I'MMA LET YOU FINISH
Yeah, I'm sure after they bail out the lender's they'll want to bomb the borrower's. That'd be a Republican solution.
first
Or not.
IT WON'T HELP, TONY
Tony Blair joins Catholic faith
Former PM Tony Blair has converted from the Anglican to the Catholic Church.
Cardinal Cormac Murphy O'Conner, who led the service on Friday in which Mr Blair became Catholic, said he was "very glad" to welcome him.
Last year, Mr Blair, who is now a Middle East peace envoy, said he had prayed to God when deciding whether or not to send UK troops into Iraq.
And one of Mr Blair's final official trips while prime minister was a visit to the Vatican in June where he who met Pope Benedict XVI.
*
MSNBC:
Snowglobes are banned on flights because "there's liquid in there."
Also, no wrapped presents.
Who, damn, Blair. Why do you want to leave the Anglicans? Their parties are so much better.
I will say, though, that we Catholics have the edge when it comes to outfits.
A.
OT, but I don't have much time to whore: my final post at the CodePink site from last night.
Snowglobes are banned on flights because "there's liquid in there."
Sending up the bat signal for the wingnuts to talk about how the airlines banned Christmas in 3 .... 2 .... 1 ....
A.
wanker - The Archbishop of Wales, Dr Barry Morgan, has described a rise in "fundamentalism" as one of the great problems facing the world.
He focused on what he described as "atheistic fundamentalism".
He said it led to situations such as councils calling Christmas "Winterval", schools refusing to put on nativity plays and crosses removed from chapels.
In his Christmas message, he said: "Any kind of fundamentalism, be it Biblical, atheistic or Islamic, is dangerous."
The archbishop said "atheistic fundamentalism" was a new phenomenon.
He said it advocated that religion in general and Christianity in particular have no substance, and that some view the faith as "superstitious nonsense".
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_ne...les/
7156783.stm
Not one but 'six giraffe species'
The world's tallest animal, the giraffe, may actually be several species, a study has found.
A report in BMC Biology uses genetic evidence to show that there may be at least six species of giraffe in Africa.
Currently giraffes are considered to represent a single species classified into multiple subspecies.
The study shows geographic variation in hair coat colour is evident across the giraffe's range in sub-Saharan Africa, suggesting reproductive isolation.
"The results were a surprise because although the giraffes look different, if you put them in zoos, they breed freely."
Immoral fuckers.
Government action should not be the first resort for remedy? Yeah, but not for the reasons McCain might assign. Government created the problem by neglect despite all the warnings. What's unfortunate is government probably CANNOT fix this problem, even if it wanted to. The problem will be fixed by the populace tightening its belt, sucking it up, and taking it on the chin for the next 6 to 7 years.
Snowglobes are banned on flights because "there's liquid in there."
Rosebud.....
dms,
Not so fast...
Atrios,
When did this site become a race to be "first," rather than the first to say something?
I read you every day. But I rarely comment because of that "first" mentality.
Be the first to say something, not the first to post.
If you have no other life than to sit around and wait for Duncan to write something, that speaks volumes.
How about being the "first" to volunteer for something? Like a political campaign, or the anti-war and anti-torture movements? I wasn't the first to join in those. I just hope I'm not the last.
So, for all of you "first's" out there - get a life. Go out and do something. Anything.
Sorry to be so shrill...
Love ya, Duncan...
Dr Morgan's Christmas message comes after the general director of the Evangelical Alliance, the Rev Joel Edwards, compared militant atheists to King Herod in their intolerance of religious faith.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_ne...les/
7156783.stm
But it's interesting the Republican worried about not addressing the mortgae crisis was attending a Huckabee event. His is a populist message from the right and assumes there's a role for government to play in protecting the welfare of the republic.
.
We've got a 1000 points of Light for the homeless!
Should all the people who benefited from the housing boom be required to hand in their profits?
WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!
The calendar girls are gone!
Ntodd, that post fucking rocks.
A.
who can't log in at Google for some fuckin' reason
But we've ALWAYS voted Republican!
And Dhemmicrats make BabyJesus cry!
/snark
Iraq children 'paying high price'
Two million children in Iraq are facing threats including poor nutrition, lack of education, disease and violence, the UN children's agency, Unicef, has said.
Hundreds were killed in violence during 2007, while 1,350 were detained by the authorities, it said in a new report.
According to recent figures, some 536 Iraqis have died in violence so far this month, compared with more than 2,300 in December 2006.
The report said an average 25,000 children per month were being displaced from their homes as their families fled violence or intimidation. By the end of the year, 75,000 children had resorted to living in camps or temporary shelters.
The disruption led to extreme hardship for many children and eroded access to education and healthcare, Unicef said.
Unicef said children in remote and hard-to-reach areas were frequently cut off from healthcare and that only 20% outside the capital, Baghdad, had working sewerage in their community. Access to safe water was also a serious issue.
"Iraqi children are paying far too high a price," said Roger Wright, Unicef's special representative for Iraq.
Mr Wright stressed that Iraqi children should be the priority for international investment in Iraq as they would be the "foundation for their country's recovery".
***
The trolls must have gotten bored with the Saturday morning cartoons.
So, for all of you "first's" out there - get a life. Go out and do something. Anything.
Sorry to be so shrill...
dude,it's just for fun.
maybe you've noticed, the comments section is not so serious, even tho many of the people are...
and
NO SNOWGLOBES!
TSA, the second most hated federal administration.
The reproduction of the class system in the United States
But we've ALWAYS voted Republican!
I swear to God on high that's what 90 percent of the 24 percenters are really all about. You have six Red State twats autobloviating on about the clash of civilizations, and the rest of 'em are just too lazy to re-register.
A.
cund gulag -- Oh, it's just a community game that's been around for awhile. If you don't like it, just scroll on by and get to the meaty parts, which often come from the same folks playing the game.
.
Most modern day groups of beetles have been around since the dinosaurs.
It was thought that today's beetle lineages evolved alongside the arrival of flowering plants, some 140 million years ago.
However, a report in the journal Science has pre-dated their appearance by 110 million years, back to the Jurassic period.
Very soon after beetles originated, they evolved into the lines that persist today, researchers say.
