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marmar
marmar's Journal
marmar's Journal
December 28, 2012
from HuffPost:
Danny Hafley of Casey County, Ky. said this week that people are reading the mannequin in his front yard depicting President Barack Obama eating a watermelon completely wrong.
"The way I look at it, it's freedom of speech," Hafley told Lex 18 in a recent interview, going on to state that he had included the watermelon not in attempt to play to any racist stereotypes, but because the statue "might get hungry standing out here."
According to Hafley, the display is "popular" and a frequent draw for people passing by to stop and take pictures.
Watermelon imagery has been utilized by anti-Obama efforts in the past, usually by those claiming there is no racist sentiment behind the choice. ..................(more)
The complete piece is at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/27/danny-hafley-kentucky-obama_n_2372920.html?ncid=edlinkusaolp00000009
Danny Hafley, Kentucky Man, Defends Watermelon-Eating Obama Display: He 'Might Get Hungry'
from HuffPost:
Danny Hafley of Casey County, Ky. said this week that people are reading the mannequin in his front yard depicting President Barack Obama eating a watermelon completely wrong.
"The way I look at it, it's freedom of speech," Hafley told Lex 18 in a recent interview, going on to state that he had included the watermelon not in attempt to play to any racist stereotypes, but because the statue "might get hungry standing out here."
According to Hafley, the display is "popular" and a frequent draw for people passing by to stop and take pictures.
Watermelon imagery has been utilized by anti-Obama efforts in the past, usually by those claiming there is no racist sentiment behind the choice. ..................(more)
The complete piece is at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/27/danny-hafley-kentucky-obama_n_2372920.html?ncid=edlinkusaolp00000009
December 27, 2012
(NYT) As she nibbled on strawberry shortcake, Jessica LaShawn, a flight attendant from Chicago, tried not to get ahead of herself and imagine this first date turning into another and another, and maybe, at some point, a glimmering diamond ring and happily ever after.
She simply couldn’t help it, though. After all, he was tall, from a religious family, raised by his grandparents just as she was, worked in finance and even had great teeth.
Her musings were suddenly interrupted when her date asked a decidedly unromantic question: “What’s your credit score?”
“It was as if the music stopped,” Ms. LaShawn, 31, said, recalling how the date this year went so wrong so quickly after she tried to answer his question honestly. “It was really awkward because he kept telling me that I was the perfect girl for him, but that a low credit score was his deal-breaker.” ....................(more)
The complete piece is at: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/26/business/even-cupid-wants-to-know-your-credit-score.html?_r=0
Even Cupid Wants to Know Your Credit Score
(NYT) As she nibbled on strawberry shortcake, Jessica LaShawn, a flight attendant from Chicago, tried not to get ahead of herself and imagine this first date turning into another and another, and maybe, at some point, a glimmering diamond ring and happily ever after.
She simply couldn’t help it, though. After all, he was tall, from a religious family, raised by his grandparents just as she was, worked in finance and even had great teeth.
Her musings were suddenly interrupted when her date asked a decidedly unromantic question: “What’s your credit score?”
“It was as if the music stopped,” Ms. LaShawn, 31, said, recalling how the date this year went so wrong so quickly after she tried to answer his question honestly. “It was really awkward because he kept telling me that I was the perfect girl for him, but that a low credit score was his deal-breaker.” ....................(more)
The complete piece is at: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/26/business/even-cupid-wants-to-know-your-credit-score.html?_r=0
December 27, 2012
from HuffPost:
Shannyn Moore
Just a girl from Homer, Alaska
My Guns Are Less Regulated Than My Uterus
Posted: 12/27/2012 8:21 am
I'm old enough to remember when the NRA was invited into our schools to educate students on gun safety. Yes, I'm old, and I grew up in rural Alaska, but the NRA as an institution has changed as much as everything else has since then. It now operates as a lobby for gun manufacturers rather than for responsible gun owners who grew up with the traditions of hunting and shooting.
