FRIDAY F U N

• Weird Al touts Craig's List
• "We are sinking!"
• Wikipedia on steroids
• Kid Zeppelin
• Get a copy of your own FBI file
• Bandsaw magic
• 100 things your kids will never experience
• I wonder who was clapping at the end of this video
• Hate throwing away trash bags? Here's something that you can do with them:
  

Prius Update

I haven't talked about my 2002 Prius for a while, so here's an update.

I now have 132,000 miles on it and have averaged slightly over 50 mpg since purchase. ("That can't be," you scoff... but it's true. I use very conservative driving techniques.) Anyway, if I assume that the average price per gallon (here in California) has been $3/gallon over the past 7 years, then I've spent a total of $7,920 for gas. If I had been using a car getting 20 mpg, the gas cost over the same # of miles would be $19,500. The difference (i.e. the amount of moola saved) is $11,580! That is approximately half the purchase price of the car.

The Prius still drives like a charm, and I've still only had to do routine maintenance on it (oil, tires, tune-ups, filters, car washes). Never, ever had the slightest problem with the engine, transmission, electric... nothing. In fact the brake pads are still original, due partly to the regenerative braking system (which also saves gas).

I hope to keep my car until at least 2012 when Toyota plans to release a plug-in hybrid.

I must start going to city council meetings. I never realized that they could be so incredibly entertaining!

Bits and Pieces for the Week of July 26 - August 1

Never had smoke coming out of your nostrils? This story might do the trick. (Mike)

Glenn Greenwald contrasts "practical considerations", which drive Washington D.C., with the explicit principles of the U.S. Constitution. (Mike)

LOL... Jon Stewart Gets Kristol To Concede Government Can Provide ‘First-Class Health Care’ (7 of 6)

For once, Jon Kyl, my U.S. Senator from AZ makes sense. (7 of 6)

Senator Jeff Sessions to vote against Judge Sotomayor. Please conservatives, continue... this will cement your actions with all Latino's. (7 of 6)

"I'd love to one day find out what it's like to be a multimillionaire who pays higher taxes than most people. Just so I'd be able to empathize with the kind of anguish they go through day after day." Bill in Portland Maine

Pretty much what he said:

