Dear Egypt:

Please don't kill all your pigs. They didn't cause the swine flu and it's a terrible thing to do. Just look at how cute they are:



(h/t muckdog)

Seriously, this is a mass slaughter for no reason other than unsubstantiated fear.

FRIDAY F U N

• My First Dictionary with a bit of a twist
• Learn interesting historical tidbits of the past 10,000 years at the World Digital Library
• Free online Convert-PDF-to-Word and PDF-edit programs. I use this vendor's NitroPDF software... they are legit (and good).
• Synchronous dancers
• This odd and funny video actually interacts with the size of your browser window (note: don't maximize the window).
• Quite the mind-numbing intro for this tax-evasion company.
• Saturday's launch of this 1:10 scale model rocket is not going to be your ordinary backyard event.
• Chasing a pig in stop-motion

Glenn Greenwald hits it on the head (twice):

"....This remains the single most notable and revealing fact of American political life: that (with some very important exceptions) those most devoted to maintaining and advocating government secrecy is our journalist class, of all people. It would be as if the leading proponents of cigarette smoking were physicians, or those most vocally touting the virtues of illiteracy were school teachers. Nothing proves the true function of these media stars as government spokespeople more than their eagerness to shield government actions from examination and demand that government criminality not be punished...."

and:

"....Amidst all the talk about how prosecutions would destroy post-partisan harmony and whether torture "works," it is virtually impossible to find any media star discussions about the fact that torture is illegal and that those who order, authorize or engage in torture are committing felonies. That is because -- other than for fun sex scandals and other Blagojevich-like sensationalistic acts -- the overriding belief of the political class is that elites (such as themselves) have the right to break the law and not be held accountable. Amazingly, when it comes to crimes by ordinary Americans, being "tough on crime" is a virtually nonnegotiable prerequisite to being Serious, but when it comes to political officials who commit crimes in the exercise of their power, absolute leniency is the mandated belief upon pain of being dismissed as "shrill" and extremist. Can anyone find an establishment media pundit anywhere -- just one -- who is advocating that Bush officials who broke the law be held accountable under our laws? That view seems actively excluded from establishment media discussions...."

Bits and Pieces for the Week of April 19 - 25

MSNBC has a poll up on how you would grade Obama's first 100 days. Seems like the repukes are determined to give Obama an "F". Let's get the word out and change it. (7 of 6)

For mortgage defaults (i.e. forclosures) in California, the worst is yet to come. (Mike)

My Alzheimer stricken Dad suffers from "...age-related macular degeneration (AMD), the most common cause of blindness... The disease involves the loss of eye cells." Of course the cure will be controversial: "Under the new treatment, embryonic stem cells are transformed into replicas of the missing cells. They are then placed on an artificial membrane which is inserted in the back of the retina." When the time comes and if I am stricken with the same disease, sign me up. Being blind adds to the confusion my father already suffers from Alzheimers. (7 of 6)

Economist Roubini: Don't be fooled by current bull market:


[click image]

A snippet from his recent article:

"....The stock market's latest 'dead cat bounce' may last a while longer, but three factors will, in due course, lead it to turn south again. First, macroeconomic indicators will be worse than expected, with growth failing to recover as fast as the consensus expects. Second, the profits and earnings of corporations and financial institutions will not rebound as fast as the consensus predicts, as weak economic growth, deflationary pressures and surging defaults on corporate bonds will limit firms' pricing power and keep profit margins low. Third, financial shocks will be worse than expected. At some point, investors will realise that bank losses are massive, and that some banks are insolvent. Deleveraging by highly leveraged firms -- such as hedge funds -- will lead them to sell illiquid assets in illiquid markets. And some emerging market economies -- despite massive IMF support -- will experience a severe financial crisis with contagious effects on other economies. So, while this latest bear-market rally may continue for a bit longer, renewed downward pressure on stocks and other risky assets is inevitable...."

It does look like Obama's economic actions will at least keep us out of a depression.