It has blamed everything from video games, to Hollywood to "gun-free zones" for escalating gun violence in the country. In 2010, the NRA held its convention in North Carolina in a location where guns were banned. Its cheery note to attendees told them to leave their guns at home. It seemed fine enough with a "gun-free zone" then. Charlotte Allen blames (the brutal mass murder in Newtown, Conn., last week on) a lack of men and the "over-feminization" of our school system. Autism and mental health have been blamed. A godless tolerance for homosexuals has been faulted. Several people have said God wouldn't show up in public schools where he's not wanted. Apparently, he's still smarting from the lack of audible prayer, so he allowed the shooting to happen.
One week after the massacre, the NRA, in a paranoid fit, proposed changes. Let's have more guns in schools! Armed guards have been present at many massacres and haven't been able to stop them. And who is supposed to pay for the wages and benefits for armed guards at every school in the nation? "The only way to stop a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun," says the NRA. It's a nice advertisement for gun sales but it's ludicrous. The bad guy in Tuscon, Ariz., who shot Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords was stopped because he was reloading. Should we have armed guards everywhere there has been a mass shooting? Schools, malls, theaters, grocery stores and churches? Are they proposing a jobs bill?
"If only those teachers had a gun," laments the NRA. At a time when teachers are blamed for far more than what is in their control, and for being "union thugs," you want them to carry a weapon? Seriously? Think about that for a minute. A company in Utah had profits jump 500 percent this week by selling BULLET-PROOF BACKPACKS FOR CHILDREN. Children should not be shouldering the panic. The best thing about little children is they haven't figured out yet that some people want to hurt them. Times have changed. If you're not a cynic by third grade, you're not paying attention. ................(more)
The complete piece is at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/shannyn-moore/my-guns-are-less-regulate_b_2368612.html
Shannyn Moore: My Guns Are Less Regulated Than My Uterus
from HuffPost:
Shannyn Moore
Just a girl from Homer, Alaska
My Guns Are Less Regulated Than My Uterus
Posted: 12/27/2012 8:21 am
I'm old enough to remember when the NRA was invited into our schools to educate students on gun safety. Yes, I'm old, and I grew up in rural Alaska, but the NRA as an institution has changed as much as everything else has since then. It now operates as a lobby for gun manufacturers rather than for responsible gun owners who grew up with the traditions of hunting and shooting.
It has blamed everything from video games, to Hollywood to "gun-free zones" for escalating gun violence in the country. In 2010, the NRA held its convention in North Carolina in a location where guns were banned. Its cheery note to attendees told them to leave their guns at home. It seemed fine enough with a "gun-free zone" then. Charlotte Allen blames (the brutal mass murder in Newtown, Conn., last week on) a lack of men and the "over-feminization" of our school system. Autism and mental health have been blamed. A godless tolerance for homosexuals has been faulted. Several people have said God wouldn't show up in public schools where he's not wanted. Apparently, he's still smarting from the lack of audible prayer, so he allowed the shooting to happen.
One week after the massacre, the NRA, in a paranoid fit, proposed changes. Let's have more guns in schools! Armed guards have been present at many massacres and haven't been able to stop them. And who is supposed to pay for the wages and benefits for armed guards at every school in the nation? "The only way to stop a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun," says the NRA. It's a nice advertisement for gun sales but it's ludicrous. The bad guy in Tuscon, Ariz., who shot Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords was stopped because he was reloading. Should we have armed guards everywhere there has been a mass shooting? Schools, malls, theaters, grocery stores and churches? Are they proposing a jobs bill?
