Month: July 2013

Athenae, Economy, Hurricane Katrina & Federal Flood1 Comment

It’s Almost Like Huge Corporations Ruined Things on Purpose

Allison Hantschel

Shove this in the face of the next person who talks about how nobody should live in New Orleans because Nature, Acts of God, etc: “For nearly a century, the oil and gas industry has continuously and relentlessly traversed, dredged, drilled and extracted in coastal Louisiana. It reaps enormous financial gain by exploiting the resources found there, sharing some of that bounty with the many residents whom it employs. Yet it also ravages Louisiana’s coastal landscape. An extensive network of oil and gas access and pipeline canals slashes the coastline at every angle, functioning as a mercilessly efficient, continuously expanding … Continue reading It’s Almost Like Huge Corporations Ruined Things on Purpose

Athenae, Stupid Republican Tricks1 Comment

Republican Re-Branding: It Continues to Go Well

Allison Hantschel

Why the fuck does Reince Priebus (whatever that is) still have a job: Brody: I want to talk to you about this way forward for the GOP. When you use that word ‘intolerant,’ ‘you know we have to be more tolerant’ in what the RNC put out. Evangelicals start to grab the Excedrin bottles when they hear ‘tolerance’ because they think ‘oh no the GOP is changing and the whole gay marriage situation.’ Why don’t you address this and maybe put evangelicals at ease or can you put them at ease at all here? Priebus: Well, one hundred percent. I … Continue reading Republican Re-Branding: It Continues to Go Well

Adrastos, Political Crack, Stupid Republican Tricks

Weirdo Magnet

Peter Adrastos Athas

We all know someone who takes in stray human beings out of either kindness or cluelessness. I call such a person a weirdo magnet, and you probably do too. Senator Aqua Buddha and his father seem to be political weirdo magnets. They keep attracting enough nuts to keep Florida out of the news as the weirdo capitol of Murica. At least that’s what the Paulists would like us to think. I’m inclined to believe that it’s their wacked out and extreme ideology that keeps the nuts rolling in their direction. That brings me to the latest twisted weirdo attracted to … Continue reading Weirdo Magnet

Adrastos, Political Crack, So Called Liberal Media

You got the (Nate) Silver

Peter Adrastos Athas

Numbers guru Nate Silver is leaving the New York Times for ESPN/ABC News. It seems that young Silver wants to have a wider variety of potential platforms and subjects to expound upon. Good on him. The NYT’s public editor said that Nate didn’t fit into the “culture” of the Times. Nate mildly disagreed with this analysis but he doesn’t strike me as having a stick up his ass like your average Timesman. I suspect that the main reason MSM political reporters don’t like Silver is that he was right about the 2012 election and they were wrong. This post is … Continue reading You got the (Nate) Silver

Athenae, Economy, Stupid Republican Tricks4 Comments

If Only Detroit Was Too Big to Fail

Allison Hantschel

Or could get a job or something: On Sunday, Orr and Snyder said that they empathize with the fears of retirees but added that the city had ignored its problems for too long and that now there is no choice but to limit pension payments. “You get honest about it to start with,” Snyder said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” “. . .In many cases for the last 60 years, people have ignored the realities of the situation. We’re being real now.” Detroit Mayor Dave Bing said on ABC’s “This Week With George Stephanopoulos” that one option not on the table is … Continue reading If Only Detroit Was Too Big to Fail

Stupid Republican Tricks, Tommy T2 Comments

Today on Tommy T’s Obsession with the Freeperati – Strange Fruit (cakes) edition

tommyfd

Hi, all! This will be a short one. as your humble narrator is recoving from a nasty ailment in an unmentionable location, and the cure was worse than the wound. But you know, I just couldn’t let this one go by without comment: It’s –Drugz and thugz! Was Treyvon at 7-11 Buying Skittles and Fruit Juice to Make a Drug? (What we’ve known all along)Gateway Pundit ^| July 17, 2013 | The News Commenter Posted on Wednesday, July 17, 2013 11:43:13 PM by 2ndDivisionVet The media has focuses heavily on the fact that Treyvon purchased Skittles at 7-11 before his … Continue reading Today on Tommy T’s Obsession with the Freeperati – Strange Fruit (cakes) edition

