Frugal the new black?

When we discuss this issue at home, we ask whether we're frugal or just plain cheap. Well, maybe some of both, but it's not as bad as I used to think years ago when spending came without hesitation. Now it's a game to see who can find the best deal whether we're at the grocery store, buying a new shirt (as one reluctantly has to do) or traveling on vacation. Even today I'm quite happy with my $8/night hotel and $2 lunch in Aswan, Egypt after getting there on free air miles. (My personal best was $1/night for two in Laos.) I just bought some wonderful yogurt for 1 euro (instead of 3) and despite what the labeling says, the good yogurt is fine for days after the expiration listed.

Anyone else a competitive tightwad or new to the world of frugality? And you are doing just fine? Read the rest of this post...

Salmonella outbreak worst in years

Gee, ya think we have a problem? Who honestly thinks industry is doing enough? We need modernization, now, whether the Republicans like it or not.

More than 1,000 people now are confirmed ill from salmonella initially linked to raw tomatoes, a grim milestone Wednesday that makes this the worst foodborne outbreak in at least a decade. Adding to the confusion, the government is implicating some types of hot peppers, too.

Confusion, indeed. This is exactly what Congresswoman DeGette is trying to fix with traceability. Do we need to let the problem get worse before industry comes around on this? They're not going to have much business left if they continue to drag their feet. Read the rest of this post...

Katrina trailer makers knew of problems

It's bad enough that the companies knew, but the Republicans have the nerve to dismiss health issues as a non-issue. Uh huh, sure. Why don't they live in one of those trailers for one week and then let us know how great they were. What a sad little bunch of apologists, but this is typical. Excessive rates of formaldehyde in the air is not "just normal business" as the GOP suggests. That's putting the lives of families at risk. These are people who did not ask to be hit by a hurricane. What bastards.

The report by Democrats on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee is at odds with an analysis done by Republican staffers on the same committee. The Republican report found that trailer manufacturers should not be held accountable for the high levels of formaldehyde — a preservative commonly used in building materials — in trailers that the Federal Emergency Management Agency set up to house people displaced by Katrina in 2005. Republicans say it is the government's fault for not having standards for safe levels of formaldehyde in trailers.

But Democrats say their staff interviewed employees from one of the manufacturers — Gulf Stream Coach — who said they, too, were suffering effects from formaldehyde exposure, including nose bleeds, shortness of breath, dizziness and bleeding ears. One employee told investigators that there was a foul odor throughout the plant.

Gulf Stream Coach, Inc., received the bulk of the FEMA trailer contracts after Katrina, collecting more than $500 million.

Committee Chairman Henry Waxman, D-Calif., said the Democrats' investigation found that Gulf Stream did test trailers, but treated the test results as a public relations liability instead of as a health hazard.

Read the rest of this post...

Help make marriage equality a reality in New York

One of our good friends, New York State Assembly member Danny O'Donnell needs some help. Danny was the prime sponsor of the marriage equality bill, which passed in the New York Assembly last year. He secured 85 votes for that bill -- and its passage surprised a lot of people in Albany.

On that historic day in June of 2007, Danny gave an impassioned speech on the Assembly floor, which can be seen here and here. The speech is definitely worth watching -- you'll get a sense of how Danny made this vote happen.

Marriage equality is a real possibility in New York. The state has a governor who supports gay marriage -- and this fall, the Democrats have a very good chance of taking control of the State Senate for the first time in decades. But, there is a hurdle -- and that's where Danny needs our help. He is working to make sure his colleagues who voted for gay marriage can withstand the right wing onslaught and get re-elected. There's nothing worse to slow momentum than the idea that a controversial issue cost a legislator his or her seat. The anti-gay forces are going to try hard to do that. Here's what Danny is asking:

Dear John and Joe,

I need your help. As you know, it has been my privilege since 2003 to serve in the New York State Assembly, fighting for equal rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender New Yorkers, and advocating for the progressive values that make New York a national leader. I am honored, challenged, amazed, and graced on a daily basis to serve our community in this way, but I need your help to ensure I can continue this vitally important work.

I am extremely proud to be the prime sponsor of the Marriage Equality Act, which would allow New York State to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples, and which passed the Assembly last year with an historic 85 votes. This was not only an important moment professionally, but also a deeply emotional experience for me, as the legislation would allow me to marry—and legally protect—my partner of 27 years.

