Conjoint melon found in Fukui. Fukushima Diary.
How much sexier would they be if they glowed in the dark? Mmm.. Delicious Melons of death..
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Saturday, October 6, 2012
Thursday, October 4, 2012
Golden Apple: The Mayan Omen. New From Goro Adachi
Goro's latest - Golden Apple: The Mayan Omen. Goro Adachi interprets multiple sets of highly symbolic narratives that are revealed in the form of Current Events. And then he searches for deeper meaning from the narratives he unearths. And then he tells us about it. (If this is your first rodeo, go back to his very first posts and catch up. Goro Adachi's writing needs context as to the perspective he presents, and there's no place like the beginning to gain said context.)
For Goro, it's been a busy, busy two months. No excerpts; Just go to the link and let him tell you about it.
For Goro, it's been a busy, busy two months. No excerpts; Just go to the link and let him tell you about it.
Your Brain on Drugs: Marijuana
A two and a half minute seminar on the physiological effects of marijuana on the human brain. Thanks, ASAP Science! You Tube:
Revealed: Army scientists secretly sprayed St Louis with 'radioactive' particles for YEARS to test chemical warfare technology
Gross. Why do you think they picked St. Louis? Oh yeah; The poor black people. No worries though, right? That last incident was 47 years ago, and I'm sure there's been no covert bullshit against citizens of any color or class since..
Somebody give me a Xanax and let's go shopping!
Somebody give me a Xanax and let's go shopping!
NEW 4-Mile Long Oil Slick Near BP’s Gulf Oil Well
BP’s Macondo Well May Leak for Years. Washington's Blog. Excerpts:
From CNN:
An oil sheen about four miles long has appeared in the Gulf of Mexico near the site of the worst oil spill in U.S. history, a Coast Guard spokesman said Thursday.
It was not immediately clear where the oil is coming from, said Petty Officer 3rd Class Ryan Tippets. [Although previous oil has been matched as a "dead ringer" to the BP well.]
Coast Guardsmen went to the location after seeing the oil on a satellite image, Tippets said. The response team collected samples and sent them to the Coast Guard Marine Safety Lab in Connecticut for testing.
***
The sheen is near the spot where, on April 20, 2010, BP’s Deepwater Horizon drilling rig exploded over the Macondo well, killing 11 workers and spewing oil that spread across a huge portion of the Gulf.
This is interesting, and a little disturbing to boot..
(Interview by Washington's Blog with Dr. Robert Bea, a member of the Deepwater Horizon Study Group.)
WB: I have heard that BP is underestimating the size of the oil reservoir. Is it possible that the reservoir is bigger than BP is estimating, and so – if not completely killed – the leak could therefore go on for longer than most assume?
Bea: That’s plausible.
WB: The chief electronics technician on the Deepwater Horizon said that the Macondo well was originally drilled in another location, but that “going faster caused the bottom of the well to split open, swallowing tools”, and that BP abandoned that well. You’ve spoken to that technician and looked into the incident, and concluded that “they damn near blew up the rig.”
Do you know where that abandoned well location is, and do you know if that well is still leaking?
Bea: The abandoned well is very close to the current well location. BP had to file reports showing the location of the abandoned well and the new well [with the Minerals Management Service], so the location of the abandoned well is known.
We don’t know if the abandoned well is leaking.
WB: Matthew Simmons talked about a second leaking well. There are rumors on the Internet that the original well is still leaking. Do you have any information that can either disprove or confirm that allegation?
Bea: There are two uncorroborated reports. One is that there is a leak 400 feet West of the present well’s surface location. There is another report that there is a leak several miles to the West.
[Bea does not know whether either report is true at this time, because BP is not sharing information with the government, let alone the public.]
Random, unacknowledged oil leaks for decades to come? Who said environmental disasters can't be fun?
From CNN:
An oil sheen about four miles long has appeared in the Gulf of Mexico near the site of the worst oil spill in U.S. history, a Coast Guard spokesman said Thursday.
