Ramona's picture

    Happy Birthday, Helen Thomas. Oh, and You Too, Mr. Prez

    By Ramona on Thu, 08/06/2009 - 1:26am |
    I loved watching, one by one, all of those powerful Leaders of the Western World trying to suppress a sigh, wishing they could make light of this little woman's questions, but having the decency to honor the long-held Helen Thomas protocol by answering thoughtfully-- like grown-ups. Then George W. Bush took over the White House. Helen was moved to the rear of the bus, and my heart sank.
    Richard Day's picture

    Wyeth Oh Wyeth HAST THOU FORSAKEN ME?

    By Richard Day on Wed, 08/05/2009 - 9:38pm |
      Here is one more example of how badly the pharmaceutical companies need to be reined in. The New York Times is reporting that Wyeth hired ghostwriters to pen 26 articles that endorsed the use hormone therapy in women,...

    RIPPER'S DC TRIP, Pt. 1: On a mission from God ...

    By Ripper on Wed, 08/05/2009 - 5:11pm |
    From left: Jason, Gumbun and sweaty old me mugging like a doofusPREFACEI'm indebted to many sincere and capable people here who put their money where their mouth is when Congress began stumbling over health care reform. Scores of TPM...
    Richard Day's picture

    DEPRESSION

    By Richard Day on Tue, 08/04/2009 - 9:45pm |
    LIMBAUGH: "But Rush, why would somebody want to harm America?" Because he doesn't like it. He thinks it's unjust and immoral and unfair. The people that have wealth in this country have come by it ways that he thinks...
    amike's picture

    Happy Birthday Dear Barack and Helen and Jordann-n-n-n

    By amike on Tue, 08/04/2009 - 9:44pm |
    Just because somebody should, and nobody has, I  will.Didn't know it was Jason's birthday when I posted this, but better late than never. President Barack Obama knows that sharing is caring.The president turned 48 today, but he brought cupcakes for...
    we are stardust's picture

    Happy birthday to our son, Jordan; to the President, and Helen Thomas.

    By we are stardust on Tue, 08/04/2009 - 9:29pm |
    They are of the astrological sign Leo; The Lion, the independent, the proud (sometimes too proud), the showman, the slow-to-burn with anger. Our son is half-black, half- Aztec, his birth mother from Old Mexico, born across the border in El...
    stillidealistic's picture

    Take A Moment Away From The Yucky Stuff

    By stillidealistic on Tue, 08/04/2009 - 4:10pm |
    I found this in my in-box this morning. I've seen it before in several different forms, and have always thought it was a sweet story, but for some reason, today it hit me as something that I wanted to...
    amike's picture

    Stuck WITH you, NPR :-(

    By amike on Tue, 08/04/2009 - 11:40am |
    This is not the kind of post I like to write, as those of you who read my stuff probably know.  No pix, no vids, no quasi-philosophical musings.  But NPR has done it again, and I'm back in the quandary...
    Richard Day's picture

    MARGARET & HELLEN: GHOSTBUSTERS

    By Richard Day on Mon, 08/03/2009 - 9:36pm |
    I was kind of lost today. But you know I am not the only one to have focus problems: The fearless Clark Hoyt, public editor of The New York Times, casts a rather disapproving eye against his own paper...
    amike's picture

    Ready, Aim, Sing!!!

    By amike on Mon, 08/03/2009 - 3:17pm |
    I'm back in the office today, still packing up for the move to new digs across campus.  UGH!  But I had a marvelous weekend at the Newport Folk Festival...(nobody calls it by its new "official' name)...the 50th Anniversary Year.  You...
    we are stardust's picture

    Newly minted pennies to celebrate Lincoln's 200th birthday out today. Kill the penney instead!

    By we are stardust on Mon, 08/03/2009 - 10:03am |
    A penny today costs between 1.4 and 1.7 cents to mint.  The coin is largely zinc now, the mining of which  causes great environmental degradation.  Billions (4.6 billion, I think) are minted each year, but most are stashed in jars and...