"If only those teachers had a gun," laments the NRA. At a time when teachers are blamed for far more than what is in their control, and for being "union thugs," you want them to carry a weapon? Seriously? Think about that for a minute. A company in Utah had profits jump 500 percent this week by selling BULLET-PROOF BACKPACKS FOR CHILDREN. Children should not be shouldering the panic. The best thing about little children is they haven't figured out yet that some people want to hurt them. Times have changed. If you're not a cynic by third grade, you're not paying attention. ................(more)
The complete piece is at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/shannyn-moore/my-guns-are-less-regulate_b_2368612.html
December 27, 2012
Russia Today
Published on Dec 22, 2012
In this episode, Max Keiser and Stacy Herbert look at the the central bank revolution that will end in disaster with Japan leading the way after voters have demanded even more aggression with the nation's monetary policy. They also look at Moody's ratings getting no respect because nobody has done better than flipping a coin for 50 years in a slow burning prison.
Keiser Report: Crazyflation
Russia Today
Published on Dec 22, 2012
In this episode, Max Keiser and Stacy Herbert look at the the central bank revolution that will end in disaster with Japan leading the way after voters have demanded even more aggression with the nation's monetary policy. They also look at Moody's ratings getting no respect because nobody has done better than flipping a coin for 50 years in a slow burning prison.
December 27, 2012
Dutch foreign minister criticizes Pope’s anti-gay rhetoric
The Dutch foreign minister has criticised Pope Benedict XVI for his opposition to equal marriage and warns the Catholic leader that everyone ”is unique”.
Irish Times reports Frans Timmermans, a former diplomat, responded in unusually strong terms to the Pope’s Christmas speech in which he denounced equal marriage as destroying the very “essence of the human creature”.
The Pope also quoted the chief rabbi of France in saying the global campaign for marriage equality was an “attack” on the traditional family made up of a father, mother and children.
The Pope said he found an essay, written by Rabbi Gilles Bernheim “profoundly moving” - it went on to say that marriage equality advocates “will use gay marriage as a Trojan horse” in a campaign to “deny sexual identity and erase sexual differences” and “undermine the heterosexual fundamentals of our society.” .................(more)
The complete piece is at: http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2012/12/24/dutch-foreign-minister-criticises-popes-anti-gay-rhetoric/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Pinknews+%28Pink+News%29
December 27, 2012
By John Byrne Tribune reporter
5:05 p.m. CST, December 26, 2012
In an annual ritual that has become as predictable if not as joyous as a New Year’s Eve countdown to midnight, Chicago drivers again will have to dig a little deeper to pay to park at meters in 2013.
Loop rates will go up 75 cents to $6.50 an hour as part of scheduled fee increases included in Mayor Richard Daley’s much-criticized 2008 lease of the city’s meters to Chicago Parking Meters LLC.
Paid street parking in neighborhoods near the Loop will rise 25 cents and reach $4 an hour. Metered spaces in the rest of Chicago also will increase by a quarter per hour, to $2, according to the company.
Come the new year, workers will begin adjusting the now-familiar pay boxes to reflect the new rates in the Loop, from there working outward into the neighborhoods, the company said in a news release Wednesday. .............(more)
The complete piece is at: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/chi-chicago-parking-meter-rates-to-rise-again-in-2013-20121226,0,3777027.story
Ahh, the joys of privatization: Parking in Chicago
By John Byrne Tribune reporter
5:05 p.m. CST, December 26, 2012
In an annual ritual that has become as predictable if not as joyous as a New Year’s Eve countdown to midnight, Chicago drivers again will have to dig a little deeper to pay to park at meters in 2013.
Loop rates will go up 75 cents to $6.50 an hour as part of scheduled fee increases included in Mayor Richard Daley’s much-criticized 2008 lease of the city’s meters to Chicago Parking Meters LLC.
Paid street parking in neighborhoods near the Loop will rise 25 cents and reach $4 an hour. Metered spaces in the rest of Chicago also will increase by a quarter per hour, to $2, according to the company.
Come the new year, workers will begin adjusting the now-familiar pay boxes to reflect the new rates in the Loop, from there working outward into the neighborhoods, the company said in a news release Wednesday. .............(more)
The complete piece is at: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/chi-chicago-parking-meter-rates-to-rise-again-in-2013-20121226,0,3777027.story
December 26, 2012
from Salon.com:
A Republican legislator in Oklahoma is introducing a bill intended to target Agenda 21, a supposed conspiracy by the United Nations to usurp private property rights in America.