It was not immediately clear where the oil is coming from, said Petty Officer 3rd Class Ryan Tippets. [Although previous oil has been matched as a "dead ringer" to the BP well.]
Coast Guardsmen went to the location after seeing the oil on a satellite image, Tippets said. The response team collected samples and sent them to the Coast Guard Marine Safety Lab in Connecticut for testing.
***
The sheen is near the spot where, on April 20, 2010, BP’s Deepwater Horizon drilling rig exploded over the Macondo well, killing 11 workers and spewing oil that spread across a huge portion of the Gulf.
This is interesting, and a little disturbing to boot..
(Interview by Washington's Blog with Dr. Robert Bea, a member of the Deepwater Horizon Study Group.)
WB: I have heard that BP is underestimating the size of the oil reservoir. Is it possible that the reservoir is bigger than BP is estimating, and so – if not completely killed – the leak could therefore go on for longer than most assume?
Bea: That’s plausible.
WB: The chief electronics technician on the Deepwater Horizon said that the Macondo well was originally drilled in another location, but that “going faster caused the bottom of the well to split open, swallowing tools”, and that BP abandoned that well. You’ve spoken to that technician and looked into the incident, and concluded that “they damn near blew up the rig.”
Do you know where that abandoned well location is, and do you know if that well is still leaking?
Bea: The abandoned well is very close to the current well location. BP had to file reports showing the location of the abandoned well and the new well [with the Minerals Management Service], so the location of the abandoned well is known.
We don’t know if the abandoned well is leaking.
WB: Matthew Simmons talked about a second leaking well. There are rumors on the Internet that the original well is still leaking. Do you have any information that can either disprove or confirm that allegation?
Bea: There are two uncorroborated reports. One is that there is a leak 400 feet West of the present well’s surface location. There is another report that there is a leak several miles to the West.
[Bea does not know whether either report is true at this time, because BP is not sharing information with the government, let alone the public.]
Random, unacknowledged oil leaks for decades to come? Who said environmental disasters can't be fun?
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
Incredible! Human Size Bat Caught In Peru
That's a big bat! The Truth Behind The Scenes:
The Peruvian army has captured something truly horrific, a human size bat, this animal as you can see in the photograph appears to be a giant bat.
Apparently this animal has been frightening locals living near the amazon jungle bordering Peru.
Recent reports state that this animal attacked several people walking through the jungle and elsewhere in Latin America. (Yikes.)
Many say that this is the Chupa Cabra, an animal reported to attack various types of livestock and suck their blood, but this creature is not a Chupa Cabra, but probably it is a giant golden-crowned Flying Fox, one of the largest species of bats in the world with a wingspan of 1.5–1.7 m (4 ft 10 in–5 ft 7 in).
This creature exceeds all sizes.
Source and author: noticiaaldia.com Bat
Again: That's a big bat!
The Peruvian army has captured something truly horrific, a human size bat, this animal as you can see in the photograph appears to be a giant bat.
Apparently this animal has been frightening locals living near the amazon jungle bordering Peru.
Recent reports state that this animal attacked several people walking through the jungle and elsewhere in Latin America. (Yikes.)
Many say that this is the Chupa Cabra, an animal reported to attack various types of livestock and suck their blood, but this creature is not a Chupa Cabra, but probably it is a giant golden-crowned Flying Fox, one of the largest species of bats in the world with a wingspan of 1.5–1.7 m (4 ft 10 in–5 ft 7 in).
This creature exceeds all sizes.
Source and author: noticiaaldia.com Bat
Tuesday, October 2, 2012
The New Titan of Tbilisi
Georgia has a new Prime Minister. Plus side? He's not known to eat ties. Minus side? He's an uber-rich, bat shit loon. Good luck, Georgia! Foreign Policy. Excerpts:
TBILISI, Georgia — Beyond his zebra-rearing, art-collecting eccentricities, we don't know all that much about Bidzina Ivanishvili, whose Georgian Dream coalition won a shock victory in Monday's parliamentary elections here. But after his victory news conference, we do know one thing for sure: He's no orator.
