Author's posts
Jan 20 2008
Weekend News Digest
Weekend News Digest is an Open Thread
| From Yahoo News Top Stories |
1 Did oil canals worsen Katrina’s effects?
By CAIN BURDEAU, Associated Press Writer
47 minutes ago
| IN THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER DELTA – Service canals dug to tap oil and natural gas dart everywhere through the black mangrove shrubs, bird rushes and golden marsh. From the air, they look like a Pac-Man maze superimposed on an estuarine landscape 10 times the size of Grand Canyon National Park.
There are 10,000 miles of these oil canals. They fed America’s thirst for energy, but helped bring its biggest delta to the brink of collapse. They also connect an overlooked set of dots in the Hurricane Katrina aftermath: The role that some say the oil industry played in the $135 billion disaster, the nation’s costliest. The delta, formed by the accumulation of the Mississippi River’s upstream mud over thousands of years, is a shadow of what it was 100 years ago. Since the 1930s, a fifth of the 10,000-square-mile delta has turned into open water, decreasing the delta’s economic and ecologic value by as much as $15 billion a year, according to Louisiana State University studies. |
Jan 19 2008
Weekend News Digest
Weekend News Digest is an Open Thread
1 Why does Johnny come marching homeless?
By ERIN McCLAM, AP National Writer
57 minutes ago
| LEEDS, Mass. – Peter Mohan traces the path from the Iraqi battlefield to this lifeless conference room, where he sits in a kilt and a Camp Kill Yourself T-shirt and calmly describes how he became a sad cliche: a homeless veteran.
There was a happy homecoming, but then an accident – car crash, broken collarbone. And then a move east, close to his wife’s new job but away from his best friends. And then self-destruction: He would gun his motorcycle to 100 mph and try to stand on the seat. He would wait for his wife to leave in the morning, draw the blinds and open up whatever bottle of booze was closest. |
Jan 18 2008
Olbermann vs. Matthews
In the last 24 hours we’ve had some very interesting communications from MSNBC.
Yesterday at 5 pm Chris Matthews opened his show with an apology to Hillary Clinton (h/t Atrios).
Was it fair to imply that Hillary’s whole career depended on being a victim of an unfaithful husband? No. And that’s what it sounded like I was saying and it hurt people I’d like to think normally like what I say, in fact, normally like me. As I said, I rely on my heart to guide me in the heated, fast-paced talk we have here on Hardball — a heart that bears only goodwill toward people trying to make it out there, especially those who haven’t before.
If my heart has not always controlled my words, on those occasions when I have not taken the time to say things right, or have simply said the inappropriate thing, I’ll try to be clearer, smarter, more obviously in support of the right of women — of all people — the full equality and respect for their ambitions. So, I get it.
I invite you to read the whole transcript and watch the video. While it was pretty earthshattering breaking news to get any kind of apology at all, a lot of people, including myself, thought it was just an example of the “I’m sorry you were offended by what I said” variety of non-apology apology.
In fact I still think that.
Also yesterday, at 8 pm, Keith Olbermann had Lawrence O’Donnell, author of this from the Huffington Post, on to talk about the campaign and Lawrence pretty much delivered a hit piece on John Edwards.
Quite a few people over at the Daily Kos were upset enough to diary about it and many more joined their voices in agreement.
So today we get this from second time diarist Keith Olbermann (don’t worry, it’s a storyonly link)-
Those of you complaining about it are right.
His HuffPo piece was news to me.
Shouldn’t have been, obviously, but it was.
I don’t read every blog, nor everything written by my guests. I often don’t know until an hour beforehand who will be a guest on a given show… Also, to announce, on-air, each guest’s preferences, prejudices, shillings and shiv jobs, would reduce the rest of the show to “Good Evening. Call Me Ishmael. My Boat Sank. The End. Good Night.”
…
But even with these caveats, the point about this appearance, especially in the wake of such a freshly-written piece, is well-taken and I’m very sorry.
It will be addressed tonight on the show.
