Keep 'em off Larry King and send them to the cooler for a few months with no access to hair dye.
Saturday, November 28, 2009
The Duh Award Headline Of The Day
Keep 'em off Larry King and send them to the cooler for a few months with no access to hair dye.
A Big First Year?
But will he get credit with all the maumauing coming out of the TradMedia and Fox News?Via Taegan-
Jacob Weisberg says the conventional wisdom about President Obama's first year in office -- that he hasn't been effective in implementing his agenda -- is "sure to be flipped on its head by the anniversary of his inauguration on Jan. 20."
"If, as seems increasingly likely, Obama wins passage of a health care reform a bill by that date, he will deliver his first State of the Union address having accomplished more than any other postwar American president at a comparable point in his presidency. This isn't an ideological point or one that depends on agreement with his policies. It's a neutral assessment of his emerging record -- how many big, transformational things Obama is likely to have made happen in his first 12 months in office."
Tea parties bring in big bucks
PT Barnum would be proud.
WASHINGTON, Nov. 28 (UPI) -- The tea-party movement, drawing in conservative activists across the United States, has also lured fundraisers, some of them for-profit companies.
Our Country Deserves Better PAC-TeaPartyExpress.org, a group in California, reported raising $585,000, more than twice its goal of $250,000. It spent $235,000, mostly paid to PAC officials, a consulting firm and activists who rode its Tea Party Express from San Diego to Orlando, Politico reported.
Another group, Tea Party Nation, is charging $560 for a three-day conservative convention in Nashville in February, and the fee does not include lodging. The keynote speaker is to be former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, who reportedly is being paid a six-figure fee.
Judson Phillips, president of Tea Party Nation, said the group plans to set up a non-profit arm to funnel money to conservatives. (ed note- Most set up the non profit first)
"If this were a perfect world, we wouldn't charge anybody, but to put on an event like this, there are expenses that have to be covered," he said.
Raw Video: President Obama Watches Brother-in-law's Team
You can tell who the real basketball fans are in that family.
Pennsylvania city torn by racial strife elects black mayor
Go read the whole story here (the background is fascinating). Every once in a while a story like this comes along to prove that it ain't all bad out there.
YORK, Pa.—A little girl who trembled in her house as a National Guard tank rumbled past during York's chaotic 1969 race riots has grown up to become the first black mayor of the central Pennsylvania city.
Kim Bracey, 45, an energetic veteran of the struggling manufacturing city's improvement efforts will take office in January, to the delight of many African-Americans who thought they would never see a black mayor.
(snip)
Rather, Bracey will inherit a city of 40,000 that is barely able to pay its bills as it loses the manufacturing jobs that helped build it up. Poverty is becoming as entrenched as the racial animosity that led to York's deadly riots 40 years ago.
U.S. census statistics show a city in which average family income is half of Pennsylvania's, while the poverty rate for children is three times as high, at 48 percent.
One unemployed city resident, Butch Maxfield, said race is less important to Yorkers than poverty, crime and how to help the city's aimless young people.
"Everybody's poor. There's no jobs," said the 58-year-old Maxfield, who is black. "Now it's about 'what can you do for me?'"
Still, Maxfield and many others view Bracey's election as an achievement in a city that has a legacy of racial strife.
The 1960s saw a buildup of black resentment against a city administration that they said systematically ignored their community's needs and a police force that used dogs and other tough tactics to antagonize blacks.
Get Well Soon Gottalaff!!
Gotta's feeling under the weather, so ya'll be stuck with me light posting today to give her some time to recuperate.
Thanksgiving TV Marathon Guide: Saturday
Gaw, this line up makes yard work look good.
*After two days of stuffing and mashed potatoes, nothing fits, right? Well, feel better about yourself by tuning in to TLC’s What Not to Wear marathon? Sure, those pants may be a little snug at this point after the past couple of days of not knowing when to say “when”, but at least you’ve got style. Unlike these poor saps.
*Think your family’s dysfunctional? Well, at least you’re not the Bundys. So, it could be worse, right? Head on over to TV Land for their Married…With Children-apalooza.
*Repeat after me, “I’m getting too old for this s—!” That’s right, back-to-back-to-back Riggs and Murtaugh over on Spike with Lethal Weapon, Lethal Weapon 2 (hello, Patsy Kensit!), and Lethal Weapon 3. If you’re still hungry for more action after that, why not check out the late great Swayze as the world’s baddest bouncer in Road House, which, for my money, should become to Thanksgiving what It’s a Wonderful Life is to Christmas.
*Finally, over on Syfy, there’s a glorious block of cheese that includes such B-movie monster gems as Mega Shark Vs. Giant Octopus and Lake Placid 2.
Video-Anthony Weiner Smacks Down Stuart Varney On Health Care
I was surfing and saw this happening. WHY isn't Weiner the go to guy on HCR? He is on the point every damn time. H/t to Newshounds for reminding me, and they have a more complete video including Varney being an asshat at the end.
