Politic 101

201

Chris B says:

28 December, 2008 at 12:11 pm

Health Care That Puts a Computer on the Team.

Joseph Calderaro, 67, is one of health care’s quiet success stories. Over the last four years, he has carefully managed his diabetes by lowering his blood sugar, blood pressure and cholesterol with diet, exercise and medication.

To keep on track, Mr. Calderaro visits his doctor, attends meetings for diabetes patients and gets frequent calls from a health counselor. It is a team effort, orchestrated by the Marshfield Clinic here. And it is animated by technology, starting with Mr. Calderaro’s computerized patient record — a continuously updated document that includes his health history, medications, lab tests, treatment guidelines and doctors’ and nurses’ notes.

may need to be registered.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/27/business/27record.html?em

202

Chris B says:

28 December, 2008 at 12:17 pm

With the introduction of computers and universal health care, Obama and the Democrats could live off the goodwill for that alone for a very long time. The economic and health benefits for those will save billions of dollars and millions of lives. There will be a massive re organisation in the way money is channeled. The improvements in living standards will be huge.

203

Chris B says:

28 December, 2008 at 12:20 pm

Jen, it will just make the President look like a sore looser. Which will benefit the Democrats in the long term. I keep telling my self, not long to go, be patient.

204

Chris B says:

28 December, 2008 at 12:28 pm

Eartha Kitt, CIA Target.

Eartha Kitt, self-described “sex kitten” and singer of the yuletide classic “Santa Baby” died this week on Christmas Day. My wife and I had one memorable encounter with Kitt last year at LAX. We were waiting for my sister and her family to arrive from Chicago on an American Airlines flight. In the terminal, we were standing next to a limo driver holding a sign that said “Kitt.” I wondered if he could possibly be waiting for the star who I was first was introduced to as a child on the TV show “Batman.” Kitt was the controversial replacement for Julie Newmar’s Catwoman character, and while my heart always belonged to Julie, I had to admit that the feline Kitt was a sexy-as-hell, delightfully evil villain–one of the first black women on television who was allowed to exude such sex appeal in the 1960s.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/danny-miller/eartha-kitt-cia-target_b_153684.html

205

Chris B says:

28 December, 2008 at 12:31 pm

#204 also includes a hot sexy video of Eartha singing.

206

Chris B says:

28 December, 2008 at 12:39 pm

CBS newsman’s $70m lawsuit likely to deal Bush legacy a new blow.

As George W Bush prepares to leave the White House, at least one unpleasant episode from his unpopular presidency is threatening to follow him into retirement.

A $70m lawsuit filed by Dan Rather, the veteran former newsreader for CBS Evening News, against his old network is reopening the debate over alleged favourable treatment that Bush received when he served in the Texas Air National Guard during the Vietnam war. Bush had hoped that this controversy had been dealt with once and for all during the 2004 election.

Eight weeks before the 2004 presidential poll, Rather broadcast a story based on newly discovered documents which appeared to show that Bush, whose service in the Texas Air National Guard ensured that he did not have to fight in Vietnam, had barely turned up even for basic duty. After an outcry from the White House and conservative bloggers who claimed that the report had been based on falsified documents, CBS retracted the story, saying that the documents’ authenticity could not be verified. Rather, who had been with CBS for decades and was one of the most familiar faces in American journalism, was fired by the network the day after the 2004 election.

YES!
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/dec/28/dan-rather-cbs-lawsuit-bush

207

Chris B says:

28 December, 2008 at 12:45 pm

Iranians join Bush shoe protest.

Dozens of Iranians in the country’s capital Tehran have held their own shoe-throwing rally in protest at US President George W Bush.

They were showing support for the Iraqi journalist who threw his footwear at the American leader in Baghdad.

The protesters waved their shoes in the air before throwing them at posters featuring caricatures of Mr Bush.

The journalist, Muntadar al-Zaidi, is due to go on trial in Iraq, accused of assaulting a foreign head of state.

more..
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7800453.stm

208

Chris B says:

28 December, 2008 at 12:58 pm

Tenant internet connects broader band of people.

ON A ground-floor room in a tower on the Collingwood high-rise estate, tenants sit in a computer training room enjoying the type of play the internet allows. Jeff, 47, is working on his profile on MySpace; Tuan is scanning CNN for news about his native Vietnam; Antoinette is checking out a dating site and Despina, who says she loves emailing her relatives in Israel, Cyprus and Greece, is enjoying a game of solitaire.

Collingwood is the second high-rise estate to be wired up by the non-profit company Infoxchange, with its motto “Technology for social justice”. Tenants have been offered a free refurbished PC, a free three-day computer course, and access to email and broadband for $5 to $15 a month, depending on downloads.

http://www.theage.com.au/news/home/technology/tenant-internet-connects-people/2008/12/25/1229998699558.html

209

Chris B says:

28 December, 2008 at 12:59 pm

Laptop sales overtake desktops for the first time.

Global laptop computer shipments topped those of desktops for the first time ever on a quarterly basis in the third quarter of the year, according to market research firm iSuppli.

The research firm, in what it described as a “watershed event in the history of the industry”, said laptop PC shipments rose nearly 40 per cent in the third quarter compared with the same period last year to 38.6 million units.