The System At Work by Hunter - Sun Jul 26, 2009 at 10:00:04 AM PDT The GOP goal is to kill healthcare reform outright; their strategists are saying as much. Not to kill single payer or a public option, but to kill the whole notion of reform. The legislators tasked with coming up with alternative plans declared, this last week, that none were needed; Senator Inhofe muses out loud about how much his party might be helped if they can manage to stop reform outright. I suppose it is worth pondering the how and the why of such things. Do they earnestly believe that there's absolutely nothing that needs to be done about health care in this country? Are they so transparently in the pockets of the lobbyists that they are willing make a bold stand on "everything is fine", when a mere look out the window says it's not? It's puzzling that such a stance could even be remotely effective. Everybody in America seems to hate their insurance provider, at least everyone who has ever had to use it because they actually got sick. Everybody knows how bad getting actual healthcare has become in this country; everybody has stories of being screwed roundly by their insurance, or not being able to get insurance in the first place, or knows someone else who has had worse experiences. And yet even in something with such widespread support, all you have to do to foul up the works is (1) invoke partisan pride, so that all the other conservatives or Republicans will simply oppose whatever-it-is out of reflex, and (2) make up a bunch of scary-sounding bullcrap, much of it provided by the insurance companies themselves, and hork it up on television via friendly hosts and anchors. (And again -- transparently. The very same scary-sounding phrases or made-up statistics make it into twenty or fifty or a hundred different political and pundit mouths in a single day, with not even an attempt to disguise the obvious commonality of the source.) Consider it: this is all it takes to possibly stop something that has, what, 80 or 85% of the public behind it. And it's yet another example of how a single industry, spending not all that much money in the grand scheme of things, can very, very easily counter the collective will of the entire population. And how entrenched the notion is, among the majority of politicians, and pundits, and anchors, and political hangers-on, that that's not only fine but the way things should work. It seems increasingly easy to understand why there's an culture of mistress-banging and airport-bathroom-handjob-seeking and prostitute-visiting, among our leaders. They truly believe themselves above normal morality or normal law by virtue of their positions. The same mind that can demand moral perfection in others, when it comes to sex, has absolutely no problem preaching those things to others while doing the exact opposite themselves, because they are different from others. There's no contradiction in their minds: they're powerful, so they're a special case. Arrests can be made by the dozen, in New Jersey, and it seems hardly noteworthy. Rush Limbaugh can be caught with illegal prescriptions, after years of railing against drug users, and it does not so much as put a scratch in his Four Hundred Million Dollar career. Rules exist for others; laws exist for others; morality exists for others; personal power or personal advantage is the only goal worth seeking. After twenty years of the same fight on the same healthcare issues, one thing is transparently obvious, from the pronouncements of the supposed leaders of the opposition: whether or not anyone in America is truly needing of healthcare, from a practical, economic, moral, ethical, or any other standard simply does not enter the debate. I personally do not expect many of these politicians even have an awareness that other people might have medical needs different from their own, or not have insurance like their own insurance, or not be as connected or as well-off; that requires a level of awareness that few of them can even bother to credibly pretend at. The question among our supposed leaders and brilliant minds is only how can this debate be used to extract personal or career advantage for them. If we kill healthcare reform, who will "win" the politics of killing it? Who will have an easier time being elected, or find themselves on television more often? There's no moral calculus at all, for people like Kristol, or Inhofe, or Gingrich, or other supposed leaders. None is pretended at: none is cowed to. There's no good or bad, there's no long term vs short term -- nothing. And it's among both Republican and Democrat, and it has become increasingly easy to see which are which. Gingrich can have his affairs, and you can't. Our leaders can visit their whores, but you're a dirty rotten sinner if you do. They can have healthcare, because that's just how things work, pal. You can't -- at least, not if there is personal, political advantage to them in preventing it. It's not even corruption, because "corruption" implies they know they're doing something wrong. It's a complete amorality. This same group of people, this same party of high-minded No, this same party of constant scandal, constant national security blunders, constant deficits, constant manipulations is going to kill healthcare reform because it helps them get cash or influence; they will happily attempt an impeachment of a president for denying an affair while having and denying affairs by the dozens themselves; they're going to ditch the wife and their duties and fly to Argentina to get laid because it makes them happy, and that's all that matters. If it causes problems later, shed some tears and make it go away. (If you're Sarah Palin, pride of Republicanism, hell -- you don't even have to do your actual job. You can pull a Carrie Prejean, bail on all your duties and just wander off to give speeches to promote yourself, and if anyone has a problem with it it's because they don't understand how great you are.) Republicans are still citing, with pride, how they blocked healthcare reform attempts in the Clinton years, an action which directly led to the runaway healthcare costs between then and now. In the Clinton years, 95 cents of every dollar paid in premiums was paid out again for medical care: now it's plummeted to 80 cents, the rest going to administration and profits. But they're proud of this result, and not defensive at all, because whether it be twenty years ago of twenty minutes ago, the whole debate hinges, for them, on what political advantage can be squeezed out of it at any given moment of time, and not on what effects their actions might actually have. If it means your mother can't get her medicines, or means you can't see a doctor, or your injured child gets wheeled out of the hospital just as soon as they are stabilized, with absolutely no long term care whatsoever, they don't just not care: it doesn't enter their heads. That is what is so striking about our governance: it is increasingly devoid of even the pretenses of public good. The notion that we should reform healthcare in this nation because it needs reforming is nearly a comical argument; the only relevant or even commonly debated question is who will gain or lose from a strictly political fight to achieve or block the effort. Regardless of popular opinion it can be absolutely assured that whether or not you believe American citizens deserve a more rational healthcare system is entirely dependent on which party you belong to.

