Separation from Nancy Pelosi

Some of the Democratic Party’s most endangered lawmakers are taking steps to distance themselves from Speaker Nancy Pelosi in an attempt to inoculate themselves from charges that they are beholden to the unpopular House leader and supportive of the ambitious national Democratic agenda. Three vulnerable Democrats from conservative-oriented districts are already running TV ads spotlighting their defiance of Pelosi. One freshman incumbent recently joked about the possibility of Pelosi not being able to take up the gavel next year because she might pass away. Another member from a tough district suggested he might run for speaker himself.Link

Seven US soldiers killed.........

Seven US troops were killed in two Taliban-style bomb attacks Monday in southern Afghanistan, the area hardest hit by the insurgency nearing the end of its ninth and most deadly year, NATO told AFP.Link

Bernanke Speech to Set Market.

Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke speaks on the economy and policy, at a time when both are shaky in the eyes of the markets. Bernanke's Friday morning address in Jackson Hole, Wyo. has become one of the most discussed, debated and dissected of his career, even before he's given it. "He's going to need a miracle to satisfy all these multiple expectations that are all over the place," said Art Cashin, director of floor operations at UBS. It is hoped that Bernanke will clarify two things - how bad the Fed believes the economy is getting and what it might do about it.Link

The Parent Company Trap

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Secrets.....

Two New York newspapers received calls from the Bush-Cheney campaign during the Republican National Convention urging them not to run a story suggesting that the campaign manager and public face of the campaign was gay, RAW STORY has learned.Link

Distractions..............

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‘Spy versus spy carnival of corruption’......

In the wake of new revelations by the New York Times of CIA support for a corrupt Afghan official, Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) accused the United States of turning Afghanistan into a "spy versus spy versus spy carnival of corruption." "We are paying all sides to fight all sides and to betray all sides," Kucinich charged in a statement released on Wednesday. "This is further evidence that the United States must remove all its troops and assets out of Afghanistan." "The tragedy is rapidly becoming a farce," he added. "They call it intelligence, but it is actually an innovative way to steal tens of billions of dollars from the U.S. taxpayers."Link

Cat killa......

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Creepy shit.

Via: Medical Insurance

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Danny & Annie from StoryCorps on Vimeo.

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FAIL

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Richard Dawkins Demonstrates Laryngeal Nerve of the Giraffe
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Grayson slams mosque ‘distraction.

Turn the Tide in Afghanistan.......

The Obama Administration's new military strategy in Afghanistan may be a sign of desperation — a Hail Mary pass — but it may just work. The President's counterterrorism adviser John Brennan describes it as giving up the hammer for the scalpel. The military, as we know from classified military documents put on the Internet by WikiLeaks last month, prefers the term kinetic strike. I've heard the Pentagon use the term eliminating command nodes. But I'll go ahead and call it by its everyday name: assassination.Link

'The International' Control en Yahoo! Video

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No Guns for Negroes.

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What’s Worse Than Credit Card Debt?.

Last week the Wall Street Journal sent a message that many of you needed to hear about ten years ago. They identified that student loan debt has officially surpassed credit card debt and now totals some $830 billion. It seems like irresponsibility has jumped the track and now resides in the classroom. This is reckless spending in the name of education. I’ve often been accused of not sugarcoating my financial opinions and this will be no different. Here’s why I’m often the most unpopular guy in the room. Buckle up. Tuition is a product, plain and simple. And just like any other product you have to be responsible with your choices. Do you buy a Mercedes Benz when you can only afford a Hyundai? Do you buy a $1,000,000 home when you can only afford a $150,000 townhouse? Then why in the world would you ever let your 18-year-old kid, who is no longer allowed to get a measly credit card on their own, to walk blindly down the path of financial suicide just to go to an expensive school?.Link

This is pre-season right........ouch.

Bomber kills 61 at Baghdad military

BAGHDAD (AP) — A suicide bomber sat for hours Tuesday among hundreds of unprotected army recruits before detonating nail-packed explosives strapped to his body, killing 61 people and casting new doubt on the ability of Iraqi forces as U.S. troops head home.Link

23 people slain along US-Mexico border.

