Martina McBride (born Martina Mariea Schiff on July 29, 1966, in Sharon, Kansas) is an American country music singer and songwriter. McBride has been called the “Céline Dion of Country Music” for her big-voiced ballads and soprano range.[1]
McBride was signed to RCA Records in 1991 and made her debut the following year as a neo-traditionalist country singer with the single, “The Time Has Come.”[2] It was not until 1997, when she released her fourth album, Evolution, that she broke through into the country music industry with a new pop-styled crossover sound, similar to that of Faith Hill and Shania Twain. From that point on, McBride has had a string of major hit singles on the Billboard country chart and occasionally on the adult contemporary chart. Five of these singles went to No. 1 on the country chart between 1995 and 2001, and one peaked at No. 1 on the adult contemporary chart in 2003.
Secret Service investigates hacking of Fox News Twitter account
The agency says it will look at false postings on FoxNewsPolitics that President Obama had been assassinated.
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-0705-fox-twitter-hacked-20110705,0,842627.story
WASHINGTON — The Secret Service said Monday it would investigate the hacking of Fox’s political Twitter account over updates falsely claiming that President Obama had been assassinated.
Secret Service spokesman George Ogilvie said the law enforcement agency, whose job it is to protect the president, would look into the false postings and “conduct the appropriate follow-up.”
Hackers broke into the FoxNewsPolitics account early Monday, leaving a series of six tweets reporting that Obama had been shot to death in Iowa and the shooter was unknown.
In a statement on its website, Fox News called the tweets “malicious” and “false.”
“We will be requesting a detailed investigation from Twitter about how this occurred and measures to prevent future unauthorized access into FoxNews.com accounts,” said Jeff Misenti, vice president and general manager of Fox News Digital.
The online magazine Think at New York’s Stony Brook University reported that initial posts about midnight indicated the Fox News Twitter account had been hacked by a group called the Script Kiddies. Harmless posts announcing the group’s hacking of the Fox News account were followed by the false posts about Obama, according to Think.
A Think staffer, Adam Peck, wrote on the magazine’s website that he had exchanged electronic messages with a person claiming to be with Script Kiddies shortly after the initial hacking. Later, however, the unidentified person would not confirm that the group was behind the Obama posts, Peck wrote.
Obama is spending the Independence Day holiday at a barbecue at the White House with military families and administration staffers.
Fox’s political Twitter account has more than 34,000 followers. Fox News did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
National Education Association, Major Teachers Union, Endorses Obama’s Re-Election
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/07/04/national-education-association-teachers-union-obama-_n_889939.html
CHICAGO — The nation’s largest education union has endorsed President Barack Obama’s 2012 re-election campaign.
Members of the National Education Association voted to support Obama on Monday at their annual convention in Chicago.
In a statement, NEA President Dennis Van Roekel says Obama and the union share a vision and members wanted early and strong support to help his election.
The endorsement comes a day after Vice President Joe Biden addressed thousands of educators at the convention. The association has 3.2 million members and bills itself as the largest labor union nationwide.
Biden’s speech largely praised teachers and he took jabs at Republicans, saying they don’t share the same views on public education.
But Biden drew applause when he briefly acknowledged there’s widespread unhappiness among teachers for the Obama administration’s education policies.
“In a previous post, I noted that Democrats (and not Democrats) have expressed frustration and/or disappointment over some of President Obama’s policies, his cautious approach, and hesitance to be too forceful or go on the offensive until pushed.”
“I have also expressed concern that if anger or impatience causes voters to either sit out the election or vote against the president, and that results in a Republican in the White House, and therefore more conservative Supreme Court (and lower court) nominees, this country would be headed for certain disaster.”
“However, there is a sliver of a silver lining peeking through all that gloom, because the GOP has acted so egregiously, become so extreme, that they may be pushing these distraught voters, as well as the dreaded “undecideds”, straight back to supporting President Obama….”
http://thepoliticalcarnival.net/2011/07/04/it-seems-like-republicans-are-trying-as-hard-as-they-can-to-make-you-vote-for-obama/
“Here’s a Catch-22 for the tea party movement: Cities across the country are going without Independence Day celebrations this year due to budget cuts. We know how our tax-hating friends love to wave flags and celebrate the late 1700s, but somebody has to pay for all those explosives, and, more often than not, it’s us.” —PZS
The Huffington Post:
“Smaller cities and towns especially lack the resources for fireworks shows. The city of Lehigh Acres, Florida has cancelled its show, as have several towns in Coachella Valley, California. In these cases, like many others, the money just wasn’t there, or needed to be used for more urgent needs, like food and financial outreach programs.”