A Final Word on Republican Tea Parties

Welcome To The Fox News 'TeaParties' Bill Press 4/16/2009 When is a protest not a real protest? When it's all about partisan politics rather than issues, when it's staged by the media, and when nobody knows why they're there. And that's exactly the case with those so-called "Tea Parties" held around the country on Tax Day, April 15. Organizers proudly called them "grassroots" protests. In fact, there was nothing grassroots about them. As economist Paul Krugman noted, they were more like Astro-turf. The tea parties were hatched, planned, and paid for by three right-wing organizations: FreedomWorks, headed by former Republican Majority Leader Dick Armey; dontGo, which organized last year's GOP public-relations blitz in support of offshore drilling; and Americans for Prosperity, headed by Ralph Reed's former business partner, Tim Phillips. Having organized the parties, Republicans then showed up to pour the tea. Speakers at various locations included Newt Gingrich, Armey, John Boehner, Alan Keyes, Joe the Plumber, Texas Gov. Rick Perry, several Republican members of Congress, and hooker-bait David Vitter. The tea parties did make history, in one sense. They represent the first time a television network has actually moved from covering events to creating events. For an entire week before April 15, Fox News exclusively hailed the upcoming tea parties, broadcast their locations, and encouraged viewers to participate in "FNC Tax Day Tea Parties." For those unable to attend an event in person, Fox News even conveniently hosted a "virtual tea party" on its Web site. Host Neil Cavuto vehemently denied that he and fellow Foxers had become event sponsors, not just event reporters, insisting that Fox had given just as much advance publicity to the Million Man March in Washington. There's only one problem with that: The Million Man March was held in 1995. The Fox News Network wasn't launched until 1996. The truth is, the tea parties were a Fox News creation and would never have happened without Fox. Between April 6 and April 13, as documented by Media Matters for America, Fox News featured at least 20 segments on the upcoming "tea parties" and aired over 73 in-show and commercial promotions for their coverage of the events. Not only that, on April 15, Fox anchors Glenn Beck, Sean Hannity, Neil Cavuto and others actually went on the road to host various tea parties around the country. In Washington, Fox News analyst Tobin Smith welcomed participants "on behalf of Fox News Channel." Clearly, the old slogan of Fox News -- "we report, you decide" -- has been replaced by the more accurate "we create, you participate." Even with Fox's blessing, however, the tea parties were a bust. Organizers predicted that millions of Americans would attend over 2,000 events around the country. In actuality, there were only about 300 tea parties, and attendance, based on reports from sites across the country, was in the tens of thousands. And no wonder. For one thing, nobody could quite explain what the assembled protestors were really protesting. Talk about confusion. I attended the rainy tea party in Washington's Lafayette Square. Not even protestors knew why they were there. I saw signs ranging from "No Queremos Socialismo" to "Hey, Big Brother. Show us your real birth certificate" to "Obama bin Lyin." One lone ranger even showed up to protest the programming schedule on Fox News: "Move Glenn Beck to 7 p.m." Since the tea parties took place on April 15, you might think they were held in opposition to higher taxes. Yet over 95 percent of those protestors just received a big Obama tax cut, not a tax increase. Others said the protests were held to release express bipartisan anger over big government spending. If so, where was this gang when George W. Bush, the biggest spender in history, racked up the biggest budgets, biggest deficits and biggest national debt ever? How many tea parties were held on April 15, 2008? Zero. No, the evidence is clear. The Fox News tea parties were neither genuine nor spontaneous. And they certainly bore no relation to the original Boston Tea Party protest against "taxation without representation." This year's events were pure partisan political rallies, staged by Republicans and promoted by Fox News, to embarrass President Obama. In the end, that's what protestors were most unhappy about: They lost the last election.

Before 1/20/09 the Republicans were dangerous. Now they're just funny... and quite entertaining.

FRIDAY F U N

• To reach its destination, a tweenbot relies on people's empathy.
• Planning a trip back in time? Take these basic science instructions and get famous.
• JustHearIt allows you to type in the name of a song, pick the version you want, and play it instantly. Quite cool.
• Dollar Art
• Government comic books (downloadable)
• If you've got a couple of minutes, this is a cool movie trailer.
• The Infinite Photograph has an endless gallary of photos from everywhere. Just keep clicking...

From David Waldman:

The new Republican "theory" of democracy: GOP wins: "Mandate! Elections have consequences!" GOP loses: "Tyranny! Fascism! Revolution! Secession!"

