New Jobless Claims Rise Unexpectedly To 576K

Third "unexpected" story of the week.



Is this nation's business analysts consistent or what!!
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Excellent Reading About Health Reform Protesters.

http://www.prwatch.org/node/8506

MSNBC's <i>Maddow Show</i> Propels Growing DC "Christian Mafia" Scandal

This is scary reading but it's a story being totally ignored by corporate media. I for one will be paying very close attention from now on.
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Analysts Blow It Again

Only Tuesday and already we have a second example of the "experts" getting it wrong again.

Here's the latest "unexpected" news (from NPR website):

Wholesale prices fell sharply again in July, capping off a record 12-month plunge, while new housing starts for the month also dropped unexpectedly, underscoring the shakiness of any economic recovery.

Wholesale prices paid by retailers dropped 0.9 percent last month, led by big decreases in energy and food costs, according to the Labor Department. The figure is triple the decline most economists had expected.

Katie Couric Denounces "Fear" And "Ignorance" Driving People To Town-Hall Forums On Health Care Reform

Very interesting reading and very germane. I especially like the paragraph quoted here. Nice job of summarizing the current GOP operations.
About Katie Couric
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Interesting Site I Have Found

If you can put down your iPhone long enough to read, I found this site to be on top of the social networking scene:

http://socialnomics.net/

Anti Gay Marriage Donor Now Hates Hetero Marriage
From CrooksandLiars.com:

From San Diego CityBeat:

In July 2008, hotelier and developer Doug Manchester donated $125,000 to help gather signatures for a proposition that would ban same-sex marriage in California. The early money was crucial to getting the initiative—which ultimately passed—on the ballot. At the time, he told The New York Times that he made the donation because of “my Catholic faith and longtime affiliation with the Catholic Church,” which preferred that marriage remain between a man and a woman. Indeed, the Catholic Church has vehemently opposed gay marriage. Then again, it’s also not too keen on divorce.

On Oct. 9, 2008, Manchester ended 43 years, eight months and nine days of marriage to Elizabeth Manchester by moving out of their La Jolla abode. The couple spent the next several months trying to reach a quiet settlement on how best to distribute millions of dollars in cash and other assets. In July, those talks totally broke down, and Doug started playing financial hardball with Elizabeth, allegedly draining the couple’s shared accounts and stealing her mail. On Aug. 6, Elizabeth filed a petition for redress in family court. All of the information in this story comes from those petitions. CityBeat contacted attorneys for both parties, but neither returned calls by press time.

This ardent defender of traditional marriage didn't just try to cover his buns in the divorce, he downright abused his wife of 43+ years:

In March, Doug told Elizabeth he’d no longer maintain the bank account the two shared to pay her expenses, and that she should submit her bills to his office. She followed this procedure, but was surprised to get a call from AT&T saying her bill was past due.

“Doug began dragging his feet on paying my expenses,” she writes, “refusing to pay certain expenses until I accepted his demands regarding our property division. I believe Doug did this to squeeze me financially.” Read on...

Now THAT, my friends, is what real, heterosexual, traditional marriage is all about! Snark/ You gotta love those GOP family values...

Thought For the Day

"I think it is very hard because [Democrats] don't have the message machine the Republicans do," said George Lakoff, a UC Berkeley linguistics professor who has advised some Democrats on how to sharpen their message. "The Democrats still believe in Enlightenment reason: If you just tell people the truth, they will come to the right conclusion."

Conservative Economist Slams Town Hall Demonstrators

Bruce Bartlett had a lot to say about the noisy, mindless demonstrators (orchestrated by Dick Armey's organization) today in a post in the Daily Beast. Here's an excerpt that summarized the situation nicely:

"...conservative activists, who seem to believe that the louder they shout the more correct their beliefs must be, are less angry about Obama’s policies than they are about having lost the White House in 2008. They are primarily Republican Party hacks trying to overturn the election results, not representatives of a true grassroots revolt against liberal policies. If that were the case they would have been out demonstrating against the Medicare drug benefit, the Sarbanes-Oxley bill, and all the pork-barrel spending that Bush refused to veto."

