CAGOP to deny funds to Vichy Republicans

As it fucking should be, I hope the PAGOP grows a spine and does the same to Specter. 

Posted by: doubleplusundead at 07:51 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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My God, it's full of win

Seriously, watch this shit.

Posted by: doubleplusundead at 07:47 PM | Comments (4) | Add Comment
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I hate tragedy movies

I don't much care for films that exploit a historical tragedy to try to give greater meaning to what might otherwise be pedestrian material.  I'm not talking about historical films, even some historical fiction - I'm talking about the films that have plotlines that could have taken place without the backdrop of the tragedy.  Movie about a woman struggling to learn to read? Could be a story of human triumph. Movie about a woman struggling to read who was an OMG NAZI! Not something I'm likely to watch. Movie about a dude who gets younger instead of older?  Might be interesting.  Movie about a dude who gets younger instead of older set against the events of Hurricane Katrina?  Please give me my three hours back. 

The Reader particularly stuck in my craw because I consider movies that humanize war criminals to be a soft form of revisionism. (No, I haven't seen the movie, and I most likely won't. So if one of you morons who has seen it would care to set me straight on what a beautiful film it was, you're welcome to. And not just because Kate Winslet gets nekkid.)

I think Kate Winslet searched for this particular part for years, as is evidenced by this clip from 2005:

I guess doing one film that exploited a tragedy wasn't enough for her.  No, I haven't seen that one either.

Posted by: Alice H at 06:24 PM | Comments (4) | Add Comment
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Obama's Fault: 25% And Falling

For those keeping track, the DOW was at 9625 on November 4th  and has fallen over 25% since Obama won the election.

Who wants to bet it doesn't hit 6,000?  

Update: Meanwhile, stock in tight pants has risen 4000%.  Reason below the fold.

more...

Posted by: Moron Pundit at 03:24 PM | Comments (10) | Add Comment
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More housing stuff

There's an interesting article in the Boston Globe about the stimulus bill and the rising anger by those who are not behind on their mortgages (ie the 93%) who are now going to be paying for those who are. Let's start with that, if you listened to the news, you'd think that it was 7% who are up to date and 93% who are not. Seeing the actual numbers is really interesting. There was also a study that showed that the default problem is pretty much concentrated in five states.

There's some fascinating discussions in the column, including a point blank admission by a supporter of the bailout that it's not fair but that something still needs to be done.  That's a position that I don't think is the best, but, hey, bonus points for copping that it sucks for those who are stuck with the bill.

For further discussion, including my being the heartless bitch y'all know and don't actually hate, below. 
more...

Posted by: alexthechick at 01:52 PM | Comments (6) | Add Comment
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Philly journalist Mike Mallowe's snivel: We need to ban guns, the Constitution be damned!

He declares that the vermin who shot and killed that Philly police officer didn't kill the officer, the gun he was using did.  Yeah, this journalist really is that pathetic.  He completely ignores the fact that this guy, and pretty much all the vermin who have shot Philly police in recent months have been career criminals who shouldn't have been out of jail in the first place.  So let's see what he says about the court ruling that declared Philly wasn't above the law, and couldn't supercede PA state law,

Philadelphia has already tried to change the law so that it can enforce its own gun codes inside the city limits. The city lost in the courts because the monumentally well-financed gun lobby came in as a freind of the courts to fight the move. They trotted out the same tired excuses: hunters are law-abiding citizens, guns don't kill, criminals do; we have the guarantee of the Second Amendment.

No, the city lost because it's full of dumb fucking Marxist vermin who decided they'd make an political statement by passing a fascist ban you knew full well would get smacked down unceremoniously in the courts for being counter to PA gun laws and our Constitutions (PA and Federal), as much as it probably pained the judge to do.  You smacktards knew going in what PA state law is, and you knew what you were doing was futile, and you went ahead with it anyway, and wasted money that could have gone to better fund the struggling Philly PD, or some other worthy project.  It isn't the gun lobby's fault Philly is full of Marxist retards.  You want to ban guns, run your little gulag the way you want?  Split off from the rest of PA and join up with Jersey.  Get the hell out! You'll be much happier, and so will we. 

