The next decade - a post about possibilities

The year 2010 is almost here.  I began to think about it a few days ago, posting my thoughts to Facebook:

The upcoming New Year feels like it holds big change. Perhaps it is because I am tuned in to decadal markers. And perhaps it is because it is the beginning of the second decade of the 21st century. Change is only that in itself, neither + nor -. My wish for you is that your changes are +++. May you and those you love have a great 2010!

We are alike in this.  I have also realized that we are all tuned in to these markers of time.  Else, why would we all read and look and listen to all thearticles, posts, et., that begin with "The best of . . . ," or "The Worst of . . . "  We eagerly study the photography documenting what happened in the last decade.  We remember those whom we have lost.

By looking backward we gain perspective for moving forward.  We can decide to change some things, or focus more on the things on which we have been missing out.  That is what New Year's resolutions are about.  Only the most obsessive among us manage to keep our resolutions, but that is OK, too. 

We can always give ourselves permission to start over, to make a new beginning, to move to a new day . . . year, or decade.  For that we have such things as calendars, sunsets, sunrises, and 12 strikes on the clock.  Whatever you decide to do, I hope that your fresh starts bring rewards, success and happiness in the upcoming years.

Posted via web from Make Good Mondays

Home for Christmas

The idea of going home for Christmas is probably as old as the formal celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ.  Adult children often want to celebrate Christmas at the old family home.  But at which home do the children of these children want to be, their own home or their grandparents' home?

Obviously, children want to feel warm and welcomed.  Often it does not take much to accomplish that.   For family members to feel a deep sense of belonging where they are, the only necessity is to be "present," emotionally and spiritually  for each other.

Decorations, presents, food and excitement are not central to that state of being "Present."  As my adult son said, "Those things are only trappings."  Alll of the frantic time, effort and money expended by so many harried families is certainly not  necessary.

Remember the humble circumstances of Christ's birth.  He was not born at home, but in a makeshift shelter,  a stable on the road trip required by his parents' government.  In 2009 think about what it means to merely be deeply present to those with whom you celebrate.

"Peace be with you," and "with thy spirit."

Related articles by Zemanta

• The innkeeper: Still no room at the inn (thestar.com)
• House dating back to time of Jesus is discovered in Nazareth (telegraph.co.uk)
• The spirit of the season (crosscut.com)
• What would you get rid of for Christmas? | The question (guardian.co.uk)

What Health Care Reform Means for: ‘Young Invincibles’ - ProPublica

Neil Thurgood, 26

Location: Washington, D.C. Health Care Status: Insured through his wife Household Income: $65,000

His Story:

When Neil Thurgood graduated college in the fall of 2006, his health insurance lapsed while he looked for a job. At the time, he says, “I just kind of figured, I’m young and healthy and everything is cool,” so he didn’t worry when it took longer than planned to find a job. His wife eventually got one that offered insurance, but the premium was still too expensive for Thurgood to be covered.

That wasn’t a problem until January 2007, when Thurgood came down with what he now refers to as “some crazy renegade virus,” which landed him in the hospital with a fever of 105. A spinal tap and a day later, Thurgood was sent home with fuzzy understanding of why he was sick and a bill for about $6,000.

Nearly three years later things are looking up for Thurgood. He’s landed a job and is now insured through his wife’s coverage, which costs them $260 a month. But he’s still paying down his hospital debt.

“I feel bad having those kinds of obligations outstanding,” he said. “It’ll be paid when it’s paid.”

Thurgood is part of the group called “the Young Invincibles.” Young adults between 19 and 29 have the highest uninsured rate of any age group – they aren’t as worried about getting sick, they’re less likely to have jobs that will offer insurance, and they typically make less money than other age brackets so they can’t buy private insurance. In the last year, 47 percent of people between age 19 and 34 went without health insurance at some point, and one in three is uninsured now.

What Health Reform Means to Him:

A series of changes offered by both the House and Senate’s reform bills mean the “invincibles” will have more options for insurance – whether as a dependent on a parent’s insurance, Medicaid or as a purchase through an exchange — but one option that will no longer be available is skipping health coverage.

