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Good morning, do-it-yourself rockers! Enjoy a guide, released under Creative Commons and then loved enough that it got a print deal, about how to make your indie band a successful venture.
Second, whenever you want to say or hear "Argh! They just don't get it!", remember and ask a few questions - namely, "Who are They?", and "What is It?". It might help get some understanding. Or it might help you see the person writing the article is trying to just tear down his opponents without providing sane reasons why they should come down.
Third, a fascinating confession from a paid paper-writer, leveling an accusatory finger at how the education system is set up that allows him to thrive, pass undetected, and to have made plenty of money while he was at it. Because they care more about grading someone than they do about educating them and making sure they've actually learned something.
Finally, an essay on the implications of making a choice, and the reasons why the choice is worth examining away from the trappings or fetishizations of the violence surrounding, and sometimes attempting to destroy, that choice. Take that context and then apply it, perhaps to the first recipient of the Medal of Honor, the highest military honor bestowable by the United States, that has been alive to hear of his actions in nearly 40 years, complete with glowing praise for his valor in combat to rescue downed comrades in the middle of a firefight.
Out in the world today, Israel claims they've been offered 20 F-35 jets by the United States in an attempt to restart peace talks and freezes on settlements. Elsewhere, the prospects of a reduction in nuclear arms treaty, the New START, fade as more Republicans voice their opposition. Because it's not like we can't destroy Terra thousands of times over, we have to make sure we can do it better and faster than someone else. At least, that's the only reason why I can fathom someone would want to kill the treaty (although they do also frown upon the promises being made that aren't yet in the budget).
The question of Omar Khadr and how much he did or did not do, and how he was treated by the United States government may be a thorn in the sides of both the United States and Canada for years to come.
Domestically, the TSA's clownish antics have security experts looking to the way that Israel operates its airports - maximal security, minimal intrustion - for better ways of stopping threats that don't involve sexual harrassment. Locally, we're finding out that the naked pictures machine is here through the grace of the former DHS head, who turned a client into a vendor into the pr0n machines. Yet another example of the revolving door - and this one made it so that people have to choose between having their organs groped or being photographed nude.
Phelps gets beat at his own game - a mass action appeared to prevent the Westboro Baptist church from protesting a soldier's funeral. Once they saw what had happened, the WBC left.
In economics, is the following happening in your area - municipalities competing with each other to attract businesses, using tax incentives as a lure to draw them elsewhere, playing a zero-sum game where the increased revenues in taxes are being offset by the bribes needed to bring and keep those businesses there?
The current problem with banks foreclosing on homeowners without proper paperwork may be headed toward settlement that would give the wronged parties pittances and let the banks continue their practices, slightly modified.
On politics, the liberals want the Democratic president to show some liberal cred and get tough on his opponents, instead of continuing to preach the doctrine of compromise and giving in to the conservatives. Had they elected a liberal, they wouldn't have had this problem. But they elected a centrist, who did not make it a secret about his centrism, and then tried to pull him into being a liberal. For as much as conservative commentators talk about the "arrogance" and "delusion" of Nancy Pelosi and Congressional Democrats, as well as claiming conservatives want Nancy Pelosi to stay in a leadership position so she can continue to pull the Democrats leftward into obscurity and their apparent lack of decorum after being beaten in the elections, the fact remains that the agends that was being delayed and filibustered at just about every turn was actually liberal in nature. So now the question is whether the lame duck gets a spine or rolls over and deludes itself into thinking that giving Republicans everything they want is somehow compromising with them.
On the other side, an incoming Republican member of the House of Representatives was angry that his federal health benefits would not be immediately available to him when he is sworn in on January 3. The kicker? This particular GOP frosh won his seat running on the "government health care is inefficient and must be repealed" platform. Furthermore, did we mention that even as the people that elected them continued to get poorer, members of Congress got richer over the last two years? In fact, right now, one in eight households are having trouble with hunger or getting enough food to ear. Hrm. Yet the rich get richer...
Expect to hear some talking head chatter after Californis's Supreme Court held that in-state tuition rates based on attendance and graduation from California high schools did not conflict with federal prohibitions on giving the undocumented benefits based on their residency. So, the headline is what people will see and think - "California gives in-state tuition benefits to illegal immigrants" even though that's not the whole of the argument at all.
Similarly, chatter should be vibrant after Representative Charles Rangel was convicted on 11 of 13 rules violations brought before the House Ethics Committee.
