"a-listed" via Ian in Google Reader

Bank 'walkaways' from foreclosed homes are a growing, troubling trend

2009-07-19T15:05:39Z

Source: [b]Cleveland Plain Dealer[/b]

Renetta Atterberry thought she had lost her East 102nd Street house. So she was shocked to learn in January -- five years after her mortgage company filed for foreclosure -- that it was still in her name.

. . .

Her mortgage company didn't buy the house...

Sunday Morning Bobblehead Thread

2009-07-19T12:00:41Z

Walter Cronkite covering the Apollo 11 landing, July 1969. Part 1--watch Part 2 and 3 here.

Walter Cronkite's death this week really brought into sharp focus for me just how much we've suffered journalistically since Cronkite retired in 1981. Gone are the days where we can view our news media as fulfilling their obligations as the Fourth Estate and using the freedom of the press to hold DC accountable for their actions, as originally envisioned by Jefferson:

"No government ought to be without censors, and where the press is free, no one ever will. If virtuous, it need not fear the fair operation of attack and defence. Nature has given to man no other means of sifting out the truth whether in religion, law or politics. I think it as honorable to the government neither to know nor notice its sycophants or censors, as it would be undignified and criminal to pamper the former and persecute the latter."

Sadly, it appears that all we have in the media now is sycophants and censors and very little--if any--free press. And our democracy is mortally crippled by it.

As for this Sunday's offerings, if you are sick as I am of the poor downtrodden privileged white men threatened by Sonia Sotomayor, I don't recommend watching Sen. Jeff Sessions on State of the Union. WH Budget Director Peter Orszag will be making two appearances to reassure us that all is going along with the stimulus plan and the Goldman Sachs bonus bonanza is proof that it's working. And we're still talking health care on The Chris Matthews Show and with HHS Sec. Kathleen Sebelius on Meet the Press. But what I'm looking forward to--space geek that I am--is Buzz Aldrin and Sen. John Glenn reflecting on the 40th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing.

ABC's "This Week" - Pre-empted by British Open golf tournament.

CBS' "Face the Nation" - Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah; Rep. Charles Rangel, D-N.Y.; former astronaut and Sen. John Glenn.

NBC's "Meet the Press" - Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius; Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.

NBC's "The Chris Matthews Show" - Panel: Clarence Page, Kathleen Parker, David Brooks and Kelly O'Donnell. Topics: Is the cost of health care reform President Obama's greatest vulnerability? Who got the better deal out of the Barack Obama-Hillary Clinton coalition? Meter Questions: Will Obama sign a health care reform law this year? YES: 12
NO: 0; Will the Republicans support a health care bill with new taxes?
YES: 7 NO: 5.

CNN's "State of the Union" - White House Budget Director Peter Orszag; Sens. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., and Jeff Sessions, R-Ala.; Rev. Jesse Jackson.

CNN's "Fareed Zakaria GPS" - Rwandan President Paul Kagame sits down with Fareed to discuss his nation's 15 year journey from genocide to economic growth and autocratic, but stable governance.

"Fox News Sunday" - Orszag; Sen. Judd Gregg, R-N.H.; astronaut Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin.

So what's catching your eye this morning?

REM - Orange Crush

2009-07-19T10:32:00Z

Great live performance and don't you love Rickenbacker guitars?

Former Lehman traders are doing just fine

2009-07-19T09:04:00Z

So much for the worst recession in decades having much of an impact on pay. Between Obama and Congress, there's pathetic lack of movement to bring this back to planet earth. Both are terrified to take on this industry. The rest of America is still wondering when, if ever, they will get back the money they lost for their retirement plans but no, the Wall Street crowd is comfortable flipping America the finger and piling on the bonus money. It's the classic bully scenario where they could care less what anyone in "authority" thinks because they know they're all too scared to take them on.

It's an impressive though disgusting show of force. Business as usual for the untouchables.

Barclays is to pay tens of millions of pounds to its investment bankers, who have made huge profits from trading in government debt, derivatives and foreign exchange.

Some of the biggest payouts are expected to go to former Lehman Brothers traders hired by the British bank after it took over Lehman's US operations at a knockdown price in September. Some Lehman staff were granted guaranteed bonuses to ensure they stayed with Barclays rather than jump ship and sign up with rivals.

The bonuses are expected to cause outrage among Barclays UK employees, who are being balloted by the Unite trade union on strike action over the scrapping of the firm's final-salary pension scheme. Barclays has cut hundreds of jobs since the financial crisis erupted in 2007. Protests are also expected from Lehman creditors, who are fighting in the courts on both sides of the Atlantic for money that was owed by the US bank before it went bust. Barclays stepped in to buy Lehman's American business for $250m (£153m), while its European arm was sold to Nomura.