As usual I hesitate to editorialize too much, you can think what you want, but in addition to the question of who’s the mensch I invite you to consider if this represents a new direction at MSNBC.
Jan 18 2008
BREAKING!!!: Matthews Apologizes
Chris Matthews started Hardball tonight with a six minute apology to Hillary that focused mainly on his ‘she only got her Senatorship because of her husband’ remark.
I put up this to let you know so you can tune in the repeat at 7 pm.
I’m going to turn off comments so someone can do a more substantial essay when there is a transcript and video.
Jan 16 2008
The Morning News
The Morning News is an Open Thread
Last Night’s Overnight News Digest is too old (you’ll have to look at comments for the science section). This is straight from scratch circa 3 am EST.
| From Yahoo News Top Stories |
1 Asian stock markets plunge
By DIKKY SINN, Associated Press Writer
50 minutes ago
| HONG KONG – Asian stock markets plunged Wednesday on growing speculation the U.S. economy – a vital export market – is sliding into a recession that could lead to a global slowdown.
Investors dumped stocks after an overnight sell-off in U.S. markets and on news that Citigroup Inc. had lost nearly $10 billion in the fourth quarter as it wrote down bad mortgage assets. Weak U.S. retail sales figures also added to the gloom, sending the Dow Jones industrial average down 277 points, or 2.2 percent. “The moves on Wall Street signal fears that the U.S. is going into recession,” said Rommel Macapagal, chairman of Westlink Global Equities in Manila, Philippines, where the market sank 2.7 percent. |
Jan 16 2008
The Morning News
The Morning News is an Open Thread
Last night’s Overnight News Digest is too old (you’ll have to look at comments for the science section). This is straight from scratch circa 3 am EST.
| From Yahoo News Top Stories |
1 Asian stock markets plunge
By DIKKY SINN, Associated Press Writer
50 minutes ago
| HONG KONG – Asian stock markets plunged Wednesday on growing speculation the U.S. economy – a vital export market – is sliding into a recession that could lead to a global slowdown.
Investors dumped stocks after an overnight sell-off in U.S. markets and on news that Citigroup Inc. had lost nearly $10 billion in the fourth quarter as it wrote down bad mortgage assets. Weak U.S. retail sales figures also added to the gloom, sending the Dow Jones industrial average down 277 points, or 2.2 percent. “The moves on Wall Street signal fears that the U.S. is going into recession,” said Rommel Macapagal, chairman of Westlink Global Equities in Manila, Philippines, where the market sank 2.7 percent. |
Jan 14 2008
The Stars Hollow Gazette
I had mostly passed on a topic after finding my next masterpiece of character assassination (pre-Whore, you can comment now, but it future promotes at 10 am and that’s early enough), but I have my readership that streams The Stars Hollow Gazette and was diligently poking at my insomnia when I ran a check on my fictional self that turned it up as the seventh hit in a Google search.
I’m not sure what that means.
I am now more famous as a member of DocuDharma than I am for Naked dKos w/Poll?
It’s all very odd.
Jan 14 2008
The Ombudsman Speaks
Now I’ve long since given up on the Gray Lady as an overpriced whore, but I’ll not presume to speak for all progressives. It’s possible you have some lingering attachment or hope for redemption of a fallen angel and I’d be a heartless Scrooge indeed to encourage you to read this-
He May Be Unwelcome, but We’ll Survive
By CLARK HOYT, The Public Editor, The New York Times
Published: January 13, 2008
Kristol’s first column joined the pack in its first paragraph and wrote off Hillary Clinton with finality the day before she won the New Hampshire primary. He also misattributed a quotation that had to be corrected.
This is a decision I would not have made. But it is not the end of the world.
So why does Kristol have a job again? Nepotism.
Clark Hoyt admits right up front that Billy Boy was selected to redress an ancient dispute between Arthur Ochs Sulzberger and John Oakes over hiring William Safire and not Irving Kristol, Billy Boyz dad.
Clark Hoyt thinks “Sulzberger and Rosenthal made a mistake.” Out of “over 700” reactions to William Kristol’s appointment only a single one is supportive. Sulzberger said he was surprised.
