http://economistsview.typepad.com/economistsview/2012/10/we-need-more-sensible-republican-voices.html
by Mark Thoma
Professor of Economics
University of Oregon
Nov. 5, 2012
A few thoughts:
I started this blog a few months after George Bush was reelected (March 6, 2005). There was more than one motivation behind the choice to start a blog, but a key factor was the way in which liberal/progressive ideas were presented in the media prior to the election, particularly on television. The presentation of economic issues was abysmal, and the people the news shows chose to invite onto their programs were far to the left of what I thought of as the typical Democrat. More importantly, the people representing Democrats on news and talk shows were unable to articulate the economic reasoning behind many of the Democrat’s proposals and ideas. When Social Security was targeted as a socialist redistribution scheme, for example, and George Bush pushed privatization, the people speaking for Democrats were unable to explain Social Security’s role as social insurance rather than a purely redistributive scheme, and they were unable to articulate the market failures that underlie the need for the government to take an active role in these markets.
For one, as an economist, I wanted people to know that Democrats are not opposed to markets. The vast majority of us are not a bunch of socialists waiting for our chance to overthrow the system. In fact, at least from my perspective, we wanted to fix the market failures so that markets actually work in the best interests of society as a whole, not just the privileged few. We were trying to make the system work better through institutional and regulatory reform that improves markets, to come as close as we can to the ideal markets in our textbooks, not overthrow the capitalist system.
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hope they do, and that they are successful. We have a mixed economy and that is not going to change. Some parts are left to the private sector, at least for the most part, and in other areas there is a strong government presence. We need a healthy, robust debate about where the lines ought to be drawn between the public and private sectors, and how best to regulate the economy when the government does intervene. We also need debates on how to conduct countercyclical fiscal policy, something Republicans have always supported in the past in one form or another, we need more sensible Republican voices when it comes to monetary policy, and we need a discussion of social insurance that doesn't have one-side calling for its annihilation. There are all sorts of questions that call for a debate at the margins rather than posturing at polar extremes, and I would welcome a healthier discussion of these issues.
Thursday, November 08, 2012
Wednesday, November 07, 2012
Why Americans Actually Voted For A Democratic House
http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2012/11/07/1159631/americans-voted-for-a-democratic-house-gerrymandering-the-supreme-court-gave-them-speaker-boehner/
By Ian Millhiser posted from ThinkProgress Justice on Nov 7, 2012
ThinkProgress intern Nate Niemann contributed to this report.
Although a small number of ballots remain to be counted, as of this writing, votes for a Democratic candidate for the House of Representatives outweigh votes for Republican candidates. Based on ThinkProgress’ review of all ballots counted so far, 53,952,240 votes were cast for a Democratic candidate for the House and only 53,402,643 were cast for a Republican — meaning that Democratic votes exceed Republican votes by more than half a million.
Two caveats are necessary in considering these numbers. The first is that all ballots have not been counted, so these numbers will change somewhat as more returns trickle in. (Because the remaining ballots are more likely to be from Democratic-leaning west coast states, it is likely that the Democrats’ margin will increase somewhat over time.) The second caveat is that these numbers include several California districts where two members of the same party ran against each other, and they do not include districts where a single candidate ran unopposed. Nevertheless, the fact remains that the nation is very closely divided over which party should control the House, with Democrats appearing to enjoy a slight edge.
The actual partisan breakdown of the 113th Congress will be very different, however. Currently, Republicans enjoy a 233-192 advantage over Democrats, with 10 seats remaining undecided. That means that, in a year when Republicans earned less than half the popular vote, they will control a little under 54 percent of the House even if Democrats run the table on the undecided seats.
There is a simple explanation for how this happened: Republicans won several key state legislatures and governors’ mansions in the election cycle before redistricting, and they gerrymandered those states within an inch of their lives. President Obama won Pennsylvania by more than 5 points, but Democrats carried only 5 of the state’s 18 congressional seats:
.....
Americans voted for a Democratic president, a Democratic Senate, and, barring significant shifts in the vote tally, a Democratic House. Instead, they will get a House majority similar to the one that held the entire nation hostage during last year’s debt ceiling hostage crisis. If the American people wanted this to happen, they would have said so at the polls on Tuesday. Instead, Republican state lawmakers took away their right to democratically legitimate leadership — with a big assist from the conservatives on the Supreme Court.
By Ian Millhiser posted from ThinkProgress Justice on Nov 7, 2012
ThinkProgress intern Nate Niemann contributed to this report.
Although a small number of ballots remain to be counted, as of this writing, votes for a Democratic candidate for the House of Representatives outweigh votes for Republican candidates. Based on ThinkProgress’ review of all ballots counted so far, 53,952,240 votes were cast for a Democratic candidate for the House and only 53,402,643 were cast for a Republican — meaning that Democratic votes exceed Republican votes by more than half a million.
Two caveats are necessary in considering these numbers. The first is that all ballots have not been counted, so these numbers will change somewhat as more returns trickle in. (Because the remaining ballots are more likely to be from Democratic-leaning west coast states, it is likely that the Democrats’ margin will increase somewhat over time.) The second caveat is that these numbers include several California districts where two members of the same party ran against each other, and they do not include districts where a single candidate ran unopposed. Nevertheless, the fact remains that the nation is very closely divided over which party should control the House, with Democrats appearing to enjoy a slight edge.
The actual partisan breakdown of the 113th Congress will be very different, however. Currently, Republicans enjoy a 233-192 advantage over Democrats, with 10 seats remaining undecided. That means that, in a year when Republicans earned less than half the popular vote, they will control a little under 54 percent of the House even if Democrats run the table on the undecided seats.
