ProShares Trust Ultrashort 20+ Year Treasury EFT

Maybe a little conflict of interest?

Raw Story: Cantor could rake in windfall if debt ceiling isn’t raised

Good Night

Nikkei Opens Higher On Friday

Reuters: Nikkei rises on receding worries about Greece, U.S. economy

Possible Dismissal In Strauss-Kahn

The accuser is inconsistent in her allegations.

Reuters: Case against Strauss-Kahn near collapse: report

'A Dangerous Method'

trailer - new film by Cronenberg

Inkjet Solar Cells

Now we are talking!

This kind of breakthrough in solar cell production could make solar energy affordable for the average person.

BBC: Scientists use inkjet printing to produce solar cells

I found the following video on youtube about inkjet printing on metal. It is not about making solar cells.

Democracy Now - Christian Parenti’s New Book Exposes How Global Warming Could Lead to Global Warfare

Requiem For A Rodeo Clown

A selection of the man's work.

DOW Closes Higher

The DOW closed at 12,414.34 gaining 152.92 points. Today's closing also represents the end of the second fiscal quarter.

Reuters: Wall Street rallies 4th day, gains in July seen

'Zeitgeist: Moving Forward'

This is quite good.

UK Strikes

Governments want to cut pensions and people are not liking it.

Guardian UK: More than 11,000 schools affected by strikes

Beck Equal Hater

Except when they pay your exorbitant and completely unmerited salary which in turn compels you to love the Republicans and despise Democrats...

Raw Story: Beck on Republicans: ‘I hate them’

DOW Higher At Noon

In the noon hour the DOW is up 141 points.

Reuters: S&P 500 rises 1 percent

NPR - How Industrial Farming Destroyed The Tasty Tomato

Fresh Air

Have A Good Morning

The Daily Show - Broke Bank Mounting

The Daily Show - Broke Bank Mounting
Get More: Daily Show Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,The Daily Show on Facebook

This is too good -

The Daily Show - Broke Bank Mounting - America's Dystopian Future
Get More: Daily Show Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,The Daily Show on Facebook

The Onion - State Of Minnesota Too Polite To Ask For Federal Funding

The Onion: State Of Minnesota Too Polite To Ask For Federal Funding

Cool U.S.

The globe is warming. The facts are the facts.

Live Science: May 2011: Globe Warms, But U.S. Cools

May 2011 was the 315th consecutive month to have a global temperature above average.

Al Jazeera - Guatemalans Take Law Into Own Hands

Say hello to the future.

Al Jazeera - The Main Headlines

428,000

Investors will see this as a slight improvement and therefor not negative, but its bad news.

CNN:

Number of people filing initial unemployment claims dips by 1,000 to 428,000 in the latest week, government says.

New Counterterrorism Strategy

Reading about America's new counterterrorism policy released on Wednesday, I start to wonder what neocon based, AEI funded, PNAC loving thing is now going on and when do we get our phones tapped, emails read, internet doings recorded, bank accounts scrutinized, and DNA swabbed and categorized? Ooops, that's already going on, we are way past that...

The new policy is like the old policy except instead of 'the global war on terrorism' its now the 'war with Al Qaeda.'

We are re-branding the war on terrorism with a singular focus on post bin Laden leftovers.

Are there terrorists, yes obviously. Its just that the ones that bug me the most are the ones that are trying to scrap our Social Security and Medicare, keep the tax codes rigged so that the ultra wealthy pay nothing in taxes, continue to pump all public monies into endless wars around the globe and support it with endless militarization, and then play are patriotic and goody goody when called out on these very things.

CS Monitor: US unveils new counterterrorism strategy: three key parts

“This is the first counterterrorism strategy that focuses on the ability of Al Qaeda and its networks to inspire people in the United States to attack us from within..."


• A zeroing in on the organization’s senior leaders.


• Enhanced cooperation with allies and partners to defeat the extremist scourge.


• A sustained effort to restore America’s image and leadership in the world.


“...individuals, sometimes with little or no direct physical contact with Al Qaeda, who have succumbed to its hateful ideology.”


“We intentionally do not use ‘global war on terror’: We’re in a war with Al Qaeda.”