For relatively well-off young people, like Thurgood and his wife, health care reform will mean a new health insurance requirement, but not much help affording it.

Both health reform bills mandate that everyone has insurance, which means young adults wouldn’t have the option of staying uninsured unless they want to pay a fine. The House bill would fine them either 2.5 percent of their adjusted income ($1,624 for the Thurgoods) or the price of the lowest premium on the exchange, whichever is lower. The Senate bill would phase in a penalty over the next six years, eventually fining them $750 a person, or $1,500.

 As of now, coverage from a parent’s private plan or through a public program that covers children usually ends at age 19. But the both the bills extend the age that children can remain as dependents. The House extends it to the child’s 27^th birthday [9], and the Senate extends it to the 26^th [10].

For the poorest group of young people, Medicaid may be an option. The program does not currently cover young adults without a child or a disability, except for in 15 states that have waivers, but that’s about to change. Both the House and Senate bills would extend the population that they cover to include childless adults. (See our coverage [11] of Medicaid and young adults.) The Senate bill also expands Medicaid to cover up to 133 percent of the federal poverty line (about $14,000 for a single person) starting in 2014, and the House bill expands it to 150 percent, or about $16,000, in 2013.

But at his current household income, Thurgood wouldn’t qualify for Medicaid.

If he decided he didn’t want to use his wife’s insurance, both bills would allow him to purchase health insurance through an exchange. However, it’s not clear how much exchanges will benefit healthy young people who earn too much to also qualify for government subsidies.

The House plan would create a national exchange, and the Senate plan would create state-based exchanges. The exchanges function like large pooling mechanisms, allowing people who would normally buy insurance through the individual market to buy into one of a menu of private group plans. The House bill also includes a public option – but that did not make it into the Senate version, and House leaders have indicated a willingness to drop it [12].

If he’s buying through the exchange, Thurgood could choose the Senate’s “young invincible” option [13], which offers people under 30 bare-bones coverage for a discount price — a possibility that would no longer be open to others who buy through the exchange, since levels of benefits will be set by Congress.

Lower-income young people who qualify for subsidies would probably skip the “invincible” option, because they could buy better insurance with government help, as the Congressional Budget Office has pointed out [14].

But the Thurgoods earn too much to qualify for subsidies, so buying coverage through the exchange may not help them much. The Thurgoods are above the income threshold to qualify for subsidies for premiums that are offered under each plan, which is 400 percent of the federal poverty line, or $58,280 for a family of two by 2009 standards. (Read our coverage of premium subsidies [15].)

via propublica.org

ProPublica is a nonprofit investigative journalism resource. Write to author Sabrina Shankman at Sabrina.Shankman@propublica.org. if you liked this story.

Posted via web from Southwest Postings

FT.com / In depth - Books of the year

[re the economy] . . . Most of these books will plummet into oblivion – but a few fine works will survive. And even as markets recover and consumer confidence returns, this publishing trend will continue: we have been reminded that we are all part of the financial world now – and that it was not terrorism but our own actions that took the economy to the precipice.

. . . The year also saw the first – less successful – forays into credit crunch fiction. We have yet to find the Dickens for our time to conjure the economic crisis as a sympathetic backdrop for a great novel. Until then, we continue to seek solace in historical fiction: book prizes were dominated by works set in the past, including Hilary Mantel’s magisterial recreation of the court of Henry VIII, winner of the 2009 Man Booker Prize. In a triumph of literary fiction over the mass market, Mantel’s Wolf Hall briefly topped Amazon’s bestseller list and knocked Dan Brown’s blockbuster The Lost Symbol off the number one spot. A popular classic got a modern twist in the year’s most surprising hit, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, which squeezed new blood out of Jane Austen’s work.

