July 2011
Weekend Diversion: Looking down instead of up... →
“And all your future lies beneath your hat.” -John Oldham
Yes, with all the space, astronomy and astrophysics I do here, I can still recognize that there are things of great beauty and importance…
House Committee passes bill requiring your ISP to... →
Yesterday, the House Judiciary Committee voted 19-10 for H.R. 1981, a data-retention bill that will require your ISP to spy on everything you do online and save records of it for 12 months. California Rep Zoe Lofgren, one of the Democrats who opposed the bill, called it a “data bank of every digital act by every American” that would “let us find out where every single American visited Web sites.”...
Weekend Diversion: Looking down instead of up... →
“And all your future lies beneath your hat.” -John Oldham
Yes, with all the space, astronomy and astrophysics I do here, I can still recognize that there are things of great beauty and importance happening here on the lower 50% of our gaze. For this weekend, I’ve got a sweet song by Railroad Earth:
Neath The Stars.
(Railroad Earth is great live, by the way. Don’t miss...
The GOP is an Oil Lobbying Firm BooMan... →
I think something we need to work on in the next election cycle is figuring out to make it clear to the American electorate that the Republican Party isn’t just in denial about climate change, they actually oppose anything that would reduce our consumption of fossil fuel products. That’s why, for example, Rep. Darrell Issa, the chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform...
Twitter, Facebook & Google+ Propaganda Posters →
Aaron Wood has created a really cool series of Twitter, Facebook and Google+ Propaganda Posters.
See Also:
- Twitter Themed WWIII Propaganda Posters
- Retro Future…
Twitter, Facebook & Google+ Propaganda Posters... →
Aaron Wood has created a really cool series of Twitter, Facebook and Google+ Propaganda Posters.
See Also:
- Twitter Themed WWIII Propaganda Posters
- Retro Future Advertisement For Twitter
- Retro Future Ads For Facebook, YouTube & Skype
via Steve Garfield
Longshot!: and the Issue Two theme is... →
longshotmag:
The moment has arrived. Here’s how this works: Starting right now, you have 24 hours to produce and submit your work. We’ll take the next 24 to select, edit, design and lay everything out. The end result will be a beautiful glossy paper magazine. And a super sharp digital edition.
And this…
Pelosi: If Boehner’s Plan Passes, ‘You Can Just... →
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) said Americans can “kiss Medicare goodbye” if House Speaker John Bohener’s (R-OH) debt ceiling compromise is passed into law, during a press conference…
71% of national debt happened during GOP... →
GOP Presidents Dem Presidents
$9.5 trillion $3.8 trillion
Total debt is $14.3 trillion.
$1 trillion of debt comes from before Reagan (NYT doesn’t make clear who created that debt).
$13.3 trillion accumulated from Reagan to Obama.
71% of the $13.3 trillion was under GOP presidents.
28% of the $13.3 trillion was under Dem presidents.
(Source: NYT pieced together data from...
Like activist judges? Then you’ll love the... →
One of the big unanswered questions about a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution — the new favorite policy of tea party types everywhere — is how it would even work in practice. Sure, the…
Pelosi: If Boehner’s Plan Passes, ‘You Can Just... →
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) said Americans can “kiss Medicare goodbye” if House Speaker John Bohener’s (R-OH) debt ceiling compromise is passed into law, during a press conference earlier today. Pelosi was likely referring to a 12-member bipartisan committee in Boehner’s proposal that will be tasked with finding at least $1.5 trillion in savings from programs like Medicare, Medicaid,...
Is Congress Broken? Andrew Sullivan →
Fareed Zakaria thinks the polarization is out of control:
Representative Darrell Issa, Republican of California, gave an interview to the Wall Street Journal in which he suggested that he might further the conservative agenda through an occasional compromise. That provoked a tirade from Rush Limbaugh, which then produced a torrent of angry e-mails and phone calls to Issa’s office. Issa...
Like activist judges? Then you’ll love the... →
One of the big unanswered questions about a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution — the new favorite policy of tea party types everywhere — is how it would even work in practice. Sure, the basics are easy to understand: Orrin Hatch and Mike Lee’s proposed amendment in the Senate, for instance, says that spending can’t exceed revenue for a given fiscal year, and spending can’t go above 18...
If Corporations And The Rich Paid Taxes At The... →
As congressional negotiators continue to debate the contents of a deficit reduction package, discussions are reportedly tilting toward a deal that will include spending cuts but no…
After Right-Wing Pressure, DHS Now Has ‘Just One... →
Former DHS Domestic Terrorism Analyst Daryl Johnson
CNN reports this week that terrorism experts are warning that the “threat of domestic terrorist attacks in the United States similar to last week’s fatal bombing and assault in Norway is significant and growing”:
The greatest threat of large-scale attacks come from individuals and small groups of extremists who subscribe to radical Islamic or...