The Market On Thursday

Good morning. It is 65 degrees, sunny, and superlative here in Upstate NY. It really doesn't get any more gorgeous than this temperature wise. I am sitting here with the windows wide open, its bright outside, there is a cool breeze coming through, people are jogging by and walking by the front of the house, and the sound of the bulldozers leveling out a plot for a new apartment complex about 1/4 mile away is coming through as well. Its good.

At 8:15 a.m. futures are slightly up, the dollar is mixed, and oil is ever so slightly down.

The market is expected to open higher except in a short time we get the weekly numbers on first time unemployment filers. That number has been stubbornly high and so any improvement over last week will be seen as positive. Needless to say worse numbers could be a deal breaker.

Investors continue to hail Greece's approval of new austerity measures with a vote on how to implement those measures to be taken today. Investors expect all will go according to script. On the other hand, the Greek people are not going along with cuts to things like their retirement funds, and all basic services provided by their government. That is a lot to swallow.

Its unfortunate but there will be continued riots and strong protests in Greece probably marked by state sponsored repression. That's how it works right. Maybe something better can occur. They are truly in a tough spot.

CNN: Stocks: Waiting for Greece's next move

Markets also welcomed Greece's approval of austerity measures Wednesday, which aim to keep the country from defaulting.


Oil for August delivery slipped 2 cents to $94.75 a barrel.

'River Deep Mountain High'

Tina Turner



Annie Lennox

Michele's Husband Talks Homosexuality

"I think we really need to call sin. sin."


"I think what you clearly say is what is the understanding of god's word on homosexuality...barbarians need to be educated, need to be disciplined. Just because someone feels it or thinks it doesn't mean that we are supposed to go down that road."

Okay, based on the last line alone, I will wager that he is gay.

Good Night

'Solar Sinter Project'

Markus Kayser - Solar Sinter Project from Markus Kayser on Vimeo.

Nikkei Opens Higher On Thursday

Reuters: Nikkei hits new 7-week high but 200-day average looms

Jon Kabat-Zinn: Compassion And Mindfulness

Jon Kabat-Zinn is Howard Zinn's son.

The Daily Show - Stewart Eviscerates Stewart

The Daily Show
Get More: Daily Show Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,The Daily Show on Facebook

TRNN - How Bigotry Shaped Baltimore

DOW Closes Higher

The DOW closed at 12,261.42 today gaining 72.73 points.

The austerity measures approved by the Greek Parliament were the compelling thing, however the Greek people are enraged. Rioting continues.

Reuters: Wall St climbs for third straight day

Conan - The Michele Bachmann History Channel

The Catholic League Reacts To Marriage Equality

This is tedious.

 

CNN - Greece Passes Austerity Plans

The plans did in fact pass, but the riots continue. The state tear gasses and pepper sprays the people.

DOW Higher At Noon

In the noon hour the DOW is up 81 points.

The Greek Parliament has passed an austerity measure, this is compelling news for investors. Meanwhile the Greek people are seriously protesting that country's austerity plans. Its a classic modern situation where governments move in one direction, people want the opposite and only want improvements in their lives not austerity, and Wall Street reacts favorably.

Reuters: Wall St extends gains for 3rd day on Greece vote

U.S. pending home sales rose a stronger-than-expected 8.2 percent in May, but a glut of unsold properties remained a drag on the housing market.

Have A Good Morning

figuration libre

The Onion - Coal Lobby Warns Wind Farms May Blow Earth Off Orbit

In The Know: Coal Lobby Warns Wind Farms May Blow Earth Off Orbit

The Crow Knows

I love crows. Our last house was right in the path of a massive murder of crows. I like the way they sound. They are smart buggers.

Live Science: Hitchcockian Crows Spread the Word About Unkind Humans

Al Jazeera - New Mexico Wildfire Burns Near Nuclear Lab

Al Jazeera - The Main Headlines

Truth And Fact Challenged, And Now Hypocrite

How ya gonna splain this one Lucy?

Let's try to restrain ourselves, the temptation to use hundreds of four letter riddled commentary is quite overpowering but we shall not be led astray.

Turns out the Bachmann's are enjoying the good life, propped up on medicaid money.

You +$#%ing piece of $#%(^###@$ing @$$%.

Where do we go with this? Bachmann will play it cool, she will attempt to ride it out over time as America has no more than a 24 hour memory span.