In a long meeting with the media in a sweaty room at Georgian Dream headquarters on Tuesday, Oct. 2, Ivanishvili rambled, repeated himself, appeared to make up policy on the spot, and accused a reporter from a major international news agency of being a stooge for his opponent, President Mikheil Saakashvili. He was also oblivious of the fact that Georgian law requires Saakashvili, as president, to approve the prime minister's nomination, at least until the Georgian Constitution changes next year. Initially, he argued forcefully with journalists that this was incorrect, before later conceding the point.
It was an unnerving performance that might give people some cause to wonder just who the man is who has benefited from the wave of popular fury against Saakashvili's reforming but authoritarian rule, and what kind of government he might go on to lead.
Much of the vitriolic election campaign that took place here over the past few months focused on the flaws or benefits of Saakashvili, the hero of the 2003 Rose Revolution. His eccentric opponent was something of a side attraction. Now that Ivanishvili's coalition is going to dominate Parliament, however, the spotlight falls on the oligarch, who lived in complete hermitdom prior to his entry into politics.
Until last year, few people even knew what he looked like. He had given just one interview, to the Russian newspaper Vedomosti, back in 2005, and he shunned all publicity and public events. He moved as stealthily as a cat whenever he left the safety of his contemporary castle of glass on a hill overlooking Tbilisi, disbursing his philanthropic donations to Georgian artists and intellectuals quietly and anonymously.
After he announced in October 2011 that he was the man to challenge Saakashvili, he had to make a quick adjustment to the world of media appearances and interviews. A gift to the profile writer, Ivanishvili often seems like he has wandered straight off the pages of a Gary Shteyngart novel. (I'm not familiar with his work, so I provided a link for others as uninformed as I..)His political rallies have featured performances by his albino son, who is a rapper. When I interviewed him two months ago, at his Black Sea estate, he arrived driving a red golf buggy, playing "My Way" on the stereo and offering an impromptu tour of his exotic-pet collection before we sat down to chat("Good God, Lemon..").
And:
His sense of political timing also leaves something to be desired. In his rambling introduction he made the same point four times and spoke at length about how he would prosecute a single judge who had been responsible for what he called unlawful verdicts against the opposition. He stated that if Saakashvili could work with the opposition, then a cooperative relationship could be achieved. Nearly two hours into the news conference, however, Ivanishvili suddenly dropped a bombshell, demanding that Saakashvili resign, instead of seeing out the final year of his presidency. "The only right thing for him to do now is to take his pen and resign," Ivanishvili said. "This would be good for himself and for his future." Ivanishvili appeared to have had the thought on the spot, and the statement immediately caused alarm among the international community, especially after Saakashvili's surprisingly magnanimous concession speech. "This call is totally unacceptable and is a direct attack against democracy and the rule of law," said a statement from Wilfried Martens, president of the European People's Party, which is affiliated with Saakashvili's United National Movement. It was only on the thorny issue of relations with Russia that Ivanishvili sounded assured, insisting that he would seek to bolster trade and cultural ties with Georgia's overbearing northern neighbor, but at the same time vowing not to err at all from Saakashvili's course of NATO and EU integration.
The general consensus at the moment is that this election campaign, despite being spiteful and vitriolic, has ended up as a tremendous advertisement for Georgian democracy. There are not many countries in this region where a powerful sitting president could be so undermined at the ballot box. But Georgian politics, after all, has a long history of enthusiastic celebration of a messiah figure before a swift process of disillusionment kicks in. Recently, we have been inundated with headlines and op-eds referencing pruned or wilted roses (the most recent: "Petals Drop Off the Rose Revolution").
The test for Ivanishvili will be keeping his newly victorious coalition -- which ranges from liberals to ultranationalists -- together, now that they are no longer fighting a common enemy. How soon before we see the first "Georgian Dream Turns to Nightmare" headline? Not long, unless Ivanishvili develops a new set of political skills quickly.
And you thought Bachmann, Akin, and Brewer were the craziest show in town.. I've got to find some YouTube clips of his kid performing! Found 'em! Scroll down, please!
