're talking about getting any money out...
Posted on August 7, 2007 8:07 AM • 0 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
This is the face the USA presents to the rest of the world: Bush Insults BBC Political Editor at Press Conference By E&P Staff Published: August 01, 2007 10:50 AM ET NEW YORK At a recent press conference at Camp...
Posted on August 1, 2007 1:03 PM • 3 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
For some reason, my Father used to say that when he made an indisputable point of some significance. It is in the Urban Dictionary in case you are curious about the expression. It is also the title of a post...
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Posted on July 26, 2007 8:20 PM • 0 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
A leading publication asks the question, "What if Dick Cheney became President?" (Courtesy of Superdickery.com)
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Posted on July 20, 2007 11:22 AM • 3 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
The term "entitlement" has garnered a strongly negative connotation in recent years. Usually, the word entitlement is used to refer to Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid, plus other programs that provide direct assistance (Aid to Families with Dependent Children, student aid,...
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Posted on July 7, 2007 7:07 AM • 0 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
It is a cheap shot, indeed, but an exceptionally good one. And given that Cheney is the only person in history to get an apology from someone after shooting him in the face with a shotgun, it is strangely appropriate......
Posted on July 6, 2007 6:46 PM • 1 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
This is not exactly news, but it is nice to have some specifics that put the issue in perspective. CEOs' compensation can significantly impact shareholder value By Kathy M. Kristof, Times Staff Writer 1:11 PM PDT, June 9, 2007...
Posted on June 10, 2007 8:17 AM • 0 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
USA Today's top story: Drivers cut back -- a 1st in 26 years. Why is this the most important headline for today?
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Posted on May 18, 2007 9:22 PM • 3 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Blackwater USA was co-founded by former Navy Seal Erik Prince, a "billionaire right-wing fundamentalist Christian from a powerful Michigan Republican family." By the end of 2004 Blackwater's president, Gary Jackson, was bragging to the press of "staggering" 600 percent growth....
Posted on May 11, 2007 11:21 PM • 0 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Congress sent the President an appropriations bill that suggested a timetable for the withdrawal of US military forces from Iraq. He vetoed it. When President Bush vetoed the bill, he signed the veto with a pen handed to him...
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Posted on May 3, 2007 5:02 PM • 0 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
OK, I turned on the TV, in all its 12-inch glory, and watched the show. It is as good as any articles of impeachment will ever be. Money quotes, from the transcript: BILL MOYERS: It didn't make sense to...
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Posted on April 26, 2007 12:40 AM • 6 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
This video is worth seeing.
Posted on April 24, 2007 7:56 PM • 9 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
'Devastating' Moyers Probe of Press and Iraq Coming...What I am hoping is that every journalist in the USA watches it.
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Posted on April 21, 2007 9:03 AM • 3 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
From Reuters Health Information, via Medscape (free registration rquired): Jeb Bush Joins Board of Tenet Healthcare CHICAGO (Reuters) Apr 12 - Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush, brother of U.S. President George W. Bush, will join the board of Tenet Healthcare...
Posted on April 13, 2007 7:41 AM • 4 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
From CNN, et alia: White House: 'We screwed up' on deleted e-mails POSTED: 4:35 p.m. EDT, April 12, 2007 WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The White House "screwed up" by not requiring e-mails from Republican Party and campaign accounts to be saved...
Posted on April 12, 2007 10:59 PM • 2 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
According to the Corporate Crime Reporter, at least 257 companies have "backdating problems." That refers to the shady practice of backdating stock options, resulting in larger payouts to those who receive compensation in the form of stock options. But it...
Posted on March 27, 2007 8:05 AM • 0 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
This is depressing. Now the UK is misusing and distorting scientific findings. I suppose it is contagious. This pertains to the Lancet study that found an estimated 50% increase in the risk of death in the immediate aftermath of the...
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Posted on March 26, 2007 10:45 PM • 0 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
"You go to war with the funding you got, not the funding you wish you had."...
Posted on March 24, 2007 1:18 AM • 3 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
What can you say? Arch Gen Psychiatry is one of those non-open-access journals that publishes one free-access article in each issue. Usually the free article is not particularly interesting; they do not seem to make use of the open-access...
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Posted on March 22, 2007 9:32 AM • 2 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
I know people come here to read about psychiatry, mental health, neuroscience, and political/social issues related to those topics. No, scratch that, I have not idea why people come here. But this post is straight politics. Well, it's politics...
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Posted on March 17, 2007 12:44 PM • 0 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Now we are left to wonder how it can be, that a report urging a goddam
WAR, could be "inappropriate, but not illegal." If something that
is "inappropriate" leads to hundreds of thousands of deaths, but is not
illegal, we need to rethink our legal system.
Posted on February 8, 2007 11:11 PM • 0 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Post-game comments. I understand the game was broadcast in 232 countries, and cybercast in six languages. Maybe it is more than just another game, if it draws that much attention. No, I take it back. Money always attracts attention. That...
