text:
Saturday Mashup (10/27/12)
As we all await "Frankenstorm," I think it's important to recall the fact that, as Atrios sez here, our weather satellite capabilities are in a bit of disrepair.
One root cause? Well, as noted here…
The Obama Administration included a sizeable increase for NOAA to get started on JPSS in the FY2011 budget. Unfortunately, that request was swept up in congressional turmoil as Republicans regained control of the House. Decisions on the FY2011 budget were delayed until half way through that fiscal year and many programs — including JPSS — were held to their previous year's level. Since the FY2010 level reflected the NPOESS program where NOAA and DOD were sharing the costs, it was less than half of what NOAA needed for JPSS.
The program fared better in FY2012, receiving $924 million of the $1.07 billion requested, but the damage was done. NOAA is concerned that there is very likely to be a "data gap" when existing satellites expire before the first JPSS is launched. Kathy Sullivan, Deputy Administrator of NOAA, said yesterday that there may still be a data gap even if Congress agrees to the funding level for JPSS included in the FY2013 request.
Take a bow, Teahadists.
Also, it looks like the long Italian arm of the law has finally caught up with former Prime Minister "Uh-Oh" Silvio Berlusconi, as noted here…
(Berlusconi) has been handed a jail sentence and barred from office after being found guilty of tax fraud.
The Milan court sentenced him to four years but later cut it to one year because of an amnesty law.
Mr Berlusconi condemned the sentence as "intolerable judicial harassment". He will remain free pending appeals.
There was a time when I kept a close watch on Berlusconi because I thought, to use a trite phrase from our "dead tree" media, he made "good copy."
Here, Berlusconi sought immunity from prosecution while in office (Italy's constitutional court repealed it). Here, he once compared himself to Jesus, made headlines with a "fishy" entrepreneur (keeping in mind that, in Europe generally, male politicians are looked upon favorably if they engage in multiple romantic liaisons – don't know if that's changing or not), and pledged not to have sex until after an election (and Berlusconi took a "page," more or less, out of former Bushco Attorney General John Ashcroft here).
Berlusconi also claimed here that those who lost their homes in the tragic Abruzzo earthquake should consider their time in aid camps "a weekend of camping."
And as I always say, you can always tell something about someone by their choice of friends (here).
Continuing, this tells us the following…
In an unusual cascade of events Thursday, three state legislators who sponsored a bill that would limit welfare benefits to women who became pregnant from rape but failed to alert authorities and name their attacker removed their names from the bill.
The primary sponsor of the bill, State Rep. RoseMarie Swanger (R., Lebanon), defended the bill early in the day, only to repudiate portions of it within three hours.
The bill attempted to put a "family cap" and, as a result, "withhold extra money to welfare recipients who gave birth while receiving cash assistance known as Temporary Assistance to Needy Families, or TANF" (such caps were passed in 23 states in the '90s, including New Jersey, as the Inquirer tells us).
Continuing with the story…
One part of Swanger's proposal would exclude from the cap any woman who gave birth to a child as the result of rape or incest.
But to qualify for that exclusion, the woman must prove she reported the crime and identified her attacker, if he was known to her.
That provision is a deviation from most cap bills.
"A rape victim won't get a benefit if she doesn't report the rape," Swanger said early Thursday afternoon, defending the bill. "Isn't that reasonable? Why wouldn't you report rape?"
But about three hours later, after The Inquirer had interviewed several people about the legislation, Swanger called the newspaper to say the bill would not go forward as written.
"The rape part is not what I requested," Swanger said.
She went on to say that she had asked the House research staff to help draft the proposal, and to base her bill on existing New Jersey legislation.
Um…it sound to me like an actual grownup in her party (which one, I wonder?) got to Swanger and told her that the attempt at excluding welfare recipients from the cap this way was an incredibly, horribly, bad idea (the Inquirer story by Alfred Lubrano also tells us the following)…
Experts on rape said that the bill's authors don't understand the nature of sexual assault. Most women don't report being attacked, and are often victimized by partners or husbands, making them loath to tell authorities.
By trying to create a cap, Pennsylvania is actually bucking trends, according to Rochelle Finzel, program director at the National Conference of State Legislatures, a bipartisan group that assists legislators.
By the way, it should be noted that this is hardly the first moment of nuttiness from Swanger. Here, she tried to ban Sharia law from being enacted in Pa, which, last I checked, has no chance of being enacted anywhere in this country. Swanger also sponsored English-only legislation here, and here, she was one of 37 (!) state representatives who introduced legislation to make 2012 the "Year of the Bible" (and I suppose they planned to make 2013 the "Year of the Koran" as well?).
Also, the Inquirer notes that Teahadist "Janet" Stefano (I think they're referring to Jennifer) has latched onto this issue in much the same way a leech attaches itself to a human host and creates scar tissue (and you can thank Stefano for helping "Mikey the Beloved" Fitzpatrick to lurch ever further into wingnuttia also, as noted here – fourth bullet).
Next, I give you something truly shocking (or at least they think so) from The Daily Tucker here (still in need of a copy editor, apparently)…
In a 1999 legislative vote, then-Illinois State Senator Barack Obama was the sole state senator to not vote for for (sic) a bill that would protect sexual assault victims from having the details of their cases revealed publicly.
On May 11 of that year, Obama voted "present" on a bill, ultimately made law, that allows victims of sex crimes to request that their cases be sealed from public view following a criminal conviction. Illinois Senate voting records show that Obama was the only senator who did not vote in favor of the bill.
Obama's unique objection to voting for a bill meant to protect victims of sex crimes is a substantial departure from the picture he has attempted to paint for women voters.
(And once again, The Daily Tucker completely obliterates the line between "hard news" and "opinion.")
Actually, it isn't a "unique objection" and "a substantial departure" at all; as noted here from four years ago…
In a January 22 "Analysis" article about the previous night's Democratic presidential debate, the Associated Press purported to provide Sen. Barack Obama's (D-IL) response to criticism over the number of "present" votes he took in the Illinois legislature, but left out a part of his answer in which he responded to a specific point in the AP article. The AP quoted Obama saying: "[O]n issue after issue that is important to the American people, I haven't simply followed, I have led." But the AP did not note that Obama also responded specifically to the issue of his "present" vote on a particular bill that the AP mentioned having to do with sexual abuse. The AP omitted the part of the exchange in which Obama said, "I actually sponsored the bill" on sexual abuse, but that "after I had sponsored it and helped to get it passed, it turned out that there was a legal provision in it that was problematic and needed to be fixed so that it wouldn't be struck down."
So Obama voted "present" to keep the bill alive so it could be fixed later (as opposed to throwing a hissy fit over something he found objectionable like most politicians do and killing the bill outright).
Lather, rinse, repeat (sigh)…
Finally (and speaking of Number 44), Kathleen Parker of the WaPo performs some rather typical corporate media jujitsu here, blaming President Obama for responding to crap initiated by his opposition political party…
It is no accident that the war of competing economic theories has devolved into the same old culture war, beginning with the debate about the contraception mandate under the Affordable Care Act.
Oh yes, the "debate" over the so-called contraception mandate, begun in part by PA U.S. House Rep Mike Kelly, who compared it to 9/11 and Pearl Harbor here (not President Obama, but Republican U.S. House Rep Mike Kelly).
Ever since, the Obama campaign has strategically tried to push the Republican Party and Mitt Romney into a corner by advancing the war-on-women narrative.
That Obama has had ample help from certain outspoken players (Missouri and Indiana Senate candidates Todd Akin and Richard Mourdock, respectively, to name the most notorious) has only made Romney's challenges greater. But the war against women has always been a red herring.
Random comments by a couple of outliers provided wind for Obama's sails.
"A couple of outliers"? Seriously (including RoseMarie Swanger, as noted earlier)?
This from Think Progress tells us that at least 9 Republican politicians have banned abortions for victims of rape or incest, in true Mourdock-ian fashion. Even more than that, this tells us that the ban is part of the Republican 2012 campaign platform!
What exactly was that Pulitzer for again?
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Wednesday Mashup (10/24/12)
Mikey The Beloved's PR's service notified us of the following recently (here)…
Congressman Mike Fitzpatrick is criticizing the Veterans Administration for awarding bonuses to employees at a time when there's a massive disability claims backlog, improper payments have made national news and a systematic pattern of mail destruction is plaguing the agency.
Fitzpatrick, the 8th District Republican, said the Philadelphia regional office, where the problems have occurred, has received $1.4 million worth of bonuses in the past three years.
"These are taxpayer dollars being spent to reward a system that is in chronic failure," he said. "If employees at the Veterans Administration are getting bonuses when they're failing, what incentive do they have to fix the problem, and who's holding them accountable?"
By the way, it should be noted that the bonuses were discovered by the VA's Inspector General, not Congress, something Mikey's loyal stenographer Gary Weckselblatt dutifully omitted (here), leaving the reader the impression that Mikey and his pals in Congress somehow discovered it themselves. It should also be noted that a bill has been introduced to curb VA bonuses, as noted here.
All of this is nothing but typical grandstanding, though, when you find out that the party of Fitzpatrick, Boehner, Cantor, Todd Akin, etc. decided that veterans' benefits should be on the budgetary "chopping block," as noted here. And it's not as if Mikey has such a shining voting record concerning our vets, as noted here.
Besides, does Mikey really want a comparison between current VA head Eric Shinseki and Bushco's Jim Nicholson (here)? It looks like the current benchmark is 125 days to turnaround claims, but it was 145-150 under Bushco (still too long, but better). And this tells us how Nicholson underestimated VA funding requirements by $2.6 billion, expecting to provide care originally for about 25,000 of our military in 2005, though he ended up having to more than quadruple that figure. Oh, and there was that matter of veterans' info that fell prey to identity theft under Nicholson's tenure also (here).
And for good measure, this tells you about Number 44's efforts overall on behalf of our veterans.
If you're as fed up with Mikey's antics as I am (not just on veterans issues, but everything), then click here to donate to Kathy Boockvar or help with the "get out the vote" effort (less than two weeks to go).
Next, I give you the following from one of Mikey's U.S. House playmates, and that would be Sam Graves of Missouri (here – I can't find anyone running against Graves, so I assume he's unopposed; love to be wrong because Graves needs an opponent)…
The Obama administration's relentless government expansion has become a disturbing pattern. Majority Leader Eric Cantor's (R-Va.) report today (October 23) is a devastating list of the president's failures and misplaced policies. The common thread is the drastic expansion of government's role, without being too picky about the means. The attitude seems to be that nothing can or should stand in the way of this big government agenda – not the law, not the people's representatives, not the deliberative legislative process envisioned by our nation's founders.
As chairman of the Committee on Small Business, I follow closely the effect of these decisions on small businesses. Job creators are frozen by the Administration's tax and regulatory policies, and the fear of more.
Taxes are a big part of the cloud of uncertainty looming over our job creators.
To begin, I don't know how Graves can claim that Obama has "expanded" government when he has, in fact, shrunk it, so much so that he was actually attacked for that in a campaign ad by Willard Mitt Romney and Mr.-Puppy-Dog-Eyes-With-The-Shiv here. On top of that, this tells us that two Goldman Sachs economists pointed out that "uncertainty" is just a normal part of an economic recovery, and we're starting to come out of that (with the caveat being that I personally don't consider our repeated cycle over the last 30 years or so of going from bubble to bust economically as "normal").
Here is more on Graves, including his support for "Jesus Q. Nutbar," otherwise known as Todd Akin, his vote in favor of the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act (abortion already isn't federally funded because of the Hyde Amendment – this is a recording), his vote in favor of a government shutdown over the debt ceiling hissy fit even though he voted to raise the debt ceiling in 2004, etc.
As I always say, there are people out there who actually vote for these characters.
And speaking of characters, the Old Gray Lady recently opined here on The Republican Former 43rd President Who Shall Not Be Named…
He does not speak on the stump or appear in television ads. Campaign audiences rarely hear his name.
But aside from President Obama and Mitt Romney, no one has shaped the 2012 election more than George W. Bush — on the economy and on the foreign policy issues in the spotlight during the final presidential debate on Monday.
For Mr. Romney, the battered reputation of Mr. Bush represents a burden to minimize in a tight race for the White House. The two have not appeared together this year.
When an audience member asked about Mr. Bush in the debate last week, Mr. Romney separated himself from what he characterized as Mr. Bush's shortcomings on the budget deficit and on trade with China.
For Mr. Obama, Mr. Bush's economic record offers a shield against voters' wrath over high unemployment and slow growth; majorities in polls describe the nation's economic woes as something the incumbent inherited rather than caused.
Mr. Bush's former aides chafe at criticism of his record from fellow Republicans, as well as from Democrats. Tony Fratto, a spokesman in the Bush White House and the Treasury Department, rebutted both of Mr. Romney's barbs from the debate last week.
"There are good reasons why we didn't balance the budget," like the fight against terrorism, Mr. Fratto said. On trade, "we were very effective with the Chinese" in paving the way for a rise in the value of its currency, to the benefit of American businesses.
Oh, by the way, I should note that this column was written by John Harwood. That explains the cowardly tactic of paraphrasing a supposed reason from a former Bushie, basically acting as Fratto's stenographer instead of showing the courage of whatever convictions Harwood has and making Fratto go on the record with an exact quote.