Still think the Mayans were crazy and/or wrong? 2012: The year Crazy became Beautiful.
Out with the old!
In with the new!
TBILISI, Georgia — Beyond his zebra-rearing, art-collecting eccentricities, we don't know all that much about Bidzina Ivanishvili, whose Georgian Dream coalition won a shock victory in Monday's parliamentary elections here. But after his victory news conference, we do know one thing for sure: He's no orator.
In a long meeting with the media in a sweaty room at Georgian Dream headquarters on Tuesday, Oct. 2, Ivanishvili rambled, repeated himself, appeared to make up policy on the spot, and accused a reporter from a major international news agency of being a stooge for his opponent, President Mikheil Saakashvili. He was also oblivious of the fact that Georgian law requires Saakashvili, as president, to approve the prime minister's nomination, at least until the Georgian Constitution changes next year. Initially, he argued forcefully with journalists that this was incorrect, before later conceding the point.
It was an unnerving performance that might give people some cause to wonder just who the man is who has benefited from the wave of popular fury against Saakashvili's reforming but authoritarian rule, and what kind of government he might go on to lead.
Much of the vitriolic election campaign that took place here over the past few months focused on the flaws or benefits of Saakashvili, the hero of the 2003 Rose Revolution. His eccentric opponent was something of a side attraction. Now that Ivanishvili's coalition is going to dominate Parliament, however, the spotlight falls on the oligarch, who lived in complete hermitdom prior to his entry into politics.
Until last year, few people even knew what he looked like. He had given just one interview, to the Russian newspaper Vedomosti, back in 2005, and he shunned all publicity and public events. He moved as stealthily as a cat whenever he left the safety of his contemporary castle of glass on a hill overlooking Tbilisi, disbursing his philanthropic donations to Georgian artists and intellectuals quietly and anonymously.
After he announced in October 2011 that he was the man to challenge Saakashvili, he had to make a quick adjustment to the world of media appearances and interviews. A gift to the profile writer, Ivanishvili often seems like he has wandered straight off the pages of a Gary Shteyngart novel. (I'm not familiar with his work, so I provided a link for others as uninformed as I..)His political rallies have featured performances by his albino son, who is a rapper. When I interviewed him two months ago, at his Black Sea estate, he arrived driving a red golf buggy, playing "My Way" on the stereo and offering an impromptu tour of his exotic-pet collection before we sat down to chat("Good God, Lemon..").
And:
His sense of political timing also leaves something to be desired. In his rambling introduction he made the same point four times and spoke at length about how he would prosecute a single judge who had been responsible for what he called unlawful verdicts against the opposition. He stated that if Saakashvili could work with the opposition, then a cooperative relationship could be achieved. Nearly two hours into the news conference, however, Ivanishvili suddenly dropped a bombshell, demanding that Saakashvili resign, instead of seeing out the final year of his presidency. "The only right thing for him to do now is to take his pen and resign," Ivanishvili said. "This would be good for himself and for his future." Ivanishvili appeared to have had the thought on the spot, and the statement immediately caused alarm among the international community, especially after Saakashvili's surprisingly magnanimous concession speech. "This call is totally unacceptable and is a direct attack against democracy and the rule of law," said a statement from Wilfried Martens, president of the European People's Party, which is affiliated with Saakashvili's United National Movement. It was only on the thorny issue of relations with Russia that Ivanishvili sounded assured, insisting that he would seek to bolster trade and cultural ties with Georgia's overbearing northern neighbor, but at the same time vowing not to err at all from Saakashvili's course of NATO and EU integration.
The general consensus at the moment is that this election campaign, despite being spiteful and vitriolic, has ended up as a tremendous advertisement for Georgian democracy. There are not many countries in this region where a powerful sitting president could be so undermined at the ballot box. But Georgian politics, after all, has a long history of enthusiastic celebration of a messiah figure before a swift process of disillusionment kicks in. Recently, we have been inundated with headlines and op-eds referencing pruned or wilted roses (the most recent: "Petals Drop Off the Rose Revolution").
