Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Monday, June 29, 2009
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Friday, June 26, 2009
Thursday, June 25, 2009
8th grader makes unbelievable shot
Aaron Shutway, an 8th grader from Cleveland, was fooling around in gym class a few weeks ago when his gym teacher caught him on camera making this amazing basket. Shutway does a front handspring and gets a basket, nothing but net, from almost the other end of the court.
Quote of The Day
"At this point, it does not seem like many world leaders fear President Obama, and that might hurt him. President Bush was feared, but that fear sometimes turned into loathing, and although countries were cautious around Mr. Bush, most did not step up to help him. And the worldwide press, of course, condemned President Bush. So it's another 'Barack and a hard place' situation. Now, if you're tough, the world doesn't like you; if you're not tough, the scoundrels do what they want. Hello North Korea."
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
China v. US: My empire is bigger than yours
What happens when a rising power lends money to the world's biggest power? As empires rise and fall, is conflict inevitable? And what does the global economic meltdown mean, anyway?
These are just a few of the questions we put to historian Niall Ferguson, author of "The Ascent of Money," as he analyzes the complex and critically important relationship between Washington and Beijing.
Bombshell: SC Gov. Admits Affair
It started as a fairly routine press conference. South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford was just going to explain where he had gone on vacation. It turned into an amazing scene as the emotional Governor admitted to having an affair with an Argentinian woman.
Quote of The Day
"President Obama still, still cannot articulate how he'll pay for the trillions--with a 't'--needed for government-subsidized health care. And what about the unintended consequences? ...It seems to me the president should be driving tort reform, bringing down insurance costs for doctors who are now terrified of being sued--and they've got to pay this astronomical bill to the insurance companies. It also seems to me that government-issued health insurance could be effective, but only if the folks pay something for it. Looking at the numbers, free health care could very well drive the USA into bankruptcy, much like what's happening in California. So Mr. Obama's health care vision is cloudy to say the least. Of course, I could be wrong..."
The climate change e-mails EPA doesn’t want you to see
Another day, another Obama cover-up.
The Competitive Enterprise Institute has obtained internal EPA e-mails that show the agency willfully and recklessly disregarded scientific data that undermined the bureaucracy’s global warming zealotry.
This information is especially relevant as Congress rushes to pass the cap-and-trade nightmare on Friday.
CEI general counsel Sam Kazman has notified the EPA and requested that the internal communications and suppressed study be released to the public and added to the public record. Will another whistleblower be disappeared? Note especially this warning to the dissenting scientist: “The time for such discussion of fundamental issues has passed for this round. The administrator and the administration has decided to move forward on endangerment, and your comments do not help the legal or policy case for this decision… I can only see one impact of your comments given where we are in the process, and that would be a very negative impact on our office.”
Read:
CEI is submitting a set of four EPA emails, dated March 12-17, 2009, which indicate that a significant internal critique of EPA’s position on Endangerment was essentially put under wraps and concealed. The study was barred from being circulated within EPA, it was never disclosed to the public, and it was not placed in the docket of this proceeding. The emails further show that the study was treated in this manner not because of any problem with its quality, but for political reasons.
CEI hereby requests that EPA make this study public, place it into the docket, and either extend or reopen the comment period to allow public response to this new study. We also request that EPA publicly declare that it will engage in no reprisals against the author of the study, who has worked at EPA for over 35 years.
The emails, attached hereto, consist of the following:
1) a March 12 email from Al McGartland, Office Director of EPA’s National Center for Environmental Economics (NCEE), to Alan Carlin, Senior Operations Research Analyst at NCEE, forbidding him from speaking to anyone outside NCEE on endangerment issues;
2) a March 16 email from Mr. Carlin to another NCEE economist, with a cc to Mr. McGartland and two other NCEE staffers, requesting that his study be forwarded to EPA’s Office of Air and Radiation, which directs EPA’s climate change program. The email notes the quantity of peer-reviewed references in the study, and defends its inclusion of new research as well. It states Mr. Carlin’s view that “the critical attribute of good science is its correspondence to observable data rather than where it appears in
the technical literature.” It goes on to point out that the new studies “explain much of the observational data that have been collected which cannot be explained by the IPCC models.” (Emphases added);
3) a March 17 email from Mr. McGartland to Mr. Carlin, stating that he will not forward Mr. Carlin’s study. “The time for such discussion of fundamental issues has passed for this round. The administrator and the administration has decided to move forward on endangerment, and your comments do not help the legal or policy case for this decision… I can only see one impact of your comments given where we are in the process, and that would be a very negative impact on our office.” (Emphasis added);
4) a second March 17 email from Mr. McGartland to Mr. Carlin, dated eight minutes later, stating “ I don’t want you to spend any additional EPA time on climate change.”
Mr. McGartland’s emails demonstrate that he was rejecting Mr. Carlin’s study because its conclusions ran counter to EPA’s proposed position. This raises several major issues.
A. Incompleteness of the Rulemaking Record: The end result of withholding Mr. Carlin’s study was to taint the Endangerment Proceeding by denying the public access to important agency information. Court rulings have made it abundantly clear that a rulemaking record should include both “the evidence relied upon [by the agency] and the evidence discarded.” Ethyl Corp. v. EPA, 541 F.2d 1, 36 (D.C. Cir. 1976), cert. denied, 426 U.S. 941 (1976).
B. Prejudgment of the Outcome of the Endangerment Proceeding: The emails also suggest that EPA has prejudged the outcome of this proceeding, to the point where it arguably cannot be trusted to fairly evaluate the record before it. Courts have recognized “the danger that an agency, having reached a particular result, may become so committed to that result as to resist engaging in any genuine reconsideration of the issues.” Food Marketing Institute v. ICC, 587 F.2d 1285, 1290 (D.C. Cir. 1978).
C. Violations of EPA’s Commitment to Transparency and Scientific Honesty: Finally, the emails suggest that EPA’s extensive pronouncements about transparency and scientific honesty may just be rhetoric. Shortly before assuming office, EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson declared: “As Administrator, I will ensure EPA’s efforts to address the environmental crises of today are rooted in three fundamental values: science-based policies and programs, adherence to the rule of law, and overwhelming transparency.” Jan. 23, 2009, link. See also Administrator Jackson’s April 23 Memo to EPA Employees, “Transparency in EPA’s Operations”. These follow the President’s own January 21 memo to agency heads on “Transparency and Open Government”. And in an April 27 speech to the National Academy of Sciences, the President declared that, “under my administration, the days of science taking a back seat to ideology are over.”
Because of ideology, however, it was this back seat to which Mr. Carlin’s study was relegated; more precisely, it was booted out of the car entirely.
For these reasons, we submit that EPA should immediately make Mr. Carlin’s study public by entering it into the Endangerment docket, and that it should either extend or reopen the comment period in this proceeding to allow public responses to that study. It should do so, moreover, while publicly pledging that Mr. Carlin will suffer no adverse repercussions from agency personnel. Mr. Carlin is guilty of no wrongdoing, but the tenor of the emails described above suggests he may well have reason to fear reprisals.
Read all the e-mails here.
Do your congressional reps know about this? Tell them: 202-224-3121.
The Competitive Enterprise Institute has obtained internal EPA e-mails that show the agency willfully and recklessly disregarded scientific data that undermined the bureaucracy’s global warming zealotry.
