Things I'm following today

Six Banks decided to let Greece and the rest of Europe keep drinking in their insanity. Oh! It's all over! The Eurozone is saved! Heh heh. No. get ready for a full fledged Depression, gang. Read more ....  and completely non related - the S&P downgraded dozens of banks.


Despite the pressure of the Arab League - Syria hasn't stopped beating their people.  


Go Get'em Joe Biden flies into Iraq. I'm guessing to take down the flag at the outpost before handing over Iraq to the Iranians? No wonder there was a suicide blast in the green zone today. Haven't been any since 2007.


And speaking of Iran...

Britain withdraws diplomats from Iran and to expel all Iranian diplomats the retro over their "student" retro-70's night embassy attack.
Norway closes their embassy in Iran after Brits attacked.  Because they're the only house still left on the block, or is it a show of solidarity? 

Back in the UK, strikes hit services as millions heed unions' call to fight pension cuts. Cuts? In a couple months you'll be fighting over table scraps. Re-read the top story!


And North Korea has been supplying Syria and Iran with prohibited nuclear technology, report says.


Meanwhile, there was almost another damn battle between NATO and Pakistan - luckily this one no one got hurt. That situation is going to get a lot worse before it improves. Wonder if this has anything to do with the clandestine killing of Osama, or just the constant whirring of the Predator drones picking off bad guys?


Oh, and then there's THIS:

Indefinite military detention of citizens, on US soil, still in Pentagon spending bill.

"The enemy is all over the world. Here at home. And when people take up arms against the United States and [are] captured within the United States, why should we not be able to use our military and intelligence community to question that person as to what they know about enemy activity?" Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said. "

Yeah, we can wait to see if Mr. Obama vetoes it. Or we can let the ACLU take it to the SCOTUS... but jumpin' Christmas... how does anyone see this as a good idea? You would have thought we just lost a city... 


Want to see who voted for and against this amendment? 


Rand Paul sure stood up to the plate to fight against it. Where do the employees from your State stand?

Get Some!

Looks like Santa ain't handing out coal to them bad kids this year, eh?

Rudolph The Red-Nosed Tauntaun

Is Jar Jar the head of the Planet of Misfit Toys? He could mutter under his breath, "Meesa should have been somebody. Mesa should have been a king of da' worlds. Mesa so much more funny than za Ewoks!"

Iran, So Far Away; Repeating History

In the latest sign of deteriorating relations with the rest of the planet, a group of Iranian protesters stormed the British Embassy compound in Tehran on Tuesday, chanting “death to England,” tearing down a British flag and ransacking offices, according to British officials and images broadcast live on state-run Iranian television. It's too soon to see if they're affiliated with the Occupy Movement. Bad joke? Sure. But so is pulling a retro 1979 hostage crisis. Been there, done that, right? Just ask MockMood. PS - There isn't a US Embassy for the "students" to raid, so I suppose the UK was the next best thing?

Read more

Grab some popcorn and iodine tabs folks.

Did You Know?

SPEND

No, Black Friday Sales Were Not Up 16% (not even 6%)

A Bad Case of the CyberMonday

While you're out there looking for some crap to buy this Cyber-Monday, or are pissed about your workload after the holiday weekend.... here's some stuff to chill your bones. Something to really be concerned about.


Egyptians flock to polls in first post-Mubarak poll


Morocco's Arab Spring election won by Islamists


Kuwait’s cabinet resigns amid ‘unprecedented’ protest against corruption


Syria snubs its nose at Arab League sanctions, while Russia is sending warships to its base in Syria 


The Aftermath of the NATO Strike on Pakistani Soldiers 


Iran said "we'll fire 150,000 missiles at Israel if attacked." Wonder if that statement began with "we'll Photoshop..." 


Putin warns West as he launches presidential bid, attempts to start a new cold war.


The US Senate moves to allow military to intern Americans without trial.


Secret Fed loans gave banks undisclosed $13B.


Markets pricing in endgame for the euro, warns UBS.


Still having a case of the Mondays?
The picture is unrelated. It's a fish tank.

Judge Blocks Citi Settlement

Federal Judge Blocks Citigroup’s Mortgage Settlement With S.E.C.

A federal judge in New York on Monday threw out a settlement between the Securities and Exchange Commission and Citigroup over a 2007 mortgage derivatives deal, saying that the S.E.C.’s policy of settling cases by allowing a company to neither admit nor deny the agency’s allegations did not satisfy the law.