In non-fiction, the publishing world showed its continuing obsession with anniversaries. A flurry of books tracked the lives of Charles Darwin and Abraham Lincoln, born 200 years ago this year. Others tackled more recent turning points: 70 years since the second world war began; 40 from man’s first steps on the Moon; 20 since the Berlin wall fell and communism crumbled in Europe. The choice of what to read is rich, varied and confusing, but the FT’s critics will help you decide.

via ft.com

The year 2009 found a number of us in financial crisis. Some situations have become a bit better, but joblessness remains a very critical U.S. problem.

How can you help? Why not think about books as gifts as we celebrate the 2009 holiday season? For long lasting value a good book gives the possibility of wisdom and information, pure pleasure, increased awareness and other long lasting benefits to the recipient.

This article has fabulous best book lists of fiction, politics and religion, history, science, business and economics, food, travel, art and photography, architecture and design, music, film, sport, gifts and fashion, children, and teenagers.

Posted via web from Southwest Postings

Health-care bill wouldn't bring real reform - washingtonpost.com

. . . From the very beginning of this debate, progressives have argued that a public option or a Medicare buy-in would restore competition and hold the private health insurance industry accountable. Progressives understood that a public plan would give Americans real choices about what kind of system they wanted to be in and how they wanted to spend their money. Yet Washington has decided, once again, that the American people cannot be trusted to choose for themselves. Your money goes to insurers, whether or not you want it to.

. . . Improvements can still be made in the Senate, and I hope that Senate Democrats will work on this bill as it moves to conference. If lawmakers are interested in ensuring that government affordability credits are spent on health-care benefits rather than insurers' salaries, they need to require state-based exchanges, which act as prudent purchasers and select only the most efficient insurers. Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) offered this amendment during the Finance Committee markup, and Democrats should include it in the final legislation. A stripped-down version of the current bill that included these provisions would be worth passing.

In Washington, when major bills near final passage, an inside-the-Beltway mentality takes hold. Any bill becomes a victory. Clear thinking is thrown out the window for political calculus. In the heat of battle, decisions are being made that set an irreversible course for how future health reform is done. The result is legislation that has been crafted to get votes, not to reform health care.

I have worked for health-care reform all my political life. In my home state of Vermont, we have accomplished universal health care for children younger than 18 and real insurance reform -- which not only bans discrimination against preexisting conditions but also prevents insurers from charging outrageous sums for policies as a way of keeping out high-risk people. I know health reform when I see it, and there isn't much left in the Senate bill. I reluctantly conclude that, as it stands, this bill would do more harm than good to the future of America.

via washingtonpost.com

Dr. Howard Dean is taking on the courageous task of informing the U.S. populace that "Emperor HealthCare has no clothes." He says,
"If I were a senator, I would not vote for the current health-care bill. Any measure that expands private insurers' monopoly over health care and transfers millions of taxpayer dollars to private corporations is not real health-care reform."
In this Thursday WaPo editorial he lays out the reasons why passage of the health care reform legislation in its current Senate form would do more harm than good for the American people. I have excerpted his most important concluding paragraphs.
Like a large number of Progressives, I have serious reservations about this massive "welfare for the health insurance sector." It feels like a complete capitulation to the well-heeled lobbyists that have crawled the halls on Capitol Hill since Congress' reform effort began. And we will be worse off for it if it is not improved before final passage.

Posted via web from Southwest Postings

Incredible New Hubble Image Full of Stars | International Space Fellowship

Just in time for the holidays: a Hubble Space Telescope picture postcard of hundreds of brilliant blue stars wreathed by warm, glowing clouds. The festive portrait is the most detailed view of the largest stellar nursery in our local galactic neighborhood.