Also, It's funny to hear Fratto justify, on the one hand, whatever it was that Dubya supposedly did for China's currency (color me skeptical on that one), while, on the other hand, Romany criticizes China as a currency manipulator here (actually getting something right for a change…see "Blind Squirrel" and "Nut"). Which one is it?
The real howler from Fratto, though, is the line about how the GLOBAL WAR ON TERRA! TERRA! TERRA! was supposedly responsible for Dubya's wretched non-management of our government's finances under his watch; this provides the reality point of view on that subject (#3 in particular).
I guess that's a bit of a transition to this idiocy from Investor's Business Daily (here)…
Election '12: From Moscow to Caracas to Havana, something disturbing is happening: Dictators with long records of enmity toward the U.S. are endorsing Obama for president. What does that say about the Obama presidency?
Fresh from abusing Venezuela's opposition after his own rigged re-election, Chavez declared, "If I were American, I would vote for Obama. He is my candidate." It was his second direct endorsement of Obama in a week. After that, he spooled off his plans to impose socialism on his country.
Around the same time, Mariela Castro, daughter of Cuba's ruling communist capo Raul Castro, Fidel's brother, told CNN: "As a citizen of the world, I would like for (Obama) to win."
She added: "Obama deserves a second chance and he needs greater support to move forward with his projects which I believe come from the heart."
One or two silly endorsements from movie stars or Honey Boo Boo are one thing.
But with this president, there's a sustained and disturbing pattern of America's enemies signaling preference for Obama over the alternative as U.S. president.
In the case of Chavez and the Castro oligarchs, it's obvious enough that Obama governs in a way that resembles their own — increasing state employees and state dependency, ruling by decree, singling out companies for punishment, and engaging in a cult of personality where the state is replaced by the leader.
You want to talk about presidents and dictators, IBD? Really?
OK, then, let's go way back to here, where Richard Nixon and Henry Kissinger endorsed the murderous brutality of Chile's Augusto Pinochet, playing a role in the coup that ousted Socialist (for real) Chilean President Salvador Allende and installed Pinochet, igniting a "reign of terror which Pinochet's secret police extended around the South American continent and across the globe."
Also, let's go here, where The Sainted Ronnie R made nice with Egypt's Hosni Mubarak and our former pal in Iraq, none other than Saddam Hussein himself.
And as far as Reagan's "son" is concerned, the following should be noted from here, according to human rights attorney Scott Horton, as well as Glenn Greenwald (doing Tricky Dick and The Gipper each one better, you could say)…
"We may not have realized it at the time, but in the period from late 2001-January 19, 2009, this country was a dictatorship. The constitutional rights we learned about in high school civics were suspended. That was thanks to secret memos crafted deep inside the Justice Department that effectively trashed the Constitution. What we know now is likely the least of it."
And as far as Obama "increasing state employees" (not totally sure what "state" IBD is talking about here)…well, once again, I give you the reality point of view here.
Finally, I give you the latest from the right wing umbrage factory, The Daily Tucker in particular (here)…
If you ever wanted a glimpse into potentially just how rabidly left-of-center your average MSNBC viewer is, you had an opportunity this morning during the "What have we learned today?" segment on "Morning Joe."
As the Tuesday broadcast of "Morning Joe" was wrapping up, co-host Mika Brzezinski introduced viewers to 9-year-old Annabelle.
"I have Annabelle," Brzezinski said. "She is nine and a half. She has four brothers so she kind of feels my pain this morning. But Annabelle, who do you think should win the election, Annabelle?"
Annabelle replied, "Mitt Romney," which was met with a chorus of boos on the show's live set at Racks Downtown Eatery and Tavern in Boca Raton, Fla.'s Mizner Park.
"Booing a 9-year-old girl?" co-host Willie Geist said. "Clean it up."
Um, if you actually watch the video, you'll see people laughing over it, OK? In other words, it…was…a…joke.
(By the way, if you want to hear an audience booing someone or voicing disapproval for real over a political matter, click here.)
Oh, and I give you this from the Daily Tucker item…
"Booing a 9-year-old girl, a lot of these people must have come down from Philly or something," Time magazine's Joe Klein added.
Oh, ha and ha, Joe (yes, we know the "short hand" by heart…Philly, the place where they booed Santa Claus, etc., etc.).
Well, maybe I'm being a little thin-skinned myself here I'll admit, but as long as Klein is bad-mouthing Philadelphia, let me share this item I happened to come across recently (here)…
We can all agree that Philly gets a bad rap in the national media, especially when we witness wedding parties duking it out at the Society Hill Sheraton ("One dead, 3 held in wedding free-for-all," Oct. 8). However, just a few blocks away, a number of Philadelphians showed their true colors.
My 19-year-old daughter, a freshman at Drexel University, was out with one of her classmates on Church Street in Old City on the afternoon of Oct. 4. Her classmate (a Dallas native) was a few steps ahead when my daughter started to black out and have a seizure. A passerby saw what was happening and quickly caught her just before her head hit the sidewalk. Her friend turned around to see my daughter convulsing on the sidewalk. The friend then saw people pour out of nearby shops, offering assistance, bringing water and blankets, and calling 911. EMTs arrived within minutes and rushed her to the ER at Hahnemann.
Fortunately, my daughter came out of it fairly quickly and is now OK.
Her friend from Dallas was blown away at the random acts of kindness and how quickly everyone responded. As a parent, I thank God, the guardian angels watching over my daughter, and the good Samaritan who caught my daughter before she split her head open on the sidewalk.
I am equally thankful for the other Philadephians who stepped up, did the right thing, and showed my daughter how kind and caring we can be as residents of this great city. This story will never make the national media, but it is a story that will be in our hearts for all eternity.
John Pogas
And if I were to venture a guess, I'm sure there were more than a few sports fans in the crowd that came to the aid of the daughter of Mr. Pogas.
One more thing – I'm sure none of the people in Boca Raton Klein was bitching about ever acted as sock puppets for one-time U.S. House Rep Pete Hoekstra (here).
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Thursday Mashup 10/18/12
I give you The Daily Tucker (here)…
Thursday marks the 40th anniversary of the Clean Water Act. No doubt, the billions spent on the act have improved overall water quality. Yet as someone who regularly rowed on Washington, D.C.'s Potomac River during college, I know that the Clean Water Act and the EPA are still in murky water.
The author then goes on to lament the fact that storm runoff (i.e., trash) ends up in the Potomac, which he encounters while rowing. So, for that reason, he considers the Clean Water Act "40 years of inefficient solutions."
Now I don't know how culpable the D.C. Water and Sewer Authority (DCWSA) is for this circumstance (that is where the author squarely lays the blame). However, the author also tells us that he's a member of the Property and Environment Research Center (note the order of "property" and "environment," by the way) which, as noted here, "(is linked) to a long list of the country's most powerful right-wing foundations and organizations committed to deregulation of industry and to the privatization of public assets" (David Currie, the author of this piece, keeps harking back to "market-based solutions," which for our purposes here is wingnut code for letting business do whatever it wants).
However, I think it's still idiotic to consider the Clean Water Act to be a "failure" focus solely on the ongoing pollutions challenges not addressed by the Clean Water Act (here); Obama Administration EPA head Lisa Jackson, citing the Act's accomplishments here, said it "has kept tens of billions of pounds of sewage, chemicals and trash out of the nation's waterways during the past 40 years. The federal law, which includes regulations governing drinking water and requiring improvements in the environmental health of rivers, lakes and seas, has dramatically improved both human health and the environment."
Also concerning the Act, this tells us that the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) has encouraged Congress to reauthorize the CWA; I guess Boehner, Cantor, Mikey the Beloved and their pals won't do it because they consider it to be an unwarranted regulatory intrusion, or something. In addition, the National Clean Water Network tells us here what new assaults the life forms running the U.S. House are planning against the Act and the environment overall (with this Romney advisor telling us he, and by extension, his party's presidential nominee, wants to "reverse this trend of ownership of public lands," as if that's supposedly so awful).
I guess this is par for the Repug course when you consider that the law was originally vetoed here by then-president Richard Nixon because it was supposedly too expensive, which prompted a statesman-like response from Sen. Ed Muskie, asking what the "cost" was for our health and a safe environment.
And while I wish Number 44 would distance himself from his electoral opponent on this issue, this tells us that "stim" funds were committed to cleanup of our waterways, and here, Dem Rep. Earl Blumenauer of Oregon, introduced H.R. 6249 – the Water Protection and Reinvestment Act in the House of Representatives, legislation to "establish a Clean Water Trust Fund, which is revenue neutral, does not add to the federal debt, (and raises) approximately $9 billion a year for the Trust Fund."
However, given this, do you honestly believe "Orange Man" and his pals will budge one inch in favor of doing the right thing?
Also, did you know that Mr. "Binders Full of Women" is supposedly better on LGBT Issues than Obama? The author of this piece says so anyway (sticking with The Daily Tucker)…
While we applaud President Obama for supporting the repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell — a failed policy that Governor Romney and his running mate Rep. Paul Ryan have said they will not reinstate — and while we give President Obama credit for coming to the Dick Cheney position on marriage equality, the truth is that Obama's administration has been devastating for average gay people and their families.
Really? Why, just stick a rainbow decal from that Toyota Sienna minivan on my forehead and Color Me Shocked!
How can that be, given that Romney and his running mate, Mr. Puppy-Dog-Eyes-With-The-Shiv, both support the ridiculous Defense of Marriage Act, as noted here (well, Mitt was better on this in 1994, as noted here, opposing "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" and supporting the Employee Non-Discrimination Act – I guess he "shook that Etch-a-Sketch" and came up with a new answer…and isn't this interesting concerning DOMA?).
This takes us to a Think Progress post asking Romney six questions on LGBT issues that he should answer (and answering in the affirmative would definitely go against his party's platform, such as it is). But until Romney does answer them (and holds to that answer without changing his mind for at least five minutes), there's no reason to take him seriously on this subject.
And as long as we're discussing the Repug presidential nominee, I think this column asks a very good question (and one that definitely should be discussed in the debates – maybe for the last one I hope), and that is how Willard Mitt feels about torture (he can even call it "enhanced interrogation" if he wants – I have to tell you, though, that I think the answer is here, and it's not a good one).
Related to that item, I give you this, telling us about some of the "war heads" who would likely comprise a Romney foreign policy team, including PNAC's Eliot Cohen, "Baghdad" Dan Senor, and Cofer Black of the aptly-named (but no longer – currently "XE") Blackwater, along with former Bushie John Lehman and someone named Pierre Prosper.
But as far as Romney and foreign policy goes (and tied to his utter debate flameout on Libya), this tells us about more of Willard Mitt's "do as I say, not as I do" BS.
Further, I give you "Pastor" Gerson of the WaPo, lecturing the Dems (Biden in particular) on "civility" here (a bit behind in the news cycle on this, I'll admit)…
At the height of a close election, it is worth a reminder that civility is the essential democratic virtue. Civility is not the same thing as niceness. The high stakes of politics can produce intense disagreements. But manners — even cold, formal ones — communicate a modicum of mutual respect and preserve the possibility of cooperation. John Stuart Mill called democracy "government by discussion." Biden has left our discussion more toxic — and Obama's task more difficult.
Of course, this was written before the Tuesday debate, it should be noted.
This is the same Michael Gerson, by the way, who once said here that President Obama was "delusional" and the reconciliation process (used by both parties and embraced by that fine, upstanding Roman Catholic Repug VP nominee) was "dirty." Also, the same Gerson held up "Straight Talk" McCain as a supposed model of civility here, even though McCain once asked "how do we beat the bitch?" in reference to Hillary Clinton (when "Senator Honor and Virtue" thought she would be the '08 Dem presidential nominee), and said that Chelsea Clinton was "ugly" because "her father was Janet Reno."
I give you another lesson in wingnut code; when Gerson and his ilk talk about "civility," what that means is a Democrat is supposed to sit down, shut up, and let a Repug take charge.
Finally, turning to sports, this tells us that Spencer Hawes, who I believe is still with the Sixers (haven't found evidence to the contrary), has taken to the Twitter thingie to endorse Romney.
Which I would care less about, were it not for the fact that he did it like this:
Hawes made it clear earlier this year that he is not a supporter of noted basketball fan President Obama, or of the president's signature legislation, the Affordable Care Act. When the Supreme Court handed down its ruling that the healthcare reform legislation is constitutional in June, Hawes tweeted: "Ronald Reagan is spinning in his grave. We might as well be in Russia in 1983."
He went on to refer to the Obama administration as communist in several tweets, and added:
Just drove by a bald eagle who appeared to be crying. Coincidence @BarackObama?
Ha and ha, wingnut.
Oh yes, Hawes is so "established" that they traded for Andrew Bynum and his questionable knees and signed the human punch line that is Kwame Brown (here).
When it comes to playing center for the Sixers, if Hawes is the answer, then the question is too scary to contemplate (just add him to the list of failed centers for that team – Matt Geiger, Jeff Ruland coming off injury, etc.).
In the meantime, tells Hawes to try driving the lane against Dwight Howard the next time he opposes the Lakers.
And then let me know when I should call 911.
Leave a Comment »	| "Culture Wars", Barack Obama, Congress, Dubya Legacy Lies, Environment, Hillary Clinton, Human Rights, John McCain, Mitt Romney, Politics (General), Pundit Ponderings (Bad), Sports, Terrorism, World Stuff	| Tagged: ASCE, Barack Obama, Binders, Clean Water Act, Cofer Black, Dan Senor, David Currie, DCWSA, Dennis Jacobs, DOMA, Earl Blumenauer, Edmund Muskie, enhanced interrogation, EPA, Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden, John Boehner, John Lehman, John McCain, LGBT Issues, Libya, Lisa Jackson, Michael Gerson, Mike Fitzpatrick, Mitt Romney, Paul Ryan, PERC, Richard Nixon, Spencer Hawes, Torture, Twitter, U.S. House	| Permalink
