Billionaire Bros. Spend to Stop Progressive Reform

clipped from pr.thinkprogress.org Billionaire brothers David and Charles Koch are the wealthiest, and perhaps most effective, opponents of President Obama's progressive agenda. They have been looming in the background of every major domestic policy dispute this year. Ranked as the 9th richest men in America, the Koch brothers sit at the helm of Koch Industries, a massive privately owned conglomerate of manufacturing, oil, gas, and timber interests Over the years, millions of dollars in Koch money has flowed to various right-wing think tanks, front groups, and publications. At the dawn of the Obama presidency, Koch groups quickly maneuvered to try to stop his first piece of signature legislation: the stimulus. The Koch-funded group "No Stimulus" launched television and radio ads deriding the recovery package as simply "pork" spending Much of the fierce opposition to health reform can be credited to Koch organizations. As the health care debate began, AFP created a front group, known as "Patients Unite

Do Gen-Xers Expect to Retire?

clipped from moneyfeatures.blogs.money.cnn.com Who needs retirement anyway? For many people, especially Gen-Xers, the notion of working after “retirement” may almost seem a given, especially for those who are struggling to save enough in the current recession. 2009 study by the Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI) found that 72 percent of workers planned to work after “retirement” — up from 66 percent in 2007. But in fact, only 34 percent of retirees said they’d actually gone to work at some point during retirement a similar gap — if not quite as dramatic — between the age at which people expect they’ll retire and the age when they actually do the vast majority (89 percent) say that they have postponed retirement with the intention of increasing their financial security. Nevertheless, the median (mid-point) worker expects to retire at age 65, with 21 percent planning to push on into their 70s. The median retiree actually retired at age 62, and 47 percent of retirees say they retired sooner than planned.

This one does! As soon as possible. What about you? Early? Late? Never ever? Is work all that keeps you from being bored?

As Gov., Palin Endorsed End of Counseling

clipped from thinkprogress.org April 16th 2008, then Gov. Sarah Palin endorsed some of the same end of life counseling she now decries as a form of euthanasia. In a proclamation announcing “Healthcare Decisions Day,” Palin urged public facilities to provide better information about advance directives, and made it clear that it is critical for seniors to be informed of such options: WHEREAS, Healthcare Decisions Day is designed to raise public awareness of the need to plan ahead for healthcare decisions, related to end of life care and medical decision-making whenever patients are unable to speak for themselves and to encourage the specific use of advance directives to communicate these important healthcare decisions. [...] this proclamation is now deleted from the Alaska governor’s website Merely months ago, Gingrich too endorsed end of life counseling. At a conference in April of this year, Gingrich said advance directives can “save money” while also helping to “decrease the stress felt by caregivers.”

Leaked Memo Lobbyists Directing Town Hall Mob Violence

clipped from thinkprogress.org Politico reported that Democratic members of Congress are increasingly being harassed by “angry, sign-carrying mobs and disruptive behavior” at local town halls. The lobbyist-run groups Americans for Prosperity and FreedomWorks, which orchestrated the anti-Obama tea parties earlier this year, are now pursuing an aggressive strategy to create an image of mass public opposition to health care and clean energy reform. A leaked memo from Bob MacGuffie, a volunteer with the FreedomWorks website Tea Party Patriots, details how members should be infiltrating town halls and harassing Democratic members of Congress: Artificially Inflate Your Numbers: “Spread out in the hall and try to be in the front half Watch for an opportunity to yell out and challenge the Rep’s statements early Rattle Him,” Not Have An Intelligent Debate opportunities to ambush lawmakers and fool them into believing there is wide opposition to reform By delaying a vote until after the August recess

The world is poor because we thought markets rational

I also really want to read these 80s & 90s books by "radical economist" Samuel Bowles: Beyond the Wasteland and After the Wasteland.

clipped from www.nytimes.com Do we really need yet another book about the financial crisis? Yes, we do — because this one is different. Instead of focusing on the errors and abuses of the bankers, Fox, the business and economics columnist for Time magazine, tells the story of the professors who enabled those abuses under the banner of the financial theory known as the efficient-market hypothesis. Justin Fox’s “Myth of the Rational Market” brilliantly tells the story of how that edifice was built — and why so few were willing to acknowledge that it was a house built on sand. Fox’s book is not an idle exercise in intellectual history, which makes it a must-read for anyone who wants to understand the mess we’re in. Wall Street bought the ideas of the efficient-market theorists, in many cases literally: professors were lavishly paid to design complex financial strategies. And these strategies played a crucial role in the catastrophe that has now overtaken the world economy

star-trek-vs-star-wars

clipped from www.wired.com

Star Wars is grounded in mythology: the struggle between good and evil drawn in such broad strokes that few characters have any shades of gray

