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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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Feb162013

The Commentariat -- Feb. 17, 2013

If you don't think Saint Ronald of Reagan & the Ghost of Saint Ronald have put this country on the skids, read the essays by Coontz & Stiglitz, neither of which, BTW, mentions Saint Ronnie:

... Stephanie Coontz, in a New York Times op-ed: "... despite the increased workload of families, and even though 70 percent of American children now live in households where every adult in the home is employed, in the past 20 years the United States has not passed any major federal initiative to help workers accommodate their family and work demands.... When the United States' work-family policies are compared with those of countries at similar levels of economic and political development, the United States comes in dead last....We must stop seeing work-family policy as a women's issue and start seeing it as a human rights issue that affects parents, children, partners, singles and elders." ...

... Joe Stiglitz in a New York Times op-ed: "Today, the United States has less equality of opportunity than almost any other advanced industrial country.... Probably the most important reason for lack of equality of opportunity is education: both its quantity and quality.... While racial segregation decreased, economic segregation increased. After 1980, the poor grew poorer, the middle stagnated, and the top did better and better." ...

... Michael Fletcher of the Washington Post: "For the first time since the New Deal, a majority of Americans are headed toward a retirement in which they will be financially worse off than their parents, jeopardizing a long era of improved living standards for the nation's elderly, according to a growing consensus of new research. The Great Recession and the weak recovery darkened the retirement picture for significant numbers of Americans. And the full extent of the damage is only now being grasped by experts and policymakers."

Paul Krugman: increasing the minimum wage is good economic policy. ...

... Also, Krugman, from Saturday morning: "On both sides of the Atlantic, the austerians seem to be freaking out. And that has to be good news, an indication that they realize, at some level, that they're losing the debate." Krugman goes on to explain how Joe Scarborough is going crazy. Fairly funny, because it takes so few words for Krugman to eviscerate him. ...

     ... None of this high-profile discussion on the failure of austerity has any effect on that idiot Tom Friedman, who today rolls merrily along, urging a Grand Bargain to cut entitlements because "We can't protect both generations in full anymore, but we must not sacrifice one for the other -- favoring nursing homes over nursery schools -- and that's what we're on track to do. One should not be surprised, I suppose, to learn that a person who lives in the Palace of Versailles is, well, rather unconcerned about old ladies in nursing homes. I'd like to smack Tom Friedman in the face. And if he turned the other cheek, I should smack that, too, because I can't protect both cheeks & must not sacrifice one for the other. ...

... MEANWHILE, in a post titled, "The Deficit Hawk Delusion," Derek Thompson of the Atlantic does a lovely job of explaining actuarial projections to dummies (see Scarborough, Friedman). For all the good it will do. ...

... BECAUSE that idiot Joe Scarborough got out his home photocopying machine & plagiarized -- or claims to have plagiarized; who the hell knows? -- some unnamed "senior economist" at the Rand Corporation. ...

... Samuel Knight in the Washington Monthly thinks Scarborough would have been better off to argue that our imaginary currency problems came about "because space aliens raided the Treasury in the dead of night because Nicholas Cage and Chuck Norris were off duty, having been contracted by the Navy to fight a flotilla of krakens in the Caribbean the week before."

The Fed -- Still Bailing out B of A. Gretchen Morgenson of the New York Times: "... last week's details of the undisclosed settlement between the New York Fed and Bank of America are remarkable. Not only do the filings show the New York Fed helping to thwart another institution's fraud case against the bank, they also reveal that the New York Fed agreed to give away what may be billions of dollars in potential legal claims."

Matt Taibbi has a long piece in Rolling Stone on the criminal element that runs HSBC. I've been trying to read for a few days, but can't get to it. So here it is: "People may have outrage fatigue about Wall Street, and more stories about billionaire greedheads getting away with more stealing often cease to amaze.... But the HSBC case went miles beyond the usual paper-pushing, keypad-punching sort-of crime, committed by geeks in ties, normally associated­ with Wall Street. In this case, the bank literally got away with murder -- well, aiding and abetting it, anyway. That nobody from the bank went to jail or paid a dollar in individual fines is nothing new in this era of financial crisis. What is different about this settlement is that the Justice Department, for the first time, admitted why it decided to go soft on this particular kind of criminal. It was worried that anything more than a wrist slap for HSBC might undermine the world economy."