Gosh, Willard Mitt Romney just looks so presidential here, doesn't he?…
Mitt Romney called Monday for a change of course in America's Middle East policy, accusing President Obama of sitting on the sidelines in the face of a "profound upheaval" across the region. The Republican nominee pledged that, if elected, he would prosecute a far more engaged foreign policy, including helping to arm the opposition in Syria's bloody civil war.
"Hope is not a strategy," Romney said.
In response, Juan Cole, who I'm sure has forgotten more about Syria and the Middle East in general than Romney will ever know, outlines at least ten reasons here why arming the Syrian rebels would be a terrible idea (let's see, one of the rebel groups is affiliated with al Qaeda; another, the Syrian Muslim Brotherhood, is pals with Hamas; flooding the region with weapons makes for an already volatile mix given Israel's continued intransigence on those godawful settlements, etc.).
Oh, and it's not as if Romney's supposed foreign policy strategy is so different from Obama's anyway (I mean, to the extent that we can trust Romney at all on this subject, as noted here…and it looks like Romney shook that Etch-a-Sketch, or something, on this issue here).
Not to be outdone, though, Romney's fellow U.S. House Repugs carried out another little dog-and-pony show in lieu of actual governance here concerning the attack on our embassy in Libya and the killing of Ambassador Chris Stevens and three others.
Um, correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't the U.S. House responsible for funding government operations? Such as security for our embassy personnel (with Repug Jason Chaffetz being dumb enough to give away the proverbial game here…and by the way, it looks like Chaffetz stepped in deep doo-doo again here)?
Next, I give you someone named Jay Greene, who claims to be "a fellow at the George W. Bush Institute" (not something I would advertise if it were me, actually – here)…
Last week's presidential debate revealed one area of agreement between the candidates: We need more teachers. "Let's hire another hundred thousand math and science teachers," proposed President Obama, adding that "Governor Romney doesn't think we need more teachers."
Mr. Romney quickly replied, "I reject the idea that I don't believe in great teachers or more teachers." He just opposes earmarking federal dollars for this purpose, believing instead that "every school district, every state should make that decision on their own."
As noted here and here, Willard Mitt mocked Obama for wanting to hire more teachers, even though, as noted here, 100,000 teachers have lost their jobs over the prior year (yikes!).
Continuing with Greene…
Let's hope state and local officials have that discretion—and choose to shrink the teacher labor force rather than expand it. Hiring hundreds of thousands of additional teachers won't improve student achievement. It will bankrupt state and local governments, whose finances are already buckling under bloated payrolls with overly generous and grossly underfunded pension and health benefits.
Concerning those "overly generous and grossly underfunded pension and health benefits"…well, they were "grossly underfunded" for a reason – namely because states were legally obligated to contribute matching amounts but refused to do so (here).
And get a load of this generalization from Greene…
Most people expect that more individualized attention from teachers should help students learn. The problem is that expanding the number of hires means dipping deeper into the potential teacher labor pool. That means additional teachers are likely to be weaker than current ones.
Couldn't you say that about every occupation if you wanted to, then? Besides, what about degreed teachers who aren't able to find work in their profession, but instead are working other jobs (such as at Lowe's, Wal-Mart or Applebee's until, hopefully, a legitimate teaching job opens up)?
Then there is the trade-off between labor and capital. Instead of hiring an army of additional teachers, we could have developed and purchased innovative educational technology. The path to productivity increases in every industry comes through the substitution of capital for labor. We use better and cheaper technology so that we don't need as many expensive people. But education has gone in the opposite direction, making little use of technology and hiring many more expensive people.
I would be shocked to find out if this guy actually had a son or daughter attending a public or parochial school. Having a state-of-the-art white board doesn't mean a damn thing if all the teacher does is use it for presentations while he/she sits at their desk and catches up on Facebook or their Email instead of using their people skills and training to, y'know, actually teach their students.
As usual, a Repug thinks so little of anything related to liberal arts that they think technology can totally replace the function that a certain individual committed a great deal of money and a significant amount of time to learn about as part of their course of study.
One more thing…here is a reminder here that teachers, as well as public sector workers in general, do indeed contribute to economic growth (silly to feel compelled to point that out, but we are where we are – and as long as Greene said that Obama's call for more teachers is a "Solyndra-like solution"…an idiotic statement because there is no comparison between the Solyndra loan and teachers…the following should be noted from here).
Continuing, I give you Fix Noise "Democrat" Pat Caddell here…
A few weeks ago I wrote a piece which was called "The Audacity of Cronyism " in Breitbart, and my talk today is "The Audacity of Corruption." What I pointed out was, that it was appalling that Valerie Jarrett had a Secret Service detail. A staff member in the White House who is a senior aide and has a full Secret Service detail, even while on vacation, and nobody in the press had asked why. That has become more poignant, as I said, last week, when we discovered that we had an American ambassador, on the anniversary of 9/11, who was without adequate security—while she still has a Secret Service detail assigned to her full-time, at a massive cost, and no one in the media has gone to ask why.
This tells us, among other things, that there were multiple teams of armed guards at the Libyan consulate. Also, Dubya designated more of his appointees for Secret Service protection than Obama, as noted here (and yes, this is a recording)
And based on this, if Caddell is a "Democrat," then I'm the illegitimate love child of William F. Buckley (and rest assured that I'm not).
Further, it's time to pick the proverbial low-hanging fruit with Thomas Sowell (here, he decries the "name calling" of President Obama and his supporters)…
In response, Sowell referred to "green bigot" environmentalists here, called Teresa Heinz-Kerry "rich white trash" here, and (just for kicks I suppose) called for a military coup here.
As usual, a conservative looks in the mirror and sees the reflection of everyone but him (or her) self.
Moving on, it looks like Catholics supposedly aren't supporting Obama after all (oh noes!) according to "The Catholic Association" (here).
Meanwhile, this Pew poll tells a very different story (praise the Lord!).
Finally, I give you the following from The Hill (here)…
House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton (R-Mich.) is questioning Obama administration financial support for green energy companies in former Vice President Al Gore's portfolio, calling it part of a "disturbing pattern."
Upton is quoted in a Washington Post story on Gore's success as an investor in green technology companies, which the Post reports has helped boost Gore's wealth to an estimated $100 million.
The Post reports that 14 green tech companies that Gore invested in directly or indirectly have "benefited from more than $2.5 billion in loans, grants and tax breaks, part of President Obama's historic push to seed a U.S. renewable-energy industry with public money."
Upton, a frequent critic of federal green energy support, calls the aid "reflective of a disturbing pattern that those closest to the president have been rewarded with billions of taxpayer dollars . . . and benefited from the administration's green bonanza in the rush to spend stimulus cash."
This is utterly farcical, of course, but there's a method to Upton's wingnuttery, in case we had any doubt about that.
Here, Upton called for end to oil subsidies after repeatedly voting to preserve them; this tells us that he has received about $144 K from the oil and gas sector in the way of campaign contributions – and Upton is chair of the House Energy Subcommittee (can you say, "conflict of interest"?); and here, Upton claimed that the passage of the Affordable Care Law was the first occasion where legislation was passed with no support from the Repugs – the only problem is that the first Clinton budget, which ushered in the longest period of prosperity this country has seen (or maybe ever will see) was voted on the same way.
I would say that one's notion of a "disturbing pattern" is in the eye of the beholder, wouldn't you?
Leave a Comment »	| Barack Obama, Congress, Energy, Environment, Fox "News", George W. Bush, Mitt Romney, NCLB, Politics (General), Pundit Ponderings (Bad), Terrorism, World Stuff	| Tagged: Affordable Care Act, Al Gore, Chris Stevens, Fox "News", Fred Upton, George W. Bush, Hamas, Institute, Jason Chaffetz, Jay Greene, Juan Cole, Libya, Mitt Romney, Pat Caddell, Secret Service, Solyndra, Syrian Muslim Brotherhood, teachers, Teresa Heinz-Kerry, The Catholic Association, Thomas Sowell, U.S. House, Valerie Jarrett	| Permalink
Steve Gets Hit Below The Belt
I was wondering why we really hadn't heard much from Anne Chapman in her campaign to try and unseat Steve Santarsiero for the latter's PA-31 State House set. And now I know why.
It seems Chapman (aside from taking pot shots at Planned Parenthood like every other Republican) would rather let the slimy bottom-feeders of Citizens Alliance of Pennsylvania do it for her.
CAP is just another Teahadist-simpatico, "limited government," glibertarian band of fools and frauds who, more often than not, performs the "circular firing squad" bit at Republicans who aren't crazy enough for their liking.
However, this time, they have decided to circulate a mailer making the truly scurrilous charge that Santarsiero approved funding for the "Second Mile" charity run by convicted pedophile (and former Penn State football coach) Jerry Sandusky (story is here – CAP also put together a mailer listing the salaries of the teachers of the Neshaminy School District, taking a page from the truly odious Simon Campbell of the Pennsbury School Board…oppose what the Neshaminy teachers are doing if you wish – on balance, I don't – but keep such Rovian garbage out of our beloved commonwealth).
Fortunately, a synapse of an actual journalistic impulse by the Courier Times editorial board snapped to life, and they wrote the following about the CAP/Santarsiero mess today (here)…
While Santarsiero's votes on state spending are legitimate fodder for debate — the broad allegation in the mailers — such discussion should be grounded in fact. Instead, the mailers fudge a most important fact leading to this reckless allegation: that Santarsiero cast an "irresponsible" vote awarding $3 million of taxpayer money to (Second Mile) "AFTER it was revealed that (the charity) was under investigation for being the place Sandusky used to find his future child victims."
Fact is, that vote was cast in 2010, well before the abuse scandal broke. And Santarsiero was but one lawmaker among many, including several from Bucks, who approved a grant for The Second Mile charity, which at the time was not widely known to be associated with Sandusky — hardly a household name anyway. Additionally, none of that money made it to Second Mile, which is supposed to benefit poor kids, as lawmakers withheld the funds when the allegations against Sandusky became known.
Here is a link to the vote in question (119 Yeas and 75 Nays…in addition to Steve, Repugs Gene DiGirolamo, Frank Farry and Mike "Mitt Romney Will Win PA Because of Voter ID" Turzai are also on the list in the "Yea" column…so they supposedly helped fund Second Mile under aid and abet Sandusky also?).
(By the way, though the Courier Times editorial board deserves credit here for doing the right thing, I have to wonder why they stepped up on this occasion but allow publication in their Op-Ed section of such a torrent of demonstrably contestable right-wing lies on a routine basis.)
Considering all of this, what does Steve's challenger Anne Chapman have to say? The news story tells us the following…
"CAP is an independent organization. They can do what they do. I have nothing to say about it," said the Lower Makefield resident. "Tell (Santarsiero) to take it up with CAP."
But Leo Knepper, the executive director of CAP, said his group's representatives met with Chapman to discuss issues "that are important to CAP" before deciding to take aim at Santarsiero.
So we're supposed to believe that, somehow, Knepper spoke with Chapman but didn't mention the upcoming mailer?
If you believe that, I've got a bridge to one of the five New York City boroughs to sell to you; as far as I'm concerned, that makes Chapman both a liar and a coward for not denouncing the slimy tactics of Leo Knepper and Bob Guzzardi of CAP.
This is Leo Knepper, by the way (pic is from philly.com – I think it's important to identify these cretins as completely as possible).
The best way to respond to this idiotic garbage is to help Steve, and to do that, please click here.
Leave a Comment »	| Front Groups, PA State Politics	| Tagged: Anne Chapman, Citizens Alliance of Pennsylvania, Leo Knepper, PA House of Representatives, PA-31, Steve Santarsiero	| Permalink
Friday Mashup (10/5/12)
Let's begin with Fix Noise here, concerning an anti-fracking film by actor and activist Matt Damon…
Things aren't panning out the way the left wanted. In the small Pennsylvania town of Dimock, anti-fracking activists claimed the drilling had harmed the water supply. "[W]hile "Promised Land" was in production, the story of Dimock [Pa.] collapsed. The state investigated and its scientists found nothing wrong . So the 11 families insisted EPA scientists investigate. They did — and much to the dismay of the environmental movement found the water was not contaminated ," (documentary filmmaker Phelim McAleer) explained.
Oh, and by the way, more on "filmmaker" McAleer is here (I wonder if Leni Riefensthal was his role model?).
And as far as "the state investigated and found nothing wrong," the PA State DEP report (linked to Fox) tells us the following…
DEP has been actively investigating stray gas in Dimock since January when a resident reported an explosion in an outside well pit. Samples of private wells were taken from approximately 24 homes to check for dissolved methane. Nine wells were found to be impacted, with methane in four of those wells at levels that could pose a threat of explosion in enclosed areas of the home.
DEP cited these water wells in its request to Cabot Oil and Gas Co. for an ongoing alternative water supply and proper venting for as long as the methane readings remain at elevated levels. Cabot is providing those homes with alternative water supplies and is monitoring natural gas levels.
To date, no indoor vapor problems have been encountered. Additionally, the company has installed a treatment system at another home where the department concluded the water supply was impacted by drilling activities.
DEP is inspecting existing wells in the area and monitoring new drilling activity. The department continues to schedule residential visits to take water samples and monitor for gas.