It said desktop PC shipments declined 1.3 per cent compared with the same period to 38.5 million units.

http://www.theage.com.au/news/digital-life/laptops/articles/laptop-sales-overtake-desktops-for-the-first-time/2008/12/26/1229998698213.html

210

Chris B says:

28 December, 2008 at 1:09 pm

This is a good time to remind everyone to back up everything of importance on your computer. All you important family photo’s music and documents. If you have only one copy of everything, once it is gone, you cannot get it back. Portable hard drives are very cheap now so there is no excuse. Hard drives have an average life span of around 5 years. Copy everything onto the backup disk. Then store it in your car. Not in the glove box where thieves will find it, and not in the sun. So if a fire, thieves, computer malfunction or a meteorite hits your place. There will be a backup. This gives the press pictures of the tragic family wiped out by the meteorite as well. If your car gets stolen you have another backup on your computer.

211

Chris B says:

28 December, 2008 at 1:11 pm

Jen, don’t put it off as too hard. Get someone to help.

212

Chris B says:

28 December, 2008 at 1:17 pm

And now for something completely different.

Those wacky Europeans!

http://media.theage.com.au/?category=Breaking%20News&rid=44881

213

Jen says:

28 December, 2008 at 1:20 pm

ok.
help!

214

Chris B says:

28 December, 2008 at 1:22 pm

Eurosceptic becomes EU President.

When you are head of state of the country about to hold the EU presidency, you might normally be looking forward to a taste of the international limelight, and a busier, more prestigious schedule than usual.

But Vaclav Klaus, president of the Czech Republic, may be relishing his country’s assumption of EU leadership in January for very different reasons – as an opportunity to publicise views which other EU leaders will not enjoy hearing.

For Mr Klaus, a steely, bespectacled economist who came to sudden prominence after the Czechoslovak revolution against communism, is a vehement Eurosceptic. He believes the EU has echoes of the old Soviet bloc he used to live under.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/7792317.stm

215

Chris B says:

28 December, 2008 at 1:29 pm

As First Ladies have changed, so have fashions – from the dress worn by Martha Washington in 1780 which is hand painted, to the asymmetric silk gown worn by Jacqueline Kennedy at a state dinner in 1961.

Mrs Kennedy’s choice of outfits was unique in that they created a style in themselves and are still being copied to this day.

Many believe that First-Lady-in-waiting Michelle Obama is set to create a similar storm in the fashion world.

I have no doubt Michelle Obama’s influence is also going to reflect on Baracks popularity.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7796470.stm

216

Chris B says:

28 December, 2008 at 1:31 pm

Rumour has it that Barack will NOT appear in his bathing trunks in order to increase his popularity.

217

Chris B says:

28 December, 2008 at 1:49 pm

Being a greenhouse fundamentalist doesn’t mean going without Xmas lights. My brother has his house lit up with solar powered Xmas lights. They look every bit as good as the normal lights and they save on your power bill.

218

Chris B says:

28 December, 2008 at 1:50 pm

213 Jen If you live anywhere in Melbourne, I would.

219

Jen says:

28 December, 2008 at 1:54 pm

Thanks Chris- I’ll work it out I’m sure.

220

Chris B says:

28 December, 2008 at 2:09 pm

EU’s new online library reopens.

The European Union’s huge digital library Europeana, which crashed last month just hours after its launch, is back online.

The website’s server capacity has been quadrupled to cope with demand, European Commission spokesman Martin Selmayr told reporters.

But the homepage – at http://www.europeana.eu – warns that “the user experience may not be optimal in this test phase”.

The site gives multilingual access to cultural collections across the EU.

The site was swamped by users on its launch on 20 November, with a volume of 10 million hits an hour, triggering a crash.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/arts_and_culture/7798789.stm

221

Chris B says:

28 December, 2008 at 2:14 pm

219 Jen Great. You mightn’t have much that you feel is important at the moment. But the key ring disks are pretty cheap, starting at around $5.00 for 1Gig, and a good way to learn. Give them an easy name like Keyring HD so that they are easy to find on your computer.

222

Gaffhook says:

28 December, 2008 at 3:00 pm

What a complicated special web they weave. A fairly long interesting read pointing the finger at who is responsible for the (inside job) attacks on Mumbai and why some of them will probably go scott free. The mind boggles.

Elements of an Inside Job in Mumbai Attacks;

What’s clear now, as further developments have come to light, is that there are also elements within India, both in the criminal underworld and the government, that are perfectly willing to see the role in the Mumbai attacks of an even larger shadowy international criminal network whitewashed; a network with links to numerous moneyed interests, including trafficking in drugs and arms, and to numerous intelligence agencies, including the ISI, the CIA, and India’s own RAW.

http://www.opednews.com/articles/Elements-of-an-Inside-Job-by-Jeremy-R-Hammond-081221-218.html

223

Gaffhook says:

28 December, 2008 at 3:06 pm

Kirri
Whenever you take your son to the movies do not ask him to “pass the popcorn”. Very dangerous.