Lisa Rein of the Washington Post: "Advocates for the vast numbers of visitors to America’s national parks are pressuring Congress to prevent deep automatic spending cuts that would result in reduced hours and services across the country, from the Blue Ridge Mountains to Yellowstone. Few corners of the federal government directly touch the public as do the 398 parks, monuments and historic sites, which draw 280 million visits a year. The system would feel the effects immediately of a $110 million slash should budget cuts take effect March 1...." CW: this is actually an upside to sequestration; Tea Partiers who want to deep tax cuts will be in for a rude awakening when they find out the GOP's starve-the-government project has closed or limited access to their favorite park & ruined their family vacations.

Sarah Halzack & Josh Hicks of the Washington Post: "The Department of Labor has suspended new enrollment into one of the nation's largest job-training programs for low-income youths, citing cost overruns that critics have blamed on mismanagement. The Job Corps enrollment freeze could close the door on as many as 30,000 young adults struggling in a troubled economy and could cost about 10,000 staff jobs, according to the association that represents private operators for the program."

Alan Gomez of USA Today: "A draft of a White House immigration proposal obtained by USA Today would allow illegal immigrants to become legal permanent residents within eight years. The plan also would provide for more security funding and require business owners to check the immigration status of new hires within four years. In addition, the nation's 11 million illegal immigrants could apply for a newly created "Lawful Prospective Immigrant" visa...."

Eric Lipton of the New York Times: "The background story of how the accusations [against Sen. Bob Menendez {D-N.J.}] were initially made has all the makings of a Hollywood political thriller, even snaring the Federal Bureau of Investigation in the process.... The way Mr. Menendez first came under broader scrutiny, at a minimum, illustrates the often-hidden role that partisan players have in helping push the major news media to dig into ethical allegations lodged against sitting members of Congress." ...

... Ernesto Londoño and Carol Leonnig of the Washington Post have another big story on Menendez's Dominican shenanigans, a story which also ensnares the U.S. Ambassador to the Dominican Republic, Raul Yzaguirre. CW: the more I read about this sorry affair, the more I see it as political hackery all around -- Menendez batting for his team, Republicans batting for theirs. The citizens of the U.S. & the Dominican Republic be damned.

David Adams of Reuters: "Using stolen names and Social Security numbers, criminals are filing phony electronic tax forms to claim refunds, exploiting a slow-moving federal bureaucracy to collect the money before victims, or the Internal Revenue Service, discover the fraud.... [The scheme] has ballooned into a massive, and dangerous, illegal industry that could cost the nation $21 billion over the next five years, according to the U.S. Treasury Department.... While the IRS says it has detected cases in every state except North Dakota and West Virginia, the fraud's epicenter is Florida, and it is mostly concentrated in Miami and Tampa."

Maureen Dowd & I share a pet peeve: "historical" films that make up stuff because some Hollywood blockhead thinks real history isn't dramatic enough. I know history is subjective & there are plenty of unknowns, but tossing out the knowns in favor of car chases or whatever is irritating. I'd like to think when I watch a bazillion-dollar movie, they could afford to hire a few historians to fact-check the script.

Jason Horowitz of the Washington Post: "VatiLeaks ... exposed the church bureaucracy's entrenched opposition to Benedict's fledgling effort to carve out a legacy as a reformer against the backdrop of a global child sex abuse scandal and the continued dwindling of his flock. It showed how Benedict, a weak manager who may most be remembered for the way in which he left office, was no match for a culture that rejected even a modicum of transparency and preferred a damage-control campaign that diverted attention from the institution's fundamental problems."

Right Wing World

Frank Bruni: Ted Cruz is an asshole.

