Say it, Brother Friedman!

This and a $3.00 floor on gas prices... would do wonders. (I'ld love $5.00, but I'll settle for $3.00)

Shareholder Power

This is an interesting article. In the main, I agree with Carl Ichan on this. But it's somewhat self-serving. If he had all the tools that he touts in this editorial, I think it would make it even easier to raid companies and take them apart, a la Oliver Stone's Wall Street. (Which was loosly based, if I recall, on Carl Ichan and Ivan Boesky. ) In any event, I think that making CEOs and BODs directly accountable to the shareholders would in fact reduce executive compensation. Which, let's be honest, is just a bunch of "old boys/girls" slapping each other on the back and passing around the martinis and cigars at the expense of the shareholders. Perhaps this would eliminate golden parachutes, and "heads I win, tails the shareholder loses" type of mentality.

FINALLY! Snark-b-Gone!

I think my one rant about Mo these past few years is that she's gotten WAY too in touch with her snarky side. I think this is a charming little piece.

Who Knew?

---

********************************* ********************************************
The liquid inside young coconuts can be used as a substitute for

Blood plasma.
********************************* ******************************************
No piece of paper can be folded in half

more than seven (7) times. Oh go ahead...I'll wait...
****************************************************************************
Donkeys kill more people annually

than plane crashes or shark attacks. (So, watch your Ass )
************************************************************************
You burn more calories sleeping

than you do watching television.
**************************************************************************
Oak trees do not produce acorns until they are fifty (50) years of age or older.
****************************************************************************
The first product to have a bar code

was Wrigley's gum.
*************************************************************************
The King of Hearts is the only king

WITHOUT A MOUSTACHE
***************************************************************************
American Airlines saved $40,000 in 1987 by eliminating one (1) olive

from each salad served in first-class.
**************************************************************************
Venus is the only planet that rotates clockwise.

(Since Venus is normally associated with women, what does this tell you ?)
(That women are going the 'right' direction...?)

*********************************************************************
Apples, not caffeine,

are more efficient at waking you up in the morning .
************************************ ***********************************
Most dust particles in your house are made from

DEAD SKIN !
************************************************************************ ****
The first owner of the Marlboro Company died of lung cancer.

So did the first 'Marlboro Man'.
***************************************************************************
Walt Disney was afraid

OF MICE!
**************************************************************************
PEARLS DISSOLVE

IN VINEGAR !
*********************************************************************
The three most valuable brand names on earth:
Marlboro, Coca Cola, and Budweiser, in that order.
**********************************************************************
It is possible to lead a cow upstairs...

but, not downstairs.

************************************************************************
A duck's quack doesn't echo,

and no one knows why.
************************************************************************
Dentists have recommended that a toothbrush be kept at least six (6) feet away from a toilet to avoid airborne particles resulting from the flush.

(I keep my toothbrush in the living room now !)
***************************************************

And the best for last....

Turtles can breathe through their butts.
(I know some people like that, don't YOU ?)

So.......................





Remember, knowledge is everything, so pass it on...and go move your toothbrush !!!

It Just Doesn't Get Any Better...

It's SO much fun to see the Repugnicans lost in the woods...

Most Strange Buildings In The World

Thanks, Betty!

1. The Crooked House ( Sopot , Poland ) 2. Forest Spiral - Hundertwasser Building ( Darmstadt , Germany ) 3. The Torre Galatea Figueres ( Spain ) 4. Ferdinand Cheval Palace a.k.a Ideal Palace ( France )

5. The Basket Building ( Ohio , United States )





6. Kansas City Public Library ( Missouri , United States )






7. Wonderworks ( Orlando , Florida , United States )





8. Habitat 67 ( Montreal , Canada )






9. Cubic Houses ( Rotterdam , Netherlands )






10. Hang Nga Guesthou se a.k.a Crazy House ( Vietnam )



11. The Ufo House ( Sanjhih , Taiwan )






12. Nakagin Capsule Tower ( Tokyo , Japan )





13. Erwin Wurm: House Attack ( Viena , Austria )

,




14. Wooden Gagster House ( Archangelsk , Russia )




15. Ripley's Building ( Ontario , Canada )

.

Kids, it just does NOT get better than this!

Wow. I think they have a serious counterproposal. No, really. I think we should hear them out. (Thanks, Carol!)

SMOKIN'...

Now THIS is the Chicago that *I* remember... Whew... Tsssssss!

