A hilarious beat poem by unapologetic skeptic Tim Minchin. (If in polite company, headphones are required.)
Entirely too funny.
(H/t to Bad Astronomy)
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Friday, October 09, 2009
And now we know that we shall never know
Liebermann's transparent attempt to conceal evidence of the abuse of prisoners in American custody is all but assured of passage.
That would be a Democratic congress, working in harmony with a Democratic President, to hide evidence of crimes ordered by the previous administration.
What an absolute disgrace.
That would be a Democratic congress, working in harmony with a Democratic President, to hide evidence of crimes ordered by the previous administration.
What an absolute disgrace.
Candor from Elizabeth Warren
Prof. Warren may not have power, but she has access to information - and we have access to her.
She needs as wide an audience as possible.
She needs as wide an audience as possible.
Thursday, October 08, 2009
Hannity vs. Moore
I don't have a lot of use for Michael Moore - but watch him debate with Sean Hannity about the causes of the mortgage crisis:
It's stunning to these two not shouting at each other - they are actually debating. Against all the expectations I would have for these two, they actually talk.
Hannity being Hannity, is an ignorant ass - but he's very civil as he demonstrates his ignorance.
Michael Moore can be very tiresome - but here he actually knows his statistics and he beats the living crap out of Hannity.
(H/t to Where's the Outrage?)
Crooks and Liars has the first part of the interview as well.
It's stunning to these two not shouting at each other - they are actually debating. Against all the expectations I would have for these two, they actually talk.
Hannity being Hannity, is an ignorant ass - but he's very civil as he demonstrates his ignorance.
Michael Moore can be very tiresome - but here he actually knows his statistics and he beats the living crap out of Hannity.
(H/t to Where's the Outrage?)
Crooks and Liars has the first part of the interview as well.
Wednesday, October 07, 2009
Pedros
Once again, something I learned from FRI: I learned what a Pedro is.
They're pretty fricking amazing.
They're pretty fricking amazing.
Tuesday, October 06, 2009
Not included in the total
ProPublica reminds us that every time we are told the number of American casualties in a place like Iraq (As of today, somewhere around 4,300 deaths and over 30,000 wounded) we should append another number - that of the American contractors who bleed there as well.
Contractor casualties in Iraq and Afghanistan so far amount to over 1,500 dead and another 35,000 wounded.
And while a small portion of those contractors are trigger pullers - you're mostly talking about a people who signed up to mundane work - like drive trucks.
ProPublica tells the story of one of them - a man named Reggie Lane.
Mr. Lane's story is a window into a larger issue of what happens when civilians supporting the war effort in theater, become casualties of that war. They're supposed to be provided insured under a regulation called the Defense Base Act.
A. I. G.
Contractor casualties in Iraq and Afghanistan so far amount to over 1,500 dead and another 35,000 wounded.
And while a small portion of those contractors are trigger pullers - you're mostly talking about a people who signed up to mundane work - like drive trucks.
ProPublica tells the story of one of them - a man named Reggie Lane.
Reggie Lane was once a hulking man of 260 pounds. Friends called him "Big Dad." Now, he weighed less than 200 pounds and his brain was severely damaged. He groaned angry, wordless cries.
Mr. Lane's story is a window into a larger issue of what happens when civilians supporting the war effort in theater, become casualties of that war. They're supposed to be provided insured under a regulation called the Defense Base Act.
....back home, the American government consigned [civilian contractors] to a federal insurance system marked by substandard care and excessive delays, according to a joint investigation by ProPublica, the Los Angeles Times and ABC News. Military veterans and former cops were forced to fight for basic medical care, psychological counseling, even prosthetic legs. Janitors and cooks from impoverished countries hired to work at U.S. military bases were never told of their rights to medical treatment. Widows and children have been left in poverty.And who is the primary provider of this second rate care? Three letters.