I made a promise to my colleagues who voted “yes” that I would help them if their vote invited retaliation from the right -- and there will be retaliation. Some of them took a great political risk and we need to keep them in office so the Marriage Equality Act can become law. Your support will help me keep that crucial promise and insure that we can make marriage legal in New York.

If you can ask the AMERICAblog community to join me as I continue fighting for equality for all, I'd very much appreciate it. We've made it easy by setting up an ActBlue page. The funds raised will help the campaigns of my colleagues who voted for us on marriage.

I am deeply grateful for your support and encouragement -- and look forward to continuing our vitally important work together.

Very truly yours,


Danny

I know there are a lot of requests for money this year. Every race is important. If you can help in New York, you can help change the landscape for gay marriage in America.

And, a big thanks to Danny for all he's done and will do. Read the rest of this post...

John McCain blasts Social Security as an "absolute disgrace"

Wow. Unlike most people old enough for Social Security, John McCain think it's an "absolute disgrace." Like Bush, McCain has repeatedly said he wants to privatize Social Security. But, then again, John McCain has his own privatized security net in the form of his multi-millionaire wife.

Read the rest of this post...

Bad news/Good news in the U.S. Senate today

It's been a wild day in the U.S. Senate.

First, the bad news: The Senate passed the FISA bill -- with telecom immunity -- by a vote of 69 - 28. Roll call here. That abominable affront to the U.S. Constitution is heading to Bush's desk -- and the ACLU is preparing to sue.

Now, the good news -- both legislative and personal: To a rousing ovation from his colleagues, Senator Ted Kennedy arrived back in the Capitol to vote on the Medicare bill, which passed by a veto-proof 69 - 30 margin. Kennedy's vote could have been critical. By one vote, a couple weeks ago, Senate Republicans had blocked movement on this legislation. That resulted in a huge backlash against the GOP. Doctors were irate and the AMA has been ran ads against Republican Senators. Obviously, Republican Senators got the message.

Bush was gleeful about the FISA bill, but has threatened a veto of this Medicare bill. John McCain was the one Senator who didn't vote today on Medicare. According to The Hill and CQ Politics, the so-called "Straight Talker" wouldn't even say how he'd vote. Very weak leadership.

Here's a link to a clip of Kennedy's return. You can't miss that thick white hair.

It was truly a triumphant return. Read the rest of this post...

Dow drops 236. S&P; enters "bear market" territory

As a follow up to the post below from Chris, the markets tanked again today:

Stocks tumbled on Wednesday, dragging the S&P; 500 into a bear market as worries about more credit losses hurt financial companies and Cisco Systems led technology shares lower after its CEO raised fears of an extended economic downturn.

The Dow Jones industrial average <.DJI> fell 236.77 points, or 2.08 percent, to end unofficially at 11,147.44 and the Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.SPX> sank 29.01 points, or 2.28 percent, to finish unofficially at 1,244.69.

And, John McCain doesn't get the economy. Yikes. Read the rest of this post...

"Hindenburg Omen" predicts market crash by October

In recent days there are more and more signs of trouble ahead and this analyst says the "Hindenburg Omen" has been correct 92% of the time. Read more here but it's a combination of factors including having new highs and new lows at the same time. If this proves to be correct this time, will McCain and his bumbling economic brain admit failure? I don't think so either. Read the rest of this post...

Chris Matthews: George Will says McCain victory means war with Iran

This matters because George Will is a big deal to, and among, conservatives. If he's saying this, it not only means that conservatives really still don't like McCain (unless of course Will is saying he wants war with Iran, then perhaps he meant it as praise), but it also means that a lot of people in the middle, who think George Will is reasonable, are going to again hear people on the right, like Joe Scarborough and Pat Buchanan, talking about how McCain means more wars and fewer jobs.

Read the rest of this post...

Florida hospital to let disabled child die because no one wants him

So where are all those friends of Terri Schiavo? Haven't heard a peep from them on this, nor from Doctor Frist. And what do Florida Governor Charlie Crist, and John McCain, plan to do to ensure that this never happens again? (H/t All Spin Zone.) Read the rest of this post...

Jesse Ventura to challenge Senator Coleman and Al Franken?

Now that would be an interesting race, even though we want Franken to win.

In an interview with NPR's David Welna that ran today former Gov. Jesse "The Body" Ventura, Ind-Minn., sounds like he may run for Senate, challenging incumbent Sen. Norm Coleman, R-Minn., whom Ventura defeated for governor in 1998, as well as Democratic nominee and former Saturday Night Live humorist Al Franken.