The test for Ivanishvili will be keeping his newly victorious coalition -- which ranges from liberals to ultranationalists -- together, now that they are no longer fighting a common enemy. How soon before we see the first "Georgian Dream Turns to Nightmare" headline? Not long, unless Ivanishvili develops a new set of political skills quickly.
And you thought Bachmann, Akin, and Brewer were the craziest show in town.. I've got to find some YouTube clips of his kid performing! Found 'em! Scroll down, please!
Still think the Mayans were crazy and/or wrong? 2012: The year Crazy became Beautiful.
Out with the old!
Oh, Forehead, You Truly Are Comedy Gold..
Todd Akin In 2008: Doctors Give Abortions To Women Who Aren't Pregnant. If there's no brain in there, how does his head keep its shape? Huffington Post, with delicious, delicious video to boot!
Missouri Senate candidate Todd Akin sparked national outrage in August when he justified his opposition to abortion by claiming that victims of "legitimate rape" rarely get pregnant because "the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down." However, the Republican congressman's now-infamous remarks are not the first time he's made a scientifically questionable statement on abortion.
As Slate's Amanda Marcotte reported Tuesday, Akin gave a speech on the House floor in 2008 denouncing abortion providers as "terrorists," claiming that they sometimes perform abortions on women who "are not actually pregnant":
Akin's allegation of doctors performing abortions on non-pregnant women is particularly puzzling, as, by definition, an abortion cannot be performed if there is no pregnancy to terminate.
Akin, a member of the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology, also gave a speech in 2005 on stem cell research, expressing his concern that a science-fiction story his daughter wrote about humans being harvested for body parts could become reality.
"Oppose public funding that destroys little yous and mes, and oppose this harvest of destruction," he urged his congressional colleagues considering a stem cell research bill.
Despite the overwhelming backlash to Akin's "legitimate rape" claim, the Republican has a good chance of beating incumbent Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) in next month's election. The latest polling shows Akin with a lead of one percentage point over McCaskill, and a number of Republicans, including Rick Santorum, Jim DeMint, and Newt Gingrich, have come out in support of Akin in recent weeks. (Thank God my neighbors aren't idiots, too..)
Sounds like someone needs to worry less about America's "culture of death," and worry more about his own "culture of retardation."
Scariest fragment from the article: "Akin, a member of the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology,.."
No worries, though, Forehead: If you don't win, you can always take your act on tour! The world always needs more stand-up comedians. You're already twice as funny as Dennis Miller ever was!
Missouri Senate candidate Todd Akin sparked national outrage in August when he justified his opposition to abortion by claiming that victims of "legitimate rape" rarely get pregnant because "the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down." However, the Republican congressman's now-infamous remarks are not the first time he's made a scientifically questionable statement on abortion.
As Slate's Amanda Marcotte reported Tuesday, Akin gave a speech on the House floor in 2008 denouncing abortion providers as "terrorists," claiming that they sometimes perform abortions on women who "are not actually pregnant":
"It is no big surprise that we fight the terrorists because they are fundamentally un-American, and yet we have terrorists in our own culture called abortionists. One of the good pieces of news why we are winning this war is because there are not enough heartless doctors being graduated from medical schools. There is a real shortage of abortionists. Who wants to be at the very bottom of the food chain of medical profession? And what sort of places do these bottom-of-the-food-chain doctors work in? Places that are really a pit. You find that along with the culture of death go all kinds of other law-breaking: not following good sanitary procedure, giving abortions to women who are not actually pregnant, cheating on taxes, all these kinds of things, misuse of anesthetics so that people die or almost die."
Akin's allegation of doctors performing abortions on non-pregnant women is particularly puzzling, as, by definition, an abortion cannot be performed if there is no pregnancy to terminate.
Akin, a member of the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology, also gave a speech in 2005 on stem cell research, expressing his concern that a science-fiction story his daughter wrote about humans being harvested for body parts could become reality.
"Oppose public funding that destroys little yous and mes, and oppose this harvest of destruction," he urged his congressional colleagues considering a stem cell research bill.
