Tag Archives: black

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

Humpday &some News …


Today, we are all waiting for the next BP procedure to work.  Apparently, the procedure involves a pair of underground scissors that will cut the top, which is bent over; if the procedure does work; a huge opening created though more oil will flow and another attempt to cap it will be made and there are problems with the procedure… stay tuned;  BP has reported that no information will be available for 72 hours and while people are feeling hopeless it is important to have some group vibe of positivity; losing hope is just not acceptable. And as folks like Carville, his wife and others scream the President hasn’t done enough; a lot of us prefer a level headed, calm and methodical man in the driver’s seat; that would be … President Obama.  I admit that a lot of people want him to get pissed and move  BP out-of-the-way and get it done … there are laws some of us clearly do not understand but it makes sense that if the Govt does take over the responsibility of who pays for the Gulf restoration and its people may be misdirected with BP and associates getting out of paying much more than the have currently.

Tuesday was Primary day for Alabama, Mississippi and New Mexico and the final outcomes had some surprises and some common sense endings; what with Davis who helped lead Democrats to a big win in 2008 but has been that representative who voted against health-care and other legislation that some have said are against Democratic Party ideology; RedState has some information about what happened Tuesday below:

Alabama results here.
Mississippi results here.
New Mexico results here

The President will be in Pittsburgh talking about Jobs, the Economy, Spending and getting the information out there being much more transparent than the last guy; on Thursday President Obama will meet with Governor Jan Brewer about the stupid laws that will become official at the end of July.  These new laws will make a  sane, compassionate person cringe and if you’re a minority, Arizona is clearly a place to stay away from.  Yesterday, the governor of Arizona was asked by a News Reporter what she will do if the President feels the laws are unconstitutional or something like that and her response was that she would see them in court, that she has a great record is tough and intends to    It is with great pride that i voted for a President who was willing to take on a mess left by a guy who looked the other way, was willing to let top people engage in drugs sex and lies when they wanted; did he know what was going on and just didn’t care or what is that he didn’t know what to do … and that’s simple … reform, regulate and enforce the policies and rule of law but he didn’t and all of our lives have been affected with the mismanagement by the last guy who was supposed to be in charge and acting in the best interest of We the People.  It’s now election season and people need to keep Big Banks, AIG’s and Wall Street types out of office.

Other News …

**5people were killed in a shooting spree in rural London

**Amy Knox is being charged for slander against Italian police

**Investigators will check out the underground mine where 29people died

**A Tobacco loophole in child health law lost 250mil

**President Obama may recess appoint “a handful of pending nominees” during the Memorial Day congressional recess, an aide told Roll Call. There is a record-breaking backlog of “more than 100 names” awaiting confirmation, and their outlook “appears grim for the rest of the year” as the Senate calendar is packed.TP



C-SPAN …

watch White House Briefing

watch Pres. Obama on Oil Spill

watch Adm. Allen Press Conference

Warren Buffett and Moody’s executives testify about 2008 crisis

Last week, Warren Buffett was subpoenaed to testify before today’s Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission. The hearing focuses on the role of ratings firms in the financial crisis and is titled, “Credibility of Credit Ratings, the Investment Decisions Made Based on those Ratings and the Financial Crisis.” Executives from Moody’s, including its current CEO, are also among the witnesses. Mr. Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway is Moody’s largest shareholder.  Responding to questioning, Warren Buffett agreed that there are still risks involved in the derivatives market during today’s Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission hearing. The hearing focuses on the role of ratings firms in the financial crisis and is titled, “Credibility of Credit Ratings, the Investment Decisions Made Based on those Ratings and the Financial Crisis.” Executives from Moody’s, including its current CEO, are also among the witnesses. Mr. Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway is Moody’s largest shareholder.

watch FCIC Hearing: NOW on C-SPAN2

watch FCIC Hearing: Session 1 watch FCIC Hearing: Session 2
read AP: Congress grills Moody’s officials

Federal Probe Underway as Cut and Cap Effort Continues

Yesterday, Attorney General Eric Holder said that authorities have opened criminal and civil investigations into the Deepwater Horizon disaster under power granted by federal clean air and pollution laws. Today on the Washington Journal, Daniel Weiss, Climate Strategy Director at the Center for American Progress Action Fund, discussed the federal government’s efforts to hold BP accountable for the oil spill, and the various attempts BP has used to stop the oil leak. National Incident Commander Coast Guard Admiral Thad Allen said yesterday it could be at least three days before BP is able to install a new pipe for collecting oil from its broken well at the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico. Currently, BP is attempting to shear off the broken pipe a mile under water and place a containment cap that can funnel some of the leaking fuel to ships on the surface. Engineers are also preparing a pair of relief wells to divert oil and gas away from the damaged well and fill it with cement, theoretically stopping the leak for good. Those wells are not expected to be ready for at least two months.
As a result of the spill, nearly one third of the Gulf of Mexico is closed to commercial and recreational fishing. The National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration has closed approximately 76,000 square miles because of oil spreading from the Deepwater Horizon disaster.

