Good Morning Conflucians! It’s another lazy Sunday here at The Confluence Bed & Breakfast. This morning we’re serving your favorite blueberry pancakes, topped with a heaping helping of butter and dripping with warm syrup. As always, don’t worry about the mess. Just enjoy. Napkin? Oh yes, and here’s your Sunday paper. Enjoy!
In this month’s In These Times, Anis Shivani reviews Barbara Ehrenreich’s new book, Bright-Sided: How the Relentless Promotion of Positive Thinking Has Undermined America in which she explores the idea of “manufactured optimism.”
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In this same book, Ehrenreich also takes on the “Pink Ribbon Culture” which she believes undermines women’s health and an overview can be found at Tomgram: Barbara Ehrenreich, Welcome to the Women’s Movement 2.0.
Oddz ‘n’ Ends
Funny & Addictive Websites
*Addiction warning!! I’m giving you fair warning. I’ve posted a lot of sites for you to kill or waste time at your leisure. The link I’m about to provide to you is possibly the most addictive site you’ll ever visit — at least for those with a penchant for doodling. At FlockDraw you can join random and anonymous amateur doodlers and create unlimited masterpieces in group project form. Leave the site up for a while and check back on occasion. Some times there are several people drawing at once, some times it’s just you. Trust me, you’ll be hooked. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.
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Be prepared for a big dose of “awwwww” while perusing the videos and pics at ZooBorns where animal babies are the stars. I didn’t realize how cute a baby komodo dragon could be.
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You’ve already met the People of Walmart. But they don’t have anything on this collection of human oddities also known as People of Public Transit. OK, maybe it’s a tie.
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At “Explain this Image” the site owner challenges you to do just that.
Stuff to Make You Go Hmmmm…
Is that a gas leak I smell? Nope. It’s just the pig. Pig Farts Spark Gas Scare.
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A man’s home is his castle place of arrest: Superior man arrested for trespassing on his own land.
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You can always count on there being stupid crooks. This one had an ill-advised attachment to his cellphone. Burglar caught by leaving cell phone behind.
Burglar: Hello. You’ve obviously got my phone since you’re answering it. I must have dropped it while stealing your television set. Mind if I stop by and pick it up?
Victim: uh umkay…sure.
Doh!
The Final Word
I’d like to leave you with this final thought: You’re only as young as you feel — so take your vitamins!
Have a great Sunday everyone!
SoD
Filed under: General
Morning SoD. On that pig fart story, reminds me of a claim I saw recently on one of the news aggregators that a vegan who drives a Hummer has a smaller carbon footprint than a meat eater who drives a Prius. Honestly, I don’t know what to believe these days on climate change. Energy independence and sustainability are related issues that are as valid as ever, regardless of the current debate on global warming. But with this Copenhagen summit, the angry rhetoric from both sides is out of control. I never thought BO’s attendance would make a big difference one way or another. But Al Gore pulling out has me scratching my head.
Meat raised for consumption expends way more energy than it creates therefore the carbon footprint idea is correct. Meat production also contributes greatly to pollution as their urine and feces leeches into the earth’s water supplies — not to mention the significant amounts of hormones and antibiotics these animals are fed. It all ends up in the water supply.
I live in the same city as PETA, and they were the first ones saying that factory farming is worse on the environment than Hummers. You don’t have to be a vegan for that to make sense. Remember the spinach e.coli thingy. That was caused by the happy cows in California.
Gore pulled out? Did he give a reason? Maybe BO didn’t want Al to appear to be a bigger hit than him.
Yes, seems so. Reason unclear. http://bit.ly/8VyarR
Just heard on the BBC (ethical man!) that meat production has a greater global carbon footprint than cars, trucks, railways etc combined.
in that case it is not reasonable to expect everyone to be vegetarians. But trading small local farms for those corporate feed lot monstrosities would be a good idea and so would more people eating what they hunt rather than what they can buy at the store.
The Ehrenreich interview is smart and fascinating, everyone should read it, but I can’t see her name without remembering how she turned on Hillary and embraced Obama, especially in defending him during the Wright controversy by attacking Hillary for her ties to The Family.
Ehrenreich still has not relieved herself of all the Kool Aid, well demonstrated here:
“Would you say that Obama is our cheerleader-in-chief?
“I haven’t sorted it out. He talks a lot about hope. And as a citizen I’d rather not hear about “hope,” I’d rather hear about “plans.” Yet he does strike me as a rational person, who thinks through all possibilities and alternatives.”