Athenae, Economy6 Comments

Krauthammer: America Must Suck To Be Awesome Again

Allison Hantschel

I mean, you tell me, here: “And now they end up in a place where everybody is going to get a haircut — the bond holders, the retirees and the citizens. The question is, you know at large — the story of the United States which dominated the world economically, created all of these programs, entitlements, Social Security, Medicare, and now added on Obamacare, living on the glories of the past where we were the most dominant, without any rivals in the world, and now having to adapt to a reduced economy — are we going to be able to … Continue reading Krauthammer: America Must Suck To Be Awesome Again

Athenae, Economy, So Called Liberal Media5 Comments

It’s Almost Like Workers Don’t Like Getting Screwed Over

Allison Hantschel

Americans: … recent polling from both Gallup and Pew reveal that Americans’ support for unions has risen of late, with the Pew poll showing 55% of the population holding a favorable view of unions, the highest level since before the financial crisis. This recent uptick in support for unions can be partially attributed to the slowly improving economy, as it is accompanied by similar increases in favorability for corporations. On the other hand, there are a few trends — namely income-growth stagnation and the fact that corporate owners are taking a larger share of the national income than they have … Continue reading It’s Almost Like Workers Don’t Like Getting Screwed Over

Athenae, Economy6 Comments

What We Can’t Afford

Allison Hantschel

Let’s be honest about how much money we have, and where it’s going, before we use “broke” in a sentence, please: “Federal revenues are down. Mayor Rahm Emanuel should use his significant influence in the White House and on Capitol Hill to advocate an increase in federal revenues. State revenues are down. Board of Education President David Vitale, the former head of the Board of Trade, should push for the return the more than $100 million in state tax breaks that went to the CME and increase revenue to our schools. Local revenue is down. Billionaire Board member Penny Pritzker … Continue reading What We Can’t Afford

Athenae, Television

You Think I Care About Our Lives Being Easier? The Newsroom Thread

Allison Hantschel

I have this whole thing in my head, where Charlie Skinner was this reporter in Vietnam, and he and Leona had this torrid affair that was mostly about journalism and alcohol and adrenaline, and then they both came home from the war and it was awful, and sometimes I wish Sorkin would make a show about THAT, if only so that we could see this stone FOX on our screens every week. Dan Rather, on last week: I’ve been there, every anchor has at one time or another, and trust me: Daniels played this bit perfectly. (I know, I know, … Continue reading You Think I Care About Our Lives Being Easier? The Newsroom Thread

Adrastos, Art, Film, Pulp Fiction, Television2 Comments

Pulp Fiction Thursday: Touch Of Evil

Peter Adrastos Athas

I’m really getting into the new FX border cop show, The Bridge. If y’all haven’t seen it, check it out. It, of course,has me thinking of the *ultimate* noir border cop film, Orson Welles’Touch Of Evil. It’s one of the few films wherein I can tolerate Charlton Heston. Why? His character is a pompous egomaniac. Talk about type casting. Welles famously lost control of the movie, but it’s still a classic. My favorite parts of the film are the scenes between Welles and Marlene Dietrich. One of her lines “you a mess, honey”has been a catch phrase around my house … Continue reading Pulp Fiction Thursday: Touch Of Evil

Athenae, So Called Liberal Media5 Comments

Journalism Is Provocation

Allison Hantschel

I was telling a group of journalism students about the dead guy in the driveway photo, and they were all horrified. How could our paper run a photo of a body? You can’t DO that, one of them said. Why not? It’s emotional, another answered. It’s upsetting! Yeah. It sure is. That was the whole point. Somebody came home one day, the crime-ridden town we covered, and found a body in front of his house. Lying there. Like it was no big deal. We thought it was a pretty damn big deal. Not the least for the dead fellow, left … Continue reading Journalism Is Provocation