This line is a classic,

This is a news flash for that gun lobby: Back when they wrote the second amendment, Americans were still burning women as witches

Philadelphia needs the power to ban the sale and possession of hand guns once and for all.  

No, Philly needs to STFU and STFD, I'm tired of Philly bitching and moaning and trying to muscle the rest of the state around.  I'm more than happy to let Philly turn into a 3rd world Marxist hellhole turn into more of a 3rd world Marxist hellhole, but you aren't going to drag us with you, which we know would be the inevitable outcome of giving you vermin an inch.

(h/t)

Posted by: doubleplusundead at 01:22 PM | Comments (6) | Add Comment
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I Wonder How Much TARP Money Was Used For This

Nice to see Citibank is up to date on fightin off Nigerian banking scams.

The money came from a Citibank account in New York held by the National Bank of Ethiopia, that country’s central bank. Prosecutors said the conspirators, contacted by Citibank to verify the transactions, posed as Ethiopian bank officials and approved the transfers.
Mr. Amos was arrested last month as he tried to enter the United States through Los Angeles, a prosecutor, Marcus A. Asner, said in Federal District Court in Manhattan.

Mr. Amos, who was charged with one count of conspiracy to commit bank and wire fraud, told a federal magistrate judge, “I’m not guilty, sir.” The judge, Andrew J. Peck, ordered him detained pending a further hearing. If convicted, he could face up to 30 years in prison, prosecutors said.
The fraud was uncovered after several banks where the conspirators held accounts returned money to Citibank, saying they had been unable to process the transactions, and an official of the National Bank of Ethiopia said that it did not recognize the transactions, according to a complaint signed by an F.B.I. agent, Bryan Trebelhorn.

A Citigroup spokeswoman said: “We have worked closely with law enforcement throughout the investigation and are pleased it has resulted in this arrest. Citi constantly reviews and upgrades its physical, electronic and procedural safeguards to detect, prevent and mitigate theft.”

Posted by: eddiebear at 12:25 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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Something about Obama I was mistaken on

I honestly thought Barack Obama chose Joe Biden as his running mate because no one else was willing to take the job.  Apparently, Obama feels Biden is qualified for more than just following him around to tell him he's clean and articulate - Obama has named Biden Stimulus Czar.

The more I think about this, the more it fits - Biden doesn't really believe in donating to charity (he's given an average of $369 a year over the last ten years), he's close to retirement and doesn't even have a year's income in savings, and he's up to his ears in loans and credit debt.  So it seems fitting that Biden has been selected - our country is about to destroy charitable giving in favor of giving to the government, we'll be unable to retire because our 401Ks and IRAs are destroyed, and we're borrowing from our grandchildren to have a party today.

Posted by: Alice H at 12:06 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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Maybe It's Just Me, But I Think We May Have A Budding Frivolous Lawsuit Problem

I mean, how else can you explain patent infringement lawsuits over yoga positions?

India has been angered at attempts by mostly American yoga teachers to patent moves from their classes as their own originals.

Since its arrival in Britain and America in the late 1960s and early 1970s, when it was popularised by Beatles guitarist George Harrison, among others, Yoga has become a $225 billion industry.

In India, however, it remains collective knowledge – practiced in public parks where gurus often teach fast breathing exercises, like pranayam, and different 'sun-salutations,' free of charge.

But as the number of Western yoga teachers has grown, there has been a steady increase in patent applications claiming each pose in their class is not part of the ancient discipline of mind and body, but their own unique invention. In the United States alone, there have been more than 130 yoga-related patents, 150 copyrights and 2,300 trademarks. Now India's Traditional Knowledge Digital Library is being made available to patents offices throughout the world so they can establish whether the claim is a genuine innovation or "prior art" from Indian systems of medicine.