A South Philadelphia man enraged because a father and son were talking during a Christmas showing of The Curious Case of Benjamin Button took care of the situation when he pulled a .380-caliber gun and shot the father, police said.

http://www.philly.com/philly/hp/news_update/20081226_Phila__man_shot_because_family_talked_during_movie.html

224

Gaffhook says:

28 December, 2008 at 3:21 pm

Blame the leftist leaning media for not following up on stories with reportable value. Things like tracking the billions lost in Iraq and seizing war protestors assets.

Top 25 Censored Stories for 2009 | Project Censored

Not really censored-as-in-government, more suppressed by the allegedly leftist media.

http://www.projectcensored.org/top-stories/category/y-2009

225

Chris B says:

28 December, 2008 at 3:23 pm

So who makes one of the first appearances EU’s new online library.
Henry Miller, they’re promoting communism already.

http://www.europeana.eu/portal/full-doc.html?uri=http://www.europeana.eu/resolve/record/03903/1645C04041B9842C6B1BC3560B78D86124D0F3BF

226

Chris B says:

28 December, 2008 at 4:14 pm

Hollywood Stars, High-Tech Titans Pitch in for Obama Inauguration.

Hollywood stars and high-tech honchos are opening up their wallets to help pay for Barack Obama’s inauguration party — and the president-elect is making all of their names public.

Film powerhouses including Steven Spielberg and Dreamworks CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg both dished out the maximum possible donation of $50,000, and their wives chipped in for matching amounts.

A list of donors, kept online at Obama’s inauguration Web site, shows they’re keeping some pretty famous company, Agence France-Presse reported. Actresses Halle Berry and Sharon Stone and actor Jamie Foxx gave the maximum $50,000 donation, too.

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2008/12/27/hollywood-stars-high-tech-titans-pitch-obama-inauguration/

227

Chris B says:

28 December, 2008 at 4:18 pm

Blue states like Michigan lose clout, but red states may be changing color.

Christmas Week Census estimates showed only two states — Michigan and Rhode Island — declining in population since 2007, with Michigan losing 0.5 percent, or 46,000 people, about 16,000 more people than in 2007.

But most southern and western states aren’t growing nearly as fast as they were at the start of the decade. Florida slipped from ninth-fastest to 19th.

http://www.mlive.com/politics/index.ssf/2008/12/blue_states_like_michigan_lose.html

228

Catrina says:

28 December, 2008 at 5:19 pm

EC – that article on passive housing is a brilliant example of what can happen when economics and politics play well together.

229

Chris B says:

28 December, 2008 at 7:30 pm

A stunning photo of President Bush shaking hands with the father of pardoned – then unpardoned – housing scammer Isaac Toussie emerged Friday as the White House reeled from the embarrassing scandal.

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/2008/12/27/2008-12-27_photo_surfaces_of_president_bush_with_fa.html

230

Chris B says:

28 December, 2008 at 7:31 pm

It was not immediately clear if the picture was snapped before or after Robert Toussie’s $28,500 donation to the Republican National Committee in April.

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/2008/12/27/2008-12-27_photo_surfaces_of_president_bush_with_fa.html

231

Chris B says:

28 December, 2008 at 7:32 pm

Ho hum. Just another scandal.

232

Chris B says:

28 December, 2008 at 7:40 pm

The long, fascinating presidential campaign defined the media landscape this year. For the most part, that was good news for the news business – and the big winners included the cable news networks, the online political outfits, “CBS Evening News” anchor Katie Couric, and the many news-spoofers of late-night TV. But despite record readership online, the picture was far more bleak for newspapers, which faced the sharpest drop in advertising revenue since the Great Depression.

It’s simple they haven’t kept pace with technology. When someone views the New York Times from Australia, it should be full of Australian ads. When someone views it from the UK, British ads. The Technology is there already. Any online media should not have a login facility, this drives away customers and revenue.

http://www.boston.com/ae/media/articles/2008/12/28/fey_drilled_palin_couric_got_cred_and_papers_saw_red/

233

Gaffhook says:

28 December, 2008 at 8:23 pm

232
Chris
Yeah that sure is the future but all these tossers here want to do is slow it all down and eff it all up.

234

Chris B says:

28 December, 2008 at 9:36 pm

233 Gaffhook Spot on, although I suspect pressure will come from the USA and maybe Europe, not too.

235

Kirribilli Removals says:

28 December, 2008 at 9:38 pm

Ohmygod Gaffy, today the Mrs K and I arranged a sleep over for the kids so we could go to the movies this week, and the film…yep, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button!

I’ll be VERY quiet, thanks for the warning!

236

Chris B says:

28 December, 2008 at 9:44 pm

Obama, still hasn’t named his Internet Guru. Why is it taking so long? The guru will lean on Kevin.

237

Chris B says:

28 December, 2008 at 9:51 pm

Speaking of the Internet.

A Vision for Obama’s WhiteHouse.Gov

Take a moment and visit our current Chief Executive’s virtual office at WhiteHouse.Gov.
Now turn to President-Elect Obama’s transition Website at Change.Gov, also an official government site.