Dear Barbara: Hillary was the plan-maker and Obama has never been anything but a cheerleader. Drink a lot of water and get that Kool Aid flushed out.
oh yay! Barb has written another book. does anyone really buy them? Why doesn’t she write something useful like a novel.
Whenever I see TC’s morning posts with images of newspapers, I’m reminded of how fast the traditional news media are collapsing around us. It’s been difficult for me in the past two years to be a fan of any media, mainly because of the wholesale Obamafication of editorial content at the liberal leaning msm. I continue to believe that some of that (not all) was part of a near term survival strategy to boost ratings and circulations to profitable demographics. The downward slide of the news business following the election was inevitable, with or without the general economic collapse. The internet has been a more sustaining reason for its decline. Nevertheless, when I read every week about thousands and tens of thousands of professional journalists and writers being laid off, from papers, now magazines, television too, I wonder if what we’ve come to accept as inevitable is the best thing. The relevant question ultimately is whether the quality of reporting and content will improve with digital. There’s no doubt that the wiki mindset of open source technologies and crowdsourcing labor has been positive for the democratic culture of the web. Gurus of FREE seem to abound these days across almost every sector of the service economy, and nowhere more than in news, publishing and entertainment. Good for consumers, but bad for producers and jobs, and again there is the question of quality.
Huffpo for instance has deep content. But how much of that is aggregation versus original research and writing. Does Arianna have dedicated journalists to report the news, local, national and global. And for the crowdsourced writers she does commission, how much does she pay – not much from what I gather. Is free news really sustainable in the long run. The battle line right now appears drawn between Google’s Schmidt and News Corp’s “paywall” Murdoch. But it’s an issue and fight that is cutting across other information sectors too. And for all the evangelism from Google about open source (for both technologies and content), they are hardly free – one of the most profitable companies in the country, now making in excess of 25 billion a year. The rate of Google’s spectacular growth is roughly the same as the pace of job losses at traditional news outlets. Are we ready for a society where no one gets paid to cover news. Wikipedia has seen a dramatic drop in contributors in the past two years. We’ll have to see. My own reaction for now, possibly over reaction, has been to distrust the majority of these academics and futurists who continue to argue for freeness in no small measure because the same gurus were and still are aggressive supporters of the Obama vision, and I don’t know what that is. Anywho, thanks for letting me run on. It’s been on my mind.
OK who is playing at FlockDraw — fess up!!
HI! it’s me!!
I thought so — I see the Hi TCers note!!
November is gray in the Northwest and I hate S N O W.
LOL!!
flockdraw can be ridiculously addictive. It’s really something when there are 10 or so people in there just going nuts. Some times it’s busy, sometimes you’re there alone.
I’ve wasted way too much time there this weekend.
Yes I can see that it is addictive.
I’m left handed but mouse with my right hand. Makes for interesting times with sites like this or drawing programs.
I’ve got something to say about the global warming — climateGate.
The thing is that some of the Climate scientists are playing around with software — and perhaps treating it like a computer game.
The BBC has an article and a video clip about the questionable software used by the University of East Anglia — Climate research division.
I have friends who live on an island in the Caribbean — and they are dealing with the same sort of video game mentality.
Here are a couple of links from the BBC which seems to be doing a respectable job covering the story. Problem is that the hackers are cherry picking which of the hacked email and documents they are release — the hackers are playing the same game (with holding data) as they claim that the climate scientists are playing.
oops I forgot the links:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_depth/sci_tech/2009/copenhagen/8393855.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_depth/sci_tech/2009/copenhagen/8386319.stm
Morning! Funny: with Mishun accomplished under their belt, Obama media turns on B0bots
http://edgeoforever.wordpress.com/2009/12/06/obama-media-haha-ha-silly-bobots/
Gambler who lost 127 million dollars sues Harrahs LV for letting him gamble
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB125996714714577317.html
Hi! Vote for me because I’m a spineless Congressional Democrat that will soil my adult diaper anytime a republican glares at me or a cable news hosts asks a sharply worded question.
You can count on me to issue a statement critical of the opposition on Monday then apologize and retract it on Tuesday.
If elected I promise to sell you out to the highest special interest bidder just like our dear leader.
Sounds like about all the Dems have to run on in 2010. Not very compelling though.
We have snow in Meshoppen PA! It is beautiful here on the mountain. I would send you all pictures to make you envious, but I do not have a digital camera anymore.