Finally, Mr. Koppel's column lamenting the demise of the unbiased, non-profit-driven netowrk news reporter to the cable news talking heads and instant gratification is...off, shall we say. Not to mention that one of the people named as being responsible notes that while objectivity was important, it was those times when news anchors tossed objectivity to the wind in favor of reporting the truth that they became the important and well-regarded figures they rightly should be, and that the most recent failure of journalism is when they reported "facts" on the Iraq War, when the truth was right there for them to see. Even now, when covering the memorial library devoted to that presidency, and the routinely fawning coverage he receives for his recent book, one notes that what was said is that history will vindicate Mr. Bush - likely because the journalists of his time didn't report on all the things he did that were incredible or illegal. One might consider all of this an outgrowth of the purge instigated by the HUAC that had an extra effect of removing the liberals from the academic environment and allowing the corporations to control the vocabulary and declare certain words taboo.
In sciences and technologies, bacteria are being programmed to solve puzzles like Sudoku, although they're not quite up to the 9x9 grid, yet. They're also being used to organically fill in the cracks in concrete.
Looking into the skies, one of the telescopes may have picked up a structure that dates to the eruption of the black hole at the center of the Milky Way.
And down in the seas, a scientist thinks that seaborne terror attacks by divers could be repelled by amplifying the sound of the diver's own breathing back at them to uncomfortable levels.
Into opinions, where Mr. Cutler laments a bad thing about early voting and mailed absentee ballots - third-party candidates that make a late charge may find themselves sunk because the ballots have already been sent in. He would prefer to see more people voting on the day itself rather than going in early. I don't know if all the people mailing in early are like the one he opens his piece with, who apparently change their mind after talking to him, but I'd wager some percentage of the early voters were already convinced by the time they put in the ballot, and there wasn't going to be anyone that could change their minds.
Messrs. Schoen and Caddell say that the only way to get anything done in the next two years is for President Obama to say he's not seeking re-eelction now, as it will be the only way he can forge the bipartisanship he seeks and to be seen as going above crass politics. Messrs. Schoen and Caddell also apparently believe that the Republicans, freed from the burden of having to campaign against Obama to get him out of office, will suddenly be willing to work with Democrats, none of whom have actually said they will abandon their seats in 2012. No, the gridlock they say can be avoided by an Obama abdication will persist with or without him seeking re-election. It would only remove a target to shoot at for a year or so.
Mr. Carroll blames President Obama for his weak showing at the G-20 meeting, claiming that not only did he have poor execution, the policies he was trying to get passed were also weak and doomed to failure, because the President Hates Free Trade.
Mr. Williams thinks the best way to control government spending is to pass a Constitutional amendment limiting spending to a certain percentage of GDP. And to show him why he's probably not going to do so well on that proposal, I present the State of Washington, who routinely pass spending-type amendments like these and then compain when their government is mysteriously underfunded to provide proper services to their residents. Mr. Sowell voices his displeasure witht he defecit commission by claiming that such things are always set up to provide cover after the fact, instead of being set up before politicians run up the debt score. His solution to bringing in more income for the government is to lower the tax rates, because lower tax rattes encourage more people to be honeset about their income and actually pay their taxes, instead of sheltering them and hiding them. Which suggests the right solution to the lack-of-income problem is not necessarily lower tax rates, but less shelters, loopholes, and ways to evade paying taxes owed. Additionally, one can argue over spending cuts to make up the gap, but income and expenditures are both related when it comes to debt and deficit reduction.
Elsewhere, Mr. Trzupek believes the ACLU and the CCR's insistence that Anwar al-Awlaki should be subject to United States courts, based on his birthplace in New Mexico is aiding and abetting a known terrorist, and that the organizations have clearly drifted from their original purpose to be defending such a monster. What I don't see him doing is pointing out what should be fairly obvious - if Mr. al-Awlaki properly renounced his United States citizenship, then United States courts have no jurisdiction over him. But if that hasn't happened, then he can be captured and tried like any other United States citizen, with the proper rights associated with this. So, Mr. Trzupek, clarify his citizenship status, then talk about whether the issues are on or off point.
And last for tonight, a reminder in Arizona to not drink the toilet water. I'm guessing this is there because enough people have, and have gotten sick, that they need this. Or perhaps because they think the idea of remaking the Wizard of Oz is a good one and thus cannot be trusted to exercise good judgment.