This information is especially relevant as Congress rushes to pass the cap-and-trade nightmare on Friday.
CEI general counsel Sam Kazman has notified the EPA and requested that the internal communications and suppressed study be released to the public and added to the public record. Will another whistleblower be disappeared? Note especially this warning to the dissenting scientist: “The time for such discussion of fundamental issues has passed for this round. The administrator and the administration has decided to move forward on endangerment, and your comments do not help the legal or policy case for this decision… I can only see one impact of your comments given where we are in the process, and that would be a very negative impact on our office.”
Read:
CEI is submitting a set of four EPA emails, dated March 12-17, 2009, which indicate that a significant internal critique of EPA’s position on Endangerment was essentially put under wraps and concealed. The study was barred from being circulated within EPA, it was never disclosed to the public, and it was not placed in the docket of this proceeding. The emails further show that the study was treated in this manner not because of any problem with its quality, but for political reasons.
CEI hereby requests that EPA make this study public, place it into the docket, and either extend or reopen the comment period to allow public response to this new study. We also request that EPA publicly declare that it will engage in no reprisals against the author of the study, who has worked at EPA for over 35 years.
The emails, attached hereto, consist of the following:
1) a March 12 email from Al McGartland, Office Director of EPA’s National Center for Environmental Economics (NCEE), to Alan Carlin, Senior Operations Research Analyst at NCEE, forbidding him from speaking to anyone outside NCEE on endangerment issues;
2) a March 16 email from Mr. Carlin to another NCEE economist, with a cc to Mr. McGartland and two other NCEE staffers, requesting that his study be forwarded to EPA’s Office of Air and Radiation, which directs EPA’s climate change program. The email notes the quantity of peer-reviewed references in the study, and defends its inclusion of new research as well. It states Mr. Carlin’s view that “the critical attribute of good science is its correspondence to observable data rather than where it appears in
the technical literature.” It goes on to point out that the new studies “explain much of the observational data that have been collected which cannot be explained by the IPCC models.” (Emphases added);
3) a March 17 email from Mr. McGartland to Mr. Carlin, stating that he will not forward Mr. Carlin’s study. “The time for such discussion of fundamental issues has passed for this round. The administrator and the administration has decided to move forward on endangerment, and your comments do not help the legal or policy case for this decision… I can only see one impact of your comments given where we are in the process, and that would be a very negative impact on our office.” (Emphasis added);
4) a second March 17 email from Mr. McGartland to Mr. Carlin, dated eight minutes later, stating “ I don’t want you to spend any additional EPA time on climate change.”
Mr. McGartland’s emails demonstrate that he was rejecting Mr. Carlin’s study because its conclusions ran counter to EPA’s proposed position. This raises several major issues.
A. Incompleteness of the Rulemaking Record: The end result of withholding Mr. Carlin’s study was to taint the Endangerment Proceeding by denying the public access to important agency information. Court rulings have made it abundantly clear that a rulemaking record should include both “the evidence relied upon [by the agency] and the evidence discarded.” Ethyl Corp. v. EPA, 541 F.2d 1, 36 (D.C. Cir. 1976), cert. denied, 426 U.S. 941 (1976).
B. Prejudgment of the Outcome of the Endangerment Proceeding: The emails also suggest that EPA has prejudged the outcome of this proceeding, to the point where it arguably cannot be trusted to fairly evaluate the record before it. Courts have recognized “the danger that an agency, having reached a particular result, may become so committed to that result as to resist engaging in any genuine reconsideration of the issues.” Food Marketing Institute v. ICC, 587 F.2d 1285, 1290 (D.C. Cir. 1978).
C. Violations of EPA’s Commitment to Transparency and Scientific Honesty: Finally, the emails suggest that EPA’s extensive pronouncements about transparency and scientific honesty may just be rhetoric. Shortly before assuming office, EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson declared: “As Administrator, I will ensure EPA’s efforts to address the environmental crises of today are rooted in three fundamental values: science-based policies and programs, adherence to the rule of law, and overwhelming transparency.” Jan. 23, 2009, link. See also Administrator Jackson’s April 23 Memo to EPA Employees, “Transparency in EPA’s Operations”. These follow the President’s own January 21 memo to agency heads on “Transparency and Open Government”. And in an April 27 speech to the National Academy of Sciences, the President declared that, “under my administration, the days of science taking a back seat to ideology are over.”
Because of ideology, however, it was this back seat to which Mr. Carlin’s study was relegated; more precisely, it was booted out of the car entirely.
For these reasons, we submit that EPA should immediately make Mr. Carlin’s study public by entering it into the Endangerment docket, and that it should either extend or reopen the comment period in this proceeding to allow public responses to that study. It should do so, moreover, while publicly pledging that Mr. Carlin will suffer no adverse repercussions from agency personnel. Mr. Carlin is guilty of no wrongdoing, but the tenor of the emails described above suggests he may well have reason to fear reprisals.
Read all the e-mails here.
Do your congressional reps know about this? Tell them: 202-224-3121.
ACORN changes its name
"The controversial group Association of Community Organizers for Reform Now, or ACORN, has changed its name to Community Organizations International. The group also threatens a lawsuit to any person who speaks ill of the group, especially if they were former members, which many claim is in attempt to silence dissenters who may threaten the organization’s future. The organization has been investigated in no less than 14 states in relation to voter fraud and members of ACORN have admitted in court to voting multiple times in swing vote states and to registering deceased people, criminals, and those who were not directly contacted by the organization, to vote. Dale Rathke, a prominent member and brother of Wade Rathke, the founder of ACORN, embezzled about $1 million through ACORN partner and New Orleans, Louisiana based non-profit Citizen’s Consulting Inc (CCI). ACORN members were one of the organizations behind a push for President Barack Obama’s election and were used to get citizens to register, many in poor and inner-city neighborhoods, and were behind the Project Vote campaign". More...
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Quote of The Day
"...what should President Obama do [about Iran]? Critics of the president believe he should take a harder line, perhaps even supporting the protesters against the mullahs. But as 'Talking Points' said last week, that kind of rhetoric could ignite more violence in Iraq and Afghanistan against American forces. Also, as Henry Kissinger pointed out... if President Obama backs the dissenters, the mullahs will blame the protests on the USA. And some inside and outside of Iran will believe that. Thus, Mr. Obama must be cautious. But he does have the human rights card to play. And now is the time to play it. The president should speak to the world as he did in Cairo and reiterate his belief that human beings, including women, have the right to freedom, not oppression. The president must begin to be more Reaganesque in that regard, or risk being seen as weak and indecisive..."
Monday, June 22, 2009
Barack Obama sticks to cautious approach despite Iran upheaval
"The White House sees the attempt by Ahmadinejad to blame the west as vindication of its decision to avoid saying anything that the Iranian authorities can pounce on as evidence of outside interference. By not publicly backing regime change, Obama hopes that the Iranian leadership may yet take up his offer to discuss directly the stand-off over its alleged nuclear weapons ambitions". More...
Neda Soltani "They killed Neda, but not her voice"
Her name was Neda, which means “voice” in Farsi. According to numerous online accounts picked up by media outlets worldwide, she was shot in the streets by Iranian state police while protesting today. This is what repression looks like.
