COLLECTIVE MADNESS


“Soft despotism is a term coined by Alexis de Tocqueville describing the state into which a country overrun by "a network of small complicated rules" might degrade. Soft despotism is different from despotism (also called 'hard despotism') in the sense that it is not obvious to the people."

Wednesday, January 02, 2013

Did we just witness a tempest in a tea pot? This interview with Ron Paul was made a few days before the tea pot calmed:




The vote was 257-167, with 85 Republicans joining Democrats to put the bill over the top, and 150 Republicans opposed.
Lawmakers observed that world financial markets were closely watching how the House responded to the fiscal cliff, and that the standing of America’s economy was on the line. Economists had warned that the US economy would slide into recession if the fiscal cliff tax hikes and spending cuts were allowed to take effect. Also at stake was the reputation of Congress as an institution, numerous speakers remarked on the House floor.
Some lawmakers said they were hopeful the tax deal — which also delays $110 billion in automatic spending cuts for two months — would lay the groundwork for comprehensive, bipartisan tax and spending overhauls later in the year. But with another debate over the nation’s debt ceiling looming in February, those issues are likely to be contentiously fought.
“Americans may be politically divided, but they are united in their desire to see their leaders in Washington work together to achieve results,’’ said Representative David Dreier, a moderate Republican from California giving his last speech as a member of Congress.
The measure – which President Obama is expected to sign quickly — returns income taxes back to Bush-era levels for more than 98 percent of Americans, while allowing them to remain at higher levels for individuals earning more than $400,000 and married couples making more than $450,000.
While the measure passed the Senate early Tuesday morning with overwhelming Republican and Democratic support, 89 to 8, it landed with a thud in the House hours later. Republicans said it did not contain needed spending cuts to balance out the tax increases it would impose on the wealthy.
Opposition came not just from rank-and-file conservatives, but also from a high level: Representative Eric Cantor of Virginia, the number two Republican in the House.
‘‘I do not support the bill,’’ Cantor told reporters after a closed-door meeting of GOP members.
But the realities of the fiscal cliff loomed large. Driving home the consequences of not acting, the Internal Revenue Service marked the passing of the New Year’s Eve deadline by instructing employers to begin extracting more tax withholdings from employee paychecks “as soon as possible.’’
Now those instructions will be torn up, except as they relate to people in the top tax bracket, whose marginal rate will rise from 35 percent to 39.6 percent.
MORE from BOSTON.COM

96 comments:

  1. It looks to me that the Republicans jumped over the cliff while the Democrats watched. The deficit worsens. Spending increases along with marginal tax increases that are economically meaningless.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The FY's have only just begun. The really depressing part? I know exactly how they feel.

      Five acts or three doesn't much matter. I'm not settling in for a Shakespearean denouement. More like Chelsea Handler and Kathy Griffith going at it.

      Delete
  2. OT:

    In the I told you so category: This was posted by Whit on Posted by whit at 11/29/2006 08:24:00 PM

    Muslim Brotherhood in Ascent in Egypt

    The neighborhood is looking a little run down lately. The long time neighbors are getting old, they quit spending on their homes some time back. Some of the new neighbors moving in, don't look quite so genteel. Maybe it's time to think about selling out.

    Muslim Brotherhood in Ascent in Egypt

    In recent weeks, the Brotherhood fought a fierce battle to win a significant chunk of seats in powerful trade unions, which include millions of workers in the enormous state-run industries, plus workers in the huge government bureaucracy.

    In another sign of its growing influence, the Brotherhood last week forced parliament to debate a vote of no-confidence in the minister of culture, a longtime Mubarak confidante, after the minister said that wearing the hijab, or full Muslim headscarf, was a "step backward" for Egyptian women.

    The minister remains in office but secular intellectuals immediately accused the group of using an off-the-cuff remark to bolster its political agenda.

    "They (the Brotherhood) are trying to Islamize the society from below to reshape it the way they want," said Nabil Abdel Fatah, an expert at the Al Ahram Center for Strategic Studies.