And as far as "the water was not contaminated," the EPA report (also linked to Fox) tells us the following……
EPA visited Dimock, Pa. in late 2011, surveyed residents regarding their private wells and reviewed hundreds of pages of drinking water data supplied to the agency by Dimock residents, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection and Cabot. Because data for some homes showed elevated contaminant levels and several residents expressed concern about their drinking water, EPA determined that well sampling was necessary to gather additional data and evaluate whether residents had access to safe drinking water.
Between January and June 2012, EPA sampled private drinking water wells serving 64 homes, including two rounds of sampling at four wells where EPA was delivering temporary water supplies as a precautionary step in response to prior data indicating the well water contained levels of contaminants that pose a health concern. At one of those wells EPA did find an elevated level of manganese in untreated well water. The two residences serviced by the well each have water treatment systems that can reduce manganese to levels that do not present a health concern.
As a result of the two rounds of sampling at these four wells, EPA has determined that it is no longer necessary to provide residents with alternative water. EPA is working with residents on the schedule to disconnect the alternate water sources provided by EPA.
Overall during the sampling in Dimock, EPA found hazardous substances, specifically arsenic, barium or manganese, all of which are also naturally occurring substances, in well water at five homes at levels that could present a health concern. In all cases the residents have now or will have their own treatment systems that can reduce concentrations of those hazardous substances to acceptable levels at the tap.
Kind of tells you what Fix Noise thinks of its audience; namely, that its readers are too lazy to go to the trouble of reading legitimate content linked to its own propaganda.
Oh, and speaking of "Foxy Time," they're taking Obama aid Stephanie Cutter to task for supposedly lying about Willard Mitt Romney's promised $5 trillion tax cut here.
In response, Forbes tells us the following here…
Previously, Governor Romney has said that his tax plan would cut all individual income tax rates by 20%, eliminate the AMT, eliminate the estate tax, and eliminate taxes on investment income for low- and middle-income taxpayers. He would also extend all of the Bush-era tax cuts that are scheduled to expire at the end of 2012.
Those tax cuts would reduce federal revenues by $480 billion in 2015 over and above the cost of extending the Bush tax cuts. Allow for some growth in income, and the total comes to over $5 trillion over ten years.
And since we're talking about Fix Noise, I thought it appropriate to include this comment to their "story" (which not only wasn't censored, but actually received one "like," last I checked).
Next, it looks like Sen. Mr. Elaine Chao is in high dudgeon again over something from that Kenyan Socialist Marxist Wealth Redistributor (here)…
Senate Republicans joined a lawsuit on Wednesday (9/26) that opposes controversial recess appointments President Obama made to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) earlier this year.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said he and 41 other GOP senators are filing an amicus brief to show that Obama acted outside the Constitution when he appointed three members to the labor board in January.
"The president's decision to circumvent the American people by installing his appointees at a powerful federal agency while the Senate was continuing to hold sessions, and without obtaining the advice and consent of the Senate, is an unprecedented power grab," McConnell said in a statement. "We will demonstrate to the court how the president's unconstitutional actions fundamentally endanger the Congress's role in providing a check on the excesses of the executive branch."
Cue the scary-sounding incidental music – in response, I give you this from last December…
The Obama Administration, expecting that we're in an age where the normal rules of politics apply and not an age of nullification, nominated two labor officials for open slots on the National Labor Relations Board. That board will see previous recess appointments expire at the end of the year, leaving it without a quorum and unable to function. The two appointees would fill the Democratic spots on the board.
Obama picked Sharon Block, a deputy assistant secretary for congressional affairs at the Department of Labor and Richard Griffin, general counsel for the International Union of Operating Engineers, to join the panel […]
Given recent criticism of the NLRB by prominent Republicans as well as recent successful efforts to block nominees for administration posts, confirmation of the NLRB nominees is not assured.
Senate Democrats began urging Obama to make a recess appointment of former Ohio Attorney General Richard Cordray to run the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau after Republicans blocked his nomination last week.
On Monday, Senate Republicans also blocked Obama's nomination for U.S. ambassador to El Salvador as well. In response, the White House said the GOPer's obstruction of the nomination was motivated by partisanship.
And by the way, more on McConnell's obstruction is here (which gives me an excuse to put up this pic again).
Further, it looks like one of the "winners" from the Willard Mitt Romney/Number 44 debate the other night was none other than Big Bird of Sesame Street (another reason why I don't watch that nonsense…the debates I mean – with Romney's actions probably motivated by this too, I'm sure).
With that in mind, I thought I'd present this (and I know the numbers on the debate are still coming in, and Willard Mitt at least consolidated support among the Repugs, but someone's going to have to prove to me that he'll win over more independent voters with crap like this).
Anyway, even mentioning this at all is just an excuse to link back to this hilarious pic.
Finally, this tells us that one of the Senators-From-What-Used-To-Be-MBNA is concerned about more dimwitted partisan political nonsense from the U.S. House Repug "leadership" concerning the post office…
Imagine this scenario: An American business with a workforce the size of Wal-Mart defaulted on a $5.5 billion payment to its creditors in August, and defaulted again last weekend. On top of that, the company is losing $25 million a day. Nightmare? Sadly, it's the hard reality facing an institution that has been a critical part of our nation's fabric for more than 200 years — the United States Postal Service.
The Postal Service faces serious challenges due to the recent economic slowdown, online competition, and congressional inaction. Unless Congress acts to help fix the problems, the universal mail service that Americans rely on – a service that supports a $1 trillion mailing industry and some 8 million jobs – will be in jeopardy.
Five months ago, the Senate passed a bipartisan, comprehensive bill – the 21st Century Postal Service Act – to prevent these historic defaults by right-sizing, modernizing, and reforming the Postal Service. It wasn't easy, and the Senate bill isn't perfect, but most Senators recognized that we have to act now to save such a critical part of our economy and a key engine of our ongoing recovery. The bill passed by a vote of 62 to 37.
In contrast, Republicans pushed through the House Oversight Committee their version of a postal reform bill on a strictly party-line vote nearly one year ago. House action stopped there, however, and the bill has languished ever since. Despite claims that they have enough votes to pass their bill, Republican leaders have refused to bring it to the House floor for a vote, forcing the Postal Service to default for the first time in its history.
Carper sounds like he's taking the lead on this mess a bit, which is commendable. However, John Nichols of The Nation (who I'd trust over Carper any day of the week) believes that Carper is culpable in his own right here…
(The) "21st Century Postal Service Act," a supposed compromise now being weighed by the Senate (supported by Carper, Susan Collins, "Cherokee Scott" Brown and Oh-Mah-Gawd-Isn't-He-Freaking-Gone-Yet Holy Joe Lieberman), would still force the postal service to close hundreds of mail processing centers, shut thousands of post offices, cause massive delays in mail delivery and push consumers toward most expensive private-sector services. It is, says National Association of Letter Carriers President Fredric Rolando, "a classic case of 'killing the Post-Office in order to save it.' "
Their rationale for making the bloodletting, much discussed in the media, holds that radical surgery is necessary because the postal service is in financial crisis.
The postal service, we are told, is broke.
There's only one problem with this diagnosis.
It's wrong.
The postal service is not broke.
At the behest of the Republican-controlled Congress of the Bush-Cheney era, the USPS has been forced since 2006 to pre-fund future retiree health benefits. As the American Postal Workers Union notes, "This mandate is the primary cause of the agency's financial crisis. No other government agency or private company bears this burden, which costs the USPS approximately $5.5 billion annually."
Actually, Bloomberg pegs that number even higher here…
Until 2006, the USPS handled its retiree health benefits on a "pay as you go" basis. They weren't pre-funded; the service simply paid retirees' health bills as they arose, reporting only those expenses. Because the cost of actually providing health care to retirees in a given year is less than the value of benefits current workers are accruing, that meant the post office was understating the cost of retiree health care.
Then in 2006, Congress forced the post office to start prefunding its benefits for retiree health care on a schedule designed to reach full funding in 10 years. Now, the Postal Service is supposed to put about $8 billion a year toward retiree health care.
And of course, "Man Tan" Boehner, that sleazy weasel Eric Cantor and Mikey The Beloved don't plan to do a thing about any of this until the post office can no longer deliver our mail, and probably beyond that point too.
What a shame that we can't write "Return to Sender" on an envelope and send this wretched U.S. House back to some unknown destination instead.
And with postage due.
Leave a Comment »	| "Culture Wars", Barack Obama, Congress, Entertainment, Environment, Financial, Fox "News", Mitt Romney, Obstruction, Politics (General), Pundit Ponderings (Bad)	| Tagged: "Promised Land", 109th Congress, 21st Century Postal Service Act, Barack Obama, Cabot Oil and Gas Co., Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Dimock, EPA, fracking, John Nichols, Leni Riefenstahl, Matt Damon, Mitch McConnell, Mitt Romney, NLRB, PA DEP, Phelim McAleer, Richard Cordray, Richard Griffin, Scott Brown, Sharon Block, Stephanie Cutter, The Nation, Tom Carper, U.S. Post Office, U.S.P.S.	| Permalink
No, I Didn't See The Debate
Yes, I heard that, although Obama gave back some, Romney apparently got the upper hand, at least in the pundit/perception game. The problem, as usual, is that our side is busy trying to explain and tell the truth, while their side continues to lie through their teeth. And gee, it's a lot easier to "win" when you don't feel constrained by "dumb" stuff like facts, reality, measurable statistics from reputable sources…you know, what thinking adults generally process and absorb mentally in order to know how to live our lives with as little difficulty as possible.
Yes, I know Chris Matthews and Ed Schultz went ballistic. And the "concern trolls" are having a field day, as you might expect (here).
But here's the way I look at it.
I had a feeling Obama would have a tough time with the perception thing because the Repug presidential primary was such a slug fest full of noise and not much else, and I totally expected that to be carried forward (and it was). And again, harking back to the "truth versus something other" thing I mentioned above, Obama (and most Dems in my experience, with the possible exception of Bill Clinton) do better in an environment where you're dealing with "good government" types (for lack of a better way to put it) versus the rabble with an agenda, like the crowd during the 1,345,272 GOP presidential debates for this election (a crowd which sometimes wore trifold hats and waved copies of the Constitution about which they claim to be experts…some in the crowd anyway). And the challenger has a built-in advantage at the debates anyway, because that person is on equal footing with the president at last, something they've spent months trying to achieve.
(The example I always use is this; I once saw Al Gore talking on C-SPAN in the spring of 2000 at Beaver College in these parts. He spoke about the environment of course, along with progressive legislation in general. He was in command in front of a friendly, mixed-gender audience of different ages and ethnicities. I thought to myself, "He's going to kill that nitwit from Texas in the general election." And of course, we know how that turned out.)
That being said, we know the Repugs come from a whole other universe when it comes to trying to win elections. In my experience (with very few exceptions), they try to win people over by appealing to their basest emotions and aligning themselves with institutions of authority (see Church, Roman Catholic). And unfortunately, they're very good at it.
I don't know of any Democrat that has been successful at playing that game. And as far as I'm concerned, no Democrat should be.
It's tough to know when to look statesmanlike and presidential versus when to look combative if you're this country's first African American chief executive (lest you be judged as "arrogant," which, to me, is nothing but updated code language for "uppity"). If Obama had sounded off to Romney a little more, the headlines in our corporate media just might be something like "A Combative Obama Confronts Romney But Provides Few Specifics" instead of what we're seeing today.
Could he have done more? I guess (again, I didn't see it – didn't see the point to it).
The presidential and vice-presidential debates are, as far as I'm concerned, nothing but a sideshow, a byproduct of the "horse race" mentality of our corporate media/political industrial complex. They should not be judged as having any more significance than that (though, obviously, they are…as an example, John Harwood of the New York Times wrote something yesterday along the lines of "well, we don't know what the debate questions will be, but we think they'll be this, and here is our 'fact check,'" which to me is all totally ridiculous). What matters is rigorous examination of the evidence at hand and sound media coverage intended to educate and inform us about the issues – the stuff you can find on al Jazeera and not too many other places.
Besides, I made up my mind on this whole thing months ago. If you're rich and you want government to do absolutely nothing except shower you with tax breaks, reward bad corporate behavior and repeal every entitlement and piece of legislation benefitting everyone else (the "99 percent," if you will) that has been enacted since the New Deal, then of course you should vote Republican.
But if you're part of that "99 percent" yourself, why the hell would you even imagine doing anything but voting for a Democrat?
(Oh, and one more thing, Obama campaign – I want to see you hang this guy around Willard Mitt's neck right up until November 6th. He is still electoral poison, and yes, you can make the case…and don't forget this.)
Leave a Comment »	| Barack Obama, George W. Bush, Mitt Romney, News Biz, Politics (General), Pundit Ponderings (Bad)	| Tagged: Barack Obama, Chris Matthews, Ed Schultz, George W. Bush, Mitt Romney, Presidential Debate	| Permalink
You are currently browsing the The Liberal Doomsayer blog archives for October, 2012.


