REALITYCHEX.COM - Constant Comments - The Commentariat -- Oct. 13, 2013

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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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The Commentariat -- Oct. 13, 2013

Manu Raju & Burgess Everett of Politico: "After Senate Democratic leaders rejected a proposal Saturday by Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) to end the budget impasse, the burden to find a solution now falls squarely on Majority Leader Harry Reid and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell -- two shrewd tacticians who have a long, complicated and contentious personal and political history with each other. Republican senators ... reacted to the leadership discussions positively, believing that the two crafty dealmakers could concoct a proposal to reopen the government and avert the nation's first-ever default as soon as next week.... When asked if he is confident he could reach a deal with McConnell, Reid told Politico: 'No.'" ...

... Oh dear. Senate Republicans are "disrespecting" their House colleagues & that peeves Paulie. Jonathan Strong of National Review: "House Budget Committee chairman Paul Ryan lashed out at Senate Republicans for interfering with the House GOP's talks with the White House to reopen the government and lift the debt ceiling, suggesting his colleagues on the other side of the Capitol were betraying Speaker John Boehner. 'They're trying to cut the House out, and trying to jam us with the Senate. We're not going to roll over and take that,' Ryan told reporters. When asked if he felt 'double crossed,' Ryan said 'you look at the facts and draw your own conclusions.'" CW: Don't Senate Republicans remember who was the 2012 Mr. Vice President First Runner-Up? They should show more respect. Collins got her comeuppance, Paul; Senate Democrats rejected her plan. And yours is a non-starter. ...

... Rosalind Helderman & Jackie Kucinich of the Washington Post: Members of Congress carp at each other. A somewhat humorous read. ...

... Josh Barro of Business Insider: "Ted Cruz is living on another planet.... [He] spoke to the Values Voters Summit, and his speech was really weird. It's like he's living on another planet. On Planet Cruz, there is a massive outpouring of public support for a government shutdown over Obamacare and it's scaring the hell out of Democrats.... When constituencies become aggrieved minorities, seeing themselves as under attack by the establishment, they are vulnerable to hucksters like Cruz, because they disregard outside warnings and evidence that they are being had." ...

... Some People Love Ted. Alexandra Jaffe of the Hill: "Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) won the Values Voter Summit straw poll on Saturday, cementing his title as the de facto leader of the conservative movement."

Paul Krugman: "What's really going on with plutocrats right now ... is that they’re basically willing to accept lousy economic policies from right-wing politicians as long as they get a bigger share of the shrinking pie. This may sound very cynical -- but then, if you aren't cynical at this point, you aren't paying attention. And I suspect that the GOP would have to get a lot crazier before big business bails." Thanks to William P. Coleman for the link. Also, his related parable, contributed to yesterday's thread, is a good one.

** Robert Pear, et al., of the New York Times: "For the past 12 days, a system costing more than $400 million and billed as a one-stop click-and-go hub for citizens seeking health insurance has thwarted the efforts of millions to simply log in. The growing national outcry has deeply embarrassed the White House, which has refused to say how many people have enrolled through the federal exchange.... Interviews with two dozen contractors, current and former government officials, insurance executives and consumer advocates, as well as an examination of confidential administration documents, point to a series of missteps -- financial, technical and managerial -- that led to the troubles. Politics made things worse." CW: When & if this mess ever gets worked out, Kathleen Sebelius should resign; if she doesn't, Obama should suggest it to her.

Fog of War. Maureen Dowd reminisces with Dick Cheney & the gang. They don't remember much.

Gubernatorial Race

Ken Cuccinelli goes brutal:

... James Hohmann of Politico: "'This ad is despicable and the latest sign that Ken Cuccinelli is resorting to desperate and false attacks to make up for the fact that he is one of the most disliked statewide candidates in memory,' said McAuliffe spokesman Josh Schwerin. 'Terry was one of hundreds of passive investors several years ago and had no idea about the horrible allegations against the defendant.'" ...

... Amelia Thompson-Deveaux of the American Prospect examines the effect of third-party candidate Robert Sarvis in the Virginia gubernatorial race. Sarvis is running as a "pure libertarian." Thanks to James S. for the link.

Senatorial Races 2014

Jeremy Peters of the New York Times: Republicans' hopes of regaining the Senate dimmed with the shutdown.