Generally where there is smoke, there is fire. Guaranteed more hypocrisy spews out of this maladjusted campaign.

MSNBC: Bachmann's husband got $137,000 in Medicaid funds

While Rep. Michelle Bachmann, R-Minn., has forcefully denounced the Medicaid program for swelling the "welfare rolls," the mental health clinic run by her husband has been collecting annual Medicaid payments totaling over $137,000 for the treatment of patients since 2005, according to new figures obtained by NBC News.


The clinic, based in Lake Elmo, Minn., describes itself on its website as offering "quality Christian counseling" for a large number of mental health problems ranging from "anger management" to addictions and eating disorders.


The $161,000 in payments from the Minnesota Department of Human Services to her husband's clinic appear to contradict some of Michelle Bachmann's public accounts this week when she was first asked about the extent to which her family has benefited from government aid. Contacted this afternoon, Alice Stewart, a spokeswoman for Bachmann, said the congresswoman was doing campaign events and was not immediately available for comment.

The Market On Wednesday

Good morning and welcome to Hump Day. It is 66 degrees and sunny here in Upstate NY. Throughout the night we had strong rains along with some thunder and lightning. The prediction is for a very nice day. My early morning walk was standard except that more people said hello this morning. I always find it strange to be in close proximity to a fellow human being and that person pretends I am not inches away. Such is contemporary life.

At 8:15 futures are moderately up, the dollar is mixed, and oil is up.

Greece will vote on new austerity measures designed to qualify that country for more financial assistance to get through this unending Greek crisis. The Greek people have something else in mind. They are not pleased to say the least. There is an uprising occurring and generally when the state locks horns with the people, well most of the time the state has the military superiority while the people have the moral superiority. Heads often roll and not the heads of those working for the state.

Today investors will look at more data on America's troubled housing market. That sector is dragging and its understandable.

At the moment all is slightly fluffy as far as stocks go. The market may even open higher. As we know that is where our understanding ends.

CNN: Stocks: Pinning hopes on Greece

Greece's vote Wednesday follows a debate of whether the country should adopt severe spending cuts and tax increases, in exchange for a financial aid package from the European Union and the International Monetary Fund.


The National Association of Realtors will release its May pending home sales data at 10 a.m.


Oil for August delivery gained 87 cents to $93.76 a barrel.

'Symphony No.3-3rd Movement'

Mariss Jansons Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra performs the music of Brahms.

Have A Good Evening

Nikkei Opens Higher On Wednesday

Reuters: Nikkei at 7-week high before Greek vote; volume seen low

'Robots Of Brixton'

Brixton has degenerated into a disregarded area inhabited by London's new robot workforce - robots built and designed to carry out all of the tasks which humans are no longer inclined to do. The mechanical population of Brixton has rocketed, resulting in unplanned, cheap and quick additions to the skyline.


The film follows the trials and tribulations of young robots surviving at the sharp end of inner city life, living the predictable existence of a populous hemmed in by poverty, disillusionment and mass unemployment. When the Police invade the one space which the robots can call their own, the fierce and strained relationship between the two sides explodes into an outbreak of violence echoing that of 1981.

Robots of Brixton from Kibwe Tavares on Vimeo.

DOW Closes Higher

The DOW gained 145.13 points today closing at 12,188.

Reuters: Wall St up again on Greece, but investors skittish

28-29 Of June - Everybody Out To Syntagma Square!

TRNN - Wisconsin Cuts Public School Budget

'Dance Evolves'

TED talks

American Composer Gaber Dies

Attention artists, please read about Harley Gaber -

Wire: Harley Gaber RIP

Cat Gets Caught Barking And Resumes Meowing

China Debt

More info on a looming potential bubble burst in China.

It looks familiar, heavy infrastructure and housing building based on an unending asset expansion bubble and paid for with ultra loose credit. Somewhere down the line the bubble implodes.

CNN: China's debt bomb

Most recently, China's top auditor said that loose lending standards and a sharp rise in local government borrowing (for building projects, of course) may have created a mountain of debt that cannot be repaid...


What's happening in China should sound familiar because it is reminiscent of what happened here in the US. Confronted by an economy that couldn't deliver real wealth to the people, our bureaucrats loosened borrowing standards in the 1990s.