Ventura, born Jim Janos, tells Welna that the main reason he would run is because of Coleman's support for the war in Iraq. "That's the reason I run," he says. "I run because it angers me...All you Minnesotans take a good hard look at all three of us. And you decide: if you were in a dark alley which one of the three of us would you want with you?

Read the rest of this post...

Obama victory could drop oil $40

Obviously the ramblings of some loony lefty. From CNBC:

If Barrack Obama wins the presidency, the price of oil could fall by $40 per barrel. The financial markets will discount the possibility before hand, at least partially. There are three ways in which this could happen:

1) As was the case during the Clinton administration, Obama might be more inclined to intervene in the foreign exchange market to support the value of the dollar....

2) Obama will speak in a more concilatory tone toward nations in the Middle East. If he does, some of the risk premium would likely be extracted from the oil price.

3) Energy conservation and investment in energy infrastructure are likely to increase if Obama wins...

Read the rest of this post...

I'm meeting with the Greek Foreign Minister on Friday - got any questions for her?

I got an email last week inviting me to meet with the Greek Foreign Minister, Dora Bakoyannis (you may recall that one of my uncles held the same job in the 1980s).

I'm heading off to Athens today to attend a conference starting this weekend in northern Greece (more on that in a sec), and the Minister's office coincidentally contacted me asking if I'd be in Greece any time soon. It seems that Minister Bakoyanni is very into the Internet and bloggers. Which is great. As I'd written before, Greece is behind many "western" European countries, like France and Spain and England, in its use of the Internet. I'd put Greece on a par with Italy in terms of its Internet use - and for neither country is that good. Perhaps a better way to put this would be, Greece and Italy appear to have embraced the Internet to the level we had embraced it in the US some time in the late 1990s. Some people love it, some people think it's a fad or downright dangerous, and others simply shrug, never having seen it, and not really planning to. But at the same time, in Greece at least, I've met a real core of great bloggers and online strategists that rival anything we have here in the states. So they're on the right track - the only question is to what degree the government and society will foster an Internet revolution, or fear it.

Anyway, so I'm meeting the Minister at her office on Friday and, while our conversation will be off the record, I was wondering if you have any questions for her? I've asked her office if I might interview her on cam or by audio for a few minutes after the meeting ON the record - so if I can, I'd like your suggestions for what topics you might find interesting. I just read her resume, it's rather astounding. She and her family were exiled from Greece during the years of the military dictators (late 60s, early 70s). My uncle was jailed and tortured at the time as well, which is interesting since he's on the left and her family is on the right - dictators know no difference. She then returned to Greece, where her husband was assassinated by terrorists, got involved in politics, was herself the survivor of an assassination plot six years ago, and eventually became the first female mayor of Athens in its 3,500 year history. She now has been Foreign Minister (i.e., Secretary of State) for the past two years.

As for next week, I was invited to attend the Symi Symposium, an annual gathering of, well, it's hard to explain, so let me let them explain:

The 11th Annual Symi Symposium will take place July 13-19, 2008 in Ouranoupolis, Greece. It will bring together about 30 of the most interesting thinkers, Nobel laureates, entrepreneurs, politicians, religious leaders, diplomats, scientists, and activists to address how progressive parties can develop successful political platforms that respond to the challenges of the coming decade, focusing on such issues on climate change and energy security; the reform or reinvention of international institutions; and the global food crisis.

The Symposium was first held in 1998 on the island of Symi, which has lent its name to this event ever since. Convened every year on a different Greek venue, the Symi Symposium is designed to nurture spirited debate in a discreet setting. Participants come from all over the world, and their divergent interests and backgrounds enliven both formal and informal conversations. The Symi Symposium has fostered ideas and friendships that have borne fruit in the form of significant projects, ventures, and public service.

It sounds really fascinating. We should have Internet access at the conference, so I hope to not just report on the conference, but get some good interviews, audio and video, with a number of the political and non-profit leaders from around the world. Then from there I'm flying directly to Austin for the Netroots Nation (aka Yearly Kos) blog conference. You can still register to attend the conference, it's open to everyone, here (and the price has been discounted to $299 - unfortunately, conference cost to put together). Read the rest of this post...

Okay, Mitt. Explain McCain's experience of leadership. Use the McCain campaign as your example.

Yesterday, on CNN, Mitt Romney, who is groveling to be the GOP V.P. pick, took a swipe at Obama that should have invoked a discussion about McCain's out-of-control campaign:

You know, Barack Obama's a charming, well-spoken person, but he's never actually run anything. He's never had the experience of leadership.