So far a team of yoga gurus from nine schools have worked with government officials and 200 scientists from the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) to scan 35 ancient texts including the Hindu epics, the Mahabharata and the Bhagwad Gita, and Patanjali's Yoga Sutras to register each native pose.

Posted by: eddiebear at 11:46 AM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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Hope! Change! Hypocrisy! (Vol. 232,872,912,019)

Why is it I am not surprised that the "Task Force" designed to save the Ossified Car Makers isn't too hot on driving the cars they are supposed to save?

At least two task force members don't own a car, and there are still two open slots on the 10-member panel that will be filled by the secretaries of labor and commerce, who have not yet been appointed.

The co-chairs of the task force -- Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner and White House National Economic Council Director Lawrence Summers -- both own foreign automobiles.

Geithner owns a 2008 Acura TSX, registered in New York. He once owned a 1999 Honda Accord and a 2002 Acura MDX, according to public records.

Geithner is the president's designee for purposes of enforcing loan agreements with GM and Chrysler and must approve or reject any proposed transactions by either company that would cost $100 million or more.

His maternal grandfather, Charles Moore, was a vice president at Ford Motor Co. from 1952-63, according to Peter Geithner, the secretary's father. But Geithner wasn't very interested in cars growing up -- in part because he graduated from high school in Asia, his father said.

Summers owns a 1995 Mazda Protege that's registered in Massachusetts. He previously owned a 1996 Ford Taurus GL.

What other task force members drive:

• Office of Management and Budget Director Peter Orszag owns a 2008 Honda Odyssey and a 2004 Volvo S60. He previously owned a 1997 Jeep Grand Cherokee and 1982 Datsun.

• Carol Browner, the White House climate czar, said earlier this month at the Washington Auto Show that she doesn't own an automobile. Public records show she once owned a 1999 Saab 9-5 SE.

• Energy Secretary Steven Chu doesn't own a car, his wife, Jean Fetter, said in a telephone interview on Sunday. Cabinet officials are typically transported to and from work by security officials in government vehicles.

• Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa Jackson owns a 2008 Toyota Prius and a Honda Odyssey minivan, she said Sunday. "It's great," she said of her Prius.

• Vehicle information was not available for Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood or Christine Romer, head of the Council of Economic Advisers.

Posted by: eddiebear at 11:30 AM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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Shocka! Hollywood Is Full Of Uncaring Hypocrites!

In this case, it involves the closing of a 90-year-old hospital used to treat employees of the studios.

The closing of MPTF's acutecare hospital and long-term care facility will require about 100 residents to be transferred. Acutecare patients—there are rarely more than 10 at one time—will receive their care at other locations after the hospital shutters later this year.

In an audio press conference last week, Frank Mancuso, chair of the MPTF corporate board, said that "the decision to close the hospital and longterm care facility did not come easily, but (it was) one the board needed to make."

MPTF is blaming declining Medi-Cal reimbursements as a main reason for closing. The board claims the gap in each of the last four years between what MPTF received for services and what those services actually cost was $10 million.

The board said MPTF survived by dipping into its investment reserves. But based on projections, the reserves wll be exhausted within five years.

The decision to close the hospital was based on three years of study by MPTF staff and outside experts.

"MPTF is initiating these changes because it's the right thing to do, but the fact is that we have no choice," said Jeffrey Katzenberg, chair of the MPTF Foundation Board. "Although we are in good shape today, the acute-care hospital and long-term care facility are generating operating deficits that could bankrupt MPTF in a very few years. . . . If MPTF doesn't do something now, pretty soon it won't be able to do anything."

The hospital's closure will allow the fund to continue providing support and services to others, including the 215 residents of the Wasserman Campus, a Woodland Hills retirement community, and the 100 children at the Goldwyn Center, a child care program in West Los Angeles.

The MPTF supplied financial support to more than 1,100 people last year and had 65,000 patients use its six healthcare centers.

"We have an obligation to these people, and future generations of entertainment industry workers, to make sure MPTF is there for them," Mancuso said.

The board made its announcement on Jan. 14 but didn't have specific information until recently.