Star Trek begins with a premise so ridiculous it could only have originated in the Sixties: a united Earth, only about 250 years from now. At least Star Wars started off by telling you it was happening “in a galaxy far, far away” so any assumptions based on what we know about Earth and humanity didn’t necessarily apply. But Trek is science fiction, not fantasy, and so different rules need to apply, and they break them all the time. First they go and invent things like warp drive and transporters, which are implausible but not outside the realm of normal suspension of disbelief. Then, having created rules around how these marvelous devices work, they regularly break those rules.

consider the serious failures that are a part of both

the Ewoks

Star Trek V

Generations

Insurrection

Nemesis

give the nod to Star Trek

Right Resurges As Obama Loses Support

Those of us concerned with issues of social and economic justice may do well to consider the power of effective organizing to enable elected officials to do the right thing.

It's all about the lobbying - corporate elite or grassroots - it's all up in the air.

clipped from www.commondreams.org As Obama's Support Erodes, the Right is Resurgent Will Progressives Respond To The Attempt to Overthrow The President? The tide of public opinion may be turning against the President. Pollsters report growing skepticism about health care reform, and more active hostility on racial matters, thanks to that "uncalibrated" expression of opinion on the arrest of Professor Gates in his own home. That remark turned him, in the eyes of some, from a small b black President into a militant Black Panther, or at least someone who can bashed as such. There is no smear that is beneath them, no inference or insult out of bounds Are you aware that outside of the government, a not for profit called NACA (The Neighborhood Assistance Corporation of America) is touring the country mobilizing homeowners to demand financial relief. Can progressives fight Will they ever realize that they have to get into the economic trenches and fight the power of the banks with groups like A New Way Forward?

Google CEO Leaves Apple Board - Genetech CEO Stays

Isn't Genentech CEO Arthur Levinson's presence is also being questioned by the FTC? If so, why is he staying?

clipped from arstechnica.com Google CEO Eric Schmidt has decided to walk away from Apple's Board of Directors after several months of controversy over whether his presence is anticompetitive. Apple says that he will be missed, though the other member who is on both boards appears to still be there. Although the FTC probe launched in May may not have forced Schmidt to leave, it seems as if both companies decided it was in his (and the investors') best interest if they parted ways. Apple CEO Steve Jobs said in a statement. "Unfortunately, as Google enters more of Apple's core businesses, with Android and now Chrome OS, Eric's effectiveness as an Apple Board member will be significantly diminished, since he will have to recuse himself FTC launched a probe into the two companies to see whether competition between them had been reduced thanks to Schmidt's (and Genentech CEO Arthur Levinson's) presence on Apple's board forced Schmidt to discuss the issue with the board

US Archivist Job Lightening Rod for Controversey

clipped from voices.washingtonpost.com The archivist job has become something of a lightning rod for controversy, particularly as various agencies and administrations press for keeping their records secret for decades despite strong pressures from historians and the public to declassify as much information as soon as possible. The news comes two days before a scheduled House Oversight and Government Reform Committee hearing on the National Archives and the lack of a permanent archivist. The panel intends to question acting Archive officials about the disappearance of computer disks with information from the Clinton administration, including Social Security numbers of several White House staffers and one of Al Gore's daughters.

Disappearing government computer disks? Seems like the start of a new Bourne film.

East Hampton Zoning Board Hates Poor Kids

clipped from www.schoollibraryjournal.com Library Director Dennis Fabiszak has said that the East Hampton Village Board of Zoning Appeals has expressed concern that an expanded children’s collection would lead to more library usage by those who live in the less affluent areas of Springs and Wainscott. the village zoning board is still requiring that the library submit to an environmental review despite a statement from the consul for the New York State Department of Environmental Conversation (NYSDEC) stating that the library is an “educational institution” and according to regulations is exempt from such a review.  The planning process has cost the library $200,000 and the dispute with the zoning board has added an additional $60,000 expense. Despite the disagreement with the village government, its celebrity-laced community supports the library. On August 8, Alec Baldwin, Candace Bushnell, and Jay McInerney will host will be joined by more than 100 other authors to support the library expansion at an Authors’ Night.