Teresa are you happy you moved back there?
yup, I am one of the few people I know who doesn’t ski but loves the snow. It is so pretty when it sits on the branches and sparkles in the sun or with a orange pink and purple sunset.
This morning my sort of spousal equivalent and his friend are taking a course on arm to arm combat… in other words it is a “if you carry a gun and plan to use it for self defense you better know what you are doing” course. So we walked outside to the shooting range down in the woods and there were tracks from deer, fox, coyote and bob cat in the yard.
Well here in good old NE Texas we’ve had a couple days now where the temp has dipped below 30. But alas all is not terrible as the temp is supposed to be back up around 70 by Friday. Personally, I’ve already had it with all this cold weather. You can keep your pretty snow and I’ll wear a T-shirt next week. LOL!
I lived in FL for 11 years and it can be really nice in the winter when the day temps hit 75. But I did miss the seasons and the mountains where the water in the streams and rivers really moves because it has some where to go.
Hillary is on George Steponallofus right now.
She is also going to be on Face the Nation (CBS).
Thanks. I won’t watch her sell the Af-Pak plan because I would like to maintain some respect for her.
Clinton says Pakistanis now see a growing threat
WASHINGTON – Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton says Pakistanis have experienced a change in attitudes about fighting terrorism as they see a growing threat to their own nation.
Clinton tells CBS’ “Face the Nation” that Pakistan’s civilian and military leadership have had a significant change in attitudes about fighting terrorists.
She says that change has come as Pakistan’s leaders have seen terrorist groups join forces and threaten Pakistan’s sovereignty.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091206/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/us_clinton_pakistan
Obama Seeks to Rally Senate Democrats on Final Health-Care Plan
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aoruBc3aj0PA
By a vote of 53 to 41, the Senate on Saturday rejected a Republican effort to block cutbacks in payments to home health agencies that provide nursing care and therapy to homebound Medicare beneficiaries.
How are they going to do this to the homebound elderly, just to get a “win”??? It’s awful.
HRC on Face the Nation right now! I miss her.
It forces the homebound elderly into nursing homes where it will be even more expensive. But I imagine nursing home operators have lobbyists while AARP seems to have betrayed the elderly with abandon.
Republicans are doing the right things, maybe for the wrong reasons, but still they are the right things in the case of the elderly.
Yes, even more expensive but for how long? An elderly person might live for 10, 20 or even 30 years at home with proper home health care. I am sure these evil rat bas$#@ds think the more elderly people die early the better.
They live a long time in nursing homes as well. Just usually in much worse conditions and quality of life.
The “die earlier” plan is probably another amendment.
I thought they were filling those gaps with more long-term care coverage
Schieffer keeps trying to pin Gates & Clinton down on a firm deadline, and they are trying their best to explain Obama’s incoherent “on the one hand, on the other hand” message. O came out recently and said it was a firm, non-negotiable deadline, which of course, is impossible. If that were the case, he’d just do it now. He is pacifying the angry “progressives,” and winking at the conservatives.
Barbara Ehrenreich is a member of the WE LOVED OBAMA FROM DAY ONE CLUB and she has never stopped worshipping him on her knees; she also tore Hillary Clinton up from DAY ONE in a misogynistic fashion to boot. She is an example of the worst kind of feminist because the only woman she is concerned about is herself……
Also, as a former social worker who still works with the poor on a day to day basis I read your commentary on the poor thinking that no one here works with the poor. Five important things you need to know if you ever want to stop poverty: poor people cannot keep having children if they want to break the cycle of poverty, women must be inspired to get careers and not boyfriends, we give too much (way too much–too much food, too many toys, etc., etc) and this encourages dependence, we need job training and creation, and most importantly among people currently receiving welfare we need to establish HIGH STANDARDS in regards to the way they take care of their children specifically in regards to their education. In addition to working with the poor and doing social service work since I was about five years old I have read thousands of studies and spoken to professionals ranging from other social workers to nurses to doctors to teachers to police and I will stand by my words. Welfare — except for disabled (mentally or physically) and/or care for seniors — must be viewed as temporary to work and this means we must completely change it. COMPLETELY. (see Edelman’s walk on Washington last year to get the drift of the problems I am talking about…..)
Finally, I read with great sadness the post on animal testing. For the record, you do not need to test on animals (about 90% is needless) and the remaining 10% can be done using computers. Sad that no one knew this…..
Works with the poor ? It sounds to me like you were someone who oversaw funding……
When one out of every two children will be reliant on food stamps in their lives and when you have stories like I posted the other day where teachers were filling backpacks so kids would have food over the weekend you’ll have to forgive me if I disagree with your position that we give too much food or too much anything for that matter.