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Krugman's post linked yesterday about the .01% obsession with sucking up the wealth of the nation with a shrinking pie was a good one indeed. The post was updated to include a link to a 1968 article by Tom Wolfe called "The Ultimate Power: Making 'Em Jump."

http://books.google.fr/books?id=fccDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA44&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q&f=false

The article demonstrates the shallowness and insecurities that the wealthy have among their aspiring social class and their obsession of separating themselves in any way possible from the unwashed peasantry combing the streets. More than popularity and wealth, it's the power to make others willingly put themselves to their service all the while giving platitudes to soothe their tender egos that really motivates these petty and insecure individuals.

It's an interesting perspective to have documented when the article was published in 1968 especially in comparing the evolution of wealth and power among the rich between then and now. 1968 was riding on the cusp of the "trentes glorieuses" of western growth built on the back of the derogatorily named "Third World." The oil shocks of the 1970s coupled with the strengthening of globalization produced an altered model where western wealth spread throughout the globe. The growth of global wealth opened up the gates of the few rich classes throughout the world, where today the .01% Americans now have to showboat their power against their billionaire Brazilian and Chinese counterparts. Holding on to their status symbols, the richest of the rich, the Barons of wealth, has required further bending the system to their wills, lest they be humiliated by the New Rich.

The bifurcation of global wealth, both trickling down across the globe while simultaneously concentrating itself among the world's .01% has produced the morbid paradox of a world (and our country) that has never known such immense wealth yet gives the appearance of severe scarcity because of the immense number of actors looking to share the pie.

That society is eroding beneath their private Manhattan penthouses and skyscrapers is of little concern to them. I would say no concern, but they often wipe their guilt clean by donating to such and such charity or foundations, doing their part in helping "those" people. For a tax deduction of course. I compare this philanthropic giveaway to the self-concerned religious zealots, decrying world poverty and praying God takes care of their little souls because they're busy and can't be bothered... Obviously supporting charities and philanthropic giving is a noble deed, but I'd like to see Lord Blankfein descend from his ivory tower and serve his weekly soup duty in the local food kitchen before he declares himself to be doing God's work.

Interestingly enough, the article ends on the egregious example of the old head of Lehman Bros. who went to the furthest lengths to distinguish himself from even his fellow .01%ers. Fast forward that film and we all saw how that ended. Was it a prelude to the main feature? Only time will tell...

October 13, 2013 |

safari

“John Galt, the central character in Atlas Shrugged, is not named until near the end of the novel. Before his identity is revealed, the question is repeatedly asked, ‘Who is John Galt’. Now we know precisely who he is: John Galt is the idiot responsible for the 2008 financial meltdown, and for the ongoing federal government shutdown in the US.”

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/oct/11/who-responsible-us-shutdown-2008-meltdown-slavoj-zizek

October 13, 2013 |

James Singer

Gotta love this WaBezos Petula Dvorak essay:

“Don’t slam D.C. for the shutdown, America: You sent these wackos here”

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/dont-slam-dc-for-the-shutdown-america-you-sent-these-wackos-here/2013/10/07/7f7f55ca-2f40-11e3-8906-3daa2bcde110_story.html?hpid=z8

October 13, 2013 |

James Singer

Ezra Klein's take on the disaster that the ACA has become:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/10/14/five-thoughts-on-the-obamacare-disaster/?hpid=z4

October 14, 2013 |

James Singer

Hope everything is okay. I always come to RealityChex first, so I missed you this morning.

October 14, 2013 |

Trish Ramey

The House GOP changed the rules to ensure hostage taking lasts until they're ready to concede. This video is an eye opener to ponder the future of such shady tactics. They're stacking with the deck with all they got these days. And democracy slowly wilts away...

http://www.upworthy.com/congress-did-something-so-spectacularly-creepy-that-its-too-unbelievable-to-make-up?c=ufb1

October 14, 2013 |

safari

BWO David Atkins at Hullabaloo"

"Losing whites: the biggest polling problem for the GOP"

http://www.digbysblog.blogspot.com/

October 14, 2013 |

James Singer

Worth a read:

Latin America’s ‘bad boy’ leaders enjoy high support, survey finds

http://www.sacbee.com/2013/10/14/5820661/latin-americas-bad-boy-leaders.html

October 14, 2013 |

James Singer

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