Co-author Dr Johannes Bergsten from Imperial College London, UK, told BBC News: "We found that five small families, that are the oldest lineages to the rest of the major beetle group, go back over 250 million years."
There are more than 300,000 species of beetles on Earth, accounting for a quarter of all living things.
The reason for this large number of beetle species has been debated for many years and never resolved.
Co-evolution with plants?
Prior to this study, the diversification of beetles was attributed to the arrival of flowering plants, in the Cretaceous Period (145-65 million years ago).
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/scien...ure/
7154642.stm
The trolls must have gotten bored with the Saturday morning cartoons.
Tralfaz
Actually, the 'toons are too cerebral for the trollz.
So, nobody thinks to call sheets anymore?
"I think it's safe to say she's attending the wrong rallies."
On economic issues, she may be typical of a lot of Huckabee voters. She's also probably pro-life and opposed to gay marriage.
Sending up the bat signal for the wingnuts to talk about how the airlines banned Christmas in 3 .... 2 .... 1 ....
A.
Athenae
Nah. Wingnuts are all about teh "security measures". No matter how fucking stoopid.
Can I pay you in ginger cake?
A friend could say it better than I...
wÒÓ†
So, for all of you "first's" out there - get a life. Go out and do something. Anything.
Sorry to be so shrill...
Love ya, Duncan...
cund gulag
Trying to get "First" is my life.
This is not a "problem" with a governmental solution. Of course, the rethugs are completely wrong but that's hardly unusual. Aside from regulation, something we haven't seen in a long time, there isn't anything I've seen that the government can do to address the real estate implosion that won't make it worse in one way or another.
"Fixing" this problem will only make the whole thing worse. At best we might reduce some of the damage in very specific, targeted cases. Any general solution will only prop up the crooked market that caused this.
cund gulag,
Your post was so substantive I rushed out to volunteer for Assholes Without Borders.
By waiting 9 minutes you have proven your moral superiority to us all.
[ rolls eyes ]
Damn.
I can't stop sneezing.
Happens to me some mornings.
Oh, forgot my manners -
Good morning!
(special hello to Athenae!)
sign of the times - Millions of UK consumers are expected to spend Christmas Day shopping online as major retailers begin selling discounted goods via the internet.
Marks & Spencer, Halfords, PC World, Argos, Comet and Dixons launch web sales at 0001 GMT on 25 December.
Industry body the Interactive Media in Retail Group predicted 3.57m Britons will hunt for deals on Christmas Day.
The IMRG's CEO, James Roper, said: "The desire to shop doesn't go away and the web fills a niche when stores close."
He added that projections by IMRG suggested that online sales on 25 December would total £52m - the equivalent of £14.56 per customer, and a rise of 66% on the previous year.
The peak spending time was likely to be after the Queen's speech, principally between 2000 and 2200 GMT, Mr Roper said.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/busin...ess/
7157460.stm
Boobies on boobies.
Looking for Help From Republicans
here's a speaker that might help
http://www.greatertalent.com/spe...p?
speakerid=686
Thousands of workers are being short-changed by firms who refuse to pay the national minimum wage, a survey for union organisation the TUC found.
Around 150,000 staff are being denied rate of £5.52 an hour for adults and £4.60 for 18 to 21-year-olds, it says.
Those in restaurants, hotels, cleaning, hairdressing and childcare were said to be the most likely to be underpaid.
A TUC helpline for staff has been set up. Earlier this month, ministers said firms would face tougher penalties.
Companies will now risk unlimited fines, with the most serious cases of non-compliance tried in a Crown Court. The way arrears are calculated will also change, boosting the amount of back pay due to underpaid employees.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/71.../uk/
7157056.stm
How about being the "first" to volunteer for something? Like sucking off a St. Bernard? I wasn't the first to join in that. I just hope I'm not the last.
Americans seems to be losing patience with the Democrats --some of the insidious media message has seeped through-- and I think people need to do better job of getting the message out or we could end up with President John McBush
charley and Sparkle Plenty,
Thanks for explaining the rules. I guess it's kind of like the MSM here in the comment's section. Being first is more important than saying anything.
And I'm sorry for trying to be serious after trying to be witty in my post.
I'll continue to read Duncan's brilliant articles. I just won't read the comment's again. I just remembered why I stopped reading them in the first place...
Have "fun," all!
Duncan, keep up the great work.
And goodbye, all!
BREAKING: WOMEN HAVING BOOBIES LARGER THAN A C-CUP MUST PUT THEM IN A PLASTIC BAG BEFORE BOARDING A PLANE.
Plan for Texas hurricane evacuees to be subject to criminal background checks
deadthreaded...
honeybear. i'd love to, but can't commit for a couple of weeks or so...
if i am unable to go, i'll certainly contribute to the travel fund so that someone else may...
fokowi | Homepage | 12.22.07 - 10:19 am | #
McCain can't get the GOP to oppose Bush re:filibuster of popular programs in a Democratic Congress.
Please highlight this fact repeatedly in debates, Democratic candidates.
bye for now moonbats
am going to do some present wrapping
BREAKING: WOMEN HAVING BOOBIES LARGER THAN A C-CUP MUST PUT THEM IN A PLASTIC BAG BEFORE BOARDING A PLANE.
Miss July's gonna need trash bags.
I just won't read the comment's again. I just remembered why I stopped reading them in the first place...
Have "fun," all!
cund gulag
Ooooooo! SNAP!
No you di'int!
Arizona Sen. John McCain, meantime, said his economic team was preparing a plan to combat the problem, though he didn't give specifics. "I believe that government action is the last resort and not the first resort," he told CNBC. A campaign aide indicated a new plan would come out after Christmas.
That's what Scrooge would do.
Wasn't there some Republican president during the beginning of the Great Depression who stressed how important it was to not bring government into the sacred arrangement between markets and capitalism? Or something like that?
Woohoo! Good times!
Has any of the candidates suggested allowing people to take a capital loss when their house sells for less than they paid for it? That would at least ease the pain for some people.
aiiight, i'm outta here.
later.
I think the housing crash will be like that bank collapse of 1932, the thing that finally penetrates people's understanding. People are not ready yet, but by the end of the summer they will be.
That is why I am supporting Edwards. Not that anyone asked. (although it would be super cool if Dodd won Iowa or even came in second.)