The problem is that the minute you have close to anything that you get shut out IMO. You can’t have reliable transport because that would put you over a threshold to recieve it. There isn’t an incentive to work harder to make a little bit more because the moment you do your assistance gets yanked back.
As for the position that poor people need to do better about taking care of their children I’d argue they certainly don’t do any worse then ol’ Noelle Bush’s or Paris’ parents did with them. I am sick to death of hearing how poor people should be held to a higher standard when they have less resources to achive those standards. Furthermore, it isn’t the poor people’s fault they don’t make the income to pay the taxes that fund things like a home computer or textbooks that are in date or they can’t hire tutors or even spend near enough time mentoring their kids because they are too busy working two jobs to put food on the table (but hey that’s what we want right because we give people toooooo much).
The system is awful but IMO what you posit would only make it worse for children, not better.
yes I agree. I am one of the few in my circle of liberals who think the Clinton’s welfare reform was a good thing. Was it perfect, no. However a life time of welfare and no idea that there can be something else in life, like a career really does cripple people.
I have to ask…….how many poor people reliant on the system do you know personally?
I live in a trailer park. I have a woman two doors down from me who is disabled who has been waiting forever to get medical coverage. She lives with food insecurity but can’t get assistance because she is a couple of dollars over the threshold to get assitance. She doesn’t have internet, she can’t afford it. She will likely have to cut off her cable because she won’t be getting a raise this year. Meanwhile her electricity has gone up by 17% and will likely go up again. She can’t afford more efficient appliances. She can barely afford to go see her parents twice a month.
Then there was the young woman I worked with at Walmart. She worked full time but STILL needed to use the free clinic for her medical needs. Why? The income she made at her full time position didn’t cover enough for her to pay for medical. It wasn’t because she didn’t have some sort of desire to be dependant on the system or didn’t know any better. Heck, I’m sure she would have been much happier not to have had to jump through hoops to get her coverage but you do what you have to. I ended up buying the poor thing a vaporiser when her kiddo was sick. Silly silly me I should have let them suffer so they could see how healthy independance can be.
Most of the homeless around here in New Orleans have full time jobs working in the hospitality industry … they also don’t have insurance, food, or clothing besides a roof over their heads. A lot of them are also veterans.
I’m done being quiet on this idea that the poor in some way are inferior to the rest of humanity and that is why they are poor. Yes, they have flaws. Newsflash so do the rich and the middle class. Yes they make mistakes. Newsflash, they don’t have the market cornered on that either. The biggest difference is the safety net they have for dealing with those mistakes. Noelle Bush has a drug problem, she gets rehab because her parents have the resources to get her help and bail her out. Meanwhile the kid who is a child of a fill in the blank with a low wage job worker ends up doing time. Why? They get a public defender and their parents can’t afford to tell the judge she’s going to rehab. Why is it I don’t hear anyone telling the idle rich THEY ought to get better parenting skills.
the slightest improvement in life throws you out of the system. It makes no sense. That should change.
I have been. But it was not for a long time. What else I know is that some people who thought they could do no better in life got a huge boost to pride and set a much better example for her kids and was PROUD OF HERSELF YAY! When she had her first job. Welfare to work was a great thing for her.
The system sucks. It sucks even worse when you are in it for life and your kids know nothing better. The freaking system is soul sucking and frankly yes I know way too many people whose only life skill seems to be figuring out how to game it.
oops, I changed from them to her. Hope you can make sense of it.
Thank you, cwaltz, not everyone who recieves assistance is trying to get over and be lazy and not everyone who truly needs help can get it. It is shameful.
Abortion battle could derail health bill
In the past week, abortion has flared up as a major impediment to passage of a health care reform bill in the Senate, taking a similar path as it did during the House debate — from obscurity to obstacle in a matter of days.
After months of trying to craft a 60-vote coalition based on the finer points of health care policy, Senate Democrats are growing increasingly worried that abortion will upend what had become a clear path to approving the overhaul bill.
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, which proved highly influential in the House health care debate, is assisting Nelson and Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) in drafting an anti-abortion amendment, and its representatives are meeting with senators, including Byron Dorgan (D-N.D.).
[Can someone please tell me why a non-taxpaying entity like the Catholic Church is drafting policy amendments for the Senate?]