The Daily Show - Oh, For Fox Sake

The Daily Show
Get More: Daily Show Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,The Daily Show on Facebook

More Michele Flubs

I'm really liking her, she has no concerns about making false statements. Its amazing, its stunning!

DOW Higher At Noon

In the noon hour the DOW is up 107 points.

Reuters: Wall St extends gains with Nasdaq up 1 percent

Have A Good Morning

The Onion - Garage Orchestra Hands Out Demo At Boston Philharmonic Show

The Onion: Garage Orchestra Hands Out Demo At Boston Philharmonic Show

Old Suds

Live Science: Oldest Beer from Shipwreck Yields Dead Yeast, Sour Bacteria

Al Jazeera - US Police On Trial Over Katrina Killings

Al Jazeera - The Main Headlines

'Compass Of Pleasure'

A Fresh Air broadcast

NPR: 'Compass Of Pleasure' Why Some Things Feel So Good

The Fukushima Exclusion Zone

The Japanese have established a 12.5 mile radius exclusion zone around the Fukushima reactors. People that live near that zone are anxious about the dangers of radiation as well and who wouldn't be. Within that population people with small children are hard pressed with concerns about health being compromised by radiation.

As much as I am opposed to nuclear power, I believe that nuclear reactors will continue to be viewed as a viable energy source. Recent articles lead me in the direction of a newer variety of reactors intended to reduce safety issue fears.

Meanwhile the present crop of reactors are literally potential time bombs. In the USA we like to build our reactors very close to major populated centers. The warnings are out, officials know what is at stake, yet the word is silent on solutions and alternatives. Recent studies have revealed a list of ongoing safety issues along with inconsistent standards in safety at these reactors. We hate to say it but its just a matter of time when we are facing another crisis. Its hard to imagine any other scenario. There are two reactor exclusion zones that I am aware of, Fukushima and Chernobyl along with areas contaminated with nuclear waste. That list seems destined to grow. Its Russian roulette.

CS Monitor: Beyond Japan's Fukushima exclusion zone, shuttered shops speak to radiation doubts

Mr. Monakata is one of the very few people still living in the bucolic countryside just outside the 12.5-mile radius exclusion zone surrounding the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, where three reactors exploded after the March 11 earthquake and subsequent tsunami.


In the small city of Date, 35 miles from the plant, the anxiety is palpable – especially among parents of young children.


...the city will issue individual radiation detectors to all school-age children...


Safety inspectors have rejected 266 of 2,000 food samples they have tested since March.

The Market On Tuesday

Good morning. It is 73 degrees and mostly sunny here in Upstate NY. I have taken to picking up litter during my morning walk. Its an attempt to do something positive first thing. Why not?

At 8:00 a.m. futures are slightly down, the dollar is mixed, and oil is slightly up.

The investment news continues with virtually the same points. Greece is still trying to figure out how to remain a viable country. Their parliament will vote tomorrow on the newest austerity measures. Meanwhile the population is up in arms over proposed cuts.

Investors will be looking at news on home prices which more than likely will fall once again and looking at numbers on consumer confidence. Exactly how confident are you?

The underlying and probably more compelling story will be the start of second quarter numbers in July. This is what people are waiting for.

CNN: Stocks: Greece still in focus

...Greece's parliament will vote Wednesday on a five-year budget plan.


Investors will get the S&P Case-Shiller home price index for April at 9 a.m. ET...


...consumer confidence survey for June...


Oil for August delivery edged higher 30 cents to $90.91 a barrel.

'Daddy Was A Preacher, MaMa Was GoGo Girl'

Southern Culture On The Skids

Have A Good Night

Nikkei Opens Higher On Tuesday

Reuters: Nikkei up but seen capped ahead of Greek votes

Worm From Hell

Robertson: God Will Destroy America Because Of Gay Marriage

Close Call Asteroid

Its bus sized, its going to miss us this time, but 2022 is coming.

Raw Story: NASA: Asteroid to barely miss earth Monday

Bachmann Flubs Her Presidential Announcement

We know that dastardly liberal intellectualism is equal to Satan in certain political spheres.

However, Michele needs to add at least one such intellectual to her crew of advisers.

Today she inadvertently likened her spirit to the wrong John Wayne. The locale she pointed to as the home of John Wayne is in fact the home of serial killer John Wayne Gacy. We know Michele does not mean to liken herself to that John Wayne, but as a presidential candidate she might consider becoming a tad more diligent and precise in her pronouncements.