    "Don't believe the Brotherhood when they say they do not want to take over the country. That is only a pretense," wrote the government weekly Rose El Youssef in a banner headline.

    When it happens, no one can say they didn’t see it coming.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The ME is enough to make you believe in fatalism.


      Back when I still followed it a little bit, I read a numbers of essays describing the attitudes of some of the "common folk" over there and it's pretty dismal. They just can't seem to get the hang of governing which means Average Abdul pretty much has to "take a side."

      Delete
    2. All that comity and camaraderie from the 2006 archives is a whiff of cognitive disconnect.

      Delete
    3. I think the average "Abdul" takes the same side as the average "Alfred" - "The Magic Man in the Clouds" side.

      Delete
  3. 2:48 "There is no admission that the country is bankrupt."

    I am beginning to miss Ron Paul.

    Did you hear that, Ruf, we're broke.

    ....

    A lot of people saw the MB on the rise.

    But at - at 11/29/2006 08:24:00 PM - that is remarkable.

    Whit, we are all much better behaved these days, witness our group joy and hugging this Holiday Season - come back, we need your foresight.

    ....

    Here's not a prediction but a promise -


    Raymond Ibrahim: Egyptian Cleric Threatens Christian Copts with Genocide

    Over at Gatestone Institute (via RaymondIbrahim.com), I discuss the latest threats of annihilation directed at Egypt's Christians:

    Islamic leaders continue to portray the popular protests against President Morsi and his recently passed Sharia-heavy constitution as products of Egypt’s Christians. Recently, Muslim Brotherhood leader Safwat Hegazy said in an open rally, as captured on video:

    A message to the church of Egypt, from an Egyptian Muslim: I tell the church — by Allah, and again, by Allah — if you conspire and unite with the remnants [opposition] to bring Morsi down, that will be another matter…. our red line is the legitimacy of Dr. Muhammad Morsi. Whoever splashes water on it, we will splash blood on him.


    http://www.jihadwatch.org/2013/01/raymond-ibrahim-egyptian-cleric-threatens-christian-copts-with-genocide.html

    ....

    Egypt: Security forces fire on anti-Muslim Brotherhood protesters in Tahrir Square

    France: Muslims celebrate New Year's Eve by burning 1,200 cars

    http://www.jihadwatch.org/


    ReplyDelete
  4. We're collecting historically low revenues to fund the government. Why doesn't Ron Paul talk about that?

    ReplyDelete
  5. With what they've done so far, and with Obama winding down the nation-building exercise in Afghanistan, we're within about 2.5% unemployment points of being at a historically average one and a half to two percent deficit.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Bringing some jobs home from China, and building about 3,000 ethanol refineries would put us back on the "sunnyside" of the street.

      Delete
  6. As for the "bankrupt" hyperbole: When arguably the World's savviest investors, the International Bond Buyers, are willing to loan you money for 10 years at 1.6%, you're probably still a few steps away from "tits up."

    ReplyDelete
  7. Also, if we were still collecting the 30%, or so, that we used to get from Corporations our Deficit would be about $400 Billion/Yr less than it is, now.

    ReplyDelete
  8. It is a cash flow challenge.

    The US is not 'Broke'. We have lots of assets we refuse to sell.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. :)

      But, but, it is your retired Hero telling you to your face 'we are bankrupt' and you are refusing to admit it.


      a cash flow challenge

      Excellent!

      Delete
  9. BTW, ending the "tax holiday" on that 2% Soc Sec taxes will bring in close to $100 Billion/Yr.

    Add that to the increase in the upper income tax bracket of approx. $60 Billion/Yr, and the Increases aren't "insignificant."

    ReplyDelete
  10. As recently as 2010 the Deficit was $1.415 Trillion.

    In 2012 the deficit was $1.089 Trillion.

    We could be looking at a deficit of, oh, I don't know, $775 Billion this year? That would be a reduction of approx. 45% from the high. We're making some progress.