Hubble's Festive View of a Grand Star-Forming Region. Credit: NASA/ESA

The massive, young stellar grouping, called R136, is only a few million years old and resides in the 30 Doradus Nebula, a turbulent star-birth region in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), a satellite galaxy of our Milky Way. There is no known star-forming region in our galaxy as large or as prolific as 30 Doradus.
Many of the diamond-like icy blue stars are among the most massive stars known. Several of them are over 100 times more massive than our Sun. These hefty stars are destined to pop off, like a string of firecrackers, as supernovas in a few million years.
The image, taken in ultraviolet, visible, and red light by Hubble’s Wide Field Camera 3, spans about 100 light-years. The nebula is close enough to Earth that Hubble can resolve individual stars, giving astronomers important information about the stars’ birth and evolution.

via spacefellowship.com

Click on this link for a wonderful new Hubble image. It depicts a region labeled charmingly as a "stellar nursery." It comes to us as a result of the recent refurbishing of the Hubble Space Telescope by brave astronauts armed with hammers, wrenches and fabulous new instruments..

Posted via web from Southwest Postings

Obama argues for strong financial watchdog agency | Reuters

The Democratic-controlled House of Representatives on Friday approved the biggest changes in financial regulation since the Great Depression -- a much-needed victory for Obama, whose job approval rating has fallen below 50 percent.

. . . The bill would create an inter-agency council to police systemic risk in the economy, crack down on hedge funds and credit rating agencies, set up a financial consumer watchdog agency, and expose Federal Reserve monetary policy to unprecedented congressional scrutiny, among other reforms.

. . . Obama said the new Consumer Financial Protection Agency that would be established would have the power "to put an end to misleading and dishonest practices of banks and institutions" regarding credit and debit cards or mortgage, auto and payday loans.

. . . "Americans don't choose to be victimized by mysterious fees, changing terms, and pages and pages of fine print. And while innovation should be encouraged, risky schemes that threaten our entire economy should not," he said.

Obama, who is under strong political pressure to create jobs and reduce the country's 10 percent jobless rate, said it appeared the economy was turning the corner.

"These are good signs for the future but little comfort to all of our neighbors who remain out of a job," he said.

via reuters.com

The U.S. House of Representatives passed a huge financial reform bill Friday that would be the most sweeping banking regulation legislation since the Great Depression. It now goes to the Senate which is not expected to take it up until next year. The bill faces a much tougher future in the Senate.
Though Democratic leaders hoped to get as many as 10 GOP votes, not a single Republican voted for it. Pundits concluded that this was a political calculation, based on the GOP hope that the jobs situation would still be bad enough in 2010 that voters would oust Democrats out in large numbers.
Still, today is a good day for Main Street. It may not feel so good to Wall Street.