Twang Ditty Rides Again!

Yes, one of my favorite bands to see live made an appearance last Tuesday at Tailor Maid Coffee's annual customer appreciation party. An easy gig for Andy, the bass player, since he works for Tailor Maid but the band worked hard at bringing back fond memories of such classics as "Harper Valley PTA" and "Ring of Fire" and the incredibly rare "North to Alaska."
Amongst all the wine-sipping, pork roast eatin and beer drinkin, plenty of toes were tapping to this fun music. And of course, plenty of coffee was drunk too, including do it yourself espresso making. An all around great Sebastopol style evening.

More Food Experiences

And what would summer be without that traditional Wisconsin dish, Paella?
Well, the seafood is traditional anyway. Savor the photo below. I can still smell the satisfying aroma of saffron joining the shrimp and sausage wafting on the summer breeze (just after a violent downpour of rain and hail).
Laura Bingner, gracious host and wife of brother-in-law Eric of Ft Atkinson, WI is responsible for this incredible dish. She used saffron she purchased in Barcelona, Spain couple years ago when Kay and I joined her and Eric for travels in France and Northern Spain.
With trusty Nikon camera in hand, I captured the visual beauty before we went on an eating rampage!

Food, Food, Glorious Food!!

Been a fine summer thus far, with cuisine opportunities at the top of the fun list.
Where to start?

How about Santa Rosa, where hushpuppies have come to town. As a self-proclaimed savant of southern cuisine, I began eating them at an early age. And unless you live in certain parts of the South you don't find them on the menu very often. However, I can report that the Red Rose Cafe in Santa Rosa has them as part of their lunch buffet and they are authentic. Basically they are cornbread with a little onion in them, deep fried as only true Southern food can be, and a very tasty side to accompany yams, black eyed peas and of course fried chicken. As we say in Sebastopol's south side: Yum!! For those unacquainted with this culinary highlight, in the photo the hushpuppies are the small balls occupying the place of honor at the top of the plate.

Wait,It Gets Better!

Turns out this guy was also a pro-abstinence guy, sort of like Palin, except he wanted to screw daughters.

"Stanley's legislative proposals were largely focused on pro-business issues, but he also sponsored failed measures to ban gay couples from adopting children. He also spoke out against funding for Planned Parenthood because he said unmarried people should not have sex."

In case you missed a detail, his intern mistress was only 22 years old.
These Republican pro-family guys sure have a hard time keeping their zipper closed.

Another Southern "Family Values" GOPer Resigns Over Sex Scandal.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — A Tennessee lawmaker has resigned from the state Senate after his extramarital affair with a 22-year-old intern was revealed by an investigation into an extortion case.

State Sen. Paul Stanley said Tuesday he has "decided to focus my full attention on my family and resign my Senate seat effective August 10."

The 47-year-old senator was appearing on a radio talk show in Memphis and couldn't immediately be reached for comment.

Court records show that Stanley told agents investigating a blackmail case that he had a sexual relationship with intern McKensie Morrison. Her boyfriend, Joel Watts, is charged with trying to extort $10,000 from Stanley in April in return for explicit photos of Morrison that Stanley had taken.

Fox News Outdoes Itself in Incompetency:

Intelligence or at least a sense of geography is certainly not a job requirement at Ailes' GOP propaganda network.

Y

Fox News Misplaces Egypt

Notice that Iraq is missing and Egypt has taken its place.

Priceless!! Wonder what Rupert thinks?

Back from Wisconsin, getting the photos ready to post and going on a diet. No more deep fried cheese curds, ever.

Democratic Party and Politico: Get a Clue

This article at Fire Dog Lake has important info for people who think Politico.com is a genuine media outlet.