A Big Enthusiasm Gap
Need to make sure that the cheerleading starts early because these are some scary numbers.
The latest DailyKos/Research 2000 poll finds more evidence of a growing enthusiasm gap between the two major political parties: 81% of Republicans said they would definitely or probably vote in next year's elections as compared to just 65% of independents and 56% of Democrats.
Video- The First Lady Receives the White House Christmas Tree
I guess for variety the gods have decided I should have to wrestle with Blogger instead of my computer today.
Friday, November 27, 2009
Top 10 Secrets Revealed In Plouffe's 'Audacity To Win'
By GottaLaff
- Plouffe and David Axelrod "got into a heated shouting match"
- Plouffe never planned to stay through the general election
- During the whole "suspend the campaign, fly back to Washington" scuffle between Sen. John McCain and Obama, there was a convo with then-President George W. Bush
- Joe Biden as choice for vice president announcement via text messages to supporters went wrong
- Bayh wasn't sure he could deliver Indiana
- Initial battleground state list was bigger
- Obama really didn't recall Wright's controversial sermons + bonus Obama's consideration of "ending candidacy" tidbit
- Jaw-dropping fundraising numbers, and Palin was one of the reasons
- Attacks on McCain's proprosal to tax health care was too dramatic for Obama
- Wasn't crazy about the slogan "Change We Can Believe In"
The more I know about Team Obama, the more impressed I am, especially after having seen HBO's documentary "By the People", which I highly recommend.
Former Palin aide: “You probably know things about her that she doesn’t want other people to know.”
By GottaLaff
For his part, Wooten recalls a telling conversation with an associate of Palin’s campaign team when she was running for Governor in 2006. “You could probably bring the whole campaign down,” the aide said. “You probably know things about her that she doesn’t want other people to know.”But here is one of my favorite parts that is just so Barbie McLipSchmutz:
[T]he McCain-Palin campaign portrayed him as a “rogue” Trooper...And they say irony is dead.
PhotOH! White House Party Crashers
By GottaLaff
(click on images to enlarge)
Won't that make a swell reality show premise?
And check out this rundown of other famous people the Salahis have shaken hands with, including John McCain, Donny Osmond, Charlie Rangel, Prince Charles and Matt Damon.More here on who these people are.
Senator Ralph Nader?
By GottaLaff
Ralph Nader "says he wants to gauge the level of grass-roots support before deciding whether to make a bid to represent Connecticut in the Senate," the AP reports.What, he's not being drafted by the Lieberman Democratic party? Snerk.
The Connecticut Green Party is trying to persuade Nader to challenge Sen. Chris Dodd (D-CT) next year.
Bill Bennett: Whitewashing Terrorism
By GottaLaff
First, Karoli gives us three different definitions of "terrorism":
In those three definitions, there are two common threads: politics and the victims.Then she defines what terrorism isn't:
Simply put: age, gender, race, religion, or IQ of the attacker.Bennett does his little rantette, to which Karoli responds:
Laser sight aside, the fact of Hasan’s religion and obviously Arabic name does not automatically toss him into terrorist territory.Larisa Alexandrovna and I got attacked for holding views very similar to Karoli's. This is what happens when one doesn't fall in line with the hatriots. Karoli puts it this way:
And finally:The very worst spin you can realistically place on this attack is that it was an act of war on a United States military installation. [...] [T]here have been no clear statements that what he did was anything other than a selfish, deranged, tragic act of violence.
Even if one accepts the premise that he acted to make some sort of statement about being shipped to Afghanistan or the Afghanistan war itself (which is weak and unsupported at this stage), it’s still not an act of terror because it was a military officer doing violence on a military installation.
One of the reasons that the civilian/military distinction is so utterly crucial is because acts of terrorism are intended to frighten civilians into silent acquiescence. They are intended to force a specific set of religious or world views on an entire populace. They are intended to make civilians, who are NOT fighting wars, afraid. Hence the term, terror. [...]Hatriots tend to march in lock step, put things into boxes, and that is truly terrifying. Independent thought is their Kryptonite.This is why Randall Terry’s abortion doctor jihad, abortion clinic bombings, and cold-blooded shootings of abortion doctors like Dr. Tiller are terrorist acts.
This is why people who put up signs threatening war and assassination of our President are terrorists.
In the last two examples, the jihadists are white as snow, American as applie pie, good ‘guns, god and gold’ types. [...]
We all have fear. The challenge is overcoming it, not putting it into a box called “terrorism”.
Please go read the rest of Karoli's excellent post here.
UPDATE: Mrs. Tiger Woods used golf club to rescue Tiger, smash SUV window
By GottaLaff
Here is an update from AP:
They reiterated that no alcohol use was involved.A local police chief in Florida says Tiger Woods' wife used a golf club to smash out the back window and helped get the golfer out of the car.
Windermere Police Chief Daniel Saylor told The Associated Press on Friday that Elin Nordegren told officers she was in the house when she heard the accident and came outside. Saylor says officers found Woods laying in the street with his wife hovering over him. [...]