The judge, Judge Jed S. Rakoff of the Federal District Court in Manhattan, ruled that the S.E.C.’s $285 million settlement, announced last month, is “neither fair, nor adequate, nor in the public interest” because it does not provide the court with evidence on which to judge the settlement.

The ruling could throw the S.E.C.’s enforcement efforts into chaos, because a majority of the fraud and other cases that the agency brings against Wall Street firms are settled out of court, most often with a condition that the defendant does not admit that it violated the law while also promising not to deny it.


MORE

On the bright side, there's now accountability for the lack of accountability -- but remember, it was the SEC that wasn't just asleep at the wheel, they were watching porn when Citi helped cause the great recession.

While it's great that they're not getting a back door slap on the wrist (this time)... but they're also not arresting the Board of Directors and taking them to their prison cells either (which I assume was something everyone at Zuccoitti Park were waiting for, right?)

A Christmas Story

Week in Review Nov 27, 2011

Hope you had a pleasant holiday with the in-laws, and are excited to do it again in less than a month?

Here's what went down, in what was perceived as a "light" news week -- despite the liberal use of pepper spray at the mall. Obviously, pepper spray is the new meme for 2011.

So first up, there's a little war brewing in Pakistan. NATO forces, in a joint operation, crossed over the border. And then the Pakistani's shot at the NATO forces. Could have been serious or a misunderstanding, friendly fire, or simply a warning shot misinterpreted... either way, it didn't end well for the Pakistani's. Now new information has come to light that the NATO forces shot back in self defense.

According to the UK’s Guardian, Western officials have stated that the NATO air attack that allegedly killed 24 Pakistani soldiers was an act of self-defense. "…a more troubling explanation would be that insurgents in the area were operating under the nose of Pakistani security forces. 

Many Afghan officials believe Pakistan helps the Taliban with cross-border operations. Edrees Momand of the Afghan Border Police said that a US-Afghan force in the area near the Pakistani outposts detained several militants on Saturday morning. “I am not aware of the casualties on the other side of the border but those we have detained aren’t Afghan Taliban,” he said, implying they may have been Pakistani or other foreign national Taliban operating in Afghanistan. 

Pakistan’s consistent inconsistency has been a problem. MORE

Meantime - It looks like Germany is getting tired of hanging out with drunken socialists, and is starting to get a reputation... in other words, their latest bond offering didn't go well. MORE

ClimateGate II Electric Email Bugaboo has been released. It's real, and it's spectacular. The few that I kind of skimmed exposes their gross incompetence and inability to compete in an 8th grade science fair (how do I make a graph in Excel?)  more than any concentrated effort to make up Global Warming. That's more of a side project. Read for yourself, draw your own conclusions. Don't blame me if you end up agreeing with Rick Perry.  MEGA UPLOAD

The Room-Temperature War Update - The Iranians, specifically the ruling Mullahs, are trying to deny foreign involvement in the latest blast, suspicions have been raised in Iran by what industry experts say is a fivefold increase in explosions at refineries and gas pipelines since 2010. Can't show weakness, can't show weakness...  MORE

The White House called for Egypt's military to step aside for a democratically elected civilian government. Since they said "please" I'm sure it's already happening. Meanwhile in Syria, the government of President Bashar al-Assad ignored an Arab League deadline to accept observers to oversee a peace deal. Which means that the Arab League is as effective as the League of Nations? And in Yemen, heavy fighting between rival army units shook the capital of Sanaa on Friday, just days after President Ali Abdullah Saleh agreed to end his 33-year rule. When the shells fall from the sky... from an an-gar-y guy that's called a... Civil War. I'm sure that the United States will stay neutral and suspend their predator drone bombing campaign to allow the two factions to talk it out, right?

Oh, and Indiana Jones found another rock carved 1,300 years ago in Mexico, that 'confirms' the end of the world next year. MORE Pseudoscience or fact? Nevermind that sh*t, there's a sale at Penny's!  Where's my pepper spray?

Saturday Morning Cartoons

 David Mitchell of Mitchell and Webb fame narrates six 60-second Open University animations explaining six famous thought experiments, including “The Grandfather Paradox,” “The Twin Paradox,” and the much-parodied “Schrödinger’s cat.”


Sorry to make you learn on your day off.

Shop Til You Plummet

Nice, simple commentary on Black Friday and our pointless endless consumer culture. Unconfirmed to be authentically Banksy at this hour. (via.)

Thanksgiving Myths

Believe it or not, binge eating and giant balloons blocking major arteries of our cities weren't part of the original tradition of Thanksgiving. Actually, there were religious ties, to the point of FASTING for the day. Well, that just doesn't vibe with modern Americans.

