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Of interest, but a long read for those who want to go through it - the story of one hospital when Katrina hit, the power failed, the backups failed, and the decisions made by the staff there involving the life and death of the patients.
Out in the world today, a juxtaposition, courtesy of![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
quicknews - The United States is definitely on its way out of Iraq, just as Iraqi civilians deaths are their highest since April. One might think someone was trying to make a point. At least the article makes the point that even these high numbers are far lower than what they were when things were in all-out civil strife mode.
United Nations staffers are not safe in several locales, despite rising threats against them, according to the security chief for the organization.
Perhaps our Canadian correspondents can confirm this, but Reuters indicates the Liberals of Canada will no longer support the Conservatives, which says to me there will be an election triggered in the near future. Confirm?
Domestically, The Washington Times misses the point, headlining "The decision to restrict lobbyists from TARP was a political move!", when the really interesting part is "TARP's rules and bookkeeping are so secret we can't confirm what they're worth, who's been talking, or anything like that, and there have been no real lobbyist-curbing rules enacted". Definitely a call against the administration, but for transparency and lack of follow-through, not just politics.
The "Oh, you're kidding" department looks askance on at rumors that Cheney in 2012 might be more than just rumors. Which probably says more about the state of the GOP than it does any seriousness on Cheney's part for the big office.
Ben And Jerry's supports a new law in Vermont legalizing marriage between homosxuals by renaming their Chubby Hubby to Hubby Hubby for a limited time.
The General informs us that one of Sanford's staffers may have outdone even a hike on the Ol' Appalachian Trail, with smut-writing and at least one anecdotal proposition, with unbuttoned blouse, hiked skirt, and translucent underwear coming from the abstinence-curriculum homeschooling board of education director. She, however, unlike the governor, has resigned her position.
The polls continue to reflect reality - because he can't get anything done on big issues at the moment, the President's popularity is dropping.
In opinions, the WSJ returns to something that's been out of the news cycle for a while - their continued insistence that Iran must be stopped from obtaining nuclear energy so as to prevent them from getting nuclear weapons, with the foregone conclusion that if nobody from the UN or the West will stop them, Israel has the right to bomb Iran first and stop them, and then the Obama administration will have to deal with the consequences of that action. Mr. Bolton is certain no sanctions, even on gasoline, will stop Iran from continuing on its path, not that there would be a united front sacntioning them anyway, and says the real questions we have to deal with is whether we accept a nuclear Iran or bomb them back into the ground to stop them.
The WSj pens an unsigned giving the hairy eyeball to Florida Governor Charlie Crist's appointment of a "mini-me" to the vacant Senate seat in Florida, instead of a republican who might actually survive a challenge.
Mr. Brandston rails against the coming of the CFL, saying that an energy policy is trumping the actual asthetic qualities of lighting and light fixtures. For some people, CFLs won't work, it's true, but for the majority of us, they will, and I prefer longer-lasting light bulbs that don't get really hot.
Engaging in perhaps a little too much honesty in a sea of verbal sleight-of-hand, Ms. O'Grady attacks the United States position on Honduras, but undercuts her own arguments with a little well-placed information. Namely, "To recap, the Honduran military in June executed a Supreme Court arrest warrant against Mr. Zelaya for trying to hold a referendum on whether he should be able to run for a second term. Article 239 of the Honduran constitution states that any president who tries for a second term automatically loses the privilege of his office." If that's an accurate summary, then Mr. Zelaya did not violate the constitution. He was going to hold a vote on whether or not to change the Constitution to allow for someone to run for a second term, of which he would be the beneficiary of. He was not engaging in a run for a second term of office, which he could not legally do until after a referendum allowing him to do so passed. "By insisting that Mr. Zelaya be returned to power, the U.S. is trying to force Honduras to violate its own constitution", concludes Ms. O'Grady, but that's not true. What the U.S. is doing is insisting the rightful President be returned to office so his legal referendum can be voted on - the arrest and deposition was premature. If the referendum failed and Mr. Zelaya ran for another term, then this would be no problem. If the summary is right, then the U.S. is right, too - Mr. Zelaya should be in power and his referendum should be voted on. Assuming Honduras intends on staying a democracy, that is.
Rasmussen spews data, starting with the desire of more than half the American populace to re-elect a completely new Congress, and going from there into voters proclaiming they know the health care bill better than the Congresscritters, trust their own economic judgment more than the Critters, and have remarkably cynical views of the politicians they have elected. Despite this, they tend to re-elect their Critters, because they like the one they've got, but think all the other ones have to go. Congress is a massive SEP field. Who knew?
Having a best persons tonight, instead of a worst - Messrs. Johnson and Kwak lay out the case that we can afford universal health insurance for all, pointing out that the costs do not simpmly vanish into the aether, but are instead part of the economy like all other spending, as well as the things that are likely to make us hurt for borrowing and insolvent in the future are... run awat health care costs. Thus, a public-option plan could very well impose the fiscal discipline necessary to control those costs and prevent them from chewing up the rest of our GDP.
In technology, experiments concluding mobile phone radiation can contribute to colony collapse, another example of science fiction repidly turning into science fact - serious research into contact lenses that will display information using your eyes as the HUD, although probably not as sophisticated as the Torchwood variety, chips in development that should be able to bridge nervous system gaps and injuries that cause paralysis, and why the idea of sentient AI is dangerous, but also why we're not likely to hit that point.
