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The place where the world comes together in honesty and mirth.
Windmills Tilted, Scared Cows Butchered, Lies Skewered on the Lance of Reality ... or something to that effect.


Sunday, November 29, 2009

Man wanted for questioning in police killings, has troubling criminal history

Maurice Clemmons Maurice Clemmons, the 37-year-old Tacoma man being sought for questioning in the killing this morning of four Lakewood police officers, has a long criminal record punctuated by violence, erratic behavior and concerns about his mental health.

Nine years ago, then-Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee granted clemency to Clemmons, commuting his lengthy prison sentence over the protests of prosecutors.

Full Story

Lugar: Delay health care "reform" to pay for war

The Afghanistan war could be as much about dollars as sense for several U.S. lawmakers, including one top repugican who says national security is worth delaying health care reforms so Congress can pay for military operations.

*****

Hey about this - end the war and bring the troops home that way there is no need to 'pay' for the war?!
The money would be better spent on health care.

DC Seeks to Tax Blighted PropertiesRead the original story

D.C. officials have less than two months to compile a list of the city's blighted properties.

DC Seeks to Tax Blighted Properties

U.S. Holiday Season Off to Modestly Positive

Holiday shopping held steady through the weekend after retailers saw a huge crowd of bargain shoppers buying discounted flat-panel TVs and fleece jackets on Black Friday, the traditional post-Thanksgiving Day shopping spree.

U.S. Holiday Season Off to Modestly Positive

Before Obama Met Salahi, the shrub Met Jack

From Crooks and Liars:

bush_abramoff_49c65.JPG

When it comes to social events at the White House, the only thing worse for a President than self-serving gate crashers is when the miscreant has an invitation. And so while conservatives gloat over the Secret Service failure that allowed climbers Michaele and Tareq Salahi to crash the state dinner for the Indian prime minister, it's worth remembering that when Republican uber lobbyist and convicted felon Jack Abramoff roamed the Bush White House, he was an honored guest.

For his part, President Obama has ordered a review into how the Virginia couple and would-be reality TV stars made their way into this week's function. For their part, even conservative bloggers fretted about the disturbing security lapse that allowed the Salahis to come "face to face with The One himself." But as another predictably suggested, it's all Obama's fault even when it isn't:

"It unfortunately also embarrasses the Secret Service, Obama, and pretty much the entire White House. It was Obama's first state dinner, and how will people remember it? They'll remember that two famewhore socialites snuck in and that his security allowed it to happen. This, for once, is not Obama's fault, but he's the one embarrassed by it inevitably. I wonder how long it will take him to blame this on President Bush, though."

Of course, you can't blame George W. Bush for letting the Salahis slither their way into a White House social function. But letting Jack Abramoff through the door is another matter altogether.

As you'll recall, in September 2008, Abramoff was sentenced to four years in prison for a lobbying scandal whose tentacles spread throughout Capital Hill and the Bush administration. And as the Washington Post recounted, Abramoff would have a lot of company in jail from among the ranks of his Republican colleagues:

More than a dozen people, including an Ohio congressman and a deputy secretary of the interior, have been convicted in the Abramoff lobbying scandal, and Justice Department officials said the investigation is continuing. Still under scrutiny are former House majority leader Tom DeLay (R-Tex.) and retiring Rep. John T. Doolittle (R-Calif.).

Which is why the Bush White House was desperate to erase any evidence of the association between Abramoff, the President and his highest level staffers. On January 26th, 2006, President Bush denied any relationship with Abramoff, a "Pioneer" who raised over $100,000 for his reelection campaign:

"You know, I, frankly, don't even remember having my picture taken with the guy. I don't know him."

As it turned out, of course, George W. Bush knew Jack Abramoff and had his picture taken with the guy several times.

Article Continues »

White House crashers want hundreds of thousands for their story

Just me, or does anyone else want to see these people in jail?

Then again, if you could jail someone for being tacky, all those moron Palin fans would be locked up.

Wanted American gets 3 years in China

An American wanted for eco-terrorism attacks in the United States has been sentenced to three years in a Chinese prison for making illegal drugs.

Wanted American gets 3 years in China

Few signposts mark the road to economic recovery

The road from recession to recovery is rarely smooth, straight or short.
It comes with detours, forks and even dead ends.
And sometimes surprises.
While each American recession is different, most major ones end with pessimism heavy in the air.
As the U.S. economy claws its way out of the deepest downturn in decades, jobs are still being lost, consumers are jittery and banks are reluctant to resume lending, even though stocks have rallied and corporate profits seem to be slowly returning.