    RIPPER'S DC TRIP: First Thoughts

    By Ripper on Sun, 08/02/2009 - 6:54pm |
    First, thanks to all who contributed to send Gumbun and me to the Healthcare Now! single payer rally last week. Special thanks to Gumbun for standing up so tall for this issue and to Jason for going above and beyond...
    SleepinJeezus's picture

    "Stop the Bleeding!" First a Cure, then Recovery for Health Care System

    By SleepinJeezus on Sun, 08/02/2009 - 3:15pm |
    The fact that most other industrialized countries are spending 50% less and receiving better care would seem to indicate that there is a structural failure in our health care system. Wild guess here, but I'm betting that a "health INSURANCE...
    Ramona's picture

    My Words on Bill Moyers' Lips - I'm Speechless

    By Ramona on Sun, 08/02/2009 - 1:38pm |
    (So there's no confusion about the way it's worded, this is a cross-post of my original blog at Ramona's Voices.) I missed Bill Moyers Journal on Friday night, and I was away from home all day yesterday until about 8...
    Richard Day's picture

    Cannot we all just take five minutes and wish the other person well.

    By Richard Day on Sun, 08/02/2009 - 5:25am |
    Over the last year, only one person has indicated to me that they would rather I not quote them or cite them in any of my blogs or comments.  Amazing that so many people have no self respect!!!  ...
    stillidealistic's picture

    Obesity in America - a personal story

    By stillidealistic on Sat, 08/01/2009 - 4:03pm |
    Yep, I'm obese. It's such an ugly word. It's hard for me to write it. I prefer overweight, but by definition, since I weigh more than 20% more than I should, obese is the correct term. At 5' 3" I...
    Richard Day's picture

    SATAN NEVER SLEEPS

    By Richard Day on Fri, 07/31/2009 - 11:06pm |
    Titles: Satan Never SleepsIf you recall Clifton Webb and William Holden are priests attempting to spread Christian Truths to the Chinese Barbarians in 1949 China while Holden battles his...er...manhood.Now you might ask, what has this to do with anything?...
    amike's picture

    "It's All in the Wrist" a new Health Care Advocate Strategy

    By amike on Fri, 07/31/2009 - 3:37pm |
    As we've been reminded over and over, our representatives are going to be "checking the temperature" in their constituencies back home during the August Recess.  If your state is anything like my birth state (I am an American Citizen, honest),...
    stillidealistic's picture

    Are we sure there was a single pay rally???

    By stillidealistic on Fri, 07/31/2009 - 1:05pm |
    Did I miss something? Did anyone see anything on msm indicating there was a single pay rally yesterday? There's not even anything on the TPM front page is there? What is up with that?***Edit:  If you have seen or heard...
    Richard Day's picture

    FANNING THE FLAMES OF POPULIST IRE

    By Richard Day on Thu, 07/30/2009 - 9:13pm |
    The storming of the Winter Palace, St Petersburg, Russian I would tell you to take the following with a grain of salt. I am out of tobacco for the next 36 hours and it has been a little blue...
    we are stardust's picture

    First the "Birthers," now the "Deathers." Seriously.

    By we are stardust on Thu, 07/30/2009 - 12:12pm |
    Here is an editorial from yesterday's Washington Times explaining how "Obama's" health plan equals euthanasia.  It is evil to scare so many old people this way.  Obama even got the question at a health care event on Wednesday. Thank you,...
    Richard Day's picture

    Chinese Checkers

    By Richard Day on Wed, 07/29/2009 - 10:31pm |
    Between 1947 and 1967, this was a somewhat accurate image, as the distribution of income made the population look more and more like a bell curve with each passing year. Yet since 1967, this story has reversed course. For...

    Honduras, Myth vs. Reality - a challenge to journalists.

    By kgb999 on Wed, 07/29/2009 - 10:00pm |
    Not since the Iraq war have so many journalists written so many stories based on facts that simply don't add up. From Fox news to our own TPM, assertions are being presented about the Honduran situation as fact that can...
    we are stardust's picture

    Deep thought: Will Rep. Thaddeus McCotter (R-Mich) now offer a bill that Sergeant Crowley needs to offer an apology to Lucia Whalen?

    By we are stardust on Wed, 07/29/2009 - 6:48pm |
    McCotter wants there to be checks and balances in the Gate-gate affair, and wants the President to apologize to Crowley.  He scolded the President for not having his fact-ducks in a row before he castigated Officer Crowley and maligned the Cambridge...
    wws's picture

    "Be Prepared": the motto of a good scout

    By wws on Wed, 07/29/2009 - 6:39pm |
    When I first came to TPM I wrote a lot -- perhaps ad nauseum -- about the contrast between FEMA and insurance company response to Hurricane Hugo -- in Charleston, SC, in1989 -- and to Hurricane Ivan, which pulverized...

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