There is a simple explanation for how this happened: Republicans won several key state legislatures and governors’ mansions in the election cycle before redistricting, and they gerrymandered those states within an inch of their lives. President Obama won Pennsylvania by more than 5 points, but Democrats carried only 5 of the state’s 18 congressional seats:
.....
Americans voted for a Democratic president, a Democratic Senate, and, barring significant shifts in the vote tally, a Democratic House. Instead, they will get a House majority similar to the one that held the entire nation hostage during last year’s debt ceiling hostage crisis. If the American people wanted this to happen, they would have said so at the polls on Tuesday. Instead, Republican state lawmakers took away their right to democratically legitimate leadership — with a big assist from the conservatives on the Supreme Court.
Poll watcher vs poll worker
I was a poll watcher yesterday (Tues., Nov. 6, 2012).
I had a badge that said "Official Poll Watcher". I was sitting around most of the time with nothing to do. Some lady said she wished she could get a job as a poll watcher. I told her poll watchers don't get paid. I mentioned it a couple of other times in response to voter comments, then I was nicely told I wasn't supposed to talk directly to the voters. (A rule designed to keep poll watchers from trying to influence how people vote.)
A lot of people don't know what a poll watcher is.
Poll workers or poll officers are hired and paid by the elections board to run the elections. They set up the election area, sign you in, check that you are registered, give you your ballot, return the machines to the board of registrars, etc.
A poll watcher is an unpaid volunteer from a political party who watches to make sure voters are not being unlawfully denied the opportunity to vote. In Georgia, each political party can designate up to 2 poll watchers per precinct. Independent candidates can designate up to 1 poll watcher per precinct. Several times a day, I got the total number of votes cast on all the machines & texted it to headquarters. It was pretty boring, esp. because the poll manager at my precinct was very professional and fair.
I had a badge that said "Official Poll Watcher". I was sitting around most of the time with nothing to do. Some lady said she wished she could get a job as a poll watcher. I told her poll watchers don't get paid. I mentioned it a couple of other times in response to voter comments, then I was nicely told I wasn't supposed to talk directly to the voters. (A rule designed to keep poll watchers from trying to influence how people vote.)
A lot of people don't know what a poll watcher is.
Poll workers or poll officers are hired and paid by the elections board to run the elections. They set up the election area, sign you in, check that you are registered, give you your ballot, return the machines to the board of registrars, etc.
A poll watcher is an unpaid volunteer from a political party who watches to make sure voters are not being unlawfully denied the opportunity to vote. In Georgia, each political party can designate up to 2 poll watchers per precinct. Independent candidates can designate up to 1 poll watcher per precinct. Several times a day, I got the total number of votes cast on all the machines & texted it to headquarters. It was pretty boring, esp. because the poll manager at my precinct was very professional and fair.
Sunday, November 04, 2012
Murdoch's NY Post To Gov. Christie: Politicize Hurricane Sandy. Or Else
According to Murdoch, "true bipartisanship" means lying for the sake of your party, even if you think it would be bad for the people you represent.
http://mediamatters.org/blog/2012/11/04/murdochs-ny-post-to-gov-christie-politicize-hur/191124
ERIC BOEHLERT Nov. 4, 2012
In a remarkable lead editorial in Rupert Murdoch's New York Post today, the newspaper demands that New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie inject presidential politics into the cleanup effort under way in the wake of Hurricane Sandy. The Post insists he do so immediately or run the risk of being a labeled a traitor within the Republican Party.
Murdoch's Post, at this very late state of the election run, demands Christie politicize the hurricane relief effort by basically campaigning for Mitt Romney in the context of the killer storm. (Christie hosted President Obama on Wednesday to survey the state's historic damage.) And if Christie does not, the Post warns, "the Republican Party will never forgive him."
From the Post's "Politicking matters" editorial (emphasis added):
But Christie does need to go one step further and reassure his party -- and not just his party -- that he hasn't turned coat.
[...]
Yes, Christie has forcefully avoided politicking post-Sandy -- as he noted when asked about his praise for Obama.
And he was right to do so.
But true bipartisanship includes the need to make clear his belief that the incumbent's vigorous response to the disaster would have been more than matched by Mitt Romney had he been president.
South Florida County Extends Early Voting — But Only In One GOP Stronghold
http://thinkprogress.org/election/2012/11/04/1136371/south-florida-county-extends-early-voting-but-only-in-one-gop-stronghold/
By Judd Legum on Nov 4, 2012
Last night, voters in Miami-Dade County were forced to wait in line up to six hours to vote. In some precincts voters who arrived at 7PM were not able to cast their ballots until 1AM.
In response, Republican-affiliated election officials in Miami-Dade have effectively extended early voting from 1PM to 5PM today by allowing “in-person” absentee voting. But this accommodation will only be available in a single location in the most Republican area of the county.
Nearly every city within 5 to 10 miles of this location — including Hialeah, Miami Springs, Sweetwater and Miami Lakes — has a substantial Republican voter registration advantage.
The most populous city among those is Hialeah where Republicans, powered by a large Cuban community, have an overwhelming registration advantage of nearly 20,000 voters. There will not be an opportunity for in-person absentee voting in downtown Miami or South Dade, where there are heavy concentrations of Democratic voters.
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according to Jim DeFede, an investigative reporter for CBS News in Miami, the decision to have in-person absentee balloting was made last night but not announced publicly until 9:30AM this morning.
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Update: The Miami Herald reports that Miami-Dade abruptly closed the single voting location after less than 2 hours
By Judd Legum on Nov 4, 2012
Last night, voters in Miami-Dade County were forced to wait in line up to six hours to vote. In some precincts voters who arrived at 7PM were not able to cast their ballots until 1AM.