    ReplyDelete
  11. While we are raising taxes on estates, why are the trillions locked up in overwhelmingly progressive charitable and tax exempt foundations given a free pass? The Gates Foundation has $36 billion and they give most of donations to overseas causes of their choosing, mostly world health issues. A 30% tax on gains (not capital) would still leave them 70% to do their charitable works.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We should tax Catholic Charities?

      http://www.catholiccharitiesusa.org/

      And Lutheran World Refief?

      http://lwr.org/site/c.dmJXKiOYJgI6G/b.6319053/k.BDBF/Home.htm

      I'd rather triple the tax on beer.

      Delete
    2. How much would a real biting sin tax on beer bring in, Rufus? You are the figures guy.

      Trillions?

      Hundreds of billions?

      Per year I'm asking.

      Delete
    3. You watch, Ruf will claim this would be 'unconstitutional'.

      Bad for his constitution anyways.

      :)

      Delete
    4. One $ a can sounds about right.

      Cans must be recycled.

      Think of the savings in liver transplant costs alone. As well as the savings in emergic detox at the Emergic Room.

      Delete
    5. The "Low-Hanging Fruit" would be to legalize, and Tax Pot, I'd think.

      Delete
    6. You're just playing favorites. Tax both, and really really high.

      Think of the benefits of all the people not killed by drunk drivers.

      Delete
    7. the trillions locked up in overwhelmingly progressive charitable and tax exempt foundations

      Everything has a (D) or an (R) after its name.

      Topping the list is The Gates Foundation (D): $37.4B

      Coming in at No. 2 is Howard Hughes Medical Institute (R): $16.1B

      No. 3 is Ford Foundation (D): $10.3B

      No. 4 is J. Paul Getty Trust (R): $9.6B

      No. 5 is the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (of Johnson & Johnson) (R): $9.2B

      That's $47.4 (D) and $34.9B (R)

      Delete

  12. JOHN BOEHNER FOR SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE?
    YEA 14.6% (7,346 votes)

    NAY 85.4% (42,962 votes)

    Drudge Poll - vote now

    ReplyDelete
  13. First question a bankruptcy judge would ponder...

    What can we get for 65% of Idaho?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Arizona ought to bring a few hundred thousand dollars.

      Delete
  14. The US has 12 carrier battle groups

    What could we sell one of those groups for?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Nothing, cause no one would know how keep them up. Service the nuclear reactors. Grease the planes. Work the radar. Supply the parts.

      Go ahead, see if you can get a listing, give it a try.

      And don't say 'China'. All of Asia would object.

      Trillion Dollar Platinums even sounds better.

      Delete
    2. The Sam Walton family might be a buyer. Worth more than 150 million Americans. Need to protect that world wide trading empire.

      Check them out first.

      Delete
    3. I'm thinking, maybe Australia?

      Delete
    4. It would be the end of all the bitching about the slave labor used in the Walton Empire Overseas. Who is going to go up against a nuclear armed Walton Family?

      Delete
    5. I'm thinking, maybe Australia?

      China would object, call in our debt.

      Delete
    6. There are plenty of bond buyers out there. On the other hand, China would truly hate a 25% Tariff on their U.S. Exports.

      Delete
    7. Disney World, though I heard they are low on cash right now.

      Wally World?

      Maybe a theme park in Florida?

      Delete
    8. Israel!

      I'd support that. There is your answer.

      Delete
    9. A Nuclear-Armed Walton Family? :)

      That is scary. I think that ol' Walton gal over there in Arkansas has had about a half dozen DUIs.

      Delete
    10. They already have most of the know-how. And the excellent pilots. And the nuclear bombs. And, being really fast learners, what they don't know they'd soon figure out. And we'd be supporting good people.

      Delete
    11. Israel? We'd just end up paying for it. I think not.

      Delete
    12. Half a dozen, really? She's got a good lawyer, if she is still out of jail.

      And, maybe now, a Chauffeur.

      All you have to do, Rufus, is park your camper in a WalMart parking lot, live there. You will be perfectly safe from Walton Nuclear Attack.

      Delete
    13. After all, you are being protected by an entire Walton Battle Group.