Word on the street via one Iranian tweeter is that her name was Neda Agha Soltan. That’s also the name circulating on a few websites and now being attributed to her in a hastily arranged Wikipedia bio. The rumor — and it’s all rumor until some newspaper tracks down her family — is that she was 27 years old and a philosophy student. I hope to god this isn’t really her photo because the thought of her being so beautiful and dignified makes the murder somehow that much more obscene.
Two clips below. The second you’ve already seen; the first is a new one circulating today, shot sometime before the moment of truth. The blue shirt on the gray-haired man in the foreground should look familiar. That’s almost certainly her standing to his left, watching the protest, bothering no one. Read this Time piece on Neda by Iran expert Robin Wright afterwards, as it touches on the huge significance of martyrdom not only in Shiite theology but in Iran’s political tradition. If there’s any justice, there’ll be videos like this of Khamenei and Ahmadinejad someday soon.
Update: A Farsi speaker tells HuffPo that this blogger is claiming that Neda was at the protest with her professor and several other students and that the fatal shot was fired by a Basij driving by on a motorcycle. No rhyme or reason; I wonder if he even aimed. The burial, reportedly, was today — and her memorial service was ordered canceled by the regime.
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Friday, June 19, 2009
Thursday, June 18, 2009
PETA wishes Obama hadn't swatted that fly
"The group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals wants the flyswatter in chief to try taking a more humane attitude the next time he's bedeviled by a fly in the White House.
PETA is sending President Barack Obama a Katcha Bug Humane Bug Catcher, a device that allows users to trap a house fly and then release it outside.
"We support compassion even for the most curious, smallest and least sympathetic animals," PETA spokesman Bruce Friedrich said Wednesday. "We believe that people, where they can be compassionate, should be, for all animals."
More...
PETA is sending President Barack Obama a Katcha Bug Humane Bug Catcher, a device that allows users to trap a house fly and then release it outside.
"We support compassion even for the most curious, smallest and least sympathetic animals," PETA spokesman Bruce Friedrich said Wednesday. "We believe that people, where they can be compassionate, should be, for all animals."
More...
O'Reilly Quote
"...there could be something else in play [with respect to Pres. Obama saying Fox News is too critical of him]. In researching the president, I have found he has rarely been criticized in his life. So, the microscope he is under now, as intense as it is... he's a sensitive guy. And when he gets criticism, [he is] not used to it. If any of you watching believe I have been unfair to President Obama, please email me with specifics--we'll put them right on the air. And again, the Obama administration is invited on any time to discuss anything. That is fair and balanced."
My take: Obama never had a father figure in his life, only women.....
My take: Obama never had a father figure in his life, only women.....
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Obama Blasts Fox News: 'I've Got One Television Station that is Entirely Devoted to Attacking My Administration'
You can't be loved and adored by everybody, but if you're President Barack Obama and it concerns the media, you can come awfully close.
In an interview on CNBC's June 16 "Closing Bell" with the network Washington correspondent John Harwood, Obama reflected on the media coverage he has received to date. Harwood asked the president to respond to the claim that lack of media criticism has allowed him to "hurt" the country.
"When you and I spoke in January, you said, I observed that you haven't gotten much bad press," Harwood said. "You said, ‘It's coming.' Media critics would say not only has it not come, but that you've gotten such favorable press either because of bias or because you're good box office that it's hurting the country because you're not sufficiently being held accountable for your policies. Assess that." More...
Got 'em: Pres. Obama kills a fly
Yesterday during an interview, Pres. Obama paused to shoo away a fly that had landed on him. When the fly came back, Obama took no prisoners.
CBO: Healthcare bill exceeds $1 trillion
The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) released a report late Monday estimating the cost of a leading healthcare reform proposal at more than $1 trillion, but that figure looked only at a portion of the bill.
The analysis falls just within the most expensive cost scenario sketched out by Democratic leaders in recent days, but does not include an estimate for a highly contentious government-run insurance plan that would compete with private insurers.
Senate Republicans are sure to use the data as ammunition to oppose expensive Democratic plans to subsidize healthcare for low-income families, as well as what is not included in the estimate.
The CBO report raises doubt as to whether Democrats will be able to keep the cost of healthcare reform under $1 trillion, as leaders have predicted.
The analysis estimated the net impact of a bill sponsored by Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) at $1.04 trillion over the decade spanning 2010 to 2019. More...
The analysis falls just within the most expensive cost scenario sketched out by Democratic leaders in recent days, but does not include an estimate for a highly contentious government-run insurance plan that would compete with private insurers.
Senate Republicans are sure to use the data as ammunition to oppose expensive Democratic plans to subsidize healthcare for low-income families, as well as what is not included in the estimate.
The CBO report raises doubt as to whether Democrats will be able to keep the cost of healthcare reform under $1 trillion, as leaders have predicted.
The analysis estimated the net impact of a bill sponsored by Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) at $1.04 trillion over the decade spanning 2010 to 2019. More...
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
U.S. likely to lose AAA rating: Prechter
"Technical analyst Robert Prechter on Monday said he sees the United States losing its top AAA credit rating by the end of 2010, as he stuck by a deeply bearish outlook on the U.S. economy and stock market.
Prechter, known for predicting the 1987 stock market crash, joins a growing coterie of market heavyweights in forecasting the United States will lose its top credit rating as the government issues trillions of dollars in debt to fund efforts to bail out the economy". More...
Prechter, known for predicting the 1987 stock market crash, joins a growing coterie of market heavyweights in forecasting the United States will lose its top credit rating as the government issues trillions of dollars in debt to fund efforts to bail out the economy". More...
Dave apologizes again
After his first non-apology failed to satisfy his critics, David Letterman took to the air again Monday night to try to explain his jokes about Sarah Palin's daughter. Will his explanation this time put the matter to rest?
Quote of The Day
"As you may know, it looks like the re-election of the tyrant Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was fixed. 40 million Iranians voted and just a few minutes after the polls closed, they announced the cut throat had won. Ballots could not have possibly been counted that quickly, and they do not have exit polling in Iran. The demonstrators are fighting the police state in the streets and the whole world is watching. Now, the big question to America--what should President Obama do? If he openly supports the protesters, Iran could cause big trouble for the USA in Iraq and Afghanistan. Both countries border Iran. But there may be a major opportunity here to overthrow the terrorist mullahs. So this is a dilemma."
Monday, June 15, 2009
The Uighurs hit the beach
The former Gitmo detainees known as the Uighurs have arrived in Bermuda, and they're speaking to the media. Fox News' Griff Jenkins went to the island paradise to talk to the men, and to ask their new neighbors how they feel having former prisoners in their midst.
Quote Of The Day
"...it's beyond belief, but some of those agitating for the release of the pictures [allegedly of US forces manhandling prisoners] are behind the campaign smearing me and others over the murder of late term abortionist Dr. Tiller. One of the biggest haters working in the newspaper industry today, far-left guy Paul Krugman, actually had the audacity to write a column entitled 'The Big Hate' where he branded me, Glenn Beck, Rush Limbaugh, and other commentators as dangerous to society. Since Krugman's hatred towards President Bush and conservatives in general is just about unmatched, that is a stunning piece of hypocrisy."
Quote Of The Day
"...the first obligation of every elected official in the country is to protect the folks. Pelosi is playing politics with people's lives, playing into the hands of the far left [in supporting the possible release of photos of alleged abuse of prisoners held by the US]. In an unbelievable display of hypocrisy, radical loons are still accusing me of contributing to the murder of Dr. Tiller. But these same people want those pictures out, endangering our military men and women. Incredible."
