Category Archives: ~ my 2cents …

~ my 2cents ..., ~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Weekend News and Reviews …


Sunday …and it’s Mother Day …

it’s clear BP is having trouble getting the make shift dome into place … which should have been made before drilling … is that a novel idea or maybe just one of many things BP was obviously willing to risk…  maybe a list of things to do or have available if something happens? like an emergency plan? it’s a nice day in the 206… again…drinking coffee watching the screen for our President to announce his Supreme Court Nominee and yes most of us stayed up to watch Betty White; she was great and can’t wait to see her on the new show.

It’s Saturday, the weather here in the 206 is great this morning for shopping antique, thrift and or garage that is …outdoors all the way.  It’s beautiful and hopefully will stay this way.

Apparently, a Ferry in the NYC rammed the Dock … more news to come but looks like engine issues or a stuck throttle  … The BP oil spill has occupied all our minds and has put every thing on hold… the Gulf Coast economy will need major help;  SO… if you live across the country like me and want to help … go to http://www.matteroftrust.org and see if you can do your part… sometimes you just have to.

The move to stop oil drilling; maybe evaluate or even push the need for Wind, Solar and Bio-fuel up to a higher priority and onto a faster track of development in the USA is now; now is the time to stop talking about the plans and start investing in wind,solar and bio-fuel production HERE in the USA .

How tough would it be to see oil cover a beach or lap to shore and have people say that it’s a natural thing ? … it’s not serious and will dissipate …WHAT? clearly the crazies are out in force and hopefully the sane out number them; though is anyone else find it disturbing that those who are pretending to know what is going on or spinning the disaster created on the Gulf Coast as a natural disaster.  These are the same people stating the attempted bombings in NYC are the fault of our current President? uh check your history and admit this started long before the 2008 Presidential campaign and an issue that did not get solved … it’s very disturbing and those who are doing so should stop talking … period.

And just so the Pat Buchanan’s of the world know … The right person is in the office of President … i shudder to think where we would be with a McCain/Palin ticket … think of the flip flop the ex-Maverick has taken think of things he is now walked away from … is it that Purity Pledge that Republicans take ? which includes practicing exclusion? those that sided with the tea party  group who did back McCain are now running from the tea party movement …the tea is not that strong …we have Republicans wanting to strip citizenship away from people, legalize racial profiling give Big Banks more or equal power as an individual and the list can go on.

The Senate vote of  some 27 Democrats against Wall Street Reform is very disturbing; the  financial reform debates are not over and Bernanke stated he is not waiting for Congress; though i am not sure what that means because most talkingheads feel Bernanke was apart of the problem.. is he planning on implementing the reform needed ?  We all know Congress gets paid to work for We the People…& they let us down … ok maybe just me.  While Wall Street Reform is not over yet it is clear that lobbyists and big Corporations have a hold on some on both sides of the aisle and though it does make sense it is disturbing and disappointing … the change that 53% voted for didn’t include those 27 Democrats i guess.

Other News … on Sunday

**Airports in Iceland and nearby are closed due to ash clouds

**

C-SPAN …

Sunday …

Sen. Durbin on Legislative Work of 111th Congress

Joining C SPAN’s Newsmakers, Majority Whip. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) discusses the current debate in the Senate on financial reform legislation. He also looks at the status of other major legislative priorities heading into the 2010 midterm elections.

watch Newsmakers: 10am & 6pm ET    watch Entire Interview
visit Previous Newsmakers

Senate Continues Debate

On Monday, the Senate will begin its second week of work on financial reform legislation. (S. 3217), They are slated to take up Sen. Sanders’ (I-VT) amendment that would allow the Government Accountability Office to conduct limited audits of the Federal Reserve. Last week, Sen. Maj. Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) urged lawmakers to keep debate to a minimum, saying, “I can’t spend 24 hours on one amendment and accommodate people here.” His remarks came after members spent hours debating Sen. Shelby’s (R-AL) amendment on a new consumer protection agency, which was defeated 38 to 61.

Saturday …

watch Pres. Obama’s Weekly Address

watch Entire Interview Sen Durbin and Financial Reform

watch News Conference Rep. Markey trip to Gulf Coast

watch State Department Press Briefing Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Philip Crowley

watch Pres. Obama Remarks on Jobs Report

Sec. Clinton: U.S. Committed to Vision of Nuclear Free World

As part of the “irreversible, transparent and verifiable steps” to reduce its nuclear arms, Sec. of State Clinton announced that the U.S. will publicize the number of weapons in its nuclear arsenal. This was one of several actions by the Obama Administration to encourage world leaders to follow its nonproliferation agenda. Sec. Clinton also responded to Iranian Pres. Ahmadinejad’s remarks, saying that Iran has failed to meet its responsibility and is in noncompliance with U.N. safeguard obligations.