Seems the whole thing tradition was kind of made up by the author of Mary Had a Little Lamb... she embellished on a story she read from an American colonist. Then  the next thing you know, she pesters Abe Lincoln, and suddenly it's a Federal Holiday. Whoo hoo! No mail!

Hang on, there's more - and you can read that stuff from the original source.  Frankly, I can't be bothered cut'n'pastin'. I've got to go get my sweat pants on, and dive into 2800 calories in one sitting, followed by some fake pumpkin with fake cream made of sugar wax and lube... and eat the hell out of it. Then I'm going to watch either the Lions or the Pack lose today. I'm rooting for everyone to get turf toe.

Thanks dear readers, and see you in line at the local Home OfficeDepot tonight. I need to find the Golden Pickle before anyone else does.

Thought Provoking or Just Stupid?

Christoph Niemann‘s clever “Promised Land” covers The New Yorker‘s Thanksgiving issue.

Butterflies and Pepper Spray

File under current events. Vandalism. Street Art.

It's a Banksy of the now-infamous pepper-spraying incident that occurred in the quad last week at UC Davis. I still think Officer Pike was just pissed that he was running late for bowling night.

Was Pike a dick? Absolutely. Should the other cops shut him down? You bet. But like I said last week - when people are fighting and dying in Egypt, a couple students who are protesting their tuition being too high doesn't have too much weight to it. To me anyway.  

Behold the Miracle of Booze!

Behold, the healing power of booze!

Note that only the TOP SHELF liquor has any miracle inducing powers... the bottom shelf is probably what put her in that chair in the first place.

Speaking of top-bottom, the Secretary of State in Illinois - is launching a top-to-bottom investigation of handicap placard abuse in that state.

Now, before you hit me with "my mother has MS, and has limited mobility..." Yes. There's shades of gray in the world. How about the dick with the camera who couldn't be bothered helping a fellow alcoholic out? How about the statue on her left? It's a funny picture of a lady reaching for whiskey.

The Original Movement

Shouldn't the guy with the wood be Squanto? I mean, it was the Pilgrims mooching off the Natives in order to survive, wasn't it?

The Thrill Is Gone

Did Chris take a step out of the echo chamber at MSNBC for a minute? Did he have a moment of clarity after the tingling in his leg wore off? Maybe he's just promoting his new puff-piece book?

The waiter-in-chief is getting hit on both sides now. At this point, you'd almost think that the GOP would only have to nominate a slice of stale bread to have a chance at re-taking the White House?

Let's Review

Pretty much sums it up, doesn't it gang?

Ass-Ass-In: Oscar Ramiro Ortega-Hernandez

Meet Oscar Ramiro Ortega-Hernandez, the 21-year-old Idaho Falls resident who allegedly fired several shots at the White House last Friday, was charged today with attempting to assassinate the President or his staff.

The Obamas and their children were not in D.C. at the time of the shooting. They were in Hawaii.

Ortega-Hernandez, who was arrested yesterday afternoon in Indiana, PA, has a history of mental health issues, and, according to acquaintances, referred to Obama as the “anti-Christ,” and believed he was on a mission from God. Uh, no, not the cute line in the Blues Brothers... God told him. Funny how God also didn't tell him that Obama wasn't home?

Ortega-Hernandez is accused of firing as many as nine bullets at the White House, including one that hit the living quarters but was stopped by bulletpoof glass. “FBI investigators conducted a search of the area around the White House and located several confirmed bullet impact points on the south side of the building above the second story,” said FBI agent Chris Ormerod according to court documents.

The suspect was taken into custody following a 12-minute hearing, and will be transported back to Washington D.C., where his trial will take place. If convicted, Ortega-Hernandez faces a maximum sentence of life in prison and a $250,000 fine.

Historians take note, he had too many names in his name to be taken seriously.

UPDATE: Wait, wait, there's more - He has a Christ Complex:

Accused White House shooter says he's Jesus

Super Duper

We're about to have a whole lot of fail for Thanksgiving, folks. They're already talking about what's going to happen "When" the Super Committee -- or the secret third legislative arm -- falls like Clark Kent after being exposed to kryptonite. They call it flying, I see it as falling.

Cuts Both Ways

Stop Censorship Day

Today, the US House Judiciary Committee has a hearing on the Stop Online Piracy Act or SOPA. The text of the bill is here. This bill would strengthen copyright holders' means to go after allegedly infringing sites at detrimental cost to the freedom and integrity of the Internet. As a result, we are joining forces with organizations such as the EFF, Mozilla, Wikimedia, and the FSF for American Censorship Day.
Part of this act would undermine the safe harbor provisions of the Digital Millenium Copyright Act which would make sites like reddit and YouTube liable for hosting user content that may be infringing.

