Woman Chosen 4 Supreme Court, BP Sprays Chemicals into Oil Spill, Obscene Exec Perks – News Headlines 10 May 2010
10 MayPosts Roundup This Week at Dennys Blogs 9 May 2010
9 May
From Denny: This sure has been a wild ride for the news, the BP oil spill attempt at clean-up, the crazy British election and the huge sudden drop in the stock market. I gathered some of the better stories over at Dennys Global Politics.
You just have to read about the odd new health stories about empathy nasal spray for men and the strange neck treatment for PTSD relief. And the political cartoons were out in full force as social commentary on it all so you know I just had to park a number of those posts on several blogs for Saturday! 🙂
Hope everyone had a great Mothers Day! And thank you all for your great support!
The Social Poets:
Oil Spill Disaster Cartoons – Whats Happening This Week in America – 8 May 2010
One Mother and One Child poem 4 Mothers Day – Libations Friday 7 May 2010
Transocean Kidnapped Oil Rig Survivors, Coerced Signing No Legal Repsonsiblity
Funny Parenting Quotes 4 Mothers Day – Cheeky Quote Day 5 May 2010
BP Only Responsible to $75 Million 4 Oil Disaster By USA Law
Roundup of Late Night Funnies – 3 May 2010
Posts Roundup This Week at Dennys Blogs 2 May 2010
Dennys Global Politics:
Greek Debt Crisis 4 The World: Political Cartoons 8 May 2010
BP Oil Spill Coverage – News Headlines 3 May 2010
The Soul Calendar:
Funny Wall Street Cartoons – 8 May 2010
Video: Check Out the River Monsters Swimming Near You
Bloggers: Get The New Google Buzz Buttons
Neuroscience: Want Your Man to Better Understand You? Try Empathy Nasal Spray
The Healing Waters:
Controversial Successful New Treatment 4 Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
Beautiful Illustrated Quotations:
Mothers Day Quote From Rose Kennedy
How Can You Help Your Child Keep Their Balance And Yours?
Dennys Funny Quotes:
The Great American Immigration Debate: Political Cartoons – 8 May 2010
Funny Video: Health Care Rage-Ex by Cartoonist Mark Fiore
Funny Animated Cartoon on Economy: Crashiversary Video by Mark Fiore
Ouch Outrageous Obnoxious And Odd:
Times Square Terrorist Bomber: Political Cartoons 8 May 2010
10 Funny Odd Photos – cute animals and crazy dressed people!
Funny Video: TV Anchor Falls off Chair
Food blogs:
Tradtional Sandwiches Updated: California Tuna Melt, Egg Salad
Chocolate Wonders: Kentucky Derby Pie, Make-ahead Chocolate Soufflé
Video: Louisiana Chef Makes Crawfish Etouffee
Easy Moist Chocolate Mayo Cake From Bon Appetit
Visual Insights:
Dennys Photo Gallery: Garden Views
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Funny Wall Street Cartoons – 8 May 2010
8 May
Photo by I’m Fantastic @ flickr
From Denny: Bet those high-flying irresponsible good ol’ frat boys over on Wall Street are so glad that the BP oil slick is front and center in the news this week. They think they are off the hot seat for the moment. Actually, with this week’s hinky sudden 1,000 point drop in only five minutes during stock trading triggered a whole lot of suspicion world wide. They weakly tried to claim that some inept stock trader inserted the wrong letter for “billion” when they were supposed to insert the word “million.” Nice try when you were interviewed, Goldman Sachs, but weak.
Who is going to believe that after a week of Congressional testimony discussing how to bet “short” on a stock? Looks like someone thought it would be funny to “short” Proctor and Gamble and then clean up some serious profits. Those profits need to be returned and the inept stock trader and his crafty cunning bosses need to go to jail. They almost collapsed a large American company and may have triggered yet another economic collapse. The American taxpayers simply will not bail out these jerks one more time.
As it is, when we gave them bailout monies to hire American workers, what did they do? They fired thousands of American workers as soon as they received the monies and then went and hired thousands of foreign workers using our American taxpayer money. Americans got stabbed twice by Big Business. Time to rein in the Greed Monsters on Wall Street, Mr. President and Congress. Quit enabling them to cheat us.
See Cartoons by Cartoon by David Fitzsimmons – Courtesy of Politicalcartoons.com – Email this Cartoon
*** ALSO today for political cartoons opinion of the latest news:
Oil Spill Disaster Cartoons – Whats Happening This Week in America – 8 May 2010
The Great American Immigration Debate: Political Cartoons – 8 May 2010
Times Square Terrorist Bomber: Political Cartoons 8 May 2010
Greek Debt Crisis 4 The World: Political Cartoons 8 May 2010
*** THANKS for visiting, feel welcome to drop a comment or opinion, enjoy bookmarking this post on your favorite social site, a big shout out to awesome current subscribers – and if you are new to this blog, please subscribe in a reader or by email updates!
1,000 Point Stock Market Plunge, Brits Still Tied After Election, Examining Obamas Humor – News Headlines 7 May 2010
7 MayFrom Denny: What a weird week this has been with the stock market plunging 1,000 points in only five minutes, supposedly due to a computer malfunction or human error. Who believes that lie? Come on; someone thought it would be cool to “short” a company, make some money really fast, and then right the ship in only five minutes. But it didn’t turn out that way. Everyone is suspicious and the investigations have begun.
Speaking of weird, how about that crazy three way tie in the British elections? Now if Brown gets serious and decides to truly carry out a possible resignation then things might move ahead for his party. This has to be surreal for the British people, living in limbo like this for a national government – even after the votes were cast.
And to top off the weird category this week there is a story about President Obama’s humor is examined. Apparently, some journalists decided it was noteworthy – it isn’t in my opinion – to chastise Obama for no longer being quite so self-deprecating and poking fun at his friends and political enemies. Why is this newsworthy? I’ll leave it to you to decide that weird one… 🙂
Greek Debt, Trader Error Eyed in Market Sell-Off (CBS)
Dow Plunged 1,000 Points Late in Day Before Recovering to Finish Down 347; Did Trader Type ‘Billion’ Instead of ‘Million’?
The stock market had one of its most turbulent days in history as the Dow Jones industrials fell to a loss of almost 1,000 points in less than half an hour.
The sell-off was first thought to have been driven by fears that Greece’s debt problems could halt the global economic recovery. But reports suggest that a trader error may have been the primary catalyst or that both factors contributed to the massive drop.
CNBC first reported that “According to multiple sources, a trader entered a ‘b’ for billion instead of an ‘m’ for million in a trade possibly involving Procter & Gamble, a component in the Dow.”
Because so much U.S. trading is now done electronically based on programmed scenarios, such an error could have triggered its own domino effect of “sell” orders across the market.
The market’s plunge came less than 90 minutes before the end of trading. The Dow’s drop was its largest loss ever during the course of a trading day, but it recovered to a loss of 347 at the close. All the major indexes lost more than 3 percent…
Computer trading intensified the losses as programs designed to sell stocks at a specified level kicked in. Traders use those programs to try to limit their losses when the market is falling. And the selling only led to more selling as prices fell.
The selling was furious:
At 2:20 p.m. 6 May 2010 EDT, the Dow was at 10,460, a loss of 400 points.
It then tumbled 600 points in seven minutes to its low of the day of 9,869, a drop of 9.2 percent.
U.K. in Deadlock, Parties Jockey for Power (CBS)
Prime Minster Brown, Conservatives’ Cameron Each Court 3rd-Place Liberal Democrats to Form Ruling Coalition
The leaders of Britain’s leading political parties each made bids for the keys to 10 Downing Street, after Thursday’s election failed to produce a majority winner.
Conservative leader David Cameron, ahead but shy of a majority, seized the initiative with a “comprehensive offer” to the ideologically dissimilar but possibly willing Liberal Democrats.
“We have to accept that we fell short of an overall majority,” said Cameron, 43, as results showed his party 20 seats short in the House of Commons.
“Britain needs strong, stable decisive government and it is in the national interest that we get that on a secure basis. … I want to make a big, open and comprehensive offer to the Liberal Democrats,” he said.
But Cameron promised only a “committee of inquiry” to look into the Liberal Democrats’ major goal, reform of Britain’s electoral system so that the number of seats gained is based on the percentage of vote a party achieves. They say that is fairer than the current system, in which a party can win a parliamentary majority by getting only a third of votes.
In Thursday’s election, the Conservatives won 36 percent of votes cast, Labour 29 percent and the Liberal Democrats 23 percent.
Final results in Thursday’s election gave the Conservatives 306 seats it the 650 seat House of Commons. Labour won 258 seats, the Liberal Democrats 57, and smaller parties 28. Voting in one constituency was postponed until later this month because of the death of a candidate.
“The country has spoken – but we don’t know what they’ve said,” former Liberal Democrat leader Paddy Ashdown said, summing up confusion.