Saturday, June 13, 2009
Spongetech (OTCBB:SPNG) Using Sex to Peddle Pennystocks
Spongetech Delivery Systems, inc. is a tiny company with an 800 square foot office in the Empire State Building that claims to have developed a biodegradable sponge that eliminates the use of a bucket. A very hot video just showed up on youtube featuring a woman washing a car with one of these new Sponges.
"The company has been making announcements lately that are quite beyond our comprehension. First they announced a television spot that will be viewed by 14 million homes. Then something about being featured in over 900 environmentally friendly magazines. In May, they announcied they received large orders to be shipped later in the year. One order was for $1.5 million and another for $3 million.
What is beyond our comprehension about these announcements is how do they intend to accomplish any of these things when they have no money? According to their latest SEC filing this company has $3,477 (three thousand four hundred seventy seven) dollars in the bank. That doesn't even pay a month's rent in a manhattan office.
They originally had incorporated under the name Romantic Scents, Inc. They have had several name changes and business model changes as well. In their 8 years of operations they have never made so much as a dime in profits, and have accumulated a deficit of approximately 3.4 million dollars.
Yet in spite of their operating inefficiencies management finds it perfectly appropriate to pay themselves salaries that exceed the entire revenues of the company. During their Fiscal year 2005, the company's entire revenue was $1,051 (one thousand fifty one)/ Yet, the three top directors recieved salaries of over $490,000 each.
What is even more odd is that their salaries were in Common Stock that they valued at $0.15. When you receive salary in stock you have a tax liability that you must pay. We estimate the officers will owe $250,000 each yet have not received any actual money as compensation. (I will not be submitting my resume to work as an exec at this company.)
The company has 37 million shares outstanding which puts the total valuation market valuation with the stock at $0.19 about 7.5 million. This valuation is not too high. But given their historical lack of a business, current lack of assets, and lack of taste with their latest video it still looks high to us.
They have not announced any new financings. Quite frankly, we cannot imagine how a company with $297,000 in currently due liabilities and $3,000 in the bank can possibly finance these alleged large orders.
Further, if they did receive orders of the magnitude that they claimed in their recent press releases, that is a material event. An event as such requires a form 8-k to be filed with SEC. As yet the company has not done so.
As much as we enjoyed the video and hot press releases coming out of this company we cannot give any investor who wants to buy this stock at $0.19 our blessing".
http://twitter.com/SpongeTech
Friday, June 12, 2009
Dear David Letterman
Dear David Letterman,
Will you teach your son to talk about women and girls the way you talk about Sarah Palin and her daughters?
You called the married 45-year-old mother, grandmother, and Alaska governor “a slutty flight attendant” on your national TV talk show because she happens to be a tall, beautiful, and dynamic public figure who doesn’t look, walk, or talk the way you think she should.
You joked on national television about Palin’s teenage daughters “getting knocked up” by professional baseball player Alex Rodriguez or solicited by the prostitute-addicted former New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer because it’s acceptable in your social and professional circles to sneer openly at the children of politicians you despise.
You admitted that your attacks on Palin’s family were in “poor taste,” but cackled while acknowledging your sophomoric judgment.
You expressed moral indignation at being misconstrued, yet you purposely omitted the name of which daughter you were mocking.
Fourteen-year-old Willow was the one who accompanied Gov. Palin during her trip this week, not 18-year-old Bristol, whom you now claim was the target of your feckless smear – a smear you still insist is perfectly defensible. Look at yourself, Dave. Look at how lame your excuse-making was on your Wednesday night show:
“These are not jokes made about her 14-year-old daughter. I would never, never make jokes about raping or having sex of any description with a 14-year-old girl. I mean, look at my record. It has never happened. I don’t think it’s funny. I would never think it was funny. I wouldn’t put it in a joke…”
Tell us, great comic genius, how tacking on another four years to the target daughter makes it funny? We unenlightened dim bulbs who live outside of Manhattan’s boundaries don’t get the joke.
Will you be able to explain it to your son?
Face it: David Letterman, late-night entertainer-turned-partisan hack/hitman has a deranged obsession with Sarah Palin and her family that has crossed into rank bigotry and hatred. If the CBS network cares about basic standards of decency on public airwaves and if it cares at all about bolstering its shrinking audience, the network honchos will get Letterman a therapist pronto.
Over the past year, Letterman has displayed his sexist, elitist stripes in jibe after jibe aimed at Palin. Taken cumulatively, Letterman’s mockery is about much more than expressing contempt for the popular GOP governor. It’s a handy device to deride a broad class of working-class and middle-class women he holds in contempt:
“You know, she reminds me, she looks like the flight attendant who won’t give you a second can of Pepsi. No, you’ve had enough. We’re landing. Looks like the waitress at the coffee shop who draws a little smiley face on your check. Have a nice day.”
“She looks like the dip sample lady at Safeway. She looks like the nurse who weighs you and then makes you sit alone in your underwear for 20 minutes. She looks like the Olive Garden hostess who says, ‘I’m sorry, your table isn’t ready yet.” She looks like infomercial lady who says she made $64,000 a month flipping condos.”
“[S]he looks like the lady at the bakery who yells out ‘44! 45!’ She looks like a real estate agent whose picture you see on the bus stop bench. That’s who she looks like. She looks like the lady who has a chain of cupcake stores…”
In November 2008, Letterman told tanking CBS News anchor Katie Couric that he was “aroused” by Gov. Palin.
In March 2009, Letterman attacked Bristol Palin and snickered about her being “knocked up” again.
You know, David Letterman reminds me of the lecher at the school bus stop.
Or the aging creep lurking in the dirty magazine section at the 7-11.
Attention, CBS: Get him help now.
Will you teach your son to talk about women and girls the way you talk about Sarah Palin and her daughters?
You called the married 45-year-old mother, grandmother, and Alaska governor “a slutty flight attendant” on your national TV talk show because she happens to be a tall, beautiful, and dynamic public figure who doesn’t look, walk, or talk the way you think she should.
You joked on national television about Palin’s teenage daughters “getting knocked up” by professional baseball player Alex Rodriguez or solicited by the prostitute-addicted former New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer because it’s acceptable in your social and professional circles to sneer openly at the children of politicians you despise.
You admitted that your attacks on Palin’s family were in “poor taste,” but cackled while acknowledging your sophomoric judgment.
You expressed moral indignation at being misconstrued, yet you purposely omitted the name of which daughter you were mocking.
Fourteen-year-old Willow was the one who accompanied Gov. Palin during her trip this week, not 18-year-old Bristol, whom you now claim was the target of your feckless smear – a smear you still insist is perfectly defensible. Look at yourself, Dave. Look at how lame your excuse-making was on your Wednesday night show:
“These are not jokes made about her 14-year-old daughter. I would never, never make jokes about raping or having sex of any description with a 14-year-old girl. I mean, look at my record. It has never happened. I don’t think it’s funny. I would never think it was funny. I wouldn’t put it in a joke…”
Tell us, great comic genius, how tacking on another four years to the target daughter makes it funny? We unenlightened dim bulbs who live outside of Manhattan’s boundaries don’t get the joke.
Will you be able to explain it to your son?