Does the difference rock you like this weekend’s Northeastern blizzard? The current White House site welcomes visitors to the Oval with the latest news and a series of mostly non-interactive features. Essentially, it has two interactive pages, both involving submitting screened questions to administration officials in a timed forum. There’s a standard contact page with White House switchboard numbers and a comments email. Beyond that, the very fiber of the site signals no real engagement between the President’s office and his millions of constituents.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/alexander-heffner/a-vision-for-obamas-white_b_152627.html

238

Chris B says:

28 December, 2008 at 9:57 pm

Seeking Obama’s Cyber Czar

Should the head of cybersecurity in the new administration come from private industry, government or the military?

For weeks, blogs have been buzzing about which Silicon Valley luminary will be tapped as President-elect Barack Obama’s chief technology officer, the most innovation-focused position in what has been touted as a hyper-innovative regime.

http://www.forbes.com/technology/2008/12/18/cybersecurity-czar-obama-tech-security-cx_ag_1219cyberczar.html

239

Enemy Combatant says:

29 December, 2008 at 8:04 am

We’re coming…….and we will nor rest, until your country is free!
http://www.truthdig.com/cartoon/item/20081228_freedom_christmas/

Wonder what Santa brought the kiddies for chrissie?
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/

240

Spam Box says:

29 December, 2008 at 9:10 am

Kirri, it’s a good movie that one but way too long (3hrs sheesh!)

241

Jen says:

29 December, 2008 at 9:58 am

Spammy – couldn’t be as long as sitting through the incredibly bad “Australia” for 3 hours… that was just sheer hell.

Well looks like Israel is getting it’s point across – avoiding civilians of course. Thoroughly decent of them.

242

Jen says:

29 December, 2008 at 10:02 am

They say love is blind…or just plain stupid IMHO
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/12/28/laura-bush-my-husbands-no_n_153769.html

243

Spam Box says:

29 December, 2008 at 11:31 am

Jen @ 241 – oh no you didn’t? what were you thinking?

I too went to watch “Australia” but was saved by the bell, literally. A fire alarm went off about half an hour into that crap so they gave us replacement tickets.

Used them the next day for Benjamin

244

Chris B says:

29 December, 2008 at 11:43 am

CQ Profile: Henry Waxman, Savvy Operator with New Power Base.

Rep. Henry A. Waxman , D-Calif., is one of Washington’s shrewdest operators. Friends and enemies describe him — with varying degrees of admiration — as dogged and tenacious, and he has extensive knowledge of a broad policy portfolio and the ability to be both partisan and patient.

In the 111th Congress (2009-10), he will get a chance to draw on those skills as the new chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee, where he will be a major player on several of President-elect Obama’s chief priorities: energy, global warming and health care. Waxman also will have purview over telecommunications policy and is likely to push for institutional change at the Federal Communications Commission.

With his toppling of longtime chairman John D. Dingell of Michigan, he will seek to confront business interests on legislation in each of those areas. He has called himself a “proud, self-confessed, unapologetic liberal.”

Lots more….
http://www.cqpolitics.com/wmspage.cfm?docid=news-000003001018

245

Chris B says:

29 December, 2008 at 11:47 am

News from the Votemaster.

MoveOn Sets Priorities

The large progressive activist group MoveOn polled its members and came up with priorities to push for during the first months of the Obama administration. They are universal health care, fixing the economy, the environment, and ending the war in Iraq. Notably absent from the list are fighting for gay rights, holding the Bush administration accountable, and election reform. Those on the left will no doubt be disappointed by the group not being on the cutting edge, but given a choice between pushing for things that are not going to happen no matter what (like national same-sex marriage) and things that might happen if enough pressure is placed on hesitant members of Congress (like universal health care), they chose the more pragmatic course.

http://www.electoral-vote.com

246

Jen says:

29 December, 2008 at 11:48 am

Spammy – I went to see it in Broome in the outdoor cinema that is replicated in the movie – so at least we could point at the screen and say-”OOOh look that’s where we’re sitting”. In between gagging.
What a huge steaming pile of crap it is. Bet it was an aboriginal acticvist set off the fire alarm in your theater to save themselves further humiliaiton. Best thing I’ve read in ages was Germaine’s slagging off the whole disastor. (happen to agree with her about Michelle’s butcher’s apron dress too but am prepared to overlook that as lack of experience).

247

Chris B says:

29 December, 2008 at 11:54 am

Axelrod says he won’t be another Rove.

Incoming White House adviser David Axelrod said Sunday that he will focus on helping the country and not spend his time worrying about President-elect Obama’s reelection.
“Our view is that we’ve got tremendous challenges in this country right now, and what we should be thinking about is how we’re going to address those and not the next election,” Axelrod said on NBC’ “Meet the Press” when asked to compare his role to that of former Bush adviser Karl Rove. “And if we do that well, the next election will take care of itself.”

http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/axelrod-says-he-wont-be-another-rove-2008-12-28.html

248

Chris B says:

29 December, 2008 at 11:55 am

Liberal legal group comes to the fore.

Sixteen appointees and advisers helping president-elect Barack Obama’s Justice Department transition efforts all recently sat on the board of a little-known organization: The American Constitution Society for Law and Policy.

