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Slinkachu's All Star Nobody
Gather ’round, folks. Your news is here.
International Developments
❖ “A Syrian-bound plane intercepted by Turkey was carrying Russian-made defence equipment destined for Syria’s defence ministry, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said.”
❖ A Yemeni security official who worked for the US Embassy in Sana was assassinated “on his way to work when a gunman on a motorcycle opened fire and fled the scene”. Speculation is the killing was by an “offshoot” of al-Qaida.
❖ The Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) “issued a safety alert to U.S. commanders warning that the agency had identified potentially ‘significant contract fraud’ from an Afghan contractor that was supposed to protect against roadside bomb attacks.”
❖ Under a1994 law the US cannot provide money to “international organizations that accords [sic] Palestine the same rights as [UN] Member States”. So, when UNESCO allowed Palestine to join the organization, the US automatically and abruptly cancelled its allocation, which is about 22% of UNESCO’s entire budget. Congress is not expected to “alter or repeal the law in the near future.”
International Finance
❖ “A group of leading think tanks in Germany” are predicting Germany’s economy will grow by only 1% next year, down from the 2% earlier predicted. Not only that, but “this assumes that the crisis in the eurozone does not worsen.” Good luck with that.
Money Matters USA
❖ Former shareholders of businesses taken over by Blackstone Group and Kohlberg Kravis Roberts filed suit in 2007. An unsealed version of court papers, heavily redacted, has been released containing emails between high muckety-mucks involved. “These e-mails are strong signals of anticompetitive behavior” an antitrust law professor says. Blackstone and KKR “scoff at the idea”.
❖ “Mr. President: Tweak This!” Good article, with humor, by someone who will “be gritting my teeth to vote for, Rockin’ Barack Obama.” The gist of it: “It is a scandal of modern American politics that a vital program presently needing no change at all, as far as solvency goes, is widely believed to be on a path to bankruptcy.”
❖ “Wall Street Compensation Reaches ‘Near-Record Levels‘ In 2012″–$60 billion total, up 4% from 2011, not including year-end bonuses. And you’ll love this: “pay isn’t always linked to performance”.
Politics USA
❖ Do not miss: “The 2012 VP Debate Drinking Game”
❖ Laughter-inducing history of lifeblogging political events, beginning with the Republican National Convention in Philadelphia in 2000–from a motel “at the very edge of Philadelphia”.
❖ Who feeds him this ‘info’ or does he just make it up? Mitt Romney is now claiming that “having insurance is not a matter of life and death for Americans”–contrary to a Harvard study “that nearly 45,000 people died in the United States each year largely because they did not have insurance.”
❖ “Five crazy things Paul Ryan actually believes”: “Some rapes are worse than others”; “Abortions are not OK, ever”; “Social security is going bust and the only way to save it is to…destroy it” and so on.
❖ He’s endorsed by Republican veep candidate Paul Ryan. He’s WI Republican state Representative Roger Rivard and he’s up for re-election. He believes, as his father told him, that it’s oh-so-easy to accidentally rape women. Update: Paul Ryan has withdrawn his endorsement of Rivard.
❖ Super PAC Planned Parenthood Votes has a new ad out, capitalizing on Romney’s seemingly pro-choice statement on Tuesday followed by a promise on Wednesday to defund Planned Parenthood. Scroll down for the ad.
❖ WI Republican Gov Scott Walker is going up to MT today, supposedly to endorse Rick Hill for governor of that state. Last February Hill “attended a private gathering, which included members of the Aryan Nation. . . Hill was there to address the Militia of Montana”, “one of the best known of the paramilitary ‘patriot’ militias” and it goes on and on.
❖ AZ Republican Representative, and current Senate candidate, Jeff Flake “denied signing the no-tax pledge authored by anti-tax activist Grover Norquist and promised he wouldn’t sign such a pledge”. Problem is, he already did sign the thing.
❖ He’s baaaaack. James O’Keefe shows in yet another video how a TX Democratic National Committee staffer “appeared to offer to help someone figure out how to vote simultaneously in two states”. The DNC has fired the staffer.
❖ “The 5 most educated countries in the world“. The US is 5th, Canada 2nd. No peeking: Can you guess who’s 1st?
Women and Children
❖ A pivotal moment has been reached: “Taking their cue from the Arab Spring, but fearing a backlash from Islamists the uprisings brought to power, Arab cyber activists have embarked on a daring campaign urging women fight for equality.” They’ve set up a Facebook page, “The uprising of women in the Arab World”, which now has 35,000 “likes”. Facebook page link is included.
❖ Yesterday we learned about the pediatrician in Canton, GA who is giving children Adderall, even though they do not have ADHD, to help them concentrate in school. Stephen Colbert responded with a sparkling, hard-hitting piece on “Meducation” which underscores the results of underfunding our public schools. Scroll down for the video.