“And it’s not just small towns, either. Even bigger cities like Chicago and Cincinnati can’t afford fireworks displays, which typically run from $7,500 for smaller local shows to up to millions of dollars for huge multi-day events….”
http://www.truthdig.com/eartotheground/item/no_fireworks_for_cash-strapped_cities_20110703/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Truthdig%2FEarToTheGround+Truthdig+|+Ear+to+the+Ground
Interesting stuff here, a bit depressing but interesting nevertheless…The charts are eye-openers as to what they reveal about our financial well-being!
Overworked America: 12 Charts that Will Make Your Blood Boil
“In the past 20 years, the US economy has grown nearly 60 percent. This huge increase in productivity is partly due to automation, the internet, and other improvements in efficiency. But it’s also the result of Americans working harder—often without a big boost to their bottom lines. Oh, and meanwhile, corporate profits are up 20 percent. (Also read our essay on the great speedup and harrowing first-person tales of overwork.)”
“You have nothing to lose but your gains. Productivity has surged, but income and wages have stagnated for most Americans. If the median household income had kept pace with the economy since 1970, it would now be nearly $92,000, not $50,000.”
http://motherjones.com/politics/2011/06/speedup-americans-working-harder-charts
“So, the banks, some of them, finally figure out that (some) loan modification is better than the alternative: Two of the nation’s biggest lenders, JPMorgan Chase and Bank of America, are quietly modifying loans for tens of thousands of borrowers who have not asked for help but whom the banks deem to be at special risk.”
“Rula Giosmas is one of the beneficiaries. Last year she received a letter from Chase saying it was cutting in half the amount she owed on her condominium. Banks are proactively overhauling loans for borrowers like Ms. Giosmas who have so-called pay option adjustable rate mortgages, which were popular in the wild late stages of the housing boom but which banks now view as potentially troublesome.”
“Before Chase shaved $150,000 off her mortgage, Ms. Giosmas owed much more on her place than it was worth. It was a fate she shared with a quarter of all homeowners with mortgages across the nation. Being underwater, as it is called, can prevent these owners from moving and taking new jobs, and places the households at greater risk of foreclosure.”
http://www.balloon-juice.com/2011/07/04/even-when-theyre-right-theyre-wrong/
“I certainly have seen the benefits that can come from [oil] royalties. Schools are better. There are swimming pools, gymnasium, cars – and jobs – all the result of billions of dollars.”
“Patricia Cochran, a former chair of the Inuit Circumpolar Council from Alaska, expresses the view of many indigenous people on industrial development in the Arctic. Vast oil and mineral wealth have brought huge benefits to some communities.”
“But her own conflicted feelings about development neatly sum up the dilemma that indigenous leaders in the region face. In Barrow – Alaska’s oil capital – there are also high rates of suicide and depression, while offshore drilling is a threat to subsistence whaling and the hunting of seals and walrus, she points out. So despite the benefits, Cochran is personally quite negative about industrial development and questions the wider benefit to society.”
//
“Lynge, a continuing activist based in Nuuk, the capital of Greenland, is most concerned about the decision by the government there to allow British-based oil explorer, Cairn Energy, to drill last summer and again this year. But he is also worried about moves by Canadian metals group, Alcoa, to try to press ahead with plans to build a massive aluminium smelter on the island.”
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2011/jul/04/arctic-resources-indigenous-communities
It keeps getting curiouser and curiouser…
“Tristane Banon, a French journalist and the daughter of a leader in Strauss-Kahn’s Socialist party, will file attempted rape charges against Dominique Strauss-Kahn, reports Reuters. Banon accuses him of trying to rape her when she went to his apartment to interview him when she was only 22 years old. Banon revealed the 2002 incident in 2007, and said her mother, Anne Mansouret, had advised her not to report it:”
“At the time, Anne Mansouret had dissuaded his daughter to complain against the future boss of the IMF, including a daughter, Camille, one of the best friends of Tristan Banon. Tristane Banon is also the goddaughter of the second wife of DSK. Today, Anne Mansouret has remorse: “ Today, I am sorry to have discouraged my daughter to complain against DSK. I bear a heavy responsibility. After the facts were discussed, talked a lot. And finally, she decided, it was decided not to initiate proceedings. You know my daughter was very ill, but Tristan is the goddaughter of the second wife of Dominic. It was difficult for family and friends. What I can tell you is that my daughter, despite the passing years, is still shocked by these facts. That night I went to see her in Paris to comfort her. It’s very hard for her.”