Also interesting in this case is that the East Hampton Village Library is chartered by the state to serve all three communities: East Hampton, Springs, and Wainscott.

Song stealer? File sharer loses case

clipped from consumerist.com A Boston jury yesterday ruled that file sharer Joel Tenenbaum would have to pay the Recording Industry of America $675,000 for sharing 30 copyrighted songs. The hefty award was all the more surprising because Tenenbaum was represented by a crack team of legal eagles from Harvard's law school. The trial didn't unfold nearly the way they planned... Tenenbaum had used a variety of different peer-to-peer programs, from Napster to KaZaA to AudioGalaxy to iMesh, to obtain music for free, starting in 1999. And he continued to infringe, even after his father warned him in 2002 that he would get sued, even after he received a harshly-worded letter from the plaintiffs' law firm in 2005, even after he was sued in 2007, and all the way through part of 2008. And when he took the stand on Thursday, Tenenbaum admitted it all, including the fact that he had "lied" in his written discovery responses and at his first deposition in September 2008. None of the money will go to the artists $22,500 per song

What's up with the lying? His lawyers must be furious.

Sustainable Design for the Other 90%

clipped from theschooloflife.typepad.com whenever we read, or talk, about design, it’s invariably about something that’s intended to be sold to one of the privileged minority – the richest 10%. More and more designers, mostly young ones, are addressing that need by designing everything from emergency housing, water purification devices, cheap forms of transport, educational resources, to new business initiatives for “the other 90%”. They are also tackling the problems of mature economies like our’s by working in collaboration with other disciplines such as anthropology, economics, ethnography, psychology and the social sciences to develop new solutions to acute social problems in areas like crime, education, healthcare, housing, joblessness and ageing. they must focus on the needs of the under-privileged 90%. If they succeed, we will have a new definition of “good design” – one that has less to do with chairs, and more with the aspects of design that really matter.

This reminds me of Shelter By Shelter Publications, Lloyd Kahn, Bob Easton

NYPL Director to Become National Archivist

Does anyone know what the next step is once someone is nominated?

clipped from www.white President Obama Announces More Key Administration Posts David S. Ferriero, Nominee for Archivist of the United States, National Archives and Records Administration Mr. Ferriero serves as the Andrew W. Mellon Director of the New York Public Libraries, one of the largest public library systems in the United States and one of the largest research library systems in the world. Mr. Ferriero is responsible for collection strategy; conservation; digital experience; reference and research services; and education, programming, and exhibitions. The NYPL has 2600 full-time employees and a budget of $273 million. Prior to taking the Director position in June 2007, Mr. Ferriero served as the Chief Executive of NYPL’s Research Libraries for three years and as the University Librarian and Vice Provost for Library affairs at Duke University. He began his career as a Junior Library Assistant at the MIT Libraries, where he spent 31 years, leaving in 1996 as the Acting Co-Director of the MIT Libraries.

TechCrunch quits iPhone for GoogleVoice

clipped from www.techcrunch.com I’m abandoning the iPhone and AT&T. I will grudgingly pay the $175 AT&T termination fee What finally put me over the edge? It wasn’t the routinely dropped calls, something you can only truly understand once you have owned an iPhone (and which drove my friend Om Malik to bail). I’ve lived with that for two years. It’s not the lack of AT&T coverage at home. I’ve lived with that for two years, too. It certainly isn’t the lack of a physical keyboard, that has never bothered me. No, what finally put me over the edge is the Google Voice debacle. Google Voice is a call management service that lets you determine what calls get through to you based on who’s calling and what time of day it is, among other factors. It has amazing features, like automatically transcribing all your voicemails. And you can forward calls to any other phone Google is planning on rolling out number portability, so I can move my mobile phone number to Google Users say goodbye as Apple and AT&T are blocking Google Voice App

I'm glad he mentioned phone number portability - if you read the full article there is a point mentioning that this Google Voice feature essentially turns the iPhone and AT&T into a "dumb pipe" for the Google Voice application. - that's what they want to block.

iPhone no longer 'America's Sweetheart' People are Pissed!

clipped from moconews.net Apple’s iPhone has been able to do no wrong. For two years, it monopolized the industry and has been upheld as the best smartphone out there. Consumers, developers and technology bloggers were enamored. But in an almost indescribably turn of events this week, the tides shifted and the platform’s problems—that have always been there—started eating away at its super smooth touchscreen exterior. It seems that in more numbers than ever, consumers are speaking out against AT&T’s network problems and developers are complaining about Apple’s and AT&T’s inconsistent policies on which applications get approval. That in turn, created more unhappy customers. If indeed the iPhone begins to fade over the next few months, we can trace it back to this week and one event alone. Who knew there would be one catalyst, and the tipping point was going to be the rejection of Google’s Voice application? people got mad. Really, really mad. TechCrunch’s Michael Arrington wrote today that he’s quitting the iPhone And then Steve Jobs awoke, it had all been a horrible dream...

