Go Home, Hillary!

Quite enough has been written about the whole “snipers” thing. Including some political cartoons. That’s only one dumb moment, really.

Let’s not forget about Let’s get Alan Greenspan — whom some people blame the housing mess on in the first place — to head a blue ribbon panel to see if it’s a good idea to shore up housing by having government buy up excess supply and maybe we can rent it out or something. Do you think $30 billion ought to do the trick? It was fine for Bear Stearns…. Oh yeah, and while we’re at it, let’s shield mortgage servicers from liability if they decide to arbitrarily make mortgage terms worse without actually negotiating a new contract with the homeowner! Great idea, there, Hillary.

Let’s not forget that she’s a member of a secretive, ultra-fundamentalist group of Christian nationalists called The Fellowship who want to bring their specific blend of Christianity into mainstream government in violation of the First Amendment. Before you start getting all defensive, do you think your Christianity is good enough for them? If they are really fighting for what is “right”, why do they have to be secretive? The Jesus whose words I’ve read said that you shall know the truth, and it shall set you free.

Fewer people view her positively now. At all. And as for those SuperDelegates we’ve been told are the key to her winning? The ones that she thinks knows better than us (and so uh, that’s why we’re supposed to shut up and voter for her in November)? She’s “turning them off“. Heck, didn’t she see Bill Richardson’s endorsement of Obama as a sign? Maybe they just don’t like being threatened. Way to win friends and influence people, there.

And yet she thinks she has a chance. A fat one maybe. Perhaps the Japanese have the right idea about elections.

In closing: don’t forget Real ID; an interesting way of looking at health insurance; underground candy smugglers; New Scotty played true to Old Scotty; Citizen Carrie on the H-1B mess, which she probably understands better than any layperson; and now I remember why I haven’t deleted BoingBoing from my list of feeds, Now our skies are safe from the scourge of nipple rings. Now really, once you’ve seen her boobs, can’t you just apply your brain and figure out they aren’t gonna blow up? They’re boobs! Much like the screener who noticed them! How would somebody take over an aircraft with a nipple ring? Take me to Cuba or I’ll pierce you! And was it really necessary to remove the things, in the concourse, with the male screeners laughing? And furthermore, if the nipple rings are dangerous, why not the navel ring? Why were hers dangerous, but Nicole Richie’s were ok for flight? What’s going to happen when they encounter some of the more unusual piercings? Pardon me, do you have Prince Albert in a can?? Seriously! America’s Zero Thinking Policies must change or we are doomed.

Take it easy. It’s crazy out there.

Sping Japan-filter

Did you know that people from the East and people from the West gauge visual cues of emotion differently? A new study seems to show that Asians tend to take the emotions of a group into account when determining the emotions of an individual in the group.

Spring has arrived in Japan, which means it’s Hanamicherry blossom viewing — season! Of course, that means it’s also time for a variety of ahem other spring festivals. Nice weather for a bike ride.

Japan is, of course, on the earth’s “ring of fire“. Did you know that Mt. Fuji is a volcano? Like California, they are subject to earthquakes. Here’s an interview with an award-winning Japanese-American seismologist whose California home is built on a fault — and says that “But after [basic preparation and disaster supplies], I don’t think about it anymore.”

In a bygone age, the Kimono was a typical garment. Perhaps it did not occur to you that they don’t have pockets! So where was a gentleman to keep his pipe, his “pocket” change, his noontime medication? Why, in a container hooked to his belt strung to an elegant little sculpture called a netsuke (think of the u as being silent).

In closing: a shocking concept, living within your means; there’s no excuse for an error-ridden terror watchlist; the middle way on regulation vs deregulation; explaining the credit crisis so even a child can should understand it; why are we getting on the case of people for supporting a wacky black preacher without denouncing some of our wacky white preachers?; the 10th largest economy in the world won’t promise to comply with Real ID; Duhpartment of Research admits that while kids who eat healthy diets do better in school, kids who aren’t poor or who don’t have undereducated parents tend to eat healthier diets; and finally, states start to ask how exactly somebody can be mature enough to go to war and not mature enough to buy a beer when he/she gets back from the battle.

Ugly Anniversary

Yes, the Iraq War turns *This Many* today.

Mr. Bush admits the war costs more than it should have. More on that at Econbrowser.

The American people aren’t happy. It’s been called a war of lies. 7 out of 10 people blame the war for out current economic problems.