My wife says the only answer is to lock in the lower rates so that the mortgage borrowers might keep their homes. That it really won't help banks and lending institutions to be trying to sell foreclosed homes that have dropped in value way lower than the original home loan amount. She's someone who's been in various kinds of accounting including Savings and Loan auditing.
(I remember when we first met, she recommended moving all moneys out of those institutions. This was long before the savings and loans crash.)
Has any of the candidates suggested allowing people to take a capital loss when their house sells for less than they paid for it? That would at least ease the pain for some people.
Falstaff
Too easy to abuse for churning McMansions.
charley and Sparkle Plenty,
Thanks for explaining the rules.
the rules are
NO SNOW GLOBES!
ok off to my shitty job, where i will sadly confiscate many sno globes.
Truth and the Rule of Law have been foreclosed upon...
Falstaff
Especially since now if they have a loss and in a short sale they are charges the loss as income.
Wasn't there some Republican president during the beginning of the Great Depression who stressed how important it was to not bring government into the sacred arrangement between markets and capitalism? Or something like that?
I think it was that cross-dressing guy.
the village is scared shitless of edwards. 10 days or so ago, tweetz showed head to head polling with edwards beating all repubs badly. clinton and obama, not so much.
today, you can't find a poll that even asks the question about edwards...
i smell msm poontang...
The solution right now is to give banks sway in applying relief.
So we have effectively created the two tiered society the GOP has always made material, to new levels.
So the two tiered enforcement policy can squeeze all but the benfactors dry...
"We're all entitled to privacy, but we're not entitled to anonymity," Colley said.
Colley would not discuss how thorough the background checks will be. He said the state's focus was keeping sex offenders and those with current warrants segregated from vulnerable residents.
"We'll have procedures and we're not going to advertise what they are," he said.
D2--Please tell me this actually from The Onion--and you just pasted on the newspaper header? Should be from The Onion....
From email:
"In less then two weeks, the people of Iowa will hand out four tickets on the road to selecting the Democratic nominee for President of the United States.
I'm writing to let you know that because of your support this week, that ticket is increasingly within our reach.
You should see the size and enthusiasm of the crowds I'm encountering since returning to Iowa after stopping retroactive immunity.
We're just short of our final fund raising goal before Iowa, and your $23 contribution can put us over the top.
Can you contribute $23 right now?
http://chrisdodd.com/fisawin
We have a holiday party tonight in Iowa City with my wife, Jackie, and I'd love to announce we hit our goal.
Your $23 can put us over the top.
Thank you again,
Chris"
Too easy to abuse for churning McMansions.
Gimlet
Do you think there is anyone out there churning mcmansions right now? I don't think there is a speculative market for real estate at the moment.
fokowi you're sweet.
Now I must pack and get on the road.
Don't know if my sister's network will work with my mac.
Happy holiday to all.
Enjoy!
Culture of TrÜth,
My last word and then I'm gone.
It takes a couple of minutes to write something substantive. "first" takes a couple of seconds. And I didn't think I was writing anything "substantive." I just wanted you folks to know why I read Atrios but don't read your comments.
It's an insular world in here and outsider's apparently aren't welcome. Sorry to have intruded.
By the way, I'm sure you'll be President of AWB in a short period of time. I'll step aside
Nope, that item was from the Houston Chroncal
http://www.chron.com/disp/story....an/
5380868.html
Tony Blair now converting to the church which spoke out against his decision (reached through prayer) to illegally invade a nonaggressing country?
Hell's bells.
THAT NOT SO FRESH FEELING
"Groceries on the Computer, and Immigrants in the Cold"
"Fresh Direct’s great successes have been built on a
low-wage, transient workforce anchored by illegal immigrants."
First!
Good enough to copy from the previous thread
"County records release ordered
Judge rules Democratic Party has right to inspect '06 election files
By Andrea Kelly
Arizona Daily Star
Tucson, Arizona | Published: 12.19.2007
Pima County will have to turn over electronic database records from past elections to the Pima County Democratic Party, a judge ruled Tuesday.
The county must release records requested a year ago, including copies of the Diebold GEMS databases for the 2006 primary and general elections, because they fall under state public-records law, Pima County Superior Judge Michael Miller said. That means the Democratic Party will have a chance to inspect the records for transparency and security.
http://www.azstarnet.com/metro/216878
Gilligan | 12.22.07 - 10:23 am | # "
IMMACULATE RECEPTION IS 35 YEARS OLD TOMORROW
Happy Birthday Immaculate Reception!!!!
(I remember when we first met, she recommended moving all moneys out of those institutions. This was long before the savings and loans crash.)
Doug
The rules set for bank loans are a function of cash in various accounts, so if a lot of people started using their mattresses as a bank it would cripple the economy.
"Morning Thread
Today's project: cookies.
--Molly I."
This thread was ended way too soon... 
We really do need to discuss cookies.... mmmmmmm... cookies..... jeebus cookies....
Happy Birthday Immaculate Reception!!!!
Gomez
Thanks, I feel old now. I just realized that next years college crop was born in 1990.
The rules set for bank loans are a function of cash in various accounts, so if a lot of people started using their mattresses as a bank it would cripple the economy.
She didn't say move my money out of the bank. She said move it from any Savings and Loan accounts. And wasn't saying this to anyone else but close friends.
I'll continue to read Duncan's brilliant articles.
Yeah. "Enjoy" is fucking brilliant.
Do you think there is anyone out there churning mcmansions right now? I don't think there is a speculative market for real estate at the moment.
Falstaff
You are talking future tense, so I am too.
First!
V for Virginia
you're a liar,,,
peace all...
Get ready for the big Moderation Make-over!! Yup, the lucky Republican nominee whomsoever he may be, will receive a free Media Moderation Make-over! Every stupid and insane thing uttered during the primaries is flushed away and forgotten. New "moderate" proclamations are made concerning every issue, and that doesn't count the most valuable benefit! The ultimate feature of this Moderation Make-over is the immediate response of the MSM, which now starts treating the Bozo, or Republican nominee, like they were a Rhodes Scholar or a Nobel Prize winner. Oh. But not a Democratic Rhodes Sholar or Nobel winner.
When did this site become a race to be "first," rather than the first to say something?
