Showing posts with label Jon Stewart. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jon Stewart. Show all posts
Where were you yesterday at 2:30 pm? I think I was in my office. What I certainly was not doing was watching the stock market. Thank goodness.
Partly due to a trader error, the stock market went into a free fall yesterday, then climbed right back out of the hole, all in the space of about 30 minutes. The Dow dropped about 1,000 points, while one $40 stock was trading at one penny.
While investors and regulators try to figure out what happened, some assurances can be made about the strength of the current market, though the safeguards could not prevent the loss of billions of dollars yesterday.
Remember that after the market crash, the Dow would lose some 89 percent of its value by 1932.
Obviously, 1929 was a long time ago, so let's take a look at 1987, when Black Monday happened. On that day, the Dow dropped 508 points, or 22.6 percent. That would trigger a halt in trading now. At that point it was the greatest single day loss the Dow had ever taken. Over the week, the Dow lost 760 points, or more than 30 percent.
In comparison to all of these, in one week in 2008, the Dow dropped more than 1,800 points, but only 18 percent. The Dow finished off 347 points yesterday.
It now sits at 10,520.32. You probably don't know what that means, which is fine. Just look at it through the progression. While I just told a story of three pretty bad times in American history, what you cannot ignore is how much larger the numbers got each time. Our economy has grown exponentially, which allows for these "corrections" to occur. That said, billions were still lost yesterday.
--
Obviously the other big news yesterday comes to us from across the Atlantic, England, where economic struggle came to a head amidst a huge election. As the front pages were covered with pictures of Greek rioting, a three-party race was in a sprint to the finish.
As polls closed last night and results came in, it became very clear that sitting Prime Minister Gordon Brown has a challenge ahead of him: dealing with a hung parliament.
Liberal Democrats (which have got to be like college student liberal) are projected to win 61 seats, with the Labour party around 255. What this means is that, despite huge momentum, the conservative party will not claim an absolute majority. This could get messy. But it will be fun to watch.
What won't be so fun is figuring out how this new government is going to dig England out of financial straights. They will first have to rebuild the government, closely followed by a plan that will take this country from the brink.
Oh, and that stock market thing? Not helping England. The Asian markets took an overnight plunge and the European markets appear to be doing the same. Scared yet? This is one of those things that the average person just doesn't understand really at all. I provided a mini horror story, I know, but in reality, it would take more than this for real damage to be done. This should just underscore how volatile the whole thing can be.
Here is a comparison of Greece to California, with a guess that the country will leave the euro.
And just as I finished typing that an update flashed across my screen that unemployment is up to 9.9 percent, but the US economy created 290,000 jobs in April. How does that work? Well first, the economy needs to gain something like 135,000 jobs every month just to keep up with new job seekers (estimating that many people join the workforce every month). So yes, that 290,000 is a good number, even if the net is only about 155,000. However, as the economy begins to pick back up and people report having new jobs, more of those who had been unemployed and not looking for new jobs restart their search, adding to the number of those considered "unemployed." Hence the jump. Frankly, if you really want to know the unemployment number in this country, it is closer to the 20 percent range. For minorities it is far higher.
--
Since that open was so fiscal and peachy, how about some funny:
"What are we gonna do in this country when we get attacked by someone who is not one of the Home Alone burglars."
Jon Stewart breaks down pretty much every major story in the news, as only he can do - with a fishing pole and a bottle of Coke. Yeah, watch it. His underlying point, that it seems like the world is falling apart, is shared by many.
--
Other news:
- Back in the financial markets, the Senate rejected an amendment yesterday that would have forced the breakup of several of the nation's largest banks. It was an attempt to end "too big to fail." It was voted down 61-33, with three Republican votes, meaning more than 30 Democrats voted against it. Even they think that might be government overreaching. Or they just get significant contributions from Bank of America.