Despite the overwhelming backlash to Akin's "legitimate rape" claim, the Republican has a good chance of beating incumbent Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) in next month's election. The latest polling shows Akin with a lead of one percentage point over McCaskill, and a number of Republicans, including Rick Santorum, Jim DeMint, and Newt Gingrich, have come out in support of Akin in recent weeks. (Thank God my neighbors aren't idiots, too..)
Sounds like someone needs to worry less about America's "culture of death," and worry more about his own "culture of retardation."
Scariest fragment from the article: "Akin, a member of the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology,.."
No worries, though, Forehead: If you don't win, you can always take your act on tour! The world always needs more stand-up comedians. You're already twice as funny as Dennis Miller ever was!
Monday, October 1, 2012
Mutated eggplant found in Osaka
Delicious! Fukushima Diary:
And you were worried about radiation's effect on plants and animals.. The nice man was right: Radiation is good for you! Enjoy your glowing Eggplant Parmesan!
Voter-fraud shocker?! On behalf of ... the GOP?
How they know there's voter registration fraud/suppression? Evidently, because THEY'RE DOING IT! L.A. Times. Excerpts:
Republicans' current crop of "voter security" laws are Democrats' "voter suppression" laws.
For several years now, Republican-led legislatures have been loud in their concerns about what amounts to a solution in search of a problem: massive, organized voter fraud in order to steal elections. Real verified instances of organized, deliberate voter fraud can likely be counted in the scores at best, and Republicans have been ardent about using the specter of the now-disbanded ACORN group to raise a national warning.
Most spectacularly, South Carolina Republican Gov. Nikki Haley roused the troops at the Republican convention in Tampa, Fla., in August by repeating the completely boneheaded and inapt trope about the voter I.D. law of the sort her state approved (and which, like many such laws, is being challenged in federal courts).
"If you have to use picture I.D. to get onto a plane," she said, "it is common sense that you would use picture I.D. to protect the integrity of the voting process."
Another proof that common sense isn’t that common. Getting on a plane is a commercial transaction. Voting is a constitutional right. No resemblance whatsoever.
So get a load of what’s just happened.
There has emerged some potential voter fraud – possibly by a group hired by Republicans themselves, which puts me in mind of the verse in Matthew, in the Gospels, "And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?" which essentially means, who are you, Mr. Pot, to call the kettle black?
The controversy surrounds a Republican political consulting firm whose chief operated a voter registration project that was investigated by the Justice Department and several state officials in 2004 on fraud allegations; charges were never filed, and in this 2012 instance, GOP officials, including the Republican National Committee, have been scrambling to fire the consulting firm to contain the political fallout a little over a month before the elections.
This new dip into the same political hot water concerns a new group headed by the same man whose group is facing questions about suspicious voter registrations in swing states including Florida and Colorado. The GOP was paying the firm a reported $2.9 million to register voters. Several states, including North Carolina, are now looking more closely at voter registrations submitted by the group’s workers.
In the swing state of Colorado, a Fox News station reported on a young woman registering voters in Colorado Springs. In a video, she said that ‘’We’re out here in support of Romney, actually,’’ and then, when she was asked who she works for, risibly claimed – after a long pause -- to be working for the county clerk’s office.
The consulting firm at issue, Strategic Allied Consulting – love those innocuous, meaningless-sounding names, don’t you? -- was formed under that name just this year, but it is headed by former Arizona state GOP executive director Nathan Sproul. He’s a veteran of about eight years of voter registration efforts paid for by GOP interests, efforts that have drawn scrutiny in several states, North Carolina among them. (Here's hoping for a thorough, retroactive investigation of Mr. Sproul and his every move during the last two elections!)
Interestingly, Sproul has put forth the same argument about voter registration drives that opponents of voter I.D. laws use: that if there’s any problem, it’s just with a few bad apples. There’s no fraudulent intent. Riiiiight.. It looks like the GOP's problems are getting worse, not better. Florida, I'm looking in your direction.. I know this won't be the only one, but this has been a really nice October Surprise, indeed!