How about being the "first" to volunteer for something? Like dry-humping Mean Jean Schmidt? I wasn't the first to join in that. I just hope I'm not the last.
It's an insular world in here and outsider's apparently aren't welcome.
Outsiders are very welcome. Just don't be a dick about it.
Happy Birthday Immaculate Reception!!!!
Gomez
Thanks, I feel old now. I just realized that next years college crop was born in 1990.
Falstaff
The Drive will be 21 this year and can drink!!.
You are talking future tense, so I am too.
Gimlet
I see what you mean, but this is a unique historical problem. We have millions of houses out there mortgaged for well beyond what they can sell for trapping people. Either the banks eat them and people ruin their credit (and we bail out the banks) or we allow them to sell for market value and allow the individual owning the home to take the loss as a tax writeoff. Maybe you institute it as a once lifetime thing so that people don't abuse it.
Secretary of the Treasury Andrew Mellon advised President Hoover that shock treatment would be the best response: "Liquidate labor, liquidate stocks, liquidate the farmers, liquidate real estate.... That will purge the rottenness out of the system. High costs of living and high living will come down. People will work harder, live a more moral life. Values will be adjusted, and enterprising people will pick up the wrecks from less competent people."[13] Hoover rejected this advice, not believing government should directly aid the people, but insisted instead on "voluntary cooperation" between business and government.
Like Lincoln said at Gettysburg: "Nobody will give a fuck what we say or do here today."
The newspapers cleaned it up.
cund gulag,
oh yeah, a real insular world. Why wouldn't people welcome someone who jumps in to tell people to "get a life"??
You wrote a substance-free post criticizing people for writing substance-free posts.
Feel free to post substantive posts here anytime. Nobody is stopping you.
Or you could live up to your own standards and go volunteer for a charity.
When did this site become a race to be "first," rather than the first to say something?
How about being the "first" to volunteer for something? Like teaching the finer points of frottage to amputees? I wasn't the first to join in that. I just hope I'm not the last.
wÒÓ†
Stop, you're killing me!
First!
A popular troll theme, and I'm positive it's intentional: act like you're a newbie who's been snubbed by the "regulars."
Everyone here was new at some point, and there are new people showing up all the time. Some like it, some don't and look elsewhere. Some stay around until they get the hang of it.
This act is getting old and very transparent. Please think of something more interesting to gripe about.
cund gulag is not new, is s/he? Weird.
I love it when new smart funny informed people show up.
But what NTodd and CoT said.
CNN anchor to active duty soldier:
"When did you first realize you would be away for the holidays?"
The quote from the Republican is perceptive. Our economy *isn't* helped by people losing their homes.
I just want to know how someone with the brains to understand this point is still a Republican--and attending a Huckabee rally, of all things. The economy is *ours* to manage, not the corporations' to plunder, and if you want this to change, don't vote Republican--and be very choosy about your Democratic candidates, too.
First!
bloggus
You owe me a damned coke.
and allow the individual owning the home to take the loss as a tax writeoff. Maybe you institute it as a once lifetime thing so that people don't abuse it.
And then what do you do with the debt remaining on the borrowers mortgage account?
Let the banks go under?
subsidize this?
to the bank?
to the borrower?
Insular? My foot! Sometimes when I don't comment for a while I can feel all of the regulars, the occasional posters, and people who haven't even started reading Eschaton yet just aching to hear from me. "Where ya' been, ol' buddy ol' pal!" I can just hear them saying.
They're the gosh darndest friendliest folks on Earth! But sensitive, Oy, so sensitive.
Sorry I started such a controversy. I was just taking a break from decorating the Christmas tree, after which I'm going to the local soup kitchen to lend a hand.
That'll teach me to try to be first. I am chastened.
I'm missing the female bush-enablers. Especially Miss March.
When did this site become a race to be "first," rather than the first to say something?
How about being the "first" to volunteer for something? Like teabagging Tom Tancredo with lacquered balls? I wasn't the first to join in that. I just hope I'm not the last.
Yeah, I never respond to trolls, but I have an exception to my self-imposed rule, and that is for someone I don't know. Because maybe it's not a troll, maybe it's just a dick.
You owe me a damned coke.
OK then. Can I be second?
The new person is right. You people who rush to be first sicken me.
So Mellon essentially wanted a nationwide economic do-over? Sorta?
Interesting, Richard.
I just want to know how someone with the brains to understand this point is still a Republican--and attending a Huckabee rally, of all things.
But this is what makes me nervous about Huckleberry -- people really are sick of the 'thugs attitude that the government can't and shouldn't do anything for people, and Huckster is talking like his Christianity informs more than just his stance (wide) on teh gay and abortion.
These are republican voters who are trying desperately to find some redemption in a party that they can see has lost its mind.
My hope is that once the nominees are chosen they'll take a good look at whichever jackass their party apparatchiks have foisted on them, hold their noses and pull the D lever.
Sooooooooo the sub-prime crisis is a reason to vote for the Democrats over the Republicans because the Democrats aren't as bad as the Republicans.
Hmm. Sounds familiar.
Oh right, the war in Iraq. Sorry, anybody who votes for Democrats based on the fact that the Republicans were mostly resonsible for the sub prime mortgage crisis is being played for the same useful idiot he/she was played for in 2006.
The Democrats didn't care about the war. It was a way to get Congress.
They don't care about the sub-prime mortgage crisis other than a possible way to get the White House back.
Make them bring specific proposals ot the table or don't believe the hype.
Seriously, how could everything Mellon recommended "liquidating" be liguidated?
The new person is right. You people who rush to be first sicken me.
The Kenosha Kid
You owe me a damned coke.
OK then. Can I be second?
bloggus
When I refreshed I saw that we both owe dms (who also wasn't first, but a hell of a lot closer than either of us ).
I, myself, never even consider posting until there are at least 200 comments. And I make sure I've read them all and followed any links.
The ill-considered remark will not come from Mooser, no sir!
And then what do you do with the debt remaining on the borrowers mortgage account?
Doug
They can take it as tax writeoff. They deserve a little pain for their role in this but I doubt they hold the mortgage, only service it.
They got their money from origination and refinance fees.
CNN now showing random pictures of family xmas cards.
Do we **really** need a First Amendment?
By the way, I'm sure you'll be President of AWB in a short period of time.