This act would also force search engines, DNS providers, and payment processors to cease all activities with allegedly infringing sites, in effect, walling off users from them.

This bill sets a chilling precedent that endangers everyone's right to freely express themselves and the future of the Internet. If you would like to voice your opinion to those in Washington, please consider writing your representative and the sponsors of this bill:

Lamar Smith (R-TX)
John Conyers (D-MI)
Bob Goodlatte (R-VA)
Howard L. Berman (D-CA)
Tim Griffin (R-AR)
Elton Gallegly (R-CA)
Theodore E. Deutch (D-FL)
Steve Chabot (R-OH)
Dennis Ross (R-FL)
Marsha Blackburn (R-TN)
Mary Bono Mack (R-CA)
Lee Terry (R-NE)
Adam B. Schiff (D-CA)
Mel Watt (D-NC)
John Carter (R-TX)
Karen Bass (D-CA)
Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL)
Peter King (R-NY)
Mark E. Amodei (R-NV)
Tom Marino (R-PA)
Alan Nunnelee (R-MS)
John Barrow (D-GA)
Steve Scalise (R-LA)
Ben Ray Luján (D-NM)
William L. Owens (D-NY)

I find it completely fitting that the only law that can pass with bipartisan support is one that advocates censorship and oppression.

"Blame" PSA

This "Blame" PSA is being labeled as anti-gun.

Funny, it seems more pro-responsibility to me.

And, the whole thing is contradictory, since Sam Jackson made his entire living waving guns in people's faces - didn't he?

Bloomberg Cleans Occupy Out

Hundreds of police officers, some in riot gear, descended on Zuccotti Park overnight in a surprise sweep of the Occupy Wall Street headquarters that Mayor Bloomberg said had become an "intolerable situation."

Hours later, a judge granted a temporary restraining order prohibiting the city from enforcing rules of the plaza -- like a ban on tents and tarps -- that she said were published "after the occupation began."

[Note that, from a particular angle, a judge has violated Private Property Rights to allow folks to continue camping on private property]

Bloomberg said at a City Hall briefing that the city had planned to let people back into the park at 8 a.m. but decided to keep it closed while officials evaluated the order.

In the overnight raid, many protesters in the two-month-old occupation left peacefully, but some refused to go, chaining themselves to trees and to each other. They chanted at police, "Whose park? Our park!"

All protesters were cleared from the park by 4:30 a.m. Tuesday, according to NYPD spokesman Paul Browne. Browne said there were about 70 arrests inside the park overnight and another to 30 to 40 arrests on Broadway as protesters tried to stop the evacuation.

To one side of this, the letter of the law - Living in the park isn't peaceful assembly, it's camping out on someone else's property. If the cities had followed the letter of that law in the first place, which they very much didn't, they would have been allowed to assemble, go home, and come back the next day. But the 'occupy' means and clearly is trespassing. But no one in their political right mind would have or did clear them out the first day for trespassing. Bloomberg tried a month ago with his "clean up day" and failed miserably. He didn't have a political leg to stand on to force the movement out of the park. 

But then, after the murder in Oakland, all the mayors had their excuse to end the drum circle - to let the police enforce the laws. Now they have a legitimate excuse to crack skulls and fill the paddy wagons. And if they don't, you know there were going to be lawsuits against the city for not protecting the protesters.

New York's mayor defends clearing of camp

Occupy Oakland site cleared, but protest lives on

Assaults raise concerns about crime at Occupy L.A.

Now, let's take this to the illogical final end -- yes, there's going to be an act two. They'll probably build sheds this time. UPDATE: OWS returns to Zucotti Park, Judge strips police of powers to enforce park rules. But at the same time there's now a 'legitimate' reason for the mayors of all the "occupied" towns and streets to shut them down. "We're cracking your skull in for your own safety!"

So, even as the gang comes marching back with their North Face tents and Birkenstocks, what does everyone think the end game is? Are you ready? Here it is: Are they ready to pop Quadaffy? What? 

No, really. That's what the Libyans just showed the Occupiers how this game ends. It's not Modern Warfare 3 on the X-Box - This game ends with real bloodshed. Are the kids camping and banging their drums ready to die, and to kill, to get the boot off their necks?