A. I. G.
Case study in E. Coli, or "Why hamburgers should scare you"
(Via trainreq)
The NYT relates the literally gut-wrenching story of Stephanie Smith, who was paralyzed after eating a hamburger contaminated by E. Coli bacteria.
All due respect Ms. Smith, the worst bit isn't her situation - it's the what her situation brought to light.
The offending burger in question, creatively labeled "American Chef's Selection Angus Beef Patties" was made by food giant Cargill using ingredients "from slaughterhouses in Nebraska, Texas and Uruguay, and from a South Dakota company that processes fatty trimmings and treats them with ammonia to kill bacteria."
The article revels in the contrast between what is commonly thought of as ground beef (beef put into a grinder and ground) and what goes into a product that is sold under the label "ground beef."
Here's what went into Ms. Smith's burger:
Owch.
The NYT relates the literally gut-wrenching story of Stephanie Smith, who was paralyzed after eating a hamburger contaminated by E. Coli bacteria.
All due respect Ms. Smith, the worst bit isn't her situation - it's the what her situation brought to light.
The offending burger in question, creatively labeled "American Chef's Selection Angus Beef Patties" was made by food giant Cargill using ingredients "from slaughterhouses in Nebraska, Texas and Uruguay, and from a South Dakota company that processes fatty trimmings and treats them with ammonia to kill bacteria."
The article revels in the contrast between what is commonly thought of as ground beef (beef put into a grinder and ground) and what goes into a product that is sold under the label "ground beef."
Here's what went into Ms. Smith's burger:
- From Nebraska: a 50/50 mix of beef trimmings and fat.
- From Texas and Uruguay: leaner trimmings meant to offset the higher fat content of other ingredients; and
- From South Dakota: a product that starts with 50-70% fat, which is spun off in a centrifuge and treated with ammonia
To finish off [Ms.] Smiths’ ground beef, Cargill added bread crumbs and spices, fashioned it into patties, froze them and packed them 18 to a carton.
The listed ingredients revealed little of how the meat was made. There was just one meat product listed: “Beef.”
Owch.
Blue horseshoe loves Simmons Bedding
In this case, the role usually played by Michael Douglas will be played by Thomas H. Lee Partners of Boston.
Simmons bedding is a 133 year old company that THL bought in 2003.
They are now imploding, costing bondholders millions - but THL has profited hansomely.
They've done so using practices that make no sense to a business interested in continuing to make mattresses, but make lots of sense if you're a private-equity firm interested in gutting the place for your own enrichment.
Same old Wall Street - they get theirs and everybody else gets the shaft.
Simmons bedding is a 133 year old company that THL bought in 2003.
They are now imploding, costing bondholders millions - but THL has profited hansomely.
They've done so using practices that make no sense to a business interested in continuing to make mattresses, but make lots of sense if you're a private-equity firm interested in gutting the place for your own enrichment.
Twice after buying Simmons, THL borrowed more. It used $375 million of that money to pay itself a dividend, thus recouping all of the cash it put down, and then some.
A result: THL was guaranteed a profit regardless of how Simmons performed. It did not matter that the company was left owing far more than it was worth, just as many people profited from the mortgage business while many homeowners found themselves underwater.
Investors who bought that debt are getting virtually nothing in the new deal.
Same old Wall Street - they get theirs and everybody else gets the shaft.
Monday, October 05, 2009
Peter W. Galbraith throws down
(Via CJR)
The (former) second highest ranking U.N. official in Afghanistan has gone postal over the reasons why he was canned.
In a WaPo OpEd.
Short version: The U.N. is choosing to ignore Pres. Karzai's corruption in this election. I could not.
Read the whole screed.
The (former) second highest ranking U.N. official in Afghanistan has gone postal over the reasons why he was canned.
In a WaPo OpEd.
Short version: The U.N. is choosing to ignore Pres. Karzai's corruption in this election. I could not.
Read the whole screed.