About Kristol’s assertion that his new employers should face federal prosecution A. M. Rosenthal said Kristol’s comment was “a heavy accusation that put him in a category other than a journalist.”
But what gets me is this-
I agree with their effort to address an Op-Ed lineup that, until Kristol came aboard, was at least six liberals against one conservative who isn’t always all that conservative.
Pulleeze.
They are all Villagers. And so are you Clark.
Jan 13 2008
Weekend News Digest
Weekend News Digest is an Open Thread
| From Yahoo News Top Stories |
1 Bush insists Iran biggest terror sponsor
By TERENCE HUNT, AP White House Correspondent
16 minutes ago
| ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates – President Bush gently nudged authoritarian Arab allies Sunday to satisfy frustrated desires for democracy in the Mideast and saved his harshest criticism for Iran, branding it “the world’s leading state-sponsor of terror.”
Speaking in this Persian Gulf country, about 150 miles from the shores of Iran, Bush said Tehran threatens nations everywhere and that the United States was “rallying friends around the world to confront this danger before it is too late.” The warning about Iran was much tougher than Bush’s admonition about spreading democracy in the Middle East, which had been billed as the central theme of his speech. |
Jan 13 2008
Is This A Victory?
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is saying privately he now won’t attempt to update the 1978 Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) on the wiretapping of al Qaeda suspects. Instead, he’ll merely support another 18-month extension of the six-month-old Protect America Act. WSJ
Now I saw this news yesterday on Daily Kos and my search skilz are not such in the morning that I care to look it up and the Beltway Bozos are not back in session ’til next week so no big deal says I thinking there plenty of time to muster up some outrage.
What I saw this morning on Atrios linking Open Left made me spew my coffee (which I haven’t even had yet).
If you can’t tell I think this no victory. The Protect America Act was a horrible capitulation of Congress and a stain and a blot on the Constitution. Any extension at all is unacceptable. Six months ago it was a bad idea. IT STILL IS!
The fact that Harry has found some spine on a clear corporate giveaway after the revelations that unlimited spying on citizens without warrants was willing acceded to by the Telecoms BEFORE 9/11 AND those greedy bastards were willing to sell out our supposed National Security interests because we were late with the bribe check…
Heck.
Jan 12 2008
Weekend News Digest
Weekend News Digest is an Open Thread
| From Yahoo News Top Stories |
1 FBI finds Blackwater trucks patched
By LARA JAKES JORDAN and MATT APUZZO, Associated Press Writers
Sat Jan 12, 10:49 AM ET
| WASHINGTON – Blackwater Worldwide repaired and repainted its trucks immediately after a deadly September shooting in Baghdad, making it difficult to determine whether enemy gunfire provoked the attack, according to people familiar with the government’s investigation of the incident.
Damage to the vehicles in the convoy has been held up by Blackwater as proof that its security guards were defending themselves against an insurgent ambush when they fired into a busy intersection, leaving 17 Iraqi civilians dead. U.S. military investigators initially found “no enemy activity involved” and the Iraqi government concluded the shootings were unprovoked. |
Jan 11 2008
The Stars Hollow Gazette
Miss me? Not much. If I am only now getting past this week in drama and angst without going ballistic what is that? Why should you care since I only exist to amuse you.
I am fictional. A figment of imagination infused with your interpretation, no more substantial than a dream. Reality is an apple that falls from a tree every damn time.
Speaking of, I was amused by this bit on Atrios. Follow the links.
I don’t work blue or not blue.
I do work professional so I apologize for missed marks, but people read too much into insubstantial photons and it is never personal except when it is.
I try to amuse you and make you think like I do which is an impossible task, you are not me- that is too much to ask. The only attitude I control is my own.
Left or right, up or down I am essentially a clown and you may think me sad but in fact I am glad. I’m happy to be my fictional self and ok with the choices I’ve made.
The results?
I could have been a rock star astro naught, but instead I am what you’ve got.
Who are you?