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Friday, October 4, 2024

CNBC: “The U.S. economy added far more jobs than expected in September, pointing to a vital employment picture as the unemployment rate edged lower, the Labor Department reported Friday. Nonfarm payrolls surged by 254,000 for the month, up from a revised 159,000 in August and better than the 150,000 Dow Jones consensus forecast. The unemployment rate fell to 4.1%, down 0.1 percentage point.”

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Public Service Announcement

Washington Post: "Americans can again order free rapid coronavirus tests by mail, the Biden administration announced Thursday. People can request four free at-home tests per household through covidtests.gov. They will begin shipping Monday. The move comes ahead of an expected winter wave of coronavirus cases. The September revival of the free testing program is in line with the Biden administration’s strategy to respond to the coronavirus as part of a broader public health campaign to protect Americans from respiratory viruses, including influenza and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), that surge every fall and winter. But free tests were not mailed during the summer wave, which wastewater surveillance data shows is now receding."

Washington Post: “Comedy news outlet the Onion — reinvigorated by new ownership over this year — is bringing back its once-popular video parodies of cable news. But this time, there’s someone with real news anchor experience in the chair. When the first episodes appear online Monday, former WAMU and MSNBC host Joshua Johnson will be the face of the resurrected 'Onion News Network.' Playing an ONN anchor character named Dwight Richmond, Johnson says he’s bringing a real anchor’s sense of clarity — and self-importance — to the job. 'If ONN is anything, it’s a news organization that is so unaware of its own ridiculousness that it has the confidence of a serial killer,' says Johnson, 44.” ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: I'll be darned if I can figured out how to watch ONN. If anybody knows, do tell. Thanks.

Washington Post: “First came the surprising discovery that Earth’s atmosphere is leaking. But for roughly 60 years, the reason remained a mystery. Since the late 1960s, satellites over the poles detected an extremely fast flow of particles escaping into space — at speeds of 20 kilometers per second. Scientists suspected that gravity and the magnetic field alone could not fully explain the stream. There had to be another source creating this leaky faucet. It turns out the mysterious force is a previously undiscovered global electric field, a recent study found. The field is only about the strength of a watch battery — but it’s enough to thrust lighter ions from our atmosphere into space. It’s also generated unlike other electric fields on Earth. This newly discovered aspect of our planet provides clues about the evolution of our atmosphere, perhaps explaining why Earth is habitable. The electric field is 'an agent of chaos,' said Glyn Collinson, a NASA rocket scientist and lead author of the study. 'It undoes gravity.... Without it, Earth would be very different.'”

The New York Times lists Emmy winners. The AP has an overview story here.

New York Times: “Hvaldimir, a beluga whale who had captured the public’s imagination since 2019 after he was spotted wearing a harness seemingly designed for a camera, was found dead on Saturday in Norway, according to a nonprofit that worked to protect the whale.... [Hvaldimir] was wearing a harness that identified it as “equipment” from St. Petersburg. There also appeared to be a camera mount. Some wondered if the whale was on a Russian reconnaissance mission. Russia has never claimed ownership of the whale. If Hvaldimir was a spy, he was an exceptionally friendly one. The whale showed signs of domestication, and was comfortable around people. He remained in busier waters than are typical for belugas....” ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Oh, Lord, do not let Bobby Kennedy, Jr., near that carcass. ~~~

     ~~~ AP Update: “There’s no evidence that a well-known beluga whale that lived off Norway’s coast and whose harness ignited speculation it was a Russian spy was shot to death last month as claimed by animal rights groups, Norwegian police said Monday.... Police said that the Norwegian Veterinary Institute conducted a preliminary autopsy on the animal, which was become known as 'Hvaldimir,' combining the Norwegian word for whale — hval — and the first name of Russian President Vladimir Putin. 'There are no findings from the autopsy that indicate that Hvaldimir has been shot,' police said in a statement.”

New York Times: Botswana's “President Mokgweetsi Masisi grinned as he lifted the diamond, a 2,492-carat stone that is the biggest diamond unearthed in more than a century and the second-largest ever found, according to the Vancouver-based mining operator Lucara, which owns the mine where it was found. This exceptional discovery could bring back the luster of the natural diamond mining industry, mining companies and experts say. The diamond was discovered in the same relatively small mine in northeastern Botswana that has produced several of the largest such stones in living memory. Such gemstones typically surface as a result of volcanic activity.... The diamond will likely sell in the range of tens of millions of dollars....”