Bits and Pieces for the Week of July 19 - 25

Something Obama really needs to read (Mike)

48 years ago, the conservatives were touting the horrors of establishing the Medicare program. Today they are using the same arguments to bury Obama's healthcare plan. (Mike)

This is really what our country needs more of... "Tyler Perry Treats 65 Swimming Pool Excluded Kids To Disney World" (7 of 6)

After he helped destroy America with his disastrous PNAC policy, you'd think Bill Kristol would've become irrelevent. Yet, the media gives him the microphone and he's willing to lead the charge against healthcare reform... again. (7 of 6)

For all you Patrick Swayze fans, he's not dancing into the sunset yet.

Amazon's Kindle get "Orwellian" in more than one way. (Mike)

The latest on that big blob of GOO floating off Alaska's shoreline. (7 of 6)

"As a friend of mine pointed out last night, the divide in America these days isn't between liberal and conservative, its between reasonably intelligent people and fucking morons." - - - Dorn76

An example of why California government needs major reform:

"....The consequences of program cuts are easily seen. Eliminating the Poison Control System, for example, means that people calling the emergency number (many of whom don't need to see a doctor based on poison accidentally swallowed) will instead go to the ER, and many of those visits will be from people on Medi-Cal, leading to higher costs. Cutting adult day care will send many into nursing homes, at a higher cost to the state. Losing Cal Works welfare funding will send children into foster care, at a higher cost. Cutting the meager drug treatment and vocational training in prisons almost assures an even higher recidivism rate, at a higher cost. "This is not a difficult calculation to make. We fund social services programs not only because we have an obligation in a developed society not to see people dying on the street, but because we can create programs that get people back to self-sufficiency at a lower overall cost. There is only one reason not to fund such programs - because an arrogant and entitled right wing refuses to fund these government obligations in the short term, preferring apparently to pay more in the long term. There has been enough money in the last few budgets to produce massive corporate tax cuts, but not enough to get someone with a chemical dependency the treatment he or she needs. There's been enough money to protect California's unique status as the only oil-producing state not to charge corporations for taking our natural resources out of the ground, but not enough to provide long-term care services that relieve the burden of nursing home funding over the long term. There's enough money to keep in place useless enterprise zones that create nothing but tax giveaways, but not enough to keep the state from becoming the first in the nation to put poor kids on a waiting list for affordable health insurance. "We hear about the "generous social services programs" in California that simply had to be cut, but they've been reduced to the point where they are almost unanimously the worst in the nation. That depresses the business climate, that moves bodies out of the state, that alienates the public. And Arnold Schwarzenegger knows this, and he did it anyway, to keep a promise to what little of his base he has left. "Ultimately, this system isn't designed to produce good budgets. Without a media that cares, no amount of activism or public pressure can be brought to bear on a shameless and unaccountable minority. If you need proof of the need for a complete rethinking of how to structure government in California in the 21st century, look at the last seven months....." - - - David Dayen

Just in case you don't know what racism looks like, here's a great example:


Here's more on Pat Buchanan

Bits and Pieces for the Week of July 12 - 18

The reduction of California's bond rating is just b.s. and a way for banks to gouge the state. (Mike)

Here's an interactive timeline of the California Budget Crisis. (Mike)

From Slave Street to Pennsylvania Ave. (Mike)

God's wrath strikes the United States Air Force Academy. 67 incoming doolies have H1N1 virus, or swine flu. 30 more freshman cadets are in isolation. (7 of 6)

Yes, in Arizona, I live in conservative hell. Arizona governor approves abortion constraints. Even for pregancies that include rape and incest. State legislators who believe the earth is 6,000 years old deserve a big assist in this decision. (7 of 6)

Complete lunacy in the State of Arizona... "Arizonans with concealed weapons permits will be able to take a handgun into bars and restaurants that serve alcohol. That's under a bill signed into law by Gov. Jan Brewer on Monday." (7 of 6)

The demise of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer has spun off a new online news organization called InvestigateWest. As they decribe themselves: "InvestigateWest is a new model for investigative journalism focused on the West and on issues that resonate here – the environment, social justice and health. We are an independent, nonprofit organization dedicated to the art and craft of investigative and narrative journalism." Check 'em out...(Mike)

Wells Fargo sues...... itself (Mike)

I'll drink to that! (Mike)