Things are a mess in Iraq, both politically and in terms of security.

Almost 4000 American soldiers are dead, along with several hundred more from other nations. CNN can tell you about each and every one of them; many pictures are included. Nobody really knows how many Iraqis have been killed, creating widows and orphans in a society where women cannot hold honorable employment and adoption by non-relatives is almost unheard of.

It is a human tragedy, top to bottom.

Doomshorties

My timing is off. I figured J.P. Morgan would own Bear Stearns with help from the Fed by the end of the week. It turns out to be this morning’s big business news. And such a deal. Wow.

You couldn’t put that in a movie plot, nobody would believe it could happen. “Police believe [ABBA drummer] Brunkert may have fallen against a glass partition separating his home’s kitchen from the garden, and the glass broke and fatally cut his throat…. He was found in the garden and is believed to have bled to death…. An official cause of death is pending until after an autopsy.”

Make sure your anti-virus and anti-spyware software is up to date. Researchers think as much as 85% of spam may be generated by a mere 6 spybots distributed on unsuspecting computers across the world.

You go girl! Susie at Suburban Guerilla is great at finding quotes like this and this.

Eliot may have liked screwing expensive call-girls, but he didn’t like banks screwing his constituents. A month ago — before he was exposed as a hypocrite and forced to resign — he wrote this piece for the Washington Post about how the various state attorneys general tried to stop certain lending practices and were shut up by the feds.

Nancy on FISA. Yeah, oversight of the Administrations surveillance activities. Let us know how that works out for you.

It’s raining Yen, hallelujah…. Yen are now worth more than pennies, since the dollar has dropped as low as 96 Yen. Sure makes you feel like this:

Speaking of the economy, 3/4 of us think we have a recession on our hands right now. “‘Forty-two percent of those polled say the economy is the biggest issue on their minds, nearly double the amount who felt that way in October, the last time Iraq topped the list as the most important issue,’ said Keating Holland, CNN’s polling director. Iraq ranks as the second most important issue, at 21 percent, followed by health care at 18 percent, terrorism at 10 percent and immigration at 7 percent.” Oh, and “Nearly nine in 10 Americans say it’s important to know presidential and congressional candidates’ positions on open government, but three out of four view the federal government as secretive, according to a survey released Sunday.”

And last but not least. Don’t Forget Tibet.

All Hell Breaking Loose in our Colombo Economy

Oh yes, I watched way too much television as a child. And one fond memory is Detective Columbo conducting his interview: he would ask a series of obvious, softball questions and come off as slightly bumbling; he would thank the person and turn to go; then almost without fail he would turn back and say “Oh! And one more thing!”. Then he would ask the one important question that would unravel the case.

And that brings us to Bear Stearns. It was 9 months ago that they were forced to shut down a couple of divisions that were in over their heads on sub-prime mortgage backed securities. Merrill Lynch had to bail them out of that, and sell the assets for whatever they could get. Everyone heaved a sigh of relief, thinking problem solved, disaster averted, now everything can get back to normal.

By the beginning of August, Citibank admitted that they, too, had problems. But — CEO Charles Prince swore to investor Prince Alwaleed bin Talal — this is it and there will be no surprises. By November he had to confess this was not true. His resignation was demanded and received.

Sandwiched in this mess, we have Countrywide, who declared their “first loss in 25 years” but swore that they would be profitable the next quarter. They weren’t. By that time they were in the process of being bailed out bought by Bank of America.

And here we are, another shoe drops, another “one more thing”, Bear Stearns is actually so bad off they might be forced out of business. JP Morgan Chase and the Federal Reserve are having to prevent total collapse after what is described as significant deterioration of liquidity in the past 24 hours. I am having a tough time imagining what could go so horribly wrong in a day: were they short gold? Somebody knew there was trouble afoot, and that somebody sold a whole lot of options yesterday.

Despite the President’s tough talk at the Economic Club of New York — he has just finished speaking as I write — there will be no stability for our economy as long as we are in Columbo Economy mode, waiting for more centipede shoes to fall from our financial institutions. Bad enough we have stagnant wages, hints of stagflation, a sinking dollar with no sign of imminent stabilization, financial websites telling us about investing strategies for a recession, oil prices that have hit $110 a barrel (oh the nostalgia for mere $60 per barrel a mere year ago!) propelled on world demand and a weak dollar, gold prices over $1000 per ounce, and that same weak dollar causing a rise in prices of food commodities like wheat and corn and soy; there’s quite enough going wrong without help from Wall Street.