Maybe we can all just call it a day, and pat them on the backs for bringing up the issue of income disparity, and reminding us who loosened the banking regulations so their fraternity brothers in Wall Street could make fortunes building a house of cards, then made a phone call so that their friends in Congress could also make a fortune. A prime example: Rahm Emanuel Dumped Tons Of Freddie Mac Stock Days Before It Collapsed. When the cards came tumbling down, the only ones left with the bill were the people who didn't understand what was going on. AKA the 99%. Thank you for bringing that up, Occupiers.

Now, I understand you're still pissed. You and your buddies are the ones getting taken out of Wall Street in zip tied hands. That blows your mind, and pisses you off even more than you already were. Well, there is a solution. You go to the polls. You Vote! It's something your Egyptian, Syrian and Libyan brothers were ready to kill for. You have that right, right now. And what will you do there? I'll tell you -- you dump the incumbents!

The Incumbents are the Actual Occupiers!

Few things in life are more predictable than the chances of an incumbent member of the U.S. House of Representatives winning reelection. With wide name recognition, and usually an insurmountable advantage in campaign cash, House incumbents typically have little trouble holding onto their seats—as this chart shows. [Open Secrets for the Graph]

Is it Still Irony If You're Not Surprised?

Roman Catholic church's pedophile investigator thrown in jail, for... wait for it...

...possessing thousands of child porn images

•  Church orders review of child protection across the South West of England
•  Father-of-four was responsible for children's safety at 120 churches and community groups for nine years      
•  Police found more than 4,000 child porn images on his church-supplied computer 

Read more:

To be fair, the church computer was probably preloaded with more than half of those images, right?

SCOTUS Will Hear ObamaCare Challenge

Who says the Court is above politics?

The Supreme Court Agrees to Hear Case Challenging Health Care Overhaul Law

The Supreme Court on Monday agreed to hear a challenge to the 2010 health care overhaul law, President Obama’s signature legislative achievement. The development set the stage for oral arguments by March and a decision in late June, in the midst of the 2012 presidential campaign.

The court’s decision to step in had been expected, but Monday’s order answered many questions about just how the case would proceed. Indeed, it offered a roadmap toward a ruling that will help define the legacy of the Supreme Court under Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. [More]

Remember kids, this one is about the overreaching ability of the Federal Government than it is about Insurance companies making a buck. 

The Supreme Court agreed to hear appeals from just one decision, from the United States Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit, in Atlanta, the only one so far striking down the mandate. The decision, from a divided three-judge panel, said the mandate overstepped Congressional authority and could not be justified by the constitutional power “to regulate commerce” or “to lay and collect taxes.”        

Iran Attack In Progress?

Iran missile development commander killed in explosion

An explosion at a Revolutionary Guard base in Iran just happened to have killed a senior commander in charge of the country's missile development program. I wonder if I'm just overstepping speculation here ... but, uh, Mossad, anyone? [More]

And just now Iran is telling the world it's been hit by another computer virus like Stuxnet, this one is called Dugu.

Of course, there isn't a Mossad operation or coordinated computer viris attack on Iran, because they don't have a nuclear weapons program. So, don't be silly.

But just in the event that this is an actual coordinated attack against Iran, we'll have to call it a Room Temperature War.

Meanwhile, Mr. Obama will talk for weeks about his options. This isn't commentary or condemnation, it's what he said he was going to do.

Saturday Morning Cartoons

Steffen Schaeffler- The Emperor's New Clothes - Excerpt from Pascal Blais Animation Studio on Vimeo.


Hand-drawn goodness by Rob Stevenhagen created for by Steffen Schaeffler’s The Emperor’s New Clothes. The animator of the piece, Rob Stevenhagen, writes: “The film is called Screen Test (and is a pilot for a feature film called The Emperor’s New Clothes). Screen Test is directed by Steffen Schaeffler, animated by me, and produced by Berlin based Ideal Standard Film

Venezuela Is Dangerous

Venezuela Is Now More Dangerous Than Mexico, Iraq, Or Afghanistan - all rolled into one.

According to a New York Times article Venezuela soaring homicide rate makes it more dangerous than Iraq.

In Iraq, a country with about the same population as Venezuela, there were 4,644 civilian deaths from violence in 2009, according to Iraq Body Count; in Venezuela that year, the number of murders climbed above 16,000. This is a topic of great importance in the battle over minds and hearts of the Venezuelans. It has become a heated issue of debate between the government and the opposition. The debate has intensified during campaign efforts for the upcoming parliamentary elections.