Second, whenever you want to say or hear "Argh! They just don't get it!", remember and ask a few questions - namely, "Who are They?", and "What is It?". It might help get some understanding. Or it might help you see the person writing the article is trying to just tear down his opponents without providing sane reasons why they should come down.
Third, a fascinating confession from a paid paper-writer, leveling an accusatory finger at how the education system is set up that allows him to thrive, pass undetected, and to have made plenty of money while he was at it. Because they care more about grading someone than they do about educating them and making sure they've actually learned something.
Finally, an essay on the implications of making a choice, and the reasons why the choice is worth examining away from the trappings or fetishizations of the violence surrounding, and sometimes attempting to destroy, that choice. Take that context and then apply it, perhaps to the first recipient of the Medal of Honor, the highest military honor bestowable by the United States, that has been alive to hear of his actions in nearly 40 years, complete with glowing praise for his valor in combat to rescue downed comrades in the middle of a firefight.
Out in the world today, Israel claims they've been offered 20 F-35 jets by the United States in an attempt to restart peace talks and freezes on settlements. Elsewhere, the prospects of a reduction in nuclear arms treaty, the New START, fade as more Republicans voice their opposition. Because it's not like we can't destroy Terra thousands of times over, we have to make sure we can do it better and faster than someone else. At least, that's the only reason why I can fathom someone would want to kill the treaty (although they do also frown upon the promises being made that aren't yet in the budget).
The question of Omar Khadr and how much he did or did not do, and how he was treated by the United States government may be a thorn in the sides of both the United States and Canada for years to come.
Domestically, the TSA's clownish antics have security experts looking to the way that Israel operates its airports - maximal security, minimal intrustion - for better ways of stopping threats that don't involve sexual harrassment. Locally, we're finding out that the naked pictures machine is here through the grace of the former DHS head, who turned a client into a vendor into the pr0n machines. Yet another example of the revolving door - and this one made it so that people have to choose between having their organs groped or being photographed nude.
Phelps gets beat at his own game - a mass action appeared to prevent the Westboro Baptist church from protesting a soldier's funeral. Once they saw what had happened, the WBC left.
In economics, is the following happening in your area - municipalities competing with each other to attract businesses, using tax incentives as a lure to draw them elsewhere, playing a zero-sum game where the increased revenues in taxes are being offset by the bribes needed to bring and keep those businesses there?
The current problem with banks foreclosing on homeowners without proper paperwork may be headed toward settlement that would give the wronged parties pittances and let the banks continue their practices, slightly modified.
On politics, the liberals want the Democratic president to show some liberal cred and get tough on his opponents, instead of continuing to preach the doctrine of compromise and giving in to the conservatives. Had they elected a liberal, they wouldn't have had this problem. But they elected a centrist, who did not make it a secret about his centrism, and then tried to pull him into being a liberal. For as much as conservative commentators talk about the "arrogance" and "delusion" of Nancy Pelosi and Congressional Democrats, as well as claiming conservatives want Nancy Pelosi to stay in a leadership position so she can continue to pull the Democrats leftward into obscurity and their apparent lack of decorum after being beaten in the elections, the fact remains that the agends that was being delayed and filibustered at just about every turn was actually liberal in nature. So now the question is whether the lame duck gets a spine or rolls over and deludes itself into thinking that giving Republicans everything they want is somehow compromising with them.
On the other side, an incoming Republican member of the House of Representatives was angry that his federal health benefits would not be immediately available to him when he is sworn in on January 3. The kicker? This particular GOP frosh won his seat running on the "government health care is inefficient and must be repealed" platform. Furthermore, did we mention that even as the people that elected them continued to get poorer, members of Congress got richer over the last two years? In fact, right now, one in eight households are having trouble with hunger or getting enough food to ear. Hrm. Yet the rich get richer...
Expect to hear some talking head chatter after Californis's Supreme Court held that in-state tuition rates based on attendance and graduation from California high schools did not conflict with federal prohibitions on giving the undocumented benefits based on their residency. So, the headline is what people will see and think - "California gives in-state tuition benefits to illegal immigrants" even though that's not the whole of the argument at all.
Similarly, chatter should be vibrant after Representative Charles Rangel was convicted on 11 of 13 rules violations brought before the House Ethics Committee.