WaPo: The wrong John Wayne

Rep. Michele Bachmann kicked off her presidential campaign on Monday in Waterloo, Iowa, and in one interview surrounding the official event she promised to mimic the spirit of Waterloo's own John Wayne.


The only problem, as one eagle-eyed reader notes: Waterloo's John Wayne was not the beloved movie star, but rather John Wayne Gacy, the serial killer.

Thirty Year Energy War

Michael T. Klare paints a picture of how energy types and usage will change in the next 30 years. He is talking about oil and coal no longer being the dominant fuel and is placing his bet on more decentralized easy to install systems like solar in its present usage.

ZNET: The New Thirty Years’ War

Why 30 years? Because that’s how long it will take for experimental energy systems like hydrogen power, cellulosic ethanol, wave power, algae fuel, and advanced nuclear reactors to make it from the laboratory to full-scale industrial development.


Thirty years from now, for better or worse, the world will be a far different place: hotter, stormier, and with less land (given the loss of shoreline and low-lying areas to rising sea levels). Strict limitations on carbon emissions will certainly be universally enforced and the consumption of fossil fuels, except under controlled circumstances, actively discouraged. Oil will still be available to those who can afford it, but will no longer be the world’s paramount fuel.

TRNN - Is There A Right To Protest In Ontario?

DOW Closes Higher

The DOW closed at 12,043.56 today gaining 108.98 points.

Reuters: Wall Street rises as banks rally

In economic news, U.S. consumer spending stagnated in May, according to a government report, while a reading on Midwest manufacturing rose slightly.

'A History Of The Universe In Sound'

TED Talks

Chinese Cities In Massive Debt

One wonders how this will impact the markets.

First the Dodgers, now China. Who exactly is not in debt?

AFP: China cities owe $1.65 trln, some 'may default'

Excessive borrowing by authorities to fund infrastructure and other projects has sparked concerns among China's leadership about the risks the loans pose to the financial stability of the world's second largest economy.


By the end of last year, local governments had 10.7 trillion yuan ($1.65 trillion) of debt, the National Audit Office (NAO) said in a statement, or about 27 percent of China's 2010 GDP of 39.8 trillion yuan.


"The ability of some areas and industries to repay debt is weak and potentially risky," the NAO said.

Bankrupt Dodger Blues

This is so wrong. Where are the foundational institutions of this country heading?

Debt is all the rage. If you are not in debt, get into it. Everybody is in debt.

The owner Frank McCourt is sighting a bitter and contentious divorce battle with the estranged Jamie McCourt as a source of his lack of funds.

Reuters: Los Angeles Dodgers file for bankruptcy

...having been heavily in debt and locked in a bitter divorce battle with his estranged wife Jamie.

DOW Higher At Noon

In the noon hour the DOW is up 83 points.

Reuters: Wall St higher as investors bet on Greece plan

Have A Good Morning

The Onion - Massachusetts Supreme Court Orders All Citizens To Gay Marry

The Onion radio

Uncontacted Amazon Tribe

One hopes that the authorities have enough sensitivity and compassion to allow these tribal people to live as they choose. There's something truly remarkable knowing that there are people out there unaware of the torque of modern life.

Live Science: Existence of Uncontacted Amazon Tribe Confirmed

The latest images reveal that the newly confirmed tribe grows corn, peanuts, bananas and other crops.


When missionaries contacted the tribe in 1987, 45 Indians died of common diseases that they had never encountered and thus had no tolerance for, including the flu.

Al Jazeera - Thousands Evacuated Amid North Dakota Floods

Al Jazeera - The Main Headlines

Marriage Equality And Elections

I believe that New York's passing marriage equality legislation last Friday was a landmark decision. This is quite huge.

This is a progressive issue and it is being spearheaded by the third most populous state. I think the implications go much further. When we talk about a landslide, we are talking about something that sweeps away all kinds of matter in its path. This is such legislation as it will embolden more progressive issues. People are charged.

Young people are far more open to gay marriage then older people. In time this is a change that will clearly occurs regardless as the new guard replaces the old. The patriarchs of the various churches in opposition and the politicians like Bachmann and Christie are attempting to hold back a body of water where the dam has already burst.