The liberal legal network, which blossomed during eight years of Democratic exile, counts as its veterans Obama’s attorney general nominee Eric Holder, Vice President-elect Joe Biden’s chief of staff Ron Klain, and future White House Staff Secretary Lisa Brown.

Seven other recent board members are advising the incoming administration on legal, education, and labor-related issues. Theresa Wynn Roseborough is rumored to be a top candidate for solicitor general. And, at least two other members were also rumored to be in the running for key cabinet posts.

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1208/16832.html

249

Chris B says:

29 December, 2008 at 11:57 am

More from this article..

“With this new administration that will be taking its place in 2009, we’re going to be looking for people who share our values,” he told the 350 member audience. “I suspect that a substantial number of those people are here today.”

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1208/16832.html

250

Chris B says:

29 December, 2008 at 12:08 pm

‘Daddy O’ brings parenting into politics.

Just call him Daddy O.

Most leaders’ playbooks take at least a page or two from “The Art of War,” but President-elect Obama’s rhetoric seems to be torn from very different kind of text: the modern parenting manual.

The “change we can believe in,” it turns out, shares a lot with the revolution in thinking about child-rearing sprung from the work of Austrian psychologist Alfred Adler, which centers on principles such as mutual respect — or what the president-elect has called “the presumption of good faith” — fostering independence (“Team of Rivals,” anyone?), and encouragement (“Yes we can!”).

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1208/16809.html

251

GhostWhoVotes says:

29 December, 2008 at 12:23 pm

Just out of curiosity, was anyone here ever this happy with Barack Obama?

252

Jen says:

29 December, 2008 at 12:32 pm

GWV- as happy as what??

253

Jen says:

29 December, 2008 at 12:35 pm

as Larry for example?

254

GhostWhoVotes says:

29 December, 2008 at 12:59 pm

252

“I felt this thrill going up my leg” – Chris Matthews of MSNBC

Watch the YouTube clip. (The link is the word “this” at comment 251.)

255

Chris B says:

29 December, 2008 at 1:02 pm

Caught out by net plan.

THE Rudd Government needs to swallow hard and take a good long look at Clean Feed, its new internet idea.

The Clean Feed sounds great.

It’s a plan to censor the internet to protect children from child stalkers and pornographic material — a very noble and honourable pursuit.

But this proposal will not have the desired effect.

It will simply drive these guys underground, making it more difficult for police to monitor and ultimately catch them.

And the roll-out of the version that the Government proposed to begin last week has been mysteriously postponed.

A technical report by the Internet Industry Association, commissioned by the Federal Government, found the technology would block access to legitimate sites, slow internet speeds — and not block all the porn.

The Rudd Government has had this report since February.

http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,24850353-5000117,00.html

256

Chris B says:

29 December, 2008 at 1:12 pm

Passers-by foil bank robber’s escape.

A bank robber who held a female staff member hostage and stole a bag of cash was chased down by about 15 shoppers and tackled to the ground in Sydney’s west this morning.

The thief robbed the Commonwealth Bank branch in the Plumpton Marketplace shopping centre about 10.50am, and came out of the bank still holding his hostage when the pursuit began, witness Nora Tivitian said.

What stands out in this is that technology will play a big part in convicting the thief, as people took photo’s of the incident. Every downside of technology is by far outweighed be the upsides. Conroy would probably ban mobile phones because of the naughty thing some boys do with them. Never mind the added safety they add to girls walking down the street.
http://www.theage.com.au/national/passersby-foil-bank-robbers-escape-20081229-76jb.html

257

Jen says:

29 December, 2008 at 1:19 pm

GWV- I have to confess that I get a slight thrill up my legs too when I see Obi shirtless!! As KatieLou says .. he is so hot!

258

Jen says:

29 December, 2008 at 1:25 pm

of course on a serious politica blog site such as this one is loathe to admit this

259

Jen says:

29 December, 2008 at 1:30 pm

but the truth is…
http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=barelypolitical&annotation_id=annotation_112777&feature=iv

260

Chris B says:

29 December, 2008 at 1:34 pm

Technology to the rescue again. Conroy would ban MP3 players, in case someone was carrying child porn on them.

MP3 player sees missing skiers rescued.
http://www.theage.com.au/travel/mp3-player-sees-missing-skiers-rescued-20081229-76g4.html

261

Jen says:

29 December, 2008 at 1:38 pm

oops – I meant this one (and yes Chris – God bless technology!)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wKsoXHYICqU

262

Chris B says:

29 December, 2008 at 1:48 pm

A new John Lennon commercial. It speaks for itself.
http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=Oz9R82vWw08

263

Chris B says:

29 December, 2008 at 1:55 pm

It’s not just technology these Neocons try to ban, remember Noddy and Big Ears in bed together, and Harry Potter?

264

Jen says:

29 December, 2008 at 2:09 pm

Harry Potter was in bed with Noddy and Big Ears!!???
outrageous.

265

Chris B says:

29 December, 2008 at 2:13 pm

Obama will stick to tax promise, his aides say.

Advisors David Axelrod and Lawrence Summers also make the case for a new stimulus package that could exceed $775 billion and that would include a portion of a middle-class tax cut.