Read it for yourself here:
http://campaignsilo.firedoglake.com/2009/07/27/democratic-party-and-politico-get-a-clue/

My Photo on KRSH Radio Facebook Page

Check it out here:

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=2077495&l=593ed47320&id=668098694

Fun With An iPhone

My friend Thomas, owner of Focus Audio Visual in San Rafael, put this pic together with his iPhone 3G and an app called Panarama (I think). Taken during the video taping of the Marin Municipal Water Districts recent water conservation symposium.

Bastille Celebration in Paris

I couldn't be in Paris last night, but thanks to my friend (and former tenant) Jonathan Wellons, I have a photo or two. Look for him on Facebook if you want to see more.

Republicans Have the Principled Backbone of an Invertebrate

Absolutely no invertebrates were harmed in the making of this post... right?



Well written piece that I want to share on my blog:

www.mediamarv.blogspot.com
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Breaking Story May Explain Palin's Resignation!!

Thanks to FDL and Campaign Silo for this story from Alaska:

http://campaignsilo.firedoglake.com/2009/07/15/sarah-palins-medicaid-scandal-letting-people-die-while-waiting/

Rachel Maddow Draws Fire From GOP Rep. For Reporting On 'The Family' (VIDEO)

Zach Wamp???



My relatives in TN can't explain a name like that either.

Ah, the good ol days of Billie Bobs, Bobbie Joes, and Sonny Jims.
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

My Friend Camille Cusumano Makes the Times.. New York that is!

Look back at my archived post on her new book and the video we did. This Sunday she made the big time: the NY Times.
Here's the link:

http://travel.nytimes.com/2009/07/12/travel/12journeys.html

Thunderstorms Delay Endeavour Launch Again

Hate to say I told you so, but years ago, the choice had to be made between the Cape and Edwards AFB here in CA. Politics influenced the decision and the wrong choice was made.

Anyone care to check the weather in the mojave around Edwards today... hint: sunny and very warm!!
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Clearing Up the Confusion

The photo attached to the story below belongs to another one altogether: the story about the guy who wrote a song about his bad experience with United Airlines which damaged a very expensive guitar and then delayed more than 9 months to offer any compensation. So the guy, Dave Carroll wrote a song, put it on Youtube and history is now being made.

Here's the link to his site: http://www.davecarrollmusic.com/story/united-breaks-guitars/

So much better than customer service phone trees or faxing the CEO... I'm trying to write a song about Clover Ice Cream's (Sonoma county) decision to reduce their half-gallon containers to 1.5 qts, which is the new industry ripoff standard, then on top of that, raising the price nearly a dollar! I'm having trouble rhyming moo-cow tho'.
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Man Dies After Fallng Into Vat Of Chocolate (VIDEO)

"Death by Chocolate" is one of those great, yummy ideas... until it really happens. Condolences to his family.



I also agree with other posters here, no way was that chocolate boiling... to temper chocolate you raise the temp to 115 for milk chocolate, and not a degree over or you ruin it. And I know from experience. If it were a tempering vat that he fell into, temp would have fluctuated down to 82 then back up to 88 for dipping or molding.

Terrible waste of life and terrible waste of chocolate.
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Wine Country Life Style

Some recent activities:
Watching Serena Ryder at Lattitudes Bar and Grill, Rohnert Park, part of KRSH radio's outdoor concerts series. She was great, even without her backup band.
Pic shows a snack, very tasty coconut shrimp and Lagunitas IPA and Serena playing against a lakeside backdrop, on a very typical Sonoma county summer.



Bike riding in the Dry Creek Valley and Healdsburg on July 3rd, before all the crowds. New Trek bicycles are really comfortable and fun to ride. Makes wine tasting cheap since there's no room for bottles, altho we did go back to the Mazzocco winery in the Dodge truck to pick up couple bottles of Petite Verdot, which is an excellent wine. Photos were taken very near Alderbrook winery, tho we didn't visit it this time. They make delicious whites, very typical of the Dry Creek appellation.