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1209/30224.html
They have about 1700 years of history basically interfering with people’s lives through various governments. Why would they change now? They like the control, it makes them rich and it keeps the patriarchy in power. Remember, priests are closest to god, then men, then then women, children and dumb animals are all down there in a group for them to tromp on and use like property… then there’s people that aren’t Catholic .. they get the inquisition, the crusades, and slavery and disease via missionaries over taking their indigenous cultures and resources. It’s an institution designed to control governments and people’s lives.
We should strip them of their tax exempt status as well as the churches run by the likes of Pat Robertson, but it’s probably not going to happen because a lot of people, even if they disagree with what the church does and says, do not question its role in the world. I believe they call it ‘blind’ faith.
It’s as if there are no rules any more.
http://news.firedoglake.com/2009/12/05/ben-nelson-abortion-amendment-not-ready-yet-because-catholic-bishops-have-to-review-it/
Do you suppose we can get Ben Nelson for treason on being the agent of a foreign government? (The Vatican?)
There’s a reason why it’s referred as the lower chamber … as in lower IQ. The House has never been noted as an assembly of deep thinkers.
remember, these are the same folks that don’t ‘believe’ in the theory of evolution … it’s sort’ve like suggesting the multiplication tables are debatable and you can have reasonable objections to the results of 10 X 1
It’s 32, the Bible tells us so darn it.
Catholics don’t believe in evolution? = )
I must have missed something.
Good morning SoD! I’m enjoying looking at the baby animals.
yes, it’s nice to see things that are cute and cuddly, and speaking of critters are we going to live blog any of the health care stuff today?
Are they currently in session? It’s the Afghan stuff on CSPAN
yes, they’re doing weekend things again … I was watching them yesterday afternoon.
Speaking of weirdness and politicians: Is any one following the Max Baucus thing? It’s just getter stranger and stranger … how do you think that nominating your girlfriend for a top federal post isn’t going to be seen as nepotism or something? Talk about out of touch or tetched or something
http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/70755-baucus-denies-hanes-relationship-was-an-affair
That is bizarre business. It doesn’t look nearly as bad from a personal perspective but it’s still nepotism.
Baucus’s private option.
http://politics.theatlantic.com/2009/12/max_baucuss_private_option.php
Looks like conflict ot interest as well.
Democrats are considering changes in presidential nomination process:
http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2009/12/05/democrats-consider-new-presidential-nominating-process/
well, that would be good news … first they need to get rid of those caucuses.
Ha. Since Clyburn and that gang are involved, I’m thinking it may turn out worse.
yeah, now that the dnc is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Chicago machine, expect them to do what ever it takes to make sure they remain in control. After Obama maybe we can have president Emanuel.
OMG….get me out of flockdraw!!! the addiction is too much.
No shit, SOD!
lolol!
All is not well in Af-Pak, Gordon Brown snubbed by soldiers
This could happen here and the media would never report it. I have zero interest in Hillary Clinton or anyone else’s attempts to justify escalating the clusterfuck.
Here’s a good short op ed by an economist on why running federal deficits won’t bankrupt our grandchildren and why that’s a bogus point of view…
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/06/business/economy/06view.html?_r=1
Unconvincing economic generalizations to make case for what may well be correct policy, imho. But it’s the same challenge Krugman faces, trying to make public case for large economic policy judgements in 500 words. Wonder if Krugman himself would argue that he’s correct every time, that his opinion is the word, over and above peers who might disagree. On what would one base that trust: his historical batting average, his degrees and nobel, his scientific proofs, his political philosophy? That said, I listen to Krugman more than most, and my first stop is always you Dak.
Did everyone catch SNL’s opening with the WH Crashers? It was pretty darned good.
http://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live/video/clips/obama-afghanistan-cold-open/1182362/
yeah, I did see that one … it was funny.
Perfect.
Hallstat, Austria ummmm pretty town
I want to know who is lying. James Jones, National security advisor who says Bin Laden is in and out of Aphganistan, OR Sec. of Defense Gates who says we have had no credible inteligence on Bin Laden for years. Me thinks James Jones is lying to justify the troop increase in Aphganistan.
This is another fun site –
http://www.mrpicassohead.com/
great…just great. another addictive time waster. Thanks WtV. I’ll see you guys in a few days. If you need me, just look over at “Mr. Picasso Head” or FlockDraw.
egad!
As CA goes, so goes the country? Hope not!
http://nctimes.com/news/local/sdcounty/article_79a73640-3474-522d-9d79-806307f1d792.html
If anyone is interested in discussing the Senate health care debate, I’ve put up a live blog with a link to the live stream. Please join me!