No, Really?

2009-07-19T08:22:00Z

Arnold is the best governor ever.

Irene Steinlage has trouble walking, getting dressed, making her bed, taking a bath. She has stayed in her Folsom home with the help of a health aide, one that Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger says the state can no longer afford.

The governor's plan to take away such care is meant to save money. But it could end up costing California more by forcing the 85-year-old, who has Parkinson's, osteoporosis and other ailments -- and thousands like her -- into nursing homes.

"I couldn't possibly afford a nursing home," Steinlage said. So the state could be saddled with a Medi-Cal tab that is triple the cost of her home care worker, who receives $10.40 an hour five days a week.

China admits killing Uighurs during riots

2009-07-19T07:43:00Z

An unusual admission though they are pitching the "to maintain security one has to use any means possible" which is so familiar with America from the Bush years. Of course, the Uighurs are the same ethnic group that China allegedly interrogated at Gitmo in 2002. The Guardian:

The Chinese authorities today acknowledged shooting dead 12 Uighur rioters in Xinjiang this month, in a rare acknowledgement of deaths at the hands of security forces.

Nuer Baikeli, governor of the north-western region, said police had exercised "the greatest restraint" as they sought to suppress riots in the capital Urumqi.

Brutal inter-ethnic violence over several days left 197 dead and more than 1,700 wounded. Last week the government offered the first breakdown of fatalities, saying 137 Han and 46 Uighurs died. But until now officials have given few details of when and how people met their deaths.

Military condemns Taliban video of missing soldier

2009-07-19T08:54:03Z

Source: [b]Reuters[/b]

The U.S. military on Sunday denounced the release of a video showing a soldier captured in Afghanistan, saying the images were Taliban propaganda that violated international law.

Military spokesman Captain Jon Stock said the man in the video was indeed the missing soldier,...

Al Franken: A wounded veteran's best friend - Minneapolis Star Tribune

2009-07-19T04:56:11Z

Al Franken: A wounded veteran's best friend
Minneapolis Star Tribune
A chance encounter inspires my first bill: Legislation making the service dog program more affordable for our troops. By AL FRANKEN There is an interesting ...

Cheating SC gov says God will make him better

2009-07-19T07:37:46Z

Source: [b]Associated Press[/b]

<[i]snip[/i]>

"South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford, still clinging to office after admitting to an extramarital affair, wrote in an opinion piece released Sunday that God will change him so he can emerge from the scandal a more humble and effective leader.

"(W)hil...

Wanker of the Evening

2009-07-19T04:07:00Z

Of the evening, wanker...

Assrocket.

Open Thread

2009-07-19T03:30:40Z

From the always brilliant Tom Tomorrow, click for full cartoon. Open Thread below...

C&L's Late Night Music Club with Bif Naked

2009-07-19T03:00:31Z

Title: We Are The Lucky Ones

Artist: Bif Naked

This is a great song. I love tunes with strings and a strong female lead. It's got that haunted quality to it and a hook that sticks in your head after you hear it. Bif also has another thing going for it. It was featured in Buffy TVS: Season 4, episode 3.

TV shows have certainly helped promote many more artists than ever in the last decade or so and that's a really good thing since musicians need every advantage possible to try and get their craft out there.
Check out the website for more music...

More Thread

2009-07-19T02:36:00Z

Sincerely L. Cohen

Oh that we had a law like this for ATM fees

2009-07-19T02:20:00Z

From the Consumerist:

Australian consumers will soon be able to challenge any bank fee that they consider "unreasonable," thanks to a new law that could save consumers up to $1 billion. Banks that want to keep levying excessive fees for late payments and overdrafts will need to prove that the charges are reasonable by revealing the true processing costs behind the fee.

I get into arguments with my banker friends about this, but there is no excuse for charging customers for using ATMs that aren't from the same bank. Banks save money every time you and I use an ATM, because it means they don't have to have someone on staff handle our deposit or withdrawal in person. And to the degree that I use one bank's ATM, their customers also use my banks' ATM, so it all washes out in the end. If anything, banks should be paying us every time we use an ATM. It just irks me that they, like the airlines, are always finding ways to gouge the consumer, a fee there, a charge here, and there is nothing we can do about it because Congress is always beholden to corporations over people.

Smile When Your Heart Is Breaking…. Yeah, Right.