Board members stressed that the fund will continue its commitment to care for the seniors, including those who need to relocate. A team to ease the transition, including a doctor, nurses and a social worker, will be available to each patient. Those needing hospitalization or long-term care after the hospital is closed will be referred to MPTFapproved facilities.

Posted by: eddiebear at 10:40 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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The "real" war

We've been told over and over again about how the war in Iraq was a distraction from the important part of the war that "began" on 9/11, but even in the age of Skittles and Unicorns, at least one leftist hasn't apparently received the message.

Why, it's almost like some people are reflexively against fighting our enemies!

Posted by: Sean M. at 05:15 AM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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Wait, you mean Vince lied to us?

Now, I'm starting to wonder if I can trust Billy Mays...

Posted by: Sean M. at 03:14 AM | Comments (5) | Add Comment
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Belt-Fed 12 Gauge Goodness!!!!!!11!!1!eleventy!!1

Only rub? It jams too much.

Posted by: eddiebear at 01:08 AM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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There's the rub

Mark Steyn makes a good (and, sadly obvious) point about the Geert Wilders kerfuffle:

Anyway, Geert Wilders’s short film is basically a compilation video of footage from various recent Muslim terrorist atrocities — whoops, sorry, “anti-Islamic activities” — accompanied by the relevant chapter and verse from the Koran. Jacqui Smith banned the filmmaker on “public order” grounds — in other words, the government’s fear that Lord Ahmed meant what he said about a 10,000-strong mob besieging the Palace of Westminster. You might conceivably get the impression from Wilders’s movie that many Muslims are irrational and violent types it’s best to steer well clear of. But, if you didn’t, Jacqui Smith pretty much confirmed it: We can’t have chaps walking around saying Muslims are violent because they’ll go bananas and smash the place up.

Of course, Steyn just committed a HATE CRIME!!!1!!one1!!!eleventy! by pointing that out, so you should probably take what he says with a grain of salt.

Posted by: Sean M. at 09:58 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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Best book evar?

It's real, and it's spectacular.



(h/t)

Posted by: It's Vintage, Duh at 08:31 PM | Comments (9) | Add Comment
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Big Brother is picking through your trash

In Formerly Great Britain, the Garbage Man and the Tax Man will be working together from now on:

Waste collection crews are being issued with devices featuring GPS technology that allow councils to store a history of information about individual rubbish collections, including whether householders are failing to recycle properly.

The system feeds binmen with up-to-the minute information about houses they are visiting.

It also provides local authorities with enough information to issue recycling advice or automated fines to residents who fail to obey bin rules.

Opposition MPs and campaigners say the technology will make it easy for the government to resurrect plans for the introduction of a £50 pay-as-you-throw tax on millions of families.

I hope to God that nobody else here in California reads British newspapers, or else this scheme will be in place in about a week and a half.

Obligatory video follows:

Posted by: Sean M. at 06:52 PM | Comments (6) | Add Comment
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A drink we can all get behind.

Skittles Vodka.

BYOU.

Posted by: alexthechick at 06:50 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Feingold and McCain want to play around with the Constitution again

Hmmm, lemme think about that...

Posted by: doubleplusundead at 03:25 PM | Comments (6) | Add Comment
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McDonald's employee rejected for worker's comp after getting shot defending customer

I dunno, I guess you can make the argument that getting shot three times defending a customer isn't covered by your insurance company's plan, but isn't this one of those ones where if you're running an insurance firm, you just cave and give the guy the worker's comp, if for no other reason than the bad PR a rejection brings?  The insurance firm is using this as their excuse,

As part of the denial, the insurer included a page that details expectations of employees during orientation.  In a robbery situation it tells employees not to do anything that would put themselves or anyone else in danger.  Wilson asserts that clause does not apply in this incident.

Anyone who has worked in fast food or retail at least once in their lives has seen this clause, but this clearly wasn't a robbery, this was an attack, there is a difference, and if this is the best the insurers have got, I hope they get taken to the cleaners.

Posted by: doubleplusundead at 02:10 PM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
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