The overall financial overhaul is expected to pass, however, giving Democrats another victory, after a deal was forged on an audit of the Fed. My conservative friends can argue all the want, but when this happens, check out the list of accomplishments of this one Congress:
- Finally, in a shocking development (a Cornell study actually), waitresses with big boobs get better tips. Excuse me, I need to make sure this guy doesn't get any federal funding for his studies.
[More]
Partly due to a trader error, the stock market went into a free fall yesterday, then climbed right back out of the hole, all in the space of about 30 minutes. The Dow dropped about 1,000 points, while one $40 stock was trading at one penny.
While investors and regulators try to figure out what happened, some assurances can be made about the strength of the current market, though the safeguards could not prevent the loss of billions of dollars yesterday.
Some circuit breakers do exist, a legacy of the reforms made following the 1987 stock market crash, but they only kick in after a huge drop — and only at certain hours. Before 2 p.m., a 10 percent drop in the Dow causes New York Stock Exchange to halt trading for one hour. Between 2 p.m. and 2:30 p.m., the pause shrinks to a half-hour and after 2:30, there is no halt in trading.These are all obviously in place to prevent a full crash. The thing I always find interesting to look at is how a drop like this compares to, say, the stock market crashing. Over two days in 1929, the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 23 percent, but the raw number was less than 100 points. Yesterday the market was off about eight percent at the worst, and it was about 1000 points.
If there is a 20 percent drop, trading stops for two hours before 1 p.m. and by one hour between 1 and 2 p.m. After 2 p.m., the market closes.
Remember that after the market crash, the Dow would lose some 89 percent of its value by 1932.
Obviously, 1929 was a long time ago, so let's take a look at 1987, when Black Monday happened. On that day, the Dow dropped 508 points, or 22.6 percent. That would trigger a halt in trading now. At that point it was the greatest single day loss the Dow had ever taken. Over the week, the Dow lost 760 points, or more than 30 percent.
In comparison to all of these, in one week in 2008, the Dow dropped more than 1,800 points, but only 18 percent. The Dow finished off 347 points yesterday.
It now sits at 10,520.32. You probably don't know what that means, which is fine. Just look at it through the progression. While I just told a story of three pretty bad times in American history, what you cannot ignore is how much larger the numbers got each time. Our economy has grown exponentially, which allows for these "corrections" to occur. That said, billions were still lost yesterday.
--
Obviously the other big news yesterday comes to us from across the Atlantic, England, where economic struggle came to a head amidst a huge election. As the front pages were covered with pictures of Greek rioting, a three-party race was in a sprint to the finish.
As polls closed last night and results came in, it became very clear that sitting Prime Minister Gordon Brown has a challenge ahead of him: dealing with a hung parliament.
Liberal Democrats (which have got to be like college student liberal) are projected to win 61 seats, with the Labour party around 255. What this means is that, despite huge momentum, the conservative party will not claim an absolute majority. This could get messy. But it will be fun to watch.
What won't be so fun is figuring out how this new government is going to dig England out of financial straights. They will first have to rebuild the government, closely followed by a plan that will take this country from the brink.
Oh, and that stock market thing? Not helping England. The Asian markets took an overnight plunge and the European markets appear to be doing the same. Scared yet? This is one of those things that the average person just doesn't understand really at all. I provided a mini horror story, I know, but in reality, it would take more than this for real damage to be done. This should just underscore how volatile the whole thing can be.
Here is a comparison of Greece to California, with a guess that the country will leave the euro.
And just as I finished typing that an update flashed across my screen that unemployment is up to 9.9 percent, but the US economy created 290,000 jobs in April. How does that work? Well first, the economy needs to gain something like 135,000 jobs every month just to keep up with new job seekers (estimating that many people join the workforce every month). So yes, that 290,000 is a good number, even if the net is only about 155,000. However, as the economy begins to pick back up and people report having new jobs, more of those who had been unemployed and not looking for new jobs restart their search, adding to the number of those considered "unemployed." Hence the jump. Frankly, if you really want to know the unemployment number in this country, it is closer to the 20 percent range. For minorities it is far higher.