The uncertainty sent markets slumping.
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said Friday he is prepared to speak to any other party about forming an alliance.
“We find ourselves in a position unknown to this generation of political leaders,” Brown said outside 10 Downing Street this morning. “What we have seen are no ordinary election results. People have been talking for some time inside and outside of government about the possibility of a hung Parliament. That possibility has now become very real and very pressing.
“The question for all the political parties now is whether a parliamentary majority can be established that reflects what you, the electorate, have told us,” Brown said.
As sitting prime minister, Brown would traditionally be given the first chance to put together a government. His left-of-center Labour Party is seen as a more natural coalition fit with the Liberal Democrats, the third-place party now thrust into the role of potential kingmaker…
Oil Leak Container Touches Down on Seafloor (CBS)
Robot Submarines Used to Position 100-Ton Structure; Contraption Needs 12 Hours Minimum to Settle
A BP-chartered vessel lowered a 100-ton concrete-and-steel vault onto a ruptured well in the Gulf of Mexico on Friday, an important step in a delicate and unprecedented attempt to stop most of the gushing crude fouling the sea.
Underwater robots guided the 40-foot-tall box into place. Now that the contraption is on the seafloor, workers will need at least 12 hours to let it settle and make sure it’s stable before the robots can hook up a pipe and hose that will funnel the oil up to a tanker.
“It appears to be going exactly as we hoped,” BP spokesman Bill Salvin told The Associated Press on Friday afternoon, shortly after the four-story device hit the seafloor. “Still lots of challenges ahead, but this is very good progress.”
Once a hose is connected to siphon the box’s contents to a ship on the water level, engineers have to separate the mix of oil, water and gas, a potentially explosive process, CBS News Correspondent Mark Strassmann reports from Venice, La.
By Sunday, the box the size of a house could be capturing up to 85 percent of the oil. So far about 3 million gallons have leaked in an environmental crisis that has been unfolding since a deepwater drilling platform exploded April 20, sending toxic oil toward a shoreline of marshes, shipping channels, fishing grounds and beaches. Eleven workers were killed in the accident.
The lowering of the containment device was a slow-moving drama playing out 50 miles from Louisiana’s coast, requiring great precision and attention to detail. It took about two weeks to build the 40-foot box, and the effort to lower it by crane and cable to the seafloor began late Thursday night. After it hit bottom Friday afternoon, the crane gradually eased off to allow it to settle.
“We are essentially taking a four-story building and lowering it 5,000 feet and setting it on the head of a pin,” Salvin said…
Obama’s Humorous Shots at Opponents (CBS)
Bill Plante talks to Washington Post’s Paul Farhi, author of an article about presidents and their funny bones.
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USA Offshore New Oil Drilling Halted, New USA Terrorist Screening, 3-Way Tie in Brit Election – News Headlines 6 May 2010
6 MayFrom Denny: It just goes to show how much of a shell game is still going on in Congress with the latest GOP amendment voted down by the Democrats. There are two versions of how the bill was viewed even by the media. Essentially, the Democrats voted down the breaking up of big banks. On the flip side, Democrats safeguarded consumer protections the GOP wanted to get rid of in the financial industry. So, basically, Big Business got what it wanted: financial monopoly to keep screwing over the consumer.
Speaking of screwing over, there is a movement a foot in America of younger generation home owners – who owe on their mortgages far more than their homes are worth – well, these home owners are walking away from their financial responsibility. They have jobs. They are not bankrupt. They are angry at Big Banks and Big Business for constantly changing the terms of contracts and the financial mess on Wall Street that caused their real estate assets to turn into liability nightmares.
Apparently, they have no patience to wait for the real estate market to come back up to bring up the values of their homes. They believe they can get another house ten years from now, while saving up money. I’m not so sure that by intentionally defaulting on these mortgages now will make it possible in the future to be considered for another mortgage. That’s quite a gamble.
Arizona continues to scare away the hard-working illegals as families run to Colorado or California. They fear the law will separate the undocumented parents from their children who were born here as American citizens. They are probably right. The sad thing is the criminals are not these families. It will be interesting to see how things shake out on this immigration law in Arizona as they bleed workers from their state who took the lowest paying jobs Americans did not want. Then what?
As to the oil rig spill disaster still playing out in the Gulf of Mexico, growing larger every day, it seems a new villain to rear its ugly head is Transocean. It is just now coming out that Transocean spirited away from the media – and their families – for a 15 hour interrogation – to coerce these traumatized survivors to sign legal documents while still in shock to release Transocean from legal responsibility.
You have got to be kidding me! Who do they think they are? The CIA after terrorists? Talk about sear into the survivors more PTSD symptoms when they were postponed treatment for their injuries, whether physical or psychological. These scumbag corporate lawyers and investigators need to be investigated for wrong-doing and prosecuted. They basically kidnapped these survivors against their will because they denied them access to leave and denied the families, the police and the media access to visit or talk to them.
*** ALSO: Transocean Kidnapped Oil Rig Survivors, Coerced Signing No Legal Repsonsiblity
Feinstein: Terrorist Screening Must Improve (CBS)
Sen. Dianne Feinstein said the government will have to improve screening of potential terror suspects, including making changes to how airlines use the no-fly list.
In the wake of Faisal Shahzad’s near getaway on board a Dubai-bound Emirates airline flight late Monday, despite the fact that he was added to the no-fly list earlier that day, airlines are being required to check the list every two hours. Shahzad’s no-fly status was apparently unknown to the airline when he boarded the flight…
“I would even prefer if it were sooner. And I think at some point the government is, in fact … going to take over the list. And then it become as strict governmental responsibility. I think that’s one reform that can easily be made,” she said.
Feinstein said the Transportation Security Administration should enforce the list, not just domestically, but internationally as well.
“This is not an easy thing because I think we’re now finding that there is a new prototype of this kind of terrorist. And this man, in fact, is a citizen. … He’s made a number of trips to Pakistan back and forth. And there are about 180,000 people a year going to Pakistan, 160,000 coming back. That’s a lot of people to set up an improved screening system. But I think this is one of the things that has to happen because if we’re going to prevent these attacks, we have to have a better screening of individuals who are likely suspects. And that’s a very tall order.”
Feinstein also addressed a proposal by Sen. Joseph Lieberman, I-Conn., to strip terror suspects of their citizenship, regardless of whether they’ve committed any crimes.
“Sen. Lieberman proposed that once before. I took a look at it then … and my analysis was that it would not stand the constitutional test based on law made by the Supreme Court. I haven’t seen the latest draft and don’t know whether it’s changed. So I really can’t say.”
Brits Head to Ballots to Elect New PM (CBS)
Outcome Said Likely to Reshape Nation’s Politics in Historic Ways
There’s only one good bet in Britain’s razor-edge election: It’s likely to reshape the country’s politics in historic ways.
Should Gordon Brown cling to power, his Labour Party will have pulled off one of the most unlikely political comebacks in modern times. Victory for the Conservatives’ David Cameron would return his once-discredited party to office after 13 years.
More likely – in an election with important consequences for everything from the war in Afghanistan to the global economy – there will be no clear winner, and a good showing for Liberal Democrat upstart Nick Clegg.
Only months ago, most thought the election would be the Conservatives’ for the taking – but that was before the perfect political storm emerged.
An embarrassing expense scandal last year enraged voters after lawmakers were caught being reimbursed for everything from imaginary mortgages to ornamental duck houses at country estates, bringing trust in British politics to a record low.
And although lawmakers from all three parties were involved, the backlash was most severe for Britain’s old guard, the Conservatives and Labour. Labour’s popularity, slipping since Tony Blair’s landslide victory in 1997, took a nose-dive after the unpopular Brown took the reins.
Then came the surprise success of Clegg, an affable 43-year-old who called for a complete overhaul of British politics during the country’s first-ever televised election debates. His impressive performance thwarted Cameron and added to nagging worries over the extent to which the Tory leader has actually overhauled the stodgy Conservatives.
The 43-year-old Cameron has also been hampered by his own elite background. Eton-educated and married to an aristocrat’s daughter, many question whether he can relate to an electorate that has endured 1.3 million layoffs and tens of thousands of foreclosures over the past year and a half.
“This could go down as one of the most revolutionary elections in the history of this country,” said Bill Jones, a political analyst at Liverpool Hope University.
The stakes are high – both domestically and internationally. As Europe grapples with Greece’s financial crisis, global markets are waiting impatiently for Britain’s election outcome – anxious to know how quickly work can begin to cut the country’s record 153 billion-pound ($236 billion) deficit, and whether the parties will be able to cooperate to pass key legislation.
A Conservative majority would likely lead to a stock market rally and a boost for the British pound because the Tories favor more aggressive, and immediate, cuts than Labour to Britain’s huge budget deficit. But even a Labour majority could see a rally purely because it would erase market uncertainty.
