The Bishop and the Butterfly: Murder, Politics, and the End of the Jazz Age
    Donal's picture

    Not Forgetting the Unemployed

    By Donal on Thu, 07/21/2011 - 11:30am | Social Justice

    The Consumerist blog led me to Down But Not Out Letters, a selection of fifty letters from the six thousand sent in by unemployed persons to describe their situations. I've quoted paragraphs from a few of them below:
     

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    Social Justice
    Ramona's picture

    In Our Own Voices: Getting it Right While Blogging

    By Ramona on Mon, 07/18/2011 - 10:24am | Politics, Media
     

     Once there was a post by Simon Dumenco called, "Poor Steve Jobs Had to Go Head to Head With Weinergate in the Twitter Buzzstakes. And the Weiner Is ...."  It appeared online on June 8.  The next day The Huffington Post published a piece by Amy Lee called, "Anthony Weiner vs.

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    Politics
    Media
    Doctor Cleveland's picture

    Capitalism for Customers

    By Doctor Cleveland on Sun, 07/17/2011 - 6:09pm | Politics, Personal

    At the moment I'm in Prague for a conference. It's my first time back in almost two decades, since just after the Wall fell and the Czechs broke up with the Slovaks. I used to walk around this place with old Czechoslovak bills, still in circulation, which had been stamped in one corner with a "C" (or an "S") to indicate whether these were now Czech or Slovak crowns.

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    Politics
    Personal
    Donal's picture

    Peak Debt

    By Donal on Sun, 07/17/2011 - 9:56am | Politics

    We're seeing the most visible opposition to raising the debt ceiling from Republicans and the Tea Party. Some few old-style conservatives may actually believe in fiscal responsibility, but movement conservatives - who have reflexively voted for increases under previous administrations - are now exploiting the issue to appease the Tea Party and to obstruct Obama. 

     
    For very different reasons, many voices in the Energy Depletion community are also very much against raising the debt limit. Briefly, they feel that increased spending can only be supported by continued growth, and that continued growth can't be supported now that we are past the peak of oil, and probably closer to the peak of natural gas and coal than most people realize.
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    Politics
    Donal's picture

    For and Against Rail

    By Donal on Sat, 07/16/2011 - 5:59pm | Technology

     
    I am in favor of a better, more extensive rail system, but I wonder if high-speed rail is cost effective and what we really need. As if to read my mind, The Infrastructurist features a four part series, For and Against High-Speed Rail, each with a con and pro position. 
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    Technology
    Donal's picture

    American Meat docufilm

    By Donal on Fri, 07/15/2011 - 9:05pm | Food & Drink

    Above is a summary of the soon-to-be-released documentary American Meat.

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    Food & Drink
    Michael Maiello's picture

    Ending The "Bush Tax Cuts"

    By Michael Maiello on Fri, 07/15/2011 - 4:28pm | Politics

    I used to think that the most lasting effects that a President can have on the country are his appointments to the federal courts.  But George W. Bush has changed my mind about that.  If you really want to have a lasting voice in the national conversation, just put your name on a big, fundamental piece of legislation and make it sunset after you're out of office.  The "Bush Tax Cuts," designed from the start to expire after Bush's two terms were, were a devious trap, set to explode in the face of the next president, preferably a Democrat.

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    Politics
    Donal's picture

    David Brooks' Last Aid

    By Donal on Fri, 07/15/2011 - 11:05am | Social Justice



    I've mentioned National Lampoon's 1973 Last Aid parody before, but I didn't expect anyone to take it seriously.

    Topics: 
    Social Justice
    Ramona's picture

    FRIDAY FOLLIES: The Arresting truth about Orlando Cops, Vegetables, Bachmann, and the Sublime Ruby Bridges

    By Ramona on Fri, 07/15/2011 - 10:32am | Politics, Humor & Satire
     

    I guess you've heard that the Orlando police have been busy arresting people from Orlando Food, not Bombs who have been busy feeding the hungry and the homeless in the city's public parks.  That was a big story in itself, but the even bigger story was that, among the protesters, there was one lone supporter of the police.  He prefers to remain anonymous, but he's pretty clear about why he's s

    Topics: 
    Politics
    Humor & Satire
    Series: 
    Friday Follies
    Donal's picture

    2012 Prius Plug In Prototype

    By Donal on Thu, 07/14/2011 - 8:53pm | Technology

    Alex from TTAC in a very informative video about a plugin Prius with very impressive fuel efficiency.

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    Technology

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