Face it: David Letterman, late-night entertainer-turned-partisan hack/hitman has a deranged obsession with Sarah Palin and her family that has crossed into rank bigotry and hatred. If the CBS network cares about basic standards of decency on public airwaves and if it cares at all about bolstering its shrinking audience, the network honchos will get Letterman a therapist pronto.
Over the past year, Letterman has displayed his sexist, elitist stripes in jibe after jibe aimed at Palin. Taken cumulatively, Letterman’s mockery is about much more than expressing contempt for the popular GOP governor. It’s a handy device to deride a broad class of working-class and middle-class women he holds in contempt:
“You know, she reminds me, she looks like the flight attendant who won’t give you a second can of Pepsi. No, you’ve had enough. We’re landing. Looks like the waitress at the coffee shop who draws a little smiley face on your check. Have a nice day.”
“She looks like the dip sample lady at Safeway. She looks like the nurse who weighs you and then makes you sit alone in your underwear for 20 minutes. She looks like the Olive Garden hostess who says, ‘I’m sorry, your table isn’t ready yet.” She looks like infomercial lady who says she made $64,000 a month flipping condos.”
“[S]he looks like the lady at the bakery who yells out ‘44! 45!’ She looks like a real estate agent whose picture you see on the bus stop bench. That’s who she looks like. She looks like the lady who has a chain of cupcake stores…”
In November 2008, Letterman told tanking CBS News anchor Katie Couric that he was “aroused” by Gov. Palin.
In March 2009, Letterman attacked Bristol Palin and snickered about her being “knocked up” again.
You know, David Letterman reminds me of the lecher at the school bus stop.
Or the aging creep lurking in the dirty magazine section at the 7-11.
Attention, CBS: Get him help now.
Thursday, June 11, 2009
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Explore our products below and learn how SpongeTech® can simplify your cleaning and be earth friendly at the same time!
Car Care
SpongeTech®’s car sponge couldn’t be easier: Soak the sponge and squeeze to start sudsing action, then wash your vehicle. Rinse, and you’ve got a professional wash and wax, in no time.
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The auto sponge is self-cleaning, too, so you never have to worry about mildewy sponges. And it's earth friendly and recyclable, so you don't have to worry about the environment. No need to buy bottles of wash and wax. The car sponge inhibits the growth of bacteria in the sponge.
Child Care
1 Step Bath wash - Make bath time fun and easy!.
Kids take charge and get clean with Puddle Pals.
New Puddle Pals child sponges bring high-tech fun to bathtime. This child bath toy is filled with hypoallergenic soap so your little one gets clean without irritating sensitive skin. Up to 8 washes per bath sponge. Used for children 3 years and older
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Home Care
The Tub & Tile Cleaner is preloaded with a powerful degreaser and detergent soap built-in, inhibits the bacteria growth in the sponge and can be used for multiple washes. Just add water and squeeze out and it is ready to use…..The Eliminator™ Chamois can dry the tub and tile and holds up to 1200% of its own weight when wet. Do not Use on Acrylic Tubs & Tiles or Shower Enclosers!
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SpongeTech® Delivery Systems, Inc, is a company which designs, produces and markets innovative, cost-effective, and environmentally sensitive packaging and product delivery solutions through its exclusive patented packaging technology. These sponge-based products utilize SpongeTech®’s proprietary, patent (and patent-pending) technologies involving hydrophilic (liquid absorbing) foam and polyurethane matrices. The Company’s sponges are specially configured with an outer contact layer and an inner matrix, the latter of which comes pre-loaded with specially formulated soaps and wax that are released when the sponge is soaked and applied to a surface with minimal pressure. All of SpongeTech®'s products are self-cleaning, inhibit the growth of bacteria in the sponge, earth-friendly and recyclable.
The Company's current product line is designed for Auto Care, Child Care, Pet Care and Home Care. SpongeTech® is currently exploring additional applications for its technology including Health, Beauty, Medical, Kitchen and Bath Products.
Explore our products below and learn how SpongeTech® can simplify your cleaning and be earth friendly at the same time!
Car Care
SpongeTech®’s car sponge couldn’t be easier: Soak the sponge and squeeze to start sudsing action, then wash your vehicle. Rinse, and you’ve got a professional wash and wax, in no time.
Use it on any vehicle, from your car or truck to your boat, plane, ATV, jet ski, motorcycle, or RV.
The auto sponge is self-cleaning, too, so you never have to worry about mildewy sponges. And it's earth friendly and recyclable, so you don't have to worry about the environment. No need to buy bottles of wash and wax. The car sponge inhibits the growth of bacteria in the sponge.
Child Care
1 Step Bath wash - Make bath time fun and easy!.
Kids take charge and get clean with Puddle Pals.
New Puddle Pals child sponges bring high-tech fun to bathtime. This child bath toy is filled with hypoallergenic soap so your little one gets clean without irritating sensitive skin. Up to 8 washes per bath sponge. Used for children 3 years and older
Puddle Pals are perfect as unique gifts or as party favors. Great for trips to bathe your child.
Home Care
The Tub & Tile Cleaner is preloaded with a powerful degreaser and detergent soap built-in, inhibits the bacteria growth in the sponge and can be used for multiple washes. Just add water and squeeze out and it is ready to use…..The Eliminator™ Chamois can dry the tub and tile and holds up to 1200% of its own weight when wet. Do not Use on Acrylic Tubs & Tiles or Shower Enclosers!
Pet Care
Uncle Norman's™ Pet Sponge allows you to bathe your dog or cat with much less hassle. Uncle Norman's four-in-one action contains shampoo, conditioner,and massage bumps and odor neutralizer—no need to buy all of them separately.
You simply soak the sponge, squeeze, and your kitty or pooch or horse is ready for bath time. And because everything's included, bath time can go by a bit quicker for those pets who would rather be somewhere else. Easier to wash your pet with one hand and hold your pet with the other hand. More...
Investor Relations (SPNG)
SpongeTech® Delivery Systems, Inc, is a company which designs, produces and markets innovative, cost-effective, and environmentally sensitive packaging and product delivery solutions through its exclusive patented packaging technology. These sponge-based products utilize SpongeTech®’s proprietary, patent (and patent-pending) technologies involving hydrophilic (liquid absorbing) foam and polyurethane matrices. The Company’s sponges are specially configured with an outer contact layer and an inner matrix, the latter of which comes pre-loaded with specially formulated soaps and wax that are released when the sponge is soaked and applied to a surface with minimal pressure. All of SpongeTech®'s products are self-cleaning, inhibit the growth of bacteria in the sponge, earth-friendly and recyclable.
The Company's current product line is designed for Auto Care, Child Care, Pet Care and Home Care. SpongeTech® is currently exploring additional applications for its technology including Health, Beauty, Medical, Kitchen and Bath Products.
Quote Of The Day
"...there comes a time, ladies and gentlemen, when ideology can cause death. I am so tired, so tired, of zealots, primarily on the left, putting their insane personal agendas above the safety of fellow Americans. Do you think the brave soldiers and Marines operating in dangerous areas right now want [unreleased photos of alleged abuse of prisoners] all over al-Jazeera and the terror websites? So let's look out for the military, OK? Nancy Pelosi has an obligation to get the loons in her party under control. If the Speaker can't do that, she doesn't deserve her position."
Rep. Frank: "I Can Blame Republicans" For Financial Disaster
"I Can Blame Republicans"
Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA) said he can "blame Republicans" for the current financial disaster. The transcript is available below.