Looks great! We will definitely be ordering more in the future!!!
Still waiting for items to arrive.
Complete your Boston fan cave with our retired jersey number sign. These are a very unique piece, available in every retired sports number.
The sign is constructed out of a professional 1/2" composite sign material.


text:
Credit Union Faces Future With Video-Chat App
LENDING: Xceed's staff, financial advisers will be available 24-7 next month.
By Matt Pressberg
Blank Check
Beverly Hills private equity firm Gores Group has raised several private funds, tapping into well-heeled investors and institutional money. But its latest move is open to the public.
On Aug. 19, Gores Holdings Inc., an entity controlled by the firm, announced that it had completed a $375 million initial public offering. Its stock trades on the Nasdaq under ticker symbol "GRSHU."
Gores Holdings sold 37.5 million units at $10 apiece, with each unit entitling the holder to one share of Gores Holdings common stock and one warrant to buy a half-share at $5.75. The proceeds will go toward making an acquisition – one that hasn't been identified yet. If the company cannot complete a deal within 24 months of the offering, it will redeem all of the shares in cash, plus interest.
While this type of company, called a "blank check," is a first for Gores Group, it's hardly a new tool for local investors.
In 2013, veteran L.A. entertainment executives Harry Sloan and Jeff Sagansky formed Silver Eagle Acquisition Corp., which completed its purchase of Indian pay-TV operator Videocon d2h on March 31.
One advantage of the blank-check
structure is that it allows a company to raise money for a future acquisition while giving investors easily tradable stock while they wait. A source close to Gores said the structure also provided an opportunity to dedicate a pool of capital to pursue acquisitions that might be too small to fit into the private funds the firm typically raises, which can reach $10 billion.
The blank-check company might also be used to buy a company Gores intends to hold for a long time, as opposed to the seven-year harvesting cycle common to private equity.
But critics, such as Bloomberg's Matt Levine, argue blank checks can be used to give private companies a way to go public while avoiding the scrutiny that comes with a typical public offering.
A Gores Group spokesman declined to comment on the IPO.
C-Suite News
New York accounting firm Marcum has named Arthur Brown a partner in its L.A. office. Brown, who was formerly chief financial officer at a hedge fund, will lead the firm's alternative industry group practice in California. … Mid-Wilshire's Broadway Financial Corp. has named Erin Selleck to its board. She was formerly a senior executive vice president and treasurer at Union Bank.
Staff reporter Matt Pressberg can be reached at mpressberg@labusinessjournal.com or (323) 549-5225, ext. 230.
Gores Metropoulos Files for $375 Million IPO
Twinkies Taker Opts to Return To Blank Check
Mobile Wallet App Whips Out the Plastic
Gores Group Plans Second Blank Check Spinoff; Files for $375 Million IPO
Gores Group Launches Blank Check Company in $400 Million IPO
Green Dot Launches Mobile Banking Account
Blank Check for Gores Group
Debit Card Pioneer Checks Into Online Banking Sector