The impact of a hung Parliament – in which no party wins enough seats to govern outright – is far less certain. Some analysts suggest that fears about delayed action on the deficit could weigh on Britain’s currency and stocks. Others say the markets have already factored that in and believe rapid action on the deficit is possible – as long as a new government is formed quickly.
If the Liberal Democrats are able to push through their main goal – overhauling Britain’s centuries-old electoral system so it is more proportionate – the changes would favor center-left parties, and potentially shut Cameron’s Conservatives out of power for decades.
Britain’s four-week electoral campaign was transformed by the country’s first televised debates. The three prime-time clashes offered Clegg rare equal billing with Brown and Cameron, and he shined – combining his telegenic, friendly manner with sharp attacks on his rivals and the country’s electoral system.
The Liberal Democrats – who have traditionally won about 20 percent of the vote since the party formed in a merger in 1988 – have held on to that unlikely surge, despite a dip in the last week of the campaign.
The same system that Clegg wants to overhaul, in which the number of districts won – not the popular vote – determines who runs the country, could produce perhaps the most bizarre election scenario. Labour could win fewer seats than the Conservatives, but still stay in power.
That’s because convention holds that in the event of a hung Parliament, Queen Elizabeth II should offer the sitting prime minister the first chance to try to form a government – even if his party wins fewer seats than the opposition.
In such a scenario, Clegg could find himself with the balance of power. The backing of his expected bloc of about 80 seats in a coalition would give Cameron or Brown the ability to form a government and pass laws.
However, Clegg has already indicated his price will likely be Brown’s resignation, as well as key government positions and a commitment to a proportional voting system – which Cameron bitterly opposes.
Graham Smith, of Republic, a lobby group seeking to abolish Britain’s monarchy, said the queen could face a public backlash.
“The queen is terrified of making a decision because of the consequences for her if that decision is unpopular,” he said.
It’s also possible that as early as Friday, Cameron will take the keys to London’s No. 10 Downing Street after ousting the 59-year-old Brown – who may decide to quit if his party is humbled…
Push Underway for Nuke-Free Mideast (CBS/AP)
Israel Likely to Face Pressure as World’s Nuclear Powers Say They Are Ready for “Concrete Steps”
The United States and the world’s four other major nuclear powers say they are ready for “concrete steps” to help move the Middle East toward establishing a regional nuclear weapons-free zone.
After 15 years of inaction, this long-dormant Arab idea, intended to pressure Israel to give up its secretive atomic arsenal, has been revived at the monthlong conference reviewing the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT).
But how far the United States, Israel’s strongest supporter, is willing to go is not yet clear. Washington’s chief arms control official said the lack of a comprehensive Arab-Israeli peace remains an obstacle.
“The question is, how do you do that in the absence of a peace plan?” Undersecretary of State Ellen Tauscher said Wednesday of the “nuke-free” zone idea.
But in answer to a reporter’s question, she said the U.S. has been working “for months” with Egypt on the issue. Washington also has been discussing it with the Israelis, said another Western diplomatic source, who asked for anonymity since he was discussing other countries’ contacts.
“The Five,” the treaty-recognized nuclear powers United States, Russia, Britain, France and China took their position in a joint statement of nonproliferation and disarmament goals read to the conference Wednesday, in its third day, by Russian arms negotiator Anatoly I. Antonov.
Of the proposal for a Mideast free of weapons of mass destruction, he said, “We are ready to consider all relevant proposals in the course of the review conference in order to come to an agreed decision aimed at taking concrete steps in this direction.”
In 1995, another of these twice-a-decade conferences adopted a resolution calling for a Mideast zone free of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons. Such a zone would join five other nuclear-free regions globally Africa, Southeast Asia, Central Asia, the South Pacific and Latin America.
It was support for that 15-year-old resolution that the five powers reaffirmed on Wednesday.
Although the U.S. has long endorsed the idea, it has never pushed for action. In her speech to the nuclear conference on Monday, however, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said Washington would support “practical measures for moving toward that objective.”
GOP Challenge to Financial Reform Bill Fails (CBS)
Following strong pushback from the White House, Senate Democrats today voted down a Republican proposal that opponents suggested would have effectively “gutted” consumer protections in the financial industry reform bill.
The amendment failed 38 yeas to 61 nays.
The bill being proposed by Democrats creates a consumer protection division housed at the Federal Reserve that would consolidate various consumer protections. The GOP amendment would have based that consumer protection division within the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp., or FDIC.
As CBS News Capitol Hill producer John Nolen reports, Republicans argued that the Democrats’ proposal created unnecessary bureaucracy and represented government overreach; they suggested it would impact small businesses caught up in new regulations.
For their part, Democrats said that if the GOP amendment passed, the consumer protection division would lack independence and authority and essentially leave oversight to the same regulators that failed last time around…
President Obama released a statement earlier today hammering the Republican amendment as one that “will gut consumer protections and is worse than the status quo.”
“This amendment will significantly weaken consumer protection oversight, includes dangerous carve outs for payday lenders, debt collectors, and other financial services operations, and hurts the ability of community and local banks to compete by creating an unlevel playing field with their non-bank competitors,” the statement said, deeming the amendment “unacceptable…”
Meanwhile, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, in an interview with the Huffington Post, said he would ensure that an amendment to break up big banks would come up for a vote – adding that he was leaning toward backing it. Majority Whip Dick Durbin has already come out in favor of the amendment. Under the amendment, designed to end “too big to fail,” no bank could hold more than 1/10th of U.S. deposits.
Reid also said he supported an amendment to audit the Federal Reserve. That could mean, among other things, exposing payoffs to companies financially intertwined with AIG following the government bailout of the company.
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Senate Kills Bid To Limit Size Of Banks (NPR)
A bipartisan Senate coalition has rejected a proposal to limit the size of the nation’s largest banks as a means of reining in the financial sector.
The Senate voted 61-33 against a proposal that would have required the nation’s giant banks to split up. The Obama administration has argued that the size of financial institutions was not the root cause of the 2008 Wall Street crisis.
The proposal by Democratic Sens. Sherrod Brown of Ohio and Ted Kaufman of Delaware was opposed by the bank industry. Brown and Kaufman argued that cutting banks down to size would end firms deemed “too big to fail.”
Among the banks that would have been affected were Bank of America, JPMorgan Chase, Citigroup, Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley.
Earlier, Senate Republicans failed to get support for their own version of a consumer protection agency.
The GOP proposal failed on a vote of 38 to 61. Two Republicans — Olympia Snowe of Maine and Charles Grassley of Iowa — joined Democrats to defeat the measure.
Republicans proposed a council devoted to consumer lending within the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. Their plan sought to narrow the focus to businesses they said were at the core of the economic crisis — such as nonbank mortgage companies.
The White House criticized the proposal.
“Alternatives that gut consumer protections and do nothing to empower the American people by cracking down on unfair and predatory practices are unacceptable,” President Obama said in a statement before the vote.
Sen. Jack Reed (D-RI) said the Republican plan essentially created a loophole for payday lenders, debt collectors and other financial businesses.
“They would create an oversight agency and then exempt virtually the entire financial industry for consumer lending oversight,” Reed said. “It’s more like a lapdog then a watchdog.”
The current legislation seeks a consumer bureau headed by a presidential appointee, with its own budget and rule-making authority. It would be housed within the Federal Reserve. It would write and enforce laws over all kinds of personal lending — from student loans to credit cards and mortgages. That responsibility is at present spread across seven agencies.
But Sen. Richard Shelby (R-AL) said the current plan would create a “massive new bureaucracy whose power and scope would have no equivalent in the U.S.”
The Senate then turned its attention to another amendment opposed by the Obama administration — a proposed audit of the Federal Reserve that has bipartisan support and that even Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) has said he is inclined to support.
It would require the Federal Reserve to undergo a thorough audit by Congress’ investigative arm, the Government Accountability Office.
The measure, proposed by Vermont independent Sen. Bernie Sanders, has populist support from across the political spectrum, from Tea Party activists to liberals and labor organizations. The Federal Reserve and the Treasury oppose the measure, arguing it could interfere with the Fed’s independence, a crucial element if the Fed is to carry out unpopular but economically essential policies.
Sanders stressed Thursday that the GAO examination would not intrude on the Fed’s job of setting monetary policy. Instead, it would focus on the Fed’s emergency lending authority to banks and would require that it make public the recipients of that money.
“We cannot let the Fed operate in secrecy any longer,” Sanders said.
Interior Secretary Halts Offshore Drilling Leases (NPR)
Interior Secretary Ken Salazar ordered a halt Thursday to all new offshore drilling permits nationwide until at least the end of the month, stepping up scrutiny of the entire industry amid a catastrophic oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
Salazar spoke to reporters Thursday outside BP’s Houston crisis center and said lifting the moratorium on new permits will depend on the outcome of a federal investigation over the Gulf spill and the recommendations to be delivered to the president May 28.