      Delete
    14. They sell beef jerky, and ammo, too. Not a bad plan.

      Delete
  15. Oh, boobie, Ron Paul was never a 'Hero'.
    Just the fella with the megaphone

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You could have fooled me, crapper, and everyone else. Idolized him as much as I did Sarah Palin. Maybe more.

      Delete
  16. DR, I assume you trust your government to spend the proceeds from selling 65% of Idaho in a responsible way?

    I don't.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It was 'responsible spending' that got us here. I think he just wants to see me die a martyr and it's not about money at all.

      :)

      Delete
    2. Gunned down, overwhelmed by helicopter gunships, like a lonely wolf protecting the last redoubt in the cedars trees.

      Delete
    3. It's not going to happen, Gag.

      Delete
    4. .

      Gunned down, overwhelmed by helicopter gunships, like a lonely wolf protecting the last redoubt in the cedars trees.

      Don't you mean the last elk?

      .

      Delete
  17. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Meet Michelle Malkin's list of Obama tax evaders of the year -

    http://michellemalkin.com/2013/01/01/obamas-tax-evaders-of-the-year/

    Frickin' rich democrats always sticking it to the poor middle class.

    In December, Google’s Netherlands subsidiary disclosed in a tax filing that it had shifted nearly $10 billion in revenues to a Bermuda shell company. That’s “almost double the total from three years before,” according to Bloomberg News. In response to criticism, Google defended the scheme as a legal response to government incentives. “It’s called capitalism,” Schmidt snarked defiantly.

    Bermuda shell companies, and they ain't talkin' sea shells here either, probably got Cayman Islands accounts, the whole wicked program.


    You got to love that quote, Rufus.

    They're all dicks.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I harp on that almost every month, Bob. The Googles, Microsofts, and GE's have $2 TRILLION STASHED OVERSEAS. They don't have to pay taxes on it until they bring it back to the U.S.

      And, it's not just the lost taxes, but, also, the LOST INVESTMENT that would have derived from that money if brought home.

      Delete
    2. Now that Capitalism is Tits Up, it's all Democrats in the corner office.

      Schmidt snarked defiantly

      Oh my. Where's the Fuck You?

      I bet they're all godless athesists supporting their right to free abortions, free pot, and free love.

      Delete
    3. Ruf, I remember you railing at Romney without end, and the Cayman Islands.

      It was a big deal, Romney was such a slug, almost a crook even.

      I thought it was funny, this guy saying he was taking advantage of the tax code:

      Google defended the scheme as a legal response to government incentives.

      This is the argument I used to make, along with it was the dems who created most of the tax code.

      I actually think a Board of Directors might have a financial duty to do such things, in certain situations, a fiduciary duty I think it is called. After all, they are in business to make money for the stockholders, and not give it away unnecessarily.



      Delete
    4. This comment has been removed by the author.

      Delete
    5. I bet they're all godless athesists supporting their right to free abortions, free pot, and free love.

      And not an automatic weapons lover among all those fuckheads, pinkos and hypocrites.

      Delete
    6. .

      My. My.

      Sounds like DRR is sounding a little defensive today.

      .

      Delete
    7. Now that Capitalism is Tits Up, it's all Democrats in the corner office.

      When I first read that I read it as:

      Now that Capitalism is Tits Up, it's all Democrats in the coroner's office.

      Which made me laugh like hell.

      Delete
    8. My, my, it sounds like Quirk is clucking like an old hen, like an Ash, like Aunt Alice in a foul foul mood, bless her departed soul.

      Delete
    9. Can't stomach MM.

      snarked?

      From the Queen of Snip?

      Reality is not reducible to D's and R's.

      Gramm("Quit yer whining")-Leach-Bliley: three republicans who broke with a conservative past in favor of the exciting frontier of unregulated investment opportunities to finance the godless democratic capitalists.