Woods had cuts on his lips and blood in his mouth. He says his officers gave him first aid until fire rescue came about 10 minutes later.
"K" 'bye: Obama v. Lobbyists
By GottaLaff
Quietly sticking it to lobbyists and their toxic influence is so much more palatable than swaggering around in a cowboy hat and flight suit like some peacock on crack.Hundreds, if not thousands, of lobbyists are likely to be ejected from federal advisory panels as part of a little-noticed initiative by the Obama administration to curb K Street's influence in Washington, according to White House officials and lobbying experts.
The new policy -- issued with little fanfare this fall by the White House ethics counsel -- may turn out to be the most far-reaching lobbying rule change so far from President Obama, who also has sought to restrict the ability of lobbyists to get jobs in his administration and to negotiate over stimulus contracts.[...]
Under the policy, which is being phased in over the coming months, none of the more than 13,000 lobbyists in Washington would be able to hold seats on the committees, which advise agencies on trade rules, troop levels, environmental regulations, consumer protections and thousands of other government policies.
Of course now the K Streeters will be flailing their arms around, screaming bloody murder:
Administration officials remain sanguine, saying the criticism is overblown and arguing that top corporate officers are free to sit on advisory panels as long as they aren't lobbyists. Eisen, in a response letter to the ITAC leaders last month, wrote that "arguments that only lobbyists can bring requisite experience to provide wise counsel . . . are unconvincing on their face." [...]Another campaign promise kept.
And though lobbyists are unhappy, some good-government advocates say the policy is sound.
New Report: Triggered Public Option Preferable
By GottaLaff
The report says that the Senate and House’s public option provisions (which require the public plan to independently negotiate rates with providers) hold little hope of lowering costs in areas of the country with high provider concentration. In areas where hospitals have “too strong a market presence to be excluded from insurer networks,” hospitals could dictate prices, stripping the public plan of its ability to negotiate cheaper rates, the report warns. [...]Please go here for more details.
[P]olicymakers should consider basing the trigger on “overall growth in national health spending.” “An advantage of using growth in national health expenditures (NHE) is that the data are regularly and consistently reported and are directly related to the purpose of a public option — to create competition with private insurers to reduce health spending growth,” the report notes.
Democrat$ Outrai$ing Republicans
By GottaLaff
I am now a believer in The Surge (no, not that one):
Fundraising for Democratic campaign committees is surging, USA Today reports, "helping the party to extend a winning streak in competitive special elections and giving House Democrats a more than 3-to-1 advantage over Republicans in cash stockpiled for the battles ahead."
"The Democratic National Committee, along with the fundraising arm for House Democrats, outraised Republican committees last month. Overall, all Democratic committees ended October with nearly $38.8 million cash on hand, compared with $21.3 million for Republicans."
Whither the dither? McChrystal calls Obama 'thoughtful,' won't criticize delay
By GottaLaff
What struck me was the media-abetted frenzies over various flashpoints (Bill Ayers, for one) and how so many punditiots tore their hair out, frothed, screamed, opined, panicked, predicted doom, failure, the end of the road, and the death of a career.
And then they were proved wrong. Over and over again. Compressing months and months of campaigning into a couple of hours made the breathless media tabloiditude that much more obvious.
It also pointed out the sheer absurdity of our "news" dee jays' inaccuracies in favor of ratings at the expense of facts and an informed public.
And all of that came to mind as I read this:
Gen. Stanley McChrystal told lawmakers that President Obama had engaged in a "thoughtful process" on Afghanistan and refused to criticize the president for delaying his decision to send more troops.
Rep. Tom Price (R-Ga.):
Some of the lawmakers pressed McChrystal on Obama's lengthy decision-making, but the general described it as a "thoughtful process and wouldn't go any further," Price said. "I was a little surprised he didn't voice frustration with the delay."
More like disappointed, right Tom? There goes another Rushpublic talking point. Poof. Dither-free.Justice Dept. Says Acorn Can Be Paid
By GottaLaff
The Justice Department has concluded that the Obama administration can lawfully pay the community group Acorn for services provided under contracts signed before Congress enacted a law banning the government from providing funds to the group.Yeah, hmm, right, that would have been a little-- What's the word again? Oh yeah -- unconstitutional.
You can read the memorandum (image above) here.
A Housing and Urban Development lawyer asked the Justice Department whether the new law meant that pre-existing contracts with Acorn should be broken. But in a memorandum signed Oct. 23 and posted online this week, Mr. Barron said the government should continue to make payments to Acorn as required by such contracts.The new law “should not be read as directing or authorizing HUD to breach a pre-existing binding contractual obligation to make payments to Acorn or its affiliates, subsidiaries or allied organizations where doing so would give rise to contractual liability,” Mr. Barron wrote.