~ my 2cents ..., ~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Primaries matter … 2010


How often do we all hear how the GOP will be picking up a significant amount of seats in Congress … we have a special election coming up for Hawaii.  And to make it even more complicated, in the Hawaii election not only is there a Republican on the ballot, but Republican voters will be voting too. That means, it’s two Democrats vs. one Republican but only one winner takes it all.

The  Democratic Party needs to get out in front of any election, plan for transportation and do whatever helps to GOTV, which goes without saying but then  …

This morning a Msnbc host stated that his party(Republican)…should do whatever it takes to win but do it quietly and behind closed doors… Dems need to give all the Community Organizers available the tools to win any and all elections …special or not.  My take is that most Democrats get involved in major elections but it’s a new day, now everyone should get involved at every level to keep Democrats in office on track to getting our broken down system back on track.  We all know what happened and who shoved us toward an enormous ditch; they bet and spent, spent, spent  money without enforcing regulations.  While it’s possible a lot of people saw the problem no one did a thing until it was too late and passed it on to the next Administration.

So, what’s my point to Primaries matter? This is not the time to move away from Democratic ideology, move away from getting things done unlike Republicans, it’s not the time to give up. We have to demand action from Congress.  We need to move into the 21st Century; while Republicans fight to keep us from progressing into a country that has health care for all, climate change because we care about our earth, our children.  We need to demand regulations and financial reform for a failed financial system that they took advantage of. Congress needs to make a good faith effort to reform the way people come into the US … immigration is not going away and the Arizona laws definitely are a catalyst

~ my 2cents ..., ~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

TGIF … and the News too


Today, Birth Control Pills turn 50. It’s Friday and the Month of May but it feels more like winter to me.  It’s cold out here in the 206, though the sun is great when it does come out … that will be later today.  It’s another day to be still stay calm …  slowly breathe in through your nose and slowly breathe out through your mouth and repeat …

Hey! don’t forget your MOM this weekend…

There are a lot of strange things going on with not only the weather and it impacts us all.

Yesterday, and i know it will continue because the crazy seems rampant but listening to politicians and lawmakers We the People actually voted into office proposing things like stripping away citizenship, national id’s, no amnesty, complaining about the small things like how potential terrorists almost got away; 9/11 transformed the US a new world and in case people have forgotten we had both international and homegrown terrorists  …where were these folks during all 8 years of the house of Bush and the crap that went on.   The vast conspiracy comments from people in,out or who were in office in the past; like Michael Brown ex-Fema loser… very disturbing.  How many people want a National ID?  i don’t … i still have no idea what Reasonable Suspicion means and what does an illegal look like anyway …

We need comprehensive immigration reform that includes a beefed up border patrol, a way to make Corporations stop hiring undocumented workers but give those who have been here a path to citizenship… whether people will admit it or not the impact on certain parts of our economy will be enormous and deserves serious efforts to finally be reformed.

The jobs numbers came out this morning and while the unemployment rate jumped to 9.9% there was an increase in job gain in the Private Sector by 290thousand, which is definitely a positive considering where we were 2 years ago.  The massive loss of jobs of over 700thousand was stunning and now things seem to be getting better and the over all outlook of our future is on the right track.

Other News …

**Yesterday 2 Republicans voted with Democrats regarding a consumer protection agency

**Airports in Ireland have been closed…the ash plume has grown;western Irish area airports

**New clashes in Greece in response to the austerity bill passing

**Germany to grant credit to Greece almost 29.

**Taylor Swift has donated $500thousand to help with Nashville recovery

**The Obama administration is preparing to revive a civilian nuclear cooperation deal with Moscow that then-President George W. Bush angrily canceled two years ago after Russia invaded Georgia, administration officials said Thursday.

**reports of a money courier is still being sought in the NYC bombing attempt

**Recall on Lettuce in 23 States/19 ill …the recall is for any lettuce from: Freshway Foods of Sydney ,Ohio… lettuce was sold in Alabama, Connecticut, the District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia and Wisconsin.



