From Haaretz… Adelson tells Forbes: I might give Gingrich $100 million

American Jewish billionaire businessman says his support of Newt Gingrich is based on more than just his staunch support for Israel.

Okay, I’ll play.

Justice Kagan does what she was picked to do, crack down on civil liberties.
http://www.salon.com/2012/02/21/justice_kagan_sides_with_the_right_on_miranda/singleton/

Ross Douthat thinks Sick Rantorum is an economic populist.
http://campaignstops.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/02/21/can-santorum-win-in-november/

Prez to speak at AIPAC conference (along with Pelosi, Levin, and others) ahead of meeting with Bibi. Should be edifying.
http://thecable.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2012/02/21/obama_to_speak_at_aipac_before_netanyahu_meeting

More than 50 civilians dead in country most recently liberated by NATO.
http://www.morningstaronline.co.uk/news/content/view/full/115731

But worry not: Libyan militias are seriously considering joining the national army because John McCain is asking them to.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle-east/mccain-urges-libyan-militias-to-join-national-army-raises-issue-of-rights-abuses/2012/02/22/gIQAr2TUTR_story.html

Peace.

Feel the Meg-mentum: H-P shares fall after hours following results

Interesting development at the Massey Upper Big Branch coal mind

“The superintendent of the West Virginia coal mine where an explosion killed 29 men was charged Wednesday with conspiracy to defraud the federal government, becoming the highest-ranking Massey Energy employee to face criminal prosecution so far over the deadly blast.”

. . .

“Although other mine disasters have led to criminal charges, they’ve typically targeted low-ranking employees and have largely been misdemeanor offenses. A conviction on the federal fraud charge could result in fines and up to five years in prison. It’s a rare, if not unprecedented legal strategy that appears to be moving up the corporate ladder.

‘”I hope they can go up, and I think they will,” said Gary Quarles, whose son Gary Wayne died in the explosion. Quarles said he’s surprised the charge reached so high into the ranks.”

LINK.

What a shock.

“Fitch cut Greece’s long-term ratings on Wednesday to its lowest rating above a default, becoming the first ratings agency to make the widely expected downgrade after the country announced a bond exchange plan to ease its massive debt burden.”

LINK.

Elderly poverty rates 200% higher for blacks and Latinos: report

LINK.

Interesting new treatment for MD?

Looks like Hamas IS going to sign the unity agreement.

Fukushima radiation has been detected in ocean 600km away. But it’s still safe to eat the fish at that location.

Boxturtle (I vote fatster’s Massey link as most interesting so far)

Easy come, easy go. So much for faster-than-light neutrinos.

David — You need to re-read your job description. If there isn’t enough news to report, get out and make some on your own! (We’re addicted to your postings.)

I was 99% sure that would be shot down, but I expected a complicated mathematical explanation, not a loose wire.

Still, if you believe in UFO’s, they either came from within or without the solar system. If without, how’d they get here?

Boxturtle (If within, we should be way more interested in Jupiter’s & Saturn’s moons)

Good news for Michele Bachmann: The Stillwater area, the most liberal part of her district, now is in another district — which means that she’s Congresswoman-for-Life, with the Wright County Megachurchers backing her.

Bad news for Michele Bachmann: The Stillwater area is where her pet boondoggle, the planned $700 million replacement for a historic bridge that MnDOT says is safe and doesn’t need replacing, is slated to go — and now that area is in the CD of Betty McCollum, who has been opposed to the $700 million Boondoggle Bridge from the get-go.

Virginia budget looking to be a standoff. If I wasn’t aware of all the crap the GOP has been passing lately I might feel inclined to chatise the Democrats. Hard to do that though with the state rape bill and THIS which did not get the attention of state rape bill.

http://queermeup.com/civil-rights-2/virginia-senate-passes-gay-adoption-discrimination-bill/

Virginia legislators ought to be ashamed of themselves. Instead of protecting children in their Virginia jurisdiction they’ve elected a Save Every Fetus stance. Meanwhile we have this……

http://articles.wdbj7.com/2012-02-21/roanoke-city-schools_31084975

I guess it’s too much to ask that we do our best to ensure children have all the resources they need to grow up happy, healthy and safe before we guilt women into having more eh Virginia?