From the Tulsa World:
Agenda 21 is a nonbinding UN agreement that is aimed at promoting sustainable development — encouraging things like bike trails and mass transit. Or, as Glenn Beck put it in June 2011, “‘sustainable development’ is just a really nice way of saying ‘centralized control over all of human life on planet Earth.’” He added: “Once they put their fangs into our communities, they’ll suck all the blood out of it, and we will not be able to survive. Watch out.” ...................(more)
The complete piece is at: http://www.salon.com/2012/12/26/oklahoma_goper_introduces_bill_targeting_agenda_21/
Oklahoma Republican Crazy Bus
from Salon.com:
A Republican legislator in Oklahoma is introducing a bill intended to target Agenda 21, a supposed conspiracy by the United Nations to usurp private property rights in America.
From the Tulsa World:
Sen. Patrick Anderson, R-Enid, said his Senate Bill 23 is based on a bill that was passed by Alabama lawmakers last year and is aimed in part at cutting off state support for the groups pushing limits on property owner rights.
As a farmer, Anderson said he is concerned about the federal government — pushed by the U.N.’s agenda of sustainability –forcing rules on a wide variety of things, including the creation of dust and how land can be used.
“There’s a place for all that, but we also need to make sure we’re not infringing on the property owners’ rights to use their own land,” Anderson said.
Agenda 21 is a nonbinding UN agreement that is aimed at promoting sustainable development — encouraging things like bike trails and mass transit. Or, as Glenn Beck put it in June 2011, “‘sustainable development’ is just a really nice way of saying ‘centralized control over all of human life on planet Earth.’” He added: “Once they put their fangs into our communities, they’ll suck all the blood out of it, and we will not be able to survive. Watch out.” ...................(more)
The complete piece is at: http://www.salon.com/2012/12/26/oklahoma_goper_introduces_bill_targeting_agenda_21/
December 26, 2012
Why is Apple fading?
As the once-unstoppable stock continues its slide, some experts wonder if the company will ever recover
By Salon Staff
Apple stock closed at $513 a share today — that’s down another 1 percent, and rapidly approaching the stock’s lowest price since it began a months-long swoon back in September.
So why is the once-unstoppable favorite suddenly in such a fix?
Yes, Apple is up some 25 percent for the year. But it was only four months ago when the price per share sat at $700.
In the New York Times, economist Edward Zabitsky suggested that “as Samsung has surpassed Apple as the leading handset maker, apps have become more important than the devices that carry them, and handsets are increasingly being evaluated on their ability to access the cloud and interact with other devices.” Zabitsky, long bearish on Apple, suggested those trends are bad news for Apple’s long-term competitive situation. .....................(more)
The complete piece is at: http://www.salon.com/2012/12/26/why_is_apple_fading/
Salon: Why is Apple fading?
Why is Apple fading?
As the once-unstoppable stock continues its slide, some experts wonder if the company will ever recover
By Salon Staff
Apple stock closed at $513 a share today — that’s down another 1 percent, and rapidly approaching the stock’s lowest price since it began a months-long swoon back in September.
So why is the once-unstoppable favorite suddenly in such a fix?
Yes, Apple is up some 25 percent for the year. But it was only four months ago when the price per share sat at $700.
In the New York Times, economist Edward Zabitsky suggested that “as Samsung has surpassed Apple as the leading handset maker, apps have become more important than the devices that carry them, and handsets are increasingly being evaluated on their ability to access the cloud and interact with other devices.” Zabitsky, long bearish on Apple, suggested those trends are bad news for Apple’s long-term competitive situation. .....................(more)
The complete piece is at: http://www.salon.com/2012/12/26/why_is_apple_fading/
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