--
Since that open was so fiscal and peachy, how about some funny:
"What are we gonna do in this country when we get attacked by someone who is not one of the Home Alone burglars."
Jon Stewart breaks down pretty much every major story in the news, as only he can do - with a fishing pole and a bottle of Coke. Yeah, watch it. His underlying point, that it seems like the world is falling apart, is shared by many.
| The Daily Show With Jon Stewart | Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c | |||
| Family Research Council's European Gaycation | ||||
| www.thedailyshow.com | ||||
| ||||
--
Other news:
- Back in the financial markets, the Senate rejected an amendment yesterday that would have forced the breakup of several of the nation's largest banks. It was an attempt to end "too big to fail." It was voted down 61-33, with three Republican votes, meaning more than 30 Democrats voted against it. Even they think that might be government overreaching. Or they just get significant contributions from Bank of America.
The overall financial overhaul is expected to pass, however, giving Democrats another victory, after a deal was forged on an audit of the Fed. My conservative friends can argue all the want, but when this happens, check out the list of accomplishments of this one Congress:
- Major stimulus package still creating jobs and investing in things like clean energy. Even the GOP's own Eric Cantor admitted projects like high-speed rail will create tons of jobs.
- A Supreme Court justice.
- Something important happened last month, hold on, forgetting, oh: Health care passed after decades of debate (or did it just feel like that?).
- Financial reform.
- There will be another Supreme Court justice.
- The House passed a clean energy and climate bill and the Senate still has time.
- Could ratify the new START treaty.
- Cash for Clunkers.
- Harry Reid may have grown a pair, which would be the biggest accomplishment of all, considering he is about to lose his job.
- Finally, in a shocking development (a Cornell study actually), waitresses with big boobs get better tips. Excuse me, I need to make sure this guy doesn't get any federal funding for his studies.
"In a New York minute, everything can change. In a New York minute, things can get pretty strange. In a New York minute, everything can change. In a New York minute."
This is one of those introductions that seemingly can only be written using the words of someone else. Inevitably you cannot find any of your own, no matter how long or how hard you search. Larger events happen in the world, with far-reaching ramifications, but it always seems like the smaller ones that really get to you. Maybe the big things are just too big to fathom.
Or maybe it is just that I went to college and worked in a large athletic department that can quickly be made to seem so small. I can't imagine that wasn't the case yesterday news broke that a men's lacrosse player, George Huguely, had been charged with the murder of a women's lacrosse player, Yeardley Love.
Love was and Huguely is a 22-year old senior.
It appears that no weapons were used, and Love's roommates originally thought she was suffering from an alcohol overdose when they called 911 Sunday night.
"It was quickly apparent to them that this young lady was the victim of something far worse," Charlottesville Police Chief Timothy Longo said.
Charlottesville is a gorgeous town about 2 1/2 hours south of Washington, DC. Home to the University of Virginia, the college started by Thomas Jefferson, and one of the nation's best, it is also relatively crime-free, especially violent crime. I considered applying for a job late last year, which would have reunited me with my former boss at UW, Jim Daves. He is currently the director of athletic communications.
You can read all of the details in the ESPN story linked above. Apparently the two had some sort of relationship, but I am staying away from any sort of speculation. What I will wonder aloud about is the fate of these two programs. Obviously this immediately brings to mind the very widely publicized incident with the Duke lacrosse team a few years ago. Both are ACC programs and not very far apart.
The similarities end there. This was a murder. It happened mid-season for two top-5 programs. The NCAA tournament begins in a couple of weeks, with the men's team ranked No. 1 and the women five. Discussions have begun about not participating in the tournament. Young people are resilient, but the murder of a teammate would test the wills of even the strongest individual.
Especially when the murderer may have been one your own.