Nite life was not neglected either. We stopped by the French Garden Restaurant here in Sebastopol on a Friday night for some good beer, tasty small plate appetizers and good music. This night it was Phil Lawrence and his band mates, plus guest fiddler/violinist David LaFlamme (of It's A Beautiful Day fame) sitting in. If you love Django Rinehart music, and that style of jazz, you will really enjoy these guys. Pic shows a rare moment, Phil, a mandolin player extraordinaire, playing a tenor banjo. He doesn't do that often so it was a rare treat.


Photo taken with my iPhone, not the best quality.

More On Gas Prices:
(From the WaPo)

"Concern over such deal-making reached a fever pitch last summer, when oil prices were sky high and people were feeling pain at the gas pump. CFTC data showed last year that a significant amount of trading in oil was concentrated in the hands of just a few speculators. These worries have waned since then, as gas prices have moderated from last year's highs, though a recent run-up in fuel prices may prompt new questions"

Read the full article here: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/07/06/AR2009070603584.html?hpid=topnews

Video from The Onion That I Found Very Amusing:


http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/07/06/mexico-builds-border-wall_n_226669.html

Look For Gas Prices To Fall - Not!

If basing gasoline prices on the free market weren't a fiction, this news story would cause prices to start plummeting.
I won't be holding my breath:

HOUSTON — ConocoPhillips, the third-largest U.S. oil company, said Tuesday second-quarter production rose by more than 100,000 barrels from a year ago, but lower crude and natural-gas prices and refining margins are expected to hurt results.

The company's shares fell more than 2 percent in early trading, along with all major oil companies in a week that has seen the price of crude drop by more than $10 per barrel.

In an overview of market conditions for the April-June period, the Houston-based company said global output was about 1.86 million barrels of oil equivalent. That's up from 1.75 million barrels in the second quarter of 2008.

Photography Update
Time to put up some more original images and to remind everyone that I have been a professional photographer for 30 years- almost as long as I have been a film/video cameraman. Tho my web video work gets more attention lately, I continue to do commercial photo work for clients, including AAA of Northern CA, and the occasional portrait.
So, gather round, boys and girls, and let me present the following:

















































Seville, Spain





















Granada, Spain
















Anderson Valley, CA


















Savannah, GA


Botannical Gardens,
Medocino, CA


Cordoba, Spain





Stay tuned, another batch might show up at any time.

Media Over Kill on Jackson Story

Many claims and false stories have begun to appear as expected. Many are total fabrications.
Read this article for some factual info, instead of the whoring MSM we have these days.
http://www.intent.com/mallikachopra/blog/bloodsuckers-and-world-michael-jackson

New Jobless Claims Rise Unexpectedly To 627K, 6.7M Still Unemployed

Two unexpected stories so far this week.



Actually, two today, the unemployment numbers unexpectedly went up....



Love me some analysts.
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Fox News Shows Its True Colors Again

Once again, a Republican politcian who finds himself in a world of hurt is described on screen by Fox as a (D) Democrat. This is done deliberately folks, so there in no question that "fair and balanced" is a fantasy.
Photos have a habit of not lying, so witness this screengrab:

Durable Goods Orders Rise Unexpectedly In May

Another wonderful example of "unexpected" news... analysts caught wrong again. As I posted last week, each week, without fail, another "less than expected or more than expected" story surfaces.

The question then remains: Why do people pay any attention to analysts at all?? Especially if investing money is involved.
About The Recession
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Saxby Leads the Stupid Charge in GA

When you want stupid, here's the go to guy:

CHAMBLISS: Well, that election was, what, almost 60 years ago now. The world has changed dramatically since then. And I dare say that you go up to any of those people in Teheran who are protesting in the streets and say, Hey, what about the United States meddling in your election in the `50s, they would shake their heads, like, What in the world are you talking about?