Posted via web from Southwest Postings

Tweeps are terrific writers - some samples

"Bozone (n.): The substance surrounding stupid people that stops bright ideas from penetrating," is from Alex Goodall (11/1/09)
"The stock market rebound was nice while it last. Now if only I could remember where I buried that coffee can with all my savings," is from Karen Tumulty (10/31/09).
"Flabbergasted, adj. Appalled by discovering how much weight one has gained," is from Alex Goodall
(10/31/09).
"The Wellstones were the reason I went to law school in MN. They died the day I was sworn in. Still fight in their name. #7yearsagotoday," is from Jessica Pieklo, "Hegemommy," (10/25/09).
"Just learned that in 1967, Palestine region had higher per capita GDP than South Korea. Shows the miracle of Asia and tragedy of Mid East," is from Steve Clemons (10/24/09).
"Too many have dispensed with generosity in order to practice charity. - Albert Camus," tweeted by JPBarlow (10/23/09).
"I'd bet Molly Ivins wouldn't have defended Fox or counseled Obama to step back," is from Libby Spencer (10/21/09).
"If people spent less energy on what they think they're supposed to like, they'd have more for what they actually do," is from John Perry Barlow (10/22/09).
"UFO conspiracy theories more popular than congressional republicans: http://bit.ly/3k8cbZ," is by Matt Yglesias (10/21/09).
"Deep Thought: Other people's nationalism always seems absurd." is by Christopher Hayes (10/17/09).
"Townes Van Zandt "No Lonesome Tune" ♫ http://twt.fm/305764 // Confoundingly optimistic. Like our administration,"
is from Ana Marie Cox (10/16/09).
"Six Year Olds Magazine" names Larimer County, CO #1 in its annual "Best Places To Hide" list," is from Pour Me Coffee (10/16/09).
"Extra terrestrials have gone back to making their ships look like giant silver muffin tops. Apparently it makes the Earthlings go bonkers," is from John Dickerson (10/15/09).
"By hilarious unnoticed amendment, Max Baucus must now be Olympia Snowe's butler for a month," is from Pour Me Coffee (10/14/09).
"Dow 10,000: Pat Buchanan working on racial angle. GOP stressing not deserved. Beck to blame ACORN," is from Pour Me Coffee (10/14/09).
"A nice place to smile is in front of me. - Shoshone saying," is from John Perry Barlow (10/10/09).
"As night falls, Moon moves to respond to unprovoked US attacks," is from Pour Me Coffee (10/9/09).
"Pres. Obama welcomes middle school kids to WH evening of astronomy, urging them to dedicate their lives to a sense of discovery," is from Mark Knoller (10/7/09).
"Obama peered through a telescope to view double-double star in the constellation lyra - 160 light years away. "That's pretty cool," he said," is from Mark Knoller (10/7/09).
"Sometimes our earthly universe strikes me as being almost incomprehensibly bizarre," is from Libby Spencer (10/7/09).
"AP might charge some customers to get news 20 to 30 minutes earlier http://jr.ly/vetk Really? How about a premium price for true news?" is from Jay Rosen at NYU (10/6/09).
"Oh @Gourmetmagazine I was never really going to make that five-course spread you served the models but you made me feel like I could," is from Matt Cooper (10/5/09).
"Pro tip: you need less Grape Nuts than you think," is from Christopher Hayes (10/5/09).
"Watching my boss injecting sanity on The Week. But oy, the panel is reminding me why I don't watch the Sunday shows," is from Christopher Hayes (10/4/09).  His boss is Kristina van den Heuvel, editor at The Nation.
"Missing Bill Safire already. His wit. His shrewdness. His advice. And his gentle soul. RIP," is from George Stephanopoulos (9/27/09).
"Sitting in studio noticed promo for MSNBC programming called "Sex Slave Marathon," which struck me as an infelicitous title," is from Christopher Hayes (9/25/09).
"at Primo Cappuccino in Wilmington's AMTRAK station imagining VP Joe Biden here every morning and every night during 36 yrs in US Senate," is from Steve Clemons (9/25/09).
"Obama mentions Theodore Roosevelt as one of American's great hunters and anglers. No mention of Dick Cheney," is from Mark Knoller (9/25/09).
"Reading LIght in the Attic with kids: when they laugh it's not just that they think something is funny; they think they've found a secret," is from John Dickerson (9/23/09).
"I recognize the UN General Assembly chairs from the Brady Bunch kitchen. Nice," is from Pour Me Coffee (9/23/09).
"My spy in Finance Cmte hearing room tells me Ensign's suit doesn't look bad in person, but on C-SPAN, he looks like a riverboat gambler," is from Karen Tumulty (9/23/09).
"on a day like today, i wish i drove a red convertible rather than a station wagon," is from Karen Tumulty (9/20/09).
"Bush actually born in Republic of Narnia. Last 8 years unconstitutional," is from Pour Me Coffee (8/2/09).
"Big @GlennBeck Paranoiapalooza tomorrow. Pack heat and blurt out whatever comes to mind. Should be awesome," is from Pour Me Coffee (9/11/09).
"Presidential Speech Week Self-Control Report Card. Nation's Schoolchildren: A. Joe Wilson: F," is from Pour Me Coffee (9/10/09).
"The sleeper agents brainwashed by George W. Bush's speech to students in 1991 should be coming out in force any minute now," is from John Dickerson (9/7/09).
"PLEASE don't invite Van Jones and Glenn Beck to the White House for beer. Too much to ask of beer. Leave beer alone," is from Pour Me Coffee (9/6/09).
"Brent Musburger just as sharp as when he was doing play-by-play for the thirteen original colonies league," is from Pour Me Coffee (9/5/09).
" If Obama can successfully indoctrinate kids in a 20 minute speech, he is wasting his time with this President bullshit," is from Pour Me Coffee (9/5/09).
"Flash! President uses speech to schools to promote bogus economics http://bit.ly/QGIHR AND NOBODY MADE A FUSS!" is from Captain Fogg (9/5/09).
"Mozart playing out of speaker in gas pump at Exxon. Goes perfectly with my powdered wig," is from John Dickerson (9/5/09).
"Room service order: plain toasted bagel, coffee with a shot of espresso and a bloody mary. A double bloody mary. #afterwheniwasmaddow," is from Ana Marie Cox (9/5/09).
"If Barack Obama wants to indoctrinate my kids or their friends, he'd better be bringing cash or electronics, end of story," is from Pour Me Coffee (9/4/09).
"New washer and dryer were delivered today. They are smarter than I am. Should I just surrender all decisions to them?" is from Karen Tumulty (9/4/09).
"Some school districts are only allowing students to refer to the president as That One," back to you Wolf. http://bit.ly/2PDy6P," is from John Dickerson (9/3/09).
"People over 60 who consume moderate amounts of alcohol have a reduced risk for dementia. http://bit.ly/6OWX0. I'm staring early," is from John Dickerson (9/3/09).
"The fellow behind me on this plane is very fashionable & foggs the windows with the funk of 100 days of labor performed under the hottest sun," is from John Dickerson (8/22/09).
"My parents moved me in 39 yrs ago. Aunt loaned them 1 of her children for weeks to ease adjustment. At least they didn't replace me w/a dog," is from Larry Sabato (8/22/09).
"As Sec. of HHS, Kathleen Sebelius must have access to the really good pills because she is insanely serene," is from Pour Me Coffee ((8/19/09).
"Grassley lures you in with promises of high-fructose corn lovin', but it's an empty high," is from Pour Me Coffee (8/17/09).
"Bush actually born in Republic of Narnia. Last 8 years unconstitutional," is from Pour Me Coffee (8/2/09).