--
- A naturalized US citizen from Pakistan, and a resident of Connecticut, was arrested last night
as he tried to board a flight to Dubai. He is the suspected owner of the explosive-filled vehicle left in Times Square Saturday night. Experts are saying that, since the bomb did not explode, investigators are left with ample evidence to work with, both to help identify a suspect and pinpoint motive.
- A bill in the senate has a record number of co-sponsors, but one man, a former Navy captain (and former maverick), has been block the name change of Department of the Navy to Department of the Navy and Marine Corps. Yes, the Marine Corps is under the umbrella of the Navy.
- "The nation so nice, it's been devastated twice." Jon Stewart's take on the Gulf oil spill. It is good that he included Obama in the clip of those who called drilling "safe."
As this situation plays out, however, there is an important dynamic that should be noted: BP should not be the enemy. Frankly, this really may turn out to not be BP's fault. They lease the rig, but they don't operate it. Inevitably it is the company's responsibility, but it probably wasn't their screw up that caused all of this.
That said, the blame lies in my current town. For almost a decade now, the legislature has introduced and rejected legislation that would cut America's dependence on oil. I am not saying that we don't need oil. We do. Nor am I saying that we should not drill off our shores. I am not that naive and I'd rather us do that than buy oil from the middle east. Drilling is dirty, disgusting, and dangerous. So is coal mining. But so is playing football. Okay, so I may have severely limited the scope of how dangerous drilling is there, but the point is that we're going to do it anyway and it isn't going to get a whole lot cleaner.
However, it can become a whole lot less necessary. With clean energy and climate legislation we can invest in clean energy and energy efficiency, both of which would reduce our oil demand. By capping carbon emissions, oil becomes a little more expensive, which take together with investment in clean energy, will make newer, cleaner, safer forms of energy a cheaper alternative. This effort is stalled on Capitol Hill yet again. You want someone to blame, try Washington. It is long past time for us to stop pretending that oil companies could make their billions in profit without our help.
- A former teammate of mine in Seattle is tearing the cover off the ball at Virginia Tech, with his sights set on grander things
- And one more note. Remember when financial reform was the leading issue of the day? Well, as one of my morning reading's remind us, in this town, anything can happen at any time.
[More]
This is one of those introductions that seemingly can only be written using the words of someone else. Inevitably you cannot find any of your own, no matter how long or how hard you search. Larger events happen in the world, with far-reaching ramifications, but it always seems like the smaller ones that really get to you. Maybe the big things are just too big to fathom.
Or maybe it is just that I went to college and worked in a large athletic department that can quickly be made to seem so small. I can't imagine that wasn't the case yesterday news broke that a men's lacrosse player, George Huguely, had been charged with the murder of a women's lacrosse player, Yeardley Love.
Love was and Huguely is a 22-year old senior.
It appears that no weapons were used, and Love's roommates originally thought she was suffering from an alcohol overdose when they called 911 Sunday night.
"It was quickly apparent to them that this young lady was the victim of something far worse," Charlottesville Police Chief Timothy Longo said.
Charlottesville is a gorgeous town about 2 1/2 hours south of Washington, DC. Home to the University of Virginia, the college started by Thomas Jefferson, and one of the nation's best, it is also relatively crime-free, especially violent crime. I considered applying for a job late last year, which would have reunited me with my former boss at UW, Jim Daves. He is currently the director of athletic communications.
You can read all of the details in the ESPN story linked above. Apparently the two had some sort of relationship, but I am staying away from any sort of speculation. What I will wonder aloud about is the fate of these two programs. Obviously this immediately brings to mind the very widely publicized incident with the Duke lacrosse team a few years ago. Both are ACC programs and not very far apart.
The similarities end there. This was a murder. It happened mid-season for two top-5 programs. The NCAA tournament begins in a couple of weeks, with the men's team ranked No. 1 and the women five. Discussions have begun about not participating in the tournament. Young people are resilient, but the murder of a teammate would test the wills of even the strongest individual.
