"News that's not known, or not known enough."
Helen & Harry Highwater's cranky weblog of news and opinion.
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"News that's not known, or not known enough." Helen & Harry Highwater's cranky weblog of news and opinion. |
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Global bubble, red alert!
Many other "emerging" markets have had huge upward moves in the last few years. China is fairly unusual because they have a $200+ billion trade surplus with the U.S. and keep their yuan (aka reminbi) tightly pegged to the U.S. dollar So who can figure out the future? China is unique. But that is the same thing we hear every time there is a bubble, "This time it is different." Well, no, it never is different when it comes to bubbles. Eventually they deflate. We don't know when or what triggers it, but it happens. Right now in China they don't even have short sales of stock, so it is hard for stock prices to correct. That means that the bubble may have already gone beyond a point that it could be deflated without too much damage. Eventually people will begin to ask for their money back, but if everyone already owns stock, who will they sell to? I am guessing that *maybe* China's bubble can be maintained until the summer Olympics of 2008. But after that? Or even before? My worry is right now! It seems to me that October 2007 will be a deadly, dangerous month for the U.S., and I will be hugely surprised if we don't get some serious bear action. And it sure looks like the Shanghai market needs medical attention When this stuff happens it will be like a mile high tidal wave. It's out there. The truth is out there! Heads up, folks.
So cute and cuddly
Okay, so Kathy likes to feed the animals ... 'possums are nice little buds, squirrels are entertaining, and of course stray cats But you better watch out about those 'coons. While baby raccoons may be adorable, the adult kind are very efficient predators. I knew a man up in Altadena CA who had about 15 ducks in his back yard. It was all appropriately fenced in and everything. Unfortunately for him, one of the local adult 'coons living just beyond his yard in the foothills started visiting his nice little clan of ducks and would slaughter two or three about every other night until none were left. He tried to trap it, but it wouldn't take that bait. The coon wasn't really even eating the birds it was killing, it was just killing them. Easy blood to a coon is like freebase cocaine to a crack addict. Also, raccoons can be very vicious if they feel threatened and in any way think that they may be cornered. A fully grown, wild adult male has more than enough ability to kill an unwary human. While everything Kathy says about her neo-con neighbors may well be true, chances are that the 'coons she saw captured were caught either destroying the garbage containers while strewing its contents ... or it took out one of those people's pets. A 'coon can summarily wipe out a small or even medium-sized dog almost as easy as it rips apart a baby duck. I have sympathy for a whole gaggle of wild animals, even bears and cougars. But while young raccoons may be cute and cuddly, the untamed ones that live on the fringe of human communities are especially clever AND vicious. And once they've tasted the "good life" of human garbage, the only way to keep them out of urban communities in the future is to kill them ... they can't be "rehabilitated." Kathy's lucky that she never appeared to endanger one of those cubs while the momma was around. Raccoons can attack very fast and hard when they want to, and what any uninitiated adorer may perceive as the most innocuous of conduct could yet bring that momma down on them HARD. Raccoons are peculiar folk.