Bits and Pieces for the Week of April 12 - 18

Hey, if Texas wants to secede, I say let them. Maybe Mexico will adopt them. (Mike)

A grab-bag of links to articles that explain our current economic crisis. (Mike)

I bet the really smart rich folks knew this was going to happen... Swiss bank Credit Suisse has started closing down the offshore accounts of U.S. clients who have not declared the money to the U.S. authorities. (7 of 6)

What is a bigger threat to America... the collapse of Pakistan? Or a nuclear Iran? As usual, it's Obama's problem now... I wish the bu$h/cheney administration would not have been so short-sighted. BTW, I think the collapse of Pakistan is a bigger threat. (7 of 6)

Never In Doubt

It's unfortunate that Veterans, especially Disabled Veterans, will be stigmatized but really, this was never in doubt.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has released a report titled: Rightwing Extremism: Current Economic and Political Climate Fueling Resurgence in Radicalization and Recruitment. The report was prepared by the Extremism and Radicalization Branch, Homeland Environment Threat Analysis Division and coordinated with the FBI There have been a number of reports similar to this in the past. But, this report really focuses on the current economic crisis and how it, along with political strife, can aid the recruitment efforts of extremist organizations. I'll let you read it and decide how much rings true. However, the most disturbing part of the report is the mention of veterans and how they are portrayed. Read below: (U) Disgruntled Military Veterans (U//FOUO) DHS/I&A assesses that rightwing extremists will attempt to recruit and radicalize returning veterans in order to exploit their skills and knowledge derived from military training and combat. These skills and knowledge have the potential to boost the capabilities of extremists—including lone wolves or small terrorist cells—to carry out violence. The willingness of a small percentage of military personnel to join extremist groups during the 1990s because they were disgruntled, disillusioned, or suffering from the psychological effects of war is being replicated today. — (U) After Operation Desert Shield/Storm in 1990-1991, some returning military veterans—including Timothy McVeigh—joined or associated with rightwing extremist groups. — (U) A prominent civil rights organization reported in 2006 that “large numbers of potentially violent neo-Nazis, skinheads, and other white supremacists are now learning the art of warfare in the [U.S.] armed forces.” — (U//LES) The FBI noted in a 2008 report on the white supremacist movement that some returning military veterans from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have joined extremist groups. Of particular note is the mention of veterans as "disgruntled, disillusioned, or suffering from the psychological effects of war." This thinly-veiled reference to PTSD does nothing to paint veterans in a good light... in the minds of many. It just reinforces the "wacko warrior" image veterans have fought so long to dispel. -- Larry Scott at VA Watchdog dot Org

Update: Huffington Post claims that Michelle Malkin and redstate are coming unglued over this Homeland Security report. I hope this gets pushed out in the open. Perhaps we can have a national discussion on it. Possibly stop the vitriol from the likes of FAUX News, Glenn Beck and Ru$h Limbaugh, however, I doubt it will stop people from hating and the sick ones from killing.

Think Progress has more.

From Crooks and Liars:

Malkin's headline wails:

"The Obama DHS Hit Job on Conservatives Is Real"

So, I have a question for Malkin: Are you saying that mainstream conservatives are now right-wing extremists?

Because, you know, the report -- which in fact is perfectly accurate in every jot and tittle -- couldn't be more clear. It carefully delineates that the subject of its report is "rightwing extremists," "domestic rightwing terrorist and extremist groups," "terrorist groups or lone wolf extremists capable of carrying out violent attacks," "white supremacists," and similar very real threats described in similar language.

Nothing about conservatives. The word never appears in the report.

Fox News isn't trying to be even slightly objective any more. They are, to put it mildly, truly a disgusting pack of worthless, racist and prejudiced cockroaches:


UPDATE: I apologize to all cockroaches everywhere for the unfair comparison.

FRIDAY F U N

• Ten-thousand page coloring book of abstract art
• Careful... you could spend all day playing with this tone generator
• How to protect your marionettes from nuclear fallout
• Next TV season's possible stars
• Displaying the luggage contents to the world may not be the best way of convincing the owner to claim it.
• Last year I tried this free screen capture software and still think it's the greatest thing since sliced pie. Highly recommended.