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
INSIDERS EVENTS
INSIDERS LOGIN
INSIDERS ACCOUNT
SECRETS OF NYC
NYC GETAWAYS
"Power Youth of Queens" Spotlights Untapped Cities Founder Michelle Young
Nicole Saraniero 11/02/2018 Arts & Culture, New York, News
Image from QPTV
Untapped Cities founder Michelle Young is the latest person to be featured on Queens Public Television's series Power Youth of Queens. Michelle talked with Power Youth host Noran Omar about the process of creating Untapped Cities, her own travel experience and how Untapped Cities inspires New Yorkers to get out and rediscover their city. The interview took place while the pair walked around a location much like those that first inspired Michelle to create the site, the abandoned tracks of the Queensway. You can watch the full feature below:
The Queensway is a 3.5 mile stretch of defunct Long Island Railroad tracks which starts in Rego Park and terminates at Rockaway Blvd in Ozone Park with some elevated areas. This route was once part of the Rockaway Branch which brought Queens residents into Manhattan and provided access to the beach. When the line fell into financial hardship in the 1950s, parts of the track were sold to the City of New York and became part of the A train. Around the same time, due to a lack of ridership, LIRR service was significantly reduced in the area. By 1962 the tracks were decommissioned.
Over the past few years, Untapped Cities has been following the development of the QueensWay, a project by The Trust for Public Land and Friends of the QueensWay aimed at turning the abandoned site into a public space. Renderings for the first phase of the park were released last year. The plan has been met with opposition from those that would rather see the rails re-activated to address underserved transportation areas.
Next, check out See the Entire 3.5 Mile Stretch of the QueensWay, LIRR's Rockaway Line Branch
Friends of the QueensWay, power youth of queens, QPTV, queens, Queensway
11 Abandoned Places to Discover in Queens, NYC
The Top 12 Secrets of the Rockaways in Queens, NYC
New Date Added for Untapped Cities Tour of the QueensWay, the Abandoned Rail Line in Forest Park
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text:
Seize Ans (titre original : ) est un film allemand réalisé par Reinhold Schünzel sorti en 1936.