Posted on February 4, 2007 10:07 PM • 2 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
I almost never watch football. But this year it is being broadcast in High Definition TV. Looks great on my 36cm screen. Pregame show was colorful and totally uninspired. The coin flip: the Bears win. That's the tenth coin flip...
Posted on February 4, 2007 6:38 PM • 3 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
This is just strange. Not profound, just strange. The same newspaper on the same day carries two headlines on the same subject: Jobs Growth Slows but Remains Strong Stocks End Mixed on Lackluster Jobs Data Jobs Growth Slows but Remains...
Posted on February 2, 2007 7:41 PM • 0 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
I tend to be skeptical of causes or organizations that include the word "truth," as in Swiftboat Veterans for Truth. But I suppose that if one side does it, the other can, too; so, here goes: "Truth"....
Posted on January 26, 2007 1:22 PM • 0 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Great idea: create a "volunteer civilian corps" that would give Americans the opportunity to contribute their valuable skills, to take the stress off the regular military. Translation: let's hire mercenaries, who'll think they're getting a good deal, making $100,000 a...
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Posted on January 24, 2007 1:19 AM • 4 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
"Beauty is in the eye of the beholder" is one of those trite sayings that we've all heard "a million times." Certainly, is is commonplace for persons to have differing opinions on matters such as the attractiveness of others. Sometimes,...
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Posted on January 17, 2007 10:02 AM • 1 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
This thing has fascinated me since I was a teenager, when my father had a subscription to the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. I read it every time. They are the ones who keep the famous Doomsday Clock. Now, we...
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Posted on January 16, 2007 7:26 AM • 2 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
CNN has a report about a cluster of deaths from Anorexia, in Brazil. The subject has become a morbid fascination for Brazilians, and is even the theme of a popular TV soap opera. It has also touched off a...
Posted on December 28, 2006 10:11 AM • 3 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
This adds to my respect for Gerald Ford. Ford: Bush made 'big mistake' on Iraq justifications 11:07 p.m. EST, December 27, 2006 WASHINGTON (CNN) -- In an interview never before published, former President Gerald Ford said President Bush and...
Posted on December 28, 2006 7:38 AM • 7 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
I have a confession to make. I once voted for a Republican Presidential candidate. That candidate was Gerald Ford. Why? Several reasons. For one, it was my first time voting, so I was not very good at it yet....
Posted on December 27, 2006 8:13 PM • 3 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
So far, I have resisted commenting on the report of the Iraq Study Group. But this is too good to pass up. From DeLong, who got it from Alter Ego, comes a precious quote from a Presidential press conference: Q...
Posted on December 9, 2006 8:46 PM • 2 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Flying carp, also called Asian Silver Carp (among others), present a significant risk to homeland security. The fish can grow to 50, even 100 pounds. Propellers on boats prompt the fish to jump out of the water, sometimes into boats,...
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Posted on December 9, 2006 7:40 AM • 3 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
"There is nothing which I dread so much as a division of the republic into two great parties, each arranged under its leader, and concerting measures in opposition to each other. This, in my humble apprehension, it to be dreaded...
Posted on November 22, 2006 9:20 PM • 0 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
News reports suggest that the new Democratic majority is planning to try to change the course of US environmental policy: Democrats to Stress Environmental Issues By JOHN HEILPRIN Nov 14, 2:42 PM EST WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Democrats who will...
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Posted on November 14, 2006 9:14 PM • 0 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Often I see people who have been admitted to a psychiatric hospital after hitting bottom. They have nothing. At first, it seems difficult to know what to do. The guiding idea, though, is always the same: you have to...
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Posted on November 9, 2006 3:02 PM • 1 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
The annual Corruption Perceptions Index is out, and the USA placed 20th. Not too bad, except last year, we were 17th. At least we did not fall as far as Malaysia, which slipped by 5 spots, to 44th. (I'm not...
Posted on November 6, 2006 8:39 PM • 0 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Elevating trivia over substance published: Saturday | November 4, 2006 There is a deepening triviality in the conduct of American politics, which should be a matter of great concern to the citizens of the United States. In this process, form...
Posted on November 6, 2006 10:19 AM • 0 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
The people who support this policy are not only heartless, they are idiots....
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Posted on November 6, 2006 7:53 AM • 1 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
I knew the economic news was bad, but I did not know how bad, until I saw this article in The Economist, thanks to a link from Brad DeLong. EVERYONE knows that America's economy is slowing. Thanks to the bursting...
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Posted on October 28, 2006 10:24 PM • 1 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
A bunch of others beat me to it (1 2 3), so I did not blog about Limbaugh's offensive diatribe against Michael J. Fox's advertisement. But Limbaugh's latests statements are sufficiently offensive that I want to take a moment to...
Posted on October 26, 2006 11:08 PM • 2 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