http://www.alternet.org/newsandviews/article/629118/french_writer%2C_goddaughter_of_dsk%27s_ex-wife%2C_files_new_rape_charges_against_dsk/
Your tax dollars hard at work! (smirk)
“It’s obvious that they just want to sabotage anything good that could happen under this President, and they should be condemned every day for it.” Via Taegan-
Chicago Tribune: “The 112th Congress is on pace to be one of the least productive in recent memory — as measured by votes taken, bills made into laws, nominees approved. By most of those metrics, this crowd is underperforming even the ‘do-nothing Congress’ of 1948, as Harry Truman dubbed it. The hot-temper era of Clinton impeachment in the 1990s saw more bills become law.”
http://thepoliticalcarnival.net/2011/07/04/another-do-nothing-congress/
Think about this story when you don’t “feel” like putting your seat belt on because you’re not going far, it might make your clothes wrinkled, or you don’t like the feeling of being strapped in. It’s also a good reminder to make sure that the little ones are in car seats and/or buckled up. It’s better to be safe than sorry about something that could have been prevented.
“A motorcyclist riding in a group without a helmet died in an accident when he flipped over his handlebars, Reuters reported. The man, Philip Contos, was bare-headed on purpose — the group he was riding with was protesting New York’s law requiring that motorcyclists wear helmets.”
“He died of the head injuries sustained when his skull hit the road.”
“The doctor felt that the death could have been prevented if he simply had been wearing a helmet,” said New York State Trooper Robert Jureller. “He hit the brakes, lost control, was ejected and struck his head on the road. He suffered a skull fracture.”
“The accident happened Saturday afternoon in Onondaga, near Syracuse in central New York, according to the Associated Press. Contos was riding a 1983 Harley Davidson.”
“The ride was organized in part by ABATE (American Bikers Aimed for Education), a motorcyclist advocacy and policy organization. Motorcyclists who resist helmet laws say that it is because the legislation infringes on personal freedoms.”
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2011/07/03/motorcyclist-protesting-helmet-law-dies-of-head-injury/
Maybe I missed it but I don’t recall reading about this in any U.S. newspapers? Hmmm…..wonder why?
“An Exxon Mobil pipeline that runs under the Yellowstone river in Montana ruptured on Saturday, leaking hundreds of barrels of oil and causing a 25-mile (40km) plume that has fouled the riverbank.”
“The breach in south-central Montana led to the temporary evacuation of hundreds of residents along a 20-mile stretch of the river, a key tourist attraction in the region that runs through the famous national park of the same name. Cleanup crews deployed booms and absorbent material as the plume moved downstream at around 7mph (10km/h).”
“The river has no dams on its way to its confluence with the Missouri river just across the Montana border in North Dakota and it was unclear how far the plume might travel.”
”The parties responsible will restore the Yellowstone river,” Brian Schweitzer, the governor of Montana, said.
“An Exxon Mobil spokeswoman, Pam Malek, said the pipe leaked an estimated 750 to 1,000 barrels of oil for about half an hour before it was shut down. Other Exxon officials estimate up to 42,000 gallons (158,982 litres) of crude oil escaped.”
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2011/jul/03/yellowstone-river-suffers-oil-spill
“A draft map recently released by the California Citizens Redistricting Commission radically alters the shape of the state’s 53 congressional and 120 legislative districts.”
“The proposal has drawn the ire of some long-time incumbent office-holders who would be forced to seek re-election in less familiar, more politically diverse territories, and from Latino groups who feel their political clout would be diminished.”
//
“Last week, Congresswoman Lynn Woolsey, a 10-term liberal Democrat who represents Marin and Sonoma counties north of San Francisco, became the first member of the state’s congressional delegation to call it quits since the new political map was released. She announced on Monday that she would not seek re-election in 2012.”
“Woolsey, 73, said she was retiring because she was tired of the job’s demands, not because of redistricting. But she also lambasted the new map for her district, which encompasses a 375-mile stretch of territory along the coast. She said voters should “write the commissioners and remind them” her current territory is “a perfect, compact district.”