He said until then, “We are putting things on hold relative to the granting of permits for well construction on the outer continental shelf.”
The ramifications of his order extend beyond the Gulf and affect permits pending in Alaska as well.
“They will not get those permits until we have an opportunity to complete this review,” he said. “We will see what lessons we learn between now and then and at that point will make a decision about how we’re going to move forward…”
He said this was his second trip in a week to the BP operation in Houston — “to make sure” BP Plc is doing everything it can to respond to the slick.
Earlier, the Interior Department suspended planned lease sales for oil drilling off the coast of Virginia.
Immigrant Families Leave Arizona, Fearing Law (CBS)
At Least 100,000 Illegal Immigrants Flee the State Fearing Legislation; Some Citizens Angered by Financial Impact
…Manuela Quintana said that they decided to leave when the Arizona governor signed the new immigration law.
For years, their family thrived with jobs in restaurants and construction, reports CBS News correspondent Kelly Cobiella. Their 10 children were born here and are U.S. citizens. Both she and her husband are undocumented, and currently unemployed.
She said that her biggest fear is being put in jail and having her children taken away from her. Just the thought of moving scares their 12-year-old daughter Graciela…
Two years ago, this park was filled with families every weekend. Arizona was home to more than half a million illegal immigrants. Since then, at least 100,000 have left…
Rig Survivors Felt Coerced To Sign Waivers (NPR)
Hours after they had been rescued, workers who survived an explosion on an oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico were asked to sign form letters about what they had seen and whether they had been injured.
Lawyers for the oil rig’s owner, Transocean, requested that workers who had survived the blast sign the form in the wake of the April 20 blowout on the Deepwater Horizon. This was hours before the workers had been allowed to see their families.
Now some of those survivors say they were coerced and that the forms are being used against them as they file lawsuits seeking compensation for psychiatric problems and other injuries from the blast.
“The form that they made them sign had, ‘I was here when it happened, I didn’t see anything.’ Or ‘I saw this and I was or was not hurt,’ ” says Steven Gordon, a Houston attorney who represents some of the survivors.
It’s a pre-printed form letter. The surviving rig worker was asked to fill in the date, his name and address and where he was at the time the evacuation was ordered.
Then there are the two paragraphs at the end.
One says: “I was not a witness to the incident requiring the evacuation and have no first hand or personal knowledge regarding the incident.”
The second says: “I was not injured as a result of the incident or evacuation.”
The men were asked — if they agreed — to initial those statements.
Documents show those initials now are being used against the survivors as they file lawsuits seeking payment for emotional distress and other claims. Gordon says “When we were hired by one of the survivors, we gave notice to Transocean’s lawyers. And the immediate response was, ‘Wow, we’re surprised. Here’s a statement that says he’s not hurt.'”
Gordon and attorney Kurt Arnold each have one client who has received letters from Transocean in the past few days.
Arnold says asking the men to sign those forms was coercive. He says the request came more than 24 hours after the rescue, after the men had seen 11 of their friends die in the explosion and chaos of that night, and after they had run to lifeboats to try to save their own lives.
Arnold’s clients aren’t speaking publicly but have described the scene to him. “It’s extremely gruesome,” he says. “I mean, one of the guys told me that as he’s running out, there’s guys burning and some guys missing limbs. It’s like a war zone.”
Arnold and Gordon say the survivors were kept on the water, in boats and on another rig for 15 hours or more. The explosion on the rig happened at about 10 p.m. on Tuesday, April 20. “They did not bring them in till 3 a.m. Thursday morning,” Gordon says.
When they did get to shore, he says: “They were zipped into private buses, there was security there, there was no press, no lawyers allowed, nothing, no family members. They drove them to this hotel and they escorted them into the back of this hotel, once again under escort.”
It would be many hours more, according to lawyers and survivors, before they could see family and, for many, even telephone loved ones to say they were safe.
Secluded at a hotel, they were questioned by company consultants and investigators. And given the form to sign.
Arnold says it only added to his client’s emotional distress. “Talking about adding to post-traumatic stress. Don’t take them in once you get ’em off the rig. Just keep ’em there for 15 hours so that they can watch, watch their rig burning up, knowing they had to leave some of those guys behind. I mean come on. Really? Was there any reason for that?”
But Arnold thinks it was very deliberate. “The reason they were doing that, I think, is so they could assemble their teams onshore of investigators so that when they got to the hotel room they could try to get these guys to sign statements and such before they’d even let them go to bed. That’s what they did. Unbelievable.”
Other legal experts said the tactic of such letters is extreme but not unheard of — and that courts may question them. Says Robert Anderson, who teaches maritime law at Pepperdine University School of Law in California: “I think the court would respond very skeptically to a waiver of any type of these basic rights where the seaman was acknowledging that he or she was not injured or suffered no damages or otherwise was releasing the employer, particularly if that waiver was executed in the wake of a rescue at sea.”
NPR contacted Transocean and the company sent a response by e-mail. “From the beginning,” the response says, “our focus has been on the crew members and their families, working with all parties in the response efforts and conducting a Transocean investigation into the incident. At this time, it would be inappropriate to comment on litigation.”
*** ALSO: Transocean Kidnapped Oil Rig Survivors, Coerced Signing No Legal Repsonsiblity
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Pakistan Trained Bomber, Obamas Workaholic Ways, Catholics Polled About Sex Abuse – News Headlines 4 May 2010
4 May
From Denny: The naturalized Pakistani-American New York Times Square so-called alleged yet confessed bomber, Faisal Shahzad, has taken control of the news cycle since this past weekend. I’ll bet Goldman Sachs is thrilled to get off the hot seat for a short while. What’s terrible about this bomber is he was prepared to kill hundreds of children. Yet this guy is a father himself.
What’s more irritating is that Pakistan actually thinks they have no responsibility in this mess. The bomber disappears into Pakistan for five months and returns to America a changed person who is ready to kill the very people who friended him for over a decade. Sounds like a case of brainwashing to me. As long as Pakistan gives refuge to terrorist camps they are equally responsible.
The one funny thing about this incident is that the Republicans are apoplectic that the Obama administration caught this guy so quickly. The Republicans are actually trying to find something to say negative about Obama’s performance and end up looking more lame by the minute. Why would anyone complain that the intelligence, homeland security, FBI and other alphabet soup agencies actually got their acts together for a change and shared intelligence and resources to track down the bomber? Answer: only the Republicans could be that stupid. The way they are always wailing about who is and who isn’t patriotic it sure makes them look pro-terrorist when they criticize Obama for catching a terrorist.
And another thing… since it was a Saudi airline that refused to run the bomber’s name through Homeland Security to check if he was on the no-fly list (he was) then it sure makes them look like they are giving refuge to terrorists by helping them fly out of the country after committing a crime. It’s bad enough the Saudis own our ports and our biggest banks and credit card companies, now they have an airline that thinks it can subvert American law on a whim. Anything just a bit suspicious here? Maybe it’s high time to kick the Saudi businesses out of America – especially the airlines.
*** ALSO: BP Only Responsible to $75 Million 4 Oil Disaster By USA Law
Bomb Suspect: How Was He Caught?
Insight and analysis of the Times Square bomb arrest. Harry Smith talks to Bob Orr, CBS News Homeland Security Correspondent and Juan Zarate, CBS News National Security Analyst.
Pakistan Detains Several in Times Square Plot (CBS)
Friend of Bomb Suspect Faisal Shahzad Among Those Held in Connection with Failed Attack
Pakistani authorities have detained several people in connection with the bombing attempt in New York’s Times Square, intelligence officials said Tuesday.
One of the men, identified as Tauseef, was a friend of Faisal Shahzad, the American citizen of Pakistani origin who is in custody in the United States over the failed attack, one official said. He was arrested in the southern city of Karachi, said the official, who like all Pakistani spies refused to be named in the media.
Another official said several people had been taken into custody in Karachi since the failed attack Saturday. Some media reports described them as relatives of Shahzad.
According to CBS News’ Maria Usman, four to eight people are being held after a series of law enforcement raids.
Officials didn’t say when the detentions had taken place. They said no charges had been filed.
Shahzad was on board a Dubai-bound flight that was taxiing away from the gate at New York’s Kennedy Airport late Monday when the plane was stopped and FBI agents and New York Police Department detectives took him into custody, law enforcement officials said.
U.S. officials have said the 30-year-old had recently returned from a five-month stay in Pakistan, raising speculation he may have been in contact with al Qaeda or Taliban groups in the South Asian country.
Pakistani Interior Minister Rehman Malik said initial information showed Shahzad and his family came from the Pabbi region of northwest Pakistan, but that Shahzad had a Karachi identity card…
Faisal Shahzad Kept Low Profile in U.S. (CBS)
Former Neighbors of Accused Times Square Bomber the Married Father of Two Kept To Himself, Claimed to Work on Wall St.