Guns galore
Like gun control In Vermont one of my neighbors who did some pretty stupid things with a gun had them confiscated under reckless endangerment laws. Mostly he had shot himself in the foot once and the leg twice (!) so family were worried about the kids and yeah the neighbors on either side were not so happy with him either. A slight matter of gun "accidentally" going off and taking out a window on a couple of occasions. I am surprised the cops took as long to do something, to be truthful! Mostly though there was no real problems other than the usual stuff when you mix alcohol with wounded egos. That is bad news even at the best of times gun involvement or not! However where you come from seems to play some role in how you are come down on this matter. People seem to argue from that perspective for the most part. The truth is often somewhere in the middle though and I don't have the answer. Besides the answer for here where I am may not work where you are anyway! I don't care for guns, I think the biggest problem with them is the same one with cars Well as to an Ugly site I find the beauty here is that I can navigate it and there are a lot of voices to listen to (beyond the ones in my head, gods, I h-a-t-e karaoke night...) especially ones that differ from me. If I wanted to talk to myself I would never have bought a computer. and i would be much more into karaoke. zen hugs,
Thank you, you can go home now
Bad cop on video
Your license plate at the hotel
"Deputies stopped her in September for driving without a license, which they noticed after scanning motel registrations from the previous day."What? (Wait, let me re-phrase that to reflect my incredulity) WHAT?! "Scanning motel registrations?" I thought it was bad enough the cops are camped-out in the drive-thru at fast food joints looking for drunk drivers-but they're checking the motels for people without licenses...and then staking them out to see if they drive? Holy crap that's insane. Something to think about next time you think you're checking into a motel anonymously-for whatever. So when they're not invading the privacy of motel patrons, or trying to entrap gay senators in restrooms, or posing as ten year old girls on line-when they're not doing all that stuff, they're trying to figure out who's responsible for all these drive-by shootings killing little kids as they play in their yards, right? Boot stomping on a face forever, etc, etc...
Chalmers Johnson
But I feel strongly that everyone should read what he has to say. Chalmers, because of his former importance in government and his academic credentials, is my favorite ring side announcer. He recently wrote a piece, entitled Evil Empire: Is Imperial Liquidation Possible for America?, can serve as an introduction to his writing for the uninitiated. His analysis of what would have to happen to put the US back on the tracks as a self respecting nation is as piercing and complete as one could expect from a feature length article. It can be found at this link
A lying, murderous, sadistic, small-minded asshole
I don't think Bush is a hypocrite. I think he's made it clear to the world that he's a lying, murderous, sadistic, small-minded asshole. And he's never acted otherwise.
Unlike the real George Bush, the one with the Bush mask didn't kill hundreds of thousands, then laugh about it.
If that isn't a guilty plea, what is?
One by one, DeLay's indictments are dismissed.
But the federal government tortures and lies themselves. Isn't this the pot calling the kettle black?
A scary and unpredictable force
I do not have any problem with well-made firearms. I like them as artifacts. I do have a problem with a lot of the people who are crazy about stockpiling them, especially alkies like my father. Or one of my neighbors. Mean drunks ought not to have guns but they are the very problem at the base of the easy access to firearms. There is probably no good solution to this problem. It certainly was not Prohibition... The lunatic fringe will always be a scary and unpredictable force in our lives.
The death control pill
Neumann (1974) introduced the "spiral of silence" as an attempt to explain in part how public opinion is formed. She wondered why the Germans supported wrong political positions that led to national defeat, humiliation and ruin in the 1930s-1940s. Core Assumptions and Statements The phrase "spiral of silence" actually refers to how people tend to remain silent when they feel that their views are in the minority." So apparently the mass media can easily squelch dissent and cause supporters to come out of the woodwork for whatever they want at the same time by simply convincing their audience that certain ideas comprise the majority view, and other things the minority. The truth of which is which is irrelevant-- so long as the media convinces a sufficient number of us that their say-so is gospel. And therein you have the massive decay in American society which forces like Fox News have wrought in recent years. At the time I originally wrote it, I was afraid it'd be so controversial the government would come get me-- or at least try to censor it somehow (partly because it gives plenty of hints how such pill formulas could be determined). But nothing like that ever happened. One thing which inspired me to write it was my own general malaise of the time. You might even consider this essay to be something of a response to Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged theme. To this day it occasionally brings me email from the suffering, desperate, or lonely out there, looking for an exit... The second coming
