Thursday, August 8, 2013

SAR #13220



'Vast' is not the same as 'limitless'.

Appetizer: Guardian journalist Glenn Greenwald says we ain't seen nothin' yet and that “more revelations on the espionage activities of the US government and allied governments” will be forthcoming in a week or so”, many of which “have nothing to do with terrorism or national security, but have to do with competition with other countries, in the business, industrial and economic fields."

The Washing Of Hands: The Montreal, Main & Atlantic Railway, whose train blew away Lac-Mégantic, Quebec last month, has filed for bankruptcy protection in an attempt to dodge paying for the damage they did.

Echo: In a replay of recent Egyptian events, Tunisia's Constituent Assembly has been suspended as secular opposition to the Islamist-led government sends tens of thousands into the streets to protest the second assassination of a leftist political leader in as many weeks. Remember, Tunisia is where the Arab Spring got its start two years ago. 
 
Watch This Space: In that only 93% of Americans want GMO foods to carry labels saying just that, it is obvious that Monsanto will prevail and it'll never happen.

Marbles: A court has invited BP to explain why it doesn't want to pay the $130 million in administrative fees that has been run up doling out billions in compensatory payments for the damage BP caused with the Deepwater Horizon. I bet this episode won't make it into one of those feel-good TV ads about BP's commitment to the Gulf.

Klingenschmitt 8-7: Jesus then told the assembled, to “sell your clothes and buy a gun.”

Clip & Save: The EIA, UBS, Deutsche Bank, and others who are supposed to know such things, are predicting that oil prices will fall for the rest of 2013, ending in the mid to low $90's. Note that this does not come with a guarantee and your mileage may vary.

Words Is Words: Our Glorious Leader professes that “We don't have a domestic spying program.” Why the 'domestic' qualifier? Does it depend on what the definition of 'is' is?

Fruits Of The Poisonous Tree: Following deregulation of the nation's electrical systems, the operators saw no profit in maintaining or upgrading the national grid. Now that the system is threatened by cyberattack and upgrades are required, naturally the privateers want their customers to cough up the money to fix the problem. Surely you didn't think the shareholders would front the bill, did you? Don't you understand the essential concepts behind privatization?

Major Tom: The Majority Leader of the US House of Representatives, Republican Eric Cantor, is worried about the “growing deficit.” Someone should tell him that the deficit is shrinking, not growing. Shrinking rapidly. Shrinking too rapidly, which at the moment is bad, not good. But that's in the real world, to which Cantor and the Republicans don't seem to have a subscription.

Swim Meet: As global warming pushes up the temperature of the oceans, the changes to their environment are driving species towards the poles by 7 kilometers every year. The first of the migrations; wait until it's people.

Fire Insurance: Why do you have fire insurance on your house? Well, yes, the bank insists, but is it reasonable? How many houses actually burn down every year? Okay, then, how sure are you that the vast majority of climate scientists are wrong? Then why aren't you working to cut our CO2 emissions?

Spanish Lesson: Mexico's President Nieto wants to change the nation's constitution to permit Big Oil to elbow its way into Mexico's rapidly declining oil patch. They probably cannot extract near as much oil as money. How do you say 'privatization' in Spanish? 
 
Discuss: Would the economic payback to the nation more than repay the country for providing free 2- and 4-year college education to all qualifying students? Would it more than erase the damage that the current system does to families and futures? Remember the GI Bill and the benefits the nation gained? Would we be better off if we confined young blacks in colleges instead of prisons?

Porn O'Graph: Warm-up pitch. 



The Parting Shot:
 Morning.

3 comments:

Robertlowrey.blogspot.com said...

Love your blog, don't know how you do it, but although I don't pay to read it, it isn't free, is it? Nor is college education for ANYbody, because there are costs associated with providing it. Costs that must be paid by someone. By referring to it as "Free" you do a disservice to your own position, because it is promulgated using calculated deception. What you really mean is taxpayer-paid education. Works so well in numbing the minds of Elhi students, why stop there, Eh?

Charles Kingsley Michaelson, III said...

It was obvious from the wording .. if the nation provided.. that it was understood that the taxpayers would foot the bill. Given the default rate of student loans, we currently do anyway, directly or indirectly. And I was only addressing the economic servitude that the "everyone must go to college or go bankrupt trying" cultural myth leads to. I would suggest a year of public service for every year of government-paid college up to a two year max for the first four years of schooling. Advanced schooling would be on additional year of public service upon completion.

No this does not address the academics. That was not the problem I was addressing. But it would seem a far better deal for the taxpayer to pay for a college education than for incarceration.

unhappyCakeEater said...

and wouldnt it make you giggle to see them majoring in law or criminal justice!