Comment later from Reza Aslan (on Hardball):
ASLAN: You know, he mentioned the CIA coup of 1953, which most Americans don`t know anything about, but which, I got to tell you, is like the core event, the ur-event of the 20th century as far as Iranians are concerned. It`s their revolutionary war, civil war all wrapped up into a single thing. And to hear a president even mention it, let alone acknowledge it in that way, had a huge effect in the cafes in Iran.
(My emphasis)


Meddling hardly describes the overthrow of the elected officials and replacement by the Shah who pleased the American neo-cons of the day. Chambliss is the poster boy for getting the GOP out of the south and attempting to undo the damage.

Fox Ignores Facts, Yet Wants to be Taken Seriously

"And there was yet another project [the Lake Optima guard rail project] -- somebody dubbed it 'the guard rail to nowhere.' It's for a guard rail along a lonesome, desolate patch of highway by a waterless lake outside a town of 266 people -- $1.1 million. ... There is a lot of waste there."
-- Fox News's Bill Sammon, 6/16/09, criticizing the economic recovery plan

VERSUS

"Work on the Lake Optima guardrail project is not going forward as we explore other approaches to protecting public safety."
-- U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, 6/15/09

See more at this site:
http://thinkprogress.org/

Arizona Killer Has Major GOP Ties (From FireDogLake) Minuteman Killer Co-Hosted Anti-Immigration Event in 2007 Featuring Tom Tancredo, Duncan Hunter and Fred Thompson By: Blue Texan Wednesday June 17, 2009 10:30 am

15 diggs digg it

It's important to point out that Shawna Forde wasn't a "lone wolf" or "just a nut." She was a prominent leader of the Minutemen Movement who shared the stage with Jim Gilchrist, the group's founder -- along with three GOP presidential candidates -- at a 2007 "Conservative event" in Washington state.

On June 30, Jim Gilchrist, one of America’s top opponents of Illegal Alien Amnesty will highlight the 2007 Washington State Illegal Immigration Summit in Everett.The Summit should be the pinnacle Conservative event of 2007.

...

Wait ‘til you hear what he has to say. We can unite and win.

In addition the event is co-hosted by Minutemen American Defense, a Washington state-wide American citizen defense coalition headed by Shawna Forde, a re-born Rock promoter from the days of the music world-shaking Seattle Rock explosion. Shawna will speak.

Representatives (or the actual candidates) will appear from Presidential campaigns for TOM TANCREDO, DUNCAN HUNTER and FRED THOMPSON.

Maybe someone should ask Tancredo, Hunter and Thompson what they think of the Minutemen now. Remember, Mike Huckabee proudly accepted Jim Gilchrist's endorsement. And Forde was Gilchrist's protege.

You'd think this would be the end of the mainstream GOP's flirting with these dangerous vigilantes, but don't expect right-wing bloggers like the Anchor Baby to stop writing love letters to the Minutemen any time soon.

This came from the http://firedoglake.com/ website/blog.

Unexpected Result of the Week, So Far

Every week, without fail, some economic result/stat is released accompanied with the qualifier that the result was less/more than analysts' expectations. In other words, every week analysts are wrong in their predictions, yet the corportate media still turns to them for info. Here's the first example so far this week:

"WASHINGTON – Wholesale prices rose less than expected in May as a drop in food costs helped keep overall prices down.

The Labor Department said Tuesday that the Producer Price Index increased by a seasonally adjusted 0.2 percent from April. That's below analysts' expectations of a 0.6 percent rise."

No wonder our financial system is such a mess. We keep listening to analysts who, truth be known, have no clue as to what is going to happen.

Stay tuned for the next example. Could happen any time. And watch for it yourself. Once you notice this and it registers, you will begin to see just how often it happens.

AT&T Plays Dumb as iPhone Romance Hits Rocks

As an iPhone user and an ATT subscriber for dsl, et al, I am very disappointed that ATT has not lived up to its side of the equation.

That's what happens when the newest technology partners with the oldest legacy systems. Whitacre must not have known anything about Apple (just like he now knows nothing about cars while chairing the GM board) and thought the power of the ATT brand would see them thru. One word:

FAIL!
About iPhone
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

I like this story. "Flippin' burgers" is now gonna be a cool job!!