Why The Abduction Of Wilson Ramos Is No Surprise

The abduction of Washington Nationals’ catcher Wilson Ramos will come as a shock to his fans in Washington. But it won’t surprise many of his fellow countrymen in Venezuela.

The South American country is known for the flamboyant anti-Americanism and “21st-century socialism” of its authoritarian president, Hugo Chavez. Less known is the fact that, under Chavez, Venezuela has become the crime capital of the Western hemisphere.

Read more ....

With crime being the only way to make a living - Venezuela is yet another shinning example of Socialism "working" -- Curious though, if the crime stats are the reported stats, imagine what the real numbers are? 

Veterans

A veteran is a person who, at one point in his or her life, wrote a blank check payable to the Republic, good for any amount including life itself. Thank your friends and relatives who served.

The Quantum Physics of Genesis

I Just Have a Few Qualifying Questions...

http://russellsteapot.com/

Berlusconi Obama Caption Contest

Italy's Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi leans to shake hands with US President Barack Obama

Right... Winner of the Caption Contest gets a T-Shirt. Or not. Depends if I can find enough money in the couch to pay for a couple of stamps.

1, 2, ah, uh... duh!

He's a Governor Not a Talker...



He'd get rid of three cabinet level agencies... What's that third one?

“I can’t. The third one, I can’t. Sorry,” Perry sputtered before ending on the worst sound bite a presidential hopeful could possibly utter: “Oops.”

15 minutes later Perry recalled that it was the Department of Energy he was “reaching for.”

Please, more debates - the more material I have. He should have tured to Ron Paul who could have told him off the cuff at least 5 bloated agencies to cut. But he didn't, floundered - and made George W. Bush look like a Rhode's Scholar in the process. Big thumbs up, Rick.

Kind of reminds me of this clip...

News Updates

2011 Election Day Follow-Up - First off, there were some kind-a important elections. Did you snooze and lose?


In Arizona: Pearce loses to Lewis in historic recall;
Kentucky: Beshear re-elected in landslide; 
Mississippi: Bryant defeats DuPree, voters reject “personhood amendment”; -- This is a huge step in evolution for Mississippi, as it no longer trails Kansas for the most anti-science dumbass state in the Union.
Ohio: Republican-backed anti-union law overturned; 
Maine: Voter registration law repealed; 
New Jersey: Chatham Borough elects country’s first openly gay African-American Republican mayor. Ta Da!
Washington State: Voters kicked out the state liquor business.


Herman Cain Sexual Harassment Accusations: I think we're up to 5 now? In press conference, Cain rejected the latest allegations, says he’s willing to undergo lie detector test; I hope they get a sexy lady to administer the test.
Cain campaign attacks accuser Sharon Bialek, claims she has “long and troubled history" Right, blame the accuser? Classic strategy.
Cain accuser Karen Kraushaar, outed by media, gives interview to New York Times.
On Hannity, Cain campaign manager Mark Block “confirms” Kraushaar’s nonexistent family ties to Politico. But she shared a building and gym with Obama strongman strategist David Axelrod.

Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi promises to resign after Parliament passes economic reforms. So that's more of a 'maybe' -- meanwhile they're going to hit the magic number of 7% borrowing costs on ten year bonds... this is when things start getting real... Meaning, European Socialism dies a horrible shrieking death from cancer.


News of the World surveillance scandal just got even bigger, as evidence shows ex-policeman Derek Webb hired to follow over 100 people including Prince William. Oh, the trouble I seen.

And Syria, when are you going to stop beating your people?

Oh, and ... President Obama’s health care reform law ruled constitutional.
White House chief of staff Bill Daley was demoted. Meanwhile the White House is downplaying his responsibility shift.

Penn State’s head coach Joe Paterno set to step down.

And it's going to snow in Chicago - and there's going to be an ice age in Alaska - or something?

More as it becomes available.

Still Furious

A.G. Eric Holder: Fast And Furious ‘Flawed’ In Many Ways.
Attorney general offers no apology.

Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. said Tuesday that the Justice Department should never have allowed guns to be “walked” to drug smugglers in Mexico as part of its Fast and Furious undercover weapons investigation — saying the operation was “flawed in its concept, as well in its execution.”

In testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee, Mr. Holder described gun-walking as “unacceptable” and noted that weapons lost to the operation — including hundreds of AK-47 assault rifles — “unfortunately” will be turning up at crime scenes in the United States and Mexico for years to come.

“This should never have happened. And it must never happen again,” he said.
Read more ....