Over at Fox "News," the patriotic hosts don't see anything wrong with making a 102-year-old woman stand in line to vote -- in the heat -- for 5 hours. "'What's the big deal? She was happy," [Martha] MacCallum argued. 'She waited on line, she was happy that she voted.' 'They held her up as a victim!' [Bill] Hemmer alleged. 'What was she the victim of? Rashes on the bottom of her feet?'" CW: another occasion to remind ourselves that the U.S. is one of a very few so-called democracies in which citizens do not have a constitutional right to vote.

News Ledes

CNN: "President Barack Obama hit the greens Sunday with famed golfer Tiger Woods, according to deputy White House press secretary Josh Earnest. Obama is spending President's Day weekend at a sprawling resort in Palm City, Florida, where he's polishing his golf game. On Saturday, he worked on his swing with Woods' former coach, Butch Harmon." CW: I guess this means Tiger is rehabilitated now. Either that or he & Obama went partying while the First Lady & daughters are skiing out West.

AP: "Angry residents [of Quetta, Pakistan] on Sunday demanded government protection from an onslaught of attacks against Shiite Muslims, a day after 81 people were killed in a massive bombing that a local official said was a sign that security agencies were too scared to do their jobs. Saturday's blast at a produce market in the city of Quetta also wounded 160 people and underlined the precarious situation for Shiites living in a majority Sunni country where many extremist groups don't consider them real Muslims." CW: so if -- before the attack -- a U.S. drone had taken out the terrorists who planted the bomb, would that have been a bad thing? Just asking.

Comments Off

Reader Comments (7)

Frank Bruni weighs in on Cruz: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/17/opinion/sunday/ted-cruz-the-gops-nasty-newcomer.html?ref=opinion&_r=0
Senator Graham's comment: “I think he’s got unlimited potential,” Senator Lindsey Graham told Politico. “But the one thing I will say to any new senator — you’re going to be respected if you can throw a punch but you also have to prove you can do a deal.”

How can you do a deal if no one likes you, and would rather not assciate with you?

February 16, 2013 | Unregistered CommenterBarbarossa

And furthermore, Barbarossa, how can you learn to "do a deal" when your mentors have specialized in doing almost none in the last four years? Or maybe, if history is any guide, the "deals" Graham has in mind would seldom reach outside the closed ranks of the Republican caucus, certainly never so far as to benefit the whole country.

February 16, 2013 | Unregistered CommenterKen Winkes

http://www.npr.org/2013/02/17/172235267/gun-control-the-view-from-the-nra
During an interview with the Prez. of the NRA,discussing some rules for buying a gun and registering it, objected to any restrictions as an affront to a citizen's constitutional right to own a gun.

It's interesting how many of these same guys and gals who object to reasonable rules for gun ownership, are right there in the front row when it come to voting to restrict women's rights to a safe and legal abortion. I guess what's good for the goose (female) is not OK with the gander!

February 17, 2013 | Unregistered Commenterdan

Re; Just answerin'. CW; You're going to dismiss this for many good reasons but I think it is legitimate response.
"so if -- before the attack -- a U.S. drone had taken out the terrorists who planted the bomb, would that have been a bad thing? Just asking?"
We don't got a dog in the fight.
Misguided foreign policy coupled with an gross misunderstanding of world religion and an insatiable MDC makes it seem like we have options in affairs that in reality are going to play out with or without our drones. Kinda' like poking the hornet's net with stick.
Choose your battles if you can.

February 17, 2013 | Unregistered CommenterJJG

@JJG: actually, point taken. Your response was what I was looking for -- reasons we should not be flying our fancy killing machines over countries with which we are not at war & taking out bad guys. "We don't got a dog in the fight" sounds reasonable to me.

Marie

February 17, 2013 | Unregistered CommenterMarie Burns

'We don't got a dog in the fight' isn't a reason to do or not do anything. It is an avoidance of reason. A defeat of considered action by sound bite, which is how you invaded Afghanistan and Iraq in the first place.

February 17, 2013 | Unregistered Commentercowichan's opinion

Ted Cruz has come on the scene like the meteor over Russia. However, Karma has not finished with him.
Bases? What bases? We don't need no stinking bases.

February 17, 2013 | Unregistered CommenterRoger Henry
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