Department of Book Reports: Nuclear Jellyfish

If you don't like over-the-top violence, random mayhem, senseless sillyness and excessive drug ingestion, just move on. This book isn't for you, mkay?

If you think Jim Hall is too serious, S.V. Date is only writing non-fiction anymore, Charles Willeford died too soon, Randy Wayne White is spending too much time in his bar, Carl Hiaasen has mellowed with age, and Vicki Hendricks just doesn't write enough... it's time to pick up a copy of Tim Dorsey's work!

As we join Serge Storms and his hapless sidekick Coleman, Serge has begun blogging. Just what the blogsphere needs! Another OCD/anal compulsive blogger with a disdain for his audience. Lord knows, there's too few of those around. (Note: for you close readers, who actually retain facts from earlier installments; Yes, Coleman did technically die at the end of Florida Roadkill, but if you -the author- kill off every character in your first book, it's hard to meet your publisher's demands of an on-going series. Let's just move on and accept this reality, shall we? Still confused? Perhaps this chronology will help.)

And just in case you suspect Tim may not actually research his novels, please look here.


I'm not going to give away the plot here, but if any of the following pique your interest, Nuclear Jellyfish is the book for you!

Strippers in the community college, the grudge match between coin and stamp enthusiasts, astronaut diapers, the NASCAR superstore, Lynyrd Skynyrd, guns, drugs, bloody crime scenes, a tragic tattoo parlor mishap, historically relevant sex, library quiet time, glow?in?the dark deformities, hotel drink coupons, a naked woman in a shark cage, and John Travolta.

Type that into a google search and there will be a knock on your door. Wouldn't it be safer to buy the book? Use the "ask the bookseller" button to request a signed copy.


democommie was unable to help with this book report as he is outside, sitting next to his mailbox, waiting for his copy of Atomic Jellyfish to arrive. If he keeps dumping out the mailman's bag everyday, "just to make sure", we may need to start another Bail fund.

And now a word or two from the author:


video details and more





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http://patriotboy.blogspot.com/2009/03/department-of-book-reports-nuclear.html

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South Carolina's Gov. Sanford compares U.S.
blacks to Zimbabweans

Download | Play    Download | Play

David Shuster invited Rep. Jim Clyburn on to his morning MSNBC broadcast to talk about Mark Sanford's latest bizarre twist in his attempts to defend his refusal to take federal stimulus money for his state:

Sanford told reporters in South Carolina that he still intends to turn down millions in stimulus cash, despite the likelihood of his state legislature accepting the cash -- and criticism by House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn (D-SC) that rejecting any payments would disproportionately harm African American residents.

"What you're doing is buying into the notion that if we just print some more money that we don't have, send it to different states - we'll create jobs... If that's the case why isn't Zimbabwe a rich place?"..."why isn't Zimbabwe just an incredibly prosperous place. Cause they're printing money they don't have and sending it around to their different - I don't know the towns in Zimbabwe but that same logic is being applied there with little effect."

Clyburn largely elaborated on the point he made originally:

"Sounds like he's playing the race card," Clyburn said. "[W]hy would he compare this country to Zimbabwe? Is he comparing this president to Mugabe? What is this about? It's very strange to me."

... "I'm sure he would not say that, but how did he get to Zimbabwe? What took the man to Zimbabwe? Someone should ask him if that's really the best comparison. ... How can he compare this country's situation to Zimbabwe?"

Underscoring the fact that Sanford's refusal of federal dollars will disproportionately affect black people was the latest from ThinkProgress:

Yesterday, ThinkProgress reported that Gov. Mark Sanford?s (R-SC) decision to reject $700 million of stimulus funds could result in the firing of up to 7,500 teachers across the state, more than $500 million of which was slated to fill in the massive education budget deficit. Last night, CNN?s Jessica Yellin visited Ty?Sheoma Bethea, the South Carolina student who pleaded with Congress to save her crumbling school. Sanford?s decision, Yellin pointed out, means Bethea?s school will remain in disrepair.