“Meanwhile, Hispanic groups accuse the commission’s draft map of diluting Hispanic votes. The National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials called the proposal a “worst-case scenario for the Latino community.”
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2011/07/03/citizen-commission-accused-of-diluting-california-hispanic-vote/
WARNING: PROCEED WITH CAUTION~
“Healthy, middle-aged smokers who take Pfizer’s Chantix or Champix, one of the most popular quit-smoking drugs on the market, have a higher risk of suffering heart attacks or other serious heart problems, a study found on Monday.”
“British and American scientists analyzed 14 clinical trials of Champix, sold as Chantix in the United States and known generically as varenicline, and found the likelihood of developing serious heart problems resulting in hospitalization, disability or death was almost 72 percent higher in patients taking the drug compared with those taking a placebo.”
“The researchers urged U.S. drug regulators, who have already issued warnings about Chantix’s safety in certain patient groups, to take note of these new findings.”
“I think our new research shifts the risk-benefit profile of varenicline,” said Sonal Singh of Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, who led the research and published it in the Canadian Medical Association Journal.
“People should be concerned. They don’t need Chantix to quit and this is another reason to consider avoiding Chantix altogether,” he said in a statement. “People want to quit smoking to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, but in this case they’re taking a drug that increases the risk for the very problems they’re trying to avoid.”
“Investors had high hopes for Chantix when Pfizer first launched it in 2006, but reports of suicidal thoughts and other mental health problems in users led Food and Drug Administration (FDA) officials to order a “black box” warning on the drug’s label in 2009.”
“Chantix, which reduces both the craving for and pleasurable effects of cigarettes, is used by heavy smokers who find it difficult to quit. It is one of the biggest-selling stop-smoking drugs in the United States, and has more than 70,000 prescriptions every month in Britain. Annual sales of around $800 million make Chantix a moderate-sized product for Pfizer, the world’s biggest drug maker.”
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2011/07/04/pfizers-quit-smoking-drug-raises-heart-risks-by-72-percent-study/
I’m off this in signature 3Chics style…with music!
And here is the sassy Ms. Janelle Monae, featuring Big Boi:
Rounding it out with Boney James and Jaheim: Have a good one y’all!
4 July 2011 Last updated at 05:12 ET
Sting cancels Kazakhstan concert over “rights abuses
Sting has cancelled a concert in Kazakhstan’s capital Astana over claims of human rights violations on oil workers in the Central Asian country.
In a statement on his website, the singer axed Monday’s planned show after Amnesty International told him of “the repression and crackdown” against them.
The singer said the treatment was “unacceptable”.
Several thousand oil workers went on strike on 26 May over claims their salaries have been cut.
Police detained strikers for taking part in an unsanctioned protest, and a spokesman for oil company UzenMunaiGas said some 250 employees had been dismissed for breaching their contract terms.
“Amnesty International feel [Sting’s] presence in Astana will be interpreted as an endorsement of the presidents’ administration and surely will go against everything he has stood for, while supporting Amnesty and the fight for human rights,” the statement said.
Sting added: “Hunger strikes, imprisoned workers and tens of thousands on strike represents a virtual picket line which I have no intention of crossing.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-14011860
Clinton to Obama: Stay strong over debt ceilingBy Pamela Sellers, CNNJuly 3, 2011 —
Updated 1440 GMT (2240 HKT)
Aspen, Colorado (CNN) — Former President Bill Clinton urged the Obama White House to remain steadfast over its pledge to increase the federal debt ceiling by August 2.
“This is the political equivalent of the government shutdown when I was president…” Clinton said.
Clinton did not know how Obama could avoid a repeat shutdown, but insisted that the president stand his ground. “First, the White House could blink,” Clinton said. “I hope that won’t happen. I don’t think they should blink.”
Clinton made his argument in front of a large crowd at the left-leaning Aspen Ideas Festival in Colorado Saturday. Should the United States default on its payments, the country’s credit ratings will decline, Clinton said, and interest rates could rise.
http://edition.cnn.com/2011/POLITICS/07/03/clinton.debt.ceiling/
under THEY ARE WHO WE THOUGHT THEY WERE NEWS
…………………………….
July 03, 2011 05:00 PM
Rand Paul’s Twisted American Dream
By karoli
When Rand Paul makes Marco Rubio sound sane, you know it’s bad. Candy Crowley’s theme of the day was the American Dream, and Rand’s idea of it is, well…Randian. Actually, it’s pretty dystopian.