Or at least Lead Guitarist.
Happy Holidays, Mooser! Saw your comments at some other blogs--nice to see you're still around.
And then what do you do with the debt remaining on the borrowers mortgage account?
Good Question. For some debt the borrower may be able to absorb it, but obviously if it's hundreds of thousands of dollars it's going to be very difficult.
I have sold a house for a modest loss before, in the neighborhood of 10K, and I paid the difference at closing.
I'll have to think of the most consumer and tax-payer friendly way to handle that which doesn't encourage abuse. So far, I have come up with magic.
Make them bring specific proposals ot the table or don't believe the hype.
Amen. It sucks to not trust my own party any more.
They can take it as tax writeoff.
The amount of paper/vapor money in real estate loans is huge. I don't think most (if any) borrowers, banks and lending institutions can adsorb this.
They don't have that much liquid cash.
As Catherine the Great said: "Let the poor schmucks eat potatoes."
fokowi - I e-mailed you some background.
I'd like to start the Chicago chapter of Assholes Without Borders.
We could do it at the Barnes and Noble on Clybourn.
Who's with me?
Last!!!
oh, well, maybe not.
They don't have that much liquid cash.
Doug
Have I told you about my tiny violin?
They make huge profits, bear a lot of responsibility for this.
CARLOS SEZ OH NOES IM NOT A RASIST
Chuck Norris: 'Truth'
Book Is a Lie
Trading karate chops for lawyers, tough guy actor Chuck Norris is taking on a new book titled ''The Truth About Chuck Norris,'' saying it's a big lie and he wants to stop its distribution.
On Friday, Norris sued Penguin Group Inc. and the book's creator, Ian Spector, saying his good image is being spoiled by a book that depicts him as callous and unlawful and which he says includes false ''facts'' that are sometimes racist and lewd.
In a lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Manhattan, the actor, whose real name is Carlos Ray Norris, says the preface of the book refers to meetings between Norris and Spector, a Westbury, N.Y., resident and an undergraduate at Brown University, and the book also thanks Norris for ''playing along.''
But, the lawsuit said, Norris never authorized Penguin or its Gotham Books division to use his name, image or likeness in connection with commercial sales of the book, which was published on Nov. 29.
The lawsuit said Norris told Penguin it was not authorized to publish the book but the publisher rejected Norris' claims. The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages, a halt to publication and a recall of books already sold.
Hey V, back attcha, darlin'!
I'd been meaning to send some turkee to Chris Dodd all week and I finally got around to it this morning. Thanks for the reminder, pigboy.
Like Rickey
I can't even spell my own fucking name. How bad is that?
tweedles!
What are you planning for Weihnachten? Are you still in Berlin?
I have got such a case of the lazies. I went into the kitchen, surveyed the damage, got some ice for my ginger ale and sat back down.
Anyone want to unload my dishwasher? There's dry-cured ham and scalloped potatoes in it for ya!
Hi Duchess,
yep, still in the same spiffy city.
Weihnachten mit Freunden. We hope to polish off a goose, or get goosed, or something. But I stay away from Glühwein, bad headaches. A bourbon and branch will do.
By the way, which role did you sing in Rosenkavalier?
Secretary of the Treasury Andrew Mellon advised President Hoover that shock treatment would be the best response
Mellon...Let's see.
Carnegie-Mellon?
Richard Mellon Scaife?
Yeah, there's an ancestral hatred of FDR going on here. Mellon sounds like he wanted to be able to buy farms, houses - hell, whole cities - for cents on the dollar from desperate folks who would become the inentured servents of the transformed economy.
These people are insular, sick, and dangerous.
They make huge profits, bear a lot of responsibility for this.
I have no love for banks. I'm think what happens to all the people, all over the world, who depend on goods, services, and money flowing. It won't be a good thing to have a general economic collapse.
the results of that?
Possibly...
No jobs,
major famines,
major dislocation,
more opportunities for Hitleresque types to gain power.
Myself I like to eat regularly. I don't think I could survive even a minor famine.
By the way, which role did you sing in Rosenkavalier?
I have never sung a role in that. Where did you get that idea?
I thought that was you yesterday, or the day before that I got into the opera trivia chat with. Sorry.
Anyway, the big fun here is on New Years Eve. The city blows its top, makes Times Square look like Aunt Tilly's tea party.
The chicago tribune takeover is going to be interesting
http://www.knbc.com/news/1490193...rss=la&
psp=news
Zell is, of course, a republican. The deal is a shining example of modern American capitalism in which a vast pile of debt is shuffled around with the designated fall guys being the ESOP/Pension. Ha ha, sucker journalists.
tweedles, here too. It's like a war breaks out.
hi, grand duchess songbird of paradise...
fokowi Watcha doing for the holidays?
The ill-considered remark will not come from Mooser, no sir!
Mooser |
So dude - just checked your homepage. Did that hurricane make landfall or what?
The morning news leads me to believe that the Spears family has finally mutated into an abstinence-only resistant super-contagion.
Otherwise things are great.
So, I just read that the Daily Show and Colbert are returning to the air, crossing the writers' picket line. I know that I can't expect ideological purity from celebrities, but this disappoints me. It's not like they'd go starving or anything.
Anyone want to unload my dishwasher? There's dry-cured ham and scalloped potatoes in it for ya!
Why put ham and potatoes in the dishwasher?
It's not like they'd go starving or anything.
I think it's more likely that Comedy Central's ratings have cratered without them.
Why put ham and potatoes in the dishwasher?
NTodd, Snacking Pink
I can only eat food if I'm certain it's sterile.
songbird.
well, xmas eve day i have a meeting with someone (fucker) who is buying my lake cabin.
xmas day dinner at parents house to include my sisters...
that's about it. my personal day of reflection was yesterday...
WIFE STABS HUSBAND FOR OPENING CHRISTMAS GIFT TOO EARLY
Its the most wonderful time of the year.
Zell is, of course, a republican. The deal is a shining example of modern American capitalism in which a vast pile of debt is shuffled around with the designated fall guys being the ESOP/Pension. Ha ha, sucker journalists.
rootless-e | 12.22.07 - 11:07 am | #
Tangentially related, I just got the annual report for the pension from a previous employer. The pension is currently funded at 46.1%. They, of course, blame the stock market. Couldn't have anything to do with mismanagement, or malfeasance, right?