Posted via email from Make Good Mondays

Democrats Agree To Tentatively Trade Opt-Out For Trigger, Medicare Buy In, And More | TPMDC

In its place will be many of the alternatives we've been hearing about, including a Medicare expansion and a triggered, federally-based public option, the aide said.

As has been widely reported, one of the trade-offs will be to extend a version of the Federal Employees Health Benefits Plan to consumers in the exchanges. Insurance companies will have the option of creating nationally-based non-profit insurance plans that would offered on the exchanges in every state. However, according to the aide, if insurance companies don't step up to the plate to offer such plans, that will trigger a national public option.

Beyond that, the group agreed--contingent upon CBO analysis--to a Medicare buy in.

That buy-in option would initially be made available to uninsured people aged 55-64 in 2011, three years before the exchanges open. For the period between 2011 and 2014, when the exchanges do open, the Medicare option will not be subsidized--people will have to pay in without federal premium assistance--and so will likely be quite expensive, the aide noted. However, after the exchanges launch, the Medicare option would be offered in the exchanges, where people could pay into it with their subsidies.

It appears as if liberals lost out on a Medicaid expansion that would have opened the program up to everybody under 150 percent of the poverty line. That ceiling will likely remain at 133 percent, as is called for in the current bill.

via tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com

And, while the Democrats were in closed-door meetings trying to do something good for everyone, Republicans were on the Senate floor declaring in a colloquy that the sky would fall it these plans were adopted. No help for the country there.

Posted via web from Southwest Postings

National Journal Magazine - Putting Faces On Attitudes

Those who backed Obama remain supportive even though they say that he has not accomplished much so far. Those who opposed him still do, but they acknowledge that he inherited some stubborn problems.

[snip]

Obama's backers exhibit a dogged intensity in their support of him personally. They fervently wish for him to succeed, but some worry that he has spread himself too thin. A year ago, these voters had tremendous -- and probably unrealistically high -- hopes for the new president. They now realize that he does not have a magic wand.