Letterman's choice of words
Just a minor observation about David Letterman's televised admission of affairs with co-workers/subordinates.
He repeatedly used two words to describe what he did. One word was fairly typical:
"Terrible."
It's a word you can focus inward as well as outward.
I have done terrible things.
But the other word wasn't.
That word was 'creepy.'
That is not a word whose natural focus is internal. You don't call yourself creepy. Things done by others are creepy.
But Letterman said what he did was creepy.
And why did he do that?
Because he knows that at least some of details of his misdeeds will end up make it into the public eye - so he's telling you up front that some of it will make your skin crawl.
And that - for lack of a better word - is creepy.
He repeatedly used two words to describe what he did. One word was fairly typical:
"Terrible."
It's a word you can focus inward as well as outward.
I have done terrible things.
But the other word wasn't.
That word was 'creepy.'
That is not a word whose natural focus is internal. You don't call yourself creepy. Things done by others are creepy.
But Letterman said what he did was creepy.
And why did he do that?
Because he knows that at least some of details of his misdeeds will end up make it into the public eye - so he's telling you up front that some of it will make your skin crawl.
And that - for lack of a better word - is creepy.
Meet out the measure
I remember watching a comedy routine at the Apollo where a comic pantomimed stoic civil rights marchers enduring physical abuse while trying their best to sing:
We shall (whack!) over- (whack!) -come...
He contrasted that with the South African marches against Apartheid, then hurled himself into a frenzy of leaping and shouting.
"When we march in South Africa, we MARCH!! That ain't 'we shall overcome' that's 'we gonna kick your ass!'"
Seems to me, progressives have been longing for someone to kick some ass. Enduring eight years of full on stupidity and two years of progressive impotence - it's a lot to take. Too much.
Pres. Obama is never going to swing a partisan bat - so we're left wondering who on the left is going to spit fire and call out the BS on the right.
Rude Pundit makes a great case for Rep. Alan Grayson:
Kick ass.
(H/t to trainreq)
We shall (whack!) over- (whack!) -come...
He contrasted that with the South African marches against Apartheid, then hurled himself into a frenzy of leaping and shouting.
"When we march in South Africa, we MARCH!! That ain't 'we shall overcome' that's 'we gonna kick your ass!'"
Seems to me, progressives have been longing for someone to kick some ass. Enduring eight years of full on stupidity and two years of progressive impotence - it's a lot to take. Too much.
Pres. Obama is never going to swing a partisan bat - so we're left wondering who on the left is going to spit fire and call out the BS on the right.
Rude Pundit makes a great case for Rep. Alan Grayson:
...this dude knows how to apologize to right-wingers. Pushed by Michael Steele to beg forgiveness from Limbaugh like so many Republicans did, Grayson offered, "I’m sorry Limbaugh called for harsh sentences for drug addicts while he was a drug addict. I’m also sorry that he’s bent on seeing America fail. And I’m sorry that Limbaugh is one sorry excuse for a human being."Read the whole thing - good stuff.
Kick ass.
(H/t to trainreq)
FRI to Afghan ISAF: Mind your manners
Recently the French closed a major highway in Afghanistan for six hours because they had an accident. Everyone had to wait until they had recovered the vehicle.
Free Range International offers the following to coalition forces in Afghanistan:
Free Range International offers the following to coalition forces in Afghanistan:
...the US Army continues to roll through downtown Jalalabad instead of using the brand new high speed truck by pass which is faster and safer for them. Their focus in exclusively internal. They plan all operations, movements, and interactions with the Afghans (when they manage to get off a FOB) based on what is easiest and safest for them with no consideration of the Afghan people. This is an “effects based” opinion based on what I see daily. The only military unit I have been able to observe in the planning stages were the Marines in Helmand where I listened in on planning to build military roads designed to avoid adversely impacting the local people in the Helmand Green Zone. The Marines focus was exclusively external on what was convenient for the Afghans not what was easiest for them. This may explain why they have taken such a large chunk of the Helmand River Valley and dominated it with little to no post assault fighting while the British army is unable to walk 100 meters off their combat outposts in the same river valley without getting blown up or in a fire fight.
