13. NYCO - 5 November 2009

Some brief comments on NY-23: in the end, the voters behaved as you would expect of voters in that region (which is not politically homogenous): they were bemused and disgusted at outsiders. I think they enjoyed the attention at first, but by the end, the sweaty groping got to be too much. This is an area that is continually ignored during presidential elections (as the rest of the state is since it's "safe Democratic") and being all het up over ideological questions is not a way of life there. Because the region is ignored during presidential elections, the national parties really do not seem to know the lay of the land up here at all. The far-right will never be an organized force in New York State politics. Ever. There's no social network for them to seize. It's way too complicated for them.

    The funny thing is that everyone says "there hasn't been a Democrat representing this area since 1850-something" or whatever, but in fact, the political sensibilities of the area haven't changed much since 1850-something... which is not a bad thing necessarily, because the NY Republicans of 1850-something were actually liberals by today's standards.

Anyhow, the humiliation this affair brings to the weaselly remnants of the NY GOP (Pataki et al) is most amusing.

Better ground for the national rightwing nutjobs would have been NY-29, in rural Western New York (Eric Massa's territory), which is even poorer than NY-23 and more homogenous. But, it didn't happen that way.

So, please, no wind up retrospectives of the Golum - Clinton - Lazio Affair, amusing as that may be. To me.

Possibly related sentiment:

Srsly. Pragmatic constituents
visual aid

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

Yesterday, just three days shy of the deadline for the effective layoff of the majority of 16,970 government employees (over which a General Strike was held recently), the Restructuring and Fiscal Stabilization Board announced the postponement of the layoff of over 7,000 of said employees until January of 2010 due to non-compliance with certain strictures of Fiscal Emergency Law Number Seven.  A judicial order impugned a number of lay-offs that apparently didn't follow the proper procedure.  The government must allegedly procure an additional $60 million in funds to keep those employees working until January.

Dr. Carlos Alá Santiago, a friend and colleague professor from the Public Administration Department of the University of Puerto Rico (we have collaborated in research and publications in the past) is embarking on a hunger strike to protest the government layoffs.  That is him in the video above.  He began a diet of fruits and water over a month ago and has reduced intake to zero in recent days.

And finally, for those of you considering visiting us down here.

"Beware of the man who does not talk, and the dog that does not bark." Cheyenne

Murray alleged that in the late 1990s the Uzbek ambassador to the US met with then-Texas Governor George W. Bush to discuss a pipeline for the region, and out of that meeting came agreements that would see Texas-based gain the rights to Uzbekistan's natural gas deposits, while oil company Unocal worked on developing the Trans-Afghanistan pipeline.

    "The consultant who was organizing this for Unocal was a certain Mr. Karzai, who is now president of Afghanistan," Murray noted.

"Special Relationship" Takes Cameo Role in "Iron Chef"

Not a moment too soon!

Army Times: A third of U.S. youth too fat, sickly to serve

Here's the Pentagon's breakdown of the ineligible population, according to the Times:

• Medical/physical problems, 35%.
  
• Illegal drug use, 18%.
  
• Mental Category V (the lowest 10% of the population), 9%.
  
• Too many dependents under age 18, 6%.
  
• Criminal record, 5%.

Update at 1:06 p.m. ET: The Times reports that  Education Secretary Arne Duncan and a group of retired military officers will issue a report on Thursday warning that the situation is so dire it amounts to a threat to national security.

Will the WH remedy entail accelerated deployment of military charter schools, liberally lubed with $4.3B Race To The Top incentives to reform young bodies and minds?

Education Secretary Arne Duncan, the former superintendent of schools from Chicago, welcomes the foundation's involvement. "The more all of us are in the game of reform, the more all of us are pushing for dramatic improvement, the better," Duncan said in an interview with The Associated Press.

Stay tuned.

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

An electric car created by ex-McLaren Formula One designer Gordon Murray has been unveiled.

Three prototypes of the T.27 model will be developed over the next 16 months.

The manufacturing process, called iStream, has received £9m of investment, half of which came from the government's Technology Strategy Board.

iStream plants can be just one fifth of the size of a conventional car factory, as the cars are not made from stamped steel.

All the parts are designed by computer and welded together rather than being stamped out of metal sheets, explained David Bott, director of innovation platforms at the Technology Strategy Board.

The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee approved climate change legislation Thursday with no Republicans voting for the bill or even participating in the process.

The GOP - aka Party of No - membership of the committee didn't bother to show-up for the meetings, hearings, & etc.  So the Democrats went ahead with the process, ignoring them.

To quote kcurie, "je, je, je, je."

Now, of course ...

"I am here to appeal to you and the members of the committee," Sen. Jim Inhofe, the top Republican on the committee, said in a brief statement. "In the history of this committee, we have not been able to find a time when the bill has been marked up without minority."

To which Boxer responded ...

"This is not a procedure we wanted; it's a procedure that's available to us," said Boxer. "The majority has to be able to do its work...otherwise the whole Senate could come to a screeching halt."

Boxer has called the GOP's bluff, shown the way forward.  If the GOP senators want to be relevant to the process they have to be involved in the process.  
 

Madness takes its toll. Have exact change ready

Fannie Mae Announces Deed for Lease^TM Program: "To participate in the program, borrowers must live in the home as their primary residence and must be released from any subordinate liens on the property. Tenants of borrowers in this circumstance may also be eligible for leases under the program. Borrowers or tenants interested in a lease must be able to document that the new market rental rate [?] is no more than 31% of their gross income.

Leases under the new program may be up to 12 months, with the possibility of term renewal or month-to-month extensions after that period. A Deed for Lease property that is subsequently sold includes an assignment of the lease to the buyer."

FAQ doesn't describe Fannie Mae basis of market-rate property valuation by which D4L prices rent to tenants.

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

Look at this sign via dKos

Really, have they no shame ?

keep to the Fen Causeway

Chew on that, ET.

Skennah Kowa

At least seven people have been killed and 12 others injured in a shooting at the Fort Hood military base in Texas, according to US media reports.

One person has been arrested and a second is on the run, ABC news reports. It said the base had been locked down.

NBC News network said the two suspects were in military uniform and that the shooter-at-large was believed to have a high-powered sniper rifle.

After trying everything else to solve a particularly annoying problem, I:

1.  Read the instructions

2.  Followed the instructions

I offer this ground-breaking procedure as Public Service to the ET community specifically and World-at-Large free, gratis, and without charge.

Madness takes its toll. Have exact change ready