Click on photo to enlarge.

~~~ Guardian: "On a distant reef 16,000km from Paris, surfer Gabriel Medina has given Olympic viewers one of the most memorable images of the Games yet, with an airborne celebration so well poised it looked too good to be true. The Brazilian took off a thundering wave at Teahupo’o in Tahiti on Monday, emerging from a barrelling section before soaring into the air and appearing to settle on a Pacific cloud, pointing to the sky with biblical serenity, his movements mirrored precisely by his surfboard. The shot was taken by Agence France-Presse photographer Jérôme Brouillet, who said “the conditions were perfect, the waves were taller than we expected”. He took the photo while aboard a boat nearby, capturing the surreal image with such accuracy that at first some suspected Photoshop or AI." 

Washington Post: “'Mary Cassatt at Work' is a large and mostly satisfying exhibition devoted to the career of the great American artist beloved for her sensitive and often sentimental views of family life. The 'at work' in the title of the Philadelphia Museum of Art show references the curators’ interest in Cassatt’s pioneering effort to establish herself as a professional artist within a male-dominated field. Throughout the show, which includes some 130 paintings, pastels, prints and drawings, the wall text and the art on view stresses Cassatt’s fixation on art as a career rather than a pastime.... Mary Cassatt at Work is on view at the Philadelphia Museum of Art through Sept. 8. philamuseum.org”

New York Times: “Bob Newhart, who died on Thursday at the age of 94, has been such a beloved giant of popular culture for so long that it’s easy to forget how unlikely it was that he became one of the founding fathers of stand-up comedy. Before basically inventing the hit stand-up special, with the 1960 Grammy-winning album 'The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart' — that doesn’t even count his pay-per-view event broadcast on Canadian television that some cite as the first filmed special — he was a soft-spoken accountant who had never done a set in a nightclub. That he made a classic with so little preparation is one of the great miracles in the history of comedy.... Bob Newhart holds up. In fact, it’s hard to think of a stand-up from that era who is a better argument against the commonplace idea that comedy does not age well.”

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Tuesday
Jan282014

S.O.T.U. 2014

Zeke Miller of Time: "While the speech was light on new proposals, [President Obama] is looking to build on whatever momentum the State of the Union provided with a four-state swing that starts Wednesday. "

CW: It is remarkable that the three men on the dais all came up from near-poverty. (The most powerful female politicians, BTW, came from middle- or upper-middle-class homes: Nancy Pelosi, Hillary Clinton, Dianne Feinstein, etc. Hmmm.)

Charles Pierce describes the speech as "Clintonian" & explains why. Also, "(John Boehner's face seemed to darken as the evening went along, like the side of a mountain that faces the sunset.)" ...

... Nope, Charles. The address wasn't Clintonian. It was Dubyan. Hadas Gold of Politico: "President George W. Bush's former speech writer said that President Barack Obama plagiarized his former boss in Tuesday's State of the Union address. Speaking to Fox News's Megyn Kelly, Marc Thiessen, the lead writer on Bush's 2007 State of the Union address, said he found Obama's speech Tuesday night 'eerily familiar. Barack Obama has gone from blaming George W. Bush to plagiarizing George W. Bush,' Thiessen said." Proof? They both talked about "hope and opportunity." CW: Yeah, because no politician (Bill Clinton, "born in a little place called Hope") ever mentioned stuff like "hope & opportunity" before Mark Thiessen hit upon the novel idea. ...

     ... Update: According to this other Politico headline, "McMorris Rodgers promotes ‘hopeful’ agenda." Just another plagiarist, I guess.

Josh Marshall of TPM: "They say history is written by the winners. What I heard him saying was that he wants and will start writing the history of the future with his presidency, even if his ability to put it into effect may be limited."

Steve M. sees a glaring error in President Obama's effectively turning Cory Remsburg into a metaphor for Congressional gridlock. ...

... John Cassidy liked the Remsburg metaphor a lot better. ...

... CW: I can't help thinking that the only thing that can get all those bastuds on their feet is human carnage incurred in the service of international dominance. Was that the Capitol or was that the Colosseum? Whether or not you read Cassidy, I suspect you instinctively know that Obama was playing to the cheap seats when he introduced Remsburg.

Jose DelReal of Politico: "President Obama might have been the State of the Union's headliner on Tuesday, but Vice President Joe Biden stole the show on twitter." Some amusing stuff from reporters with time on their hands. ...

... Elias Isquith of Salon: "Twitter’s higher-profile conservative pundits, activists, and politicians nevertheless responded as if the president had set a copy of the Constitution on fire while pledging allegiance to General Mao." Isquith posts a few examples. ...

... 11:45 pm Tuesday: Rachel Maddow just wiped the floor with crazy Rep. Tim Huelskamp (R-Kansas). Heulskamp has spent too much time on Fox "News" (& maybe "Press the Meat"). Chris Hayes later had a big laugh over Huelskamp's claims. ...

     ... Update: You can view the segment here. ...

... AND Rep. Grimm Threatens to Murder Reporter for Asking Question. Adam Edelman & Joseph Straw of the New York Daily News: "Embattled New York Republican Rep. Michael Grimm [Staten Island] threatened to 'break' a NY1 reporter and throw him off a balcony after President Obama's State of the Union address Tuesday night. The confrontation occurred on Capitol Hill when reporter Michael Scotto followed up questions about the President's speech by pressing the congressman on a federal investigation into his fund-raising." With video. CW: Possibly slightly worse than calling Rachel Maddow a "cheerleader," as Heulskamp did. The House should sanction Grimm for threatening Scotto, which he did inside the U.S. Capitol building, & the DOJ should investigate & charge him with assault. If my dearly departed Rep. Coke had to leave the building, I don't see why that thug Grimm should be welcome. Maybe he could get a job in the Christie administration. There's a bridge between Staten Island & Jersey. ...