2009-07-19T02:00:30Z

Whatever you want to call it - recession, depression, major economic clusterf*ck - there are very few people anywhere that haven’t been affected, and not in a good way. I’ve been writing and selling novels for over two decades, just had my seventh novel out last year. It’s been increasing tough for mid-list writers for quite some time, and I sold my seventh novel for about a third of the advance as I earned on my very first – to add insult to injury, I was told by my agent that I’m actually one of the ‘lucky’ writers – I’m still selling books when so many of my fellow novelists, all talented and seasoned professionals, have seen their careers disintegrate into oblivion. But this year, pitching a new novel to my agent and editors has been far harder than ever before, and I’m wondering if I’ve now joined the ranks of these erstwhile colleagues.

My books have always been kinda dark. The current novel nearly completed is a black comedy about domestic violence. ‘Nobody wants dark books,’ my agent admonished me in our last conversation. ‘It’s not a good time for gloomy stories. People are struggling with their own lives, they don’t want to read about other people in the same sinking boat. Readers want to escape from their miserable existence right now – they want upbeat escapism and happy endings, they want fairytale historical romance, they want lightweight fluff to read on the beach – think you can write that?’

‘Guess this means the murder mystery with the Neo-Nazi serial killer paedophile as a pharmaceutical lobbyist anti-hero is out of the question.’

‘Quite.’

This insistence on promulgating the ‘feel-good’ factor despite the realities of life seems to be endemic. Catchy little upbeat messages on over a thousand billboards are popping up across the States, dubbed ‘Recession 101’, designed by Charles Robb, founder of Charchin Creative in Florida, on behalf of an anonymous East Coast ‘donor’ – although with Members of the Outdoor Advertising Agency of America donating the space, printing materials and labour needed for the campaign, what exactly the anonymous donor is paying for is unclear.
‘Interesting fact about recessions,’ says one billboard in Rhode Island. ‘They end.’

My, how profound. Most things do. Eventually. It’s that ‘eventually’ that is killing us. So these billboards better have a long shelf life, because Rhode Island’s 12.1 per cent unemployment rate in May tied with South Carolina for third-highest in the country, behind only Michigan and Oregon.

It’s also doubtful these cheery little Pollyanna proverbs are making that much of an impact. Gail Robnett, 53, from Exeter, said she did not know anyone unaffected by the recession. ‘You're not paying attention to stuff like that when you're trying to put groceries on the table.’

‘Bill Gates started Microsoft in a recession’, another billboard reminds us.

Which didn’t do much to cheer up 24-year-old Ryan Korsak, who works for a Providence software company. ‘I appreciate the sentiment,’ he said, ‘but I'm kind of not Bill Gates.’ Exactly. Not many of us are. Or have any hope of ever being – we’re not dreaming of becoming fabulously wealthy anymore; we’re just hoping to hang on to what little we have left.

‘Stop obsessing about the economy, you're scaring the children,’ says another big billboard.

‘That's the overriding concept of the thing,’ says Robb, the brainchild behind the ‘God Speaks’ billboards in 1999 that threatened, ‘Keep using my name in vain and I'll make rush hour longer’. As if it's all our fault for not being Christian enough rather than driving hundreds of thousands of SUVs and not being willing to adequately fund public transport. Yup, why take any personal responsibility when it’s so much easier to blame the ‘godless’.

And why should Americans expect any different? We’ve raised an entire Generation Y of selfish, manipulative, consumer-driven, arrogant children to respect nothing - not teachers, not parents, not crushing debt, not bosses, not global warming.
Kids enter university after a lifetime of ‘esteem passing’ unable to write a coherent sentence or spell in anything other than text – 'trophy' kids rewarded for participation rather than any accomplishment, shuttled through the educational system regardless of ability or effort because not passing the little darlings might hurt their self-esteem.

Oh, wait, Robb has a billboard for that – ‘Self worth is greater than net worth.’ Good thing, then, because we’ve produced a whole lot of people with nothing but self worth and no ability to produce any net worth, believing themselves ‘entitled’ to the world being handed to them on a silver platter.