Matt Yglesias writes:

Not only is this comparison really offensive to people living in Zimbabwe and struggling with a horrible situation, far worse than the misery Sanford is trying to inflict on the population of South Carolina by refusing to extend unemployment benefits, but the ignorance on display here is really appalling. Sanford?s like a guy standing next to a burning building worrying that it might rain tomorrow. There?s no inflation right now in the United States. None whatsoever. It?s actually a big problem, because it means that our standard macroeconomic stabilization tool?federal reserve open market operations?doesn?t work. Serious inflation would be bad, of course, and Zimbabwe-style hyperinflation would be ruinous, but some increase in inflation would be helpful. It would serve as a real cut in interest rates and help to spur growth. And long before inflation reached problem levels, the Fed could increase nominal rates to head the problem off. Sanford?s just out to sea on this.

Read The Full Article:
http://crooksandliars.com/david-neiwert/south-carolinas-gov-sanford-compares

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Friday Night at 8: Adventure

I read too many books that spoke of quests and fellowships and dangerous adventures.  It shaped the way I looked at things, sometimes to the point of absurdity.I remember my first law firm job in New York City.  We had just gotten WANG[...]

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Not Quite Liveblogging Glenn Beck

Well, the cornerstone of the Glenn Beck's 'We Surround Them' event, an event predicated on everyone going to a bar, restaurant, barbecue or senior center and listening to Glenn Beck whine for an hour, has already passed. Being safely in my bunker, I could not liveblog it as it happened, so here are my own notes for pseudoliveblogging. It's just like liveblogging, only not live.

+20 mins in or so: this is already just plain... sad. It's the Conservative Sad Emo Porn Hour: my only conclusion is that Glenn Beck is seriously nuts. He's got a Troy McClure, Planet of the Apes vibe going, and I keep expecting him to break into song.

    "Oh my God! I was wrong!
    It was earth -- all along!
    Oh they finally made a monkey
        (yes we finally made a monkey!)
    Oh they finally made a monkey
        out of meeeeeeee!"

+whatever more mins: Oh, c'mon? Chuck Norris? Really? I can tell you right now, I could have both legs cut off, be trapped in a ditch, wolves closing in on me, every one of those wolves with a Rick Astley CD tied around their neck, and I still wouldn't want lifestyle advice from Chuck Freakin' Norris. Of all the hundreds of American figures in history I admire, he is... not among them. I like my heros to be heroic in the real world, not in the comfortable confines of a fictional, long-since-dead television series. If you're part of a movement that can't stop bitching about Hollywood being too involved in politics, then stop looking for patriotism lessons from freakin' Hollywood actors.

+50 mins or so: Well, I have no idea what the overall "plot" of Beck's little program is supposed to be, other than John Galt Pity Party.

Seriously -- how did this happen?  How did the party of fuck-you-all, we're-in-charge turn into such a whiny-ass group of losers?  And what the flying monkey hell is he rebelling against? As far as I can tell, the only thing he actually gives a crap about is that maybe his freakin' taxes will get raised a few percent, back to (shudder) pre-Bush levels, and that's such a f'ing affront to the very republic that it causes him to burst into tears and sob about how we've let all the troops down by "redistributing wealth" from rich assholes like him to a few kids needing free school lunches.

So basically, it's all about using the memory of 9/11 and dead American soldiers to justify bitching about his taxes. That's his freakin' "movement".

He's like a televangelist, either right before or right after the obligatory I-have-sinned-against-you-and-had-teh-buttsex speech. I can't even make fun of him, it's just too sad. He's still the same belligerent, self-centered, fearmongering screw-you goon as always, but he's been so badly gutchecked by a single election that didn't go his way that he's going to go all emo on us for the next few years.

Christ, Beck, where ya been? The only difference between your supposedly Deeply Held Principles and mine is that I kept my principles the same no matter who was in charge. I never needed a fuckin' map to tell me dissent from the majority wasn't unpatriotic, and I never needed to have a 12-step-program styled event to tell me whether or not I loved my country.