     ... Here's the NY1 story, with transcript of the exchange between Grimm & Scotto.

If Barack Obama discovered the cure for cancer, these assholes would complain that it took him too long. Then they'd find a way to claim that Reagan had actually discovered it first. -- Akhilleus

Alexandra Petri of the Washington Post: The SOTU in three GIFs.

Alexandra Jaffe of the Hill: "Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) pitched a libertarian vision for the nation in his rebuttal to President Obama’s State of the Union address Tuesday night.... The potential 2016 presidential contender made his case for limited government in a 10-minute Web video that highlighted his proposal to tackle poverty with 'economic freedom zones' and railed against welfare programs, while exhorting listeners to 'choose a new way' of government." Includes video.

CW: If this is "the face of the national tea party," evidently the tea party needs no greasepaint to look like a clown. AP photo.Brady McCombs of the AP: "Utah Republican Sen. Mike Lee was the face of the national tea party Tuesday night, delivering the movement's response to President Barack Obama's State of the Union speech. Lee pinned the widening wealth gap on the president's policies and tout the ideas of a new generation of leaders including himself and Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas."

Peter Baker of the New York Times: "After five years of fractious political combat, President Obama declared independence from Congress on Tuesday as he outlined a series of limited initiatives on jobs, wages, retirement and the environment that he will take without legislative approval." ...

     ... Update. New Lede: "After five years of fractious political combat, President Obama declared independence from Congress on Tuesday as he vowed to tackle economic disparity with a series of limited initiatives on jobs, wages and retirement that he will take without legislative approval."

Here's the text of the SOTU as prepared for delivery (via the New York Times).

Paul Krugman is stuck in a CNN green room with no bourbon so he's liveblogging the SOTU.

The New York Times' liveblog of the SOTU is here. ...

     ... Michael Shear: Rep. "Cathy McMorris Rodgers of Washington offered an upbeat, but critical, rebuttal to President Obama’s State of the Union address, in the process avoiding mistakes of previous responders." CW: Did not take gulps of water, sweat profusely or remind people of a buffoonish teevee character. ...

... Video of Rodgers' response & the text of her remarks is here.

     ... Carl Hulse: "Senator Mitch McConnell is not amused. The Senate Republican leader from Kentucky said he learned only Tuesday afternoon that the Democratic governor of his home state, Steve Beshear, would be sitting with Michelle Obama to watch the president deliver the State of the Union address."

Paul Kane & Robert Costa of the Washington Post: There will be four GOP responses to the SOTU. (1) The official party response by Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, (2) the Tea Party response by Sen. Mike Lee, (3) a Spanish-language response by Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, "the most senior Hispanic Republican, [who] is expected to hew closely to McMorris Rodgers in the Spanish-language response," & the Acqua Buddha response by Sen. Rand Paul. ...

     ... The only thing missing in this group is the snake charmer. -- Chris Matthews on MSNBC

Jon Favreau, formerly President Obama's chief speechwriter, on what it's like producing the SOTU speech: "The president puts in back-to-back 2 a.m. nights rewriting his speech to make it 'sing' and hopefully sway Congress."

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Reader Comments (2)

If the expectation was for Obama to limp lamely through his remaining years as our President last night's speech should have changed that assessment. There was a rougher tone in his voice, more determined, forceful. He has no intention of fucking around with those whose main agenda is to put roadblocks on everything he wants to do. It's unusual for presidents to ratchet it up during their last years––Reagan slowed down to such an extent people forgot he was even there––Dubya wanted to wash his hands of the whole mess, eager to get back to his bushes and paintbrushes. Obama is a man with plans and if he can get just half of what he proposes we can be grateful.

I thought the adulation for the wounded warrior was, besides being touching and heart rending, symbolic of the country itself, wounded, but striving to right itself, to heal itself. I also thought there are thousands of war wounded vets just like this young man whose lives are torn apart by horrific wars we find ourselves engaged in.

I thought JJG's mention of Cathy McMorris Rogers' speech reminiscent of a fifties sitcom––"I can almost smell the apple pie" was perfect. God, of course, was there with her on the couch giving her the strength and fortitude to deliver that sweet speech that was devoid of particulars which is exactly what Republicans have given us.

January 29, 2014 | Unregistered CommenterPD Pepe

Correction: It wasn't JJG, it was MAG re: the above reference.

Meant to mention that no sooner had the SOTU speech ended but that beady eyed, bumptious Texan was cruising on CNN and Fox dissing the President's plan for moving forward. Cruz wastes no time to regurgitate his weasel speak. Truly an amazing man.

Larry Summers on Charlie Rose had an opportunity to quash Glen Hubbard's assertion that raising the minimum wage, not cutting the SNAP program along with continuing unemployment payments wouldn't make a dent in the economy. And Doris Kearns told us that Teddy Roosevelt used the executive order many, many times––"How do you think we have all the preserved land that we have now?" she asked. I smiled ear to ear.

January 29, 2014 | Unregistered CommenterPD Pepe
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