Adrastos, Law/Justice

Fuck Yeah, Mr. President

Peter Adrastos Athas

President Obama made a surprise appearance in the White House press room today and spoke, without notes and from his heart, about the aftermath of the Zimmerman/Trayvon Martin trial. It’s rare to hear any President speak in such personal terms and I found it deeply moving. The wingnut-o-sphere is exploding, but fuck them: they lack both empathy and decency. If you didn’t see the President’s remarks, here’s the whole damn thing: Continue reading Fuck Yeah, Mr. President

Adrastos, Catblogging, Diary2 Comments

Friday Catblogging: The late, great Dakota

Peter Adrastos Athas

The last two times we did the hurricane evacuation thing, we fled to Bossier City to stay with our old friends Susan and Steve Caldwell. The cats, of course, go with us and when we were there in 2008, Oscar actually stared down the Caldwell’s cat, Dakota, aka the Samuel L Jackson of cats. He earned that nickname by being a warrior and all around bad ass. In his prime, Dakota was an avid hunter who always left a “surprise” on the doormat. Steve and Susan had to put Dakota to sleep last week at the age of 17. He … Continue reading Friday Catblogging: The late, great Dakota

Adrastos, Malakatude, Political Crack, Stupid Republican Tricks2 Comments

Malaka Of The Week: Mitch Daniels

Peter Adrastos Athas

Remember when the fools at Politico were jonesing for then Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels to run for President in 2012? He broke the hearts of the gang at Tiger Beat On The Potomac and finished out his term as the Grand Poohbah of Hoosierville. He is now the President of Purdue University and is this week’s selection as malaka of the week. Why pick on a has-been former GOP pol in higher ed drag?In theory, Daniels should believe in academic freedom. He does not: In a separate round of emails in April 2009, Daniels called for an audit and possible … Continue reading Malaka Of The Week: Mitch Daniels

Athenae, Diary

Friday Ferretblogging: Chicken’s Having A Ball Edition

Allison Hantschel

So Riot has this little tennis ball that he loves, and sometimes he’ll take it here or there in the room, and sometimes he’ll hide it and then chase Claire when she finds it and moves it, but most of the time he lays in his favorite cardboard box with it, and turns it over and over and over in his furry little paws: Weird little chicken. A. Continue reading Friday Ferretblogging: Chicken’s Having A Ball Edition

Adrastos, Political Crack, Stupid Republican Tricks5 Comments

Cowboy State Carpetbagger

Peter Adrastos Athas

Liz Cheney is a clone of her father, only with better hair. She’s a genuinely nasty piece of work and now she wants to run for Senate from her father’s home state of Wyoming.There’s a rub: she’s really from DC and only established residency in Wyoming recently, and incumbent GOP Senator, Mike Enzi plans to run for re-election. Apparently, Ms. Machiavelli told the incumbent she wouldn’t run against him. I guess this is the enzi of their friendship… I’d like to thank Ms. Cheney for spicing up my day and turning what would otherwise be a dull Senate race into … Continue reading Cowboy State Carpetbagger

Adrastos, Political Crack, Stupid Republican Tricks7 Comments

A whole new meaning to the term school choice

Peter Adrastos Athas

Where on earth does the GOP find these goobers? A Republican lawmaker in Utah outlined a proposal last week to abolish compulsory education in the state. State Sen. Aaron Osmond (R) argued that certain “parents act as if the responsibility to educate, and even care for their child, is primarily the responsibility of the public school system.” “As a result, our teachers and schools have been forced to become surrogate parents, expected to do everything from behavioral counseling, to providing adequate nutrition, to teaching sex education, as well as ensuring full college and career readiness,” he wrote in a post … Continue reading A whole new meaning to the term school choice

