CNN's Rick Sanchez rips Bill O'Reilly after catching Bill-O in a lie

CNN's Rick Sanchez calls FOX's Bill O'Reilly out for lying about CNN's supposed lack of coverage of the military recruiter shooting last week. O'Reilly tried to slam CNN as not being a real news station, and seemed to hint that CNN had a soft spot for Muslims (i.e., CNN hates America), because, O'Reilly wrongly claimed, CNN only reported once on the shooting. In fact, as Rick Sanchez shows, CNN reported on it all day long in about ten different segments or so. It's a good video, watch it.

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My garden

Since Chris is sharing his garden, I thought I'd join in. As folks know, I like to garden. The new condo has a bigger patio than the last one, so I decided to finally have a nice garden on it. So far, it's annuals mostly, with a holly thrown in that my friend Matt was throwing out. But I just bought a knockout rose, and a clematis, and am hoping that with a little love they'll survive our zone 7 winters.



These are my wave petunias. Good Lord the things truly do explode. Next year they'll go in planter higher above the ground, so as to accentuate the waterfall effect. Below are some close ups of several rather boring flowers in my garden, including, of all things, a marigold. Having said that, I just love these pics. I'm trying to decide which of my photos to blow up in larger frames around the condo. I got three large silver frames from Ikea (for cheap, of course) and they take 19 x 27 inch photos. I'm experimenting with resampling the photos to a larger size (using CS4, it seems to work quite well), then using Neat Image to get rid of some of the noise. I have no idea if it will work, as my initial shots, most of them, were done with my 6 megapixel camera (and earlier shots were 5). If anyone out there has tried to do large blow ups like this, I'd love some advice on how to do them right, since I am a bit concerned about the initial megapixels of the photos.



Kind of odd that a marigold could be so beautiful.



I love the huge drop of water in the middle, and how each petal got only one drop of water each.



Daisies. Again, simple, but lovely.



A pornographic marigold.

These two, below, are mom's Iris's, after a nice Chicago thunderstorm last week.



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As much as I like cheese, this is a bit extreme

For a Montgomery's cheddar I might though. I don't know this particular cheese that they roll down the hill - the very steep hill - so maybe someone out there knows it. Then again, buying an entire cheese would be less painful than spending a few days in the hospital. These local traditions like the Cooper's Hill, England cheese roll are often a lot of fun provided nobody is seriously hurt. The video of the 2009 cheese roll looks as though some people were pretty sore that evening. Read the rest of this post...

Air France tragedy update

They're finding more bodies. Which has to be some consolation to the families. I haven't had too many people close to me die, but the few who have, there was a very weird sense, for me at least, that their bodies were still them, and it creeped me out that they were going to be buried since, in a way, I still perceived them as alive. I literally felt as though they were going to be alone, lonely, abandoned underground, after they were buried. I know it's weird, but I suspect others have felt this way too. For that reason, I can only imagine what the families must be feeling at this point, wondering where there loved ones are, even if they know they're no longer living. They need to find as many bodies as they can, if only to give the families a small modicum of peace. Read the rest of this post...

"Dr. Buttinsky" takes over CDC

France is about 18 months into it's non-smoking bar/restaurant program and as a non-smoker it looks like they have found a good middle ground. The inside of bars and restaurants are non-smoking and many cafes have created "temporary" enclosed areas outside where smokers can smoke during the cold months. It doesn't really get that cold here which may explain why it seems to work. The areas are enclosed and heated (many provide blankets as well) which may be bad for the environment - those outside gas heaters aren't great - but everyone is accommodated. Smaller cafes do suffer though because it's not always possible to have a protected outside area though they still are pulling in customers from what I can see. When I was down in Barcelona last year I also noticed there were a handful of of bars that were listed as smokers bars.

I know this issue gets everyone on both sides excited (myself included) and I can appreciate the arguments made by everyone. Again, as a non-smoker I find the above two examples pretty good since everyone still has options but am curious if smokers see it the same way or not. Am I viewing this "success" as a success because I don't smoke and the reality for smokers is the opposite? Are there other models out there that work better for both sides? I'm interested in what, if any, models work for everyone.

Onto the news of the new CDC director. Whatever he did in NY, I doubt he will come be able to do same in his new job. Washington Post:

On Sunday, he heads to Atlanta. And on Monday he takes over the federal government's top public health agency, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - where he's going to have to try a different approach.

At the CDC, the 48-year-old physician will command a larger agency, but one with few regulatory powers and more political headaches. Any campaigns against smoking, obesity and other health dangers will have to be won more with carrots than sticks, public health experts say.