Faisal Shahzad gave the impression of a quiet family man, raising two small children with his wife in Shelton, Conn. and telling neighbors he worked on Wall Street.
Now the Pakistani-American is accused of trying to detonate a homemade car bomb in New York City’s bustling Times Square. Authorities have brought terrorism and mass destruction charges against him, saying he has confessed to receiving explosives training in Pakistan…
Despite becoming a naturalized U.S. citizen on April 17, 2009, Shahzad spent much of the past year outside of the country, mostly in Pakistan where his wife, Huma Mian, is currently living. Details of his activities abroad remain unclear, but a picture of his life in American began to emerge Tuesday.
Shahzad had been living here on the second floor of a house in Bridgeport, Conn. for a couple of months though he’s been coming in and out of the U.S. for at least 11 years.
He kept a low profile in his working-class Bridgeport neighborhood where people often come and go, reports CBS News correspondent Jim Axelrod. Shown a picture of Shahzad, a neighborhood woman told Axelrod, “I never saw him before.” She turned out to be Shahzad’s next-door neighbor.
Before Bridgeport, Shahzad, along with his wife and children, a boy and a girl, lived for about three years in a two-story Colonial-style three-bedroom home in Shelton, Conn.
Shahzad bought the home for $273,000 and lost it to foreclosure last year. Frank DelVecchio, a broker trying to sell it for Shahzad, said Shahzad told him to let the bank take the house. He says Shahzad said he owed too much on it and planned to return to Pakistan.
Shahzad was granted a student visa in December of 1998. He graduated from the University of Bridgeport with a computer science degree in 2000 and an MBA in 2005. He worked as a junior financial analyst for a marketing firm in Norwalk, Conn. until 2009.
Faisal Shahzad Was Read Miranda Rights After Initial Questioning (CBS)
Alleged terrorist Faisal Shahzad was initially questioned by authorities under the public safety exception to the Miranda rule, Deputy Director of the FBI John S. Pistole said today at a press conference. Shahzad, who faces terrorism charges for a failed attempt to blow up a car in Times Square, was later read his Miranda rights and continued to cooperate with authorities after that, Pistole said.
Shahzad was arrested late Monday night as he was boarding a Dubai-bound flight at John F. Kennedy International Airport on charges that he parked a bomb-laden car in Times Square in New York City…
Pakistan Vows Aid in Times Square Investigation (CBS)
But Embassy Says It Appears Suspect Faisal Shahzad Was a “Disturbed Individual” Acting Alone
Pakistan’s embassy says it will work with U.S. intelligence to unravel the failed Times Square bombing but that at the moment it appears the would-be bomber was a lone “disturbed individual.”
Faisal Shahzad, a Pakistani-born U.S. citizen, is under arrest for the failed bombing.
“An overwhelming majority of Pakistani Americans share the aspirations of civilized people everywhere for a terror-free world and should be seen as allies against the misguided individuals who undertake or plan acts of terror,” Ambassador Husain Haqqani said in a statement released by the embassy.
Times Square Link Could Force Pakistan’s Hand (CBS)
The arrest of a Pakistani-born American man for driving a failed car bomb into New York’s Times Square on Saturday has once again thrust the south Asian country under the global spotlight as a center of terrorism, just as the Obama administration seeks to shore-up Pakistani support for Washington’s fight in Afghanistan.
Faisal Shahzad’s arrest followed the appearance of a video message on the Internet by Pakistani Taliban leader Hakimullah Mehsud, claiming responsibility for the Times Square attempt.
Obama on Times Square Attack: “We Will not be Terrorized” (CBS)
President Obama said Tuesday that Americans “will not cower in fear” in response to the attempted terror attack in Times Square, calling the incident “another sobering reminder of the times in which we live.”
“We know the aim of those who try to carry out these attacks is to force us to live in fear,” he said. “And thereby amplifying the effect of their attacks, even those that fail. But as Americans, and as a nation, we will not be terrorized. We will not cower in fear, we will not be intimidated. We will be vigilant, we will work together, and we will protect and defend the country we love to ensure a safe and prosperous future for our people.”
Mr. Obama, at the start of remarks to the Business Council, said Americans “can be assured that the FBI and their partners in this process have all the tools and experience they need to learn everything we can.”
“That includes what if any connection this individual has to terrorist groups,” he said. “And it includes collecting critical intelligence as we work to disrupt any future attacks.”
The president said the suspect in the case, Faisal Shahzad, is now being questioned and vowed that “justice will be done.” He said his national security team “will continue to do everything in our power to protect the American people.”
“Around the world and here at home, there are those who would attack our citizens and who would slaughter innocent men, women and children in pursuit of their murderous agenda,” he said. “They will stop at nothing to kill and disrupt our way of life, but once again an attempted attack has been – [it has] failed.”
“It has failed because ordinary citizens were vigilant, and reported suspicious activities to the authorities,” continued Mr. Obama. “It failed because these authorities, local, state and federal, acted quickly and did what they were trained to do.”
The president noted that he had personally thanked citizens and law enforcement officials involved in the effort and said the suspect was caught “because of close and effective coordination at every level, including our joint terrorism task force and U.S. Customs and Border protection.”
He added that in their response to the attempted attack, “New Yorkers have reminded us once again of how to live with their heads held high.”
Napolitano: Not All Bomb Attempts May Fail (CBS – May 3)
Homeland Security Secretary Says All Leads in Times Square Car Bomb Plot Are Being Tracked to Their Source
After the latest attempt at a terrorism event in the heart of New York City this weekend, in which a Nissan Pathfinder filled with incendiary materials ignited but failed to detonate, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said that there are no guarantees that other such terror plots will not succeed.
Saturday’s event (which New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg called “amateurish”) is merely the latest in a long line of terror attempts.
When asked on CBS’ “The Early Show” whether it is inevitable that a terrorism attempt in New York City will succeed, and whether the country is prepared for such an event, Napolitano said, “Oh, I think we have a very strong, mentally-prepared country, and I think New York City has one of the most robust law enforcement and security structures of the entire country.
“So, yes, we work together to minimize risk, and if one of these attacks were to, in fact, succeed, we would be prepared to respond very quickly.
“Every time an event like this occurs, we send information out to state, local law enforcement,” she told anchor Harry Smith. “They are the eyes and ears of the law enforcement community around the country, watching out for abandoned vehicles or in this case as a very alert pedestrian noticed, you know, smoke coming out of a vehicle.
“Everybody needs to be and is a part of the process here – of being watchful, of being vigilant. But can we give you 100 percent guarantee that one these things might not be successful? No. We can only work as we are to make sure risk is minimized.”
“Does this feel like a solo act, or do you believe a conspiracy might be involved?” asked Smith.
“I think that we don’t know enough yet to conclude one way or the other. I think we know that there are investigative leads that need to be pursued.
“They are being pursued through a joint task force, including the New York City Police Department plus the FBI and law enforcement officials from our department. So every lead that has been generated is being tracked to its source.”
White House: Lift Liability Cap for Gulf Spill (CBS)
Obama Administration Wants Congress to Change Law Capping BP’s Liability for Oil Spill
The White House is pushing to lift the limit on how much BP pays for the Gulf Coast oil spill.
Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said Tuesday the administration wants to work with Congress to change a law that caps at $75 million BP’s liability for economic damages like lost wages or dwindling tourist dollars.
BP PLC is responsible for all cleanup costs under the Oil Pollution Act, but Gibbs said that other costs could easily top $75 million.
Democratic Sen. Robert Menendez is co-sponsoring a measure that would raise the liability limit to $10 billion. Menendez also wants it to be made retroactive so it can apply to the huge spill that began after an oil rig exploded in the Gulf on April 20.
Gibbs said the administration supported Menendez’s attempts to raise the limit retroactively. He also noted that if BP is found to have acted negligently or violated the law, the cap would not be in effect. The Oil Pollution Act was passed in 1990 in response to the Exxon Valdez spill.
Menendez said he was confident that the liability measure could be applied retroactively. He cited the 30-year-old Superfund law that has forced companies to pay for previously polluted hazardous waste sites.
“This is about making Big Oil responsible for its excesses,” Menendez said.
“I don’t trust Big Oil,” added Sen. Frank Lautenberg, a Democrat and another one of the bill’s co-sponsors.
BP chief executive Tony Hayward declined to comment on the bill.
“We won’t be entering into that legislative discussion,” Hayward said at a news conference Tuesday.
Asked whether the company expected to spend money beyond the $75 million limit, Hayward said the cap was largely irrelevant.
“It’s got nothing to do with caps. All legitimate claims … will be honored,” he said.
BP says on its website that it is committed to paying “all necessary and appropriate cleanup costs” as well as “legitimate and objectively verifiable claims for other loss and damage caused by the spill.”
The federal government also maintains an Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund supported by industry fees. It can make a total of $1 billion in payouts per incident to individuals, businesses and governments.