Guns 'n' BuzzFlash
Well, disarming Americans is one of the top priorities for buzzflash.com. It is on-going, continuous, and puzzling. I go to drudge, rawstory, buzzflash and wrh daily for breaking news/stories of interest and so I *know* this about buzzflash. I even wrote to them once pointing out the backwardness of alienating independents and republican voters by the constant anti-gun/self-defense advocacy. For example, from 22:01 EDT on 26-Sep-2007 at buzzflash.com...A deluge of rabid anti-gun, disarm Americans "news". I cannot comprehend their program. If they desire to drive away Republicans and Independents from voting against the GOP/Bush regime, this is exactly how not to do it. Of Illegal Steroid Dealers and .50 Caliber Sniper Rifles (they wuv gunguys.com :-) AND Freedom States Alliance applauds the remarkable outreach and media campaign by our affiliate, Ceasefire New Jersey, for its recent campaign to stop the flow of illegal guns being trafficked into the Garden State, mostly from Pennsylvania. AND Crazy Wisconsin State Rep. Frank 'I Wanna Arm Teachers in Schools' Lasee, Just Got a Little Bit Crazier AND Gun Sales are Going Pink AND America's Shooting Gallery AND The Third Annual Come Together to Free America from Gun Violence Auction. Donate to It Now. AND Ceasefire New Jersey & Prosecutors: Stop Illegal Guns Being Trafficked from Pennsylvania AND The New Giuliani: I am the NRA AND Il Duce Giuliani Courts the NRA After Switching from a Gun Control Proponent. What an Opportunist. AND California Condors Near Extinction Due to Poisoning from Lead Ammunition:: "Just so we're clear, the gun lobby would rather allow the California Condor to become extinct rather than stop using lead ammunition because they believe changing the type of bullets that are available will be a back door campaign to banning hunting." AND Rudy at the NRA: Cellphones Don't Kill Candidates, Moronic Candidates Do
I saw the news tonight, oh boy...
Situation normal Loved Bush's speech for renewing "no child left behind". I mean after all how many people can pull off saying "childrens do learn" or some similar dreck? None... exactly none. Of course that not left behind not so much reflects his supersti... I mean his moral and religious views as a something those recruiters chant before they go out to the malls and schools to meet the kids. Shouldn't they show up on those "Predator" shows? Talk about child abuse! The dumercratic candidates can't say the troops could be out before 2013, if then. The repugnicans must be savoring across heir jowls on that one. I am so thinking of voting Socialist just to piss someone off. Don't necessarily care who either. If they win though I expect they'd just be too drunk these coming four years for it to matter. Come to think of it being voted in might be a good reason to go on an extended bender, hell, everyone had just done them a dirty if you think about it. Also having to spend all that time in D.C.! Yep, firewater sounds just right to block out that nightmare. Picture sobering up accidentally and the first face in focus is Arlen Spector or Vitter... omg, where's the rum? Is it too late to join the wobblies? Is there a place in the IWW for the unemployed? Zen hugs, Praise Delores delRio and pass the bottle
Kissed and made up
Well, as far as "nasty, brutish, and short" is concerned, much in the same vein as what Paul Crew told Caretaker in Longest Yard, for the most part I think your about as nasty, brutish, and short as a box of kittens. And as far as any lessons we may learn, it seems that just as long as we treat them as constant works in progress, well, at least we are making some kind of progress. It was also apparent to me from the consequent postings that somebody somewhere had "kissed and made up." Anyway, as all things of any importance in America seem to be getting sucked down into the abyss of despair so much faster, the "f*ck-it-all" attitude is also becoming so much more prevalent. When that happens to me, I just like to meddle in other people's difficulties. I guess this is my alternative to daytime television. I'm glad everything is okay.
What matters in the end
Ahmadeinejad's visit to the U.S. reminds me of Manny and Prof's trip to Earth in "The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress". The media picked up on the sexual differences in their culture
Height of hypocrisy and pure bloody-mindedness
I'm all for freedom but freedom also means responsibility and accountability for the consequences of your actions. For Bush to speak on freedom is the height of hypocrisy since their definition of Freedom is to do whatever they damn well please without any consequences. That is not freedom, but childish behavior one expects from a spoiled 4 year old. Though it is ostensibly about how WWII affected four communities in the US, the one glaring part that hits me is how totally incompetent and arrogant the upper echelons of the military were and still are. The only reason we won that war was the pure bloody-mindedness of those on the ground. It sure had little to do with any tactical or strategic advantage on our part. Nor did it have anything to do with military planning, which was horrible. So it should not surprise anyone that this stupid, unnecessary war in Iraq is going so badly. And now the some clowns in DC want to go to war with Iran?? I'm speechless.