Full Story

Americans rate Dimbulb most idiotic wingnut, choose JFK for Mount Rushmore

By a wide margin, Americans consider Lush Dimbulb the nation’s most idiotic wingnut talking head.

Those are the results of a poll conducted by "60 Minutes" and Vanity Fair magazine and issued Sunday.

The tub of lard was picked by 26 per cent of those who responded, followed by Faux News Channel’s Glenn Brick at 11 per cent.

Actual politicians - the Dick and the idiot Sarah Palin - were the choice of 10 per cent each.

*****

Asked to choose among presidents, Americans tapped John F. Kennedy as the one they’d like to see added to Mount Rushmore.

Games to fight weight gain

Games to fight weight gain

Fitness games may help fight the weight gain that often results from holiday feasting.

Eating habits that make you happier

Eating habits that make you happier

Selecting the right foods will not only help nourish your body but calm your mind.

Man balances on two fingers

Man balances on two fingers

There's more behind this man's amazing balancing act than acrobatics.

Dog greets customers at Florida store

Dog greets customers at Florida store

A dog named Cody surprises customers at the drive-through window every day.

America's fastest-recovering cities

America's fastest-recovering cities

Cities with diverse industries and moderate changes in home value are bouncing back first.

Top 5
Also:

Details Emerge In Lakewood Police Shooting

Four Washington police officers slain

The search continues for the man who fatally shot four officers at a coffeehouse.


Details have begun to emerge in the Lakewood police shooting that took place earlier today at 8:15 AM on Sunday morning. Four police officers, three men and a woman, were "ambushed" at a coffee shop in Lakewood, which is in Washington state, 40 miles south of Seattle and 10 miles southwest of Tacoma.

Worst credit-card mistakes you can make

Worst credit-card mistakes you can make

For the first time, FICO reveals how mistakes damage your credit score.

US Food Stamp Program Expanding by 20,000 People Per Day

The program is expanding by about 20,000 out-of-work and underemployed people a day, the Post reported, noting the growth has been swift in once-prosperous communities effected by the housing bust.

“It’s time for us to face up to the fact that in this country of plenty, there are hungry people,” Concannon said.

Food stamp stigma fading fast

Should Food Stamps Be Used To Buy Organic Food?

From Treehugger:

grocery cart photo

Grocery cart undecided. Image credit:Keith B. Evans, at Simple Gallery.

Washington Post has covered the rapid growth of Food Stamp use in recent months.

While the Reagan-era stigma attached to public aid in the form of "Food Stamps" seems to have faded in the face of spreading US unemployment, people are thinking and writing about what is, and is not, appropriate food to buy with taxpayer support.

Farm-market use is a possibility, per the WaPo report: "Participants apply locally to receive an electronic card that is used like an ATM card to buy food at most grocery stores and some farmers markets."

A knee-jerk answer to the rhetorical question posed by this headline would be 'no,' that Food Stamp credits should not go for organic food, which is widely seen as a luxury. In the real world, this simplistic answer can be either misleading or wrong, cost wise.

Student Caught Biking Drunk Banned from Cycling for 15 Years

From Treehugger:

bike drunk banned from cycling photo
Image: Bild


Americans are still reacting to the news that a man got away with only a four-month jail sentence after shooting a bicyclist in the head in cold blood, in front of his three-year old child. In Germany, the web is buzzing about a sentence equally extreme, on the opposite end of the spectrum. Christopher-Felix Hahn, a student of theater science in Gießen, has learned he is banned from riding a bike, skateboard or any other "unlicensed vehicle" on the streets -- for fifteen years.

Liars and Fools

Liars and Fools today are:

Lush Dimbulb "jokes" that the military should take President Obama into custody.
Not likely your moron, however you might want to watch your ass when the come for you.

Gun Nuts lies Claiming Obama administration will issue ‘no guns’ decree.
This is news? Gun nuts are always spewing such garbage.

Pastor Wiley Drake says Christians should stop praying for PresidentObama's death until he's convicted of treason.
OK, we can agree with this - after Drake is convicted of treason we can "pray" for his death.

'Bin Laden was within our grasp'

A report released by the Democratic staff of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee blamed the shrub administration for failing to capture or kill Osama bin Laden when the al Qaeda leader was cornered in Afghanistan's Tora Bora mountain region in December 2001.

