pettyfog prattles..

Now that I'm back from a whirlwind mini-makeover tour to Albu-qwerky and celebrance of sis's big fifty birthday in Fort Worth.....

Her three 'Ahia siblings' show up.. how devoted is that!
Ans: Girlz a def minority in our fambly.. 1 of five


Here's a few nooz items I think are notable:

Palin gives speech to int'l banking finance symposium in far East.

- Yeah... like that segment who work, make an income and end up paying taxes after the trip to HR Block.
- - - - - -- -
Why profit driven health care is out of date
- by a doc/administrator in a Univ Hospital System. {Remember Michelle O's job at the UC hospital? How to shuffle no-pay patients to Private/County Med Centers. Note I quit listening to Limbaugh for 4 years after he used this kind of 'proof' against County System of NY}
- Uses VA system as quality metric of superiorness of gov heath care. Yep, really.
- Here's a question... if the Anthems and UHC's are getting fat on HCI, how come no profit margins are cited.. only INCREASE in profit by pecentage. Like... If my net margin one year is point 5 %, and next year it's 2 %, then my profits have improved 400%, right? Figures lie.. liars figure.
- She complains, {based on her 15 years in private practice} of heavy handed tactics by insurers in setting fees and coverage. And that will be fixed in the government program, how?

- How about the lawyers?
- - - - -- - -
Conyers, Frank want probe of Acorn and Acorn whistleblowers.

- Reckon that would result in a CSPAN covered hearing? Oh... noes! PLEASE dont investigate the outlaw journos... it would REALLY embarrass us Right Wingers! {Remember Bre'r Rabbit and the Briar Patch. }

 

Here is the Acorn sting journalist in a video sting from back when he was in college. I dont know how he managed to do it without cracking up.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m4bxz2RSkrI

 

Polanski and Old Petards

Sometimes the big story is not the Prima Facie, but the back-wash.

Roman Polanski's extradition on an old charge of child rape is finally in the works. It should have been resolved and finished a long time ago, but for some reason wasn't. The victim has moved on and claims to have forgiven the culprit but the wheels of justice kept on a'grindin'. However slowly. The government of Poland is fighting extradition.

But the BIG story in my mind concerns media and opinion page coverage.

Enter Anne Applebaum of the WaPo, who writes an OpEd from Poland where she has lived for years. In it she gets several of her facts wrong concerning the status of Polanski's case and his fugitive movements. STILL not the interesting part.

The INTERESTING part is that she is married to the Polish Foreign Minister and didnt disclose that niggly little fact in her article.
One would thinkan experienced journo and former editorwould have thought to provide disclosure almost by reflex.

Especially as she is of the intellectual elite, Sidwell-Friends Prep to Yale to London School of Econ and all. Dunno what her politics are, though they seem to be conservative, and it doesnt matter.

See why the Old Media hate blogs?
- - -- - - - - - -- - - - - - - -- - - - -

In related media Foo-Pah news, someone neglected to tell NYT Editorial Board that Acorn was being tripped and shoved in front of the bus. And AGAIN the Grey -senile- Lady looks dazed and confused. What the hell happened to that Liberal Strategy Mail-list?!!!
- - - - -
And Mo:
did you notice that College 'punk'd' episode was arguably LESS sophomoric than the ACORN ones?
Many in the conservative blogs remarked on that and how could the Acorn rep NOT know it was a put on.
I believe the reason is that MOST of the constituents and potential partner/donors they meet with are role-playing and after a while it gets very hard to separate sheep from goats.
Dont get that? Hang around a convenience store in a diverse neighborhood.

 

In Althouse' followup to her Polanski post comes an astounding response by one of her readers:

I think the poor guy might have got confused on the subject matter. The poor already are overly penalized by those who claim to be their advocates, who cluck knowingly as they recount the indignities suffered by the underclass then endeavour to build a power and funding base on the backs of the same unfortunates by shifting them into dependencies.

If he is referring to Polanski in that meme, then AFAIK, the guy deserves what he gets.
He is, if he follows the track of his 'artistic' peers, quite concerned over the condition of the worlds unfortunates. But he would have to think long and hard before he would give the same advantages to those who might in future compete with him for fortune.

In fact, EVERYONE, who is gainfully employed in the private sector.. on their own, or on a paycheck, serves to create wealth. And not a single one of those competes with me for that wealth.

It's only the ones whose paychecks/stipends come from taxes who might compete with me.

 

Prairie Home Compendium

In those days when I switched my drivetime listening habits from formula playlists of Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin to talk radio, my dial presets were focussed on NPR stations.

The programming sometimes made me upset but it gave me a dose of various viewpoints including that from the PR wing of UC Berkeley {Pacifica Radio} but it invoked thought processes so it was all good.