New PM Cameron Holds First Question Time

Conservative Party Leader David Cameron will field questions from members of Parliament in his first Prime Minister’s Questions since the May 6th general election. He leads the coalition government with the Liberal Democrats. Harriet Harman is the acting Labour Party and opposition leader. Following Question time, British Foreign Minister William Hague will make a statement on the situation in Gaza.

watch Prime Ministers Questions: C-SPAN at 10am ET

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

ThinkProgress.org


UNDER THE RADAR

CONGRESS — HOUSE APPROVES COSTLY WEAPONS PROGRAM THAT PENTAGON DOESN’T WANT, CUTS PROGRAMS FOR LAID OFF WORKERS: On Friday, the House of Representatives passed a major jobs bill that extended popular unemployment benefits and tax credits. Although the bill will have a positive impact on the American workforce, it is worth noting that conservatives successfully weakened it before final passage. They scaled down the bill from its original version, which extended jobless benefits through the end of the year and included Medicaid assistance to states and expanded COBRA health insurance subsidies for jobless workers. These bolder provisions were jettisoned following intense negotiations with congressional conservatives who demanded that the bill be made cheaper. However, as the House was demanding that a popular jobs bill be made less costly, it did manage, in a separate bill authorizing Defense Department funding for 2011, to approve a second engine for the F-35 fighter that both the Pentagon and the White House didn’t even want. An amendment stripping the engine funding from the defense authorization bill unfortunately failed by a 193-231 vote. Defense Secretary Gates has suggested to Obama that he should veto the defense bill. As the Wonk Room’s Pat Garofalo concludes, “Can you imagine another agency coming before Congress, expressly asking that a particular program be cut because it’s unnecessary, and having that request denied? It’s a completely absurd situation.”

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Men, you’ll want to eat celery after reading this!


Men, eat your celery!

Sunday May 16, 2010
From Jolinda Hackett, your Guide to Vegetarian Food
This is one of those news stories that is really only peripherally related to vegetarian food, but I still just can’t help but share it. A couple of doctors decided, for some reason, to study celery. Or perhaps they were trying to figure out how to pick up chicks (the real reason they went to med school, perhaps?). At any rate, these doctors have discovered that the real way to pick up chicks is not contained in aftershave, lifting weights, cheesy pick-up lines or even in chocolate and roses. No, the real secret to making men attractive to the opposite sex is in celery. That’s right, celery.Apparently, celery contains a natural steroid. Eating celery causes men to release more pheromones right away, which women can detect. There are, um, other benefits mentioned in the article as well.

And, to avoid making this point too heteronormative (and to use a five-dollar GRE word), no word on whether the celery pheromone boost will help out our gay and lesbian friends. But eating healthy always seems to help when it comes to looking and feeling good, so I suppose it can’t hurt!

Article link: Celery ‘makes men more attractive’

//

Sponsored Links
~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

A message from OFA


This is big news: Yesterday, the full House of Representatives and the Armed Services Committee in the Senate voted to repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.”

In his State of the Union address, President Obama pledged to end the law that denies gays and lesbians the right to serve their country. Now, we are closer than ever to making good on that promise.

The full Senate will soon start its debate on repeal. But some Republicans are digging in their heels. Senator John McCain said, “I’ll do everything in my power” to block a vote. And Mississippi Senator Roger Wicker called the repeal bill “a major mistake” — announcing that the GOP plans to filibuster.

We can defeat those who’d stand in the way of history. But we must show our senators that Americans — in every state — overwhelmingly support repeal.

Stand with the President and join the pledge to end “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.”

Stand with the President: Repeal 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell.' Add your name.

From the Recovery Act to health reform to Wall Street reform, one by one President Obama is delivering on his campaign promises. And, now — if we can overcome Republican obstruction — we have a chance to deliver on another: bringing “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” to an end.

As the President has said, this is about more than just living up to his word. We must end this law because “it’s the right thing to do.”

Any policy that punishes brave men and women who step forward to serve their country simply for being who they are isn’t just misguided — it’s discrimination.

That’s why President Obama didn’t just campaign on ending “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”; he made it a priority. And it’s why it’s now a matter of how and when — not if — we will repeal this law.

But as the Republicans prepare to block a vote on this historic legislation, we must do all we can to help deliver on the President’s promise.

Add your name to the pledge today — and then please pass it on:

http://my.barackobama.com/RepealDADT

Thanks,

Mitch

Mitch Stewart
Director
Organizing for America

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

ThinkProgress.org


UNDER THE RADAR

ECONOMY — ANTI-STIMULUS CRUSADER GOV. RICK PERRY BALANCES HIS STATE’S BUDGET WITH STIMULUS FUNDS: Texas Gov. Rick Perry (R) joined a handful of Republican governors last year in rejecting various portions of the economic recovery package. Perry explained his position: “[It] was pretty simple for us. …We can take care of ourselves.” The Texas state legislature eventually pushed Perry to accept the money but he still insisted he believes “there are better ways to reinvigorate our economy and believe [the stimulus] will burden future generations with unprecedented levels of debt.” However, the Wall Street Journal reported yesterday that “billions of dollars from that initiative helped Texas legislators balance the current budget.” Perry is not the only governor to rail against the stimulus while relying on it to balance his budget. Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R-MN) called the stimulus “incoherent” and “largely wasted,” but still used it to fix one-third of his state’s budget hole. In fact, the Congressional Budget Office recently found that the Recovery Act not only prevented key state budget cuts around the country, but also raised GDP by up to 4 percent and created 2.8 million jobs.