Tweets we love

@KagroX: RT @Greytdog: Liz Cheney believes our prison system is inadequate. || Me too. Her dad's not in it. Read the rest of this post...

Eye tattoos. Is this for real?

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China is now the largest exporter, but some question future

Not that it's a surprise, but still. While the mainstream view is centered on a growing China, it's interesting to see a few big money players betting the opposite. As impressive as the growth has been, it remains a mystery for some (including me) where China is selling its exports since buyers have dramatically slowed down buying. Improved, yes, but it's hardly back to pre-recession buying rates. The other troubling factor is the Chinese communist government who has a long history of cooking the books and encouraging that practice such as during the Cultural Revolution.

As most of the world bets on China to help lift the global economy out of recession, Mr. Chanos is warning that China's hyperstimulated economy is headed for a crash, rather than the sustained boom that most economists predict. Its surging real estate sector, buoyed by a flood of speculative capital, looks like "Dubai times 1,000 -- or worse," he frets. He even suspects that Beijing is cooking its books, faking, among other things, its eye-popping growth rates of more than 8 percent.

"Bubbles are best identified by credit excesses, not valuation excesses," he said in a recent appearance on CNBC. "And there's no bigger credit excess than in China." He is planning a speech later this month at the University of Oxford to drive home his point.

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Harry Reid is just like Trent Lott... except that Trent Lott embraced a racist group devoted to preserving the 'white race'

Other than that.... Read the rest of this post...

60 year old wife of Northern Ireland conservative party leader caught with 19 year old kid

And her name is Mrs. Robinson.

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Latest polls show different results in Mass. Senate Race

The special election to fill Ted Kennedy's vacant seat is scheduled for January 19th, nine days from now. There have been some recent polls showing the Republican, Scott Brown, within striking distance of the Democrat, Martha Coakley.

Yesterday, Public Policy Polling (PPP) showed Brown leading Coakley by a margin of 48% - 47%.

Today, the Boston Globe released its poll, which shows Coakley leading by 'a solid, 15-percentage-point lead": 50% - 35%.

I have great respect for the polling of PPP. Most recently, it was the only outfit to accurately predict the loss in Maine on same-sex marriage. The Globe knows how to poll Massachusetts. I'll leave it to Nate Silver to figure out what this means.

Special elections are always low turnout and often difficult to poll. But, this is Massachusetts, one of the bluest of blue states. And, they're filling Ted Kennedy's seat. It shouldn't be close. Coakley has already won a state-wide race. She's a known commodity. This probably isn't about her. It appears to be an indicator of an angry electorate.

This election is going to be about turnout. Obviously, the Republican base is riled up. And, Brown is a hard-core conservative. He's not a New England moderate -- as he made clear to Sean Hannity last week stating:

“I’m not known as a social liberal, that’s for sure.’’

Brown is opposed to same-sex marriage, even though same-sex couples have been getting married in his state for over five years. And, he's backed away from previous pro-choice views.

The GOP would love to win Kennedy's seat. And, Brown would be the first Senator with a nude centerfold. (Just imagine the uproar from Sean Hannity and other conservatives if a Democrat had that photo spread like that in their background.) Read the rest of this post...

Sunday Talk Shows Open Thread

It looks like a mix of economy and terror talk on the Sunday shows. But, there will also be a good dose of politics.

The White House is sending out Christine Romer, who chairs the White House Council of Economic Advisers, to talk about the economy and jobs She's on ABC.

The fun part of the day could come from Michael Steele's appearances. He's debating DNC Chair Tim Kaine on NBC and FOX. But Kaine is the least of Steele's worries. He's been in a major battle with Republicans for the past week. We'll see if he's been muzzled by the GOP (if that's possible.)

Joe Lieberman and John McCain are together again on CNN. Is there a more painful pairing? I'm sure we'll get some tough talk about invading Yemen or starting some other war from those two cranks.

And, we could see another round of bi-coastal mud-slinging between Arnold and DiFi today. He's on "Meet the Press" while she's on CBS.

The full lineup can be seen here. Read the rest of this post...

Jeff Buckley

The flurries finally stopped yesterday and it's even warming up a bit, which is great. I think that by the middle of the week we're even back to the typical Parisian winter day of rain and high 30'sF. I'm definitely ready for rain. Read the rest of this post...

Southern Italy 'like Alabama in the 1920s'

Obviously this is not a complement. How is it that it's always the poor immigrant workers who are attacked yet the farmers, factory owners or whoever else hires them are immune? The Guardian:

Local people clapped and cheered yesterday as hundreds of Africans were moved by police out of a small town in Calabria following clashes in which immigrant farmworkers were shot at, severely beaten and run over.

More than 300 immigrants were loaded on to buses in the riot-torn town of Rosarno, destined for immigrant holding centres. Meanwhile, an immigrant was shot from a moving car with a pellet rifle, bringing to five the number who have been shot.

The first shooting, last Thursday, provoked a violent protest march by Africans through Rosarno, which left 66 injured. A second immigrant was beaten with metal bars yesterday despite a heavy police presence in and around Rosarno.

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