MALVEAUX: Governor -- excuse me.

ROMNEY: So, let's take the proven.

Yeah, let's take the proven. Let's compare the biggest things both McCain and Obama have run: Their campaigns.

Taegan Goddard noted yesterday:

It seems none of the competing advisers working on Sen. John McCain's presidential campaign can actually agree who is in charge.

That's McCain's kind of leadership. You want a President with that management style?

Given the opening provided by Romney to address leadership, when Malveaux said "Governor -- excuse me," she should have asked about McCain's disastrous management style. You'd think that, but you'd be wrong. It's fun for the political reporters and pundits to ruminate over the power plays and in-fighting within the McCain campaign. They're ignoring what it says about McCain and his leadership abilities. That's dangerous. Read the rest of this post...

New McCain ad slammed by FactCheck.org

Stupid facts. Don't the facts know that we're not supposed to question John MCain, no matter how wrong?

McCain's new radio ad, in Spanish, aims to show Florida would benefit from the Colombia Free Trade Agreement, which he supports. But every number in the ad is wrong, except one, a prediction of job gains taken from a group favoring the trade deal. And even that number is rounded upward so generously as to flunk third-grade arithmetic.

Read the rest of this post...

Wednesday Morning Open Thread

Good morning.

There's still time to register for the Netroots Nation conference, which starts next starts next Thursday in Austin. If you've been thinking about going, you should. You can sign up here and save $75 off the registration fee. I've found that Netroots Nation (formerly YearlyKos) is a lot of fun -- and actually productive. Check it out. And, if you're near Austin, definitely show up.

What's happening in the world today? Read the rest of this post...

Why we need traceability for food, now

Even in the face if failure, Republicans can't admit that their food safety policies have not worked. They continue to support the industry-approved status quo which can only mean more sickness and more endless searches in the dark. The Republican premise that traceability will be too costly for industry fails in many ways. Consumers are stuck with healthcare costs and government agencies are forced into a difficult discovery process and that means taxpayer money, if available.

There is no magic wand that can be waved to solve these problems but without proper traceability, we're a long way away from solving the present mysteries of food borne illnesses. It's in the interest of everyone to make this investment, including industry. As centralized as the food production business has become, one e.coli or salmonella outbreak can bankrupt a business (as we witnessed recently) or severely damage their business. Look at what happened with spinach and ground beef. Dismissing investments in traceability as "expensive" makes no sense at all to the businesses who rely on consumer confidence to sell their products. When that is gone, so goes the business. Traceability is a win-win for industry and consumers. If industry and the GOP care about consumers at all, they will take the next step, now. Read the rest of this post...

Bush: polar bears will be killed by global warming, so drill!

You can't even make this stuff up it's so bad. The Bush administration isn't concerned about the new laws protecting oil companies related to the impact on polar bears because hey, they're going to die from global warming anyway, so just let Big Oil be Big Oil and do what they do. Then, the administration pretends (as Republicans always do) that industry will somehow monitor themselves when it comes to the impact on polar bears. Really? What is the incentive for them to do so? What is the penalty for fudging the numbers, as they will?

Big Oil is going to look back at these times as the golden years, when every wish and every dream came true. Hell, they even got the oil field rights they wanted in Iraq. For the rest of us, well... Read the rest of this post...

US exports to Iran rise under Bush

Interesting, though I don't have an issue with non-military items or goods that help the political leadership. Sanctions are always propped up as examples of action against a bad regime and more often than not, the sanctions only hurt normal people without disturbing the leaders who we dislike. If we sell US goods such as cigarettes and bras to Iran, who really cares? Americans have work and Iranians buy the products they want to buy. I'd much rather see this than the normal routine of selling military equipment, as Rumsfeld and the US did with Iraq. Read the rest of this post...

American cancels flight after crew is booed for arriving hours late

I'm divided on this one, I'd like more facts. I've seen my share of prima donna flight crews who mistreat passengers and then get pissy when you call them on it, so I have to admit to a bias on this one. Not to mention, you start charging people for luggage and water and curbside service that actually makes THEIR JOB easier, and don't be surprised when the customer gets surly. But, we don't know what really happened. Still, sitting me on a plane for hours with no flight crew, yeah, you kind of deserve a boo for that one. American should probably be giving each of these folks a free ticket, and then educating whatever American staff was on hand to learn how to manage people a lot LOT better. Free drinks and vouchers would have created 300 new fans, rather than an English soccer riot. Read the rest of this post...