Acorn has been doing a lot of great work, a little factoid that should get as much attention as the negative press it has gotten for months:
But the Rushpublics will have none of that! Nosirreebob, they'd much rather cut off the nation's voters' noses to spite their nasty, negative, self-serving faces.“We are pleased that commitments will be honored relative to Acorn’s work to help keep America’s working families facing foreclosure in their homes,” he said. [...]
Founded in Arkansas in 1970, Acorn describes itself as the nation’s largest grass-roots community organizing group. It provides financial services to poor and middle-income families, conducts voter registration drives, and advocates for higher minimum wages and more affordable housing.
White House says world moving toward new Iran sanctions
By GottaLaff
The United Nations nuclear agency Friday blasted Iran for obstructing investigations into its suspected nuclear weapons program and demanded that the Islamic Republic stop enriching uranium at a once-secret facility.In response, the Obama administration suggested that world powers might be moving closer to imposing international sanctions on Iran. White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs called a 25-3 vote by the International Atomic Energy Agency "overwhelming" and said it "demonstrates the resolve and unity of the international community with regard to Iran's nuclear program."
"Our patience and that of the international community is limited, and time is running out," Gibbs said. "If Iran refuses to meet its obligations, then it will be responsible for its own growing isolation and the consequences."[...]
Tehran's refusal to carry out a tentative deal in October to ship most of its nuclear fuel to Russia and France for reprocessing leaves other nations with two ways to try to ensure that Iran doesn't obtain nuclear weapons: tough sanctions and pre-emptive military action. [...]
One U.S. senior official said any sanctions that might be considered would look to hurt the Iranian regime, not everyday Iranians, but he didn't elaborate.The administration said that Iran has until the end of the year to engage cooperatively; after that it may face a "package of consequences."
Tiger Woods in serious condition after car accident
By GottaLaff
Professional golfer Tiger Woods was seriously injured in a car accident early this morning, the Florida Highway Patrol just reported.There is an investigation underway, and "charges are pending."
Woods, 33, pulled out of his driveway in the Isleworth community about 2:25 a.m. when he struck a fire hydrant, and then drove into a tree at his neighbor's property, FHP reported.
Woods was transported to Health Central Hospital in Ocoee in serious condition, FHP said. His airbags did not deploy, which, according to the report, means that he was going less than 33 mph.
MSNBC is reporting is that he was in a Cadillac SUV, and it was non-alcohol related. The incident happened early this morning, around 2:30 a.m. in Florida.
UPDATE: Per MSNBC, Woods has been released from the hospital (according to Mayor Gary Bruhn, and he was sure of that information). He has facial lacerations, says the Windermere mayor. He believes it's nothing more than an accident, despite the ongoing investigation. He believes nothing "unusual" was going on, just a rather strange accident.
UPDATE: A statement from his publicist: Tiger was in a minor car accident, admitted, treated, and released in good condition.
New group tries to convince Cheney to run in 2012
By GottaLaff
The organization - "Draft Dick Cheney 2012" - launched on Friday, and unveiled their new Web site. Their aim: To convince the former vice president to seek the Republican presidential nomination in the next race for the White House. But there may be a major roadblock to the group's pitch - Cheney himself.Besides, Dickless Jr. will get jealous.
Does McHeartStent want to run for the White House?
Does Cheney want to run for the White House?
Didn't I just ask that?
During the rally, Hutchison yelled out to the crowd "Cheney 2012!" and some one in the audience quickly responded "We need you, Dick!"
Cheney's response: "Not a chance."
To which he followed up with, "But Liz is bursting at the seams for a run. Here's her number. Now I gotta a cardiology appointment to make, so buzz off."
Barron says the group hopes to follow up Friday’s Web launch with a more formal structure, which will include building a database and reaching out through social networks like Facebook and Twitter. Barron adds that there is no budget set yet, and that the effort is grassroots at this point. He says the group plans on targeting tea party events [...]
Cheney + Tea Partiers = The perfect match.
Dep't. of What, Again? When will Sarah the Quitter quit quitting?
By GottaLaff
(AP Photo/The Tri-City Herald, Richard Dickin)
Cheers erupted along the Columbia River on Thursday morning as Sarah Palin and her large family of “Rogue Runners” approached the start line for the annual Turkey Trot.Oh boy! A chance to rub shoulders with Barbie McLipSchmutz in a running outfit, this time not leaning on the American flag!
I can just hear the murmers of adoration, smell the anticipation-induced sweat, taste the fangirl/fanboy fervor!
Both fun run participants and spectators who’d been waiting more than an hour in the bitter cold for a glimpse of the former Republican vice presidential candidate rushed to snap her picture with cameras and cell phones.I hope every potential snapper got satisfaction this time. I mean, after that last fiasco in which Barbie abandoned her groupies, she wouldn't dare renege this time, right?
Palin had announced on Twitter that she would be running the 5K race, organized by the Benton-Franklin Chapter of the Red Cross.
