Dec 052010
 

Yesterday I was feeling quite exhausted and fell behind on replying to comments.  I slept most of the day, on and off, answered a ton of volunteer-related email, spent a couple hours starting to repopulate the corner of my apartment that used to be my computer area before it became a waterfall, and watched parts of THE GAME.  Today, I will probably fall further behind, because I’ve barely put a dent in recovering my computer area, and I’m scheduled for a session of religious masochism as the Church of the Ellipsoid Orb is televising the Denver-KC service.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today it took me 4:32 (5:12 average).  To do it, click here.  How did you do?

Short Takes:

From ESPN: LaMichael James, Kenjon Barner and the fast-paced Ducks (No. 2 BCS, No. 1 AP) negotiated the last speed bump on the way to Glendale, Ariz., grinding out a 37-20 victory over the Beavers in the Civil War on Saturday.

If Oregonian does not watch THE GAME, they lose the ability to resist the rusting from Oregon liquid sunshine.  Oregon-Auburn for the national title.

From Alternet: The White House told government agencies to take measures to prevent employees without proper authorization from accessing classified US diplomatic cables on WikiLeaks.

God forbid that federal workers should become informed on the doings of our own government! Don't tell anyone smile

From TPM: A security guard at a St. Paul Planned Parenthood clinic called the cops last week after he spotted a Republican state lawmaker [Tom Hackbarth] with a loaded gun in the parking lot. But the pol says he was only "checking on" his online girlfriend, who he thought may be on a date with another man — a claim police have not been able to corroborate because the man did not have a phone number or address for the woman.

A likely story!  The Republican Party no longer needs insane militia types to threaten violence.  They have legislators for that now.

Cartoon:

 Drew Sheneman

May you find peace in whatever you believe this Sunday.

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Nov 232010
 

Yesterday I caught up with replying to comments and returning visits, after returning from my errand.  Today, I hope to stay up to date.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today it took me 3:40 (average 4:28).  To do it, click here.  How did you do?

Religious Agony:

DenWeek11

Lefty Bloggers Plus Report – Week 11:

Scores

Week 11

Score

 

Recovering Republic…

hugos misfits

100.9

92.5

Final

Playin w/out a helm…

Seahawks Rock

59.7

141.5

Final

elliot’s Team

Jay’s Team

78.5

126.7

Final

Lionel Hutz + The H…

Greensburg Wombats

102.6

139.1

Final

Teabuggery Trashers

Rob’s Roosters

151.8

109.4

Final

Standings

Team

W-L-T

Pct.

GB

Recovering Republic…

8-3-0

0.727

0.0

Jay’s Team

7-4-0

0.636

1.0

Greensburg Wombats

7-4-0

0.636

1.0

Lionel Hutz + The H…

7-4-0

0.636

1.0

Seahawks Rock

7-4-0

0.636

1.0

Teabuggery Trashers

6-5-0

0.545

2.0

Rob’s Roosters

5-6-0

0.455

3.0

Playin w/out a helm…

4-7-0

0.364

4.0

hugos misfits

3-8-0

0.273

5.0

elliot’s Team

1-10-0

0.091

7.0

For the first time, I had the high score for the week.

Short Takes:

From San Jose Mercury News: Wasting no time after a victorious midterm election, GOP congressional leaders who promised to slash spending are looking to make an example of the nation’s priciest public works project: California’s $43 billion high-speed railroad.

A coalition of 27 House Republicans, led by the ranking member of the committee that controls spending, wants to yank $2 billion in stimulus funds promised to California to kick-start the massive project.

How absurd!  High speed rail is a great way to create jobs and California’s best chance to cut auto emissions.

From Crooks and Liars: The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said Sunday that Congress shouldn’t wait to repeal the military’s controversial "don’t ask, don’t tell" policy which forces gay, lesbian and trans-gender members to hide their personal lives or face expulsion from the service.

Would the Republican “support the generals” meme be just another lie?

From The Hill: Rep. Barney Frank said Republicans had taken the side of "foreign central banks" in debates over monetary policy.

House Financial Services Committee Chairman Barney Frank (D-Mass.) blasted Republicans in an interview Monday, arguing that the GOP has taken the side of "foreign central banks" in debates over monetary policy.

Republicans prefer foreign banksters to American workers.

Cartoon:

Matt Davies

What are your holiday plans?

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Balance the Budget Yourself!

 Posted by at 1:17 am  Plus, Politics
Nov 152010
 

Could you do a better job at balancing the budget than our politicians?  Would you know what to cut?  Whom would you tax?  Would you like to find out how you would do?  Here’s your chance.  I found an interactive tool that allows you to plug in a variety of proposals and see the effects.

15balanced-budgetThis New York Times interactive budget is an interesting exercise in priority-setting. It misses some of the nuance inherent in budget-setting, such as what one does with all of the unemployed military out looking for jobs if troop levels are set back to Clinton levels and how that plays in the economy, but it’s worth the few minutes to go through the list and see what you would do.