Right to keep and bear arms
As the #3 Democratic candidate, John Edwards should definitely attempt to woo both Republican Libertarian, and libertarian-leaning Independents and Democrats by supporting the literal interpretation of the simple and clear words written in the 2nd Amendment. Not only is this politically expedient I generally recommend that people buy a Taser or stun gun. The reason is, if you defend yourself with a stun gun or a Taser, the ex-perpetrator's family is much less likely to sue your ass off Regardless, there is simply no reason to cede 2nd Amendment righteousness to the GOP. If your Democratic, "disarm the people for their own good" friends and associates complain, why not tell them to read the Constitution and maybe just try compromising on this one issue, for the good of the party. Best wishes.
At a loss for words
Oh, Chris M. I’m ... I’m at a loss for words. Of all of the articles and transcripts of President Ahmadinejad’s talks available these days, this was the only link you could find. As for your link, have you heard of the concept of “cultural differences”? Well, this “article” brings out one. I doubt that Iran’s president was being arrogant when he said it. Basically, what it indicates is that homosexuals in Iran are still “in the closet” as were those in the US not that long ago. Sensitive subjects and how they are handled vary across cultures as I’ve learned through the trials and tribulations of serving in the Peace Corps and living overseas for some time now. I can assure you that if you visited Iran or even France, you would come up with a few sentences yourself that could get you in hot water! Moving on, below I explain how I approach understanding foreign speakers/writers, I provide a link to one of the transcripts to President Ahmadinejad’s UN speech I’ve learned that the BEST POLICY is always to focus on the message or even just the gist of it rather than every specific sentence that is used. Those sentences naturally are going to make reference to the history, literature, religious beliefs and other beliefs of whatever country the speaker/writer is from. Actually, they ARE where all of the nuances lie This translation of the Iranian president’s speech compared to a few others I’ve seen is the most “literal” (but also the most accurate) translation which makes it also the one that is the most “foreign” in its references. As for it’s organization, it is surprisingly organized much as any paper by an English speaking academic would be with it’s 3 main parts: some of the world’s problems, the cause of these problems, and the way out of them. He also provides the treatment Iran has received as his example/case study. I won’t summarize it because I believe that it is a MUST READ and is the nearest thing to a primary source that we have. My latest interest is to try to stick more to primary (the actual documents) rather than secondary sources. It is pretty long, but the speech moves quickly from one idea to the next. This IS our chance to encounter the REAL THING and not someone else’s view of this speech or propaganda about it. I personally found the speech a very accurate portrayal of the way things are
In Bush's pocket
If this story is accurate, Bush-Cheney are at least considering leaving office at the end of their term like such officials have historically done: that's the good news. The bad news is that they're doing everything they can to insure nothing changes if they do leave.
Oh goodie! Now you need not even touch anything anywhere for the government to digitally capture your prints, then transfer them to the scene of a crime of their choice, to use as evidence against you. How on Earth will anyone ever be able to prove their innocence, when it gets so damned easy to make them look guilty?
And now there's only one
But two weeks ago two of them were missing. It was just the two wee ones and the mom. I didn't know what happened to the others. We were getting along. And then last night the small one showed up all by itself and it was shy and very scared to come up to me. Right away I knew something must have happened to other two, but I didn't know what. Finally after I went in, the little one came and ate. Only on the second return an hour later did it let me come close and give it a pet and feed it by hand. He sat and played in the bowl of water and then washed a bit, then went off to sleep in one of our two tall trees. God, did it look sad and confused. This morning around 9am I saw the animal control van show up at the door of the neighbors I dislike the most, the flag-waving Bush supporters who hate the birds and squirrels and cats, dogs, skunks, any living thing accept themselves. Well, I saw the momma and her babe in cages being hauled into the van, and I cursed those scumbag neighbors of mine.