Athenae, So Called Liberal Media6 Comments

Understandably

Allison Hantschel

This is the part of that “I’m not racist, I just don’t trust young black men because they’re young black men” column of Richard Cohen’s that made me drop the forkful of pancakes: in quest of heroism. The result was a quintessentially American tragedy — the death of a young man understandably suspected because he was black and tragically dead for the same reason. Emphasis mine. The whole thing is a masterpiece of the “LOOK AT ME BEING BRAVE ENOUGH TO SAY BLACK PEOPLE HAVE PROBLEMS” genre, as if there are no black writers writing about problems within African-American populations … Continue reading Understandably

Adrastos, Law/Justice, New Orleans, Political Crack8 Comments

You say Gonzo journalist, I say troll

Peter Adrastos Athas

The Advocate may be winning the NOLA newspaper war, but I found this headline to be annoying and even irksome: Gonzo journalist charged in Landrieu caper confronts Letten That’s right, everyone’s favorite pimp impersonator, James O’Keefe was in NOLA hunting for former US Attorney Jim Letten: “On his most recent visit to New Orleans, O’Keefe was among a group of at least six people, armed with video equipment, who showed up Wednesday at Letten’s Old Metairie house. O’Keefe, 29, was looking for Letten, who wasn’t home. But Letten’s wife, JoAnn, was. O’Keefe pressed his case with her, saying he needed … Continue reading You say Gonzo journalist, I say troll

Athenae, So Called Liberal Media2 Comments

Kids Today Like Newspapers

Allison Hantschel

If only someone would notice that, and stop telling 18-34-year-olds they don’t read: Evidence on engagement with media from a recent study by Nielsen conducted for NAA points toward reasons why millennials connect with newspaper content. In that study, 60% of the 18-34 age group using the print newspaper considered their local newspaper “trustworthy,” as did 60% of those who used their local newspaper website. By contrast, only 43% of those ages 18-34 who used social media sites agreed these sites were trustworthy. In a similar vein, 55% of the millennials who used local print newspapers agreed that they operate … Continue reading Kids Today Like Newspapers

Adrastos, Album Cover Art, Art, Music

Album Covert Art Wednesday: Cahoots

Peter Adrastos Athas

Cahoots was The Band’s 4th studio LP and the critics were ready to dismiss it after praising earlier efforts to the skies. Being a critical darling can suck. I’ve always been very fond of this record and frequently use the U word to describe it: Underrated. The packaging and cover art were one of the original LP’s strong points. The cover art is by Gilbert Stone and the eye popping death mask style back cover photo was lensed (is that a word?) by the great Richard Avedon. Here’s the back cover. Wake up, y’all: Here’s a swell song, co-written by … Continue reading Album Covert Art Wednesday: Cahoots

Adrastos, Law/Justice, Television9 Comments

Jury Bingo: B37

Peter Adrastos Athas

One of the jurors in the Zimmerman case came out of the shadows today. She’s already angling for a book deal and gave an interview to Anderson Cooper at CNN. She should have been stuck but she got through. She gets most of her news from The Today Show. In short, she’s ignorant, uninformed, and damn proud of it. Here’s her voir dire on the YouTube: UPDATE:B37 is dropping plans to write a book. It helps to have read a book before writing one, but that hasn’t stopped others from doing so… Continue reading Jury Bingo: B37

Adrastos, Food and Drink, LOL9 Comments

Paragraph Of The Day: Foodie Edition

Peter Adrastos Athas

It comes from a review of a London eatery by the Guardian’s Jay Rayner: There are many things I want from a restaurant; love is not one of them. I do not expect restaurants or their staff to love me, either in that Hallmark greeting-card sense or that moist adult way. Usually this is fine. I have a number of defining qualities; lovability has never been close to the top of the list. When eating in the US, however, nobody seems to notice. There, almost every chef and waiter will announce that the food being served has been prepared “with … Continue reading Paragraph Of The Day: Foodie Edition