Especially when the murderer may have been one your own.
--
- A naturalized US citizen from Pakistan, and a resident of Connecticut, was arrested last night
as he tried to board a flight to Dubai. He is the suspected owner of the explosive-filled vehicle left in Times Square Saturday night. Experts are saying that, since the bomb did not explode, investigators are left with ample evidence to work with, both to help identify a suspect and pinpoint motive.
- A bill in the senate has a record number of co-sponsors, but one man, a former Navy captain (and former maverick), has been block the name change of Department of the Navy to Department of the Navy and Marine Corps. Yes, the Marine Corps is under the umbrella of the Navy.
- "The nation so nice, it's been devastated twice." Jon Stewart's take on the Gulf oil spill. It is good that he included Obama in the clip of those who called drilling "safe."
As this situation plays out, however, there is an important dynamic that should be noted: BP should not be the enemy. Frankly, this really may turn out to not be BP's fault. They lease the rig, but they don't operate it. Inevitably it is the company's responsibility, but it probably wasn't their screw up that caused all of this.
That said, the blame lies in my current town. For almost a decade now, the legislature has introduced and rejected legislation that would cut America's dependence on oil. I am not saying that we don't need oil. We do. Nor am I saying that we should not drill off our shores. I am not that naive and I'd rather us do that than buy oil from the middle east. Drilling is dirty, disgusting, and dangerous. So is coal mining. But so is playing football. Okay, so I may have severely limited the scope of how dangerous drilling is there, but the point is that we're going to do it anyway and it isn't going to get a whole lot cleaner.
However, it can become a whole lot less necessary. With clean energy and climate legislation we can invest in clean energy and energy efficiency, both of which would reduce our oil demand. By capping carbon emissions, oil becomes a little more expensive, which take together with investment in clean energy, will make newer, cleaner, safer forms of energy a cheaper alternative. This effort is stalled on Capitol Hill yet again. You want someone to blame, try Washington. It is long past time for us to stop pretending that oil companies could make their billions in profit without our help.
| The Daily Show With Jon Stewart | Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c | |||
| Beyond Awful | ||||
| www.thedailyshow.com | ||||
| ||||
- A former teammate of mine in Seattle is tearing the cover off the ball at Virginia Tech, with his sights set on grander things
- And one more note. Remember when financial reform was the leading issue of the day? Well, as one of my morning reading's remind us, in this town, anything can happen at any time.
The Times Square bombing plot and the Gulf oil spill prove once again that external events can completely take over the political conversation at a moment's notice.Have a wonderful Tuesday everybody.
Happy Wednesday. Hopefully back to a little sense of normalcy here on the blog, with the usual morning update and some possible video.
It is really hard to capture in words the kind of month that April is for many individuals I know, and for this country, but that was what I tried to do in the last few days. A couple of the anniversaries I missed include yesterday being the birthday of one Adolph Hitler, a fact I never let my friend Kevin forget, while Monday was also the 235th anniversary of the original "Shot Heard Round the World." That of course was the original shot at Concord, Mass., beginning the Revolutionary War that would change the course of history. And here we are.
As for today, it started off with one of the funnier highlights I've ever seen. I'm hoping this links to the correct video, but if not just go to www.mlb.com and search for the highlight from last night's Braves-Phillies game. The story is not that Atlanta stole one from Philly, but how it ended. Former Pirate Nate McLouth hit a walkoff homerun, but as he rounded the bases the entire Braves team left the dugout and ran down into the tunnel, instead of meeting him at home plate, as is usually customary. It was the ultimate silent treatment. Pretty funny. You can see in the background all of the players scrambling to get down the tunnel.
Some notes:
- One thing that has come out of the new health care bill is a willingness by some insurance carriers to close the gap between college graduation and health coverage. That is to say that many college graduates who are not on their parent's plans in college will end up being dropped from insurance when they graduate (including yours truly). Several providers say they will help close that gap, giving them potential new business, as well as helping bring costs down. Young people are the least likely to buy health insurance, because we're, well, healthy.