The clunker in the list was Garrison Keillor's 'Prairie Home Companion'. I wondered who the hell listened to it and why. Oh, it was certainly innocuous enough.. just a variety porridge of homespun self effacing humor, letting the nation see the values of midwestern simple folk without any trace of southern or appalachian twang to it. The music tracing roots to 'cowboy-western'.
But.. AGAIN.. WTH listened to this and what was the show all about? I paid attention to convo's about it and figured out it was sorta like a carnival freakshow. Keillor aimed it at two audiences. The MAIN audience, I thought, was the Eastern and West Coast liberals. In short, it sorta reinforced the 'simple folk in flyover country' image.

Summary: Unpretentiously Condescending.

Keillor**, having been out of sight and out of my mind for years thanks to the movie about his show that more or less reinforced my view of his ken, has surfaced in a Trib OpEd about the current state of the union:

Stuck in the shallows

{emphases all mine)

Weell... THERE you have it. All wrapped up, like a Risk Instrument, with a pretty bow and waiting to be re-gifted on the premise that the contents might be exciting and meaningful. And worth something.

You tell me.. WHO EXACTLY owes the apology?

Classic Keillor.... The Larry David of the DFL set.

- - - -- - - - -- - - - -
** That Keillor is the very embodiment of the old insult: 'A Face MADE for Radio' has NOTHING to do with it.

 

RE: Prairie Home Compendium

"When an entire major party has excused itself from meaningful debate and a thoughtful U.S. senator like Orrin Hatch no longer finds it important to make sense and an up-and-comer like Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty attacks the president for giving a speech telling schoolchildren to work hard in school and get good grades, one starts to wonder if the country wouldn't be better off without them and if Republicans should be cut out of the health-care system entirely and simply provided with aspirin and hand sanitizer. Thirty-two percent of the population identifies with the GOP, and if we cut off health care to them, we could probably pay off the deficit in short order."

hee-hee. Good one.

 

It's 'Hard Work', but...

.... someone has to has to make the Sacrifice!
- mod note: 'Hard Work' tm Geo W Bush

Thank You, Michelle, Thank you, Mr President, Thank you Oprah.. for all you do for the kids, in bringing the Olympics to Chicago!
Indeed ....Sacrifice at the Highest Level for the very best of causes!

I'm sure I wouldn't have had the will and endurance to fly to Copenhagen on AF1, Stay at some dreary 5 Star Hotel and face that hostile press on the hard questions that you and Oprah always handle so well.

Damn we are lucky we have someone willing to sacrifice!

 

Re: 'GOP wants you to just die'

Yeah it was... In fact I think that Brain-dead fuck's .. scratch that, I mean esteemed Congressman's...entire speech should be repeated on CNN and MSNBC every two hours on the hour. And I hope he makes many more just like it. Alinsky's rules work for us, too!

I take it you voted for him.

I mean.. just in case you don't get it.. that was Freakin' SOLID GOLD!

Why do you think I didnt bring it up, here, why I said elswhere I was spending so much time 'smirking to myself'.. .. DAMN you need to stick to footy!

 

RE: Re: RE: Prairie Home Compendium

I cant make it thru a full post, but I did make it thru enough to be able to answer the question -

WTH listens to Prairie Home Companion?

I do - I love it - listen as we get ready and on the way to church each Sunday morning. It is a great show and just simple fun. Perfect for a lazy Sunday.

I also enjoy the money and the puzzle shows Sunday afternoon and Wait, Wait, Dont tell me...

 

Re: RE: Re: RE: Prairie Home Compendium

Well, yeah. I agree with all that. Defo in the obvious market target. I was referring to the OTHER MARKET. And the message so sublimely conveyed.

Sorry about your ADD.

 

Ah.. at least Spencer gets it.
{By the Way that was in the ChiTrib, not the Strib}

Here's my point: I thought it might be seepingly obvious. Keillor nailed the crux of what started our problems.

That would be, of course, your Barney Franks and Chris Dodds.

Yet the tone of the article is that 'Conservatives had the duty' to stop base abuse of the financial system in kiting bad debt. That abuse was fostered by government intervention in the mortgage markets. But of course 'Cons were too busy carrying Christian Coalition water.'
So, fair enough.. but what about blind squirrels toting ACORNS?

{and here I go again, adding verbiage so everyone gets the point, yet I'll make it too long to bother to read}
Keillor on oversight and regulation:
This has NUANCE, boys!
IF it were the old 'simple' days, those packages wouldnt have HAD to be regulated. The market took care of that. Shareholders HATE IT when someone ships you their kitchen garbage in a FedEx box, COD.