Bits and Pieces for the Week of April 5 - 11

Another global warming victim: Say goodbye to maple syrup. (Mike)

Gee, a true, honest-to-goodness conservative political blog that discusses real issues. (Mike)

Here's an idea: Warren Buffett could just BUY North Korea. (Mike)

People prepared for TEOTWAWKI... an acronym for "the end of the world as we know it." Justified in these tough economic times? Smart or fringe lunatics? (7 of 6)

Uh oh, look out... the gays are taking over the planet! Designer curtains for everyone! (Mike)

I trust Elizabeth Warren. She's head of oversight on the TARP funds"...will this week call for the removal of top executives from Citigroup, AIG and other institutions that have received government funds in a damning report that will question the administration's approach to saving the financial system from collapse." (7 of 6)

Subject: I just made my picks in the Bracket of Evil. Dear Friend, Of all the malevolent forces in American politics, who do you think is the worst of the worst: Karl Rove or Blackwater? Now, you can do more than wonder. You can help decide who wins - in a Bracket of Evil. CREDO is trying to figure out who is the most evil person (or organization) in American politics. I just voted in the championship round between Rove and Blackwater, and you should too! Just head to: http://www.bracketofevil.com Happy bracketing! I'll talk to you soon.

FRIDAY F U N

• Interesting online photography magazine
• Pulp art
• Supertwister... just one of many interesting science videos at SpaceTime TV
• Men: take the Urinal Etiquette test
• The 21st century version of the Pet Rock
• Live cam (w/ sound) from a bald eagle's nest
• Sand ads
• Forget to say your prayers today? Let Information Age Prayer remember for you.

Bits and Pieces for the Week of March 29 - April 4

Isn't this rich! On the House's $3.6 trillion budget blueprint... Republicans have warned that the prospects for bipartisanship will all but vanish if majority Democrats attempt to muzzle them. Am I missing something here? Could republi-cons first demonstrate some bipartisanship... I'm sorry, 3 lousy votes on the stimulus package doesn't cut it! (7 of 6)

Related to the story below... from non-Obama Sources: Obama Plays Peacemaker in French-Chinese Smackdown Over Tax Havens. I can't imagine any other U.S. President doing this. (7 of 6)

While republi-cons at home stew... Obama is changing our image overseas. h/t Al Rodgers, DKos (7 of 6)

I will give kudos to MSNBC for hiring Liberals to do TV News shows and try to balance out FAUX News. I feel it was a mistake when they selected Ed Schultz over Thom Hartmann. Thom has had the best show on liberal radio for years. I can only hope Thom lands at CNN to give them some sorely needed balance. (7 of 6)

Too funny! Obamas give the Queen an IPod... the Queen gives them a picture... of herself and husband. (7 of 6)

Maybe being Vice President is no longer like a bucket of warm spit... (Mike)

Stephen Colbert undresses Glenn Beck. (7 of 6)

Reality check: Economic Indicators through February 2009 (Mike)

Great article by Vyan at DKos, "The Impending Perfect Wingnut Hate Storm". Because there's always enough hate to go around. (7 of 6)

I couldn't resist this story... "What Darwin had in mind: Man uses lighter to check gas tank." (7 of 6)

"I used to wonder what a political party would be like if it consisted of all the crazy aunts and uncles people keep locked away in their basements and attics. Mystery solved." - - - Bill in Portland Maine

Mysteries of Logical Reasoning

(1) Anyone who favors marijuana legalization just wants to get high without being hassled, and anyone who favors drug decriminalization generally is or wants to be a drug user. (2) Anyone who opposes a return to alcohol prohibition is almost certainly an out-of-control drunk. (3) Anyone who cares about gay marriage or advocates for equal rights for gay couples is a closet homosexual who just wants to have sex with people of the same gender. The only reason anyone would care about that issue is if one wants to have gay sex. (4) Anyone who believes in free speech rights for Communists obviously opposes private property ownership and craves Stalinism. Anyone who believes in free assembly rights for neo-Nazis secretly admires Hitler. (5) Anyone who believes abortion should be legal just wants to have reckless sex without consequences. (6) Anyone who advocates habeas corpus rights for accused terrorists or who opposes torture harbors sympathy for Islamic extremism and approves of indiscriminate violence against civilians. (7) Anyone who opposes unrestrained government surveillance must be doing bad things in private that they want to hide. (8) Anyone who believes in the freedom to practice a certain religion is probably an adherent of that religion and is motivated by a desire to practice it without interference. Why is most everyone capable of understanding the egregious, illogical stupidity of propositions (2)-(8) -- based on the bleedingly obvious premise that one can advocate the freedom to do X for reasons other than a desire to do X -- while so many people embrace the equally illogical and stupid reasoning of proposition (1) as though it so self-evidently true that it requires no discussion? -- Glenn Greenwald