So the Rapture never came

I'm laughing at the number of stories about this crazy thing. Read the rest of this post...

"Gays will rape your kids" ad used to promote TN Chamber of Commerce’s hate bill

Yes, that's what was used to promote the anti-gay/trans legislation that Nissan, FedEx, AT&T;, Comcast, DuPont, Pfizer, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Caterpillar, KPMG, Whirlpool, Embraer, Alcoa, and United HealthCare's chamber of commerce in Tennessee lobbied for. A commercial showing a lecherous man stalking a four year old girl, with the intent to rape or murder her.

And these companies are saying they had no idea the legislation was intended to be anti-gay and anti-trans. It was only legislation intended to repeal a gay/trans civil rights ordinance, and to ban cities in the state from every passing another civil rights ordinance ever again. It was only legislation written by the religious right, and the chief lobbyist was from the religious right. And the ads showed men trying to rape small children. Yes, nothing intended to demean gays or transgender people there.

In other news, over 7,000 people have signed our open letter to to these companies in under 48 hours. The open letter demands that they publicly oppose the legislation and ask the governor to veto it. They all site on the board of the local chamber of commerce - Nissan heads the board - and their chamber of commerce supported and lobbied for this hateful legislation. Nissan, FedEx, AT&T;, Comcast, DuPont, Pfizer, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Caterpillar, KPMG, Whirlpool, Embraer, Alcoa, and United HealthCare own this bill now. If it becomes law, it's on their head.

So far, AT&T;, Nissan, FedEx and Alcoa have issued statements. Three of them have been pretty weak, and don't even say whether they support the legislation or not. HRC issued a press release claiming the companies are now publicly opposing the legislation, but it's simply not true. Read their statements for yourself. They're intended to sound supportive without actually committing the companies to anything. Joe and I are contacting the companies now to ask them directly whether they oppose the legislation and whether they'd like to see it vetoed. Stay tuned for their responses. Read the rest of this post...

Weather extremes are the new normal due to climate change

Heaven forbid the half wits in the Republican Party recognize climate change as a serious problem. They're all too busy laughing about reports like this while saying "duh huh, it's snowing in Alaska now, duh huh" and thinking it's a riot. It takes a special kind of dumb to make it big in the GOP but they're stepping up and managing to do it.

Heavy rains, deep snowfalls, monster floods and killing droughts are signs of a "new normal" of extreme U.S. weather events fueled by climate change, scientists and government planners said on Wednesday.

"It's a new normal and I really do think that global weirding is the best way to describe what we're seeing," climate scientist Katharine Hayhoe of Texas Tech University told reporters.

"We are used to certain conditions and there's a lot going on these days that is not what we're used to, that is outside our current frame of reference," Hayhoe said on a conference call with other experts, organized by the non-profit Union of Concerned Scientists.

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Bush rakes in millions on the speaking circuit

It was disgusting when Reagan, Bush I and Clinton did it and it's no less revolting now. These people always have excuses, but it's just another way to cash in on their public service. You have to also wonder about the ties they had during their time in the White House and the "consulting" work that they do now. Instead of obsessing about corruption overseas Americans may want to look at home. $15 million for speaking?

In the week after Obama's May 5 ground zero event, the 43rd president made time for three separate speeches to hedge-fund executives, a Swiss bank sanctioned for keeping secret bank accounts, and a pro golf event underwritten by the accounting firm involved in the Tyco International financial scandal.

Bush's standard speaking fee is reportedly between $100,000 and $150,000.

David Sherzer, a spokesman for the former president, said that since Bush left office he has delivered nearly 140 paid talks, at home and abroad. Those speeches have earned Bush about $15 million, following in the golden path blazed by his predecessor, Bill Clinton.

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IMF changes story on DSK pension

The fact that they can't give clear numbers speaks volumes. The day before they were clear about numbers and suddenly it's not? CYA is in full force at the IMF.

A spokesman for the international financial institution said Strauss Kahn is eligible for a one time pay-out of more than $250,000, and he is also eligible for payments from the Fund's standard staff pension.

On top of that, the spokesman said Friday, Strauss-Kahn will receive an annual bonus equal to 65 percent of his staff pension payout.

That is a significant change from a payout of 60 to 70 percent of his annual salary that the IMF described on Thursday, which it now says is not correct.

And again, this is someone who worked at high levels in the French government so is already looking at a very comfortable pension from that time as well. Read the rest of this post...

Murdoch's phone hacking even larger than thought

Who else wonders if this happened in the US as well? The Guardian:

The Metropolitan police holds evidence that could prove hundreds of people had their phones hacked by the News of the World, Scotland Yard told the high court, a far greater number than had previously been believed.

Barristers for the Metropolitan police said notes seized from Glenn Mulcaire, the private investigator on the paper's books, showed he made a note of 149 mobile phone pin numbers and around 400 unique voicemail numbers. Both are used to access messages left on mobile phones.

Jason Beer QC, for the Metropolitan police, told a high court hearing the figures were: "a snap shot in time as of last week". Until Friday, the police had maintained Mulcaire kept a record of just 91 pin numbers.

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Rod Stewart - You Wear It Well

A great old clip of Rod Stewart having some fun with what must have been a new song.

Considering today is the end of time, it's a pretty good start to the day. It's sunny again which is great for being out and about, but they are saying it's actually a problem. Europe is looking at a very dry season and there are already drought concerns. Our garden has been inhaling water and I have not had a day off from watering in a while.

We had an earlier than expected start to the day thanks to a cackling bird in the garden. I was in a dream and telling someone on the phone to move away from the annoying bird and then I realized Sushi wasn't sleeping by my feet on the bed. That's when I woke up and peaked outside to look at the bird. Sushi was being completely taunted by what I sort of think was a magpie, but he thought he was about to win at any time. Somehow Sushi missed that the bird was bouncing from branch to branch all around him.

The show finally ended when Nasdaq wanted to join in and ran outside. The poor bird never saw anything quite her size so he went flying away. Compared to Sushi and his three kilos, she is in another league at eight plus kilos. Read the rest of this post...

At least 34 more dead in Syria as Assad continues attacks

It's hard to believe there has yet to be any talk about war crimes yet. This bloodshed is unacceptable.

Syrian security forces have killed at least 34 people, including an 11-year-old boy, according to witnesses, in the latest crackdown on anti-government protests.

Twelve people were killed in the central city of Homs, while 15 died in the town of Maaret al-Naaman, located near the western city of Idlib, activists said.

Two protesters were shot in the southern region of Deraa, one person was shot in the Damascus suburb of Daraya and one in the port city of Latakia.

Two more died in the eastern town of Deir Ezzor and one person killed in the central town of Hama.

The dead in Homs included two boys, named as Aiham al-Ahmad, 11, and 16-year-old Ahmad Bakr, witnesses said.

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