WIFE STABS HUSBAND FOR OPENING CHRISTMAS GIFT TOO EARLY
The gift was a Swiss Army knife.
You want cute? This is cute!
Romney struck a belligerent tone: He called Huckabee soft on crime and disloyal to President Bush, amplifying the assault with mail, radio and TV attacks.
Huckabee struck back, telling a Davenport crowd that Huckabee's leniency "would be real news to the 16 people whose executions I carried out" as governor of Arkansas.
Shorter Huck: I killed lots of people too!
WIFE STABS HUSBAND FOR OPENING CHRISTMAS GIFT TOO EARLY
That may be the funniest thing I've heard in a long time!
I think private fireworks (some of them at 7 on the Richter scale) are allowed most places in Europe. A crowd of 2 million or so here in Berlin, with the fire power of the Russians taking the city in 45. Fun, but frightening. American security forces would all need fainting couches.
The home-mortgage crisis is gaining prominence on the campaign trail, as Democrats and Republicans alike scramble to present new plans to voters, who are increasingly raising the issue in the run-up to the Jan. 3 Iowa caucus.
This is the first line of the article. However after reading the rest of the article I don't get the sense that any republican candidates are "scrambling" to do anything but avoid the issue. Another case of they're both alike even when they're completely opposite.
Shorter Huck: I killed lots of people too!
sdf (Stu), Doddmaniac
The Body Count campaign.
So, I just read that the Daily Show and Colbert are returning to the air, crossing the writers' picket line. I know that I can't expect ideological purity from celebrities, but this disappoints me. It's not like they'd go starving or anything.
Barbarism
Kind of bummed me out, too. Did they talk with their writers? I would think that Stewart and Colbert would be particularly close with their writers ....
I have this seed of discontent about Ron Paul and the possibility that he is in this just to f up the democrats so they will choose a candidate that can't win. I think the republicans will do anything to prevent Edwards from winning the nomination.
Tangentially related, I just got the annual report for the pension from a previous employer. The pension is currently funded at 46.1%. They, of course, blame the stock market. Couldn't have anything to do with mismanagement, or malfeasance, right?
Barbarism Begins at Home | 12.22.07 - 11:18 am | #
You might wanna look to see if they scooped out some when the market was high and the pensions were "overfunded".
would be real news to the 16 people whose executions I carried out" as governor of Arkansas.
Does that figure include Dumond's victim(s)?
Shorter Huck: I killed lots of people too!
sdf (Stu), Doddmaniac | Homepage | 12.22.07 - 11:20 am | #
Is it required for former arkansas governors to boast about frying people when they run for president?
I would think that Stewart and Colbert would be particularly close with their writers ....
sdf (Stu), Doddmaniac
I haven't been following this closely, but didn't one of them offer to pay the writers out of their own salary?
In a perfect world Clinton and Obama will slug it out until Edwards wins the nomination by a landslide.
But Kucinich would be more perfect.
I thought it was a Texas thing, boasting about frying people when they run for governorator.
Kucinich is great. I am glad he exists. I wish he could win but it doesn't look like it.
didn't one of them offer to pay the writers out of their own salary?
Not the writers. I think they may have offered to pay the other non-writing staff, who get laid off when the show is not in production.
Bush’s Very Good Year
The president’s optimism is well-earned . . . and he’s not done yet.
By Larry Kudlow
You also deserve some credit, Krud.
Not the writers. I think they may have offered to pay the other non-writing staff, who get laid off when the show is not in production.
Toonscribe: Cartoon Liberal
Oh, OK, thanks for clearing that up for me.
CNN now covering the Cigna case.
Family has hired Mark Geragos.
Geragos asking DA to consider manslaughter charges.
and he’s not done yet.
More's the fucking pity.
Neponset @ 11:22pm---Your comment about the press is so damn depressing (note that's there's a "press" in "depressing.") and so true. They're all schmucks, but we'll make more fun of the Dem schmucks in hopes the public will vote against their best interests.
Now, must do something to enable me to travel--like pack, prepare for kitty care. Christmas with the family time.
I heard Kucinich being interviewed on Wisconsin Public Radio the other day. I agreed with just about everything he said. Everything. He sounded like an Eschaton commenter, a true DFH. (Hmmmm.)
It's a shame that NTodd has doomed his candidacy by saying that he absolutely cannot win.
later all you dfh's...
next year at this time, hopefully our political minds will feel better.
ear candy:
anybody here seen my old friend john?
can you tell me where he's gone?
he freed lotta people but it seems the good they die young.
i just looked around and he's gone...
didn't you love the things that they stood for?
didn't they try to find some good for you and me?
and we'll be free.
some day soon, it's gonna be one day...
peace
poof
If Paul decides to run in his own party like Perot did the cat would indeed prowl among the pigeons.
Banned Words of 2008:
Judd Apatow
(The name "Judd Apatow" is causing me to tear my hair in the same way the name "Quentin Tarantino" did circa 1992-94. Mitigation: with Apatow we don't have to hear the all the bullshit about the genius of the video store clerk.)
Mike Huckabee is so incredibly out of his depth on foreign policy. And CNN is not interested in talking about the facts; only in portraying Huckabee as a GOP foreign policy maverick.
Huckabee wants to tell the Saudis to keep their oil, we won't be slaves to them any more. Which sounds well and good, only we don't get that much oil from Saudi Arabia.
It's a shame that NTodd has doomed his candidacy by saying that he absolutely cannot win.
NTodd has a point thought.
A woman will never be President.
What CIGNA case?
Mike Huckabee is so incredibly out of his depth on foreign policy
Heh. Do you want a president who knows stuff?
Well, the Founding Fathers felt an educated electorate and a free press was essential to the workings of a democratic republic.
Unfortunately, the free press is now a corporate media. And was are fucked.
It's a shame that NTodd has doomed his candidacy by saying that he absolutely cannot win.
I hate that. People just repeat it because they heard it somewhere and assume it's some informed opinion.
Mike Huckabee is so incredibly out of his depth on foreign policy. And CNN is not interested in talking about the facts; only in portraying Huckabee as a GOP foreign policy maverick.