That little graphic was my result on the 2015 budget. I didn’t touch Medicare or Social Security, I unbundled the employer health insurance deduction, put estate and income tax rates back to Clinton-era levels, rolled back all the Bush tax cuts for everyone, added a bank tax and carbon tax, cut farm subsidies, weapons programs and nuclear programs, and expanded the taxable wage base for Social Security. That got me a surplus of $744 billion by 2015, and balanced the budget through 2030…

Inserted from <Crooks and Liars>

The tool is based on existing proposals.  I tried it, met the goal for 2015, and fell 8 billion short in 2030, but only because some measures I would take were not on the list.  It’s an enjoyable exercise, so go ahead and try it.

Balance the Budget

How did you do?

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Nov 082010
 

dumptheleghoundHere is the online petition I promised you to replace Reid with a Majority Leader that has a spine. For me, the straws that broke the camel’s back were Harry Reid’s refusal to bring key legislation to the floor and cutting a deal with Republicans to prevent Obama from making recess appointments before the election break.  Far too many times I have groaned, screamed, and cried, because every time Republicans even hinted at opposition, Reid humped a few Republican legs in hopes of getting a vote or too, and when he couldn’t, whined, rolled over and played dead.

Harry Reid has been such a weak majority leader that voters have come to think of Democratic as the party of spineless weakness.  We need a majority leader who will fight for progressive values, not cower in fear at the first threat of Republican opposition.  Please join us in petitioning your Democratic Senator(s) to replace Harry Reid with a Senator with the courage to stand fast against Republican assaults on our Constitution, our freedom, and our well being.

Click Here to help replace Harry Reid!

I bit my tongue and held off to give one of you the opportunity to be the first to sign it. Franken won the poll here, but has no chance in his first term.  You can suggest a replacement in your comment on the perition itself.

Please email this to your friends, and post it on your blogs and wherever you go.

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Don’t Fall For this Scam

 Posted by at 9:30 pm  Plus
Nov 022010
 

I have received an email for one of my Gmail accounts, advising me I can claim a cash settlement over Google Buzz.  I also received real ones did contain the key line below.   It is a phishing scam.

3scamAs a Gmail user in the United States, I just received an email that Google was obligated to send as a part of their class action lawsuit settlement regarding the way they introduced Google Buzz this past winter. The web site for the settlement is here and the PDF document that describes the settlement in detail can be found here.

Note that there is no cash settlement. For that matter, Gmail users pretty much don’t get anything. After the lawyers and expenses are paid, the rest will be distributed to organizations that “advance the privacy interests of internet users such as the Class Members.”

Here’s the key line from the email (straight from Google):

Just to be clear, this is not a settlement in which people who use Gmail can file to receive compensation.

So if you get an email asking you to send back personal information to “claim your share of the settlement cash” or directing you to a website to claim it, DON’T FALL FOR IT. It’s a scam. The only official website is linked above and it makes it pretty clear that you won’t get any cash compensation from it.

Just wanted to get this out before the inevitable scams start flooding your Inbox… [emphasis added]

Inserted from <The Business Protector>

Do not respond or give these people account information.

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Avatar for Real?

 Posted by at 2:32 am  Plus, Politics
Oct 012010
 

I loved Avatar, and commented shortly after seeing it that it looked like Republicans were in charge of the earth.  We may have discovered a real Avatar, because scientists have found a planet capable of supporting life for the first time.  The first rule has to be: No Republicans Allowed!  Scientist believe life is common, and even though I think they are correct, we don’t know for sure.  If there is intelligent life there, it’s possible that Republicans could destroy the only intelligent life in the universe.

1Gliese 581g Gliese 581g may be the new Earth.

A team of astronomers from the University of California and the Carnegie Institute of Washington say they’ve found a planet like ours, 20 light years (120 trillion miles) from Earth, where the basic conditions for life are good.

"The chances for life on this planet are 100 percent," Steven Vogt, a UC professor of astronomy and astrophysics says. "I have almost no doubt about it."

The planet is three times the size of Earth, but the gravity is similar.

Dr. Elizabeth Cunningham, planetarium astronomer at the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, says the discovery is a huge deal.

"It could have liquid water on the surface," she said. "That’s the first step to find life."

There are hundreds of known extrasolar planets that have been discovered in the Milky Way, but this is the first that could support life.

Earthlings won’t be traveling to Gliese 581g any time soon unfortunately. Scientists say a spaceship traveling close to the speed of light would take 20 years to make this journey.

But if we did – we’d find some other things familiar. The atmosphere and gravity are similar to Earth, and if you’re from the polar regions, you’d definitely feel right at home. Scientists say the highest average temperature is about -12 degrees Celcius (10 Fahrenheit), but they point out that the planet doesn’t have a night and day – one side continually faces the star and the other side faces the darkness of space. This means one side is blazing hot and the other freezing cold…

Inserted from <CNN>

Don’t be too sure we won’t be going there anytime soon.  I remember standing in my back yard and watching Sputnik in wonder.  I remember doing math in college with a slide rule.  Will we destroy that planet too?

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