Why do Americans refuse to get angry?
Unknown unknowns
While G|o S|co's writing style seems ever-so-slightly abrupt, he didn't use any blatant pejoratives (or even anything covertly patronizing) and did use a polite sign-off. Perhaps he was just a bit rushed for time and wanted to quickly inform. What if he had taken the time to add the extra words relating: "You might consider changing your site a bit to focus more on content so as to distract less from it." Anywhoo, if you found his comments not sufficiently polite, then simply ignoring him could be the most appropriate response. Otherwise, it seems that he has at least taken the time to check UN out ... I think the "bite me" suggestion was not really deserved. Whatever, maybe he's been (more) abrupt to you before and I don't really know what I'm talking about, but you don't link to any previous correspondence and something about your response just seems a little out of balance. And I apologize ahead of time if you feel that my assessment above is also rude or otherwise too presumptuous. As it is, I've seen similar "quick-note" criticisms on Michael Rivero's site and usually, he just sort of snarkily observes: "In all my copious free time, I may consider what you suggest." Very dry and to the point, but without all the acid-reflux buildup.
And I’m the Queen of the May
So if you lose your job, go broke and then lose that insurance because you can't pay this would mean that because I then don't have insurance no one could legally employ me so I could stop living under a bypass or in my old non-running car? (Actual situation I lived through for several years? Personally, i don't think the homeless nor health/health insurance problems will seriously be handled as long as Congress and the White House live so well and are paid handsomely with all those great fringe benefits. Instead what if elected officials were dropped off in downtown DC and given a backpack All for no money, no benefits until the least of America has more than just a smidgen. Can you picture Ted Kennedy and Vitter et al not fixing the problems by tomorrow afternoon at latest? Clinton is a liberal? Yeah, and I'm the Queen of the May. zen hugs,
Advice for Ahmadinejad
They didn't have them in Nazi Germany either and they were working on getting rid of the Catholics and the Jews as well. If I were you, I would not say things like this with such arrogance. The right wing here already wants your butt in a sling, the left might not be far behind. Cordially, your complaints are irrelevant to the many millions of Americans who have no health insurance, no money for a doctor, no access to medical care or medicine. And also irrelevant to the far fewer who have money coming out the arse and will still be paying top dollar for top-tier medical care, even under any universal care scenario.It may be irrelevant as you suggest but none the less true. I detest bureaucracies as much as insurance companies. If someone can come up with a system where in one does not have to justify a procedure to some minor league bureaucrat who is convinced you're trying to rip off the system, I'll be all for it. Maybe a voucher or some such. "...bad tempered, bureaucrat, officious and callous. They wouldn't even lift a finger to save their own grandmothers from the Ravenous Bugblatter Beast of Traal without orders signed in triplicate, sent in, sent back, queried, lost, found, subjected to public inquiry, lost again, and finally buried in soft peat for three months and recycled as firelighters."
Doing well by doing good
And here, also found via DU, at last, something to be optimistic about! New low cost solar panels ready for mass production
Almost famous
I personally could only off the top of my head probably name 1500-2400 'famous' Americans I knew about before I ever heard of Giuliani existing at all (during his time as NY mayor). Of course, I'm an American: not one of the foreigners Giuliani is speaking of, who might only have recognized 1000 or so famous US actors and singers and politicians before they ever heard of Giuliani. But still, being in the top 1001 seems a far cry from top five. Maybe he's referring to his legendary role which can be seen exclusively IN HIS OWN MIND. Sort of like Bush's frequent in-depth discussions with God Himself [look it up: Bush has said it happens].