The Obama critics in the focus group begrudgingly concede his intelligence, knowledge, and rhetorical abilities, but they suggest that he is more sizzle than steak and that his inexperience is showing. More than a few of these voters exhibited a bit of an "I told you so" mentality.

But although divisions over Obama remain much the same as last year, the group was united in its disgust toward official Washington and Congress. The president's partisans can take comfort from the fact that his supporters have not abandoned him even after 10 months of a tough recession; but Democratic strategists should be quite worried because the warm and fuzzy, hopeful and admiring sentiments expressed about Obama do not extend to Democrats in Congress. A "pox on both your houses" sentiment was palpable among Obama and McCain supporters.

One telling moment came after Hart asked each voter to write the name that comes to mind when they think of Congress. Bill, a 62-year-old retired automobile-industry executive and independent who backed Obama, wrote "Satan." When Hart asked why, Bill answered, "Because I wasn't sure of the correct spelling of 'Beelzebub.' " Now that's intensity.

Watching Hart conduct a focus group is like watching a maestro at work before a symphony. He pokes and prods, asking participants to explain what they mean, and probes attitudes in a way that no poll can. The Annenberg Center has been sponsoring such focus groups for 10 years. This one will air on C-SPAN soon.

via nationaljournal.com

Peter Hart recently conducted another of his masterful public opinion round table focus groups at the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania. One of my favorite reporters, Charlie Cook, gives a good view of it here. It was a fascinating C-SPAN program broadcast late last night.

The group consisted of Republicans, Democrats and Independents, with some familiarity with politics and government, and a willingness to respect each others' opinions. Their scorn for a do-nothing Congress and for the administration's bale-out of failing companies on Wall Street was very clearly palpable. And their widespread skepticism for staying any longer in Afghanistan was almost unanimous. Parenthetically, the meeting was help a couple of days before the President's Afghan strategy speech.

President Obama still has some time to get things right, but this group is impatient with the pace of the promised change. And, in their minds, Bush gets a pass and Obama now owns it all. And everyone has very high regard for the First Lady, comparing her to Jackie Kennedy.

Watch the program if you get another chance. In my opinion it is a very accurate reflection of the "Main Street" so ignored by the corporate media and self-serving leaders in Washington.

Posted via web from Southwest Postings

G.E. Makes It Official - It Will Sell NBC to Comcast - NYTimes.com

For Comcast, the purchase is the realization of its long-held ambition to be a major producer of television shows and movies.

News of the negotiations broke in late September, and in the ensuing weeks G.E. worked to resolve details with Comcast, while simultaneously negotiating to buy out a 20 percent stake in NBC Universal held by Vivendi, the French telecommunications conglomerate. It was this last part that proved difficult. G.E. and Comcast’s part of the transaction has essentially been complete for weeks, but the final step was held up by the negotiations between G.E. and Vivendi. Vivendi will receive about $5.8 billion for its stake.

Jeff Zucker, the current head of NBC Universal, will stay on as chief executive and report to the chief operating officer of Comcast, Steve Burke. In a statement released by the companies Thursday morning, Mr. Zucker called the deal the “start of a new era” for NBC.

via nytimes.com

We use Dish Network to watch the news, mostly on MSNBC, NBC, C-SPAN and CNN. It will be a big deal to us if any of our favorites, Keith Olbermann, Rachel Maddow, etc. lose their shows. We are both political news "nuts," and much less nutty about old movies. So we wait with baited breath to see what happens, knowing that we can still buy GE light bulbs.

Posted via web from Southwest Postings

The Lost World of Old Europe: See It in New York - Origins

NEW YORK CITY—The exhibition of Vermeer’s The Milkmaid at the Metropolitan Museum of Art here is scheduled to end on 29 November, but don’t worry if you can’t get to the Big Apple in time to see that famous Old World painting. Just around the corner, New York University’s (NYU's) Institute for the Study of the Ancient World (ISAW) opened a stunning free exhibit* of more than 250 Old World artifacts on 11 November. These arts and crafts works from Europe’s Danube Valley are a bit older than Vermeer’s 17th century masterpiece, however: They date from 5000 to 3500 B.C.E., when farming was spreading into Europe from the Near East and the mobile, hunter-gatherer lifestyle was giving way to a sedentary, village-based existence.