"He can't walk across the hall and find a sympathetic mayor and get stuff through. It's a different playing field," said Dr. Jeff Koplan, a former CDC director who fell out of favor with the Bush administration.

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Homelessness isn't just an urban problem, Maine study shows

A new study from Maine shows the extent of homelessness in the rural parts of the state. It's probably the first study of rural homelessness -- and it's not a small problem:

Homelessness often means life in soup lines and on city streets, but as a new study commissioned by the state [of Maine] shows, it isn't confined to cities. It also can be found across rural areas, so concealed that some people are surprised it exists at all, the study finds.

''It's the hidden homeless,'' said Melany Mondello of the Shalom House mental health housing organization, who headed the study and a resulting 32-page report called ''Cost of Rural Homelessness.''

The study, commissioned by the Maine State Housing Authority, is believed to be the first study in the nation to provide a look at the costs of rural homelessness in a state. It concludes that providing ''permanent supportive housing'' -- subsidized housing in combination with mental health, employment and other support services -- for homeless people is less costly than serving them while they're without a home.

Moreover, the report sheds light on a segment of society that is often overlooked.

Many of the rural homeless stay at shelters -- just like their urban counterparts -- but some counties don't even have shelters, forcing the homeless to live in encampments, abandoned buildings, barns or cars. Many move from place to place, sleeping on a friend's or relative's couch or floor until they move on to the next person willing to take them in for a while.

All told, 1,200 people sought help at Maine's rural shelters last year, but the number of rural homeless is thought to be much higher. Of those who were looked at for the study, 97 percent had mental illness, 18 percent were alcohol abusers and 16 percent were drug abusers. Eleven percent were veterans.

And, state budgets are in crisis. Maine's budget for the next two years had severe cuts in social services:

The budget is $500 million smaller than the last two-year spending plan – the first time the state budget has decreased in 30 years. To slash spending, legislators had to contend with a $1.4 billion drop in revenue in the current fiscal year and in the next biennium.

The reductions will be felt across the state in ways both big and small.

Less money will be spent on foster care and adoption services, residential care for older adults, educational services to blind and disabled children, higher education, public school aid, property-tax relief programs and legislative expenses.

Non-essential government will shut down for 20 days over the next two years – meaning, for example, that Mainers won't be able to renew their driver's licenses on those days. State employees' merit and longevity pay will be frozen.

Funds to cover services for children and adults with mental health problems also were reduced; children, in particular, may not be able to get the residential treatment they need.

Revenue sharing for local communities was cut by $34 million. That means residents might see town workers laid off, city services reduced or property taxes increased to make up the difference.

It's the hardest hit who are the hardest hit by the economic crisis. And, the states have no money to help. Read the rest of this post...

Obama family does Paris

We could tell that the Obama family was out and about last evening because helicopter traffic was high well into the night. It was nice to see the Obama's go to a good but not flashy restaurant as well. Maybe next time they can venture out of the 7th which is a stiff and boring neighborhood (though Americans often think it's the "real Paris" though I find it's horribly boring and sleepy) but for security purposes it makes sense. The French were certainly thrilled with the night on the town, as tourism in the number one tourist destination in the world is down.

The Obamas shared the restaurant with other diners, and other restaurants on the winding Rue St. Dominique were filled. Police, some in riot gear, lined the street. Crowds pressed behind barriers at the end of the street to glimpse the first couple, and about 100 people gathered there burst into applause as the Obamas left the restaurant. Clusters of people at street corners held up cell phones and cameras to snap pictures.

After dinner and a ride along the quai on the Left Bank of the Seine River, the Obamas returned to the U.S. ambassador's residence, where first daughters Sasha and Malia awaited them.

Earlier in the day, Sasha and Malia joined their parents on a visit to Notre Dame Cathedral, where a children's choir sang and the president lit a candle. They climbed the stairs for a view of the city from the roof of the 12th century Gothic church. The cathedral was closed to the public during the first family's visit.

The US media is of course missing the critical part of the story, which is what they ate. Naturally the AFP has that covered. President Obama had the leg of lamb and île flottante while the First Lady had filets de boeuf and crèmes brûlées. Both are very classical French dinners.

This morning the Obama family is visiting the Pompidou Center. If you click through the link here you can see a short video of the crowds watching Obama. (Sorry, I couldn't locate anything to embed.) He remains enormously popular here and it's such a positive change from the previous eight years. Being popular like this does have its advantages when you are trying to bring traditional allies together on important issues. Read the rest of this post...