Chicago - What's This World Coming To
by DwightFrye

Government at Work for You!

This is an awesome success story of how a government institution can work, and work well. Hard working people, pitching in to do the work of the people. Expanding the FDIC to handle insurance companies (think AIG), when the FDIC works as well as this is a NO BRAINER.

Great, great story.

Rock on.

ANOTHER Great Video!

The Great Stuff just keeps on rollin' in...

Hope

A beautiful video! (Thanks Vicki!)

The Devil You Know

This is an outstanding interview. Reality-based foreign policy. What a concept.

Here's Some Fun!

This is Greg Hawkes who was the keyboard player with the band The Cars.

Well, Stanley...

There's another fine mess you've gotten us into.

I Was Born In A Small Town

I like what John is saying here, but there's another development happening in the music world which I think it very good as well: the independent music scene. There are tons of wonderful artists out there that are making a living doing their own thing. They are not living like the rock stars of the 60s-90s but they are doing what they love, very professional, and eeking out a living. The interaction with the artist is more personal, and their fan base more rabid. The artist's money is increasingly in live performances and merch. What music they do sell, goes straight to the artist and doesn't have to be split up through the music corporations of old.

I think this is a wildly healthy development for musicians and audiences worldwide. The Arena shows are dead.

Here are some of my faves:

Lindsay Mac
Eleni Mandell
Aimee Mann
The Bad Plus
Raining Jane
Roger Powell
Chojo Jacques

We are so Fucked.

I am speechless.

Aren't You Tired of it All?

I know I am... I mean isn't there a world somewhere where we just decide on the right thing to do based on the facts... and just do it? Maybe we're in hell right now.

Classics from the Archive

We all need some entertainment from the disgusting financial mess that the Republican lack of regulation has put us into... So here are some classics.

My favorite?

"I think the burden is on those people who think he didn't have weapons of mass destruction to tell the world where they are."

- Ari Fleischer, Press Secretary
Press Briefing
7/9/2003

That is just laugh-out-loud funny! (Thanks to Dave for the reference!)

The Story of my Life

Well... Dorothy nails it again. My goal in life is that by the time I die, that the last thing I'll have in my possession will be a piece of paper, and a pencil. When I'm ready, I'll hand the pencil and paper to someone and go. Nice piece of romance, but odds are good it will be a laptop.

I just hope that I don't end up like the friend that Peter Matthiessen tells of who killed himself leaving only the note "I just couldn't simplify."

Oh! To play like this...

Oh... to be able to play like this... one day!




and this...

Son of a BUCK!

I mean I am ANGRY. And I know you are as well. Do we just have to all say "ohm!!" and center ourselves and go through with this? Aieeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! Troubled times.

Dead on!

I laughed at each pane... so, so true.

Amazing Humming Birds!

When I saw this email come in I thought... enh... ho-hum... but after watching it...

WOW!

(Thanks, Carol!)

Ruby-throated Hummingbird Eating From My Hand (Part One) from Russ Thompson on Vimeo.

Public Enemy Number One!

Get a good look at this "man". He's on AIG's payroll as a consultant for $1,000,000 per month. This after he drove the financial unit of AIG to write all those Infamous Credit Default Swaps. His group is the one who's getting the $160 Million in bonuses, after holding up the United States of America (that would be you and I) for $170 BILLION... so FAR. Evidently they've written about $450 BILLION of those swaps. So by my reckoning, we're a little over 1/3 of the way through bailing out these bastards.

A Blessing in Disguise!

A very well written piece about the wane of religion in these troubled times. Amen! Keep Hope Alive!

Extortion and You.

"Hi, I'm AIG. I'll be your extortionist today. Just put those billions in the bag, and no one will get hurt. Promise. Trust me. No, really. I may be back, so don't bother locking up the vault just yet."

Writers! Check it out!

I don't think I've laughed harder. (Thanks, Tom!)

This is why...

This is why America will survive and eventually prosper: Because we pull ourselves up by our bootstraps and get to work. I think that probably defines America more than anything. Now if we can get some decent health care for everyone, and get some regulation in place to keep the crooks at bay, we might get somewhere!

The Pleasure Principle

This was just forwarded to me (Thanks, Tom!) and his response was "Hmmm" and I have to agree. I'm not sure I would like the communal aspects of this, but if a woman I was connected to wanted to go, I would try it out. (As well, I might learn something!) Only in San Francisco... (that's why I live here!)