Said HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius:
- This story, detailing how the U.S. Chamber of Commerce saw its first quarter lobbying costs drop relative to the final two quarters of 2009, is a little misleading. In the last two quarters of 2009, the Chamber dished out some $105 million in lobbying, but spent less than $20 million before that. So let's see what happens in the summer and fall.
- A local newspaper has an interview with a former Massey coal mine worker, who talks about just how bad the mostly nonunion mines are. It is common knowledge that, because of the lack of union protection, most miners are afraid to speak out. There aren't too many other jobs in West Virginia. I am actually reading an interesting book (thanks to Adam), called Deer Hunting with Jesus, which is about a small Virginia town much like many of the ones Massey operates mines in.
Also on the Massey front, the company's board member responsible for governance has resigned. Many reasons were given, none having to do with the events of the last couple of weeks, but one has to admit this comes at an awkward time.
Continuing on Massey, that resignation is not nearly the biggest of its worries. At a time when energy legislation aimed at limiting coal usage is working its way through Congress (again), investors are calling for serious reforms at the nation's largest coal company. One of those may include the job of outspoken, American-flag shirt wearing Don Blankenship.
- Former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, and his hair, were in rare form yesterday, as he challenged a U.S. attorney in his ongoing court battle over corruption charges. Can we get him on Sarah Palin's reality show? If nothing else, it guarantees that Ted Stevens will also make an appearances in some remote Alaskan city.
All joking aside, even though this whole thing seems like a big joke, we are still talking about the arrest of a sitting governor that is dragging out months later. Yet it gets very little coverage. How is that not news?
--
One more funny thing caught my attention this morning. As I was watching Fox 'n Friends (yes, I do that), there was a story about a high school that wouldn't allow a girl to bring her 23-year old brother to prom with her. The brother had just returned from a tour in Iraq, obviously the sticking point for that show. But the school had strict age limit policies, which it enforced (as it should have).
The funny part was at the end of the segment when one of the men suggested cutting proms altogether. Too expensive, too awkward, too much controversy, blah, blah, blah. Gretchen Carlson, the highly educated host who is paid to act like a stay at home mom with very little knowledge of anything other than Wikipedia (yes, stay at home mothers, you should be offended by the way she portrays you), was incredulous. She could not believe they were suggesting cutting prom. Me neither, honestly, but it isn't like these guys have serious sway on Podunk High School's prom. It was the perfect transition to the next segment as well - nuclear Iran.
Speaking of Fox, well, I give you Jon Stewart - have a nice day:
[More]
It is really hard to capture in words the kind of month that April is for many individuals I know, and for this country, but that was what I tried to do in the last few days. A couple of the anniversaries I missed include yesterday being the birthday of one Adolph Hitler, a fact I never let my friend Kevin forget, while Monday was also the 235th anniversary of the original "Shot Heard Round the World." That of course was the original shot at Concord, Mass., beginning the Revolutionary War that would change the course of history. And here we are.
As for today, it started off with one of the funnier highlights I've ever seen. I'm hoping this links to the correct video, but if not just go to www.mlb.com and search for the highlight from last night's Braves-Phillies game. The story is not that Atlanta stole one from Philly, but how it ended. Former Pirate Nate McLouth hit a walkoff homerun, but as he rounded the bases the entire Braves team left the dugout and ran down into the tunnel, instead of meeting him at home plate, as is usually customary. It was the ultimate silent treatment. Pretty funny. You can see in the background all of the players scrambling to get down the tunnel.
Some notes:
- One thing that has come out of the new health care bill is a willingness by some insurance carriers to close the gap between college graduation and health coverage. That is to say that many college graduates who are not on their parent's plans in college will end up being dropped from insurance when they graduate (including yours truly). Several providers say they will help close that gap, giving them potential new business, as well as helping bring costs down. Young people are the least likely to buy health insurance, because we're, well, healthy.