If this is any indication, by the end of Obama's presidency Fox News and Trinity Broadcasting are going to be the exact same network. They'll be selling cheap trinkets, cheap pity, and advice on how to cheat on your taxes... because that's what God and our dead soldiers would want you to do.

And for the record, I still ain't surrounded.

Read The Full Article:
http://feeds.dailykos.com/~r/dailykos/index/~3/-1NgFG0ECe4/708250

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Media Matters: The media's deliberate stupidity

For weeks, the news media have been buzzing about earmarks in the recently signed omnibus spending bill. We've been told over and over that the bill is "loaded," "filled," and "stuffed" with earmarks. Since earmarks made up less than 2 percent of the bill's total spending, this is a little like saying Alaska is "filled" with people.But John McCain doesn't like earmarks, so that's where the media have focused their attention. (OK, there's more to it than that, but not much.) Unfortunately,[...]

Read The Full Article:
http://mediamatters.org/items/200903130027

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The Sound of Sensibility: Financial Reform at
Last

What was that happy sound we heard from Washington this week? Could it be -- the Sound of Common Sense?

New legislation was proposed this week by Senators Schumer, Durbin, and Kennedy for some revamping of the financial system. Hold onto your hats (and your wallets), this doesn't involve more bailout money. It actually costs the taxpayer next to nothing.

The proposal? A Consumer Financial Product Commission. Yes, it could use a flashier name. (How about a contest to Name That Commission?) But if done right, this could quietly (and cheaply) overhaul our financial regulatory system.

Since the early 1980s,regulation over consumer financial products has gotten weaker and weaker. Caps on interest rates were tossed out, regulatory agencies were stripped of authority, and a game of "regulatory shuffle" ensued whereby banks re-incorporated at will, with whatever agency would approve the most trash.

Right now, there are virtually no consumer protections for financial products. We have protections for everything else we buy: Government agencies are always on the lookout for faulty seatbelts, dangerous drugs, or lead in kids' toys. But when it comes to financial products, it's strictly "buyer beware." If a mortgage product has a 1 in 5 chance of sending you into foreclosure, or if a credit card has a provision that even a Wall Street lawyer can't understand, that's just too bad. No one is looking out for the customer.

This could be the first real step to reverse that trend. Hats off to some common sense.

Read The Full Article:
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/tpmcafe-main/~3/JWOSpmqFsBI/

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Cramer vs. Not-Cramer: CNBC Goes from Hunter to
Hunted

In the same way that political blogs push back against bad TradMed political reporting, financial blogs are beginning to do the same with regard to TradMed financial reporting. It make me wonder: will CNBC learn anything from their dissection last night?[...]

Read The Full Article:
http://firedoglake.com/2009/03/13/cramer-vs-not-cramer-cnbc-goes-from-hunter-to-h
unted/

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Obama announces more nominees

With this announcement, 18 nominees have now been announced, the most active week of the term.

Today, President Barack Obama announced his intent to nominate the following individuals to key administration posts: Tom Perez, Assistant Attorney General, Civil Rights Division, Department of Justice; Linda A. Puchala, Member, National Mediation Board; James W. Miller, Under Secretary for Farm and Foreign Agriculture Service, United States Department of Agriculture; Dallas P. Tonsager, Under Secretary for Rural Development, United States Department of Agriculture; and Ines Triay, Assistant Secretary for Environmental Management, Department of Energy.

President Obama said, “These individuals have displayed the talent and dedication necessary to serve the American people well during these challenging times. They will be valuable additions to my administration, and I look forward to working with them as we work to turn our economy around and put our country on a path towards prosperity and security.”

Bios after the break.