C-SPAN …

5/6

watch Newsmakers: Sen. Durbin

watch Defense Dept. Briefing

watch White House Briefing

watch Panel 1 watch Panel 2 watch Panel 3 read Reuters: U.S. was ill-prepared for crisis FCIC

watch Sec. Napolitano Briefing

watch Spkr. Pelosi Briefing

2010 White House Correspondents’ Dinner

5/7

April Unemployment rises to 9.9%: 290,000 jobs created

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported today that the unemployment rate for April edged up to 9.9% but that 290,000 jobs were created. Later today, Pres. Obama will comment on the jobs figures and then the Joint Economic Cmte. will hold a hearing on the employment numbers.

read BLS April: Employment Situation Summary
read BLS April Full Employment Report
watch Jt. Econ. Cmte: c-span.org at 9:30am ET
watch Pres. Obama: C-SPAN at 11am ET
read AP: Economy adds 290,000 jobs

Senate Dems beat back GOP alternative

The Senate continues debate today on amendments to the financial reform bill. No further votes are expected until next week. Yesterday, an amendment by Sen. Shelby (R-AL) was defeated 38 to 61; it would have created a new consumer protection agency within the FDIC. Sen. Maj. Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) has urged lawmakers to keep debate to a minimum, saying, “I can’t spend 24 hours on one amendment and accommodate people here.”

hung parliament in U.K., Brown to stay as P.M. for now

BBC exit polls show a hung parliament in the U.K. elections race. Today, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown stated he is willing to meet with the other two candidates to find “common ground” and form a coalition government. He also called for immediate legislation to have a “fairer voting process.” David Cameron, leader of the Conservative Party, says Brown’s Party has lost its mandate to govern. Mr. Cameron will make a statement at 9:30am (ET).

~ my 2cents ..., ~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Tuesday News tips …&C-SPAN


Clearly, we all have woken up to an even more ugly reality this morning… We the People need to be more community oriented; we need to watch out for each other even more than ever.   Today, We have what might be considered a test terrorist attack and all things being said a man was arrested while on board a plane going to Dubai.

The investigation is ongoing … he is a US citizen from Connecticut; has a family in Pakistan and while the Pakistani Taliban did take responsibility a few days ago; most didn’t believe it … it was amateurish  … it’s just my opinion but we must ask ourselves if this attack was actually meant as a test. The idea that it was a lone wolf, a teabagger and or a mcveigh type  …. has suddenly turned into an international connection; who knows if he was on any passenger list but we all should thank the police and any or all intelligence because  this is not over… stay tuned; oh by the way someone needs to get a couple of great dinners over to the Vendors who were first responder Heros not just the NYPD; without their eyes and common sense; the outcome could have been quite different.


Other News …

**The bad weather continues on in the South, Tennessee in particular and 29 deaths have been reported in 3 Southern States

**The Boil water alert has been lifted in Boston

**More Private Sector Companies are posting profits

**An 6.4 earthquake has happened in Chile

**Studies show that Oregon has the lowest rate of Childhood Obesity

**Reuters reports that the US reveals size of nuclear arsenal…transparency and truth

**Julia louis dreyfus is getting her Star today


C-SPAN …

watch White House Press Briefing

watch Press Conference on Times Square

watch Hearing on Teacher Quality

watch Pres. Obama: From Earlier read The Business Council: Background

watch ADL Conference: Afternoon Session watch ADL Conference: Evening Session /anti-defamation league national leadership conf

AG Holder: suspect provided “useful information”

In a press conference, Attorney General Eric Holder stated that suspect Faisal Shahzad admitted involvement in the failed car bombing of Times Square in New York City. Holder and other officials provided an update on the investigation. Earlier, Pres. Obama stated that “justice will be done.” Later, DHS Sec. Janet Napolitano and Mexican Interior Sec. Fernando Gómez-Mont will discuss southwest border security.

watch Atty Gen. Holder: From Earlier watch Pres. Obama: From Earlier watch Sec. Napolitano: c-span.org at 4:30pm ET

‘Too Big to Fail,’ Consumer Agency Proposal on List of Amendments

The U.S. Senate continues consideration of amendments on financial regulation reform, the Wall St. Reform Bill (S. 3217). Sen. Barbara Boxer’s (D-CA) amendment prohibiting the use of taxpayer funds to prevent the liquidation of a financial company may be voted on today. Reports indicate that Republicans will also submit amendments regarding the proposed consumer protection agency.