President-elect Barack Obama’s top advisors said Sunday that they wouldn’t back away from a promise to cut taxes on the middle class and raise them for the wealthiest Americans, as they made the case for a massive new stimulus package geared toward reviving the slumping economy.

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-obama-stimulus29-2008dec29,0,6138635.story

266

Chris B says:

29 December, 2008 at 2:16 pm

Counties identify 1,350 ballots to be tallied.

The absentee ballots in the U.S. Senate race were rejected, but the counties say that was a mistake. The Coleman and Franken camps spar over what to do next.

Local election officials have identified 1,350 improperly rejected absentee ballots in the unresolved U.S. Senate race, and DFLer Al Franken wants them all counted.

In a letter sent Saturday morning to attorneys representing Sen. Norm Coleman, Franken campaign attorney David Lillehaug proposed accepting the list submitted Friday by county election managers, clearing the way for all the ballots to be opened and counted by next Sunday.

http://www.startribune.com/politics/36787664.html?elr=KArksi8cyaiUjc8LDyiUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aUU

267

Chris B says:

29 December, 2008 at 2:21 pm

Interesting, the Coleman camp says that Franken continually looks to break the rules. Yet Coleman has hardly won any court challenge of significance. Franken has done well in court. I wonder who is really trying to break the rules?

268

Chris B says:

29 December, 2008 at 2:27 pm

One Laptop Per Child or Laptops for poor kids and countries.
http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=K18oOYS3HGk

269

Chris B says:

29 December, 2008 at 2:40 pm

The One Laptop Per Child Story and how it works. This project was instigated by George Soros one of the richest men in the world.

http://au.youtube.com/user/simplecoat

270

Chris B says:

29 December, 2008 at 2:56 pm

If you haven’t seen anything on the One Laptop Per Child, this video on how their network works and connect to the Internet is brilliant! Easy to understand. Boy have they come a long way since I last got an update.
http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=YhSAF5zvOms

271

Kirribilli Removals says:

29 December, 2008 at 3:00 pm

Yes Spammy, but it’s three hours WITHOUT the kids! LOL (just joking…sort of)

Speaking of what Santa brought the kids Ecky, we’re overjoyed that one uncle decided to give a car DVD system for our brood, and before anyone thinks it’s a crazy thing, I’ll tell you that right this instant the 2 darlings are down in the garage, sitting in the car, glued to a movie they’ve even seen before! The house has not been so quiet for ages!

May the novelty NEVER wear off, because driving more than ten minutes with those two is sheer hell, right up there with waterboarding I’m sure, and this way, we’ll get to Newcastle for New Years Eve with our sanity. Maybe even back again, too.

Thank you Santa.

(end of rave)

272

Chris B says:

29 December, 2008 at 3:13 pm

KR, I don’t know whether I mentioned it, but my 3 nieces got a Nintendo thingy that is wireless networked. Already the youngest one knows the alphabet inside out and is starting to spell things way beyond her years, just because she is using it to talk to her sisters, using spelling. Kids are annoying because they are bored, take away the boredom. Bingo!

273

Kirribilli Removals says:

29 December, 2008 at 3:13 pm

It was Joe Biden who warned that some rogue state would ‘test’ Obama. Well, it’s happening now:

Israel blames Hamas for primitive homemade rocket attacks on the nearby Israeli city of Sederot. In 2001-2008, these rockets killed about 15 Israelis and injured 433, and they have damaged property. In the same period, Gazan mortar attacks on Israel have killed 8 Israelis.

Since the Second Intifada broke out in 2000, Israelis have killed nearly 5000 Palestinians, nearly a thousand of them minors. Since fall of 2007, Israel has kept the 1.5 million Gazans under a blockade, interdicting food, fuel and medical supplies to one degree or another. Wreaking collective punishment on civilian populations such as hospital patients denied needed electricity is a crime of war.

The Israelis on Saturday killed 5% of all the Palestinians they have killed since the beginning of 2001! 230 people were slaughtered in a day, over 70 of them innocent civilians. In contrast, from the ceasefire Hamas announced in June, 2008 until Saturday, no Israelis had been killed by Hamas. The infliction of this sort of death toll is known in the law of war as a disproportionate response, and it is a war crime.

(Juan Cole)

…and once again, the official US position is that it’s ‘all’ the fault of Hamas. Clearly there’s no military solution, and the overkill, literally, of Israel’s response is perpetuating the conflict.

Of course nobody is fooled that this current attack is not timed for political posturing before an election, and that makes it even more sickening.

274

Kirribilli Removals says:

29 December, 2008 at 3:17 pm

Agreed CB, and I’ve nothing against technology in the aid of keeping little minds occupied. Son #1 (eight in a few days), is now adept at constructing Lego in virtual 3 dimensions, and is learning to touch type online too, plus does his maths online with Mathletics.

I’m all for it.

275

Chris B says:

29 December, 2008 at 3:35 pm

274 Kirribilli Removals Damn socialism! Now they’ve found another way to spread it.

276

Chris B says:

29 December, 2008 at 3:44 pm

Three years ago the Neocons thought they had a new world order, everything under control. Now everything is falling apart. The Internet is going to speed that up. Right around the world the despot governments are going to fall. The One Laptop Per Child plus the Internet is going to help undermine them. They cannot stop us!