      Delete
    10. I like MM. She's so bouncy, and beautiful. Quick witted. A kind of joy radiates out of her. I'm sure she doesn't think reality is reducible to Ds and Rs. But that's our politics these days. What's wrong with being a little snippy? She called all this stimulus stuff a shit sandwich. Turns out she was about 70% right, last I read. She's not afraid to walk right through Berkeley and dang near get attacked. She's ok. Make her the new Speaker of the House.

      Delete
    11. Smug sanctimonious and self-satisfied.

      She called all this stimulus stuff a shit sandwich.

      Barely hear her voice over the thunder of outrage from the right.

      Delete
  19. Godless Atheists? Is there any other kind?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Atheism is a philosophy.

      Godless atheists are democrats.

      Delete
    2. Democrats have plenty of gods, all over the place. Some even think they elected one.

      They are polytheists, though they don't know it.

      Delete
    3. .

      Thus speaketh the intuitive Bob.

      Not that that is a bad thing. As Bob intuits, he provides considerable amusement to many here.

      .

      Delete

    4. Including those who prefer to remain circumspect about that which they cannot know. Faith is a personal choice, not an externally imposed dogma.

      Delete
    5. It is experience that counts. Knowledge results. Faith comes lagging along over the finish line.

      'Nothing I have ever seen with my eyes was so clear....I did not have to remember my great vision, it remembered itself all these years.' BES

      Jesus didn't have faith. 'The angels had ministered unto him on a mountain.' He was trying to share. Got crucified for the effort. Then got turned into an object of faith himself. the Proclaimer became the Proclaimed, as the fancy saying has it. He personally would have been better off going into the desert, thinking, they aren't going to believe this, and living with a few friends. But that isn't what he did.

      'The Kingdom of Heaven is spread on the earth but people don't see it.'

      Delete
    6. We rely on you, Spock, for all the exciting midsummer enchantments.

      Delete
    7. The Biology of Transcendence suggests most people don't see it because their fore brains are not developed enough.

      We can hope evolution might cure this deficiency but we might be wrong in so hoping.

      The outlook expressed is grim, society is collapsing, time is short.

      Delete
  20. Michelle Malkin is an economic illiterate. A firebomb-throwing assette.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. She thinks we're broke, like Ron Paul, and getting broker.

      You're for selling off the Navy, to pay the debts. You must think we're broke too, but don't want to admit it.

      I'm for selling off Arizona. Crapper is for selling off most of Idaho.

      We all agree then, we're broke!

      A firebomb-throwing assette is a compliment, taken metaphorically.

      Delete
    2. No, we're Not "Broke." However, we spend way more on the military than we should.

      Delete
    3. And, we are carrying more debt than we should be. We need to get back down to within a point, or two, of a balanced budget as soon as practically possible.

      That IS going to require some sustained growth. And, growth requires Investment (not in aircraft carriers, and humvees.)

      Delete
  21. And the drawing neat of Death, which alike levels all, alike impresses all with a last revelation, which only an author from the dead could adequately tell.

    Hermann Melville, quoted in A Neurosurgeon's Journey...

    Our friend here, Mr. Alexander III, is trying to be an author of that sort. It is tough sledding, and he struggles with inadequate and sappy words and images at times, which is not surprising, we not having a language for it. His description of time is interesting. Unlike it is here. Which again is not surprising, time being a mode of our perception, a category of human understanding, as has been ceaselessly said. By Kant. Even by Einstein and many other physicists. But if your brain is zonked, as his definitely was, you are no longer hindered by all that. :)

    ReplyDelete
  22. No, gag, I do not think the Federals would spend the proceeds 'MORE' responsibly than they have in the past On a bloated military and welfare for senior citizens.

    As for Ron Paul, boobie, you're delusional. I defended him against charges of racism, he did not author the pieces of writing found objectionable, by 'Observers' of such things.

    As to the Platniums, I only relay the reality of the President's options to keep the government solvent.

    ReplyDelete
  23. welfare for senior citizens

    heh

    They're gonna begin bumping us off.

    So I'm not banking my SS check, but spending it the moment I get it, to help the economy, and try to get a little value back.

    Paul signed off on those writings, and wrote some of them himself. And it was long ago, and in Texas. Forgotten.