That's the power a President has if he gets out in the real world. Real people, real food. (Sounds like a slogan I should trademark).
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Reminder to East Bay/SF Residents

Kevin Berne will have the second weekend of his Open Studio this coming weekend. I recommend you stop by and see his photography and maybe even pick up a print to decorate that boring wall you have somewhere in your house.

See his photos here:
http://www.kevinberne.com/

Today's Violence at Holocaust Museum

There is a lot being written about the threat of right wing extremist terrorism in this country and recent killings attest to that. A new book that covers that subject very well, and the author was just quoted this week saying that more violence by wingnuts was probable. Today's crime bore his warning out.

Oakland's Fenton Ice Cream Shop Has Role in Movie "UP."

Anyone who has seen "UP" may have missed the reference to Fentons in Oakland (I won't give anything away) so in an effort to be of assistance to people curious, I visited Fentons last week and took the following photos. The sundae was delicious. They make their own ice cream in the rear of the kitchen, complete with glass walls so you can view the process. My BLT lunch was excellent as well.



Pix taken with my iPhone

Got Roses?

We do. Hundreds of them so it seems, and they are spectacular this year. Here are a couple photos, Kay had just picked a fresh bouquet for the dinner table.. and one single rose that has my favorite colors in it, called Chicago Peace.

Solid Air Remains A Favorite Musical Group

Saw them again last night at French Garden Restaurant, Sebastopol, and enjoyed them as much as ever. Found out that you can audition their songs at CDBaby.com and buy their music there as well. They have been performing here in Sonoma county for several years now, typically at outdoor festivals (like the Forestville Youth Barbcue this weekend) and are always a crowd pleaser. I recommend that you catch them when they play in your area.

Sample CD:

Mary McCarty, Chair of George W. Bush Campaign, Sentenced to 42 Months in Prison For Corruption

Another corrupt Bush associate goes to jail. Stop the Presses!
About George Bush
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Gas Price Gouging Returns

The price of gas has gone up here in Sebastopol and environs 2-3 cents per gallon everyday of this week. We are now averaging $2.87 per gallon, while at the beginning of the week it was $2.71.
There have been no major news events that justify the traders and speculators raising the price of oil, in fact as far as I can see, the price of oil is the same today as it was Monday.

And of course the corporate media has too many shiny objects to dwell on at the moment to concentrate on the "why" of the price increases, so profiteering continues unabated.

Glad I have a new bicycle, a Trek Navigator, to use and which allows me to thumb my nose at the gas stations as I pass them by.

Book recommendation: "Incendiary" by Chris Cleave. Mother who lost husband and son in a terrorist attack in London writes a letter to Osama bin Laden detailing the affect on her life.
It's very humorous, as unlikely as that sounds, and well told original story.

And just because I haven't posted one in a while, here's another of those exciting "goats on a roof" photo:



These goats are found in Door County, Wisconsin.

Meditation Timer CD Still Available!

Yep, Kay still has copies of this one-of-a-kind product for sale, $20 includes postage, for those needing some timed meditation silence. Perfect for Yoga exercise sessions too.
Contact Kay at kbingner@pacbell.net to order.

Friday Wrap Up

New bicycles are fun to ride. Trek Navigator 3, Comfort line lives up to its claim: very comfortable to ride and gear shifts work splendidly. We rode to breakfast at the Parkside Cafe in Santa Rosa on Memorial Day, a round trip distance of about 20 miles.
Photo taken with my trusty old Coolpix 5700.





Visited Photographer buddy Kevin Berne's new studio in Oakland this week. He's gearing up for an open studio event the first two weekends in June, but took the time to give me a tour. We hope to do some lighting seminars there for wanna be video pros, or for folks who put a lot of video up on social sites and would like them to look more professional.
His site is kevinberne.com and has some great images on it. You can also get the dates for the Open Studio days.
Couple views of the studio, courtesy Kevin:

Something to think about this Memorial Day

AP released this fact today:

Your request is being processed...