Saturday, October 03, 2009
Death from above: keeping score
The Long War Journal lays down some interesting data on drone strikes in Pakistan.
Check this graphic out:
There's a series of supporting graphs as well.
I'd be interested to see how these stats hold up under scrutiny, but the numbers clearly support earlier coverage of an increase in drone strikes. Whether this trend is part of an earlier decision that was slow to build - or a more recent shift - it's suggesting we're getting some bad guys.
We've taken a lot of deserved heat for civilian deaths in Afghanistan. If this account of our efforts in Pakistan can be believed - we're doing a lot better on the other side of the border.
The death of Baitullah Mehsud was a major coup - and bringing death to the faction leaders seems like a like a high ROI way to go after these factions. They will adapt, however - and you wonder what tactic we will have once they learn how best to go to ground.
Check this graphic out:
There's a series of supporting graphs as well.
I'd be interested to see how these stats hold up under scrutiny, but the numbers clearly support earlier coverage of an increase in drone strikes. Whether this trend is part of an earlier decision that was slow to build - or a more recent shift - it's suggesting we're getting some bad guys.
We've taken a lot of deserved heat for civilian deaths in Afghanistan. If this account of our efforts in Pakistan can be believed - we're doing a lot better on the other side of the border.
The death of Baitullah Mehsud was a major coup - and bringing death to the faction leaders seems like a like a high ROI way to go after these factions. They will adapt, however - and you wonder what tactic we will have once they learn how best to go to ground.
Get off your ass
Every house has its share of projects. My house has its share and a few other houses' shares as well.
I've learned two things from my experience with Five Minute Jobs:
You add that to my list of things I haven't done to the house - and you have a recipe for inaction.
I'll explain.
Back when we bought our house - the house inspection identified a number of things we needed to do to the place. I added my own items to it and turned it into a pretty hefty list.
Long lists are pretty intimidating by themselves, but long lists of home jobs are really lists of lists.
Any one item turns into countless more detail. A list of things to do before you start. Tools you will need to rent or purchase. Parts and supplies you will need to buy. Research you will need to do.
And then of course - the list of stuff you will need to do when you actually start the job and find out your initial plan just isn't going to work.
The knowledge that each and every item could balloon into a total nightmare is a powerful motivation to put stuff off.
But some jobs can't be ignored.
The patio project was a bit of a watershed moment. The patio was a must. It was a giant mud bog behind our house - and (to my mind) was going to be far too expensive to pay somebody to put in a brick patio for us.
Had to be done. Hiring somebody is out of bounds.
This is not to say I haven't ignored other jobs like that before, but the patio was a job was something else, too. It was accessible. It didn't have to be done in a hurry. And starting it didn’t require me to turn my entire house upside done.
So I took the plunge. And I accidentally learned something obvious about home jobs.
Yeah, I screwed up. And took too long. But after I put down the last brick, I got to go back to my list and write the words DONE after the patio job.
Hadn't done that in awhile. And having something on the list that was done was a big help.
I think of my dad's ability to fix damn near anything and I think I get it now. My dad was tenacious, sure - but his defining trait in this sphere was his total lack of inertia. It drove him crazy when stuff didn't work properly, or was done wrong. I have that trait - but I have inertia. Lots of it.
But I'm stubborn, too. And I know if I start a job - giving up will bug me beyond my ability to deal.
So: I get off my @ss, - stuff will get done. My list has helped prove that to me.
Now I keep a google doc with my list so I can access it anywhere. Everything on it is Active, Pending, or Done.
Active jobs have to-dos by them and dates when they were updated.