The exhibit is a coup for ISAW, which was founded in 2006 amid considerable controversy. (The institute was made possible by a $200 million gift from donors Leon Levy and Shelby White, who were also collectors of ancient artifacts; some archaeologists believe that their collection has included looted objects.) The spectacular artifacts now on display, on loan from more than 20 museums in Romania, Bulgaria, and Moldova, have never been exhibited before in the United States. They feature dozens of terra-cotta figurines that some archaeologists have interpreted as “mother goddesses,” including a so-called Council of Goddesses from the site of Poduri-Dealul Ghindaru in Romania (see photo above), consisting of 21 small figurines and the tiny chairs some of them apparently sat on. The detailed and helpful explanatory legend, typical of the others in this exhibit, points out that the goddess interpretation is debatable, and that other hypotheses—for example, that the objects were dolls or playthings—must be considered.
Also on display is a pair of fired-clay figurines, including one called The Thinker, from the necropolis of Cernavodă in Romania, found in 1956 and dated to between 5000 and 4600 B.C.E. (shown at left). And the exhibit includes some of the more than 3000 gold objects from the Varna cemetery in Bulgaria, the richest burial ground in ancient Europe, dated to about 4500 B.C.E. The cemetery, discovered in 1972, provided important evidence that early European farming societies were not egalitarian as many archaeologists had assumed: The gold scepters, diadems, bracelets, necklaces, and animal heads were found in only 62 of the 310 graves, and the richest finds were restricted to only four—strongly suggesting that these communities were hierarchical.
The exhibit continues until 25 April. But if you miss it—or if you live today in Old Europe—the show moves to the Museum of Cycladic Art in Athens in October 2010.
*The Lost World of Old Europe: The Danube Valley, 5000-3500 B.C., Institute for the Study of the Ancient World, 15 East 84th Street, New York, NY 10028.
PHOTO CREDITS:
Set of Twenty-one Figurines and Thirteen Chairs: Elena-Roxana Munteanu/Neamţ County Museum Complex, Piatra Neamt
The Thinker and Female Figurine from Cernavodă: Marius Amarie/National History Museum of Romania, Bucharest

via blogs.sciencemag.org

This article makes it clear that a very old and rich culture has almost been bypassed in the anals of archeology. The "Old European" civilization is far more sophisticated than anyone knew until recently. Luckily an exhibit of artifacts has made its way to New York for your enjoyment. I find the figurines just fascinating and utterly charming.

Posted via web from Southwest Postings

How Many Private Contractors Are There In Afghanistan? Military Gives Us A Number | TPMMuckraker

Private contractors employed by the Defense Department in Afghanistan will continue to outnumber the size of the American troop presence, even after President Obama sends 30,000 more soldiers to fight in the war, according to the military's most recent contractor count.

The latest figure on DOD contractors in the country is a whopping 104,100, a spokesman for U.S. Central Command tells TPM. That number, which is expected to grow, is already greater than the 98,000 U.S. troops that will be in the country after the new deployments.

We told you yesterday about the little-noticed but giant shadow army of contractors that allows the United States to prosecute the war by providing food, transport, construction, security, and other services. Many believe the size of the contracting force presents security and transparency concerns.

via tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com

The article goes on to present an assortment of other figures, showing that it is especially difficult to pin down the size of contracting in U.S. wars.

Whatever the magnitude, it is clear that contractors often are poor substitutes for our fighting men and women in uniform. There is less supervision, discipline and accountability, and perhaps lesser skills for the job. And often the cost of getting the job done is more than it would cost the military.
Once this contracting ethos was put in place by the Bush administration, it has been far too hard to root it out. The practice assumed a life of its own and did not raise nearly enough questions from citizens and lawmakers.

Posted via web from Southwest Postings