Cross-posted at The Moderate Voice.

In closing: Got Chemicals?; How and why the Feds might be monitoring your bank account; and a summary of Bush Administration Horrors.

I like the new guy….

Today I happened to catch a good chunk of MSNBC’s Live with Dan Abrams. He took one heck of a news day and ran with it, asking very good questions and making very good insights. Clearly a smart guy, and well worth watching.

In closing: the Iraq War might kill our economy; soldiers and civilians are still dying over there, you know; consumers are pinching pennies as oil prices continue to soar; and Eliot? What the hell were you thinking??

A Pile of Drivel for International Women’s Day

On this, the 100th International Women’s Day, 1000 Afghan women gathered to “laugh and sing for the future”. A Saudi woman drove, in violation of national law. Canadian women marched in parades and went to rallies. There were demonstrations in Paris. Protests in the Philippines. Calls to end corruption in Bangladesh. There were other events in such nations as Australia, North Korea, and Iraq. There was even an article in the L.A. Times.

Yeah, not a lot of coverage here in the States.

So on this 100th International Women’s Day I am answering the call of several women bloggers: the call for the 10 most essential items in my closet! Clearly this is an issue of great importance — particularly considering my place in the world of Short Women — and I will not let you down.

1. Jeans that fit properly. First, they need to be the right length. Every time I see a woman with her jeans dragging on the ground I want to shake her and ask why she wasted her money on clothes that don’t fit right. Did she think she was going to grow 4 inches suddenly? I know there is a lot of disagreement about this, but I think they should come roughly to the tops of your shoes. And furthermore, you should not have to wear high heels with jeans. They’re jeans for crying out loud. As for the waist, wear what you like with these two caveats: nobody wants to see your crack; and muffin-top is never sexy.

2. Black pants, again that fit properly. Currently, slim pants are the thing. Someday maybe they won’t be. That’s fine, because you’ll wear these often enough to wear them out over the course of a few years. Khakis are great too but not as versatile; you can’t dress up khakis enough for a dinner party. Mine happen to be hip-huggers, meant to be capris but they fit me like pants, purchased at Kohls. They do not have to be expensive, just nice looking.

3. Black Skirt, roughly knee length. In a nice fabric, and a cut that flatters your body type. And oh yes, it must absolutely be machine washable. Wear it to work. Wear it to parties. Wear it to events. Wear it wherever. I have both a knee length one and a mini.

4. Underwear that is both comfortable and flattering. There’s something empowering about knowing that even your panties look gooooood. Just ask Juliette.

5. A “Yes, I’m in charge here” dress. Mine is a navy blue shirt-dress that comes just above my knees, purchased at Forever 21.

6. Turtleneck or mock turtlenecks, your choice of sleeve length, at minimum off-white and basic black. Other colors are optional and welcome. Mine are elbow length and great solo or layered. Because I am Short, I have trouble finding long sleeved shirts that aren’t actually finger-length shirts.

7. Something to layer over other things. This is an issue of personal style, and what is acceptable in your workplace. Maybe you’re a cardigan kinda person. Perhaps you prefer a sharply tailored blazer. Or maybe you re-purpose a traditional women’s dress shirt that turned out to be a little bigger that you thought it would be when you ordered it….

8. A nice-looking but comfortable machine washable dress. Or two. This is a matter of personal style, but it should be something that you wouldn’t feel funny going directly from work to a social event or picking up something at the grocery store on the way home.

9. The Shoes! Now there’s no real reason to go shoe mad. Really. But there’s some things every woman ought to have. At least basic black pumps or flats that go with the pants and skirts above, and something that coordinates with browns. Mine are leopard print! And I shouldn’t have to say you need some comfy around-town walking sort of shoes. If you do a lot of traveling, you need these to be slip-on to facilitate the Safety Dance at the airport.

10. A couple bits of distinctive but not necessarily expensive jewelry. Something that says who you are. It doesn’t have to be big and certainly shouldn’t be gaudy, but it should be something that goes with the majority of your wardrobe. A strand of genuine faux pearls? Cubic Zirconia earrings? A particular pendant or bracelet? It’s up to you.