However, she didn’t finish the race, opting to leave the course early to avoid more crowds at the end. About 40 minutes into the run, people gathered at the finish line to get more pictures of Palin started to learn that she was gone.
Ruh-roh. This can't end well.
Towards the end of the race, the officers asked Palin what she wanted to do. Palin decided to divert off the course and head back to their cars so the family could get to their Thanksgiving dinner, Pitts said.
Sarah the Quitter should quit while she's behind.
VIDEOS: The deadly results of our abysmal health care system
By GottaLaff
My Twitter pal, Chi910, aka Midge Hough, is someone who I admire, and who has told her story on several radio shows and Tee Vee shows recently. I've written about her and her family here and here.
Her experiences are worth telling and re-telling. Here are two more videos, one of The Ed Show and one called "Midge Hough's Story - Jen's Memorial Video" that is a must-see.
Watch, then dry your tears and go back and watch the Tea Partiers who thought it was more important to mock Midge than to rectify our abysmal health care system:
For those who question the loss Midge Hough tried to share at Lipinski's Town Hall, please watch the video tribute that was shown at her Memorial Service in September.The Ed Show, where Midge and her husband Dan discuss the treatment they got when Midge tried to speak at a town hall meeting:
Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy
Mid Day Distraction
Going shopping in London is set to become a whole new experience, with a "virtual West End" being created online.Call me when they get around to making fish and chips takeaways available online...
'Near London' will allow online consumers to wander between stores and make purchases from shop windows.
Represented by small beams of light, customers can interact with their friends via a Facebook application and 'jump' to different parts of London.
They will soon be able to walk inside stores and select and buy goods.
Thanksgiving TV Marathon Guide: Friday
If you're looking for something to watch after you've cleaned that kitchen, EW has some suggestions. (The only one I'd follow would be the Gold Girls.)
Here’s our guide to the best marathon programming for Friday, Nov. 27.
*Bravo is running The Real Housewives of New Jersey all day long. I don’t know why exactly this qualifies as “special” holiday programming since they pretty much air the various Housewives incarnations all the time anyway. But hey, that doesn’t mean it ain’t still tasty. Watch these well-mannered ladies and their tastefully decorated homes…Ah, who are we kidding? Let the catfighting and kitsch begin!
*For a classier (but just as bawdy) bunch of dames, head over to WE for its Golden Girls marathon.
*Nothing will make you feel lazier than spending a whole day watching brawny men risk their lives to catch Alaskan King Crab. That’s right, Discovery is trotting out a mess of Deadliest Catch episodes. So bust out the Slanket and heat up some crab dip. Yummo!
*We would never actually advocate watching E!’s “Kardashiathon“, but we do like the cute name they came up with. Instead, why not check out a much better show from another L.A. hip zip, SOAPnet’s “Chillin’ with Dylan” Beverly Hills, 90210 marathon?
*Thursday’s James Bond marathon over on Syfy continues on Day 2 with Thunderball, From Russia With Love, You Only Live Twice, Diamonds Are Forever, Casino Royale, Goldeneye, Goldfinger, and Never Say never Again.
*Finally, TV Land gets a gold star for its nostalgic block of Sanford & Son episodes.
'Cash for appliance' plan being finalized
Anything that spends money and has us using less energy is okay with me.
WASHINGTON, Nov. 27 (UPI) -- A "cash for appliances" program of giving U.S. consumers rebates for swapping old appliances for new, efficient ones should be finalized soon, officials say.
Supported by $300 million from the economic stimulus package, the program will offer consumers rebates for buying energy-efficient refrigerators , dishwashers, air conditioners and other appliances to replace older, energy-wasting models, The Washington Post reported Friday.
(snip)
Much of the cash-for-appliances money won't be available until February, March or April, officials said. The program will be run by state governments, which must identify and enact their rebate plans with federal government funding and approval.
Quote of the Day
Ouch. As my grandmother would say, pretty outside is no substitute for pretty inside.
"He's a typical man. I don't care if he's 90 years old, he thought that she is so pretty. He loves a pretty woman."**Obviously PhotoShopped pic.
-- Gigi Graham, quoted by Christianity Today, on her father's meeting with Sarah Palin.
Video- John Stossel: Obama's America Isn't Russia, But It's Close
"For the most part"? Stossel goes for the gold in his maiden outing.
Thursday, November 26, 2009
A Thanksgiving tale: Woman in labor insists on being served
I'm a cynical tough old bitch, and this made me tear up. Land of plenty my ass.
ANCHORAGE — On a day when hundreds flocked to the Central Lutheran Church in Fairview for all the Thanksgiving fixings, one woman in line stood out in more ways than one: She was pregnant, in labor, and wasn't leaving without her turkey.
A neighbor had brought her Monday evening to the annual Thanksgiving Blessing, as the big pre-holiday giveaway organized by the Food Bank of Alaska and area churches is known. People line up at churches all over town for yams, cranberry sauce, potatoes, apples, stuffing, gravy mix, pie, rolls, vegetables, and a turkey and roaster -- everything they need for a feast at home.