Here’s the transcript, via CNN:
CROWLEY: We leave you with a last set of thoughts on the fundamentals of the American dream. Capitol Hill, we found out, remains full of dreamers.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
REP. BARNEY FRANK (D), MASSACHUSETTS: For me the American dream is the ability of people, no matter what their ethnicity, their religion, their background, their sexual orientation, to live up to their full potential.
SEN. MARCO RUBIO (R), FLORIDA: The American dream is more than just about people that made millions of dollars or own a jet airplane or yacht. It’s about the hard-working people that service our lunch at restaurants or clean our offices at night who are working hard so that one day their kids can do all the things they themselves could not.
SEN. MARK WARNER (D), VIRGINIA: We can’t guarantee everyone in America that they’re going to be successful, but we sure as heck ought to be able to guarantee that everybody gets a fair shot.
SEN. RAND PAUL (R), KENTUCKY: It’s not that we will have equal outcome. In fact, the American dream is that those who work harder and those who merit it will have unequal outcomes, that they will gain more of whatever the American dream is.
SEN. CLAIRE MCCASKILL (D), MISSOURI: The American dream means to me that a young girl who grew up going to public schools in a very modest household and who worked her way through college and law school someday has the incredible opportunity to be a United States senator.
In the overall spectrum of remarks clipped in this segment, Rand Paul’s stand out like a big black thumbprint on an otherwise gradient landscape. “Those who work harder and those who merit it…” What exactly does that mean? Is there some formula for preordination for some in this country to ‘merit it’? Is it a dogwhistle or just simple-minded meanness? What I heard in this segment was a United States Senator arguing for inequality, which squares exactly with his political philosophy of returning us to pre-Civil War era times.
As for Marco Rubio, what did he say, exactly? Not a whole lot, but most of it contradicts his actions. He voted for the Ryan plan, won’t vote to raise the debt limit, and supports draconian cuts to services and assistance that would help those hard workers out there who want life to be better for their kids. So thanks Marco for the platitudes but next time back up your pretty words with some action, okay?
http://crooksandliars.com/karoli/rand-pauls-twisted-american-dream
Rand Paul’s a looney tunes RACIST ASS CaC.
Hey 3 Chics,
I’m heading out to a 4th of July BBQ in a short while. I wish you all a safe and happy 4th of July.
See you all here when I get back…
Have a terrific& safe 4th BBQ, SG2!
Happy 13th Birthday, Malia!
Happy Birthday, Malia, our nation’s FIRST DAUGHTER. You’re an American Treasure!
Hey Southerngirl2, this is a beautiful picture of our birthday girl, Malia. (Happy Belated Birthday, First Daughter!) I’ve never seen it before. Of course, she looks so pretty and graceful as usual, but she also looks so mature. Is it a recent photo, or was it taken when her family visited Hawaii a while ago?
Hi NCW! Just want to say, I’m happy to see you @ 3 Chics. I love this photo. Malia is so beautiful and so innocent. I did some checking and according to the article online, the pic was taken while on vacation in Dec. 2009. Here is another photo..
Thanks for the update (below), Southerngirl2. I agree, the just-turned-13 teenager looks beautiful, sweet, and innocent.
July 04, 2011 08:00 AM
Fareed Zakaria to CNN: Stop Trying To Lure Fox News Viewers
By Susie Madrak
Some good advice! I wonder if CNN management is smart enough to take it:
CNN’s Fareed Zakaria said that the network he works for shouldn’t try to get viewers of Fox News to watch it—because they won’t.
Zakaria spoke to NPR correspondent David Folkenflik on Friday for a profile of CNN and its relatively new managing editor, Mark Whitaker.
The piece emphasizes Whitaker’s attempts to bring more reportorial depth to the network, and Zakaria said that the efforts are working.
CNN is getting smarter, and you can feel it in the stories,” Zakaria said. “You can feel it in the depth with which they’re covered, the kinds of people in terms of guests who are brought on air, the ways in which issues are discussed.”
He then said that CNN shouldn’t even be trying to compete with Fox News.
“The people who watch Fox are not going to watch CNN. Let’s be honest,” Zakaria said. “Our competitors should properly be The New York Times, the BBC and NPR.”
http://crooksandliars.com/
July 04, 2011
Douthat’s ideological palsy
I have now read Ross Douthat’s sweeping pronunciamento of conservative puritanism several times —
Institutions tend to be strongest when they make significant moral demands, and weaker when they pre-emptively accommodate themselves to human nature
— and I swear I can make neither logical heads nor empirical tails of the damn thing, other than that Mr. Douthat is ideologically palsied by the grim thought that licensed but dissolute gays are coming to wreck the recently re-perfected institution of straight marriage.