That’s it. It’s my personal opinion so take it or leave it. Keep in mind that my fashion goals are modest: to never appear as a Glamour Magazine “Don’t”, and to be neither the best nor worst dressed woman at any formal event.

In closing: we are no longer able to hide job losses; interesting piece on teachers pay; the current health insurance debate is “like watching two rocket scientists boil a discussion of space travel down to a squabble over the angle of re-entry”; what was Playmobil thinking (I mean really, everyone knows the shoes have to come off!); um no, the actual data from that meta-study shoes shows that modern anti-depressants do work in a statistically significant way; how many of the 50 most powerful blogs do you read?; the Grand Canyon is even older than we thought; perfect storm of economic indicators and mortgage meltdown; even the FBI is investigating Countrywide; and Brilliant Jill is much more thoughtful than I am, because instead of 10 wardrobe essentials she wrote about 10 things that Yes, We Can Do.

Finally Some Common Sense

Did you play “Cowboys and Indians” as a kid? “Cops and Robbers”? “Robin Hood”? “Spacemen and Aliens”? Perhaps “Superheroes and Villains” or “Empire and Rebel Scum“?

Regardless of what you called it, you probably played some form of the Good-versus-Evil game. And no matter what you might have done when adults were watching, there were plenty of weapons, whether they were guns or lasers or lightsabers or swords or lassos or pointed sticks. Lots of “Nuh-uh! I hit you and you’re dead/arrested!” There was plenty of capturing, killing, wounding, robbing, escaping, and other things that you’d probably get prosecuted for doing in real life.

Knowing this, did you grow up to be a psychopath?

No? Not even a little nuts?

Somehow, this stark near-universal experience is lost on people when it comes to video games. Violent video games cause kids to become violent, don’tcha know. It’s pure “logic”. Or is it?

The soon to be released new book Grand Theft Childhood says, “Um, no. That’s not true.” In fact, they found that video games were an outlet for kids to do stuff they would never do in real life, and act out in a safe environment. Keep in mind, kids are increasingly held to standards where they can not blow off steam in school, or even express their anger in words or pictures without drastic consequences.

In closing: where is the Bush Deficit really coming from; let’s hear it for Dennis; “Stop cutting school budgets“; Bruce Schneier is a voice of sanity in the Security Theatre nightmare; Mental Health Parity bill passes the House and I have mixed feelings about it; you’ll take your loss of privacy and be grateful!; the things people put in personalized messages; and to return to the last theme, Cheap Eats.

Food Spectacular

Somehow, my browser tabs have become clogged with food-related items. If you are on a diet you might scroll down….

Let’s start with a cocktail, shall we? Wired has a helpful item on how to infuse your own Vodka with your own selection of delicious flavors. Take that, Absolut!

Perhaps we should have some light dinner conversation. Here’s a book we could discuss: Swindled talks about the various ways that the food business has taken advantage of us, the customers, for the last few thousand years!

Speaking of which, Suburban Guerilla would like to talk about why it’s so hard to get locally grown food at the local megamart.

Shall we finish the appetizers with a cheese plate? Unbossed would like to know why, if rBST is sooooo good for cows and not at all bad for us humans, farmers and dairy producers don’t proudly label products with its use?

Are you a fan of Lilek’s Gallery of Regrettable Food — even if you can’t stand his standard blog drivel? Well then you are going to love this. It’s the Mid-Century Supper Club, reproducing food your mother still has nightmares about, and sharing the pictures with us on the internet! Many thanks to Slashfood for this one.

Ever wonder what foreigners buy at Japanese discount stores? Well it turns out that Ramen tops the list. Followed by an amazing array of strange stuff, some of it even edible!

And did you know that now some people are claiming that fortune cookies are a Japanese invention?

Speaking of Japan, they are a little upset to be getting “free” beef from America. It seems they have very strict criteria regarding what they will accept from our nation, and at this point I can’t blame them.

After all, stuff like this shows up in our freezers.

And the USDA isn’t interested in the *ahem* wrong people investigating the wrong things. The “wrong people” such as Congress. The “wrong things” such as whatever they say. Yeah. Cause they totally have nothing to hide.

In closing: Education is about Students; Off With My Sexist Head!; Gretchen embraces reality as we know it; “We can’t show kids the results of non-abstinence, it goes against the principles of abstinence-only sex education!”; and $31 Million dollars worth of goods lost stolen from luggage while in TSA or airline custody in the last 3 years .