Alan Budahl, the incoming executive director of Lutheran Social Services, was in his first day on his new job when a flustered man came up to him.
"Hey I have my neighbor," the man told Budahl. "She's in labor, and she's in the line and she won't go to the hospital until she gets her food because she needs her Thanksgiving basket."
"I said, 'Well, what do you mean in labor?' "
"Literally. She's in labor. You'll see it," the neighbor answered.
Budahl told the neighbor to bring the pregnant woman inside.
Once she got to the front, Budahl saw she was breathing through contractions. "Shouldn't you be in the hospital?" Budahl asked.
"She said 'I need this Thanksgiving basket. I do. I do. I do. If you don't get it today, you don't get it.' "
(snip)
"She was nice. You could tell, she must be having a contraction because the look on her face was, I need it now," Budahl said.
Some teenage volunteers carried her food basket to the neighbor's car. Her daughter held her hand.
"We helped them out and away they went," Budahl said.
So how did it turn out? In all the commotion, no one got her name or which hospital she was going to.
An Obama Thanksgiving Menu, with an Extra Serving of Pie
The President also called 10 Service members to thank them for their service. The White House food sounds seriously nummy.
After some clamoring from the sparse working-the-holiday press corps, the White House has released the Obamas’ Thanskgiving Day menu.
Gone are the zucchini gratin, the gazpacho and the pumpkin mousse trifle that were Bush family favorites.
The Obamas are having an equally plentiful meal. In addition to the traditional turkey, the family is having a honey baked ham. There will also be two kinds of stuffing (oyster and cornbread), macaroni and cheese, and six -- yes, six -- different kinds of pie.
(snip)We are told that of all of the items on the generous table, the president’s favorites are turkey and pumpkin pie.
Here is the full menu:Turkey
Honey-Baked Ham
Cornbread Stuffing
Oyster Stuffing
Greens
Macaroni and Cheese
Sweet Potatoes
Mashed Potatoes
Green Bean CasseroleBanana Cream Pie
Pumpkin Pie
Apple Pie
Sweet Potato Pie
Huckleberry Pie
Cherry Pie
Time for another Stand-Up Comedy Blog
By GottaLaff
How did I forget to post F.I.L. this week? Here you go:
"Last Blog Standing" starts riiight....now!
Yes, it's time to steal a few more jokes from my father-in-law (F.I.L.). For those of you who might be new here, he used to write for Alan King, Milton Berle and Jonathan Winters, just to name a few. And all those Dean Martin Roasts, too: Don Rickles, Red Buttons, Phyllis Diller, Sammy Davis, Jr., etc.
A tiny respite from all the frustrating events of the day:
As the Healthcare Reform Bill is being debated, liberals are pressuring PRESIDENT OBAMA to take our troops out of Afghanistan and put them where the REAL violence is - The U.S. Senate.HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
PRESIDENT OBAMA was in China this week, or as they call it, the "People's Republic of Wal-Mart."
According to the latest statistics, China is the world's third largest economy, right behind Japan and OPRAH.
To foster the spirit of good will, when the PRESIDENT got off the plane he wore the traditional clothes made by the children of China. You know, L.L. Bean, J. Crew, Banana Republic, Nike, Reebok.
While there, PRESIDENT OBAMA took a tour of the Great Wall of China and said it was, "magical." It was for us back home too. Looking at a photo of something American in China. You never see that.
In Japan, PRESIDENT OBAMA bowed to the Emperor and one of the people most bothered by this was former Vice President DICK CHENEY. He said no American President should bow to anyone. PRESIDENT BUSH never bowed to any foreign leaders. He just held hands with them, kissed them and then they shared a bed together, but that was different. That was for oil.
SARAH PALIN'S new book is finally out and there's some really shocking stuff in there; Complete sentences, proper grammar, stuff you've never heard from her before.
SARAH'S book is number one on the best seller lists leaving STEPHEN KING to be number two with his very scary new book called "Sarah Palin Becomes President."
If you think PALIN'S book, "Going Rogue," is a huge bestseller, wait'll you see how popular her next book will be -- To be called, "Going Away."
KHALID SHEIKH MOHAMMED, the terrorist mastermind, will go on trial in New York. Did you see that picture of him? Forget terrorism. He should get executed just for having all that hair on his shoulders. Hair on shoulders is a maximum offense in New York and every other city in the country.
LIZ CHENEY hinted that her father, DICK, might run for President in 2012. This news was greeted with cheers, hope and great relief; and that was just from the Democrats.
Can you imagine that scary guy, DICK CHENEY, running for President and SARAH PALIN as his Vice President. It would be just like that old JIM CARREY movie, "Dum, DeDum, Dum & Dumber."
91-year-old Senator ROBERT BYRD set a record for the longest time served in congressional history. During his time in office, BYRD has passed over 800 bills and 600 kidney stones.