Why healthcare must and will change.

An excellent and insightful piece about healthcare.

Househusbands Brew It Too!

Save the image to your desktop and read the fine print... Kinda blurry, but worth it. (Thanks, Jean!)

Have to Agree...

I have to agree with Tom here (thanks, Tom) that I do like Arnold. He's a centrist and a realist.

DIG it!

LOVE this... (Thanks, Stacey!)

I'm shocked, I tell you... SHOCKED!

Just more hypocritical family values from the Repugnican party. Gotta love those say-one-thing-do-another Elephants.

Oh, Alan... you crazy NUTJOB!

I find it criminal that Greenspan ignored the signs. Laissez-faire run amok. Good job, Captain Al!

Change Has Come!

Thanks, Tom!

Either Or?

I remember watching Carl Sagen in the inteview chair with Johnny Carson one night saying: "Well, it's obvious Communism has failed, and Capitalism isn't doing much better... maybe there's something else that we need to explore!" And those words resonated with me in this editorial. We sit here and go from one extreme to the other... Pure capitalism... Pure progressivism... I just thing there's a hybrid that can work. I think - just like the fire and police departments - we owe our population a basic level of service. That's the supporting infrastructure. Guaranteed. On top, we have regulations that prevent Capitolism from running amok. And in between those two layers - have at it! Let the market prevail!

Ahh... I dream.

Please Consider the Environment...

I know I'm tired of it all. I'm ready for a large paradigm shift. It's a great time to be alive... to help steer the boat.

A Wonderful Poem!

It’s 2009 and still they show women

with long, open legs on high heels

next to the car they want me to buy.

I have never known such a dream-girl,

no surprise here, as I’ve never owned

the right wheels, even though I am sure

I would enjoy it all very much for a while.

My own car is more likely to be seen

above an oily mechanic, and

my woman, she wears socks in bed,

sometimes two pairs in the winter.

GRÉGOIRE VION - Santz Cruz, Calif.

(Thanks Tom!)

Does it get any better?

I'm sorry, but it's so nice to see this happening. The pendulum swings, and it cuts hard. Sorry Repugnicans.

Oh Bobby...

I love it when they "mis-fictionalize"...

Gail!

The nice thing about Gail is that she doesn't have the snarkiness of Maureen Dowd. She's more of the Molly Ivins camp: Incredibly witty, but humble. Love this woman's words.

So Much Fun!

Oh Dear Lord - you want fun? Here it is! Rick Santelli is a major asshole (as a CNBC watcher for many years now) and to see him (and CNBC) get ripped? Sweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet!

The Daily Show With Jon StewartM - Th 11p / 10c

CNBC Gives Financial Advice

Daily Show Full Episodes
Important Things With Demetri Martin

Political Humor
Joke of the Day

A Volvo with a Gun Rack

This is classic Robin Williams. (Thanks to my b'tahded sister, Kate.)

The Gang Who Couldn't Shoot Straight

It just does NOT get any sweeter than this. Keep on rockin' Repugnicans. You show us your true colors.

Blessedly, The Liberals Write The History Books. (Lynn Cheney doesn't count)

This article describes how Rove went on and rewrote history about what his and Cheney's administration did in the past 8 years on This Week with George Stephanopoulos on Sunday. Blessedly, the electorate is smarter than these people. Will we get fooled again? Most likely. Just please... give us a few years to straighten out this mess, and then the Repugnicans can have at it with ruining it again. I wonder what the immigration laws are for Sweden? Anyone know about the skiing there? Time to Google...

It's Just Not Funny

This is the best explanation I've seen about why this cartoon missed its mark, and caused such a furor. Nice job, Kathleen!

Tough Waters

Barry has tough waters to navigate, but I can think of few others I'd want at the helm of this possible Titanic. Go Barry, Go!

Uniquely Amuricun!

Thank you, deregulation. Thank you SO MUCH!

Personal Responsibility

Ya see, the problem here, is that the African Americans in South Carolina just don't have enough personal responsibility! I jest. No the problem here is that as we continue to balance the world's resources across the planet (instead of concentrating them in America and Europe), Whitey is doing what he's always done... kicking the minorities to the curb. Equality? Pfft.

Just Do It.

Someone just sent me the funny center portion of this story in an email. But it's good to read the whole thing. I had mine. Maggie had hers (although I'm quite sure she doesn't want me telling you that.) Did you have yours? Please.