Roughly 2.6 million or more gallons has spilled into the Gulf since the April 20 blast that sunk an oil rig and killed 11 workers.
Obama Stays Active Behind the Curtain (CBS)
When I asked White House press secretary Robert Gibbs about President Obama’s “light schedule” this week, he laughed out loud. I was referring, of course, to the president’s public schedule, and in fact this is one of the lightest weeks he’s had in some time, at least on paper.
But Gibbs’ response couldn’t have said it more clearly — there’s a whole lot of stuff going on behind the curtain.
It’s one of the great frustrations of covering the president – most of the time the White House press corps, which sits a 30 second walk from the Oval Office, has little idea what’s going on in there. But we do know he’s a workaholic – 16 hour days are no big deal for him. And there’s no shortage of issues to help him fill that time…
Poll: Catholics Say Celibacy, Homosexuality Contributed to Sex Abuse (CBS)
More than one in two Catholics see both celibacy and homosexuality as at least minor factors in child sex abuse by some priests, according to a new CBS News/New York Times poll.
Less than one in three believe celibacy and homosexuality are “major” factors in the abuse, however — which means that, overall, a majority of Catholics don’t see those two issues as a significant factor leading to abuse.
Thirty-one percent of Catholics called celibacy a major factor leading to sexual abuse, while another 28 percent called it a minor factor. Thirty-five percent said celibacy did not play a part in the abuse.
Thirty percent, meanwhile, said homosexuality played a major role. An additional 23 percent said it played a minor role. Thirty-seven percent said it was not a factor.
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Posts Roundup This Week at Dennys Blogs 2 May 2010
3 May
Photo by Victor Bezrukov @ flickr
From Denny: When I started these blogs they were to help get back my brain functioning after a car accident that took three years to fully heal. It seems the more I pushed a healing brain the more it responded favorably! Who knew? Life sure takes some twists and turns, doesn’t it?
What I was most concerned about was what if my brain might shut down again and the knowledge and understanding gained from a lot of life testing would be lost without a voice. So, I started yet another blog, Beautiful Illustrated Quotations, to record some of my spiritual thoughts. I’ve always enjoyed quotes as a writing prompt, especially spiritual ones. And then, all of a sudden, this year that blog took off with thousands of views per post. Again, who knew? What started as the weakest blog, that I just figured was a very small niche market, ended up getting well read compared to all the others – other than the crazy photo blog that took off as well on the same level. I guess people like to go on visual coffee breaks with me when I go tripping through the Flickr database for interesting photos for a post. 🙂
So, thank you, everyone, all of you have been just great to support these blogs. I never know what I will write about, report on or share each day in every post yet there is always something interesting to discover in this world – and I do like to share. Sharing is a way to give back in this world, pay it forward, say thank you, make them laugh or help ease someone else’s burden when they are stressed. In this posts roundup I included many of your favorite popular posts in the past couple of weeks from several of the blogs.
The Social Poets:
Whats Happening in America This Week: Wall Street Political Cartoons 1 May 2010
Big Business to Employees: Get Fired If Get Operation to Prevent Breast Cancer
Funny Mothers Day Quotes and Trivia – Cheeky Quote Day 28 Apr 2010
April is Poetry Month: What Being a Poet Means to William Wordsworth
Colbert Lampoons Immigration and Pot Smokers – Roundup of Late Nite Comedy 26 Apr 2010
Posts Roundup This Week at Dennys Blogs 25 Apr 2010
Whats Happening in America This Week – Political Cartoons 24 Apr 2010
Posts Roundup This Week at Dennys Blogs – 18 Apr 2010
Top 15 Bestsellers of What America is Reading
Funny Tax Quotes – Cheeky Quote Day 14 Apr 2010
Roundup of Late Night Comedy 13 Apr 2010
Funny Allergy Quotes – Cheeky Quote Day 7 Apr 2010
How to Survive Allergy and Pollen Season
This photographer often captures the humor in real life. Make up your mind already – is it Yes or No? by P/UL @ flickr
Dennys Global Politics:
Roundup of Political Cartoons This Weeks Funny Opinion 1 May 2010
BP Oil Spill Gulf Coast Disaster, Employers New Tactics to Fire Employees, Travel Smarter, New PTSD Treatment – News Headlines 30 Apr 2010
America Boycotts Arizona, BP Oil Spill Impacts Wildlife, Enraged Wall Street Protestors, Strange News Stories – News Headlines 29 Apr 2010
Those Funny Mothers Day Quotes and Trivia
Roundup of Late Nite Funnies: Colbert Lampoons Arizona Immigration Law
Greedy Opportunistic Wall Street: Political Cartoons, Opinion Post
Cool Earth Day Links, Message From Our Prez
Prez Clinton Versus Violent Wingnuts and Blowhard Limbaugh
Spring roll for Bill the cat by Miss Claeson @ flickr
The Healing Waters and The Soul Calendar:
Want Your Man to Better Understand You? Try Empathy Nasal Spray
Roundup of Political Cartoons This Weeks Funny Opinion 1 May 2010
Good News: Rolling School Bus Library on Ride Home From School
Gulf Coast Oil Rig Disaster Slammed: Political Cartoons 1 May 2010
Beautiful Quotes:
4 Special Quotes to Anchor Your Dreams
How Is Your Relationship With Your Inspiration Muse?
What Spiritual Tests Develop Good Character And Our Talents? – with over 12,700 views the first day that sure was a happy surprise. Thank You!
Your Dreams: 5 Common Characteristics
Does Your Life Feel Like a Disaster?
3 Quotes About Facing Tough Times
Uplifting Soul Quote: What is Your Power in the World?
Spiritual Energy: Can Simple Words Add to Our Quality of Life?
Humor Blogs:
Obnoxious Silly Mother in Law Jokes Just in Time 4 Mothers Day
College Grads Chances of Finding Jobs: Political Cartoons
Crazy Arizona Style Immigration: Political Cartoons – 1 May 2010
Cartoonists Latest Funnies 4 Mothers Day
Hilarious Egg Pelting Politics Ukrainian Style
Here’s a version of the pie I found over at flickr and it was so beautiful and creative I just had to share it with you! Chocolate pecan derby pie with caramel bourbon sauce, berry-ginger coulis by Greencolander @ flickr
Food Blogs:
Chocolate Wonders: Kentucky Derby Pie, Make-ahead Chocolate Soufflé
Easy Moist Chocolate Mayo Cake From Bon Appetit
Gorgeous Whiskey Chocolate Brownies
Moistest Low Cal Chocolate Cake, Pesto Veggie Lasagna, Quick Salad
Easy Rich Yellow Loaf Cake with Chocolate Ganache
Flourless Passover Chocolate Cake
Tradtional Sandwiches Updated: California Tuna Melt, Egg Salad
Video: Louisiana Chef Makes Crawfish Etouffee
5 Easy Recipes 4 Chicken and Sausage Gumbo
2 Crowd Pleasing Easy Casseroles: Mexican Lasagna, Turkey Tetrazzini
Awesome Cajun Barbecued Shrimp — New Orleans Style
Yummy Homemade Coconut Cream Pie
Awesome Sauces 4 Louisiana Seafood
Spring Into Grill Season: Mouthwatering Steaks
Chef Rocco Dispiritos Cheap Yet Healthy Comfort Food
Kid Friendly Recipes: Chocolate Quesadillas, Very Best Fudge
Visual Insights – photos:
Dennys Photo Gallery: Life is Just Plain Funny
Happy Birthday to Our Humanitarian Friend Peter
Dennys Photo Gallery: How to Know Its Spring
Funny Odd Couples: Cats and Their Weirdo Friends
Dennys Photo Gallery: Spectacular Sunrises
Dennys Photo Gallery: Beautiful Blues in Our World
Photography, Beautiful Metaphor for Life: 17 Boats
Photo History: 1st Lady Gowns, Michelle Obama Donates Hers
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Roundup of Political Cartoons This Weeks Funny Opinion 1 May 2010
1 MayFrom Denny: This has been an eventful month for screw-ups in the news and it was not lost on the pens of the nation’s cartoonists. They had great fun lampooning all the crazy politics, the economy, Arizona style immigration and Big Business on Wall Street. Take a look at the state of the economy in America and then hike on over to The Mother Post over at The Social Poets that contains all the other links to more funny posts and opinion for lots of laughs.