277

Chris B says:

29 December, 2008 at 3:56 pm

It works from the ground up. Subvert the dominant paradigm!

278

Chris B says:

29 December, 2008 at 4:06 pm

The best example of government interference and how to get around it would be that One Laptop Per Child. They can take off some programs because they are not culturally correct. At least according to a government. The sell the laptop in culturally correct. Then hey presto! The software is on the computer passed around by the students, because the want/like it. Countries that ban Little Women will find it everywhere and it’s FREE! (Out of copyright).

279

Chris B says:

29 December, 2008 at 4:07 pm

All the classics that are banned in some countries will be everywhere.

280

Chris B says:

29 December, 2008 at 4:10 pm

See Senator Conroy you cannot win.

281

Spam Box says:

29 December, 2008 at 5:07 pm

One laptop per child is a terrific idea for millions of kids.

One portable DVD player per “PITA”, sorry “kid” policy in my box was the best idea I’ve had in years. I download the movies-convert-burn and then hand em over to the “irritants”. 3hr drives in the car(a regular feature for us) became zero stress overnight. I WORSHIP the guy who invented them

282

Chris B says:

29 December, 2008 at 6:01 pm

Mind you the mesh Internet on the laptops should be part of all laptops, along with the much longer life batteries they use. The “Mesh Internet” would make Conroys firewall useless.

283

Chris B says:

29 December, 2008 at 6:02 pm

Sorry, I mean totally useless. Whoops! A lot more useless than it already is.

284

Spam Box says:

29 December, 2008 at 6:08 pm

Chris – I admire your battle but honestly, I think it’s over. There will be some kind of filter to save face but relax mate, it’s DOA. A piss-ant filter is what we will get and that suits me fine

285

Chris B says:

29 December, 2008 at 6:10 pm

284 Spam Box I am quite sure it’s over too. Thanks to an insider.

286

Chris B says:

29 December, 2008 at 6:12 pm

I still like to point out its absurdity.

287

Chris B says:

29 December, 2008 at 6:14 pm

Obama Tax Cuts Likely Soon.

President-elect Barack Obama’s economic stimulus plan will include an immediate tax cut for middle-class families, and the incoming administration hopes to enact permanent tax cuts soon thereafter, a senior adviser to Obama said Sunday.

David Axelrod said the stimulus package will be implemented soon, given the worsening economy, and could cost $675 billion to $775 billion. The massive recovery plan will seek to create or save 3 million jobs, he said in appearances Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press” and CBS’s “Face the Nation.”

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/12/28/AR2008122801851.html?hpid=topnews

288

Chris B says:

29 December, 2008 at 6:21 pm

A bit of movie trivia for you.

After 30 years, John Warner exits Senate at peace.

After five terms in the Senate, service in two wars and in his third marriage at age 81, John W. Warner still retains the unbent posture and bearing of the Marine he once was.

When he took his seat in the U.S. Senate 30 years ago, he was the rakish husband of Elizabeth Taylor with movie star looks of his own, a gentleman’s drawl and a farm in Virginia horse country.

more…
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iSQRA1aFZxewTuw-TgPpApJxpW0QD95BVFD00

289

Chris B says:

29 December, 2008 at 6:34 pm

Apparently someone has already written a book about the power of the Internet.

While researching the history of the intersection of politics and the Internet, I hit the books. One was Joe Trippi’s “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised: Democracy, the Internet, and the Overthrow of Everything,” which came out in 2004, after Trippi had orchestrated Dean’s online-fueled campaign. Another was “Rebooting America: Ideas for Redesigning American Democracy for the Internet Age,” a collection of essays by some of the most perceptive thinkers in the online political sphere, including Andrew Rasiej and Micah Sifry of Personal Democracy Forum.

may need to be registered…
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/12/26/AR2008122601131.html

290

Chris B says:

29 December, 2008 at 6:38 pm

Will He Bring Change.gov We Can Believe In?

So, how’s the Obama administration doing so far?

It’s a trick question: We’re still about minus-23 days in. But already, folks on the left and the right are furiously reading tea leaves, worrying about whether he’s as progressive as promised or trying to turn lemons into lemonade (”Hillary Clinton at State: a victory for conservative foreign policy values”). Through all this, there’s been surprisingly little focus on what may be the most important question Obama faces.

The president-elect has already reinvented the fireside chat for the age of YouTube. Now he has to move beyond such nifty innovations and decide whether he’ll be the first president to actually engage millions of real people, via the Internet, to govern and set the compass of the country. It’s easier to roll out webby gimmicks — everyone can submit a name for the First Puppy! — than to serve as organizer in chief. But embracing connected politics may be the only road to the kind of transformation that Obama promised and that many in the country expect.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/12/26/AR2008122601119.html?hpid=opinionsbox1

291

Chris B says:

29 December, 2008 at 6:39 pm

Whoops! Forgot may need to be registered, blah, bah.

292

Chris B says:

29 December, 2008 at 7:21 pm

Latin American Immigrants Come Out in Force to Vote for Obama.