Pending jobs are supplemented with supporting data (needed parts, contact information for vendors)
and Done jobs? They're there so I can review them and see that stuff got done. Motivate myself to do more stuff.
Tenacity will get me out the other side if I just start. And I can always hire a pro if need be. But putting stuff off that affects quality of life - is robbing me and my family of quality of life.
And I'm done putting up with crap like that.
I've learned two things from my experience with Five Minute Jobs:
- Simple jobs almost always get more complicated; and
- Simple jobs that stay simple are merely bait to lure you into future disasters
You add that to my list of things I haven't done to the house - and you have a recipe for inaction.
I'll explain.
Back when we bought our house - the house inspection identified a number of things we needed to do to the place. I added my own items to it and turned it into a pretty hefty list.
Long lists are pretty intimidating by themselves, but long lists of home jobs are really lists of lists.
Any one item turns into countless more detail. A list of things to do before you start. Tools you will need to rent or purchase. Parts and supplies you will need to buy. Research you will need to do.
And then of course - the list of stuff you will need to do when you actually start the job and find out your initial plan just isn't going to work.
The knowledge that each and every item could balloon into a total nightmare is a powerful motivation to put stuff off.
But some jobs can't be ignored.
The patio project was a bit of a watershed moment. The patio was a must. It was a giant mud bog behind our house - and (to my mind) was going to be far too expensive to pay somebody to put in a brick patio for us.
Had to be done. Hiring somebody is out of bounds.
This is not to say I haven't ignored other jobs like that before, but the patio was a job was something else, too. It was accessible. It didn't have to be done in a hurry. And starting it didn’t require me to turn my entire house upside done.
So I took the plunge. And I accidentally learned something obvious about home jobs.
Yeah, I screwed up. And took too long. But after I put down the last brick, I got to go back to my list and write the words DONE after the patio job.
Hadn't done that in awhile. And having something on the list that was done was a big help.
I think of my dad's ability to fix damn near anything and I think I get it now. My dad was tenacious, sure - but his defining trait in this sphere was his total lack of inertia. It drove him crazy when stuff didn't work properly, or was done wrong. I have that trait - but I have inertia. Lots of it.
But I'm stubborn, too. And I know if I start a job - giving up will bug me beyond my ability to deal.
So: I get off my @ss, - stuff will get done. My list has helped prove that to me.
Now I keep a google doc with my list so I can access it anywhere. Everything on it is Active, Pending, or Done.
Active jobs have to-dos by them and dates when they were updated.
Pending jobs are supplemented with supporting data (needed parts, contact information for vendors)
and Done jobs? They're there so I can review them and see that stuff got done. Motivate myself to do more stuff.
Tenacity will get me out the other side if I just start. And I can always hire a pro if need be. But putting stuff off that affects quality of life - is robbing me and my family of quality of life.
And I'm done putting up with crap like that.
Friday, October 02, 2009
Sen. Graham, I agree with you
I'll be damned.
Media whore and US Senator Lindsay Graham has said something I would agree with:
Of course, if Glenn Beck's political allegiance came to a vote, Sen. Graham would vote party line.
But still... credit for a good soundbite.
Media whore and US Senator Lindsay Graham has said something I would agree with:
"Glenn Beck is not aligned with any party as far as I can tell. He's aligned with cynicism, and there's always been a market for cynicism."
Of course, if Glenn Beck's political allegiance came to a vote, Sen. Graham would vote party line.
But still... credit for a good soundbite.
Garbage in the green bin
(Via GOOD blog)
Something I've been wondering about:
What Happens When Non-recyclables End Up in the Blue Bin?
Something I've been wondering about:
What Happens When Non-recyclables End Up in the Blue Bin?
Who says Auto tune is the harbinger of cultural doom?
It spruced up Carl Sagan - and now it gives life to Billy Mays. (Headphones suggested, but not required).
H/t DB
Sing with me...
H/t DB
Sing with me...
Are you tired of using sprays that only mask odors?
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