See Cartoons by Cartoon by Petar Pismestrovic – Courtesy of Politicalcartoons.com – Email this Cartoon
See Cartoons by Cartoon by Petar Pismestrovic – Courtesy of Politicalcartoons.com – Email this Cartoon
See Cartoons by Cartoon by Brian Fairrington – Courtesy of
Politicalcartoons.com – Email this Cartoon
*** For The Mother Post of Funnies with all the other links to more laughs and great political cartoons:
Whats Happening in America This Week: Wall Street Political Cartoons 1 May 2010
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BP Oil Spill Gulf Coast Disaster, Employers New Tactics to Fire Employees, Travel Smarter, New PTSD Treatment – News Headlines 30 Apr 2010
30 AprVoters Moon American Politics Polls Say, Bush Years Bad Air Report Released, Throwing Eggs at Ukrainian Politicians – News Headlines 28 Apr 2010
28 AprAnti-Incumbent Mood Rising, Poll Finds (CBS/Washington Post) Washington Post: Dissatisfaction with Congressional Incumbents is Widespread as Midterm Elections Near
Members of Congress face the most anti-incumbent electorate since 1994, with less than a third of all voters saying they are inclined to support their representatives in November, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll.
Dissatisfaction is widespread, crossing party lines, ideologies and virtually all groups of voters. Less than a quarter of independents and just three in 10 Republicans say they’re leaning toward backing an incumbent this fall. Even among Democrats, who control the House, the Senate and the White House, opinion is evenly divided on the question…
Still, for President Obama and his party, there are some positive signs in the poll. The public trusts Democrats more than Republicans to handle the major problems facing the country by a double-digit margin, giving Democrats a bigger lead than they held two months ago, when Congress was engaged in the long endgame over divisive health-care legislation. A majority continues to see Obama as “just about right” ideologically, despite repeated GOP efforts to define the president as outside the mainstream.
Those polled also say they trust Obama over Republicans in Congress to deal with the economy, health care and, by a large margin, financial regulatory reform. And the president continues to get positive marks on his overall job performance, with, for the first time since the fall, a majority of independents approving…
Nearly half say the president is not doing enough to help the middle class, a view that’s held by a majority of those with annual household incomes between $50,000 and $100,000. At the start of the general election campaign in 2008, 66 percent expected Obama, if elected, to do the right amount for the middle class; now, 44 percent say he has it just right.
Living in Louisiana I’m acutely aware of these issues with over 4,000 oil rigs off our shores. Oyster beds, fish and shrimp are some of our main exports. It’s pretty amazing that something this bad has not happened up until now. And this is exactly why I implored the President to reconsider drilling off shore elsewhere in America. Mangling the continental shelf off our Atlantic Coast is a really bad idea.
It only takes one mess like the current one to make us realize it’s time to get serious about sinking more money into less harmful forms of energy than fossil fuels. Today, apparently, the White House finally slowed down its enthusiasm for drilling off shore. Let’s all hope Obama now understands and accepts the enormity of this situation for future generations and the health of the planet.
Coast Guard to Set Fire to Gulf Oil Slick: (CBS/AP) Crews Unable to Stop Flow from Underwater Well Damaged in Rig Explosion, Leaving Massive Contamination
exploded drilling rig in the Gulf of Mexico on Wednesday, a last-ditch effort to get rid of it before it reaches environmentally sensitive marshlands on the coast.
A 500-foot boom will be used to corral several thousand gallons of the thickest oil on the surface, which will then be towed to a more remote area, set on fire, and allowed to burn for about an hour, the Coast Guard said. Such burns will continue throughout the day if they are working.
It was unclear what would be used to set the oil on fire and how far from shore it would burn. The slick was about 20 miles (32 kilometers) east of the mouth of the Mississippi River.
About 42,000 gallons of oil a day are leaking into the Gulf from the blown-out well where the Deepwater Horizon exploded and sank last week. Eleven workers are missing and presumed dead. The cause of the explosion has not been determined.
Greg Pollock, head of the oil spill division of the Texas General Land Office, which is providing equipment for crews in the Gulf, said he is not aware of a similar burn ever being done off the U.S. coast. The last time crews with his agency used fire booms to burn oil was a 1995 spill on the San Jacinto River.
“When you can get oil ignited, it is an absolutely effective way of getting rid of a huge percentage of the oil,” he said. “I can’t overstate how important it is to get the oil off the surface of the water.”
He said the oil will likely be ignited using jelled gasoline and lit rags soaked in oil. What’s left afterward is something he described as a kind of hardened tar ball that can be removed from the water with nets or skimmers.
“I would say there is little threat to the environment because it won’t coat an animal, and because all the volatiles have been consumed if it gets on a shore it can be simply picked up,” he said…
The decision to burn some of the oil comes as the Coast Guard and industry cleanup crews run out of other options to get rid of it.
Crews operating submersible robots have been trying without success to activate a shut-off device that would halt the flow of oil on the sea bottom 5,000 feet below.
Rig operator BP Plc. says work will begin as early as Thursday to drill a relief well to relieve pressure at the blowout site, but that could take months.
Another option is a dome-like device to cover oil rising to the surface and pump it to container vessels, but that will take two weeks to put in place, BP said…
The cost of disaster continues to rise and could easily top $1 billion…
Feds OK Nation’s First Offshore Wind Farm: (CBS/AP) Interior Secretary Approves Controversial Cape Wind Project, Clearing Way for 130-Turbine Wind Farm in Nantucket Sound
The Obama administration has approved what would be the nation’s first offshore wind farm, off Cape Cod, inching the U.S. closer to harvesting an untapped domestic energy source – the steady breezes blowing along its vast coasts…
Cape Wind says it can generate power by 2012 and aims to eventually supply three-quarters of the power on Cape Cod, which has about 225,000 residents. Cape Wind officials say it will provide green jobs and a reliable domestic energy source, while offshore wind advocates are hoping it can jump-start the U.S. industry.
America’s onshore wind industry is the world’s largest, but higher upfront costs, tougher technological challenges and environmental concerns have held back the development of offshore wind farms.
Denmark installed the world’s first offshore wind turbine 20 years ago. China has built its first commercial wind farm off Shanghai and plans several other projects.
The U.S. Department of Energy envisions offshore wind farms accounting for 4 percent of the country’s electric generating capacity by 2030.
Major U.S. proposals include a project in Texas state waters, but most are concentrated along the East Coast north of Maryland, including projects in Delaware and New Jersey…
Like this was any surprise. During the years specified in this report the air quality – or complete lack of it – was horrendous in my area of the country. Actually, since Bush is now out of office – and we actually have a real EPA enforcing the laws – Baton Rouge, Louisiana is only number 25 on the list of worst polluted ozone areas – and this report actually reflects the Bush years. Bush refused to fine the local chemical companies and oil refineries when they did burn-off at will.
Also, because of the economic downturn some local chemical plants are shut down and so our air is actually good enough to open the windows and air out the house this Spring. The past few years we kept the doors and windows closed all year round because of the stinging quality to the air for our eyes and lungs. People around here constantly go to their doctors for sinus infections and this part of the Gulf of Mexico is known as Cancer Alley.
The economic downturn and high gas prices have locals not driving as much which has also contributed to healthier air in my area. Let’s see: no Bush, no Cheney, Obama pollution enforcement, fewer cars on the road all day, economic downturn = better air! 🙂 See how your part of the country fared in this report.
Report: Most Americans Live in Unhealthy Air: (CBS/AP) Progress Made in Reducing Soot, Dust through Cleaner Diesel Engines, Controls on Coal-Fired Power Plants
A new report says more than half of Americans still live in areas with unhealthy air, despite progress in reducing smog.
The report released Wednesday by the American Lung Association is based on 2006-2008 figures. It says progress has been made in reducing particle pollution such as soot and dust, thanks to cleaner diesel engines and controls on coal-fired power plants.
The Los Angeles area continued to have the nation’s worst ozone pollution…
Most Polluted Cities by Ozone
1. Los Angeles-Long Beach (Calif.)-Riverside (Calif.)
2. Bakersfield, Calif.
3. Visalia (Calif.)-Porterville (Calif.)
4. Fresno (Calif.)-Madera (Calif.)
5. Sacramento (Calif.)-Arden-Arcade (Calif.)-Yuba City (Nev.)
6. Hanford (Calif.)-Corcoran (Calif.)
7. Houston-Baytown (Texas)-Huntsville (Texas)
8. San Diego-Carlsbad (Calif.)-San Marcos (Calif.)
9. San Luis Obispo (Calif.)-Paso Robles (Calif.)
10. Charlotte (N.C.)-Gastonia (N.C.)-Salisbury (S.C.)
11. Phoenix-Mesa (Ariz.)-Scottsdale (Ariz.)
12. Merced, Calif.
13. Dallas-Fort Worth (Texas)
14. Knoxville (Tenn.)-Sevierville (Tenn.)-La Follette (Tenn.)
15. El Centro, Calif.
T16. New York-Newark (N.J.)-Bridgeport (Conn.)
T16. Washington-Baltimore-Northern Virginia
18. Cincinnati-Middletown (Ky.)-Wilmington (Ind.)
T19. Atlanta-Sandy Springs (Ga.)-Gainesville (Ala.)
T19. Birmingham (Ala.)-Hoover (Ala.)-Cullman (Ala.)