CNBC: You have a long storied career you're more well read on financial [inaudible] than most people on the Hill. do you look back on your career and maybe at some moments in introspective candor and ask yourself, why are we always so late to the game as regulators? I mean, whether it's the S&L crisis or the stock research scandals of 10 years ago. You clearly could have seen it in '05 and '06.
FRANK: I did see it in '05 and '06.
CNBC: Why didn't you say anything then?
FRANK: I did, but the Republicans were in control.
CNBC: You can't blame the Republicans, that's like shouting fire in a crowded movie theater.
FRANK: You cannot ask me a question and interrupt me every three sentences. I can blame the Republicans, in 2005, the committee on which I served, the Financial Services committee those of us in the minority, several congressman from North Carolina and myself oppose the bill to restrict subprime lending and rejected by the Republican majority. Rep. Delay said not to do it.
Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA) said he can "blame Republicans" for the current financial disaster. The transcript is available below.
CNBC: You have a long storied career you're more well read on financial [inaudible] than most people on the Hill. do you look back on your career and maybe at some moments in introspective candor and ask yourself, why are we always so late to the game as regulators? I mean, whether it's the S&L crisis or the stock research scandals of 10 years ago. You clearly could have seen it in '05 and '06.
FRANK: I did see it in '05 and '06.
CNBC: Why didn't you say anything then?
FRANK: I did, but the Republicans were in control.
CNBC: You can't blame the Republicans, that's like shouting fire in a crowded movie theater.
FRANK: You cannot ask me a question and interrupt me every three sentences. I can blame the Republicans, in 2005, the committee on which I served, the Financial Services committee those of us in the minority, several congressman from North Carolina and myself oppose the bill to restrict subprime lending and rejected by the Republican majority. Rep. Delay said not to do it.
Letterman to Palin: Now that I’ve trashed your family, come on my show
It’s all a game to dirty old David Letterman.
For shame.
Can you imagine him talking about the Obama daughters this way?
“We were, as we often do, making jokes about people in the news and we made some jokes about Sarah Palin and her daughter [Bristol]… and now they’re upset with me…” Letterman says on tonight’s show. “These are not jokes made about her 14-year-old daughter. I would never, never make jokes about raping or having sex of any description with a 14-year-old girl…. Am I guilty of poor taste? Yes. Did I suggest that it was okay for her 14-year-old daughter to be having promiscuous sex? No.” Saying he hopes he’s “cleared part of this up,” Letterman extended an invitation to Palin to come on the show as a guest.
Palin has one word for the attacks: “Pathetic.”
I would add:
Deranged.
Creepy.
Bigoted.
***
Will David Letterman teach his own son to talk about teenage girls the way he does?
***
Send CBS your feedback.
***
Update: RCPVideo has the clip of the non-apology.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Dashcam Video of Grandma Being Tased
A cop in Austin, TX tazed a woman during what should have been a routine traffic stop. Was the officer justified in using these extreme measures to subdue the confrontational woman?
Quote Of The Day
"For some reason, many Americans want the propaganda fiesta when dealing with foreign terrorists. That is just stupid. Again, the military should be handling all of [the trials of terror suspects]. If you attack the United States, our constitution allows the military to defend the country. That's not hard. But apparently the Obama administration agrees with Phil Donahue [who wants civilian courts to handle such cases]. So let the circus begin."
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Jon Voight Speaks
It’s so rare to hear a Hollywood dissident speak as candidly as Jon Voight did last night at the NRSC-NRCC fund-raiser last night. Brave man.
Death, taxes and Obamacare
Counter the ACORN/SEIU mob taking to the streets to take over your health care. Resistance must be met not just in the halls of Congress, but in your neighborhoods, at the grocery store, in your car window, everywhere at the grass-roots level:
House Committee Subpoenas Federal Reserve Over BofA-Merrill
Please, please, please let Maxine Waters do the interrogation.
More from the WSJ:
The House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, chaired by Rep. Edolphus Towns (D., N.Y.), has asked the Fed to turn over documents requested by the panel last week. The documents requested include emails to and from Chairman Ben Bernanke, as well as handwritten notes from meetings and conversations involving Bernanke, then Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson and Bank of America CEO Kenneth Lewis.
The request is being made ahead of a Thursday hearing in which Mr. Lewis is scheduled to appear before House lawmakers. Congressional investigators have been investigating the details of Bank of America's acquisition of Merrill Lynch, as well as the government's decision to give the company $20 billion in additional government aid in January.
More from the WSJ:
The House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, chaired by Rep. Edolphus Towns (D., N.Y.), has asked the Fed to turn over documents requested by the panel last week. The documents requested include emails to and from Chairman Ben Bernanke, as well as handwritten notes from meetings and conversations involving Bernanke, then Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson and Bank of America CEO Kenneth Lewis.
The request is being made ahead of a Thursday hearing in which Mr. Lewis is scheduled to appear before House lawmakers. Congressional investigators have been investigating the details of Bank of America's acquisition of Merrill Lynch, as well as the government's decision to give the company $20 billion in additional government aid in January.
Fiat Furiously Backpedalling
In the greatest diplomatic gaffe since Bush Sr. vomited all over Japanese PM Miyazawa, Fiat has sisued a brief with the Supreme Court, claiming what it said yesterday is actually not what it meant.
Whatever commitment Fiat may have to provide the industrial support and management expertise required to restore Chrysler to viability, any further delay imperils the chances of achieving an agreement that would permit Fiat to provide such support, leaving the alternative of a devastating [this was where the Italian translator whipped out a Thesaurus and was told to find the most dramatic, polysyllabic synonym of "big"] liquidation of Chrysler. Even the publicity surrounding the current delay puts Chrysler at further risk by sowing seeds of uncertainty among the many constituencies — employees, suppliers, dealers and taxpayers — who have supported this transaction and whose continued belief in the potential renewed viability of Chrysler is crucial to its survival. Further delay would only compound this risk while serving no countervailing public interest.
No countervailing public interest? How about the interest of those who, rightfully or otherwise, believe they have valid claims, and aside from the creditors, what about all those Asbestos claimants who will be stuck sucking their own thumb until the earlier of i) perpetuity or ii) until asbestosis creeps up.
Of course, this is merely damage control, and the damage already has been done. While yesterday ZH gave the appeal a 0.001% chance of getting cert, over the past 24 hours that probability has risen significantly in our opinion. Also, the 15th is a Monday, meaning the clock is starting to tick very loud for Steve Rattner. Maybe it is time he discovered what Ruth Ginsburg's direct line is and "presented" his view of the situation.
Whatever commitment Fiat may have to provide the industrial support and management expertise required to restore Chrysler to viability, any further delay imperils the chances of achieving an agreement that would permit Fiat to provide such support, leaving the alternative of a devastating [this was where the Italian translator whipped out a Thesaurus and was told to find the most dramatic, polysyllabic synonym of "big"] liquidation of Chrysler. Even the publicity surrounding the current delay puts Chrysler at further risk by sowing seeds of uncertainty among the many constituencies — employees, suppliers, dealers and taxpayers — who have supported this transaction and whose continued belief in the potential renewed viability of Chrysler is crucial to its survival. Further delay would only compound this risk while serving no countervailing public interest.