He and McCain now become the Bret and Bart Mavericks of the 60s TV Show for real. I guess after 7 years of Jethro Bodine as POTUS, it's only natural that life imitates 1960s Television.
would be real news to the 16 people whose executions I carried out" as governor of Arkansas.
Only because they didn't claim to find Jesus in prison. Bush fried 'em even then, and made fun of them.
That was supposed to be "And we are fucked."
Later, Batsies.
What CIGNA case?
IIRC, CIGNA wouldn't approve a young woman's liver transplant. The family took/threatened to take them to court. CIGNA hemmed and hawed and finally relented and agreed to the transplant, but the young woman died of liver failure before the transplant could be done -- her health deteriorated significantly while they were arguing.
Banned Words of 2008:
Judd Apatow
So I guess you don't want to see that John C. Reilly rock star movie?
CIGNA CASE
http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/stor...ocal&
id=5848163
"Thus far in the '08 cycle, 56 percent of religious groups' and leaders' donations have gone to Democrats, and 43 percent to Republicans, compared with 52/47 in favor of Republicans in '06 and 51/49 in favor of Democrats (!) in 2004.
Among presidential candidates, Barack Obama leads with $107,350, followed by Hillary Clinton's $88,910 and Mitt Romney's $39,350. Would you have guessed that the leading Democrat has raked in nearly three times as much money as the top Republican? Me neither."
http://
blog.faithinpubliclife.or...and_cash_1.html
A week later the NYT notices - and the Politico tail-light chasers.
-
I'll see the movie. I'm just tired of everyone yapping about Apatow.
CIGNA hemmed and hawed and finally relented and agreed to the transplant, but the young woman died of liver failure before the transplant could be done -
Ah, so but for CIGNA's hemming and hawing, Little Susie would be alive.
Yapatow.
res -- this CIGNA case.
17 year old girl needed a liver transplant; a donor had been found months ago but Cigna wouldn't authorize the surgery. After being pressured the authorized it Thursday just in time to be too late. She died.
Rethugs much prefer governors as candidates. They get to fry people. Them's creds.(Not that Slick Willie wasn't happy to reap the benefits of a monopoly on electric companies.)
Canada is the largest supplier of oil to the US, followed by Mexico.
Are we a slave to Canada?
I wonder what it takes for people to step outside of their zones for a minute in order to look at the rest of the world, and look out how many women have been president, chancellor, prime minister of their own countries.
The fact that Hillary is in this campaign and is currently doing well shows that progress has been made. Maybe she will never become president. But she's brought the possibility of a woman becoming president closer than it ever was, and who is to say, really, who will be a candidate in 4 or 8 years?
Never say never.
Ah, so but for CIGNA's hemming and hawing, Little Susie would be alive.
That about sums it up.
Only because they didn't claim to find Jesus in prison. Bush fried 'em even then, and made fun of them.
Snow, Liberal
Although I think Dumond's pardon was "in your face spite" by Huckabee, I wonder if the reasoning generally behind the 1,033 pardons and commutations was "redemption".
http://apnews.myway.com/article/.../
D8TEKRSO1.html
Are we a slave to Canada?
Snow, Liberal
Bow to their National Igloo.
17 year old girl needed a liver transplant; a donor had been found months ago but Cigna wouldn't authorize the surgery. After being pressured the authorized it Thursday just in time to be too late. She died.
In the insurance world, that is considered a successful outcome.
Today, I fulfill my boyhood dream of being a best man at a wedding.
Yes, I've lived an ordinary life.
Actually the young lady slipped into a coma. They turned off life support because she was too weak for surgery at that point.
In the insurance world, that is considered a successful outcome.
Certified Mutant Enemy
Ain't that the gut-wrenching, fist-clenching, rage-inducing truth?
"Ah, so but for CIGNA's hemming and hawing, Little Susie would be alive.|"
"CIGNA is not in business to lose money" says the repug.
I kinda hate them.
what everyone else said.
Cigna only caved because the nurses in the hospital organizaed a protest outside Cigna's corporate offices.
While the mother was speaking into a microphone denouncing the company, someone rushed out to say Cigna changed their minds.
Too late.
Oh, hell, I really must get up off my duff and do something constructive.
have a day, y'all and good holidays and safe travel to those who are on the road.
Insurance company operate from a basic truth:
Hey you're all going to die anyway.
What is going on with Haloscan?
It's 1929 all over again!!!! Republicans screaming to keep the government out of business's way while the country goes to hell and gone because of the corruption and greed and shortsightedness of.....BUSINESS!!!!
The republicans have the same solutions they had back in '29 and the '30's, "stay the course", ask business very nicely, if they wouldn't mind maybe voluntarily helping out the people that they screwed and the nation as a whole. This is where the notion of self regulation has gotten us. IN DEEP TROUBLE.
It took FDR years to get us out of the hole Herbert Hoover put us in. It's going to take a man like John Edwards or Chris Dodd to do the same thing after the Bush administration.
Atrios keeps calling this a big shit pile. Let's use that analogy. Government regulation is like toilet training for business. Without it, business just keeps shitting all over the house, with it, they at least learn to shit in the toilet.
Just as animals and babies can't teach themselves that trick, business can't and won't without someone making them. The republicans schemes to solve the problem are naive and irresponsible at the very least.
Hey you're all going to die anyway.
tweedles
Did I mention our policy of suing the estate for one last premium?
It's an insular world in here and outsider's apparently aren't welcome.
Outsiders are very welcome. Just don't be a dick about it.
NTodd, Snacking Pink
Once again, my point is proved correct. Someone outside the club says something that hits a little to close to home, and NTodd leads the charge, along with his gaggle of little lemmings, to trash them.
By the way, how did that whole Nancy Pelosi writing campaign go? Waste enough postage? Another 70 billion to King George, courtesy of your spineless democrats.
"Insurance company operate from a basic truth:
Hey you're all going to die anyway."
Had to deal with Unum/Provident over a disability insurance policy I had - It was like what I imagine getting buttfucked by an octopus to be like.
They dropped me because according to their actuarial tables they could - and if I wanted to challenge them I could pay for 4,000 worth of tests that they MIGHT accept. Lawyers wanted the same 4,000 for retainer to take this on - I could find no one to do it for free.
res -- this CIGNA case.