The government sends out more than 80 million... →
I’ve been saying the federal government sends out 80 million checks a month, a number I got from the Bipartisan Policy Center. The president says the government sends out 70 million. Alec MacGillis says we’re both wrong:
The figures used by Obama and Geithner were, if anything, too low. They relied on Treasury Department figures from June that include Social Security (56 million checks that...
Dante’s Google Circles of Hell →
How Does An Abortion Provider Keep From Getting... →
Murdered Doctor George Tiller
Dr. LeRoy Carhart, one of the few remaining doctors who perform late-term abortions in the United States, explains the lengths he has to take to avoid being killed by people who call themselves “pro-life”:
He rarely stays at the same hotel twice. He rolls dice to pick the route he’ll take to work, because “the biggest part of security is not being predictable,” he...
If Corporations And The Rich Paid Taxes At The... →
As congressional negotiators continue to debate the contents of a deficit reduction package, discussions are reportedly tilting toward a deal that will include spending cuts but no revenue increases.
Over at the Campaign for America’s Future, the Institute for Policy Studies’ (IPS) Sam Pizzigati notes that one way to very easily tackle U.S. debt going forward would be to increase taxes on...
Moran on HR 2584: “The Most Anti-Environmental... →
Blumenaur: “This budget reduces our ability to deal with climate change and extreme weather events.”
This week, the GOP-controlled House of Representatives is considering the FY 2012 Interior and Environment Appropriations bill (HR 2584).
Words cannot describe how bad this bill is. But Jim Moran (D-VA), Ranking Member on the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and...
Chart Of The Day Andrew Sullivan →
Fallows flags this NYT chart:
It’s based on data from the Congressional Budget Office and the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. Its significance is not partisan (who’s “to blame” for the deficit) but intellectual. It demonstrates the utter incoherence of being very concerned about a structural federal deficit but ruling out of consideration the policy that was...
Dante’s Google Circles of Hell Chris →
Colbert attacks conservative media outlets for... →
Political comedian Stephen Colbert last night ripped into the “brave men and women of America’s newsrooms who identified the culprit long before the Norwegian authorities did” and falsely blamed Muslim jihadists for Friday’s Oslo attacks. After showing clips from Fox News and MSNBC, he honed in on both the Wall Street Journal and Washington Post blogger Jennifer Rubin. “So if you’re pulling a news...
Wonkbook: Republicans have won. But can they stop... →
We don’t yet know what the final deal to raise the debt ceiling will be. But now that Harry Reid is developing a proposal with $2.7 trillion in cuts and nothing in revenues, it’s a safe bet that it won’t include any tax increases. Which means that whether Republicans realize it or not, they’ve won. The question now is whether they can stop.
Originally, the Democratic...
After Signing Law Disenfranchising ID-less Voters,... →
Earlier this year, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker became one of the many GOP governors to sign a law disenfranchising voters who do not have a photo ID — a law that disproportionately affects elderly voters, young voters, students, minorities and low-income voters. Having disenfranchised tens of thousands of Wisconsin voters, Walker is now making it harder for many of these voters to obtain the ID...
‘Haboob’ Hubbub: Arizonans Protest Common... →
Shared by Chris Tackett
HA!
The dictionary defines a “haboob” as a thick dust storm that blows in deserts. Arizonans, however, define a “haboob” as a jihadist harbringer of Muslim…
‘Haboob’ Hubbub: Arizonans Protest Common... →
The dictionary defines a “haboob” as a thick dust storm that blows in deserts. Arizonans, however, define a “haboob” as a jihadist harbringer of Muslim infiltration. Hearing local weathermen call Arizona’s recent massive dust storms by a term they’ve used “for decades,” one Arizona resident said, “I am insulted that local TV news crews are now calling this kind of storm a haboob. […] How do...
HHS Study Author: ‘Sen. Franken Is Right’ →
Shared by Chris Tackett
He’s good.
One of the highlights from yesterday’s hearing on the Defense of Marriage Act was when Sen. Al Franken (D-MN) called out Focus on the Family’s Tom Minnery for…
HHS Study Author: ‘Sen. Franken Is Right’ (author... →
One of the highlights from yesterday’s hearing on the Defense of Marriage Act was when Sen. Al Franken (D-MN) called out Focus on the Family’s Tom Minnery for misrepresenting a study from the Department of Health and Human Services. The study’s author, Debra L. Blackwell, confirmed to POLITICO that Franken got it right and the study did not offer any support for Minnery’s claim that opposite-sex...
Times editorial cartoon wants you to get your... →
If you were wondering whether the sleazy and contemptuous culture at Murdoch’s tabloids extended to his “decent” newspapers, today’s editorial cartoon in The Times should clear that up for you.
Speaking of priorities, here is its top item today.
On the day The Times ran a cartoon attacking others for prioritizing trivia such as corruption and criminality at The...
Race and the Changing Shape of Cheerleading... →
Cheerleading started in the United States in the late 19th century as a male activity whose purpose was to organize crowds cheering at football games. In 1923, women joined cheerleading squads and have increasingly dominated this sport. Cheerleading traditionally features chanting, gymnastics, and tumbling. The dominant image of cheerleaders is a perky, always smiling, female who fits a...