Said HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius:
'I welcome the Blue Cross Blue Shield plans, Kaiser Permanente, and Humana to the growing list of insurers who are offering to continue health insurance for young adults graduating from college or aging out of their parents' plan. This initiative, complementing the permanent policy in the Affordable Care Act, will enable young people to retain insurance coverage at an important moment as they begin their adult lives and launch their careers. Many young adults under the age of 26 have traditionally had a difficult time getting access to – and affording – health coverage. The Affordable Care Act, and the voluntary actions of insurers to eliminate the coverage gap for young adults on their parents plans, will give greater health security to millions of American families.'This also seems to jive with some of the new student loan policies, geared toward helping recent college graduates keep their heads above water for the first few years, when debt can really mount. An illness or accident when uninsured can destroy you financially for years.
- This story, detailing how the U.S. Chamber of Commerce saw its first quarter lobbying costs drop relative to the final two quarters of 2009, is a little misleading. In the last two quarters of 2009, the Chamber dished out some $105 million in lobbying, but spent less than $20 million before that. So let's see what happens in the summer and fall.
- A local newspaper has an interview with a former Massey coal mine worker, who talks about just how bad the mostly nonunion mines are. It is common knowledge that, because of the lack of union protection, most miners are afraid to speak out. There aren't too many other jobs in West Virginia. I am actually reading an interesting book (thanks to Adam), called Deer Hunting with Jesus, which is about a small Virginia town much like many of the ones Massey operates mines in.
Also on the Massey front, the company's board member responsible for governance has resigned. Many reasons were given, none having to do with the events of the last couple of weeks, but one has to admit this comes at an awkward time.
Continuing on Massey, that resignation is not nearly the biggest of its worries. At a time when energy legislation aimed at limiting coal usage is working its way through Congress (again), investors are calling for serious reforms at the nation's largest coal company. One of those may include the job of outspoken, American-flag shirt wearing Don Blankenship.
- Former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, and his hair, were in rare form yesterday, as he challenged a U.S. attorney in his ongoing court battle over corruption charges. Can we get him on Sarah Palin's reality show? If nothing else, it guarantees that Ted Stevens will also make an appearances in some remote Alaskan city.
All joking aside, even though this whole thing seems like a big joke, we are still talking about the arrest of a sitting governor that is dragging out months later. Yet it gets very little coverage. How is that not news?
--
One more funny thing caught my attention this morning. As I was watching Fox 'n Friends (yes, I do that), there was a story about a high school that wouldn't allow a girl to bring her 23-year old brother to prom with her. The brother had just returned from a tour in Iraq, obviously the sticking point for that show. But the school had strict age limit policies, which it enforced (as it should have).
The funny part was at the end of the segment when one of the men suggested cutting proms altogether. Too expensive, too awkward, too much controversy, blah, blah, blah. Gretchen Carlson, the highly educated host who is paid to act like a stay at home mom with very little knowledge of anything other than Wikipedia (yes, stay at home mothers, you should be offended by the way she portrays you), was incredulous. She could not believe they were suggesting cutting prom. Me neither, honestly, but it isn't like these guys have serious sway on Podunk High School's prom. It was the perfect transition to the next segment as well - nuclear Iran.
Speaking of Fox, well, I give you Jon Stewart - have a nice day:
| The Daily Show With Jon Stewart | Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c | |||
| Bernie Goldberg Fires Back | ||||
| www.thedailyshow.com | ||||
| ||||
Okay, so I lied. This Jon Stewart piece on the new START treaty is just too good.
Best part is Sarah Palin simply ignoring Sean Hannity's question to talk about Ronald Reagan, then getting shot down by Stewart.
Also, Rasmussen Reports, generally a right-leaning pollster, finally has Sen. Patty Murray up against Dino Rossi, though still short of 50.