In response, Republican-affiliated election officials in Miami-Dade have effectively extended early voting from 1PM to 5PM today by allowing “in-person” absentee voting. But this accommodation will only be available in a single location in the most Republican area of the county.
Nearly every city within 5 to 10 miles of this location — including Hialeah, Miami Springs, Sweetwater and Miami Lakes — has a substantial Republican voter registration advantage.
The most populous city among those is Hialeah where Republicans, powered by a large Cuban community, have an overwhelming registration advantage of nearly 20,000 voters. There will not be an opportunity for in-person absentee voting in downtown Miami or South Dade, where there are heavy concentrations of Democratic voters.
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according to Jim DeFede, an investigative reporter for CBS News in Miami, the decision to have in-person absentee balloting was made last night but not announced publicly until 9:30AM this morning.
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Update: The Miami Herald reports that Miami-Dade abruptly closed the single voting location after less than 2 hours
Personal bankruptcy and the sin of getting too sick
http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2012/09/22/169002/commentary-personal-bankruptcy.html#storylink=omni_popular
Posted on Saturday, September 22, 2012
Issac J. Bailey
This weekend, a friend was mixing it up at a wedding shower, helping ease another woman’s path into that bedrock institution.
The next day she was lying in a hospital bed at the Medical University of South Carolina, having suffered a brain aneurysm.
It’s one of those unexpected events that happen across the globe every day, if not every minute or every second.
Read more here: http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2012/09/22/169002/commentary-personal-bankruptcy.html#storylink=omni_popular#storylink=cpy
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I know that she and her husband are kind and compassionate.
I know that they are responsible people who loved their children through the ups-and-downs of parenting.
I know they adore each other and respect each other and try to protect each other and work to help others when they can and stand firm when they must and give in situations in which others would be guided by egos.
They are productive.
They work hard.
They make the world a better place.
No matter any of that, though, their lives were up-ended because an undetected, weak blood vessel decided it was time to explode.
It seems unfair.
It is unfair.
My initial concern about how they would face the aftermath of brain surgery and adjust their broader lives and private their relationship quickly drifted to something else.
No matter the talk about 47 percent of Americans supposedly being slackers or government-dependent or irresponsible, the top cause of personal bankruptcy is the sin of getting too sick, too quickly, the sin of an unexpected major medical emergency.
I’ve seen it crush and almost crush many people over the past several years, from a woman who was paralyzed while helping a stranger during a purse snatching, to a college student who had to drop out of school and worry about how her mother would pay the mortgage and the thousands of dollars of expenses that resulted from treating an incurable, rare cancer.
I’ve seen people hold their heads high and their faith strong through layoffs caused by nameless, faceless people making dollars-and-cents decisions states away.
I’ve watched people lose homes because of a real estate bubble they had no way of knowing was about to burst like a blood vessel in the brain, without knowing that such a bubble even existed.
I’ve watched people pick themselves off the floor after the unexpected slapped them down.
I’ve seen them act as though they were not victims – smiling any way, helping others any way – even though their circumstances screamed otherwise.
Most of the millions of Americans who need help, some private, some public, aren’t standing on a sidewalk holding a tin cup asking a stranger if he could spare a dime, a sandwich.
They are like my friends, living lives worthy of the breath God has granted them, come what may
Read more here: http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2012/09/22/169002/commentary-personal-bankruptcy.html#storylink=omni_popular#storylink=cpy
Posted on Saturday, September 22, 2012
Issac J. Bailey
This weekend, a friend was mixing it up at a wedding shower, helping ease another woman’s path into that bedrock institution.
The next day she was lying in a hospital bed at the Medical University of South Carolina, having suffered a brain aneurysm.
It’s one of those unexpected events that happen across the globe every day, if not every minute or every second.
Read more here: http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2012/09/22/169002/commentary-personal-bankruptcy.html#storylink=omni_popular#storylink=cpy
-----
I know that she and her husband are kind and compassionate.
I know that they are responsible people who loved their children through the ups-and-downs of parenting.
I know they adore each other and respect each other and try to protect each other and work to help others when they can and stand firm when they must and give in situations in which others would be guided by egos.
They are productive.
They work hard.
They make the world a better place.
No matter any of that, though, their lives were up-ended because an undetected, weak blood vessel decided it was time to explode.
It seems unfair.
It is unfair.
My initial concern about how they would face the aftermath of brain surgery and adjust their broader lives and private their relationship quickly drifted to something else.
No matter the talk about 47 percent of Americans supposedly being slackers or government-dependent or irresponsible, the top cause of personal bankruptcy is the sin of getting too sick, too quickly, the sin of an unexpected major medical emergency.
I’ve seen it crush and almost crush many people over the past several years, from a woman who was paralyzed while helping a stranger during a purse snatching, to a college student who had to drop out of school and worry about how her mother would pay the mortgage and the thousands of dollars of expenses that resulted from treating an incurable, rare cancer.
I’ve seen people hold their heads high and their faith strong through layoffs caused by nameless, faceless people making dollars-and-cents decisions states away.
I’ve watched people lose homes because of a real estate bubble they had no way of knowing was about to burst like a blood vessel in the brain, without knowing that such a bubble even existed.
I’ve watched people pick themselves off the floor after the unexpected slapped them down.
I’ve seen them act as though they were not victims – smiling any way, helping others any way – even though their circumstances screamed otherwise.
Most of the millions of Americans who need help, some private, some public, aren’t standing on a sidewalk holding a tin cup asking a stranger if he could spare a dime, a sandwich.