No countervailing public interest? How about the interest of those who, rightfully or otherwise, believe they have valid claims, and aside from the creditors, what about all those Asbestos claimants who will be stuck sucking their own thumb until the earlier of i) perpetuity or ii) until asbestosis creeps up.
Of course, this is merely damage control, and the damage already has been done. While yesterday ZH gave the appeal a 0.001% chance of getting cert, over the past 24 hours that probability has risen significantly in our opinion. Also, the 15th is a Monday, meaning the clock is starting to tick very loud for Steve Rattner. Maybe it is time he discovered what Ruth Ginsburg's direct line is and "presented" his view of the situation.
Implied Vol Ratio At Inflection Point
The ratio of VIX (1 month fwd implied vol) to VXV (3 month) has dropped to a low of 0.92, a level crossed to the downside only 7 times over the past 2 years, and usually as a leading indicator of market downside activity. However, in this environment, where a majority of corporate risk is nationalized, and the only traders are a few tireless SPARK stations, it is anyone's guess whether this metric is relevant for anything anymore.
Daily Highlights: 6.9.09
•AIG is raising about $1.14 billion in the offering of the reinsurer’s stock.
•Barclays in talks to sale BGI, with Blackrock for $12 billion.
•BlackRock said to offer $13B cash, stock for Barclays Global Unit.
•Boston Newspaper Guild turned down the Globe's proposal in a 277-265 vote.
•High Court stymies quick sale of Chrysler.
•Callaway Golf cuts dividend by 86%, to sell $110M in stock.
•Citi's $58B swap of preferred shares into common stock will go forth this week.
•Court’s one-sentence order puts Chrysler reorganization into uncertainty.
•Fiat says it won’t turn its back to Chrysler deal despite court delay.
•GM will cease production of medium-duty trucks by July 31.
•IBM, EDS, Infosys Win A$1.2 billion in orders from Australia’s Telstra.
•L'Oreal CEO: sees improvement in sales over coming quarters.
•McDonald's May sales climbed 5.1%, helped by classic menu items, below est.
•Men's Wearhouse Q1 profit falls 47% as revs slip 5.5% to $464.1M.
•Pall Q3 net down 30% at $44.2M on stronger dollar, lower margins. Revs down 6.6% at $236.3M.
•Pepsi Bottling Grp signs LoI to buy Texas bottler, Ab-Tex Beverage Ltd.
•Reinsurers may raise U.S. catastrophe reinsurance rates for 15% next month.
•Qwest Comm failed to find a buyer for its long-distance network at the price it wanted.
•Qwest reaffirms its FY09 view; sees adj FCF of $1.4-1.5B, EBITDA of $4.2-4.4B.
•Rambus moves to withdraw patents from ITC proceedings against NVIDIA.
•Sony Raises 220 Billion Yen in Its Biggest Bond Sale.
•Talbots signs definitive agreement for sale of J. Jill assets, for ~$75M.
•Texas Instruments raises Q2 rev view to $2.30-2.50B (cons $2.21B); EPS of $0.14-0.22 (cons $0.10).
•UPS pilots agree to cost cuts; co. not to furlough any of its pilots for at least 10 mths.
•U.S. Auto-Parts Supplier plan to ask President Obama’s auto task force this week for $8 billion to $10 billion in loan guarantees.
•Wells Fargo, BofA to settle claims that employees misled investors about the value and safety of certain securities.
•Barclays in talks to sale BGI, with Blackrock for $12 billion.
•BlackRock said to offer $13B cash, stock for Barclays Global Unit.
•Boston Newspaper Guild turned down the Globe's proposal in a 277-265 vote.
•High Court stymies quick sale of Chrysler.
•Callaway Golf cuts dividend by 86%, to sell $110M in stock.
•Citi's $58B swap of preferred shares into common stock will go forth this week.
•Court’s one-sentence order puts Chrysler reorganization into uncertainty.
•Fiat says it won’t turn its back to Chrysler deal despite court delay.
•GM will cease production of medium-duty trucks by July 31.
•IBM, EDS, Infosys Win A$1.2 billion in orders from Australia’s Telstra.
•L'Oreal CEO: sees improvement in sales over coming quarters.
•McDonald's May sales climbed 5.1%, helped by classic menu items, below est.
•Men's Wearhouse Q1 profit falls 47% as revs slip 5.5% to $464.1M.
•Pall Q3 net down 30% at $44.2M on stronger dollar, lower margins. Revs down 6.6% at $236.3M.
•Pepsi Bottling Grp signs LoI to buy Texas bottler, Ab-Tex Beverage Ltd.
•Reinsurers may raise U.S. catastrophe reinsurance rates for 15% next month.
•Qwest Comm failed to find a buyer for its long-distance network at the price it wanted.
•Qwest reaffirms its FY09 view; sees adj FCF of $1.4-1.5B, EBITDA of $4.2-4.4B.
•Rambus moves to withdraw patents from ITC proceedings against NVIDIA.
•Sony Raises 220 Billion Yen in Its Biggest Bond Sale.
•Talbots signs definitive agreement for sale of J. Jill assets, for ~$75M.
•Texas Instruments raises Q2 rev view to $2.30-2.50B (cons $2.21B); EPS of $0.14-0.22 (cons $0.10).
•UPS pilots agree to cost cuts; co. not to furlough any of its pilots for at least 10 mths.
•U.S. Auto-Parts Supplier plan to ask President Obama’s auto task force this week for $8 billion to $10 billion in loan guarantees.
•Wells Fargo, BofA to settle claims that employees misled investors about the value and safety of certain securities.
GM Asbestos Claimants Say Sale May Be Unconstitutional
"Impaired claimant groups are gradually starting to get smart about what ultra-fast 363 auto sales imply for them - nothing good. The latest development in the GM case involves the company's asbestos-injury claimants, as the Detroit Free Press reports. The group has requested official committee representation in the GM case as it believes the GM 363 sale may be unconstitutional since it has been left out of negotiations. There should be plenty of legal and financial advisors who will want to be heard on this one.
In many ways, this dovetails with the objections filed in SCOTUS in the Chrysler case filed by Patricia Pascale: the essence being that all asbestos exposure liabilities disappear with New GM/New Chrysler, and as the liquidating assets barely have any value to them, claimants will be left out in the dark with no constitutional ability to collect on their claims.
Most recently, GM had asbestos-related legal claims for $648 million.
"Due-process concerns limit the court's ability to enter an order affecting the rights of unknown future claimants absent appointment of a legal representative to protect their interests," the filing said. "They cannot be bound by a reorganization of which they are unaware and in which they do not participate."
"The magnitude of General Motors' projected ongoing asbestos liability has been a matter of public knowledge and should have been addressed by both General Motors and the Auto Task Force in their restructuring activities," lawyers for the asbestos-injury claimants said in the filing.
One can only hope that at least Gerber will take his judicial duty a little more seriously than Turbo Gonzalez over at 09-50002.
In many ways, this dovetails with the objections filed in SCOTUS in the Chrysler case filed by Patricia Pascale: the essence being that all asbestos exposure liabilities disappear with New GM/New Chrysler, and as the liquidating assets barely have any value to them, claimants will be left out in the dark with no constitutional ability to collect on their claims.
Most recently, GM had asbestos-related legal claims for $648 million.