Tom Perez, Nominee for Assistant Attorney General, Civil Rights Division, Department of Justice

Tom Perez is a nationally recognized civil rights lawyer and consumer advocate who currently serves as the Secretary of Maryland’s Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation (DLLR). Under Perez’s leadership, DLLR protects and empowers working Americans.  The Department enforces workplace safety laws that provide critical safeguards to workers and communities; enforces wage and hour, and other worker protection laws that ensure wage security; protects consumers through the enforcement of a wide range of consumer rights laws, including the mortgage setting; and collaborates with businesses and workers to address critical workforce development needs and build a world-class workforce.  Perez has extensive experience in foreclosure prevention and was a principal architect of a sweeping package of state reforms to address the foreclosure crisis in Maryland. A graduate of Brown University, Harvard Law School and the John F. Kennedy School of Government, Perez has spent his entire career in public service. From 2002 until 2006, Perez was a member of the Montgomery County Council.   He was the first Latino ever elected to the Council, and served as Council President in 2005.  Earlier in his career, Perez spent 12 years in federal public service.  As a federal prosecutor for the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice, he prosecuted and supervised the prosecution of some of the Department’s most high profile civil rights cases, including a hate crimes case in Texas involving a group of white supremacists who went on a deadly, racially motivated crime spree.  Perez later served as Deputy Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights under Attorney General Janet Reno.  Among other responsibilities, Secretary Perez chaired the interagency Worker Exploitation Task Force, which oversaw a variety of initiatives designed to protect vulnerable workers.  Perez previously served as Special Counsel to Senator Edward Kennedy, and was Senator Kennedy’s principal adviser on civil rights, criminal justice and constitutional issues.  For the final two years of the Clinton administration, Perez served as the Director of the Office for Civil Rights at the United States Department of Health and Human Services.  Perez was a law professor for six years at University of Maryland School of Law and is a part-time professor at the George Washington School of Public Health. 

Linda A. Puchala, Nominee for Member, National Mediation Board

Linda A. Puchala is currently the Sr. Mediator (ADR) and the Associate Director of Alternative Dispute Resolution Services at the National Mediation Board. She joined the National Mediation Board in May 1999, as a Mediator, working on both airline and railroad cases.  In her current capacity, Puchala directs the Board's ADR training programs, develops and maintains the training curriculum, and delivers training to interested parties. She also remains active as a mediator in airline and railroad cases, and she conducts facilitation and grievance mediation.  Prior to joining the Board, Puchala had over 30 years of experience in Labor Relations, including work as International President of the Association of Flight Attendants, CWA, AFL-CIO, and Staff Director, Michigan State Employees Association, AFSCME, AFL-CIO.  Puchala holds a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration from Cleary University in Howell, Michigan.


James W. Miller, Nominee for Under Secretary for Farm and Foreign Agriculture Service, United States Department of Agriculture

Jim Miller is currently the Chief of Staff for the National Farmers Union, a position he accepted after serving for over four years as the Senior Analyst for Agriculture and Trade on the majority staff of the Senate Budget Committee.  While at the Senate, Miller also provided agricultural policy analysis for Senator Kent Conrad of North Dakota, the Chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, and a senior member of the Senate Agriculture and Finance Committees.  Prior to joining the Budget Committee staff, Miller served as the Chief Economist for the National Farmers Union (NFU) for five years.  Before joining the NFU, he was Vice President for Government Relations for the National Association of Wheat Growers.  Jim operated a fourth generation family farm in eastern Washington State for over 20 years before moving to Washington, DC. His family is still engaged in the production of wheat, barley, lentils and canola.  Throughout his farming career Jim was involved in numerous farm organizations and served as President of the National Association of Wheat Growers in 1987.  He also was Co-chairman of the Canada-U.S. Joint Commission on Grains, a federal commission established to help resolve grain trade issues between the two countries.  Miller is a graduate of Washington State University.  He currently lives in Falls Church, Virginia with his wife Sandy.   They have two married sons and two grandsons.