They are like my friends, living lives worthy of the breath God has granted them, come what may
Read more here: http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2012/09/22/169002/commentary-personal-bankruptcy.html#storylink=omni_popular#storylink=cpy
Sandy Swamps Eastern U.S. But Drought Persists Almost Everywhere Else
http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2012/11/04/1135471/hell-and-high-water-sandy-swamps-eastern-us-but-drought-persists-almost-everywhere-else/
Hell And High Water: Sandy Swamps Eastern U.S. But Drought Persists Almost Everywhere Else
By Joe Romm on Nov 4, 2012
The mark of man-made climate change is weather extremes. And that’s what we’re seeing in America this week.
On the one hand, we had Frankenstorm Sandy inundating the East, with 12.55 inches of rain in Easton, Maryland, 11.91 inches in Wildwood, NJ — and a “crippling amount of heavy, wet snow”:
34.0 in. – Gatlinburg, Tenn.
33.0 in. – Clayton, W. Va.
29.0 in. – Redhouse, Md.
24.0 in. – Norton, Va.
On the other hand, the overwhelming majority of the rest of the country is in drought, especially the Great Plains. The U.S. Department of Agriculture reports the drought is still slamming farmers and ranchers:
Hay in drought dipped to 62 percent, down two percentage points from a week ago and down seven points from the Sept. 25 peak.
Cattle in drought also fell two percentage points to 69 percent, and is down seven points from Sept. 25.
Winter wheat in drought decreased for the sixth consecutive week, although drought still covers nearly two-thirds (65 percent) of the production area.
This is what climate change looks like.
Hell And High Water: Sandy Swamps Eastern U.S. But Drought Persists Almost Everywhere Else
By Joe Romm on Nov 4, 2012
The mark of man-made climate change is weather extremes. And that’s what we’re seeing in America this week.
On the one hand, we had Frankenstorm Sandy inundating the East, with 12.55 inches of rain in Easton, Maryland, 11.91 inches in Wildwood, NJ — and a “crippling amount of heavy, wet snow”:
34.0 in. – Gatlinburg, Tenn.
33.0 in. – Clayton, W. Va.
29.0 in. – Redhouse, Md.
24.0 in. – Norton, Va.
On the other hand, the overwhelming majority of the rest of the country is in drought, especially the Great Plains. The U.S. Department of Agriculture reports the drought is still slamming farmers and ranchers:
Hay in drought dipped to 62 percent, down two percentage points from a week ago and down seven points from the Sept. 25 peak.
Cattle in drought also fell two percentage points to 69 percent, and is down seven points from Sept. 25.
Winter wheat in drought decreased for the sixth consecutive week, although drought still covers nearly two-thirds (65 percent) of the production area.
This is what climate change looks like.
Secondhand smoke laws may cut heart attacks, study finds
Also, anything that impairs breathing is hard on the heart, because it has to pump faster to try to get enough oxygen to cells in the body.
http://vitals.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/10/29/14785251-secondhand-smoke-laws-may-cut-heart-attacks-study-finds?lite
by Genevra Pittm, vitals.nbcnews.com
November 30, 2012
Heart attacks dropped by one-third in one county in Minnesota after two smoke-free workplace ordinances went into place, a new study shows.
The lead researcher on the work said that decline was likely due to less secondhand smoke exposure in restaurants and bars, as smoke can trigger heart problems due to its effects on arteries and blood clotting.
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Researchers from the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota found that in the 18 months before the first ordinance was enacted, the rate of heart attacks in Olmsted County was 151 for every 100,000 people. By the 18 months following the second ordinance, that fell to 101 per 100,000 people.
Dr. Richard Hurt said a few other studies, including one from Montana, have also suggested smoke-free workplace laws could impact heart attack rates.
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Hurt, who led the research, said other predictors of heart attacks - including cholesterol levels, blood pressure and diabetes and obesity rates - all held steady or increased in Olmsted County over the study period.
"The only thing that really changed here was the smoke-free workplace laws," he said.
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According to Hurt, the findings also make sense biologically. Exposure to secondhand smoke can cause immediate changes in the lining of the aorta, and can make blood platelets stickier - so they're more likely to form a dangerous clot.
The study is in line with the Institute of Medicine, which advises the U.S. government and said in a 2009 statement that, "data consistently demonstrates that secondhand-smoke exposure increases the risk of coronary heart disease and heart attacks and that smoking bans reduce this risk."
Hurt's results are published in the Archives of Internal Medicine.
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He and his colleagues tried to account for general changes in heart attack rates that might have happened regardless of smoke-free laws. They found heart attacks had been declining even in the years before the ordinances - but fell much faster once they were put in place.
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Siegel said there is more-convincing evidence that smoke-free workplace laws can help protect against asthma attacks and other lung problems.
"We don't need to prove that they actually decrease heart attacks over a short period of time," he said. "There's lots of reasons to support (these laws)."
Flu vaccine may protect you from a heart attack
http://vitals.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/10/28/14726938-flu-vaccine-may-protect-you-from-a-heart-attack?lite
by Jennifer Nelso, vitals.nbcnews.com
November 30, 2012
Getting a flu shot this season may not only greatly lower your risk of influenza this year, it may also lower your risk of heart disease, a new review from Canada suggests.
Results show that people who received the flu vaccine were 50 percent less likely to experience a heart attack or stroke, and 40 percent less likely to die from one, compared with people in the unvaccinated control group.
The flu vaccine could be an important way to maintain heart health and ward off strokes and heart attacks, the researchers said. They presented their findings at a cardiovascular disease research meeting today (Oct. 28) in Toronto.
-----
Regardless of whether study participants had a history of heart disease, those who got the flu vaccine were less likely to have cardiovascular events, or die them from.