Twenty-three people were killed in about 24 hours in Chihuahua state plagued by drug violence on the US border, authorities said Saturday. Between late Friday and Saturday 13 people were killed in Ciudad Juarez, across from the US city of El Paso, Texas, Chihuahua state prosecutors said.Link

Petraeus hedges on Afghan withdrawal.

The new head of US forces in Afghanistan is reserving the right to back away from the July, 2011, deadline set by the Obama administration to begin withdrawal of US forces. Gen. David Petraeus, who took over as commander of the Afghanistan war effort from Gen. Stanley McChrystal last month, told NBC's Meet the Press that the nature of the withdrawal will depend completely on conditions on the ground at the time.Link

Ron Paul Vs. William F. Buckley - 1988.

Paralysis at the Fed.............

Ten years ago, one of America’s leading economists delivered a stinging critique of the Bank of Japan, Japan’s equivalent of the Federal Reserve, titled “Japanese Monetary Policy: A Case of Self-Induced Paralysis?” With only a few changes in wording, the critique applies to the Fed today. At the time, the Bank of Japan faced a situation broadly similar to that facing the Fed now. The economy was deeply depressed and showed few signs of improvement, and one might have expected the bank to take forceful action. But short-term interest rates — the usual tool of monetary policy — were near zero and could go no lower. And the Bank of Japan used that fact as an excuse to do no more.Link

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Ron Paul could play spoiler.

Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas), a two-time presidential contender, could wreak havoc for Republicans if he decides to make a third-party or independent bid for president in 2012. New numbers from Public Policy Polling show Paul winning 13 percent of the vote in a hypothetical three-way general election contest with President Obama and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney (R). In that match-up, Obama led with 42 percent of the vote to Romney's 36 percent. Paul polls third with just 13 percent of the vote, but appears to peel away some significant support from Romney. Link

Continuing Russian wildfires...........

Though many have been contained, wildfires continue to rage throughout many parts of Russia. In a new twist to the situation, officials have confirmed that some forests that were contaminated with radiation from the Chernobyl nuclear disaster have now burned, but it was unclear what danger the smoke from such wildfires could pose. Monitoring stations have not registered any increase in radioactivity as yet. Recent windy conditions have temporarily cleared the smoke from Moscow's skies, but it could possibly return soon. The area of burning forests in Russia is now 927 sq km (358 sq mi), down from from 1,740 sq km (676 sq m) only 24 hours ago. The economic costs of the fires are now estimated at up to 15 billion dollars.Link

Love.

"If you love something, and you set it free, and it doesn't come back... you're a dumbass!" - Butt-Head

Awesome...........

Ex-Mexico President Calls For Legalizing Drugs.

Former President Vicente Fox is joining with those urging his successor to legalize drugs in Mexico, saying that could break the economic power of the country's brutal drug cartels. Fox's comments, posted Sunday on his blog, came less than a week after President Felipe Calderon agreed to open the door to discussions about the legalization of drugs, even though he stressed that he remained opposed to the idea. Fox said places that have implemented the legalization strategy have not seen significant increases in drug use.Link

Ted Stevens dies in plane crash.

JUNEAU, Alaska – A plane carrying former Sen. Ted Stevens and eight others crashed in remote southwest Alaska, killing the longtime Republican lawmaker and four other people, authorities said Tuesday. Ex-NASA chief Sean O'Keefe was also believed to be aboard, but it was unclear whether he was among the dead. Stevens' family has been notified that the 86-year-old was among those killed in the crash Monday night, family spokesman Mitch Rose told The Associated Press. Rescuers arrived on helicopter early Tuesday and were giving medical care to survivors, Alaska National Guard spokesman Maj. Guy Hayes said. He offered no additional details, except that there were potential fatalities.Link

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28,000 killed in drug violence since 2006

MEXICO CITY – President Felipe Calderon said he would consider a debate on legalizing drugs Tuesday as his government announced that more than 28,000 people have been killed in drug violence since he launched a crackdown against cartels in 2006. Intelligence agency director Guillermo Valdes also said authorities have confiscated about 84,000 weapons and made total cash seizures of $411 million in U.S. currency and $26 million worth in pesos (330 million pesos). Valdes released the statistics during a meeting with Calderon and representatives of business and civic groups, where attendees exploring ways to improve Mexico's anti-drug strategy called on the government to open a debate on legalization.Link

Thanks to WikiLeaker, Afghan War Will End.