The POPE has a 900 number, but don't try any crank calls to the Vatican because if they tell you to "Go to hell," it's not just a figure of speech.
The Food and Drug Administration has just approved the first female version of Viagra. Already a guy was overheard in a Singles Bar saying, "My Viagra or yours?"
THANKSGIVING TIPS
Be sure to get your turkey from a reputable market. Last year some people wound up buying a chicken with a gland condition.
If you run out of bread crumbs try stuffing your bird with minced cardboard. It may sound silly, but airline chefs have been doing it for years.
Save your empty turkey carcass. When you see the price of gifts this year, you may decide to restuff it for Christmas dinner.
On Thanksgiving, the good news is ...
By GottaLaff
Our troops and their families. For yet another year, members of the armed forces have served with distinction in the face of renewed instability in Afghanistan and psychological and physical injuries from combat. [...]We hope each and every one of you has a wonderful, healthy, and filling Thanksgiving. We are thankful for your company, and wish you a happy holiday.
Protesters in Iran who courageously fought back against a repressive regime and in some cases paid with their lives. [...]
Pixar, for showing once again, with "Up," that filmmakers can create a movie that's just as richly rewarding for adults as it is for children.
Barack Obama. Yes, the Nobel Peace Prize was over the top, and his popularity has dropped as Americans have learned that most of his big ideas come with a big price tag. He has nonetheless greatly improved the United States' relations with the rest of the world, set groundbreaking regulatory standards to fight climate change, overseen a stimulus program that set the stage for today's nascent recovery and begun the process of closing the disgraceful Guantanamo Bay detention facility. By the end of the year, he might even have reinvented the nation's healthcare system.
Sarah Palin, for releasing her book, "Going Rogue," just in time to remind us about how right we were to elect Obama. [...]
Documentary filmmaker Ken Burns, for reminding us of the uniqueness, preciousness and fragility of our national parks.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration, for its rediscovered role as protector of the public health.
While we're at it: We like the new dedication to science and the environment at the Environmental Protection Agency too. [...]
Jon Stewart. We were disturbed when a Time magazine poll dubbed the comedian the most trusted newscaster in America, but we have to admit that his uproariousanalysis of political issues is usually smarter than anything else on TV. [...]
The legislatures of Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont, for legalizing same-sex marriage (even if the Maine legislation was overturned by popular vote this month).
Pilot Chesley Sullenberger III, who in January averted catastrophe in spectacular style by landing a US Airways jet with engine trouble on the Hudson River without a single fatality. [...]
Lou Dobbs, for migrating from CNN in search of a better life. [...]
Pope Benedict XVI, for affirming that "animals, too, are God's creatures" and that cooping chickens close together or overfeeding geese contradicts "the relationship of mutuality that comes across in the Bible." We assume the pontiff will now forswear fur-lined vestments.
South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford, for refocusing our minds on the beauty and importance of the 2,175-mile Appalachian Trail along the Eastern Seaboard, even if he wasn't really there.
The U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, for ruling that five victims of extraordinary rendition and torture deserved their day in court despite the U.S. government's claim that the case involved too many state secrets to go forward. [...]
Beyonce's "Single Ladies" video, for prompting a spate of entertaining parodies and earnest imitations by trios of women (and some men) all over the world. And putting Justin Timberlake in high heels.
Obama administration backtracks on land mine ban
By GottaLaff
But in a statement Wednesday, Kelly said that there had been only a partial review concerning who would represent the United States at a conference on the international Mine Ban Treaty next week in Cartegena, Colombia.Stay tuned.
Kelly said the administration is still looking at its overall policy. The new statement follows criticism by Democratic Sen. Patrick Leahy.
Happy Thanksgiving!!!
We're going to a very relaxed holiday mode around here- maybe a couple or so more posts all day. Gotta has family and I'm just a cranky old lady who needs a brain irrigation. But, I can hardly deny you the basics can I?
Here's hoping you have everyone you want around you and everything on your table that you wish.
Fossils of Martian bugs found on meteorite that landed on Earth 13,000 years ago
Jesus 'may have visited England', says Scottish academic
Rare Churchill TV screen test to be shown
St. Louis Post-Dispatch: Six charged in town hall disturbance
Six people arrested in August outside a raucous town hall meeting in south St. Louis County have been charged with misdemeanor ordinance violations.
Dog with name tag 'works' drive-through window
Far out: The amazing images from the Space Shuttle's seven-day stint at the International Space Station
'Galaxy game' lets people help astronomers
Miami Herald: At museum, uncle keeps Elián story alive
Delfin González walks around the modest museum he has maintained for years inside his Little Havana home and can't help but grow nostalgic looking at the photographs, toys and clothes that once belonged to his famous nephew, Elián.
Pic via.
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Sarah You-Know-Who: "I could live with" being called "President Palin"
By GottaLaff
"I addressed her as 'President Palin,' " said Debbie McMillan of Orlando. "She said, 'I like that very much — I could live with that.' " [...]Oh please take this to heart, Barbie. Run. Run. Run.