In the old days, there was a formula which rated the actuarial risk of mortgage default. There would have been no need for Congress to make new rules on trading risk to cover it. Wouldnt you say those who mandated the risk instruments had the responsibility to apologize when the whole system collapsed into a stinking pile of garbage? Now, who was it passed those risk statutes?

And again Spencer's right in the fact that 'The Good Old Days' never really were all that GOOD! Not sure Keillor believes that either.. he always seemed to equate them with 'Simpler' which was true.

Of course when it was 'Simpler'.. you got Cancer, you died. Now you get Cancer you run up a lot of medical bills. Unless you're a Canadian in which case you {either suffer or} die {waiting your turn}*.. or go to the states and run up personal debt.

{Dont tell Grayson though.. that'll just confuse him more.}

* Yeah, I did a 'Grayson' then changed it.

 

Re: Prairie Home Compendium

perfect description

 

Re: It's 'Hard Work', but...

LOL, and I'm sure the Danish tourist board appreciates the sacrifice in coming to their country also.

 

Eat 'Heart Neutral'

This just in: Eating Fish doesnt prevent Heart Failure!

So... it's becoming quite evident.. AGE causes heart failure! If you live long enough, and something else doesnt kill yer dumass FIRST, Your Heart is gonna get sick and give up!

Another slice of Prime Rib, please.. aw hell make it TWO!
NOTHING beats a good center slice Prime Rib.

Unless {for everyday lunches, of course} it's Wendy's Double Stack - Lettuce & Tomato added and a chocolate frosty. Value for money... YUM, YUM!

So... for all you been eating expensive Salmon Grills in hopes of getting that bad stuff down.. tough shit!

I ALSO began eating eggs and bacon and butter, again BEFORE the stupid studies said it was alright!

Tell ya what'll kill ya, tho.. eating too much shellfish. It just tastes {too good!} and looks like it is deadly. How do I know? PF said so!

 

Esq-apism

From Esquire magazine, some 'top lists'.. which Letterman prolly wishes he was doing instead of confessing his 'droit de signeur' on his staff.

5 things that really do feel good
- Hugs from a large woman? Yep, but if you're young adult male, best when that sneaks up on ya. Children and old guys know it for a fact.

25 things that should feel good, but dont so much
Like Great Grandma's kisses and waterbeds... gotta agree.

- - - - - - -- - - -
Another thing I'd like to add to the latter list is 'Catching Jimmah Carter lying AGAIN'. But Esquire certainly wont and technically I cant say that... 'cause it's worse than a lie.

Because when you watch the full original video and digest what Carter said, you might see that his statement was deliberately engineered for effect. He purposely gave the impression that he thought tea party protestors were largely racist. Then went on to buttress his statement using his background and experience 'as a southerner'.
But he built into the statement plausible deniability when it was parsed out.

..of the intensely demonstrated animosity..

Which, of course, serves the purpose as that can only be evaluated subjectively. Even the most rabid conservative will admit there are racists at the Tea Parties. How could you keep them out?

And, since the analysis reveals such a careful construct, the man is obviously not senile, nor is he loony. The man is evil.
And that concept shouldnt make anyone feel good.

 

IOC: Olé!

It was tempting to write up the humongous Olympic snub as smirking snark but I think I'll leave that to Limbaugh and others...

After I point out that Sen Roland Burris and Jesse Jackson are blaming it on Bush. Is it racist to point that out? heh.

Of course the big story is not Chicago NOT getting the bid, but getting shoved out first.

First off... let's start by recognizing that Chicago's 'colorful history' and shady reputation isnt limited to North America. They wouldnt write musicals based on pure fiction, would they? And it aint just 'history'


Some will point to scandal and controversy in the last US based Olympics.. which is ridiculous; that stuff has occurred AND WILL OCCUR in each and every venue, no matter where. But you can make a case that 'worse is more likely' in Chicago.
- The response by the Chicago committee, and some US media, to the announcement conveys a certain message to bystanders and that message is not a good one.

I can also -without the snark- point to wondering just how much the committee would be impressed by heartfelt pleas laden with first person references, {Michelle watching Olga and Nadia and Carl Lewis {!!!} on her daddy's lap} and delivered via teleprompter.

Naw.. in hindsight, Chicago never had much of a chance of the award. Strange most of us thought it was in the bag.

But the real news might be when all the motives of the voting members are unearthed and documented. It's just my personal opinion, but SOME of it goes back to Burris' statement.

Historically, European attitudes to US were a based on a mix of Envy and fear. But there was also an underlying respect. That's why the US is always a backstop venue when other nations cant deliver.

Now, because of other recent statements and events, there just might be a question in the minds of the committee that we could live up to the deliverables.