Please, shoot me! Why is a failed Governor from Alaska and ex-republi-con V/P candidate still in the news? (7 of 6)

FRIDAY F U N

• Possibly the cutest thing you'll ever see
• Really fast food for those who can't wait for fast food
• I don't understand why there's holiday music, but the video is funny
• Stunning photos from around the world
• Home inspection nightmares I, II, III, IV, V, VI, VII, VIII, IX, X (ALL)
• Background sounds to CYA while you're at your desk
• Real or fake?
• Relive the Apollo 11 flight to the moon and the moon landing
• How does your doctor rate?
• You never know who you might see standing here (live) for an hour
• LIFE's photos

"....it's worth revisiting anew claims by politicians that Americans cannot afford a public healthcare option. Not only do Congress and seniors enjoy tax payer subsidized healthcare, somehow we're able to cover veterans, teachers, police, and firemen, not to mention convicted felons and captured terrorists, all while providing access to healthcare for large numbers of Iraqi's and Afghans either indirectly through the construction and maintenance of clinics and hospitals, or directly through the support of civilian and US armed forces healthcare emergency services. "It seems then a no brainer to anyone outside the beltway, that We the People who made all this possible at great expense and risk -- including in too many cases the ultimate sacrifice -- are next in line to receive our long awaited due from the officials we elected and whose salaries and healthcare benefits we pay. The same electorate that brought them into the political world, and approves of a public option across party lines by four to one, can and in some cases will decide next year that if Congress will not vote for them, they will not vote for Congress. Any sitting politician who does not take that seriously, and who refuses to provide and vote for a public option, is making a grave error in judgment." - - - Darksyde

Schwarzenegger is 'terminating' the state of California:


All you idiot Californians who recalled Gray Davis (I was in the minority who saw through the recall fad) and put this nimrod in: you deserve it. Unfortunately, the rest of us have to suffer too at your hands. Thanks a lot!

"It baffles me how some people in [California] are able to put aside the Alt-A and option ARM data, the fact that the state is fiscally insolvent, the record breaking 11.5 percent unemployment, and with a straight face say “we are at a bottom.” In addition, I have read on more than one occasion on what many would consider fiscally prudent financial blogs where people pinch pennies and dollar cost average into the stock market preaching the ways of the tortoise. Yet in some cases, these people for whatever reason (i.e., wife/husband wants home, new baby, we need a pool, my cat needs his own room, etc) bought near or close to the peak in California in the mid to upper priced areas! This one simple act negates years and years of financial prudence. It baffles the mind but people aren’t robots and sometimes psychology throws a lasso around their common sense and drags them down into wonderland." - - - Dr. Housing Bubble

FRIDAY F U N

• Spectacular shots from the International Space Station
• 50 greatest movie trailers
• How many of the 101 faces in this painting can you recognise?
• A cure for annoyingly cheerful people
• A different kind of 'Hoedown' from the Rodeo Suite by Aaron Copland

ENOUGH ALREADY!

John Burton, leader of our California Democratic Party, asks the Republican legislators and governor to stop fucking around:


[click for larger image]
You wouldn't believe how completely non-compromising the Republicans have been over the past two years. Any of them who show even the slightest indication of compromise with the Dems are immediately ostracized by their own party, without exception. I don't know how California Republican voters can stand their "leaders" right now, as the latter group is successfully bringing the state to its financial knees, and soon to its grave.

If you want to call throwing tens of thousands of Caifornians into poverty a form of terrorism, then we've got the California Republican Legislators as domestic terrorists. No doubt about it.

Now "Terminator" has a whole new meaning for Arnold.

Hey, welcome to my city!


I live a couple of miles from the neighborhood highlighted in the report. Ironically, Cerritos was named an "All American City" just a few months ago. Ahh ha ha ha....

BITS & Pieces

I'm thinking that not too many economists saw this coming.

There's been so much other sensational news recently that I think the H1N1 (Swine) Flu pandemic is pretty much off everyone's radar. This would be a big mistake.

California isn't the only state with major budget problems and a July 1 deadline. More here.

Apparently the only thing that will save us will also destroy us. Good job, Fox Noose!