But it DID happen, and it happened under his watch - and he signed off on it. There isn't any accountability. How this man isn't on trial, and at the very least still getting a paycheck astounds me.  When was the last time someone lied, I mean bold face lied, to a Congressional committe and was arrested for it? Does anyone have a name or a date? I can't remember one of the top of my head... oh yeah, Roger Clemens.

I Think I'd Pay 10 Bucks to See This...

No S#*t Sherlock!

The UN has come out with the most 'shocking' news of the day...

U.N. Report Details ‘Credible’ Case that Iran is Working Toward a Nuclear Weapon
United Nations weapons inspectors released a trove of new evidence on Tuesday that they say makes a “credible” case that “Iran has carried out activities relevant to the development of a nuclear device” and that the project may still be under way.

The long-awaited report, the harshest judgment that the International Atomic Energy Agency has ever issued in its decade-long struggle to pierce the secrecy surrounding the Iranian program, has already rekindled a debate among the Western allies and Israel about whether increased diplomatic pressure, sanctions, sabotage or military action could stop Iran’s program.

The report offered no estimate of how long it would be until Iran would be able to produce a nuclear weapon. But it laid out the case that Iran had moved far beyond the blackboard to create computer models of nuclear explosions in 2008 and 2009, and conducted experiments on nuclear triggers. The report said that starting in 2000, the Iranians constructed a vessel to conduct those tests, which was not shown to inspectors who visited the site five years later.

Those tests “are strong indicators of possible weapon development,” it said.

Now the question is, who's just going to sit around and wait for an Iranian made mushroom cloud to burst -- I'm looking at the Israeli jets warming up, and the Saudi ones that are fueling up.

Food for Thinking

World Collapse Explained in 3 Min

Of the Abbot and Costello Who's On First? kind of gags --- but frightfully more real and more likely "Who Owes First?"

Rubbers?

The clergy remain hopelessly confused over the proper use of condoms

Week in Review

Ah what a week. Glad to see you made it. I see that Andy Rooney didn't.

Tony (Batting average .199) La Russa retired this week. La Russa ranks third in major league history in victories (2,728), trailing only Connie Mack (3,731) and John McGraw (2,763). Wonder if this puts Pujols in play? You bet. And La Russa will surely be inducted to Cooperstown, assuming he doesn't crash his SUV in another DUI on the way there.

Greece has been acting like Netflix...After months the E.U. finally approved a massive bailout of drunk uncle Greece — then Prime Minister George Papandreou threaten the deal by putting it up for a vote! A vote!? What do you think this is, a Democracy?! Since there's rioting in the streets and general strikes over the bailout's austerity measures among the Greeks (no, you can't retire at 50!), the Germans and the French were *fairly* sure it was going to die. Papandreou waffled - no, turned to cooked Filo dough, and now he's about to lose his job... just like everyone else. And if you came during the week, you'll note the real danger is Italy falling into the toilet drain, and saving Greece is the only chance to plug it up.

Herman Cain shrugs off some scandals. Three, last counted. So the Politico dusted off some 90's era politics (apparently forgetting that President Clinton actually got a blow job, instead of just asking for one or making a gesture) and the media was sure to knock Mr. Cain off the top of the manure pile of the GOP Presidential race. Oh, don't mention race... The scandal quickly warped into his inability to dodge these bullets. But then, after being hit, like Neo in the Matrix, he got up and started talking again! And people started giving him money! This doesn't make sense, said the pundits! But but... so the media is the bad guy?! Well, at least until one of the accusers comes out and explains exactly what was said, this is the first sex scandal that backfired (so far).

Occupy (finally) gets violent. When the otherwise peaceful movement in Oakland degenerated to London sized violence and vandalism, the police were more than ready to crack skulls. More than 100 people were arrested when the "general strike" tried to shut down the city. Funny, most of the stories and pictures I saw were from people working. Opps. The crowds took over a vacant building, broke some windows, tagged some stuff and set fires. Will the Occupy movement be corrupted by the actions in Oakland? How soon 'til it spreads within the entire organization? Police with itchy trigger fingers are waiting to find out. At the very least, any hope of purity and legitimacy has been smeared, especially in Oakland.

MF Global dies a horrible death. Jon Corzine, the hand of death, former Goldman Sachs CEO, former governor of NJ and now head of MF Global, has been fired from all three in a row.So he made a number of massive, ill-conceived bets on debt-burdened European nations? What? MF Global filed for Chapter 11 — the eighth-largest bankruptcy in U.S. history. Hey, Jon, maybe Netflix is hiring?

In keeping with the 90's retro week, Groupon offered an IPO, despite being millions, hundreds of millions in the red. But their stock still went 30% higher than it's first offer. Oh, maybe that's how they'll make money?