    ReplyDelete
  24. Contact: Office of Communications
    (202) 720-4623

    Statement from Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack on the Food, Farm and Jobs Bill



    WASHINGTON, Jan. 2, 2012 - Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today issued the following statement on the Food, Farm and Jobs Bill:



    "I am pleased that Congress passed needed middle class tax relief and continued unemployment insurance protection for 2 million unemployed Americans. However, while I am relieved that the agreement reached prevents a spike in the price of dairy and other commodities, I am disappointed Congress has been unable to pass a multi-year reauthorization of the Food, Farm and Jobs bill to give rural America the long-term certainty they need and deserve. I will continue to work with Congress to encourage passage of a reauthorized bill that includes a strong and defensible safety net for producers, expanded rural economic opportunity in the new bio-based economy, significant support for conserving our natural resources, increased commitment to important research, and support for safe and nutritious food for all Americans. I look forward to continuing the effort to get this critical work done.”

    ReplyDelete
  25. Microsoft Corp. has acquired a small home-entertainment technology startup to beef up its Xbox unit, according to people familiar with the matter.

    The company, id8 Group R2 Studios Inc., was created by entrepreneur Blake Krikorian in May 2011. Mr. Krikorian will be joining the Redmond, Wash., software giant with a small team.

    ReplyDelete
  26. Mr Sarkozy already faces separate allegations that his party – possibly without his knowledge – took illegal campaign contributions from France’s richest woman, Liliane Bettencourt, in 2007. Last month, his official accounts for his failed re-election campaign last year were rejected by a campaign watchdog.

    Allegations of illicit dealings with Gaddafi are especially sensitive for the former French president. With Prime Minister David Cameron, he organised and led the international support for the Libyan opposition which eventually led to Gaddafi’s downfall and death in October 2011.

    Before that, however, Mr Sarkozy puzzled many of his own supporters by granting Gaddafi an obsequious and glittering state visit to France in December 2007. It later emerged that a number of contracts had been signed by France and Libya, including a deal to supply surveillance equipment to the Libyan intelligence services.

    ReplyDelete
  27. Conservative radio host Sean Hannity on Wednesday said the “god-awful” fiscal cliff deal illustrates how the media is “dysfunctional and illiterate.”

    ...

    “None of what they’re telling you is true,” Hannity added.

    ReplyDelete
  28. We all like to think of ourselves as rational creatures who smartly prepare for the worst. We watch our back, weigh the odds and pack an umbrella when the skies look threatening.

    ...

    Optimism starts with what may be the most extraordinary of human talents: mental time travel, the ability to move back and forth through time and space in one’s mind. To think positively about our prospects, it helps to be able to imagine ourselves in the future.

    ...

    Only recently have we been able to decipher this mystery. My colleagues and I at University College London recently scanned the brains of people as they processed both positive and negative information about the future.

    Among other things, we asked them to estimate how likely they were to encounter 80 different negative events in their life, including developing cancer, having Alzheimer’s disease and being robbed.

    We then told them the likelihood that a person like them would suffer these misfortunes; for example, the lifetime risk of cancer is about 30 percent. Then we asked again: How likely are you to suffer from cancer?

    We wanted to know if people would change their beliefs according to the information we provided. It turns out they did, but mostly when the information we gave them was better than they had expected.


    Bright Side

    ReplyDelete
  29. The Illinois State Rifle Association (ISRA) is claiming that it has learned from a credible source that Illinois State Senate President John Cullerton plans to introduce an “assault weapons” ban on Wednesday January 2nd during the course of the “lame duck” session.

    ...

    The ISRA states,

    Based on what we know about Cullerton’s bill, firearms that would be banned include all semiautomatic rifles, pistols, and shotguns. Pump action shotguns would be banned as well.

    ...

    The ISRA has posted five points on “What You Need To Do To Save Your Guns.” They are as follows:

    1. Beginning Wednesday, call your State Senator and politely tell him or her that you are a law abiding firearm owner and that you strongly oppose Cullerton’s gun ban. Also, be sure to call your State Representative as well and politely deliver the same message.