I have been following the greek debacle. I shared a forum post that gave a firsthand account from an American married to a Greek schoolteacher. She now has her own blog. Lots of frugal ideas plus some commentary from someone forced to deal with extreme austerity.

http://homeingreece.wordpress.com/

Thanks for all the interesting links everyone!

64,000 Greeks are expected to have “negative salary” thanks to the austerity forced on them.

“It’s being called the “negative salary”: Due to austerity measures in Greece, it’s being reported that up to 64,000 Greeks will go without pay this month, and some will have to pay for having a job. Numbers in austerity reports have usually reflected figures in the millions, since they reflect industry-wide cuts (i.e.  a 537-million euro cut to health and pension funds). And plans of cutting minimum wage by up to 32% is all but a given in the country. Today’s “negative salary” deal—which could have government employees returning funds— reveals the real human impact of the austerity measures.”

LINK.

That is an awesome link! I liked both the recipes (I never knew you could make your own cornflakes!), and was blown away by the economic book excerpt more or less predicting Greece’s troubles, with a concise explanation therefor.
Very interesting.

This is interesting:

Record Mortgage Settlement Greatly Reduces Likelihood of FHA Bailout

as is the WSJ Opinion piece by David Skeel – Mortgage Settlement or Mortgage Shakedown?

Well, here’s more proof that the Justice Department is where banking investigations/prosecutions go to die, this from the Columbia Journalism Review

American Banker Shows DOJ Sat On Bank Kickback Scandal

Good Lord! Yet MORE proof that Wall Street will NEVER be held accountable in any meaningful way with any real deterrence.

Responding to Critics, SEC Defends “No Wrongdoing” Settlements

Critics of the agency have also raised concerns about its settlement practices over the last decade. According to a New York Times analysis of enforcement cases, nearly all of the biggest Wall Street firms have settled fraud cases by promising never to violate a law that they had already promised not to break, usually multiple times. In addition, the Times analysis showed, those settlements also repeatedly granted exemptions to the biggest Wall Street firms from punishments intended by Congress and regulators to act as a deterrent to multiple fraud violations.

How much more proof does the American public need in order to understand that systemic and pervasive frauds are being encouraged by the putative watchdogs of the systems and protectors of the public?

Sorry for the multiple posts, just kept stumbling across items that make me want to run screaming into the streets.

We are all Howard Beale.

very sad news.

loose cable eh? conspiracy theory time.

I continue to expect proof that light speed can be exceeded.

If you wonder about UFO you may find this report interesting: The Cometa Report.

Before its public release, it has been sent to French President Jacques Chirac and to Prime Minister Lionel Jospin. The report is prefaced by General Bernard Norlain of the Air Force, former Director of IHEDN, and it begins with a preamble by André Lebeau, former President of the National Center for Space Studies (Centre National D’études Spatiales), or CNES, the French equivalent of NASA. The group itself, collective author of the report, is an association of experts, many of whom are or have been auditors of IHEDN, and it is presided over by General Denis Letty of the Air Force,

http://www.ufoevidence.org/topics/cometa.htm

fascinating.

canada news

Elections Canada has traced fraudulent phone calls made during the federal election to an Edmonton voice-broadcast company that worked for the Conservative Party across the country.

Also, the Conservatives are conducting an internal probe. A party lawyer is interviewing campaign workers to find who was behind the deceptive “robocalls.”

Elections Canada launched its investigation after it was inundated with complaints about election day calls in Guelph, Ont., one of 18 ridings across the country where voters were targeted by harassing or deceptive phone messages in an apparent effort to discourage Liberal supporters from voting.

In Guelph, a riding the Conservatives hoped to take from the Liberals, voters received recorded calls pretending to be from Elections Canada, telling them their polling stations had been moved. The calls led to a chaotic scene at one polling station, and likely led some voters to give up on voting.

Read more: http://www.vancouversun.com/news/Robocalls+tried+discourage+voters/6196549/story.html#ixzz1nDjr1Fp6