Working for A Living
❖ “Weekly jobless claims fell last week to a four-year low”, or by “30,000 to 339,000, the lowest since February 2008.” Major update: One “large state”, not identified, hadn’t submitted all relevant data, so the report was produced without that information. Why didn’t they explain that when they released the report? Sheesh.
❖ American Crystal Sugar, following several other companies, has locked out 1,300 “skilled, highly trained workers”–in American Crystal’s case, for 15 months now. Farmers aren’t being paid as much for the sugar beets, and the costs of the lockouts on the workers is huge. Meanwhile, executive pay has gone up-up-up.
Planet Earth News
❖ “Disney breaks ties with paper makers over Indonesian rainforest concerns: Publisher pledges to use alternative sources as activist rejoices that ‘The Jungle Book will no longer be destroying the jungle”.
❖ BP’s Macondo Well just keeps on giving: “New Sheen In Gulf Of Mexico Linked To Macondo Spill By Coastguard”.
Latin America
❖ Newly re-elected Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has named Nicolas Madura as Vice-President. “Mr. Maduro, a former bus driver and one of the president’s closest advisers, had been foreign minister since 2006.”
Mixed Bag
❖ The City of Oakland, CA has approved suing the feds in an effort to keep Harborside Health Center, the major medical marijuana dispensary, open. The City reaps over $1 million in taxes from medical marijuana sales annually. Harborside has 100,000 patients.
❖ “Asian Seafood Raised on Pig Feces Approved for U.S. Consumers”. In case you were wondering: the US Food and Drug Administration “inspects only about 2.7 percent of imported food.”
❖ “A landmark food safety law passed nearly two years ago was supposed to help curtail [food-borne illness] outbreaks. But the Obama administration has yet to issue the final rules”. While rules are stalled, the “outbreaks have worsened.” Another concern: Even when the rules are released, will there be enough in the budget to “actually implement the law”?
Break Time
❖ “The Little People Project: Abandoning little people on the streets since 2006″ Here and here.
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About FDL News Desk
The Sanctity of Contracts is For Little People, Chapter 571:
Kodak plans to end retiree benefits at year’s end
Oh, sigh. Thanks, allan, and well said.
Thank you, Fatster! This was most informative, and makes me wish something big would happen to a lot of these people in power so something changed. Maybe a 3 year-long case of the squirts so they’re too busy being in the bathroom and can’t make the rest of our lives a living hell.
Cue the retractions, the lies, the recriminations against the victim, and eventual wrongful termination/slander lawsuit in 5.4.3.2…
Look on the bright side, if they are ever released, at least ole man Suskind isn’t there to wrap them in a burlap sack and throw them into the river before they even open their eyes.
And on the more educational side of things:
There’s a theory that, before we learned to speak, we first sang together as a species. Our cousins are proving the that theory by learning to harmonize. How long until we have a mouse barber shop quartet?
Interesting theory, Gothrykke. I do believe I’d prefer the sounds of the humpbacks, though. And there’re also the songs of the Earth. Venus, and of course the sounds of the other planets.
❖ Laughter-inducing history of lifeblogging political events, beginning with the Republican National Convention in Philadelphia in 2000–from a motel “at the very edge of Philadelphia”.
I thought it was quite funny till I saw this:
“You ever see those old clips of Johnny Carson and think, “Meh, that’s not even funny”?
morning
OT-Dean Baker calls out Raddatz, the vp debate moderator, on her leading question which asserted that SS and Medicare are bankrupt:
Dean Baker’s retort is HERE.
My apologies to those for whom this topic is compleatly redundant or whatever………….debate hangover now requires turning off all lights and sitting in a dark room until all pain subsides./s
During the debate last night, Paul Ryan seemed incapable of stopping once he started talking. He just went on and on and on until Biden interrupted him. Very odd.
It was noteworthy that Biden did NOT say that Obama would preserve current Social Security and Medicare benefits. He just said the programs wouldn’t be privatized.
I couldn’t believe the media called this a draw. Overall, Biden beat Ryan at least as badly as Romney beat Obama last week. Seems to show a PTB preference for Romney.
Thank you, fatster.
These roundups are very useful and I so appreciate the time and effort you put into them.
punditocracy desperately wanting to not admit Biden cleaned Squirming Paul’s filibustering clock.
I wonder if the Obama campaign will refer to several major liberal bloggers as the “tinfoil hat crowd” after this debate?
Caleb36, I did not hear a “NO” from Biden on raising eligibility age for Medicare. I did not hear a “No cuts. No COLA changes. No raising retirement age on Social Security” on Social Security from Biden. I think they will indeed cut a Grand Bargain on these programs with the Rs in exchange for taxes right after the election.