Honors in order
The difference between a "democratic" republic and a Constitutional Republic
The good Doc. presumes: "We fail to understand the debate between those who might have the opportunity to torture but don't do so, as a rational choice (a large segment of the military I suspect) and the proponents of torture who currently have authority over national policy and are overseeing it use. We who oppose torture on whatever basis are more numerous than those who favor it. In no way could this policy of torture be considered the product of a democratic system. This is an alien policy." The sad fact is that torture IS NOT an alien policy for people in power and have usurped control of the courts and the media. In America's earlier (pre-Bush) incarnation(s) Really, look at how America's frontiersmen had predominately treated this continent's natives where death by rape was not all that uncommon for young, pretty and captured "redskin" females, or even how FDR tortured a whole cultural minority of American citizens with humiliating incarceration AT GUNPOINT for no better a reason than that their ancestors MIGHT have been Japanese As it is, the worst of our species desire to torture may be somewhat mitigated by strong and severe national laws that would let the torturer intimately know AND experience what he would otherwise attempt to produce for others. But when those constitutionally obligated restraints are no longer respected or enforced, look for our most recent gaggle of masters to first torture the alien among us, and when some of our more conscientious citizens complain, look for torture's qualifications to absorb a more "liberal" definition that would invariably include the homegrown dissenter. Bread and Circuses for all! What makes us human is not always that which causes us to be civilized.
I had to look away
My first impression of your site was to look away and as such found it difficult to get into the content. I tried and still found it difficult. So I am suggesting a cleaner more organized view of the content to ease the eye and convey whatever you want in a more appealing way. From there I thought I will just add your RSS feed and noticed that your main page does noticed that my browser did not auto-detect your main RSS feed. So I recommend you add that. Then I went looking for your RSS feeds to discover (if memory serves, because now I have no idea what your site it, perhaps add it to your email footer) you have many feeds? and it was unclear which is the main feed. Again I can remember exactly now. Either that or I could not find your feeds. These ideas are just best practice in my opinion to help increase subscribers and make the site easier to use. All the best and good luck.
Cable access
Channel 26 is "Public Access" on our Comcast network. That must mean that INN is getting free airtime. Interesting because our city government channel broadcasts 22 hours a day of the same PowerPoint slides -- which just show bar graphs of various statistics relating to the "plan", and the print is almost too small to read, so it is a total waste of free cable access. I recall a similar thing about radio in Albuquerque, which even though it is a micro-budget thing, they still have to go through the whole production process (like professionals, which makes sense.) Perhaps this is something useful to pursue.
Win-win, lose-lose
This is a win-win for the telephone industry and the government. It's a lose-lose for citizens and their rights. Par for the course, yes?
Doctor Bureaucracy
The biggest problem with a government "single payer" health system is the same problem with all government systems. They are a bureaucracy. And people who work in bureaucracies are only concerned with protecting their own rear ends. Anyone who has had to deal with any government agency knows this. They will not bend any rule for any reason, no matter what the circumstances. Bureaucracies are worse than the military because they inflect pain and grief in such a totally cold and detached manner for no reason except to follow the rules.
So-called regulation
I got news for Americans: lots of the so-called regulation on corporations in our own country is of the same 'self-regulation' nature which Teagarden says doesn't work.
We are all terrorists now
What it is all about, to my observation, is looting every source of treasure in sight, including the US Treasury, everyone's retirement funds, and every concentration of valuable resources that can be found in throughout the world. Recognizing this fact generates the insight that, to this international cabal of criminals, the rest of us, virtually every person on earth, are all terrorists. We are all active or potential terrorists because we pose the threat of eventual retribution for their crimes, and therefore we are terrifying to these criminals gone wild. While we may rightly condemn violent acts against innocents, we need not be afraid to assume the mantle of "terrorist" in relation to these organized depraved criminals. It is one of the few reassuring aspects of our current debacle. They really are afraid of us in spite of our confused and debilitated condition. Odd but true.
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