Senate Considers New Bank Fee, Wall Street Oversight Rules

Today, the Senate will hold separate hearings on Wall St., TARP funds and financial fraud. First, a Senate Judiciary subcommittee is investigating ways to criminalize Wall Street fraud, looking into the rules and roles for brokers, dealers and investment advisors. Also, Treasury Sec. Geithner goes over President Obama’s plan to recover funds from TARP recipients. The proposed Financial Crisis Responsibility Fee would be applied to financial institutions with over $50 billion in assets.
visit Senate Committee on Finance
watch Sen. Judiciary: NOW on c-span.org
visit Senate Subcommittee on Crime and Drugs

watch Senate Finance Cmte: From Earlier

visit Senate Committee on Finance
read Treasury Secretary Geithner Written Testimony
watch Sen. Judiciary: Morning Session watch Sen. Judiciary: Afternoon Session

President Obama Emphasizes Role of Businesses in Stimulating Economy

President Obama addresses the role the business community plays in the fight to get the American people back to work in remarks before the Business Council. The President will also go over his efforts to spur job creation and rebuild the economy during the association’s annual meeting, which brings together business leaders representing major industries.

watch Pres. Obama: From Earlier read The Business Council: Background

~ my 2cents ...

Monday mashup …&c-span


The wind and rain was, is  loud and heavy here in the 206 last night but nothing like what is going on in the mid-west and further south of our country.  All thoughts are on the people along the Gulf Coast, hopefully BP will hire and pay so all those who are losing money everyday the WELL is not capped as the coast remains a mess and threats of damage to shrimping, oyster beds, fish, canneries, restaurants,  sight-seeing tours and everything related is likely to suffer as well.  It’s only right to not only pay up but figure out what the potential loss for the gulf coast economy along with the  fishing industry and prepare to compensate a whole lot of people.

The people  on the Gulf Coast should not be treated as if they don’t know what the future looks like; no deal, no amount of money will  be able to undo what has happened to the area in the long term and after hearing an offer of $5,000 dollars if people don’t sue? uh can we all say class action.  While there are many other issues to stress out on most people are wondering and or thinking about … the attempted terrorist attack in Times Square, Wall Street reform, an Immigration and Climate Change Bill.

Other News …

**Conservative Latinos are rethinking their ties to the Republican Party in the wake of the GOP’s reaction to the new anti-immigrant Arizona law. Massey Villarreal, a past national chairman of the Republican National Hispanic Assembly, said, “It’s insulting to have Republican leaders across the country applauding this racist law. I’m sure this is going to hurt the Republican Party.” WSJ

**Seattle garbage/waste management workers voted 96% on the 5yr contract with yearly increases

**Obama administration officials told Newsweek that the Department of Homeland Security signaled to Arizona police that “it will most likely detain and deport only violent criminals” arrested because of the state’s new anti-immigration law. All others “will get a written notice requesting that they appear for a future hearing — warnings that some immigration officers call ‘run letters’ because recipients so rarely show up.”TP

**Whirlpool, who took about 19million in stimulus dollars; will now outsource jobs to Mexico

C-SPAN …

watch White House Briefing 5/3

At a national conference on intolerance, leaders from across the country gather to hear from key government leaders, policymakers and ambassadors on ways to confront violence stemming from anti-Semitism, incivility in America, the Iranian nuclear threat, and the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. The Anti-Defamation League hosts this Shana Amy Glass National Leadership Conference in Washington, D.C.

watch Conference: C-SPAN2 at 12:30pm ET

Governors Share Solutions to Improve Job Growth

A bipartisan panel of governors, including Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R-MN), share the challenges states face in the economic downturn, such as creating jobs and reviving economic growth. He will discuss a recent study on Minnesota’s methods to foster conditions for job growth. Earlier today, Gov. Bill Richardson (D-NM) gave a preview of the annual summit, hosted by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the National Chamber Foundation

watch Panel Discussion: From Earlier

Sec. Clinton: U.S. Committed to Vision of Nuclear Free World

As part of the “irreversible, transparent and verifiable steps” to reduce its nuclear arms, Sec. of State Clinton announced that the U.S. will publicize the number of weapons in its nuclear arsenal. This is one of several actions by the Obama Administration to encourage world leaders to follow its nonproliferation agenda. Sec. Clinton also responded to Iranian Pres. Ahmadinejad’s remarks, saying that Iran has failed to meet its responsibility and is in noncompliance with U.N. safeguard obligations.

Iranian President Resists Non-Proliferation Pressure

In his first remarks in the United States since Pres. Obama began advancing his non-proliferation agenda, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad will address a United Nations Non-Proliferation Treaty Conference this morning. Later today, Sec. of State Hillary Clinton also delivers remarks and will likely discuss stalled efforts to pass new sanctions against Iran, as well as international cooperation on nuclear arms control.

watch U.N. Conference: C-SPAN at 10:30am ET
read Reuters: Iran may not get warm welcome at U.N.