While the reason for the link is not exactly clear, Udell said it may be that when people develop heart disease, some factor "tips them over the edge," such as plaque clogging arteries, or lower levels of oxygen as a result of the flu.
The flu vaccine may stop this "tipping" by preventing flu, or by actually breaking up plaque in the arteries. “Either one is very provocative, and it's important to drill down and get the answer,” Udell said.
Dr. Sarah Samaan, a cardiologist and director of the Women’s Cardiovascular Institute at Baylor Heart Hospital in Plano, Texas, said the key to the link may be in reducing inflammation.
When someone gets the flu, blood levels of inflammatory substances rise, and inflammation of the blood vessels can trigger heart attacks.
“This happens because inflammation can make cholesterol plaques in the blood vessels unstable," Samaan explained. Unstable plaques are more likely to develop tiny cracks, which can cause blood clots to form. Such clots can block blood flow within arteries, causing a heart attack (if the blood vessel supplies the heart) or a stroke (if the artery feeds the brain), she said.
-----
by Jennifer Nelso, vitals.nbcnews.com
November 30, 2012
Getting a flu shot this season may not only greatly lower your risk of influenza this year, it may also lower your risk of heart disease, a new review from Canada suggests.
Results show that people who received the flu vaccine were 50 percent less likely to experience a heart attack or stroke, and 40 percent less likely to die from one, compared with people in the unvaccinated control group.
The flu vaccine could be an important way to maintain heart health and ward off strokes and heart attacks, the researchers said. They presented their findings at a cardiovascular disease research meeting today (Oct. 28) in Toronto.
-----
Regardless of whether study participants had a history of heart disease, those who got the flu vaccine were less likely to have cardiovascular events, or die them from.
While the reason for the link is not exactly clear, Udell said it may be that when people develop heart disease, some factor "tips them over the edge," such as plaque clogging arteries, or lower levels of oxygen as a result of the flu.
The flu vaccine may stop this "tipping" by preventing flu, or by actually breaking up plaque in the arteries. “Either one is very provocative, and it's important to drill down and get the answer,” Udell said.
Dr. Sarah Samaan, a cardiologist and director of the Women’s Cardiovascular Institute at Baylor Heart Hospital in Plano, Texas, said the key to the link may be in reducing inflammation.
When someone gets the flu, blood levels of inflammatory substances rise, and inflammation of the blood vessels can trigger heart attacks.
“This happens because inflammation can make cholesterol plaques in the blood vessels unstable," Samaan explained. Unstable plaques are more likely to develop tiny cracks, which can cause blood clots to form. Such clots can block blood flow within arteries, causing a heart attack (if the blood vessel supplies the heart) or a stroke (if the artery feeds the brain), she said.
-----
Slavery for all
Slavery was never abolished, it was only extended to include all the colours. - Charles Bukowski
Hot showers are not a neccesity
Americans can be such whiny wimps. I was listening to the news about conditions in places devastated by hurricane Sandy, and people were complaining because they couldn't take hot showers! For almost all of human history, there were no such things as hot showers or baths. In some places of the world, women still have to spend large amounts of time every day carrying home water from distant wells or rivers to have water for drinking and cooking.
Saturday, November 03, 2012
Why Harvard MBAs Favor Obama Over One Of Their Own
http://www.linkedin.com/today/post/article/20121031184343-17970806-why-harvard-mbas-favor-obama-over-one-of-their-own
John A. Byrne
October 31, 2012
Mitt Romney graduated from Harvard Business School in 1975 as a Baker Scholar, a distinction awarded to only the top students in every business class. By all accounts, he was the quintessential student, organizing an all-star study group of MBAs to prepare for Harvard’s case study classes.
Former classmates have described him as precise, convincing and charismatic. Not surprisingly, Romney has had a distinguished career in business with one of the most loyal recruiters of Harvard talent over the years.
But if you ask today's Harvard Business School students who they would vote for next week, Romney would lose in a landslide. Two surveys by The Harbus, the MBA student newspaper at Harvard, showed yesterday (Oct. 30), that Obama had the support of 65% of the students versus 32% for HBA alumnus Romney.
The lopsided result may seem surprising, especially because Romney used his MBA (he also graduated with a Harvard law degree as a dual-degree student) to carve out a highly successful career at Bain Capital, one of the most prestigious MBA employers on the planet. It's a path that many current Harvard MBAs would love to follow. The Harbus said the two latest surveys were completed by 668 students, more than a third of the MBA candidates on campus.
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Peterson, a second-year student himself who had been a legislative aide to conservative Sen. James Inhofe (R-OK), believes that “Barack Obama is just a damn likable fellow, particularly to younger voters like HBS students. He seems to get it. He seems to speak the same language. There’s a cultural and generational affinity.”
Then, there is the Republican brand, as Peterson put it. “The Republican brand is badly damaged among many voters whose preferences resemble our HBS sample: independent-minded, younger, upper-middle-class swing voters. To many of these voters, the GOP really puts the Old in Grand Old Party. It’s likely that this Party doesn’t like to party. And boy, the Republican Party is super white. There’s a cultural and generational gap.”
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John A. Byrne
October 31, 2012
Mitt Romney graduated from Harvard Business School in 1975 as a Baker Scholar, a distinction awarded to only the top students in every business class. By all accounts, he was the quintessential student, organizing an all-star study group of MBAs to prepare for Harvard’s case study classes.
Former classmates have described him as precise, convincing and charismatic. Not surprisingly, Romney has had a distinguished career in business with one of the most loyal recruiters of Harvard talent over the years.
But if you ask today's Harvard Business School students who they would vote for next week, Romney would lose in a landslide. Two surveys by The Harbus, the MBA student newspaper at Harvard, showed yesterday (Oct. 30), that Obama had the support of 65% of the students versus 32% for HBA alumnus Romney.