It is changing, which is good for those of us teaching English at universities, as the smarter of these trophy kids realise real life ain't so kind, and that to compete for the diminishing number of available musical chairs they need real skills. Debbie Bougdanos of the renowned advertising firm Leo Burnett, in charge of recruiting for the creative department, has seen a multitude of portfolios crossing her desk. Many of these Entitlement Generation applicants think they are ready for and deserving of the best jobs at the highest salaries straight out of college, but she’s equally adamant that the most definitely are not. ‘If I sense any of that attitude that arrogance, that expectation, that entitlement, that is an immediate turnoff.’
In a tight job market, getting the most out of your work force is increasingly critical, which ironically enough is starting to benefit the aging Boomer generation as savvy employers are starting to hire older workers over the Generation Y’s. The stereotype of older workers is changing fast - ‘That they're more reliable, sick less often, and have a work ethic bar none? Is that what you mean?" said Stephanie FallCreek, president and CEO of Fairhill Partners.

‘Mature age staff not only bring valuable experience to the workplace but also are more flexible with working hours,’ says an optometrist who replaced two of her younger staff members with two mature women. ‘We find that mature aged staff often have a better work ethic and body of experience,’ says a café owner. ‘This translates into better service for our customers and a better team dynamic.’

‘Peek into the cockpit as you board your next commercial flight. Chances are you are putting your life in the hands of one of the 70,000 airline pilots that are over 50 years old,’ says Steve W. Martin.

Mark Bauerlein of Emory University has written a book, ‘The Dumbest Generation - How the Digital Age Stupefies Young Americans and Jeopardizes Our Future’, objectively assessing the data to identify that slice of the population that, compared to every other generation, has performed the worst on standardized exams, acquired the fewest educational degrees and been the least attracted to professional careers. Not young college kids in their twenties, much as all too many have exhibited an inherited sense of entitlement. Not those raising families and starting out in careers in their thirties, although too many are learning far too late the dangers of overstretched credit. Not us boomers with fond memories of Woodstock in our fifties and sixties.

It’s far too many of those in their mid-forties - the truly ‘lost’ generation that entered the workforce in the heady feeding frenzy days of Bonfire of the Vanities and embraced the pervasive ‘Me First, F*@k You’ attitude that in very large part contributed to the downfall of the American economy and have shown no shame in flaunting their unwarranted bonuses and flying private jets to Washington to demand government bail-outs in true arrogantly entitlement style. But back in Pollyanna’s billboard paradise, another billboard has been erected. ‘This will end long before those who caused it are paroled’… as if all that many who deserve to be bunking with Bernie Maddoff will ever see the inside of a courtroom never mind a jail cell.Stop obsessing about the economy, you're scaring the children??

I should bloody well hope so. I hope we’re scaring the holy crap out of the next generation of kids, because we will not survive one more generation of MFFY’s.

Cross-posted at Mouse Musings

Swine flu is spreading even in summer

2009-07-19T04:52:30Z

Source: [b]Los Angeles Times[/b]

The pandemic H1N1 influenza virus is unexpectedly continuing to spread easily through the United States during the summer months, and health authorities expect a bump in transmission in about six weeks, when school goes back into session -- perhaps two or three mont...

Now-defunct GOP online sales game traded in Nazi propaganda, too

2009-07-19T01:00:44Z

John Aravosis at AmericaBlog had a great post the other day exposing an online sales scheme hatched at the Republican National Committee's website whereby you could search for goods on an "Obama Card" and come up with all kinds of goodies.

So Aravosis did searches for such words as "Jew," "Latino," "Bondage," "Escort" and "Anal" and got some very interesting responses. Many of them are hilarious, actually.

But the one that caught my attention most was the search for "Jew," which you can see above. Among its responses, as Aravosis notes, is "The Jews and Their Lies."

But in the second spot for this search is the video Jud Süß. This was the vicious anti-Semitic film created by the Nazis and used as propaganda to advance the Holocaust as it was occurring in Germany.

The other stuff is incredibly hypocritical, but this material is downright disturbing. Whoever was responsible for compiling the material for these searches had deeply questionable tastes.

No wonder the RNC promptly discarded the whole thing.

47 injured in Muni train crash (San Francisco)

2009-07-19T04:24:17Z

Source: [b]San Francisco Chronicle[/b]

Forty-seven people were injured today, four of them seriously, when a Municipal Railway train rear ended another Muni train at the West Portal Station, authorities said.

Witnesses described a chaotic scene following the crash, which occurred just before 3 ...

Evening Thread

2009-07-19T01:28:00Z

Let's be frank....sheets!

Venezuela's Drug-Trafficking Role Is Growing Fast, U.S. Report Says

2009-07-19T03:39:38Z

Source: [b]Washington Post[/b]

A report for the U.S. Congress on drug smuggling through Venezuela concludes that corruption at high levels of President Hugo Chávez's government and state aid to Colombia's drug-trafficking guerrillas have made Venezuela a major launching pad for cocaine bound for th...