21. Las Vegas-Paradise (Nev.)-Pahrump (Nev.)
T22. Modesto, Calif.
T22. Philadelphia-Camden (N.J.)-Vineland (N.J.)
24. Chico, Calif.
25. Baton Rouge (La.)-Pierre Part (La.)
Worst Cities by Year-Round Particle Pollution
1. Phoenix-Mesa (Ariz.)-Scottsdale (Ariz.)
2. Bakersfield, Calif.
T3. Los Angeles-Long Beach (Calif.)-Riverside (Calif.)
T3. Visalia-Porterville, Calif.
5. Pittsburgh-New Castle (Pa.)
6. Fresno-Madera, Calif.
7. Birmingham-Hoover-Cullman, Ala.
8. Hanford-Corcoran, Calif.
T9. Cincinnati-Middletown (Ky.)-Wilmington (Ind.)
T9. St. Louis-St. Charles (Mo.)-Farmington (Ill.)
T11. Charleston, W.Va.
T11. Detroit-Warren (Mich.)-Flint (Mich.)
T11. Weirton (W.Va.)-Steubenville (Ohio)
T14. Louisville (Ky.)-Jefferson County (Ky.)-Elizabethtown (Ky.)-Scottsburg (Ind.)
T14. Modesto, Calif.
T16. Atlanta-Sandy Springs (Ga.)-Gainesville (Ala.)
T16. Houston-Baytown (Texas)-Huntsville (Texas)
T16. Huntington (Ohio)-Ashland (Ohio)
T19. Cleveland-Akron (Ohio)-Elyria (Ohio)
T19. Macon (Ga.)-Warner Robins (Ga.)-Fort Valley (Ga.)
T21. Hagerstown (Md.)-Martinsburg (W.Va.)
T21. Knoxville (Tenn.)-Sevierville (Tenn.)-La Follette (Tenn.)
23. Augusta (Ga.)-Richmond County (S.C.)
24. Indianapolis-Anderson (Ind.)-Columbus (Ind.)
T25. Parkersburg (W.Va.)-Marietta (Ohio)
T25. York (Pa.)-Hanover (Pa.)-Gettysburg (Pa.)
Worst Cities by Short-Term Particle Pollution
1. Bakersfield, Calif.
2. Fresno (Calif.)-Madera (Calif.)
3. Pittsburgh-New Castle (Pa.)
4. Los Angeles-Long Beach (Calif.)-Riverside (Calif.)
5. Birmingham (Ala.)-Hoover (Ala.)-Cullman (Ala.)
6. Sacramento (Calif.)-Arden-Arcade (Calif.)-Yuba City (Nev.)
7. Salt Lake City-Ogden (Utah)-Clearfield (Utah)
8. Visalia (Calif.)-Porterville (Calif.)
9. Modesto, Calif.
10. Hanford (Calif.)-Corcoran (Calif.)
11. Merced, Calif.
12. Philadelphia-Camden (N.J.)-Vineland (N.J.)
13. Provo (Utah)-Orem (Utah)
14. Phoenix-Mesa (Ariz.)-Scottsdale (Ariz.)
15. Stockton, Calif.
16. Chicago-Naperville (Ill.)-Michigan City (Ind.)
17. San Diego-Carlsbad (Calif.)-San Marcos (Calif.)
T18. Washington-Baltimore-Northern Virginia
T18. New York-Newark (N.J.)-Bridgeport (Conn.)
T18. Logan, Utah
21. Eugene (Ore.)-Springfield (Ore.)
22. Harrisburg (Pa.)-Carlisle (Pa.)-Lebanon (Pa.)
T23. San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland (Calif.)
T23. Indianapolis-Anderson (Ind.)-Columbus (Ind.)
T23. Allentown (Pa.)-Bethlehem (Pa.)-Easton (Pa.)
And here I thought American politics were overheated and often stupid. Among the Taiwanese, British and Ukrainian politics I’d say there were some definite runners up for the title of sleaze! 🙂 I find it interesting that an aide already had an umbrella handy to fend off flying rotten eggs. Maybe it’s a tradition in the Ukraine to throw eggs when they are angry?
Sadly, the nationalists may just have good reason to be that furious with their government. What happened in the Ukraine today would be the American equivalent of President Washington allowing King George of Britain unfettered access to our American shores for another 25 years. Now we all know how well that would not go over with the American public.
Chaos in Ukraine Parliament Over Russia Ties: (CBS/AP) Protesters Throw Eggs, Set Off Smoke Bombs Over Parliament’s Decision To Renew Russia’s Lease On Navy Base
As protesters threw eggs and set off smoke bombs, Ukraine’s parliament on Tuesday extended the Russian Black Sea Fleet’s lease at a Crimean port for another 25 years. Russia’s parliament ratified the deal in a more sedate session.
The egg artillery barrage ended when the attackers ran out of ammunition, at which point they moved in for hand to hand combat…
The agreement, reached last week by the two country’s presidents in a clear sign of Russia’s renewed influence in Ukraine, extends the fleet’s lease by 25 years after the old lease expires in 2017.
Former President Viktor Yushchenko adamantly tried to move Ukraine out of Moscow’s shadow and closer to Western Europe during his five years in office. But his successor, Viktor Yanukovych, who took office in February, is more favorably inclined toward the Kremlin.
The extension outraged Ukrainian nationalists who regard the fleet’s presence as tantamount to Russian occupation.
“This is a permanent threat to Ukraine’s territorial integrity because the Black Sea Fleet is the outpost of the Russian state in Ukraine, which is conducting anti-Ukrainian policies and financing anti-Ukrainian projects. In general, this is the work of (Russian) special services on Ukrainian territory,” said Igor Derevyanko, one of several thousand demonstrators who gathered outside the parliament.
The voting session was unruly even by the Ukrainian parliament’s notoriously freewheeling standards.
Opponents of the measure threw eggs at parliament speaker Volodymyr Lytvyn as he opened the session and he spent much of the rest of it shielded by an umbrella held by an aide…
Frosty Asteroid May Give Clues About Earth’s Oceans: (NPR)
Out in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, at least one giant space rock seems to be covered in a fine layer of frost.
The finding, by two separate teams using an infrared telescope in Hawaii, marks the first time that frozen water has been found on an asteroid. Scientists believe that early in Earth’s history, impacts from water-bearing asteroids and comets may have created our planet’s oceans.
But until now, no one has actually detected water ice on an asteroid. “This is probably the most convincing case to date,” says Henry Hsieh, an expert on comets and asteroids at Queen’s University in Belfast, who wrote a commentary on two reports in the journal Nature that describe the new discovery…
Campins says this surface ice must be constantly refreshed, but it’s not clear where the new ice might come from. “You could have a subsurface layer, or a buried ice layer, in this asteroid that would have survived the age of the solar system,” Campins says.
Unlike the planets, asteroids are thought to have existed mostly unchanged for billions of years. So scientists say the ice on this asteroid could show what kind of ice might have hit our own planet early in its history.
“The ice that we see there, right now, is sort of related to the ice that could have come from the main asteroid belt that hit us about 4 billion years ago,” says Hsieh. “It gives us a way to kind of probe the cousins of the asteroids that hit us and probably gave us water in the early stages of the Earth’s formation.”
The two research teams also detected organic compounds along with the ice. So early asteroid impacts might have delivered more than one building block for life, says Campins…
And here’s the quirky story of the day. You may want to click on the link to listen to the delightful bit of historical trivia.
Heartsick? An Estonian Pharmacy May Have A Cure: (NPR) by David Greene
… a major attraction in the town’s cobblestone square — the Raeapteek, or Town Hall Pharmacy.
My guide, local historian Juri Kuuskemaa, told me the place opened in 1422 and may well be Europe’s longest continuously operating pharmacy. Legend has it that in the 18th century, a former owner, Dr. Johann Burchart V, nearly saved a Russian czar.
“When Peter the Great, Russian emperor, was dying and nobody could help him, he called Johann V,” Kuuskemaa said.
But things didn’t work out. The czar died before Burchart arrived.
The pharmacy is also legendary for its herbs, wine and medicines — and its love drugs.
“You can go to pharmacy and buy special materials, so-called aphrodisiacom, and when you give to her or her, it is fate. Both could do nothing against it. And lady would love you to the end of their lives,” Kuuskemaa explained.
But that’s not all. “When you have two or three wives, for example, and you see one is happy but two are unhappy, you can buy here special materials to give to these two unhappies and they forget you, and they could find happiness with another man, not with you,” Kuuskemaa said. “So it stops the love. It is an anti-aphrodisiacom, yeah. So love could be regulated with drugs.”
On display inside, readily available, was the pharmacy’s famous anti-aphrodisiac. Each individually wrapped piece of candy is packed with the secret ingredient: almond powder. People struck by love use it to cure themselves.
“How long we have sold it? … I think 500 years,” said pharmacist Ulle Noodapera…
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