Douthat’s opening word — “institutions” — rather loses the reader in an imprecise haze of disorienting fog, suggesting more and even deeper ambiguities to come. What exactly does he mean by “institutions”? I scurried for help. And, according to my first source, the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, “The term, ‘social institution’ is somewhat unclear.” Just as I feared.
For reasons unknown, the good people at Stanford Encyclopedia thought this “theoretical” definition might help: “An institution [is] defined as an interlocking double-structure of persons-as-role-holders or office-bearers and the like, and of social practices involving both expressive and practical aims and outcomes.” However if that academic pomposity fails to clarify, then you might try the “somewhat” more comprehensible rollout: institutions are “complex social forms that reproduce themselves such as governments, the family, human languages, universities, hospitals, business corporations, and legal systems.” (Where churches went, I’ve no idea.)
Now remember, “Institutions” is but the first, “somewhat unclear” word of the Douthat Declaration, and we’ve an entire sentence to go; one further saturated by the hopeless obscurities and debatable relativities of “strongest,” “significant,” “weaker,” and — just a couple of other words we might all agree on in coming millennia — “moral” and “human nature.”
What I think Douthat is driving at, if I may address his universal loftiness from the profanely interpretive, is that he and other likeminded, heterosexual boys once had this exclusive club called “marriage,” see, from which they could quite naturally ostracize Others. And now it’s being democratized — and that means the im-moral rabble of more “animal” than “human” nature is at the gates.
Classic Burkean conservatism, trying to keep up, but not liking it — adding a knowing “tsk-tsk” here and a disapproving “Oh dear” there.
http://pmcarpenter.blogs.com/p_m_carpenters_commentary/
Fox News is the most despicable rabid no good bottom feeders the world has ever seen.
Check out a tweet from Keith Olbermann:
Keith Olbermann: He’s NOT, repeat NOT dead. POTUS wasn’t even in Iowa RT @guardiannews Fox News’s hacked Twitter declares Obama dead http://gu.com/p/3vagb/tf
How long is Fox News going to get away with this? They need to be taken off the air. I don’t believe for one second they are innocent in this. Hackers my ass!
Fox and their backers HATE Barack Hussein Obama that much; they want him dead.
Of course that would be the icing for 2012, because they know PBO’s UNBEATABLE.
they are evil
E.V.I.L.
E.J. Dionne Jr.
Opinion Writer What our Declaration really said
By E.J. Dionne Jr., Published: July 3
Our nation confronts a challenge this Fourth of July that we face but rarely: We are at odds over the meaning of our history and why, to quote our Declaration of Independence, “governments are instituted.”
Only divisions this deep can explain why we are taking risks with our country’s future that we’re usually wise enough to avoid. Arguments over how much government should tax and spend are the very stuff of democracy’s give-and-take. Now, the debate is shadowed by worries that if a willful faction does not get what it wants, it might bring the nation to default.
This is, well, crazy. It makes sense only if politicians believe — or have convinced themselves — that they are fighting over matters of principle so profound that any means to defeat their opponents is defensible.
We are closer to that point than we think, and our friends in the Tea Party have offered a helpful clue by naming their movement in honor of the 1773 revolt against tea taxes on that momentous night in Boston Harbor.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/what-our-declaration-really-said/2011/07/02/AGugyvwH_story.html?wpisrc=nl_opinions
Fox News hackers claim Barack Obama assassinated
By Matt Warman, Consumer Technology Editor
12:28PM BST 04 Jul 2011
Hackers took control of an official Fox News Twitter account and posted false updates claiming that President Barack Obama had been assassinated.
The Twitter account of the American Fox News Politics team was compromised and used to falsely announce the death of the US president.
Hackers, who identified themselves as “The Script Kiddies” and said they shared the spirit of prominent hacking group Anonymous, used the account to write: “BREAKING NEWS: President @BarackObama assassinated, 2 gunshot wounds have proved too much. It’s a sad 4th for #america. #obamadead RIP”.