MUMBAI--"An appalling irresponsible act." That's how General James Nattis, fresh at the helm of U.S. Central Command, characterizes the release of more than 76,000 classified Pentagon reports released by the website WikiLeaks.Link

Nice.

The daughter of Rudy Giuliani, the former federal prosecutor and one time presidential candidate, was arrested today when she allegedly tried to shoplift cosmetics, according to police. Caroline Giuliani, 20, was taken into custody at a branch of the Sephora skincare and makeup store near the home on the tony East Side of Manhattan she shares with her mother, Donna Hanover, a former newscaster who divorced from Giuliani in 2002. She was allegedly caught by a store security camera shoplifting five cosmetics items worth more than $100 -- including Aqua Cream, Dior Skinflash Primer, Bliss hydroderm cream, a rollerball funnel and a hairnet -- and escorted out of the store in handcuffs, according to police sources.Link

Kagan's in.

Link

Food stamp use hit record 40.8m in May.

WASHINGTON — The number of Americans who are receiving food stamps rose to a record 40.8 million in May as the jobless rate hovered near a 27-year high, the government reported yesterday.Link

US demands return of military documents.

WASHINGTON — The Pentagon on Thursday demanded that the whistleblower website WikiLeaks "return immediately" leaked US military documents after the site released tens of thousands of secret files. Pentagon spokesman Geoff Morrell said the Defense Department "demands that Wikileaks return immediately to the US government all versions of documents obtained directly or indirectly" from Pentagon databases or records. The website's disclosure "of a large number of our documents has already threatened the safety of our troops, our allies and Afghan citizens who are working with us to help bring about peace and stability in that part of the world," he said.Link

Amash A Near Lock.

State Rep. Justin Amash emerged victorious over four other Republicans in the district retiring Rep. Vernon Ehlers (R) is leaving behind. With 98 percent of precincts reporting, Amash had 41 percent of the vote. With the support of the Club for Growth and Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas), Amash defeated a field that included former Kent County Commission Chairman Steven Heacock, who had Ehlers' endorsement. The general election is unlikely to matter in this safe Republican district.Link

Fear Rules Mexico.

More than 3 1/2 years after Mexican President Felipe Calderon launched his war against the drug cartels, violence in Mexico continues to escalate, and 2010 is on track to be the deadliest year yet in a ckampaign that has already claimed some 25,000 lives.Link

Corruptdate

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Nearly 5 Million Barrels.

NEW ORLEANS — Nearly five million barrels of oil have gushed from the BP’s well since the Deepwater Horizon spill began on April 20, federal scientists said on Monday in announcing the most precise estimates yet of the well’s flow rate. The estimates would make this spill far bigger than the 3.3 million barrels spilled by the Mexican rig Ixtoc I in 1979, previously believed to be the world’s largest accidental release of oil.Link

v

Crazy shit.

High times with legalized pot? It all depends.

If recreational marijuana is legalized in California, prices of the drug could plummet 80 percent and the number of dope-smokers would rise, but the amount of money the state would bring in through taxes and fees is a big question mark, according to a study released Wednesday. What's more, while the state could save more than $300 million a year by not enforcing laws outlawing weed, it may lose that much or more in federal funding if Washington decides to punish California's defiance of the U.S. prohibition of dope, the study found. The upshot of the six-month study by the nonpartisan Rand Drug Policy Research Center is this: It's anybody's guess as to whether the state will suffer or prosper if voters approve Proposition 19 on the November ballot. The measure would allow local governments to regulate and tax pot sales and controlled cultivation, and to let adults over 21 possess as much as an ounce.Link

Kiss This War Goodbye.

IT was on a Sunday morning, June 13, 1971, that The Times published its first installment of the Pentagon Papers. Few readers may have been more excited than a circle of aspiring undergraduate journalists who’d worked at The Harvard Crimson. Though the identity of The Times’s source wouldn’t eke out for several days, we knew the whistle-blower had to be Daniel Ellsberg, an intense research fellow at M.I.T. and former Robert McNamara acolyte who’d become an antiwar activist around Boston. We recognized the papers’ contents, as reported in The Times, because we’d heard the war stories from the loquacious Ellsberg himself.Link