Republicans' current crop of "voter security" laws are Democrats' "voter suppression" laws.
For several years now, Republican-led legislatures have been loud in their concerns about what amounts to a solution in search of a problem: massive, organized voter fraud in order to steal elections. Real verified instances of organized, deliberate voter fraud can likely be counted in the scores at best, and Republicans have been ardent about using the specter of the now-disbanded ACORN group to raise a national warning.
Most spectacularly, South Carolina Republican Gov. Nikki Haley roused the troops at the Republican convention in Tampa, Fla., in August by repeating the completely boneheaded and inapt trope about the voter I.D. law of the sort her state approved (and which, like many such laws, is being challenged in federal courts).
"If you have to use picture I.D. to get onto a plane," she said, "it is common sense that you would use picture I.D. to protect the integrity of the voting process."
Another proof that common sense isn’t that common. Getting on a plane is a commercial transaction. Voting is a constitutional right. No resemblance whatsoever.
So get a load of what’s just happened.
There has emerged some potential voter fraud – possibly by a group hired by Republicans themselves, which puts me in mind of the verse in Matthew, in the Gospels, "And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?" which essentially means, who are you, Mr. Pot, to call the kettle black?
The controversy surrounds a Republican political consulting firm whose chief operated a voter registration project that was investigated by the Justice Department and several state officials in 2004 on fraud allegations; charges were never filed, and in this 2012 instance, GOP officials, including the Republican National Committee, have been scrambling to fire the consulting firm to contain the political fallout a little over a month before the elections.
This new dip into the same political hot water concerns a new group headed by the same man whose group is facing questions about suspicious voter registrations in swing states including Florida and Colorado. The GOP was paying the firm a reported $2.9 million to register voters. Several states, including North Carolina, are now looking more closely at voter registrations submitted by the group’s workers.
In the swing state of Colorado, a Fox News station reported on a young woman registering voters in Colorado Springs. In a video, she said that ‘’We’re out here in support of Romney, actually,’’ and then, when she was asked who she works for, risibly claimed – after a long pause -- to be working for the county clerk’s office.
The consulting firm at issue, Strategic Allied Consulting – love those innocuous, meaningless-sounding names, don’t you? -- was formed under that name just this year, but it is headed by former Arizona state GOP executive director Nathan Sproul. He’s a veteran of about eight years of voter registration efforts paid for by GOP interests, efforts that have drawn scrutiny in several states, North Carolina among them. (Here's hoping for a thorough, retroactive investigation of Mr. Sproul and his every move during the last two elections!)
Interestingly, Sproul has put forth the same argument about voter registration drives that opponents of voter I.D. laws use: that if there’s any problem, it’s just with a few bad apples. There’s no fraudulent intent. Riiiiight.. It looks like the GOP's problems are getting worse, not better. Florida, I'm looking in your direction.. I know this won't be the only one, but this has been a really nice October Surprise, indeed!
Presenting Spain's Economic Collapse In Context
Short, but not sweet from ZeroHedge. Bonus bad graph included..
We have presented many charts over the last few weeks showing the collapse in retail sales in Spain, along with surging unemployment, bankruptcies and non-performing bank loans. But to do justice to the situation, you’ve got to put it in context of the last 150 years, and JPMorgan's Michael Cembalest provides just such context. Spain’s adventure in the Eurozone(Starting in 1986) has sent it into an economic tailspin the likes of which have not been seen, with the exception of the Spanish Civil War, since the 19th century. At that time, the Spanish empire was at the tail end of its colonial decline, and was an under-regulated, agrarian, closed economy subject to frequent crises. The chart shows the details, highlighting the economic declines during revolutions, depressions and agricultural epidemics. Spain’s recent decline has now matched them.