Finally, Mr. Koppel's column lamenting the demise of the unbiased, non-profit-driven netowrk news reporter to the cable news talking heads and instant gratification is...off, shall we say. Not to mention that one of the people named as being responsible notes that while objectivity was important, it was those times when news anchors tossed objectivity to the wind in favor of reporting the truth that they became the important and well-regarded figures they rightly should be, and that the most recent failure of journalism is when they reported "facts" on the Iraq War, when the truth was right there for them to see. Even now, when covering the memorial library devoted to that presidency, and the routinely fawning coverage he receives for his recent book, one notes that what was said is that history will vindicate Mr. Bush - likely because the journalists of his time didn't report on all the things he did that were incredible or illegal. One might consider all of this an outgrowth of the purge instigated by the HUAC that had an extra effect of removing the liberals from the academic environment and allowing the corporations to control the vocabulary and declare certain words taboo.
In sciences and technologies, bacteria are being programmed to solve puzzles like Sudoku, although they're not quite up to the 9x9 grid, yet. They're also being used to organically fill in the cracks in concrete.
Looking into the skies, one of the telescopes may have picked up a structure that dates to the eruption of the black hole at the center of the Milky Way.
And down in the seas, a scientist thinks that seaborne terror attacks by divers could be repelled by amplifying the sound of the diver's own breathing back at them to uncomfortable levels.
Into opinions, where Mr. Cutler laments a bad thing about early voting and mailed absentee ballots - third-party candidates that make a late charge may find themselves sunk because the ballots have already been sent in. He would prefer to see more people voting on the day itself rather than going in early. I don't know if all the people mailing in early are like the one he opens his piece with, who apparently change their mind after talking to him, but I'd wager some percentage of the early voters were already convinced by the time they put in the ballot, and there wasn't going to be anyone that could change their minds.
Messrs. Schoen and Caddell say that the only way to get anything done in the next two years is for President Obama to say he's not seeking re-eelction now, as it will be the only way he can forge the bipartisanship he seeks and to be seen as going above crass politics. Messrs. Schoen and Caddell also apparently believe that the Republicans, freed from the burden of having to campaign against Obama to get him out of office, will suddenly be willing to work with Democrats, none of whom have actually said they will abandon their seats in 2012. No, the gridlock they say can be avoided by an Obama abdication will persist with or without him seeking re-election. It would only remove a target to shoot at for a year or so.
Mr. Carroll blames President Obama for his weak showing at the G-20 meeting, claiming that not only did he have poor execution, the policies he was trying to get passed were also weak and doomed to failure, because the President Hates Free Trade.
Mr. Williams thinks the best way to control government spending is to pass a Constitutional amendment limiting spending to a certain percentage of GDP. And to show him why he's probably not going to do so well on that proposal, I present the State of Washington, who routinely pass spending-type amendments like these and then compain when their government is mysteriously underfunded to provide proper services to their residents. Mr. Sowell voices his displeasure witht he defecit commission by claiming that such things are always set up to provide cover after the fact, instead of being set up before politicians run up the debt score. His solution to bringing in more income for the government is to lower the tax rates, because lower tax rattes encourage more people to be honeset about their income and actually pay their taxes, instead of sheltering them and hiding them. Which suggests the right solution to the lack-of-income problem is not necessarily lower tax rates, but less shelters, loopholes, and ways to evade paying taxes owed. Additionally, one can argue over spending cuts to make up the gap, but income and expenditures are both related when it comes to debt and deficit reduction.
Elsewhere, Mr. Trzupek believes the ACLU and the CCR's insistence that Anwar al-Awlaki should be subject to United States courts, based on his birthplace in New Mexico is aiding and abetting a known terrorist, and that the organizations have clearly drifted from their original purpose to be defending such a monster. What I don't see him doing is pointing out what should be fairly obvious - if Mr. al-Awlaki properly renounced his United States citizenship, then United States courts have no jurisdiction over him. But if that hasn't happened, then he can be captured and tried like any other United States citizen, with the proper rights associated with this. So, Mr. Trzupek, clarify his citizenship status, then talk about whether the issues are on or off point.
And last for tonight, a reminder in Arizona to not drink the toilet water. I'm guessing this is there because enough people have, and have gotten sick, that they need this. Or perhaps because they think the idea of remaking the Wizard of Oz is a good one and thus cannot be trusted to exercise good judgment.