The lopsided result may seem surprising, especially because Romney used his MBA (he also graduated with a Harvard law degree as a dual-degree student) to carve out a highly successful career at Bain Capital, one of the most prestigious MBA employers on the planet. It's a path that many current Harvard MBAs would love to follow. The Harbus said the two latest surveys were completed by 668 students, more than a third of the MBA candidates on campus.
-----
Peterson, a second-year student himself who had been a legislative aide to conservative Sen. James Inhofe (R-OK), believes that “Barack Obama is just a damn likable fellow, particularly to younger voters like HBS students. He seems to get it. He seems to speak the same language. There’s a cultural and generational affinity.”
Then, there is the Republican brand, as Peterson put it. “The Republican brand is badly damaged among many voters whose preferences resemble our HBS sample: independent-minded, younger, upper-middle-class swing voters. To many of these voters, the GOP really puts the Old in Grand Old Party. It’s likely that this Party doesn’t like to party. And boy, the Republican Party is super white. There’s a cultural and generational gap.”
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Don't blame the scientists!
It's a safe bet that the people who denigrate people who chose not to evacuate for hurricane Sandy, because they didn't think it would be as bad as scientists predicted, will be largely those who deny, at best down-play, the danger of global warming, and vote for those who block action on this problem. Same for the victims who ignored the warnings. And those who have been propagandizing against scientists for the sake of their short-term profits have partial responsibility for this. Not all of it. Some people are simply not rational, in various ways; eg., contrarians, thrill-seekers, not very bright. Note that it was because of warnings from scientists that we knew the hurricane far enough ahead of time time to evacuate people from areas of risk. Even though this area has far more people know, there were many fewer deaths than there used to be, when people had no warnings. This is of course ignored by those nutballs who claim such events are punishments from God for something.
What is best for the country?
Romney says he was able to work with Democratic politicians in Massacusetts when he was governor, while President Obama has not been able to get cooperation from Republicans in Congress to work for the good of the country. That Democrats are willing to cooperate for the common good and Republicans are not is hardly a good reason to vote for Republicans.
I am bemused by those who argue that it would be a good idea to elect Romney because there might be more cooperation from Congress. So we would have a president who is desperate for power, is a constant liar, has no feeling of connection to those who are not in the power elite. And a congress filled with traitors who block economic relief from recession for the sake of making the president look bad enough so they hope he won't be re-elected, because he is in a different party. That might make for getting things done, but not things that would be good for the country!
I am bemused by those who argue that it would be a good idea to elect Romney because there might be more cooperation from Congress. So we would have a president who is desperate for power, is a constant liar, has no feeling of connection to those who are not in the power elite. And a congress filled with traitors who block economic relief from recession for the sake of making the president look bad enough so they hope he won't be re-elected, because he is in a different party. That might make for getting things done, but not things that would be good for the country!
A moderate-strength Nor'easter on Wednesday looking increasingly likely
And if this storm does hit after the election, and Obama is re-elected, for sure some nutball will say it is God's punishment for electing Obama, even though scientists predicted it days ahead of time.
http://www.wunderground.com/blog/JeffMasters/comment.html?entrynum=2286
Posted by: Dr. Jeff Masters, 7:38 PM GMT on November 03, 2012
Storm-weary U.S. residents pounded by Superstorm Sandy may have a new storm to contend with on Wednesday: an early-season Nor'easter is expected to impact the mid-Atlantic and New England with strong winds and heavy rain. Our two top models, the European (ECMWF) and GFS (run by the U.S. National Weather Service), are now in agreement on both the track and intensity of the storm. The storm will move off the coast of South Carolina/Georgia on Tuesday evening. Once over the warm waters off the coast, the low will intensify, spreading heavy rains of 2 - 3" over coastal North Carolina on Tuesday night and Wednesday morning. The storm will accelerate to the north-northeast on Wednesday and pull in cold air from Canada, intensifying into a medium-strength Nor'easter with a central pressure of 984 mb by Wednesday evening. The European model, which did an exemplary job forecasting Hurricane Sandy, is slower, predicting the Nor'easter's highest winds will begin affecting New Jersey on Wednesday night. The GFS model is about 12 hours faster, predicting the strongest winds will arrive on Wednesday morning. A 12-hour period of strong winds of 40 - 45 mph will likely affect the coast from Maryland to Massachusetts, accompanied by a swath of 2 - 3" of rain. The heaviest rains will likely fall over Eastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island. The storm also has the potential to bring more than a foot of snow to mountain areas of New England. The storm is still four days away, and four-day forecasts of the path and intensity of Nor'easters usually have large errors. Nevertheless, residents and relief workers in the region hit by Sandy should anticipate the possibility of the arrival on Wednesday of a moderate-strength Nor'easter with heavy rain, accompanied by high winds capable of driving a 1 - 2 foot storm surge with battering waves. The surge and waves will potentially cause moderate to severe erosion on New Jersey coast, where Hurricane Sandy pulverized the protective beach dunes.
New Details Discredit Fox News Reports On Benghazi Attacks
http://thinkprogress.org/security/2012/11/02/1128831/new-details-discredit-fox-news-benghazi/
By Hayes Brown on Nov 2, 2012
A slew of new reporting this morning debunks Fox News reports claiming that the Obama administration withheld assistance during the Sept. 11 attack on a U.S. diplomatic mission in Libya. With these revelations, the combined conservative narrative as led by Fox News — that the Obama administration failed to respond adequately during the attack and that mainstream media has not covered Benghazi enough — is in further disarray.