I think the implications are strong not just for marriage equality but for other issues as well. Seeing people fight for their rights makes other people want the same for themselves on a host of issues. 2011 is shaping up to be a year of human rights gains worldwide. There is a lot of kickback and resentment of the changes, that is the way humans change. Some go kicking and screaming and others just enjoy the ride.

CS Monitor: How will New York's gay marriage law affect the 2012 election and beyond?

...Republican leaders in New Hampshire hope to repeal the state law allowing same-sex marriage – right around the time of New Hampshire’s first-in-the-nation presidential primary election.


Elected judges in Iowa who upheld that state’s law have been defeated at the polls. Voters in Maine repealed a law allowing same-sex marriage. And in California, the legal fight over the Prop. 8 ballot measure banning same-sex marriage continues – most recently involving questions over whether a gay judge can fairly hear the case.


...(On gay marriage) Gallup...pushed through the majority mark to 53 percent this year.


Could an exodus of gay people from the rest of the US to the Empire State sap the will (and pocketbooks) of campaigns to legalize marriage in, say, Missouri or Minnesota or Kansas?”

The Market On Monday

Good morning. It is 66 degrees and mostly sunny here in Upstate NY. The weather logos have sun for the next few days and we are happy to see it after a full week of rain. I must say the lushness of the vegetation is very rich. There is an outpouring of green and plant growth at all levels. Also the humidity has been absent most of this time and the temperatures have been quite nice and comfortable.

At 8:05 a.m. futures are slightly higher, the dollar is mixed, and the price of oil per barrel is slightly lower.

Investors will be looking at data on personal income and spending. One thing we need to do is understand who is being included in this data. If it is as I suspect then it is a poor reflection of the ordinary person particularly if the ultra rich are averaged into the numbers.

Talk of the Greek debt crisis continues and will continue. At the moment nothing is jumping out and saying extreme tragedy in the markets for the next few hours.

CNN: Stocks: Investors wary over Greece

...investors awaited personal income and spending data.


European stocks were mixed ahead of the debate on the austerity package for Greece


Oil for August delivery slipped 36 cents to $90.80 a barrel.

'Pretty Woman'

Roy Orbison

Bachmann Backs Amendment To Ban Gay Marriage

Bachmann is now polling either first or second on the GOP list for the 2012 presidential candidate. Given the present state of the GOP it would not surprise any of us if she were to win the nomination as either the presidential or vice presidential candidate.

Here she is calling for an amendment to ban gay marriage throughout the country. An amendment would trump any legislation passed by a state.

The Christian Post: Bachmann Would Back Federal Amendment Banning Gay Marriage

Speaking to Fox News Sunday, Bachmann said that if she were elected president she would back an amendment to define marriage as "between a man and a woman."


Bachmann, who has placed first and second in the latest polls of 2012 Republican candidates, will formally declare her candidacy Monday in Waterloo, Iowa, where she was born.

Also -

The Christian Post: NY Catholic Bishop: We Should Speak 'Forcefully And Clearly' Against Gay Marriage

In the moments following the bill's passage, Dolan and DiMarzio also joined other Catholic bishops in New York to release a statement opposing the decision.


"The passage by the Legislature of a bill to alter radically and forever humanity’s historic understanding of marriage leaves us deeply disappointed and troubled," the bishops said.


"We worry that both marriage and the family will be undermined by this tragic presumption of government in passing this legislation that attempts to redefine these cornerstones of civilization."


The statement was also signed by Howard J. Hubbard, Bishop of Albany; Edward U. Kmiec, Bishop of Buffalo; Terry R. LaValley, Bishop of Ogdensburg; Matthew H. Clark, Bishop of Rochester; William F. Murphy, Bishop of Rockville Centre and Robert J. Cunningham, Bishop of Syracuse.


It is still unclear whether any of the bishops plan to deny communion to any Catholic politicians such as Cuomo and Republican Sen. Mark Grisanti who supported the gay marriage bill.

Olbermann And Garofalo Talk Tea Party

Have A Good Evening

'Time Lapse Footage South East Asia'

HD Time Lapse Footage South East Asia from HDtimelapse.net on Vimeo.

Nikkei Opens Lower On Monday

Reuters: Nikkei falls as Greece, bank woes weigh

Nebraska Nuke Plant Incident

The news suggests that the problem is at best minor.