US military deaths in Iraq war at 4,299

That figure does not include the suicide deaths that take place once a GI is home.

Read that figure then ask me how much I detest Cheney.

Fox Exec Takes On Nielsen

Something I have been waiting for: Murdoch taking on the only entity beyond his control and to which his empire's destiny is joined.

I wrote about this just this morning on my blog:



Mediamarv.blogspot. com



This will be a story to follow.
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Don't Trust Neilsen Ratings - Never Have, Never Will.

This has long been a mantra of mine that the ratings games is totally a guessing business, estimates that are taken as gospel, mostly by advertisers who buy into the system.

And I have long thought that Rupert Murdoch's empire was too big to kowtow to someone's elses' rules (ratings) and eventually I expect him to buy Nielsen.
Here's the first step in that process:

http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118003924.html?categoryid=14&cs=1

Pelosi Uproard in a Nutshell:

From Hannity's show yesterday, a former federal prosecutor summed up neatly why the Repubs are so desperately using Pelosi as a diversion:

"...Later, Sonny Hostin raises the really relevant point:

The issue here is that everybody knows that waterboarding is torture. And that was an approved policy. It is torture! Everyone knows that. And that was the policy of the Bush administration. Why don't we talk about that?

Yes, why aren't Repubs talking about that?

Thanks to Fire Dog Lake for the following chart
showing Democrats voted against credit card interest rate caps and the amount of money they received from the financial world:

Senator	Credit Card Interest Rate Caps	TARP I Bank Bailout Oct 2008	TARP II Bank Bailout Jan 2009	Lifetime FIRE Donations
Akaka (D-HI)	No	Yes	Yes	$551,095
Baucus (D-MT)	No	Yes	Yes	$4,633,243
Bayh (D-IN)	No	Yes	No	$3,988,480
Bingaman (D-NM)	No	Yes	Yes	$492,042
Byrd (D-WV)	No	Yes	Yes	$421,000
Cantwell (D-WA)	No	No	No	$1,828,540
Carper (D-DE)	No	Yes	Yes	$2,160,628
Hagan (D-NC)	No	N/A	Yes	$545,000
Johnson (D-SD)	No	No	Yes	$3,025,166
Kaufman (D-DE)	No	Yes	Yes	$0*
Landrieu (D-LA)	No	No	Yes	$2,388,634
Lieberman (ID-CT)	No	Yes	Yes	$9,981,924
Lincoln (D-AR)	No	Yes	No	$1,672,292
Murray (D-WA)	No	Yes	Yes	$1,394,807
Nelson (D-FL)	No	No	Yes	$2,667,406
Nelson (D-NE)	No	Yes	No	$3,058,968
Pryor (D-AR)	No	Yes	Yes	$1,322,948
Shaheen (D-NH)	No	Yes	No	$659,000
Specter (D-PA)	No	Yes	Yes	$5,757,910
Stabenow (D-MI)	No	No	Yes	$1,736,406
Tester (D-MT)	No	No	"Present" (Yes)	$473,226
Warner (D-VA)	No	Yes	Yes	$1,950,479

More Proof Gas Prices Are A Farce:

From a post on Huffington Post by Mark Williams:

(snip)

Regardless, oil prices continue to rise even though demand has hit its lowest level since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Crude inventories are at their highest levels since 1990 when Iraq invaded Kuwait.

"In my mind, this is a market that is looking for an excuse to go higher," said Phil Flynn of Alaron Trading Corp."

Supply and demand my arse. Profiteering is more like it.

Stevie Ray Vaughn Statue in Austin

Thought this was a nice tribute. South side of river. Near Threadgills.

Favorite Photoshop Photo of the Day:


El Rushbo never looked better:

See more examples of conservatives in clown face here:



http://www.flickr.com/photos/30835791@N07/sets/72157614241935013/