"Due-process concerns limit the court's ability to enter an order affecting the rights of unknown future claimants absent appointment of a legal representative to protect their interests," the filing said. "They cannot be bound by a reorganization of which they are unaware and in which they do not participate."
"The magnitude of General Motors' projected ongoing asbestos liability has been a matter of public knowledge and should have been addressed by both General Motors and the Auto Task Force in their restructuring activities," lawyers for the asbestos-injury claimants said in the filing.
One can only hope that at least Gerber will take his judicial duty a little more seriously than Turbo Gonzalez over at 09-50002.
The Real Memo Out Of The Bureau Of Lies And Statistics
"We're leveling off! We're leveling off!"—so is the hope of TTT, Helicopter Ben, Larry the Wall Street Lackey and the rest of Team Obama. "This recession is leveling off!"
No it's not: The unemployment figures just released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics are totally cosmetic: We lost a whole lot more than 531,000 unemployed.
First, the "seasonal adjustment", which is a black box that can tweek me into looking like Dumbo the flying elephant. They're knocking off ±65,000 workers for no clearly discernible reason.
Second, notice that the Census Bureau hired 60,000 people last month. Those workers (by definition) are temporary, and are a net cost to the economy, as they will not be adding marginal utility to any economic sector, the census being merely a social expenditure.
Those two items alone turn 530,000 new unemployed into 655,000.
Now notice how, once again, previous months' figures have been readjusted. This time, the readjustments weren't so bad—a mere 30,000 more unemployed in February, turning that month's official totals to 681,000, and another 30,000 for March, making that month's official number 699,000, just shy of that magic 700,000 monthly number (BTW, remember back in the good old days when 300,000 monthly unemployed was"shocking"?)
But notice too: When those more realistic numbers were released, the markets were more or less copacetic—at least they weren't nervously contemplating another suicidal round of cliff-diving, as we currently are. Ever since the October '08 release of Sept. '08 unemployment, when arguably the BLS numbers had a role in triggering the sell-off of that very nasty month, the unemployment numbers have been generally rosy whenever there's been general nervousness in the markets around the time of the number's release. I know this sounds crazy-man paranoid, but bear with me: Every time the markets have been nervous,the BLS numbers look pretty good, or at least not that bad, relatively speaking—and then the next month the figures are very quietly revised, sometimes by as much as 35% on the upward side.
I will bet one double Quarter Pounder with cheese and bacon that next month, the revisions of the April numbers will be on the order of an additional 85,000 unemployed. My guess is that, discounting the Census Bureau hirings, April saw 680,000 newly unemployed workers.
That would mean that unemployment isn't accelerating—but it's still growing fast enough to scare the hell out of anyone sane. And anyway, what industry or sector of the economy will be able to absorb all of those unemployed workers in the near-term future?
Now wait for May and especially June numbers, when 2 million new college grads can't find steady work.
This baby ain't over yet".
No it's not: The unemployment figures just released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics are totally cosmetic: We lost a whole lot more than 531,000 unemployed.
First, the "seasonal adjustment", which is a black box that can tweek me into looking like Dumbo the flying elephant. They're knocking off ±65,000 workers for no clearly discernible reason.
Second, notice that the Census Bureau hired 60,000 people last month. Those workers (by definition) are temporary, and are a net cost to the economy, as they will not be adding marginal utility to any economic sector, the census being merely a social expenditure.
Those two items alone turn 530,000 new unemployed into 655,000.
Now notice how, once again, previous months' figures have been readjusted. This time, the readjustments weren't so bad—a mere 30,000 more unemployed in February, turning that month's official totals to 681,000, and another 30,000 for March, making that month's official number 699,000, just shy of that magic 700,000 monthly number (BTW, remember back in the good old days when 300,000 monthly unemployed was"shocking"?)
But notice too: When those more realistic numbers were released, the markets were more or less copacetic—at least they weren't nervously contemplating another suicidal round of cliff-diving, as we currently are. Ever since the October '08 release of Sept. '08 unemployment, when arguably the BLS numbers had a role in triggering the sell-off of that very nasty month, the unemployment numbers have been generally rosy whenever there's been general nervousness in the markets around the time of the number's release. I know this sounds crazy-man paranoid, but bear with me: Every time the markets have been nervous,the BLS numbers look pretty good, or at least not that bad, relatively speaking—and then the next month the figures are very quietly revised, sometimes by as much as 35% on the upward side.
I will bet one double Quarter Pounder with cheese and bacon that next month, the revisions of the April numbers will be on the order of an additional 85,000 unemployed. My guess is that, discounting the Census Bureau hirings, April saw 680,000 newly unemployed workers.
That would mean that unemployment isn't accelerating—but it's still growing fast enough to scare the hell out of anyone sane. And anyway, what industry or sector of the economy will be able to absorb all of those unemployed workers in the near-term future?
Now wait for May and especially June numbers, when 2 million new college grads can't find steady work.
This baby ain't over yet".
California to Do Away with Welfare
Could California become the first state in the nation to do away with welfare?
That doomsday scenario is on the table as lawmakers wrestle with a staggering $24.3 billion budget deficit.
County welfare directors are “in shock” at the very idea of getting rid of CalWORKs, which has been widely viewed as one of the most successful social programs in the state’s history, said Bruce Wagstaff, director of the Department of Human Assistance in Sacramento.
“It’s difficult to come up with the right adjective to react to this,” Wagstaff said. “It would be devastating to the people we serve.”
H.D. Palmer, a spokesman for the state Department of Finance, said California is in an unprecedented fiscal situation that has made all programs, from education to human services, vulnerable to deep and painful reductions.
“I don’t wish for a moment to minimize the profound impact” that eliminating CalWORKs would have, Palmer said. “But the easy decisions are way past being in the rearview mirror for us. We face the specter of California not having cash on hand to pay its bills in July.”
Wagstaff and other administrators are betting that the state will rescue the “welfare to work” program. But they are bracing for cuts that would slash benefits to the lowest levels since the late 1990s, when CalWORKs began as part of the federal government’s bold reform of the welfare system.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
"As we are independent thinkers here, looking out for you requires discipline. That being said, the state of liberalism in America is confusing to say the least, especially in the human rights arena... think about this. The water boarding of heinous terrorists who participated in mass murder is called barbaric. But the destruction of thousands of late-term fetuses for casual reasons is called heroic. Now if that's liberalism, I will never be a part of it."
Monday, June 8, 2009
Obama and Biden Joke
Q. Obama and Biden decided to take an excursion through the Grand Canyon riding a donkey. The donkey became spooked along the path and fell off. Who was saved?
A. Obama and Biden. They both landed on their egos.
A. Obama and Biden. They both landed on their egos.
The Biggest Victim of the Debt Crisis
"Just as we’ve been warning, the United States Treasury is the next and largest victim of this great debt crisis.
Right now, the Treasury’s finances are collapsing … its bond prices plunging … its interest rates surging.
Indeed, the Treasury’s financial crisis looms so large, it could wreck more havoc on the economy and deliver more pain to average Americans than the subprime mortgage disaster, the housing bust, the banking crisis, and the collapse of General Motors put together …
Right now, the Treasury’s finances are collapsing … its bond prices plunging … its interest rates surging.
Indeed, the Treasury’s financial crisis looms so large, it could wreck more havoc on the economy and deliver more pain to average Americans than the subprime mortgage disaster, the housing bust, the banking crisis, and the collapse of General Motors put together …
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