Late Night Open Thread

John should be back online tomorrow with plenty of updates but for now, jump in with the news at this late hour. Read the rest of this post...

Bernanke's nomination hearing set for early December

Although he shouldn't go through, he probably will. We will hear plenty of big talk but then very little action. The status quo will win, again.

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke's nomination to a second term will be the subject of a Senate Banking Committee hearing next month, the panel's chairman said Friday.

President Barack Obama nominated Bernanke to another four-year term in August. The nomination requires Senate approval.

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H1N1 flu deaths rising in UK

Most people in Europe were expecting the H1N1 flu to hit hard in October, though it never quite materialized then. This month is quite another story. The numbers are going up and it's increasingly common for me to discover that business contacts are out of the office due to the H1N1 flu. At least businesses are telling workers to stay home for at least one week, sometimes two, to avoid spreading. The Guardian:

Healthy children between six months and five years old will be vaccinated against swine flu, the Department of Health has confirmed.

The expansion of the government's inoculation programme was revealed as the latest weekly bulletin showed a sharp rise in patient deaths and the number of children being admitted to hospital.

The overall number of new cases showed a second successive weekly fall. Health officials estimate there were 55,000 new cases this week in England compared with 64,000 last week. There was a slight drop in Scotland.

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Thanksgiving questions and answers

A pretty good list to prepare for the big day. A few years ago a friend brined her turkey (with the Alice Waters recipe, of course) and I would never go back. Lots more inside including how to tame those hard to please family members. New York Times Diner's Journal. Read the rest of this post...

African Americans, Latinos falling behind during recession

The "progress" that the Obama administration points to for big cities makes you wonder how out of touch the economic team really is. Solar panels and fiber optic networks are great, but it's not doing much to address the deepening problem of unemployment in these groups. It's no wonder Obama is ignoring liberal economists at the upcoming jobs summit. Sometimes the truth from those who have been right about this economy and who have fought against the center-right Summers and Geithner policies.

I wonder what it's like to have someone from the left or even center-left in the White House. For starters, it would nice to even be heard or simply not be attacked as the "left of the left" by the White House. How many times do we have to watch the same old failed reactionary policies fail and drag people down? It's no wonder Congress has had enough with the wobbly approach from the Obama team.

The Congressional Black Caucus and civil rights organizations are calling for a targeted aid package to put minorities back to work and stepping up pressuring on the White House ahead of its jobs summit next month where corporate CEOs, academics, labor leaders, community activists, and others have been invited to suggest any and all ideas to spur hiring.

The US unemployment rate among black workers soared last month to a 28-year high of 15.7 percent and the rate has risen to 13.2 percent for Latino workers - both well above the overall 10.2 percent national average. Despite early signs of economic recovery, many economists predict the jobless rate will continue to climb toward 20 percent in minority communities, which historically have higher unemployment than the general population.

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Health care reform debate begins

It's a long way from over, but the discussion has started. The GOP, of course, voted against even debating the subject. It must be because the current system is working out so well, for so many.

Invoking the memory of Edward M. Kennedy, Democrats united Saturday night to push historic health care legislation past a key Senate hurdle over the opposition of Republicans eager to inflict a punishing defeat on President Barack Obama. There was not a vote to spare.

The 60-39 vote cleared the way for a bruising, full-scale debate beginning after Thanksgiving on the legislation, which is designed to extend coverage to roughly 31 million who lack it, crack down on insurance company practices that deny or dilute benefits and curtail the growth of spending on medical care nationally.

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Sunday Morning Open Thread

Joe is soaking up the pleasant weather in South Africa now and is completely offline. He's probably having fun seeing the animals in Kruger Park and planning a nice braai for the evening. John is still struggling with the internet connection at the online event in Barcelona.

It's a slow weekend as many are gearing up for the short week. Anything going out there? Read the rest of this post...

Ian Dury and the Blockheads

With Thanksgiving in a few days, it seemed to fit. What are you thankful for this year or at least cheerful about? Read the rest of this post...

Obama pushing for provisional targets in Copenhagen

If nothing else, it's a start. He's going to need to keep pushing to continue any momentum that may be started in Copenhagen but looking at the agenda on the home front, this doesn't sound very likely. Maybe we will all be surprised though.

President Barack Obama is considering setting a provisional target for cutting America's huge greenhouse gas emissions, removing the greatest single obstacle to a landmark global agreement to fight climate change.

The Observer has learnt that administration officials have been consulting international negotiators and key players on Capitol Hill about signing up to a provisional target at the UN global warming summit in Copenhagen, now less than three weeks away.

Todd Stern, the state department climate change envoy, said the administration recognised that America had to come forward with a target for cutting its emissions. The US, which with China is responsible for 40% of the world's greenhouse gas emissions, is the only major developed nation yet to table an offer.

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