Last for tonight, the pieces of the past in a setting of the future - orbs above the world below.
Out in the world today, a juxtaposition, courtesy of
quicknews - The United States is definitely on its way out of Iraq, just as Iraqi civilians deaths are their highest since April. One might think someone was trying to make a point. At least the article makes the point that even these high numbers are far lower than what they were when things were in all-out civil strife mode.United Nations staffers are not safe in several locales, despite rising threats against them, according to the security chief for the organization.
Perhaps our Canadian correspondents can confirm this, but Reuters indicates the Liberals of Canada will no longer support the Conservatives, which says to me there will be an election triggered in the near future. Confirm?
Domestically, The Washington Times misses the point, headlining "The decision to restrict lobbyists from TARP was a political move!", when the really interesting part is "TARP's rules and bookkeeping are so secret we can't confirm what they're worth, who's been talking, or anything like that, and there have been no real lobbyist-curbing rules enacted". Definitely a call against the administration, but for transparency and lack of follow-through, not just politics.
The "Oh, you're kidding" department looks askance on at rumors that Cheney in 2012 might be more than just rumors. Which probably says more about the state of the GOP than it does any seriousness on Cheney's part for the big office.
Ben And Jerry's supports a new law in Vermont legalizing marriage between homosxuals by renaming their Chubby Hubby to Hubby Hubby for a limited time.
The General informs us that one of Sanford's staffers may have outdone even a hike on the Ol' Appalachian Trail, with smut-writing and at least one anecdotal proposition, with unbuttoned blouse, hiked skirt, and translucent underwear coming from the abstinence-curriculum homeschooling board of education director. She, however, unlike the governor, has resigned her position.
The polls continue to reflect reality - because he can't get anything done on big issues at the moment, the President's popularity is dropping.
In opinions, the WSJ returns to something that's been out of the news cycle for a while - their continued insistence that Iran must be stopped from obtaining nuclear energy so as to prevent them from getting nuclear weapons, with the foregone conclusion that if nobody from the UN or the West will stop them, Israel has the right to bomb Iran first and stop them, and then the Obama administration will have to deal with the consequences of that action. Mr. Bolton is certain no sanctions, even on gasoline, will stop Iran from continuing on its path, not that there would be a united front sacntioning them anyway, and says the real questions we have to deal with is whether we accept a nuclear Iran or bomb them back into the ground to stop them.
The WSj pens an unsigned giving the hairy eyeball to Florida Governor Charlie Crist's appointment of a "mini-me" to the vacant Senate seat in Florida, instead of a republican who might actually survive a challenge.
Mr. Brandston rails against the coming of the CFL, saying that an energy policy is trumping the actual asthetic qualities of lighting and light fixtures. For some people, CFLs won't work, it's true, but for the majority of us, they will, and I prefer longer-lasting light bulbs that don't get really hot.
Engaging in perhaps a little too much honesty in a sea of verbal sleight-of-hand, Ms. O'Grady attacks the United States position on Honduras, but undercuts her own arguments with a little well-placed information. Namely, "To recap, the Honduran military in June executed a Supreme Court arrest warrant against Mr. Zelaya for trying to hold a referendum on whether he should be able to run for a second term. Article 239 of the Honduran constitution states that any president who tries for a second term automatically loses the privilege of his office." If that's an accurate summary, then Mr. Zelaya did not violate the constitution. He was going to hold a vote on whether or not to change the Constitution to allow for someone to run for a second term, of which he would be the beneficiary of. He was not engaging in a run for a second term of office, which he could not legally do until after a referendum allowing him to do so passed. "By insisting that Mr. Zelaya be returned to power, the U.S. is trying to force Honduras to violate its own constitution", concludes Ms. O'Grady, but that's not true. What the U.S. is doing is insisting the rightful President be returned to office so his legal referendum can be voted on - the arrest and deposition was premature. If the referendum failed and Mr. Zelaya ran for another term, then this would be no problem. If the summary is right, then the U.S. is right, too - Mr. Zelaya should be in power and his referendum should be voted on. Assuming Honduras intends on staying a democracy, that is.
Rasmussen spews data, starting with the desire of more than half the American populace to re-elect a completely new Congress, and going from there into voters proclaiming they know the health care bill better than the Congresscritters, trust their own economic judgment more than the Critters, and have remarkably cynical views of the politicians they have elected. Despite this, they tend to re-elect their Critters, because they like the one they've got, but think all the other ones have to go. Congress is a massive SEP field. Who knew?
Having a best persons tonight, instead of a worst - Messrs. Johnson and Kwak lay out the case that we can afford universal health insurance for all, pointing out that the costs do not simpmly vanish into the aether, but are instead part of the economy like all other spending, as well as the things that are likely to make us hurt for borrowing and insolvent in the future are... run awat health care costs. Thus, a public-option plan could very well impose the fiscal discipline necessary to control those costs and prevent them from chewing up the rest of our GDP.
In technology, experiments concluding mobile phone radiation can contribute to colony collapse, another example of science fiction repidly turning into science fact - serious research into contact lenses that will display information using your eyes as the HUD, although probably not as sophisticated as the Torchwood variety, chips in development that should be able to bridge nervous system gaps and injuries that cause paralysis, and why the idea of sentient AI is dangerous, but also why we're not likely to hit that point.
Last for tonight, the pieces of the past in a setting of the future - orbs above the world below.