17 year old girl needed a liver transplant; a donor had been found months ago but Cigna wouldn't authorize the surgery. After being pressured the authorized it Thursday just in time to be too late. She died.
V for Virginia | 12.22.07 - 11:41 am | #
Ya know, the insurance companies are surely the biggest villains here, but I think the medical profession shirks responsibility too easily. Where are mass protests from doctors, nurses, etc? They see these horrors (maybe not to the same degree)on a regular basis, but why don't they speak out more?
Why not do the surgery anyway, and tell Cigna to fuck off? With a little PR work no one would even have to get fired. Can you imagine the headlines if the hospital fired the doctors after something like that?
I know I'm talking out my ass, but my girlfriend is a kidney transplantee, so stories like this make me see red.
What is going on with Haloscan?
Hmmm, Haloscan goes goofy the minute Zod shows up.
Coincidence?
I could find no one to do it for free.
Did you mean for a contingent fee?
Without it, business just keeps shitting all over the house, with it, they at least learn to shit in the toilet.
Gives a whole new meaning to bottom line thinking.
As a slight revision to my above post, I see that pressure from nurses led Cigna to change their minds (though conveniently for them too late)- kudos to those nurses.
res -- this CIGNA case.
News reports also mention she had leukemia.
"Did you mean for a contingent fee?"
I mean for anything other than cash up front.
congrats Zap!
What CIGNA case?
IIRC, CIGNA wouldn't approve a young woman's liver transplant. The family took/threatened to take them to court. CIGNA hemmed and hawed and finally relented and agreed to the transplant, but the young woman died of liver failure before the transplant could be done -- her health deteriorated significantly while they were arguing.
Toonscribe: Cartoon Liberal | 12.22.07 - 11:38 am
ABC did have this as their lead story on this morning's Good Morning America.
I guess they got bored with missing family stories.
Insurance = that thing you think you have until you actually need it.
I'm just tired of everyone yapping about Apatow. res ipsa loquitur
I've been told he's anti-feminist. By someone who hasn't seen his movies. Because he's anti-feminist.
[crosses ril off Apatow Yap newsletter distribution list]
News reports also mention she had leukemia.
Yeah. She had leukemia and had a bone marrow transplant; but there were complications from that caused liver failure.
Sooooo, Poodle's a Catholic now, eh?
Snooze.
I can't believe General Zod would show his face around here, not after calling the Marines serving in Fallujah "cowards."
That's pretty low.
"I guess they got bored with missing family stories."
tell them not to fear - an attractive white woman will turn up missing soon
...and Ted Kennedy got more for his memoirs than Rover?
Guess that's not surprising.
res -- this CIGNA case.
News reports also mention she had leukemia.
Gimlet | 12.22.07 - 11:54 am
She did, got a bone marrow transplant from her brother, went into organ failure, which is why she needed a new liver.
Insurance = that thing you think you can afford unless you actually need it.
Toonscribe: Cartoon Liberal | 12.22.07 - 11:56 am | #
also true
Banned Words of 2008:
Judd Apatow
res ipsa loquitur | Homepage | 12.22.07 - 11:34 am | #
I tend to agree. I didn't find Knocked Up very funny at all. Superbad was OK, but mostly because I find Michael Cera to be hilarious. George Michael Bluth FTW!
I don't get the Apatow hype.
tell them not to fear - an attractive white woman will turn up missing soon
Uncle Blodge, Urban Teacher
i haven't seen mrs g today ...
Can you imagine what the political climate would be like in this nation if the MCM covered as many "Dead White Women by Insurance Callousness and Bureaucracy" as the do "Missing (or Dead) White Women"?
Think national health insurance would be the Number One issue?
Oh, yeah, but there's that damn "C" in the MCM--Maintream Corporate Media
Sheets!
I can't believe General Zod would show his face around here, not after calling the Marines serving in Fallujah "cowards."
That's pretty low.
wÒÓ† | Homepage | 12.22.07 - 11:57 am | #
Holy shit! I remember that. I've been posting here for WAY too long!
I've heard insurance companies described as that fellow who will be happy to rent you his umbrella as long as you give it back when it rains.
Sheets!
Snow, Liberal
Of fucking course.
Oh, yeah, but there's that damn "C" in the MCM--Maintream Corporate Media
I work for a company that is not only knee-deep in the media, but knee-deep in "health-care".
Now I've said too much. Later.
i haven't seen mrs g today ...
Now that you mention it, I haven't seen Mrs Toonscribe either. I assume she went in to work, but maybe she's... missing.
As of right now, my health insurer does give better coverage than my house insurance did when I had a major problem. Of course, the health insurer costs over 23 times as much per year....
Now, back to travel preps.
foolme1ns | 12.22.07 - 11:49 am ~~~ Just what I was thinking, and I really like your analogy to potty training.
Yup, they shit all the country and the people--but expect someone else to clean that up and them as well!
Now, again, to work.
government healthcare would be as bad as government denying services
'Arizona Sen. John McCain, meantime, said his economic team was preparing a plan to combat the problem, though he didn't give specifics. "I believe that government action is the last resort and not the first resort," he told CNBC.'
Translation:
If poor and middle class people lose their homes government should keep out of it. If rich people suffer, then government will have to step in.
why is she at a Huck rally when he wants the national sales tax? she can add 23 percent to the cost of buying a home after she gets kicked out of her present one
Is there more than one kind of Republican?
I thought the R party was/is rooted in the economic school of "let the market sort it out"?
Why would a true Republican want to mess with the Holy Market?
LastDemInNorman
It makes you wonder about those folk when they can call two silver spoon adorned, always around political power,multi millionaires as "Washington Outsiders". Jr. was packaged as such and now Willard is trying for the same mantra. If the semi conscious among the Getting Over on you Party continue to fall for these fakes no hope of a de-polarization in the political atmosphere can be seen. They'll continue to be as my jr.high b-ball coach use to say " A-Fucking-1-Stupid for no reason".
Republicans also get sick at the same rate as Democrats, and might well show some self-interest in the healthcare issue were they not irrational.
Democrats need to reframe the meaning of government, away from the "evil bureaucracy out there" and back toward "government of the people, BY the people, for the people."
Instead of asking things like, "Can't government do something about X?," we should ask, "Can't WE do something about this through government?"
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