CNC + Sharpie = fine-art Spirograph →
Matt W. More and aarn teamed up to create these “numerically controlled” posters made by fitting a Sharpie to a 3D CNC machine that then executed spirograpesque patterns. They come signed and…
CNC + Sharpie = fine-art Spirograph Cory Doctorow →
Matt W. More and aarn teamed up to create these “numerically controlled” posters made by fitting a Sharpie to a 3D CNC machine that then executed spirograpesque patterns. They come signed and numbered, with the Sharpie used to generate them.
Numerically Controlled : Poster Series.
(via This is Colossal)
News Corp and the Hacked Climategate Emails: Time... →
There have been countless independent investigations into the scientists whose e-mails were hacked in November 2009. And the scientists have been (quietly) vindicated every time (see “The first rule of vindicating climate science is you do not talk about vindicating climate science“).
But we still don’t know who hacked the emails! And now we know that one of the key investigative bodies tasked...
Mom Charged With Vehicular Homicide For Crossing... →
Image credit Transportation for America.
I have been trying to write something punchier than David Goldberg at Transportation for America did but I cannot, this event is “so utterly outrageous, so emblematic of the failure of our current transportation system,” that I cannot find words to describe it.
Raquel Nelson was convicted of vehicular homicide because she crossed a five lane...
What the Keynesians learned from the crisis Ezra... →
If you ask economists what went wrong during the Great Depression, you’ll often hear: “We hadn’t read Keynes yet.” That’s John Maynard Keynes, author of the “The General Theory of Employment, Interest and Money.” After the crash, his description of economic crises — and how to get out of them — became so widely accepted that, in the 1960s, President Richard Nixon said, “We’re all Keynesians now.”
...
The Limits Of Human Speed →
by Chris Bodenner
Chuck Klosterman investigates the notion:
Is there an irrefutable dead end to the 100-meter dash? Is there a speed at which a human body would just break down and…
Why It's Going Down Like This BooMan... →
There are twelve senators and, more importantly, thirty-six House Republicans who have pledged not to vote to raise the debt ceiling unless a Balanced Budget Amendment has been passed through Congress. There are probably another thirty House Republicans who feel similarly but who haven’t signed the pledge. Passing an amendment to the Constitution through Congress requires two-thirds of...
Drama Queen Mitch: We Need To Rewrite The... →
As Atrios said yesterday, “Governing by crisis is an undemocratic way for our overlords to try to avoid accountability.”
We’ve seen a lot of that lately. This is a problem with both parties, but it’s especially egregious in the Republican party because they quite literally believe that any positions but their own are inherently illegitimate. Like Our Drama Queen Mitch,...
The Limits Of Human Speed Andrew Sullivan →
by Chris Bodenner
Chuck Klosterman investigates the notion:
Is there an irrefutable dead end to the 100-meter dash? Is there a speed at which a human body would just break down and disintegrate, no different than a machine pushed beyond the capacity of its individual components? Some have been arguing “yes” for years. Reza Noubary, a professor of mathematics, computer science,...
The Fox Cycle →
Media Matters has put together a compilation of how Fox News creates a smear and uses all of their show hosts to perpetuate it. It’s a shining example of what they do not only to organizations like…
GOP Wants To Slash EPA Funding To 1990s Levels,... →
In a bold response to the recent oil spills in the Gulf of Mexico and Yellowstone River, House Republicans are marking up a FY 2012 appropriations bill today that would cut funding for the Environmental Protection Agency to 1999 levels, slash the agency’s oil spill prevention budget, and fail to provide additional resources for Deepwater Horizon victims.
Below is a brief summary of the funding...
The Fox Cycle karoli →
Media Matters has put together a compilation of how Fox News creates a smear and uses all of their show hosts to perpetuate it. It’s a shining example of what they do not only to organizations like Media Matters, but to politicians, people, and other media outlets who might not agree with them.
Rupert Murdoch may be in hot water in England right now, but watch this video and tell me that...
Documentary on The Old Russian Embassy House in... →
The impressive row of Victorian era houses known as The Painted Ladies, located on the perimeter of San Francisco’s Alamo Square Park, have achieved iconic status and been seen in 70+ TV shows and films including Invasion of the Body Snatchers, Mrs. Doubtfire, and Full House. But a close neighbor, a block away on the NorthWest corner of the park, actually has a more remarkable story waiting to...
Grocery stores removing self checkout lanes →
The last time I used one (a few months ago while in the UK) I became so annoyed I left the store without buying anything. The concept is great but when anything goes wrong you have to wait for…
Despite Millions in Hourly Profits, Exxon Oil... →
Image: Screenshot from The Rachel Maddow Show
I know some people think that paper towels and duct tape can fix just about anything, but could someone please tell the guys at Exxon that this isn’t always true? Watch the absurd video below….Read the full story on TreeHugger