Latin American immigrants became an important segment of the American electorate in this election, representing forty percent of the overall Hispanic vote, according to data released this afternoon by pro-immigrant organization America’s Voice.

Initial estimates indicate that about 10 million Hispanics voted in this election, maintaining their 8 percent share of the national electorate in a year in which more Americans voted than in previous contests. While the percentage was the same, the size of the Hispanic electorate increased considerably from the 7.6 million Latinos who cast their votes in 2004 and the almost six million who did so in 2000.

http://feetin2worlds.wordpress.com/2008/11/06/latin-american-immigrants-come-out-in-force-to-vote-for-obama/

293

Chris B says:

29 December, 2008 at 9:15 pm

12,000 votes for Franken should be counted. See the video.
http://www.alfranken.com/page/s/countmyvote

294

Kirribilli Removals says:

29 December, 2008 at 10:38 pm

Time is needed to mature things, like cheese and wines, and it’s also needed to get some distance from events, to let the heat die down, the incessant buzz of global media to move on to the next ‘big thing’. Then you can see what it was, and think about it without the noise and bloviating madness of talking heads and endless soundbites of pompous politicians passing platitudes.

It was mentioned here at the time, but I thought I’d wait a bit to read it, and I just did. Anyone who was alive and sentient during the Mumbai massacre could not have failed to wonder what the fcuk it was all about, and who better to put it into context than Arundhati Roy? If you haven’t, then I really recommend it:

http://www.tomdispatch.com/post/175013/arundhati_roy_the_monster_in_the_mirror

…and as I suspected, it’s just one small part of a very large and ugly mosaic of historic hatreds, religious crazies, political opportunists and violence on both sides.

Instead of the platitude “they hate us for our freedoms”, Roy exposes the whole mosaic, the relationships between the parts, and how it sits against the global backdrop. It’s very disturbing.

295

Kirribilli Removals says:

29 December, 2008 at 10:51 pm

On a more flippant note, (well, with a mordant twist, of course), whoever would have guessed that the new patron saint of skate boarders is Alan Greenspan?

Yep, that same Alan Greenspan who helped along a housing boom that now’s busted and emptied tens of thousands of homes, many with pools left vacant. So skateboarders are invading the suburbs, draining the pools and having a lot of fun.

The whole story is here:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/29/us/29pools.html?hp

…and the mordant twist? Well, the number of abandoned pools is actually becoming a health problem in some areas.

Thanks, Alan Greenspan.

296

Chris B says:

29 December, 2008 at 11:02 pm

News from the Votemaster

McAuliffe Raising Money for Virginia Gubernatorial Run

Terry McAuliffe, the former chairman of the Democratic National Committee and a prodigious fundraiser for the Clintons and other Democrats is busily raising money for himself now in preparation for running for governor of Virgnia in 2009. Virginia was once a bastion of the Republican Party, but that has changed in recent years. In 2005, Tim Kaine (D) was elected governor, in 2006, Jim Webb (D) was elected senator, and in 2008 Mark Warner (D) was elected senator and Barack Obama (D) won the state by 7 points. McAuliffe might raise $80 million. It wasn’t that long ago that you could run for President on that budget. Against that kind of money and with the state’s northern suburbs becoming more Democratic by the day, McAuliffe will be formiddable competitor. The current governor, Tim Kaine, is forbidden by law from succeeding himself.

more…
http://www.electoral-vote.com

297

Chris B says:

29 December, 2008 at 11:04 pm

The Yankees have certainly over run the Confederate headquarters.

298

Chris B says:

29 December, 2008 at 11:08 pm

House Dems look ahead to tough cycle.

House Democrats are warning the party faithful of a difficult election cycle ahead, with as many as 70 party-held seats in danger.

“We have a daunting challenge ahead in the 2010 midterm elections,” Democratic House campaign chief Chris Van Hollen says in a year-end Web video thanking supporters. “Many of our new members are from conservative areas with long histories of Republican representation. We are looking at potentially 70 – 70 – threatened Democrats who will need our support.”

While House race watchers are predicting a difficult cycle for Democrats, Van Hollen’s 70 figure may be on the high end.

If Obama and the Democrats do their job this will be no problem. If they don’t do they job. Oh shit!
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1208/16899.html

299

Chris B says:

29 December, 2008 at 11:15 pm

“We’ve talked about a package from 675 billion to 775 billion,” Axelrod said.

“I’d like to see it bigger.” Krugman said. “I understand that there’s difficulty in actually spending that much money, and I–they’re also afraid of the–of the T word. They’re afraid of a trillion dollar for the two-year number. But you know, the back of my envelope says it takes roughly 200 billion a year to cut the unemployment rate by 1 percent from what it would otherwise be. In the absence of this program, we could very easily be looking at a 10 percent unemployment rate. So you do the math and you say, you know, even these enormous numbers we’re hearing about are probably enough to mitigate but by no means to reverse the slump we’re heading into. So this is–you know, I–they’re thinking about it straight.”

more…
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/12/28/ftn/main4688594.shtml

300

Catrina says:

30 December, 2008 at 3:41 am

This one is worth watching …
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22425001/vp/28390515#28390515

A Christmas Wish …

347 Responses to “A Christmas Wish …”

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