Archive for June, 2011
Mining With the Invisible Hand
This is what corporations do WITH regulations: Massey Energy Co. could have prevented the West Virginia mine explosion that killed 29 workers last year and the company failed to disclose some hazards in reports it provided to government inspectors, federal safety officials said Wednesday. Patricia Smith, the U.S. Labor Department’s top lawyer, said not recording [...]
June 30, 2011
· 
John Cole · 
90 Comments
Posted in: Assholes, Free Markets Solve Everything
Open Thread: Thursday Garden Chat
From commentor WoodyNYC: For years I’ve been working on a patch of land behind our summer shack in the Catskills, trying to make a low maintenance semi-deerproof rock garden. It’s all about rocks up there. A central feature is a bunch of rocks with thyme growing between them, and right now the thyme is blooming. [...]
June 30, 2011
· Anne Laurie · 28 Comments
Posted in: Black Thumb, Open Thread
education: the subject where you can just make shit up
I grow discouraged. So here’s Liz Dwyer, education editor and blogger at Good.is, asserting that “Recent college grads still looking for full-time employment—or faced with the prospect of moving back home to live with mom and dad—are probably cursing their English and philosophy degrees.” Totally. I mean, those fruity humanities degrees are probably worthless, right? [...]
June 30, 2011
· Freddie deBoer · 99 Comments
Posted in: Uncategorized
Early Evening Open Thread – Soulwax Radio
Musically I’m all over the shop, my dears. In my 92 (almost 93!) years, I’ve seen and enjoyed the birth of almost every modern musical style that doesn’t involve catgut strings and dancing in a circle around a fire (and some that do). I’ll listen to just about anything, and if the musical experience can [...]
June 30, 2011
· Sarah Proud and Tall · 82 Comments
Posted in: Music, Open Thread
Sticking the landing
I know, blah, blah, Halperincakes. However, while acknowledging that the relevant points being made are much the same all over our side of the internets – Halperin is a douchenozzle, but perhaps we might want to concentrate more on him being a useless hack than his (not very) naughty words, and by the way has [...]
June 30, 2011
· Sarah Proud and Tall · 57 Comments
Posted in: Assholes, David Brooks is a dickhead
Talking to some rich folks that you know
The Aspens are turning. The twitter machine tells me that at the Aspen Wanker Festival, Tom Friedman says we need a third party. Presumably one which agrees with Tom Friedman with everything, and of course commands majority support throughout the country. Caption contest (h/t Steve M.) I guess I don’t mind that our Galtian overlords [...]
June 30, 2011
· Angry DougJ · 101 Comments
Posted in: David Brooks Giving A Seminar At The Aspen Institute, Our Failed Political Establishment, We Are All Mayans Now
What’s new, pussycat?
Yes, as Jonn says, the real crime isn’t that Halperin said the d-word, it’s that Obama is being criticized for taking on economic terrorists. But also too, Halperin is a crazy motherfucker from around the way, and his professional success is a sign of our languor or barbarism. He’s always had a thing for making [...]
June 30, 2011
· Angry DougJ · 53 Comments
Posted in: Our Failed Media Experiment, Our Failed Political Establishment
This Is The Right Take
On the Halperin nonsense: ’m sorry, but this is crazy. Halperin’s crack was crude and dumb, but it doesn’t deserve indefinite suspension. Halperin’s use of an expletive is trival when compared with the degradation of our political discourse we witness on a regular basis from Halperin and many others — degradation that is seen as [...]
June 30, 2011
· John Cole · 80 Comments
Posted in: Assholes, Our Failed Media Experiment
I love the smell of Franzia in the morning
The wingers don’t seem very excited about DickGate but FranziaPundit amused me: Am I the only one who takes more offense at the blurted phrase “Oh my God” (by Joe Scarborough) than the use of the word “dick” to explain the President’s behavior? I think insulting the President is rough political discourse, but saying “Oh [...]
June 30, 2011
· Angry DougJ · 115 Comments
Posted in: Hoot-Smalley
Colbert’s Joke Is On Us, Apparently
Campaign finance reform advocates are worried that Stephen Colbert’s SuperPAC shtick may open the door to some real abuses by the corporate-owned press depending on how the FEC rules. For its part, the commission has been treating Colbert’s request like any other. It’s created some quirky moments, like when Colbert had to assure the [...]
June 30, 2011
· Zandar · 55 Comments
Posted in: C.R.E.A.M., Television, The Money Party
The mask slips
I don’t have anything special against Mark Halperin. Okay, that’s not true, I think he’s a sociopathic douchebag. But what bothers me most about him is not his poor sense of humor or poor track record of predicting things accurately, what bothers me is that he presents himself as a non-partisan observer. He’s a Republican, [...]
June 30, 2011
· Angry DougJ · 140 Comments
Posted in: Our Failed Media Experiment, Our Failed Political Establishment, We Are All Mayans Now
Sample of One
I’ve posted about my proud Hispanic, former Goldwater Republican mother before. I always assumed that the recent brown hate bothered her, but I learned the depth of her animosity last night. It started with her pulling out this George Will column: The Republican future without Hispanic support would be bleak. Forty-seven percent of Americans under [...]
June 30, 2011
· mistermix · 52 Comments
Posted in: Blogospheric Navel-Gazing
Bailin’ Palin (or Why Sarah Palin’s bus tour was cancelled)
Those of you who have been reading my little posts for a while will know that I do everything I can to avoid coming into direct contact with Sarah Palin ever since I was a judge on the Miss Alaska pageant all those years ago. After that experience, and our little plane trip together, I [...]
June 30, 2011
· Sarah Proud and Tall · 43 Comments
Posted in: #notintendedtobeafactualstatement, Green Balloons, Lies, Damned Lies, and Sarah Palin, Midnight Confessions
Thursday Morning Open Thread
President Obama’s “unusually feisty” press conference yesterday (NYTimes has the full video) seems to be getting excellent reviews. The Washington Post praised his “combative new tone“; Dana Millbank added, “This was Obama as he ought to be… Populism, pugilism and American exceptionalism: From a stoic president, this was a refreshing blend..” Greg Sargent pointed out [...]
June 30, 2011
· Anne Laurie · 125 Comments
Posted in: C.R.E.A.M., Election 2012, Open Thread
Are you a Farty McFarty Pants? Try Subtle Butt Disposable Gas Neutralizers!
[Oh hai! Slow night! Here’s an oldie that makes me laugh every time. Enjoy or complain as you see fit! -Not!ABLxx] Because people are tired of smelling your ass. Is there anything worse than working in an office, letting a little stinker out only to have someone walk into your office to hand you a [...]
June 30, 2011
· ABL · 19 Comments
Posted in: Humor