CNN: Flood berm bursts at Nebraska nuclear plant

The plant is designed to withstand waters up to 1,014 feet above mean sea level, according to the OPPD. The river currently stands at 1,006.3 feet and is not expected to exceed 1,008 feet, the Power District said.

Old Old House

Spent the afternoon building brick walls that support a new front entrance porch to the old house. The work on this place never ends and so it keeps me busy.

I enjoy building brick walls and working with concrete. Its so fundamental - rocks and things like rocks.

Tomorrow I will go out and wash the walls with some light dilluted acid to remove mortar from the brick surfaces. The good part is that I pushed it and finished it today.

Next step is wood.

Democracy Now - Bloombergville

'Drill Everywhere...There Is No Such Thing As Global Warming'

We talk about fossil fuels, but what about actual living fossils?

I have to admit that I am losing interest in people like Beck and Santorum from the point of view of wanting to post and highlight their views. We can make fun of them, be sarcastic, whatever. Ultimately, we need to move on in spite of their media headwind. Its a matter of will power.

Have A Good Sunday Morning

An example of American Luminism - Good name for an art movement, maybe we need to revive it.

The Onion - Lazy, Illiterate Pulitzer Board Should At Least Be Able To Watch This Fucking Video Recap

The Onion is campaigning to get a Pulitzer.


Lazy, Illiterate Pulitzer Board Should At Least Be Able To Watch This Fucking Video Recap

5 Myths Debunked

My calendar says that today is Gay Pride Day. Let's further the work of the New York legislature and put some myths to rest.

Live Science: 5 Myths About Gay People Debunked

Another stereotype is that gay relationships aren't as real or long-lasting as heterosexual ones.


Research has found that to be untrue. Long-term studies of gay couples indicate that their relationships are just as stable as straight pairings.

Al Jazeera - Water Contamination Threatens Mexican Capital

Al Jazeera - World News Updates

CNN - Imam Fights Street Crime With Mosque Fight Club

This makes sense.

More Coming Up On Wall Street

Good morning. It is 68 degrees, cloudy, and damp here in Upstate NY. The logo has a big old sun on it for today and tomorrow but nothing at the present moment approaches that. I was just out taking my morning constitutional. I've found that walking really loosens the back. Yesterday I had to do some heavy lifting and this morning I woke with the back tightness. For the moment the formula is working.

This week investors will look at a slew of data on ingrate consumer personal income and spending numbers along with salient data on manufacturing, housing, and employment.

Adding flavor and zest to the heady economic data stream will be the ongoing economic crisis in Greece along with Italy's own banking problems plus factor x which typically comes out of nowhere.

So why not offer a guess as to how the direction of the market goes - alright, I predict the market ends on Friday July 1st down from the DOW at its present number 11,934.58. July is right around the corner.

CNN: Stocks: Investors prep for quarter end

The ISM manufacturing survey (is) the second most important piece of economic data investors get on a monthly basis...


"There remains a lot of worry about Greece and any developments could change the market's direction quickly..."


Investors will get the S&P Case-Shiller home price index for April at 9 a.m. ET on Tuesday...

'I Shot The Sheriff'

Bob Marley

Have A Good Evening

See you Sunday morning...

'Chute (Fall)'

Chute (Fall) from Mathias Lachal on Vimeo.

Much More Diabetes

347 million people worldwide have diabetes. The rise is primarily attributed to people living longer followed by the secondary reason - obesity.

BBC: Diabetes rate 'doubles' - Imperial College and Harvard research suggests

Super Sonic Flight

Reuters: A Tokyo-Paris flight in under three hours on the horizon

Robot Hugs

Reuters: Feel lonely? Hug a robot!

Bookstore Bombs

Reuters: Two bombs found at Denver area shopping mall, FBI says

Empire State Building

Goes rainbow...

NY Knicks Coach Praises His New Guard

I like pro-b-ball. I can't help myself.

