Happy Birthday to All American Seniors and Workers

 Posted by at 1:35 am  Plus, Politics
Aug 142010
 

Seventy five years ago today FDR signed the Social Security Act of 1935, passed over Republican opposition, into law.  That makes this birthday good for seniors, but some forget that unemployment insurance was part of the Social Security Act, making it good for workers too.

14rooseveltss Seventy years ago today, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt signed the law that created the Social Security system, but this year’s great debate over the program’s future has all but left behind President Bush’s goal of maintaining the system’s solvency through the baby boom’s retirement.

Instead, the battle lines have shifted to a House Republican plan to establish private investment accounts out of Social Security’s cash surplus, a plan that even its advocates say would do nothing to improve the program’s financial outlook.

Opponents of private accounts will be out in force today, with 131 events celebrating Social Security’s anniversary, including birthday balloons on the Mall and the distribution of 50,000 "birthday cards" laying out opposition to the latest version of a Social Security restructuring. On Friday, James Roosevelt kicked off events at a rally in front of his grandfather’s memorial.

Bush administration officials are also fanning out this weekend to make the case that the nation can best honor the program by accepting the president’s prescriptions for its future… [emphasis added]

Inserted from <Washington Post>

Did you notice anything unusual there?  That’s because the article is exactly five years old. Republicans were trying to prevent Social Security in 1935, were still trying to kill it in 2005, and are still trying today.  Rachel Maddow has multiple examples.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

There were exceptions.  I was only 12 when he left office, but I liked IKE.  He was right about the stupidity of those trying to undo Social Security.  He warned us about the military-industrial complex.  Was he right about that, or what?  I hope he was right about the Republican demise as well.

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Fantasy Football Tips for Lefty Bloggers Plus

 Posted by at 1:46 am  Plus
Aug 092010
 

LeftyBloggersPlus I have moved our fantasy football league to open it to the public.  All lefties are welcome. The live draft is Saturday (8/14) at 9 AM Pacific (Noon Eastern).  We have four spots left.  If you want to join, log into Fox Sports, go to Fantasy football public leagues and search for Lefty Bloggers Plus, or if you prefer, email me for an invitation.  Here are a few tips for the draft.

Your starting lineup will consist of nine players, as follows:

1 quarterback (QB)

2 running backs (RB)

2 wide receivers (WR)

1 flex player (Flex) (can be a running back or wide receiver.  I recommend using a running back.)

1 tight end (TE)

1 place kicker (K)

1 defense/special teams unit (DST)

You will draft fifteen players (your starting lineup plus six reserves.  I recommend 2 quarterbacks, four running backs (including the flex player and one extra), 3 wide receivers, 2 tight ends, 2 place kickers and two DSTs.

Every pro team (and therefore every player drafted) gets a week off during the season called the bye week.  Your players cannot earn points on those days.  So to have enough to fill all your starting spots, make sure you do not draft ant two players of the same kind with the same bye week.  For example, your 4 RBs should have 4 different bye weeks.  Injuries will play hell with your scheduling anyway, but at least you’ll start from a good place.

Because you need the most running backs, and the best ones are in short supply, get a couple good ones early in the draft. Next go for a quality QB, next go for your starting WRs,  reserve QB and RBs, and starting DST.  Finally your reserve WRs, both TEs, both Ks and and reserve DST.  I will break this order to get a truly exceptional player if the opportunity arises.  Don’t draft Bret Favre unless he comes out of retirement again.

Now, I don’t claim to be an expert here.  I’ve only been in a dozen fantasy football leagues, of which I won four.  I haven’t won one in two years.  Some may say that my advise here is as brainless as a Teabagger on election day.  I won’t argue the case, but it’s here if you want it.

It’s a good idea to go to the site and participate in a mock draft between now and draft day.  It’s a dummy draft with real people, but it doesn’t count.  It will get you familiar with the draft room and how to find information there.

The site does a pretty good job at rating players, unless you want to do your own research.  Look for players with high FP/G (fantasy points per game ratings).

Most of all, have fun, and I hope this helps.

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Monthly Report for July 2010

 Posted by at 1:47 am  Blog News, Plus
Aug 022010
 

Our fifth full month since we moved from Blogger was excellent.  While we did not soar, as we did in June because of one article that went viral, we continued our previous pattern of steady growth.

Here are our basic stats:

vv710

Note that taking June out, we have a curve with an increasing slope, a pattern of accelerating growth.

Here is our most recent Clustrmap.

map710

Our durations are up a bit:

Number of visits: 17059 – Average: 240 s

Number of visits

Percent

0s-30s

13762

80.6 %

30s-2mn

702

4.1 %

2mn-5mn

593

3.4 %

5mn-15mn

739

4.3 %

15mn-30mn

374

2.1 %

30mn-1h

481

2.8 %

1h+

408

2.3 %

That’s expected, with fewer hit and run visits.

Search engine responses still good.

12 different referring search engines

Pages

Percent

Hits

Percent

Stumbleupon (Social Bookmark)

2158

75 %

2875

74.7 %

Google

641

22.2 %

889

23.1 %

Yahoo!