[More]
Best part is Sarah Palin simply ignoring Sean Hannity's question to talk about Ronald Reagan, then getting shot down by Stewart.
Also, Rasmussen Reports, generally a right-leaning pollster, finally has Sen. Patty Murray up against Dino Rossi, though still short of 50.
| The Daily Show With Jon Stewart | Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c | |||
| The Big Bang Treaty | ||||
| www.thedailyshow.com | ||||
| ||||
Had to kick off this addition with a Jon Stewart clip on what he's calling the "New York Crimes." It's been a rough time for the integrity of New York politics:
Could there also be some more ugly activity by a New York congressman? Yes, this is not confirmed, but it is on the front page of Politico, not the Enquirer.
Political also has an all-inclusive story headlined, "New York Gone Wild."
What a way to start the day huh?
Some other links:
Yesterday, in a bill passed with real bipartisanship, the present will sign the Travel Promotion Act today, something Majority Leader Harry Reid called for a couple of weeks ago. It will do exactly what the title says: promote America to tourists.
Lastly, love this quote, from Politico: 'I think we've allowed the Republicans to get away with too much obstruction for too long without using our prerogatives,' said Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), who warned that Republicans can 'look forward to seeing more' demonstrations of Democratic muscle like the one that forced Bunning to undertake an active six-day filibuster of the bill.
Be aggressive and make Republicans look bad trying to block you. Filibusters don't look good.
An update on the unemployment rates: men: 10.0%; teens: 26.4%; blacks: 16.5%, Hispanics: 12.6%. Women: 7.9%; whites: 8.7%. It's ugly out there.
For those who want more about what I am doing out here, well, this is it. Honestly, I work. And I love it. But this stuff is what I am interested in and what I spend a lot of my days looking at. I am starting to do a little more as far as communications are concerned, but that is still preliminary. Maybe more on it later.
All for now.
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| The Daily Show With Jon Stewart | Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c | |||
| The New York Crimes - David Paterson & Charles Rangel | ||||
| www.thedailyshow.com | ||||
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Could there also be some more ugly activity by a New York congressman? Yes, this is not confirmed, but it is on the front page of Politico, not the Enquirer.
Political also has an all-inclusive story headlined, "New York Gone Wild."
What a way to start the day huh?
Some other links:
- No one could ever say David Broder isn't blunt. He takes shots at his own paper in defense of Barack Obama.
- What is probably good about doing all these things at once is that they overshadow each other. Yesterday, the Obama administration upped the ante on financial reform, leading to the top headline in the Huffington Post today: "Does Congress Have the Guts?"
- The 2010 Political Oscars.
- A look at proposed NFL overtime rules. What I don't understand is why the obvious hasn't come up: the college overtime, but with kickoffs. Each team gets a possession, but a turnover can be taken at the spot. If a team turns it over on downs, it just kicks off. Or, we could just do what every other sport does and play 10 more minutes. If no one is leading, call it a tie.
Yesterday, in a bill passed with real bipartisanship, the present will sign the Travel Promotion Act today, something Majority Leader Harry Reid called for a couple of weeks ago. It will do exactly what the title says: promote America to tourists.
Lastly, love this quote, from Politico: 'I think we've allowed the Republicans to get away with too much obstruction for too long without using our prerogatives,' said Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), who warned that Republicans can 'look forward to seeing more' demonstrations of Democratic muscle like the one that forced Bunning to undertake an active six-day filibuster of the bill.
Be aggressive and make Republicans look bad trying to block you. Filibusters don't look good.
An update on the unemployment rates: men: 10.0%; teens: 26.4%; blacks: 16.5%, Hispanics: 12.6%. Women: 7.9%; whites: 8.7%. It's ugly out there.
For those who want more about what I am doing out here, well, this is it. Honestly, I work. And I love it. But this stuff is what I am interested in and what I spend a lot of my days looking at. I am starting to do a little more as far as communications are concerned, but that is still preliminary. Maybe more on it later.
All for now.