When she appeared inside, the crowd cheered loudly and chanted "President Palin." [...]
[T]he throng chanted "Sarah," some waving signs and many sporting buttons urging her to seek the presidency in 2012. [...]
Sheila Schulte, 54, a resident of The Villages who was wearing a button on a red, white and blue scarf that read "Sarah Palin for President 2012," leaned over and thanked Palin for serving as a great inspiration.
Palin responded, "You're welcome and I like your pin."
H/t: Think Progress
VIDEO: Canadian satirist kicked out of Palin book signing gets Palin to respond
By GottaLaff
Yesterday I posted this, and today we have the video:
In Canada there's a show produced by CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corp) which is a political satire show. One if its characters is "a showy woman with lotsa lipstick" who goes by the name "Marg Delahunty".And then she got kicked out. But she did manage to eke a ridiculous answer out of Barbie McLipSchmutz.
She went on to say that, apparently "Marg" wangled her way into a Barbie McLipSchmutz book signing...
I love seeing these stories come to life after I've pictured them in my little pea brain. This was even better than I had imagined.
Think Progress: 27 Reasons To Give Thanks
By GottaLaff
And we at TPC are thankful for the content of this e-mail, especially the last entry.We're thankful President Obama is thinking long and hard about committing more troops and money to Afghanistan.
We're thankful President Bush feels liberated now.
We're (not) thankful Dick Cheney has elected to move from his undisclosed location to the media spotlight.
We're thankful Al Franken has gone from playing self-help guru Stuart Smalley on Saturday Night Live to helping rape victims receive justice from their employers.
We're thankful for the healing power of beer.
We're thankful there are some on the right who think Glenn Beck is "incoherent," "mindless," "erratic," "bizarre," and "harmful to the conservative movement."
We're thankful for long hikes on the Appalachian Trail.
We're thankful Michael Steele understands that he can't "do policy" and that no one has any reason to trust his "words or actions."
We're (not) thankful for "birthers," "deathers," "tenthers," or "tea baggers."
We're (not) thankful conservatives believe they love America so much that they can root for our President to fail and for our nation to lose out on hosting the Olympics.
We're thankful NFL players refused to "bend over and grab the ankles" for Rush Limbaugh.
We're thankful six companies have resigned from the Chamber of Commerce due to its denial of climate change science.
We're thankful Falcon "Balloon boy" Heene wasn't actually in the balloon.
We're thankful Lt. Dan Choi and Lt. Col Victor Fehrenbach bravely spoke out against Don't Ask, Don't Tell.
We're thankful Shep Smith doesn't always drink the Fox News kool-aid.
We're thankful more than 80 companies refused to lend their sponsorship to Glenn Beck's hateful rants.
We're thankful there are progressive organizations in D.C. lobbying for a two-state solution in the Middle East.
We're (not) thankful for the filibuster.
We're thankful that more than 20,000 of you stood up to Bill O'Reilly's harassment machine and called for impeachment hearings against torture advocate Jay Bybee.
We're thankful that Iran's authoritarian rulers live in fear of their own population.
We're thankful we'll no longer have to listen to nativist rhetoric on CNN and global warming skepticism on ABC News.
We're (not) thankful for bailed out CEOs who think they're doing "God's work" by doling out billions in bonuses.
We're thankful for the legacy of the Liberal Lion.
We're thankful Bill O'Reilly won't be following us home for Thanksgiving.
We're thankful a "wise Latina" sits on the Supreme Court.We're thankful our boss helped rescue imprisoned American journalists in North Korea.
We're thankful for our readers and the support you give us.
Michelle Obama: Help feed a neighbor
By GottaLaff
Tomorrow, many of us will gather around the table with family and friends to give thanks over a feast of turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy -- and let’s not forget pumpkin pie!But for some in this country, the feast will not be as bountiful. In fact, it won’t be much of a feast at all. Hunger is on the rise in America -- hitting its highest levels in nearly 15 years. A recent report released by the USDA reveals that in 2008 an estimated 1.1 million children were living in households that experienced hunger multiple times over the past year.
To combat hunger this winter, we’re launching, in coordination with the Corporation for National and Community Service and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the United We Serve: Feed a Neighbor initiative -- a program that empowers you with all the resources you need to mobilize against the hunger crisis in your community. Learn how you can get started today:
Barack and I are committed to doing all we can to end hunger by making food programs more accessible to eligible families. But government can only do so much -- it will take all of us working together to put an end to hunger in America.That’s why we’ve made it easy for you to get involved at Serve.gov. Find local volunteer opportunities like delivering meals to homebound seniors, offering your professional skills at a food pantry, or planting a community garden and sharing produce with your neighbors. You can also create your own volunteer opportunity using our anti-hunger toolkit.
This holiday season let’s recommit to serving our communities and working together to feed American families. Get started giving back today.
Thank you,Michelle
First Lady Michelle Obama
The White House
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