34

1.1 %

34

0.8 %

Windows Live

11

0.3 %

16

0.4 %

Unknown search engines

8

0.2 %

8

0.2 %

AOL

8

0.2 %

8

0.2 %

Bing

6

0.2 %

6

0.1 %

Google (Images)

4

0.1 %

4

0.1 %

Dogpile

2

0 %

2

0 %

Ask

1

0 %

1

0 %

ix quick

1

0 %

1

0 %

Yandex

1

0 %

1

0 %
Our top 15 referrers (blogs) are:

http://www.reddit.com/

http://crooksandliars.com/

http://jbm479.blogspot.com/

http://www.timsscaredstiff.com/

http://carolinaparrothead.blogspot.com/

http://jackjodell.blogspot.com/

http://whohijackedourcountry.blogspot.com/

http://annette-justmylittlepieceoftheworld.blogspot.com/

http://parsleyspics.blogspot.com/

http://infidel753.blogspot.com/

http://themanwhowalksalonewalksfaster.blogspot.com/

http://www.jimhightower.com/node/7208

http://disaffectedanditfeelssogood.blogspot.com/

http://thebeekeepersapprentice.com/

http://oakcreekforum.blogspot.com/

http://reconstitution.us/rcnew/

http://truthshallrule.blogspot.com/

http://theleftinme.blogspot.com/

While Reddit is not a blog, I included an extra link for them as they are our overall top referrer.  There are two more extra links because the last three blogs are tied at seven referrals each.  Enjoy the linkey-love

One of the best ways you can publicize Politics Plus is to use the share button at the bottom of each post to list our articles on the the sites where you belong.

Technorati increased our Technorati Authority from 141 to 494.  That means we have 494 links in the last six months from blogs that are registered with and recognized by Technorati.  Thus we are officially a High Authority blog and are very high on the B-list.  we need six more to reach 500 and the A-list.  If we make it, we’ll be in the same category as giants like Daily Kos and Huffington Post.  Since so many blogs have never registered with them, and since it takes up to a year after that to be recognized, we have more blog links than that.  But keep using our material.  The motto here is Thou shalt steal.  Even if you want to embed an occasional whole article, that’s OK.  I just ask that you include a link to the original  here.  It’s not an ego thing.  The more recognition we get, the more effect we can have toward ending the right-wing insanity.

We have 45,301 links on other websites, up from 26,564 last month.

We have 1,235 posts and 8,870 comments, as of midnight 8/1.

If you are tired of our funky avatars and would like your own avatar, go to Gravatar.  Sign up using the email address you use to post comments here and upload the image you want to use.  Whenever you comment under that email address here or on any WordPress blog (several others too), that will be your avatar.

I’m very happy with our progress, and thank you for it.  This success belongs to all of us.

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Play Fantasy Football with Lefty Bloggers and Friends

 Posted by at 4:00 am  Plus
Jul 262010
 

LBaF Lefty Bloggers and Friends is a private league by invitation only.  It will have twelve teams.  My team is TC’s Teabuggery Trashers.  To join the league, first register at CBS Sports (click here).  Then send me email at tomcat1948@gmail.com, using the same email address you used to register at CBS.  I will then send you an invitation from within the league.

The live draft will be Saturday, August 7 at 12:15 PM ET (9:15 AM PT).  There’s not much to do there yet, because they just opened fantasy football, but I wanted to start seeking players ASAP, because we’ll lose the league unless we have all 12 slots filled.  We currently have 7 players and need five more to be able to play.  Won’t you join is?

Update 7/26: When Lisa joins we will have 9 players.  We need three more to be able to play. If you have any friends who might enjoy this, please send them.

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Join Our Fantasy Football League

 Posted by at 2:20 am  Plus
Jul 052010
 

LBaF

As part of proper worship in the First Church of the Ellipsoid Orb, I have started a Fantasy Football League at CBS Sports.  Lefty Bloggers and Friends is a private league by invitation only.  It will have twelve teams.  My team is TC’s Teabuggery Trashers.  To join the league, first register at CBS Sports (click here).  Then send me email at tomcat1948@gmail.com, using the same email address you used to register at CBS.  I will then send you an invitation from within the league.

The live draft will be Saturday, August 7 at 12:15 PM ET (9:15 AM PT).  There’s not much to do there yet, because they just opened fantasy football, but I wanted to start seeking players ASAP, because we’ll lose the league unless we have all 12 slots filled.

Ladies, don’t be shy.  The last time I did this a woman won.

Update 6/6: We have four players.  We need eight more.

Update 6/21: We now have five players and need seven.

Update 6/28:  We now have six players and need six.

Update 7/5: We still have six players.  The draft is a month and two days away.  Please invite your friends.  Unless we get six more, we can’t play.

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TC Confesses

 Posted by at 11:31 am  Plus
Jun 112010
 

I have a confession to make.  Last night I felt like something hot and had a craving for tea, so I drank a cup.  Therefore I must say…

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Sunday Humor

 Posted by at 2:52 am  Plus, Politics
May 302010
 

Here are a couple items to tickle your funny bone.  First, the Borowitz Report.

binladen In a new video that is light on his usual threats but heavy on admiration, Osama bin Laden admits that he is “professionally envious” of oil giant BP’s massive oil spill, saying that it puts his efforts to create destruction and chaos to shame.

“There are times in an evildoer’s life when one has to stand back and admire a job well done,” Mr. bin Laden says in the video.  “BP, you blow me away.”

The Al-Qaeda mastermind adds that his first thought upon seeing BP’s spill was, “Man, I’ve got to step up my game.”

Mr. bin Laden claims in the video that he rarely feels envious towards other evildoers, but says he likes “to use that energy to push myself to be the best terrorist I can be.”

As for the envy he felt after seeing BP’s handiwork, the madman says, “I haven’t felt this way since the whole Toyota thing.”  More Borowitz here.

Next, Bill Maher is often irreverent and sometimes offensive, but virtually always funny.  Here are New Rules for 5/28.

Warning:  Profanity

Smile.  It’s much more fun than Teabuggery.

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