Unemployment Benefits run out for many

clipped from www.nytimes.com Tens of thousands of workers have already used up their benefits, and the numbers are expected to soar in the months to come, reaching half a million by the end of September and 1.5 million by the end of the year, according to new projections by the National Employment Law Project, a private research group. payments averaging just over $300 per week, varying by state and work history Calls are rising for Congress to pass yet another extension this fall June, the national unemployment rate was 9.5 percent, reaching 15.2 percent in Michigan employers pay into a state insurance fund, and workers who lose jobs draw benefits for up to 26 weeks. During recessions, Congress has often paid for extended coverage President Obama’s stimulus plan offered an additional 20 weeks in states where unemployment surpassed 8 percent, if they adopted new federally recommended rules South Carolina did not make the changes, and benefits there are running out

What happened to the 'New Deal' type stimulus jobs to rebuild our nation's infrastructure? The WPA (Works Progress Administration) of the 1930s even paid for writers to catalog the way our nation ate - recording traditional recipes etc. to 'make work.'

FCC Puts Apple, AT&T on the Hot Seat

Let the fireworks begin!

clipped from consumerist.com FCC Asks Apple, AT&T To Explain Why They Rejected Google Voice App Here are the questions from their letter to AT&T: 1. What role, if any, did AT&T play in Apple's consideration of the Google Voice and related applications? What role, if any, does AT&T play in consideration of iPhone applications generally? What roles are specified in the contractual provisions between Apple and AT&T (or in any non-contractual understanding between the companies) regarding the consideration of particular iPhone applications? 2. Did Apple consult with AT&T in the process of deciding to reject the Google Voice application? If so, please describe any communications between AT&T and Apple or Google on this topic, including the parties involved and a summary of any meetings or discussions. These are the questions from their letter to Apple: 1. Why did Apple reject the Google Voice application "AT&T & Apple Being Investigated By FCC On Google Voice App; FCC Letters" [mocoNews]

Fashion Mags 'Mean Girls' of the Pub World

clipped from www.alternet.org Elle's ad pages for September are down 21 per cent, Harper's Bazaar 25 per cent, Vanity Fair 27 per cent, W, 53 per cent, and Vogue, 36 per cent. Lady mags are dinosaurs. And since fashion mags aren't the queens of the hallways anymore, it's no surprise that many of those former queens are trying to give themselves a quick makeover, to show they're not with the drowning clique. "personally, read Vogue for over three decades as though it were scripture," as one Salon writer quipped, she has since decided to call off the affair. I'm pretty. You're ugly. Buy this. A former model wrote a poignant essay this week about why she just quit the industry. Jenna Sauers writes, "I often reflected on the fact that studies show that women, after looking at fashion magazines -- full of pictures of girls very much like me, sometimes even pictures of me -- feel bad about themselves. I also often wondered why it is, given this fact, that we buy the magazines again next month." women are now turning to blogs Good fashion blogs economyofstyle.blogspot.com wwwthebudgetfashionista.com

Study Finds Organic Not A Nutritional Plus

clipped from www.reuters.com Researchers from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine said consumers were paying higher prices for organic food because of its perceived health benefits, creating a global organic market worth an estimated $48 billion in 2007. A systematic review of 162 scientific papers published in the scientific literature over the last 50 years, however, found there was no significant difference. "A small number of differences in nutrient content were found to exist between organically and conventionally produced foodstuffs, but these are unlikely to be of any public health relevance," said Alan Dangour, one of the report's authors. "Our review indicates that there is currently no evidence to support the selection of organically over conventionally produced foods on the basis of nutritional superiority." The results of research, which was commissioned by the British government's Food Standards Agency, were published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. The pesticides in conventionally grown food destroy water quality due to run off and are harmful for agricultural workers. That's also why some of us buy organic.