I could be wrong, but I did not hear the words from Biden’s mouth.
Fatster is a absolute gem, nixonclinbushbama.
She has always provided the very best links at FDL.
I’m very glad she is now doing so in an official capacity and, as well, has the opportunity of expanding those links with witty and wise commentary.
Fatster’s “Roundups” are always on my must-read list, usually twice, at least; when she posts them … and the next morning …
The links which Fatster and Southern Dragon provide are simply among the very best, most informative, most educational AND, very often, the funniest to be found on the net.
DW
Yep, we get lots of news, in the morning and again in the evening. It’s reminds me of the days (okay, Old days) when I read the newspaper with breakfast or after dinner.
I’m glad Fatster’s On The Job. Thanks, Fatster!
Here’s some of what I listened to about Medicare in the vp debate:
His response about being in the room in 1983 probably is not true, but it suggests the balance of cuts and raised eligibility age which resulted from the 1983 SS cuts. The preoccupation with mutual sacrifice suggests the Moby Dick of Obama’s administration, to reduce benefits to seniors.
DW @ #13: x2
fatster, you are my “must read daily,” too!
excellent work and sincere thanks!
karen
Good morning pups, and good morning to SD, if you’re listening in. Hope all is well.
As to the SS ‘fix,’ the fix is in. Raddatz’s question combined with Biden’s non-denial proved that beyond a doubt. Given that short of a miracle, future oldster’s are going to be tossed down the toilet, what will Obama do for en encore, having carried out his historical mission to gut the welfare state? Four years is a long time, and even if, as is likely, the lesser of two weevils wins the election, the big negative bump he got from his debate performance shows how weak his support is, and once he junks social security, even the ‘bots’ ate going to leave him in droves. My guess is that he wil leave the Presidency with something like Herbert Hoover’s popularity ratings, just in tme to make JEB plausible, which was the plan all along.
Nice demoacracy you’ve got there.
Seconded! I don’t take the time to comment too often but I always tune-in for Fatster’s “Roundups.”
Btw, Slinkachu’s work is absolutely sublime, thanks for posting it; a spoon full of sugar helps the medicine go down!
On Page 12 of the NYTimes transcript, Biden is attacking Ryan-Romney’s SS proposed cuts, and in doing so he really does not rule out cuts in his own plan, just “only cuts”:
“without taking any other action” is key to the Obama-Biden position, I guess.
They are so weasel-ish. And to resort to the “who are you gonna trust” is pathetic and highlights the avoidance of making a plan and a commitment to that plan of no cuts to either program on any dimension of each program, whether it is raising retirement age, COLA and CPIs, or progressive indexing (reducing benefits and corraling all groups into a lower benefit). People would vote for them if they would just commit to no changes.
Might be wishful thinking, but don’t rule out the possibility of ferment within the Democrats to oust their conservative top layer. You could (possibly) see the beginnings of such a movement at the Democratic convention, where the rank and file clearly had much more liberal sentiments than Obama, and Elizabeth Warren, with her much more anti-Wall Street message, received enormous applause.
the asselephant in the room: socsec is 100% funded to 2023-26. ain’t broke, don’t fix it! move some war dept funding to infrastructure.
medicare could be funded by increasing payroll deduction 1% and lowering eligibility to 55 now. fold medicaid into medicare. current payments are starting to be based on outcomes. start an incentive payment of 5% “bonus” on annual review of patients successfully treated.
when will someone ask, “gop: if you hate gov’t so much, why do you spend your lifetime obtaining public tax dollar employment?” and “dem: what actions have you taken to improve this country for all people vs. gaming the system for corps?”
I am sure Uncle Pete will have a nice cushy job waiting for Barry when he leaves his office in disgrace. Or maybe his big brother Bubba will have something for him!
Ah, yes. Those little reminders. Thnx a bunch, mafr.
Good morning to you, alan1tx!
Well, good on him–and thanks for that link, TomThumb.
Yep, yep and yep, caleb36. Good points all.
You’re most welcome, nixonclinbushbama. Thank you for the compliment. :)
Takes one to know one, DWB. Your kind comments and encouragement are always taken to heart. Many thnx.
Thanks, demi! Whittling the mini-abstracts down has been the challenge, making them as concise as possible so more items can be included. Interesting discipline and I have enjoyed that.
Aw, shucks, karenjj2–I love it!
Oh, Slinkachu takes the cake, Towner. I’m new to the Slinkachu world, but the sense of being part of it is immediate, isn’t it?
And raise the cap! Where is it now, not quite $110,000? Imagine how flush the SS fund would be if people had to contribute on, say, income up to $250,000/year.
You have a fine and keen mind, lady. With much respect, thanks again.