Kim Kardashian makes the case for Gay Marriage

Ron Paul won the Illinois Straw Poll. But you'll never hear about that. Here's the story

The Texas judge who whipped his daughter - gets a free pass. Apparently it there was a statute of limitations on beating your kids. This wasn't spanking - it was all out whipping. For downloading music illegally. Wonder what he'll do to her for posting the video without a release form?

Hope to see you here next week.

Daylight Savings

There's Hope

There's hope for the Millennial Generation. Note how the Greatest's line doesn't seem to be going too much farther forward? They're not all dead yet.

Faith in a Merciful God?

"My response is that when Creationists talk about God creating every individual species as a separate act, they always instance hummingbirds, or orchids, sunflowers and beautiful things. But I tend to think instead of a parasitic worm that is boring through the eye of a boy sitting on the bank of a river in West Africa, [a worm] that's going to make him blind. And [I ask them], 'Are you telling me that the God you believe in, who you also say is an all-merciful God, who cares for each one of us individually, are you saying that God created this worm that can live in no other way than in an innocent child's eyeball? Because that doesn't seem to me to coincide with a God who's full of mercy'." ~Sir David Attenborough

Was his reply to the question if his observations of the natural world had given him faith in a creator.

For more on River Blindness and where to you can make a difference - follow the link.

Isaiah 45:7

⁷ I form the light and create darkness,
   I bring prosperity and create disaster;
   I, the LORD, do all these things. 

Better Off Now?

Rep. Adam Kinzinger posted on his Facebook page, "Yesterday, President Obama claimed that our nation is “better off now” under his policies than the country was four years ago. Check out the President's record on the economy. Do you agree with the President?"

Well, I don't exactly agree with the President's comments -- but I'm not convinced this is all his fault either. I think the folks in Goldman Sacks (Gold Sacks) and ALSO their employees in Congress can take equal amounts of blame.  Partisan charts only add blinders to the reality that we're crashing into the toilet. Maybe we'll swirl in the bowl a couple times, but the world as we know it is about to change radically. 

Maybe that's what the Myans were talking about? 

Best Case for TORT Reform I've Ever Heard

Suing the photography studio he hired to document his wedding in 2003 because he says they didn’t shoot the last 15 minutes of the reception, leaving out the last dance and the bouquet toss? Okay, maybe that's a breach of contract, even though I don't understand why they would have packed up if those things hadn't happened yet...

Hold on, there's more. As compensation for his mental anguish, Todd Remis wants H & H Photographers to cough up $48,000 so he can recreate the wedding, right down to the guests, for them to re-shoot.

One small hitch - Remis and his wife, Milena Grzibovska, are now divorced, and her exact whereabouts are currently unknown to him.

The lawsuit, which was filed two years ago just prior to the statute of limitation’s expiration date, has already cost H & H more in legal fees than the amount of money Remis wants for his wedding recreation.
“[This case is] an abuse of the legal system,” said studio owner Dan Fried.
[nyt]

Worst of all, one of the owners of H&H survived the Nazis and now has to deal with this unemployed used douche nossel - who's obviously using the court for a cash grab.

She Bent His Wookie; So He Force Choked Her

A STAR Wars fan was yesterday jailed for life after murdering his wife in an alleged revenge attack for smashing up his cherished toy collection.

Rickie La-Touche, 30, told a court that his Thai wife Pornpilai Srisroy, 28, had damaged his precious Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker memorabilia.

He later suffocated her during a row and then ran sobbing to his mother who lived nearby.
La-Touche later told police his wife had smashed up his Star Wars collection as part of a campaign to “make his life hell”. He also claimed he “flipped” when she threatened to leave him to go back to Thailand.

La-Touche, also known as Rickie Nehls, was found guilty of murder and was ordered to serve a minimum of 12 years.

Read more:

USA's Official Motto

Yea! The House Finally Passes Meaningful Legislation!

No, they didn't do the Super Committee's Job and solve the budget standoff -- no...

By a vote of 369-9, the House passed a historic resolution “reaffirming ‘In God We Trust’ as the official motto of the United States.”

And it only cost American taxpayers about $215,000. Luckily there's NOTHING else going on in the world for our politicians to be worrying about, right?  To the brave Congresspeople who voted on such a blatantly sacrilegious measure that defies the entire meaning behind the fable of the golden calf.... keep up the good hard work you're doing over there!

Personally, I think the Motto of the USA should be "Get a brain morans, Go USA!"