Dallas P. Tonsager, Nominee for Under Secretary for Rural Development, United States Department of Agriculture

Dallas Tonsager was appointed to the Board of the Farm Credit Administration on November 30, 2004, for a term that expires May 21, 2010.  Tonsager also serves as a member of the Board of Directors of the Farm Credit System Insurance Corporation, which is responsible for ensuring the timely payment of principal and interest on obligations issued on behalf of FCS banks. Tonsager brings to his position extensive experience as an agricultural leader and producer and a commitment to promoting and implementing innovative development strategies to benefit rural residents and their communities. As executive director of the South Dakota Value-Added Agriculture Development Center in Huron from 2002 until his appointment to the FCA Board, he coordinated initiatives to better serve producers interested in developing value-added agricultural projects. Services provided by the center include project facilitation, feasibility studies, business planning, market assessment, technical assistance, and education.  In 1993 he was selected by President William J. Clinton to serve as the State director in South Dakota for “Rural Development” for the U.S. Department of Agriculture. In 1999, he was recognized as one of two outstanding State directors in the nation by then-USDA Under Secretary Jill Long Thompson. His term concluded in February 2001.  Tonsager grew up on a dairy farm near Oldham, South Dakota. In partnership with his brother, he owns Plainview Farm in Oldham, a family farming operation that includes corn, soybeans, wheat, and hay. Tonsager is a graduate of South Dakota State University, where he earned a B.S. in agriculture in 1976. He and his wife, Sharon, have two sons (Keith and Joshua) and a daughter-in-law (Lindsey).

Ines Triay, Nominee for Assistant Secretary for Environmental Management, Department of Energy

In her 24 years of work with the Department of Energy's environmental programs, Ines Triay has devoted her professional career to cleaning up the legacy of the Cold War. Triay spent 14 years at the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico before moving to the Department of Energy, first in the Carlsbad field office and then in the Washington, DC headquarters. In 2005, Triay became the Chief Operating Officer for Environmental Management, and she was named to the top career position there in October, 2007. In this capacity, she has served as the acting Assistant Secretary for Environmental Management since November, 2008. Triay is the author of more than 150 presentations, reports, and peer-reviewed publications. She has received several awards including the Dixy Lee Ray Award from the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. Triay was born in Cuba and came to the US when she was 3 years old. Raised in Puerto Rico, she earned her Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of Miami, Florida and conducted her post-doctoral studies at Los Alamos.

Read The Full Article:
http://www.Demconwatchblog.com/diary/1116/obama-announces-more-nominees

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Stand Up and Be Counted - No, Not You Homos

You know that cute family down the street?  The one with the 2 kids, the minivan, a dog, a cat and a turtle, the one who brought the great potato salad to last year's Fourth of July block party? The one with two Daddys?

It's not a family.  Not according to the United States Census.

Good news, homophobes: The 2010 Census is going to make homosexuals disappear. Well, OK, they will still exist, just not officially. That's because the census will neither ask about sexual orientation nor recognize gay marriages, civil unions and domestic partnerships. Married same-sex partners with a child won't even be considered "families." The U.S. Census Bureau simply isn't interested in a person''s "lifestyle," explains spokesperson Cynthia Endo, "This is all about the numbers" -- and gay people just don't count.

As Salon commenter Firefly points out, this is about far more than prurient interest in people's personal lives.

Are they even mildly interested in how this counting method might be skewing statistics concerning single parenthood, out-of-wedlock birth and poverty, for instance? Or who's caring for children not living with their biological parents (since many foster/adopted kids are actually with family members and their partners). I'd want to know, if it were my money going to address problems associated with those conditions.

Oh, wait, it is my money...and yours. We all have a stake in this, whether or not we're gay. The government is knowingly miscounting and producing a false report on the condition of our population. It's not even self-serving (which would imply that there's some sort of financial interest in not counting, but they may very well be costing the government money by not knowing these things); it's just stupid.

All due respect to Firefly, it's way fucking worse than stupid; it's undemocratic, unconstitutional and inhumane.


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http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheyGaveUsARepublic-FrontPage/~3/wV1urePTVJI/showD
iary.do

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Holder Calls Bush Detentions Illegal

Big Hat Tip to SuperBowlXX, for the original diary on the issue. Go give him some props. Link to TPM's Department Of Justice Withdraws 'Enemy Combatant' Definition For Guantanamo Detainees"As we work towards developing a new policy to govern detainees,[...]

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http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Docudharma/~3/7u3wzN35aNU/showDiary.do

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