Sunday Talk Shows Open Thread

Mixed bag on the shows today. Some foreign policy. Some economy. George is interviewing his old boss, Hillary. He used to be very afraid of her. And, it wouldn't be Sunday if President Gingrich wasn't on one of the shows. (Newt is very, very, very important -- to the D.C. media types.)

The best thing about today's shows: No David Gregory. Tennis instead.

Here's the lineup:

ABC's "This Week" - Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton.

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CBS' "Face the Nation" - Senior White House adviser David Axelrod; former House Speaker Newt Gingrich.

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NBC's "Meet the Press" - Pre-empted by coverage of the French Open tennis tournament.
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CNN's "State of the Union" - Axelrod; mayors Michael Dinwiddie of Spring Hill, Tenn., Michael Brown of Flint, Mich., and James Baker of Wilmington, Del.

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"Fox News Sunday" - Austan Goolsbee, member, White House Council of Economic Advisers; Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Ala.; Google chief executive Eric Schmidt; Thayer Capital Partners Chairman Fred Malek; Acting FCC Chairman Michael Copps.

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It's gardening season

New friends of ours from Halifax, Canada talked so much about a visit to Giverny this week so I wanted to locate some photos with a bit of music. Somehow I haven't managed to get out there but I can see why everyone goes. Stunning.

Thanks to everyone last weekend for gardening tips and we have now trimmed off the end bits of the rhododendron. Our hydrangea flowers are starting to flower and we're hoping that by 20 June they're all out since we are doing a garden party with Joelle's sister who recently moved back to Paris. The impatiens are growing nicely and we have two fuchsia plants that look wonderful, one that is OK and one that looks terrible. Because we're north facing and get limited direct sun, we've found over the years that these are the flowers that grow the best and won't be devoured by snails and slugs. Our snail count for the season is only around 150 so far, down from previous first weekend highs of 350+. This is for a 35m2 garden.

Happy gardening this Sunday! We're heading out to find something for our last few empty pots. Read the rest of this post...

The French hate Americans

The AP has a bunch of photos documenting this terrible treatment of visiting Americans. They're lining up on the streets to protest the visitors, surely, because everyone knows that the French are always up to no good and detest all things American. Clearly the sneaky Frenchies don't know that they owe us for saving their bacon. Besides, just because they helped win independence for America doesn't matter because it was too long ago to matter. Brace yourself for horrible scenes below and if you can stand it, here's a video of them protesting as well. They go so far as to comment on the big American automobiles! Oh the humanity!




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It's all about their bonus, nothing more

The Independent (UK) has yet another story on the lobbying efforts by Wall Street to block new regulation. The banks are eager to stop any regulation because heaven forbid they are forced to produce real, honest profit. They still want to play games and cash in. They were rescued without strings which is without a doubt, something they would never do with their own clients unless forced. Banks felt very little pain from the meltdown so of course they are ready to launch a new bubble. They've learned that no matter what they do, regardless of how phony the deals are they will still get paid.

Just because hundreds of thousands of their colleagues have been sacked, they don't care. The ones who are still there have learned nothing and are ready to do it again. If only there weren't so many members of Congress who are equally greedy and ready to help them do it again as well.

Wall Street firms – acting alone, through trade associations and newly formed industry lobbying groups – have been pressing sympathetic Congressmen to consider the impact of tough new restrictions on the efficiency of markets and the ability of firms to create innovative new products.

In particular, they are trying salvage as much of the over-the-counter (OTC) derivatives market as possible, in the teeth of the Obama administration's determination to force most derivatives products to be standardised and traded on exchanges. Trading bespoke derivatives contracts, such as credit default swaps, between banks, without an exchange, is more lucrative.

The Commodities and Futures Exchange, which currently regulates derivatives traders and markets, promised last week to enforce strict oversight rules, and it is believed to be considering curbs on the size of positions speculators can take.

In a note to clients, Barclays said: "Given the last few weeks have heralded the return of increasing levels of risk appetite – a positive turnaround following the grave concerns about economic discontinuity – any misguided regulatory policy may act against improving financial market conditions."

As much as everyone would like to see improvements in their investments and retirement plans, the last thing we need is to have a new bubble with actual results that will be there tomorrow. Everyone outside of Wall Street has had enough of pumping up numbers that pump up bonuses but then disappear in thin air. Real money, please. Enough with this garbage already. Read the rest of this post...

All but over for Coleman, experts say

Politico:

Seven months after Minnesota's Senate election, the state's highest court hasn't reached a decision but election law experts agree: Norm Coleman doesn’t have a prayer.

These experts see almost no chance Coleman's lawyers will prevail in their appeal to the state’s high court to count more ballots in a bid to erase Al Franken’s slim lead.

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