In another tweet they wrote: “#ObamaDead, it’s a sad 4th of July. RT to support the late president’s family, and RIP. The shooter will be found”. The hackers added: “@BarackObama shot twice at a Ross’ restaurant in Iowa while campaigning. RIP Obama, best regards to the Obama family.”
In a stream of messages sent over several hours beginning at 2am New York time, the hackers said: “We wish @joebiden the best of luck as our new President of the United States. In such a time of madness, there’s light at the end of tunnel”, and “@BarackObama has just passed. Nearly 45 minutes ago, he was shot twice in the lower pelvic area and in the neck; shooter unknown. Bled out”.
The @FoxNewsPolitics account now has more than 34,000 followers, and the messages have been widely retweeted.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/twitter/8615357/Fox-News-hackers-claim-Barack-Obama-assassinated.html
This is beyond the pale! Fox News is the most despicable rabid no good bottom feeders the world has ever seen. How long, Lord?
NOT.LONG.
2 Republicans Open Door to Increases in RevenueBy JOHN M. BRODER
Published: July 3, 2011
WASHINGTON — Two senior Republicans said Sunday that they might be open to raising new government revenue as part of a deal to resolve the dispute over the federal debt ceiling, but they warned that there was little time to enact a comprehensive deal.
One of the senators, John Cornyn of Texas, said he would consider eliminating some tax breaks and corporate subsidies in the context of changes in the tax code, provided there was not an overall increase in taxes.
“I think it’s clear that the Republicans are opposed to any tax hikes, particularly during a fragile economic recovery,” Mr. Cornyn said on “Fox News Sunday.” “Now, do we believe tax reform is necessary? I would say absolutely.”
But he insisted that any changes in taxes be “revenue neutral,” meaning that the government would not take in any more money from individuals or businesses than it does now.
The other senator, John McCain of Arizona, said he would be willing to consider some “revenue
raisers” as part of a broad deal, but he refused to name specific measures.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/04/us/politics/04budget.html?_r=1&om_rid=DRaeQf&om_mid=_BOEcHCB8cMRL5D
Is Your Meat Habit Giving You Diabetes?
— By Tom Philpott
| Mon Jul. 4, 2011 2:30 AM PDT
The United States has one of the highest diabetes rates in the developed world—and the malady is spreading faster here than it is in most other rich nations, a recent Lancet study (registration required) found.
I’ve always associated our diabetes problem with the steady rise in sweetener consumption since the early ’80s, triggered by the gusher of cheap high-fructose corn syrup that opened up at that time. But another culprit may be contributing, too: exposure to certain pesticides and other toxic chemicals. A new peer-reviewed study published in the journal Diabetes Care found a strong link between diabetes onset and blood levels of a group of harsh industrial chemicals charmingly known as “persistent organic pollutants” (POPs), most of which have been banned in the United States for years but still end up in our food (hence the “persistent” bit—they degrade very slowly).
The ones with the largest effect were PCBs, a class of highly toxic chemicals widely used as industrial coolants before being banished in 1979. Interestingly, the main US maker of PCBs, Monsanto, apparently knew about and tried to cover up their health-ruining effects long before the ban went into place. Organochlorine pesticides, another once-ubiquitous, now largely banned chemical group, also showed a significant influence on diabetes rates.
http://motherjones.com/tom-philpott/2011/07/are-pesticides-giving-you-diabetes
Good morning, Everyone! I just dropped in to encourage those who are willing to go to WhiteHouse.gov to wish Malia a happy birthday. I’m sure it’s been very difficult at times for both girls over the past years given the amount of hate and disrespect that’s been directed at their parents.
Don’t you think it would be a nice gesture to let her know that we are proud of how she and Sasha have conducted themselves because of the good example that they are setting for other young women? And, also to let her know that there are many people who appreciate the efforts her parents are making on our behalf. I think it would be an excellent gift for her!
Have a great day and stay safe!
Here’s an adorable compilation that was posted on BWD’s site, The Only Adult in the Room, which was contributed by snoopy4eva2. Thanks, snoopy!
Hi creolecild. Of course, it’s a delicious idea to send Malia birthday wishes. Thank you.
Good Morning, 3 Chics, Friends & Visitors!
Inspiration for today…
To every thing there is a season and a time to every purpose under the heaven.
Ecclesiastes 3:1
Good Morning, Creolechild, SG2, friends & visitors. Happy 4th of July!
Good Morning, Everyone and Happy 4th of July !!
thanks; an Happy July 4th too you, rikyrah. Are you going to see Peanut today?