We have presented many charts over the last few weeks showing the collapse in retail sales in Spain, along with surging unemployment, bankruptcies and non-performing bank loans. But to do justice to the situation, you’ve got to put it in context of the last 150 years, and JPMorgan's Michael Cembalest provides just such context. Spain’s adventure in the Eurozone(Starting in 1986) has sent it into an economic tailspin the likes of which have not been seen, with the exception of the Spanish Civil War, since the 19th century. At that time, the Spanish empire was at the tail end of its colonial decline, and was an under-regulated, agrarian, closed economy subject to frequent crises. The chart shows the details, highlighting the economic declines during revolutions, depressions and agricultural epidemics. Spain’s recent decline has now matched them.
Rupert's Headache Still Won't Go Away..
April Casburn Charged With Tipping Off News Of The World About Phone Hacking Investigation. At some point, scandals max out and blow over. Not this one! Never this one; Hopefully! The Huffington Post:
A high-ranking British detective has been charged with offering to brief the News of the World about the progress of a police investigation into phone hacking at the now-defunct tabloid — one of the most serious allegations so far uncovered in the wide-ranging scandal.
The charge sheet, made public Monday at London's Westminter Magistrates' Court, alleges that senior counter-terrorism investigator April Casburn offered to keep the News of the World up-to-date on whether police would reopen their investigation into wrongdoing at the Rupert Murdoch-owned tabloid.
If proven, that effectively meant that the scandal's chief suspects were being offered the inside track from the police force that would eventually arrest them.
Casburn, 53, spoke only to confirm her name, address, and date of birth at Monday's hearing. She has yet to enter a plea to a charge of violating the Official Secrets Act, and was released on bail until her next hearing, due on Nov. 2.
Casburn was formerly the head of Scotland Yard's terrorist financing investigation unit. The initial investigation was handled by anti-terror police because it involved phone hacking of the royal family.
The charges laid against her follow a year of revelations about how decisions taken by senior police officials helped keep the phone hacking scandal under wraps.
When it finally erupted in July 2011, the revelations that journalists at the News of the World systematically broke the law to win scoops sent shockwaves across the British political establishment.
Murdoch was forced to close the paper, police arrested dozens of journalists and Prime Minister David Cameron's press aide was forced to resign. Three top police officials — including London's most senior police officer — also stepped down.
Police have since pledged to rebalance their relationship with the press.
Here's a helpful hint: Stay out of bed with them! I hope unraveling this scandal takes another 10 years, each year worse than the previous! Hooray for international corruption investigations! And thank you, Rupert, for providing so much unintended joy!
A high-ranking British detective has been charged with offering to brief the News of the World about the progress of a police investigation into phone hacking at the now-defunct tabloid — one of the most serious allegations so far uncovered in the wide-ranging scandal.
The charge sheet, made public Monday at London's Westminter Magistrates' Court, alleges that senior counter-terrorism investigator April Casburn offered to keep the News of the World up-to-date on whether police would reopen their investigation into wrongdoing at the Rupert Murdoch-owned tabloid.
If proven, that effectively meant that the scandal's chief suspects were being offered the inside track from the police force that would eventually arrest them.
Casburn, 53, spoke only to confirm her name, address, and date of birth at Monday's hearing. She has yet to enter a plea to a charge of violating the Official Secrets Act, and was released on bail until her next hearing, due on Nov. 2.
Casburn was formerly the head of Scotland Yard's terrorist financing investigation unit. The initial investigation was handled by anti-terror police because it involved phone hacking of the royal family.
The charges laid against her follow a year of revelations about how decisions taken by senior police officials helped keep the phone hacking scandal under wraps.
When it finally erupted in July 2011, the revelations that journalists at the News of the World systematically broke the law to win scoops sent shockwaves across the British political establishment.
Murdoch was forced to close the paper, police arrested dozens of journalists and Prime Minister David Cameron's press aide was forced to resign. Three top police officials — including London's most senior police officer — also stepped down.
Police have since pledged to rebalance their relationship with the press.
Here's a helpful hint: Stay out of bed with them! I hope unraveling this scandal takes another 10 years, each year worse than the previous! Hooray for international corruption investigations! And thank you, Rupert, for providing so much unintended joy!
Sunday, September 30, 2012
The Latest Webbot Report Is Out..
So I might not get around to posting. More compelling reading.. Get your copy here.
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