Il s'agit de l'adaptation de la pièce  d' et Philip Stuart.

Synopsis
Jennifer Lawrence est une créatrice de mode à succès et célèbre. Elle rencontre l'explorateur John Corbett lors d'une fête sur la plage de la Riviera. Lorsque les deux se retrouvent à Paris, John lui propose soudainement le mariage.

D'abord surprise, Jennifer invite John à une fête d'anniversaire en Angleterre pour fêter ensemble l'anniversaire de sa fille Irene. Au début, Irene n'est pas particulièrement heureuse de l'homme étrange et observe ses activités avec méfiance. Irène craint qu'un homme inconnu n'envahisse la vie de sa mère, car elle est très attachée à son père décédé et ne souhaite en fait pas que sa mère rencontre un autre homme. Elle ne sait pas que le mariage de sa mère avec son père fut plus un tourment qu'une joie. Elle est complètement furieuse lorsqu'elle constate que John essaie de se rapprocher de sa mère. John est mal à l'aise avec les hostilités et quitte la maison.

Jennifer elle-même reconnaît d'après le comportement de John qu'il est une personne de bonne moralité. Ses sentiments pour lui sont renforcés et elle décide de le poursuivre. Elle fait également comprendre à sa fille qu'elle doit respecter les décisions de sa mère.

Fiche technique
 Titre : Seize Ans
 Titre :
 Réalisation : Reinhold Schünzel assisté de Kurt Hoffmann
 Scénario : Reinhold Schünzel, Eva Leidmann
 Musique : Alois Melichar
 Direction artistique : Ludwig Reiber, Walter Reimann
 Costumes : Ilse Fehling
 Photographie :
 Son : Hermann Fritzsching
 Montage : Arnfried Heyne
 Production : Erich von Neusser
 Société de production : UFA
 Société de distribution : UFA
 Pays d'origine :
 Langue : allemand
 Format : Noir et blanc - 1,37:1 - Mono -
 Genre : Drame
 Durée : 95 minutes
 Dates de sortie :
  : .
  : .
  : .
  : .
  : .
  : .
  : .
  : .
  : .
  : .
  : .
  : .
  : .

Distribution
 Lil Dagover : Jennifer Lawrence
 Sabine Peters : Irene Lawrence, sa fille
  : Baba Lawrence, sa fille
 Hedwig Bleibtreu : la grand-mère
 Karl Schönböck : Sir John Corbett
 Hans Richter : Philip
 Elsa Wagner : la gouvernante  König
 Roma Bahn : la baronne
  : Lady Taylor
  : Bobby Cut
  : la duchesse
  : l'institutrice
 Georges Boulanger : le violoniste
  : la chanteuse
  : une élève

Production
Le tournage a lieu entre juin et . Les sites sont Berlin-Dahlem, Fahrland, Londres, Monte Carlo et Paris.

Notes et références

Source de la traduction

Voir aussi

Liens externes

Film allemand sorti en 1936
Film dramatique allemand
Film en allemand
Film allemand en noir et blanc
Adaptation d'une pièce de théâtre britannique au cinéma
Film réalisé par Reinhold Schünzel

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
Barcelona usurp Real Madrid to top Deloitte Money League for first time
by BeSoccer @besoccer_com - 14 Jan 20 0 1,270
Barca top Deloitte Money League. GOAL
by BeSoccer @besoccer_com - 14 Jan 2020 0 1,270
Deloitte has published its 23rd annual Money League table for football, with Barcelona setting the standard for the first time.
Barcelona top the Deloitte Money League for the first time after also becoming the only club to break the €800million mark for revenue.
The Camp Nou club generated €840.8m during the 2018-19 season, seeing them topple bitter rivals Real Madrid at the top of Deloitte's table.
Barca finished ahead of Madrid by some distance, with Los Blancos bringing in €757.3m across the course of the campaign, though that was enough to keep them second and in front of Manchester United.
The Red Devils may have underwhelmed on the pitch in recent seasons, but they remain a major financial power, with revenues reaching €711.5m.
United are one of eight Premier League clubs in the top 20, with Manchester City (fifth), Liverpool (seventh), Tottenham (eighth), Chelsea (ninth), Arsenal (11th), West Ham (18th) and Everton (19th) joining them.
However, United could potentially slip next year due to a lack of Champions League action this term, with Bayern Munich (€660.1m) and Paris Saint-Germain (€635.9m) the biggest threats to knocking them out of the top three.
Deloitte also understand United are at risk of losing their status as the Premier League's highest revenue-generating club for the first time next year, with City and Liverpool very much on the rise.
Napoli and Lyon are the only new entrants to the top 20.


text:
Rezerwat przyrody Krutynia Górna (do 2019 roku Krutynia) – leśny rezerwat przyrody utworzony w 1983 r. dla ochrony Jeziora Krutyńskiego z zespołem roślinności wodnej wraz z górnym odcinkiem Krutyni oraz przyległymi lasami liściastymi i mieszanymi. Znajduje się na terenie gminy Piecki, w powiecie mrągowskim, w województwie warmińsko-mazurskim. Zajmuje powierzchnię 271,01 ha (akt powołujący podawał 273,12 ha). Obszary leśne w granicach rezerwatu leżą na gruntach będących w zarządzie Nadleśnictwa Strzałowo.

Znajduje się tu malowniczy odcinek rzeki Krutyni wijącej się pośród lasów. Rezerwat jest kresowym stanowiskiem zespołów leśnych na Pojezierzu Mazurskim. Rezerwat znajduje się na terenie Mazurskiego Parku Krajobrazowego.

Przez teren rezerwatu biegnie ścieżka przyrodnicza "Rezerwat Krutynia" o długości 2,5 km.

Na terenie rezerwatu występują
rośliny:
 hildenbrandia rzeczna
 gąbka słodkowodna – Euspongilla lacustris
 przylaszczka
 kokoryczka wonna
 kokoryczka wielokwiatowa
 łuskiewnik różowy
 konwalia majowa
 konwalijka dwulistna
 zawilec gajowy
 zawilec żółty
 zerwa kłosowa
 skrzyp zimowy
 mech wodny – Fontinalis dalecarlica (w Krutyni znajduje się jedyne stanowisko na Pojezierzu Mazurskim)
ptaki:
 bielik
 dzięcioł czarny
 sójka
 łabędź niemy
 łabędź krzykliwy
 tracz nurogęś
 puszczyk
 lelek kozodój

Zobacz też
 rezerwaty przyrody w Polsce
 rezerwat przyrody Krutynia Dolna

Przypisy

Krutynia, Rezerwat przyrody
Piecki (gmina)
Mazurski Park Krajobrazowy


text:
Le Gotland est une goélette franche à coque et pont en bois sur structure acier. Son port d'attache est Heikendorf en Allemagne. Il navigue comme voilier-charter de croisière principalement en mer du nord, en mer baltique, Manche et Atlantique.

Histoire
Il a été construit en 1942 à Swinemünde en Voïvodie de Poméranie occidentale (Pologne) par les chantiers de la . C'était initialement un Kriegsfischkutter (KFK 146) de type G de la Kriegsmarine : petit navire rapide avec une silhouette de chalutier , structure métallique avec une coque en bois pour être utilisé à la lutte anti sous-marine.

Durant la dernière guerre il prend les différents noms de KFK 146, NB 53, V 5523 et M3117 en servant à Bergen (Norvège). Il est saisi par l'US Navy et transféré à Kiel.

En 1946, il sert au sein de l'OMGUS (Office of Military Government for Germay of the United States) en prenant le nom de Gotland. En 1947, il reçoit ses premières voiles au chantier naval de la Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft.

En 1953, il est transféré à l'Allemagne et sert jusqu'en 1991 comme bateau de pêche en mer Baltique et à usage privé sous les immatriculations KIE 709, BX 553, 203 SO et SK37.

de 1991 à 1994 il sert de navire-base duyrant les recherches du Hanse-Kogge. Puis il est vendu en 1995 et subit une première restauration pour reprendre les lignes des navires espions.

En 2000, il subit de nouveaux travaux de coque, du pont et du rouf et obtient son moteur actuel. En 2002, le Gotland participe à la Volvo Ocean Race comme navire d'escorte.

Il participe à de nombreux rassemblements de vieux voiliers sur la côte atlantique comme les Hanse Sail de Rostock et aux Tonnerres de Brest 2012.