The Los Angeles Times’ version of the CIA’s role focuses the most heavily on pushing back on Fox’s spin:
“At every level in the chain of command, from the senior officers in Libya to the most senior officials in Washington, everyone was fully engaged in trying to provide whatever help they could,” a senior intelligence official said in a statement. “There were no orders to anybody to stand down in providing support.”
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[A] senior official also sought to rebut reports that C.I.A. requests for support from the Pentagon that night had gone unheeded.
In fact, the official said, the military diverted a Predator drone from a reconnaissance mission in Darnah, 90 miles away, in time to oversee the mission’s evacuation. The two commandos, based at the embassy in Tripoli, joined the reinforcements. And a military transport plane flew the wounded Americans and Mr. Stevens’s body out of Libya.
The new reports also contain previously unreported details about the CIA’s role in Benghazi. President Obama and Secretary of Defense Panetta did order U.S. forces into the region, but the CIA was the first to respond to the attack, arriving on the scene in under half an hour.
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The new reports also contain previously unreported details about the CIA’s role in Benghazi. President Obama and Secretary of Defense Panetta did order U.S. forces into the region, but the CIA was the first to respond to the attack, arriving on the scene in under half an hour.
The lack of security at the outpost in Benghazi, far removed from the U.S. Embassy in Tripoli, has been the subject of inquiry by both Fox News and Congressional Republicans. The Wall Street Journal sheds new light onto why that was the case. The CIA and State Department had entered into a series of secret deals in which the Agency would provide emergency security to the diplomats operating within Libya.
While the State Department primarily relied upon local Libyan militias for day-to-day protection, as well as contracted British private security, the arrangement between it and the CIA explains why the outpost seemed under-protected.
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By Hayes Brown on Nov 2, 2012
A slew of new reporting this morning debunks Fox News reports claiming that the Obama administration withheld assistance during the Sept. 11 attack on a U.S. diplomatic mission in Libya. With these revelations, the combined conservative narrative as led by Fox News — that the Obama administration failed to respond adequately during the attack and that mainstream media has not covered Benghazi enough — is in further disarray.
The Los Angeles Times’ version of the CIA’s role focuses the most heavily on pushing back on Fox’s spin:
“At every level in the chain of command, from the senior officers in Libya to the most senior officials in Washington, everyone was fully engaged in trying to provide whatever help they could,” a senior intelligence official said in a statement. “There were no orders to anybody to stand down in providing support.”
-----
[A] senior official also sought to rebut reports that C.I.A. requests for support from the Pentagon that night had gone unheeded.
In fact, the official said, the military diverted a Predator drone from a reconnaissance mission in Darnah, 90 miles away, in time to oversee the mission’s evacuation. The two commandos, based at the embassy in Tripoli, joined the reinforcements. And a military transport plane flew the wounded Americans and Mr. Stevens’s body out of Libya.
The new reports also contain previously unreported details about the CIA’s role in Benghazi. President Obama and Secretary of Defense Panetta did order U.S. forces into the region, but the CIA was the first to respond to the attack, arriving on the scene in under half an hour.
-----
The new reports also contain previously unreported details about the CIA’s role in Benghazi. President Obama and Secretary of Defense Panetta did order U.S. forces into the region, but the CIA was the first to respond to the attack, arriving on the scene in under half an hour.
The lack of security at the outpost in Benghazi, far removed from the U.S. Embassy in Tripoli, has been the subject of inquiry by both Fox News and Congressional Republicans. The Wall Street Journal sheds new light onto why that was the case. The CIA and State Department had entered into a series of secret deals in which the Agency would provide emergency security to the diplomats operating within Libya.
While the State Department primarily relied upon local Libyan militias for day-to-day protection, as well as contracted British private security, the arrangement between it and the CIA explains why the outpost seemed under-protected.
-----
Red Cross Faces Blood Shortfall After Hurricane Sandy
http://thinkprogress.org/health/2012/11/01/1121501/red-cross-faces-blood-shortfall-in-hurricane-sandys-wake/
By Sy Mukherjee on Nov 1, 2012
The Suffolk News-Herald reports that Hurricane Sandy forced the cancellation of over 300 blood drives on the east coast, leaving the American Red Cross short of about 9,000 units of essential blood and platelets. Red Cross is now asking for blood donors all throughout the region to make up for the gap and ensure that those most affected by the storm have access to the medical resources they need. In a statement, American Red Cross Mid-Atlantic Blood Services Region CEO Page Gambill said, “As our community recovers from the storm, we need to help the blood supply recover, too. It was the blood on the shelves that helped save patients’ lives when the hurricane hit, and it will be the blood on the shelves when the next disaster — large or small — strikes.”
By Sy Mukherjee on Nov 1, 2012
The Suffolk News-Herald reports that Hurricane Sandy forced the cancellation of over 300 blood drives on the east coast, leaving the American Red Cross short of about 9,000 units of essential blood and platelets. Red Cross is now asking for blood donors all throughout the region to make up for the gap and ensure that those most affected by the storm have access to the medical resources they need. In a statement, American Red Cross Mid-Atlantic Blood Services Region CEO Page Gambill said, “As our community recovers from the storm, we need to help the blood supply recover, too. It was the blood on the shelves that helped save patients’ lives when the hurricane hit, and it will be the blood on the shelves when the next disaster — large or small — strikes.”
Indie Rapper Uses Online Crowd Sourcing To Raise Money For Transplant Operation
http://thinkprogress.org/health/2012/11/02/1131181/indie-rapper-crowd-sourcing/
By Sy Mukherjee on Nov 2, 2012
In a striking demonstration of the power of social media and the inadequacies of the American health care system, indie rapper P.O.S., whose real name is Stefon Alexander, has taken to the Internet to raise funds for a desperately needed kidney transplant operation and his subsequent recovery.