The report, released Sunday, said the situation in Afghanistan presented greater problems today because of the failure to nab bin Laden eight years ago.

Bin Laden had written his will, apparently sensing he was trapped, but the lack of sufficient forces to close in for the kill allowed him to escape to tribal areas in Pakistan, according to the report.

It said former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and top U.S. commander Gen. Tommy Franks held back the necessary forces for a "classic sweep-and-block maneuver" that could have prevented bin Laden's escape.

Full Story

Teabaggers are so stupid ...

Teabaggers are so stupid ...
athetic, really pathetic.

The Bronx tops food stamp list

Bronx County, NY with a 13.3% unemployment rate, has joined Hidalgo County, TX as the US counties of their size with the greatest share of people receiving food stamps at 29%.

Nationally, 1 in 8 adults and one in 4 children are using food stamps, according to data collected by the New York Times.

The Bronx tops food stamp list

Roman Catholic Church continues to lobby government

Trying to push their policies on the governments, Catholic bishops continue their attempts to convince lawmakers they're serious about abortion and same-sex marriage.

Full Story

Again, who gives a shit what catholic bishops have to say about anything?

Wingnuts consider a suicide pact

Some people can't stand prosperity, my father used to say.

Today, he might be talking about wingnuts, who, in the midst of declining support for President Obama's hope-and-change agenda, are considering a "purity" pledge to weed out undesirables from their ever-shrinking party.

Just when independents and moderates were considering revisiting the repugican tent.

Obama orders review of crashers

President Barack Obama has ordered a full review into how a Virginia couple managed to make their way into the White House for last week's state dinner without an invitation, even getting so far as to meet the president in the official receiving line, according to a White House official.

Three days after a pair of Virginia socialites and reality TV wannabes crashed the administration's first state dinner, the White House acknowledged for the first time Friday that they met Obama himself at the event – raising even more questions about whether the breach could have posed a security risk.

Iran approves building 10 uranium enrichment sites

The Iranian government approved a plan tonight to build 10 new uranium enrichment facilities, a dramatic expansion in defiance of UN demands it halt the program.

Full Story

Buzzing flies more likely to wake men than crying babies

However for women, whether or not they are mothers, there is no other noise more likely to stop them sleeping than that of a wailing infant, according to scientific tests measuring brain activity.

Buzzing flies more likely to wake men than crying babies

Daily Riddle

Imagine you're in a room with no windows and no doors, how do you get out?

Stop imagining!

And I Quote

Misery no longer loves company.
Nowadays it insists on it.

~ Russell Baker

Murderous moose suspected in Swedish death

Swedish police say they've cleared a man who was arrested for allegedly murdering his wife after deciding the culprit was most likely a moose.

Full Story

Swiss ban mosque minarets

Swiss voters overwhelmingly approved a constitutional ban on minarets on Sunday, barring construction of the iconic mosque towers in a vote that put Switzerland at the forefront of a European backlash against a growing Muslim population.

Swiss ban mosque minarets

Collect Call Indeed

Woman shocked by cost of collect call

A hairstylist who accepted a customer's quick collect call had no idea it would cost more than $45.

Why one town may get 100s of new jobs

Why one town may get 100s of new jobs

One car company's decision may turn around a hard-hit California city.

Unusual Holidays and Celebrations

Today is Electronic Greetings Day.

Daily Almanac

Today is Sunday, Nov. 29, the 333rd day of 2009.

There are 32 days left in the year.

Today In History November 29

Our Readers

Some of our readers today have been in:

Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
Nottingham, England, United Kingdom
London, England, United Kingdom
Grenoble, Rhone-Alpes, France
Helsinki, Southern Finland, Finland
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
Paris, Ile-De-France, France
Rome, Lazio, Italy
Laval, Quebec, Canada
Baie-Comeau, Quebec, Canada
Marseille, Provence-Alpes-Cote D'Azur, France
Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany

as well as Argentina, Scotland, and the United States

Daily Horoscope

Today's horoscope says:

You've been so good for so long that it's high time you did something a bit naughty!
Call up one of your more mischievous friends and make a plan together.
Expanding your horizons is highly favored, so a road trip could be in order.
If you're in the mood, take the wheel and point yourself toward something you've never explored.
What you find at your destination will appear fairly bland -- but after a few introductions, you'll be thrilled with your discoveries.

This is gonna be good!