Voir aussi

Notes et références

  Gotland - site officiel
  caractéristiques

Liens internes
 goélette
 Chalutier armé ( )

Liens externes
 Site SchiffsSpotter.de

Nom de bateau
Bateau de pêche
Goélette
Bateau de plaisance
Bateau allemand
Bateau lancé en 1942
Chalutier militaire


Complete information for Thursday's game between the San Francisco 49ers and Seattle Seahawks.
The San Francisco 49ers (7-4) host the Seattle Seahawks (7-4) in a NFC West division matchup on Thanksgiving. The 49ers have won three straight games and knocked off the Washington Redskins last week. The Seahawks defeated the first-place Arizona Cardinals last week and have won four of their past five games.
The 49ers won their third straight game on Carlos Hyde's rushing touchdown with less than three minutes remaining. Colin Kaepernick completed 20 of 29 passes for 256 yards, one touchdown and one interception, and Anquan Boldin had 137 receiving yards on nine catches. Linebacker Aldon Smith had two sacks in his second game back from suspension.
San Francisco had five interceptions and the 49ers held on for a road win over the Giants. Chris Borland had two picks against Eli Manning, and Eric Reid, Chris Culliver and Michael Wilhoite each had one interception. Colin Kaepernick threw for 193 yards, Frank Gore ran for 95 yards and Michael Crabtree had 85 receiving yards and a touchdown.
The 49ers benefited from a controversial pass interference call against Saints tight end Jimmy Graham to win in overtime. Colin Kaepernick completed 14 of 32 passes for 210 yards and a touchdown, and Frank Gore added 81 yards and a score on the ground. Phil Dawson's 35-yard field goal won the game in overtime.
The Seahawks allowed just 204 yards of total offense to give the Cardinals their second loss of the season. Russell Wilson completed 17 of 22 passes for 211 yards and a touchdown, and he added 73 yards on the ground to lead the offense. Defensive end Cliff Avril had two sacks for Seattle.
After a 1-yard touchdown pass from Russell Wilson to Tony Moeaki with 23 seconds left in the third quarter, Seattle went scoreless in the fourth quarter en route to their fourth loss of the year. The Seahawks were unable to contain Jamaal Charles, who rushed for 159 yards (8.0 per carry) and two touchdowns. Wilson threw for touchdowns and Marshawn Lynch rushed for 124 yards, but Seattle went just 2-of-5 in the red zone and committed eight penalties for 50 yards.
Lynch ran for a career-high four touchdowns as the Seahawks gained a franchise-record 350 rushing yards, the most in the NFL since 2012. Lynch had 140 and Wilson added 107, making the Seahawks the first NFL team to have a running back rush for four touchdowns and a quarterback rush for at least 100 yards in the same game. The Giants were sharp in the first half, as Eli Manning threw for 192 yards and a touchdown. A Manning interception with the game tied in the third quarter, however, dented the Giants' chances of winning the game.


text:
Energy NewsNews
Harper government considers new LNG tax breaks in federal budget
By Adam Steinberg
Adam Steinberghttp://energeticcity.mystagingwebsite.com
This information has come to light as a result of internal records obtained by Reuters through an Access to Information request.
The purpose of new tax breaks – proposed by the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (CAPP) – is to give incentive to companies that have stalled LNG development in the midst of falling oil prices, says Reuters.
The report says the tax breaks would reclassify LNG export plants as manufacturing assets. Under its current classification, LNG facilities can writes off 8 per cent of their total capital investment each year, whereas under the new proposal, they'd be authorized to write off 30 – 50 per cent of capital investment per year.
The classification of manufacturing assets has been in place since 2007, and the document obtained by Reuters was prepared ahead of a meeting with industry representatives last October.
Companies have long complained that LNG development cost is too high while the profit margin is too thin, according to Reuters.
This proposal has been made, and denied, during the last two federal budgets, and the next one is due in April 2015.
If implemented, Reuters says the proposed measure would have the federal government lose "hundreds of millions of dollars" in tax revenue.
CAPP estimates approximately $3 billion would be added to Canada's GDP over 20 years if the proposal is approved, says Reuters.
However, the report says it's still unclear whether this incentive would be enough of a push for companies to break ground on LNG development while the market remains unstable.
The NEB has so far approved 10 LNG export licences, and has another 10 applications to go through – none of which have made a final investment decision.
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HighPoly Polisher DRPA – excellent rice surfaces and brightness.
The Bühler HighPoly polisher DRPA is used for polishing the rice surface after bran removal. Its advanced humidifier and polishing chamber enhance the value of the white rice. The HighPoly therefore produces rice with a shiny, pearly, smooth and dust free finish. The rice grains are gently polished by friction in a special humidified atmosphere which is controlled by an accurate water dosing system. The DRPA is mainly applied in the rice milling industry and can be used for any variety of rice. Uniform and excellent white rice appearance.
The output rice from the polisher has a uniform and excellent white rice appearance and an attractive surface finish from matt to silky finish, resulting in premium quality rice without loose bran or dust.
The weight controlled load outlet of the polisher exactly controls the residence time of kernels inside the milling chamber. This enables a high output rate with minimum breakage at a high throughput capacity. Thus, the HighPoly ensures economic power consumption.
Easy operation, high service standards.
The wide opening doors allow easy access for cleaning and the highly effective aspiration chamber enables a sanitized processing of the rice.


Restaurant for Sale Gold Coast Code 303408 Option to buy the Freehold!
Northern End - Sought after Paradise Point location - Option to buy the Freehold!
Live Music -Ideal spot for a Bar!
Very profitable restaurant on the Gold Coast with long established customer following. Great Yelp reviews. Owner will train buyer for 1 to 3 months.
Long lease in place to 2020 plus a further 5 years' option.
No restriction on food style so could also suit a Tapas Bar, Mexican, Italian, Chinese, Coffee Shop or whatever you want!!
Great fit-out with in/out seating. Good fully equipped kitchen with a canopy plus cool room.
Very busy location with lots of passing traffic.


Excellent job opening for an Interim Senior Quality Assurance Specialist who loves to work with innovative medical devices.
We have a great client who is looking for an Interim Senior Quality Assurance Specialist. This 12-month project is based in Zuid-Limburg and you will earn an hourly rate of €80-100,-.


The Internet sales tax is back, and it could be the next big vote in the Senate.
The proposed law would enable states to force businesses to collect sales tax from customers who live in their state—even when the businesses have no connection to that state.
As Heritage President Jim DeMint has said, this violates the classic American principle of "no taxation without representation." Retailers would be forced to act as tax collectors for states in which they have no voice.
Under current law, retailers are required to collect sales taxes only in states where they have a physical presence. But Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) is pushing for a vote on a new Internet sales tax that would hit all online businesses—no matter where they're located.
"Brick-and-mortar" stores like Wal-Mart are in favor of the Internet sales tax, because they see these online retailers as competitors. But the other big proponents of the tax are state governments, which would be able to reach into other states for revenue.
Instead, the Internet sales tax would "increase the amount of tax dollars millions of Americans pay, encourage states to increase the size and scope of their governments, favor some states over others in granting federal authority, and discourage free-market competition in interstate commerce," Addington wrote.
It's simply another bad idea coming out of Washington at a time when consumers and businesses are struggling to get by.
One of the Boston Marathon bombing suspects was killed in a firefight with police during the night. The second suspect remains at large.
About 35 people were killed in the explosion at a Texas fertilizer company on Wednesday and 160 more were injured, reports USA Today.
What will college be like in 2020? Join us at noon ET today for Heritage's new Google+ Hangout series on innovative policy ideas. Today's topic is higher education.


Suspected cases of BACTERIAL MENINGITIS must be reported immediately by phone to the Thunder Bay District Health Unit at 625-8318 or toll-free 1-888-294-6630, ext. 8318 (Monday-Friday, 8:30am to 4:30pm). After hours and on weekends/holidays call Thunder Bay Answering Service at (807) 624-1280.
Viral and other forms must be reported by the next working day by fax, phone or mail.
At least half the cases of viral meningitis have no obvious causative agent.
Meningitis has a very sudden onset, usually with high fever, severe headache, vomiting, confusion, seizures, progressive lethargy, drowsiness, stiff neck, and skin rash especially on hands and feet. Petechial rashes and other types of rashes may also occur depending on causative agent. Newborns and infants may not have all the classic symptoms above. They may present with irritability, may refuse meals, have unusual sleep patterns and constant crying; newborns and infants may also have the soft spots on their heads bulge and a lower than normal body temperature.
Depends on infectious agent, however, usually by direct contact, droplets, carrier state and discharges from nose or throat.
Depends on causative agent for both bacterial and viral.
For bacterial, usually as long as organisms are present; effective antibiotic treatment reduces communicability after 24 – 48 hours. For viral, it varies according to causative agent.
Susceptibility decreases with age; those not immunized with relevant vaccines are also susceptible.
For bacterial meningitis, routine practices and respiratory droplet precautions are recommended until 24 hours after the start of treatment depending on the causative organism. Treatment with the appropriate and strain sensitive antibiotic is under the direction of the attending health care provider.
Provide education to the case about the illness and methods to prevent the spread of infection.
Personal prevention measures for bacterial meningitis include: vaccination if available, avoiding crowded living quarters whenever practical, education about cough etiquette, hand hygiene and the risk of sharing items contaminated with saliva, e.g. cutlery, water bottles, lipstick, etc. For viral meningitis, there are no specific preventative measures available.
Contacts are those persons who live in the same household, attend the same child day care setting or have had sexual and other intimate contact, such as sharing eating utensils, or drinks, with the case.