As Time reports, Alexander — who suffers from a chronic kidney disease — was successful in finding a kidney donor, but still lacked the money necessary to self-finance his operation and the long post-op recovery period it entails.
Lacking comprehensive health coverage, Alexander and his musical crew, Doomstree, turned to his fan base for help, creating a fundraising page on the social outreach website YouCaring.com. In the face of crushing medical costs and an unsteady income source, independent artists such as Alexander are no strangers to using crowd-based appeals to fill in the coverage gaps left by private insurance, according to Time:
Even though [Alexander] is insured, his insurance only offers minimal coverage designed for those with pre-existing conditions; his dialysis makes him eligible for Medicare too, which should cover the operation, but will leave him worrying about his care and living expenses. That worry is because ticketholders weren’t the only ones dealing with the fallout of the cancelled concerts: Alexander says that, because he doesn’t sell a huge number of records (his 2009 album Never Better hit No. 106 on the Billboard 200), he depends on live concerts to make a living. With the tour canceled, he has no way to pay for the care needed around the operation or for living expenses until he is able to tour again.
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Although Alexander’s story serves as a reminder of the possibilities of technology and social networking sites, it is also reflective of a disconcerting trend in which some Americans are resorting to online crowd sourcing to pay off their medical bills due to a lack of affordable health insurance. And while the generosity of Internet strangers in such cases is touching, it is certainly not a consistent, sustainable, or defensible approach to covering Americans’ health care costs. It’s one thing to raise awareness of a musical tour or sponsor an album through the power of online communities — it’s another entirely to use them to pay for essential medical services.
Fortunately, Obamacare’s consumer protections that help extend access to health insurance to millions of additional Americans will go a long way towards making such desperate tactics unnecessary for self-employed and uninsured people. But until health costs for life-saving and chronic procedures come down to an affordable level, many Americans may still have to rely upon the kindness of strangers — and unfortunately, the vast majority of them won’t have automatic access to a loyal fan base like Alexander’s.
By Sy Mukherjee on Nov 2, 2012
In a striking demonstration of the power of social media and the inadequacies of the American health care system, indie rapper P.O.S., whose real name is Stefon Alexander, has taken to the Internet to raise funds for a desperately needed kidney transplant operation and his subsequent recovery.
As Time reports, Alexander — who suffers from a chronic kidney disease — was successful in finding a kidney donor, but still lacked the money necessary to self-finance his operation and the long post-op recovery period it entails.
Lacking comprehensive health coverage, Alexander and his musical crew, Doomstree, turned to his fan base for help, creating a fundraising page on the social outreach website YouCaring.com. In the face of crushing medical costs and an unsteady income source, independent artists such as Alexander are no strangers to using crowd-based appeals to fill in the coverage gaps left by private insurance, according to Time:
Even though [Alexander] is insured, his insurance only offers minimal coverage designed for those with pre-existing conditions; his dialysis makes him eligible for Medicare too, which should cover the operation, but will leave him worrying about his care and living expenses. That worry is because ticketholders weren’t the only ones dealing with the fallout of the cancelled concerts: Alexander says that, because he doesn’t sell a huge number of records (his 2009 album Never Better hit No. 106 on the Billboard 200), he depends on live concerts to make a living. With the tour canceled, he has no way to pay for the care needed around the operation or for living expenses until he is able to tour again.
-----
Although Alexander’s story serves as a reminder of the possibilities of technology and social networking sites, it is also reflective of a disconcerting trend in which some Americans are resorting to online crowd sourcing to pay off their medical bills due to a lack of affordable health insurance. And while the generosity of Internet strangers in such cases is touching, it is certainly not a consistent, sustainable, or defensible approach to covering Americans’ health care costs. It’s one thing to raise awareness of a musical tour or sponsor an album through the power of online communities — it’s another entirely to use them to pay for essential medical services.
Fortunately, Obamacare’s consumer protections that help extend access to health insurance to millions of additional Americans will go a long way towards making such desperate tactics unnecessary for self-employed and uninsured people. But until health costs for life-saving and chronic procedures come down to an affordable level, many Americans may still have to rely upon the kindness of strangers — and unfortunately, the vast majority of them won’t have automatic access to a loyal fan base like Alexander’s.
Oregon County Elections Official Under Investigation For Ballot Tampering
http://thinkprogress.org/election/2012/11/02/1132771/oregon-county-elections-official-under-investigation-for-ballot-tampering/
By Aviva Shen posted from ThinkProgress Election on Nov 2, 2012
The Clackamas County Elections Office is under investigation by the Oregon Department of Justice for possible ballot tampering, reports the Oregonian. A temporary election worker allegedly filled in a straight Republican ticket where voters had left blank preferences. It is unclear how many ballots were affected, but, as Blue Oregon notes, this is not the first time Clackamas County has come under scrutiny for foul play.
The state elections office has twice had to monitor the county elections office. In 2011, an elections director had to step in when county clerk Sherry Hall accepted invalid signatures for a Tea Party-backed urban renewal petition.
By Aviva Shen posted from ThinkProgress Election on Nov 2, 2012
The Clackamas County Elections Office is under investigation by the Oregon Department of Justice for possible ballot tampering, reports the Oregonian. A temporary election worker allegedly filled in a straight Republican ticket where voters had left blank preferences. It is unclear how many ballots were affected, but, as Blue Oregon notes, this is not the first time Clackamas County has come under scrutiny for foul play.
The state elections office has twice had to monitor the county elections office. In 2011, an elections director had to step in when county clerk Sherry Hall accepted invalid signatures for a Tea Party-backed urban renewal petition.
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