    ...

    2. Forward this alert to all your gun owning friends and family members. Be sure to tell them to call their senators and representatives as well.


    Legislation To Be Submitted

    ReplyDelete
  30. The British-based, anti-regime activist group, Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said "tens of people were killed or wounded". At least 10 bodies were seen in an amateur video.

    ...

    The air raid was one of several to hit the Damascus suburbs on Wednesday.

    The attack came as fighters seeking to remove the Assad regime attacked the president's forces around a large airbase in Idlib province and also around the Wadi Deif base in north-western Syria and as the international airport in Aleppo was once again closed to flights.

    ReplyDelete
  31. The only positive for MM is she is cute.

    Growth would solve many problems but it isn't an option because growth relies on population growth and we are reaching the upper limits there.

    ReplyDelete
  32. Kirchner demands: UK must return Falklands to Argentina...drudge

    That bitch in Argentina is trying to take the minds of the folks off their aching empty bellies and concentrate their minds on the O so outrageous stealing of the previously uninhabited Falklands by the Brits. This is a recurring ploy by Argentine politicians.

    Last time around they lost the ARA General Belgrano , which was once an Armerican ship, with the loss of 323 lives.

    Maybe we can sell Argentina a Carrier Battle Group, but they are broke, like us.

    ReplyDelete
  33. Does age matter?

    Does everyone show an optimistic bias? As it turns out, they do. In an as yet unreleased study, my colleagues and I found that people of all age groups changed their beliefs more in response to good news, and they discounted bad news.

    Even more surprising was the finding that kids and elderly people both showed more of a bias than college students. On one hand, the young and the old were quite good at responding to desirable information: Everyone updated their beliefs similarly when they learned they were less likely to get cancer or have their credit card stolen than they had initially believed. But when they learned their chances were worse than expected, kids, teenagers and older adults seemed to ignore this information more than college students and middle-aged individuals.


    http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/optimism-bias-why-the-young-and-the-old-tend-to-look-on-the-bright-side/2012/12/28/ac4147de-37f8-11e2-a263-f0ebffed2f15_print.html


    Exactly as Joseph Campbell said. The elderly and children have lots in common, those in the middle years are all involved in 'the struggle'.

    That's why the elderly and the kids so often bond so well. They know the truth is where they live, and not with the distracted working adults. They know, and the 'adults' don't, that life is finally a comedy, not a tragedy.

    ReplyDelete
  34. .

    Al Gore sells Current TV to Al Jazeera.



    Al-Jazeera, the Pan-Arab news channel that struggled to win space on American cable television, has acquired Current TV, boosting its reach nearly ninefold to about 40 million homes. With a focus on U.S. news, it plans to rebrand the left-leaning news network that cofounder Al Gore couldn't make relevant.

    The former vice president confirmed the sale Wednesday, saying in a statement that Al-Jazeera shares Current TV's mission "to give voice to those who are not typically heard; to speak truth to power; to provide independent and diverse points of view; and to tell the stories that no one else is telling."



    Intersting on Many Levels

    .

    ReplyDelete



  35. "to give voice to those who are not typically heard; to speak truth to power; to provide independent and diverse points of view; and to tell the stories that no one else is telling."

    and to tell the stories that no one else is telling

    hahahaha

    Sounds like a barbershop in Detroit to me. You going to tune in Quirk?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You could host - A Close Shave: Q's Mafia Hour

      Delete
    2. Al Jazeera did not disclose the purchase price, but people with direct knowledge of the deal pegged it at around $500 million, indicating a $100 million payout for Mr. Gore, who owned 20 percent of Current. Mr. Gore and his partners were eager to complete the deal by Dec. 31, lest it be subject to higher tax rates that took effect on Jan. 1, according to several people who insisted on anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly. But the deal was not signed until Wednesday.

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  36. Aaaaha!

    The angelic girl on the beautiful butterfly wing was his biological sister.

    pg.169

    A Neurosurgeon's Journey....



    http://www.eternea.org/

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