Sun Arrives

Maher Rips Obama

Stonewall Celebrates

Have A Good Morning

The Onion - Reporter Spends Month Undercover In Mass Grave

The Onion: Reporter Spends Month Undercover In Mass Grave

75th 6.0 Magnitude Aftershock In Japan

Famous Earthquakes are usually arranged by their magnitude on the Richter scale. In comparison, a tornado can rumble with Richter scale magnitude of 4.8, and a 1-megaton nuclear bomb can measure 7.5 on the Richter scale. The highest magnitude earthquake recorded to date - at about 9.6 - was the 1960 Chilean earthquake, in which a fault 621 miles(1,000 kilometers) long slipped 33 feet (10 meters). source

Live Science: 75th Aftershock of Magnitude 6 or Higher Hits Near Japan

Al Jaeera - North Dakota Flooding

Al Jazeera - World News Updates

Marriage Equality In New York

The states that now allow for equality in marriage are New York, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Iowa, Vermont and New Hampshire and the District of Columbia. We get it with New England and now New York but certainly Iowa sticks out like a sore thumb as it were. Iowa must of seen one of the strongest advocacy groups in the history of that state.

Regardless, this is huge. The air is a little bit better in New York today.

CNN: New York governor signs same-sex marriage bill into law

Cuomo signed the bill into law after the legislature cleared the way to legalize same-sex marriage with a 33-to-29 vote, the first time a state Senate with a Republican majority has approved such a bill.

Coming Up On Wall Street

Good morning. It is 62 degrees, rainy, and with a thunderstorm logo here in Upstate NY. Today is the day for sleeping in. So I am typing between snoozes.

As you know various technical levels of the stock market have been tested in the past few weeks. In general this quarter will more than likely end in the red.

The headline for the excerpted Reuters articles is intriguing with bulls ready to charge.

Long story short, the market is poised for gains in two weeks if corporate second quarter reports are strong. We know the alternative. Between now and the beginning of July the same type of volatility of recent weeks seems possible.

Reuters: Bulls ready to charge into a wall of worry

The sources of the recent decline, including Greece's slow march toward a default on its debt, weak U.S. economic data and the creeping deadline to lift the U.S. debt ceiling, are far from being resolved.


...daily volume on the New York Stock Exchange, NYSE Amex and Nasdaq has averaged 7.22 billion shares.


That is down from the 7.94 billion shares traded daily during the first quarter...


The next two weeks, before quarterly earnings season starts in earnest, could be marked by wild swings like the ones seen recently.


Besides the weekly jobless claims numbers, housing and manufacturing data will attract the most attention next week.

'Shaken'

Shiny Toy Guns

Same Sex Marriage Passes In New York State

All these high taxes and something truly decent finally happens!

Congratulations to all my fellow New Yorkers.

Raw Story: Same-sex marriage passes in New York State

Good Night

See you bright and early on Saturday morning.

'Bela: L'Homme Chat'

Bela: L'Homme Chat from Paul Trillo on Vimeo.

DOW Closes Lower

The DOW dropped 115.42 points today closing at 11,934.58.

Notice that Italian banking has moved into the list of E.U. economic concerns.

Reuters: Wall Street falls as anxiety mounts over euro-zone debt

...worries about the Italian banking sector and Greece's austerity plan...

New Words For War

Tom Engelhardt goes over the latest changes in the Washington used ways of describing war. For example "victory" is out now replaced with “successful in implementing the president’s strategy."

I'm noticing that there is a return to dry and down trodden sarcasm in recent articles coming from the left. It sounds as if all hope in progressive movements have evaporated, replaced with a sarcastic dryness aimed at a wither resistant scourge.

ZNET: “Victory” Is the Verbal Equivalent of a Yeti

Permanent bases: In the American way of war, military bases built on foreign soil are the equivalent of heroin. The Pentagon can’t help building them and can’t live without them, but “permanent bases” don’t exist, not for Americans. Never.


That’s simple enough, but let me be absolutely clear anyway: Americans may have at least 865 bases around the world (not including those in war zones), but we have no desire to occupy other countries. And wherever we garrison (and where aren’t we garrisoning?), we don’t want to stay, not permanently anyway.

Cigarettes Makers Target Black Youth

This occurs in California and they reduce the prices and up the advertisements.

Rather cannibalistic - head towards the people with less information on the consequences of smoking and then get them hooked real young. Keeps the revenue stream rolling in.

Reuters: Newport ads target black youth: Stanford study

TRNN - Canada's Conservative Government Imposes New Contract On Postal Workers

Canada is changing.

'Taking Imagination Seriously'

TED Talks

The Daily Show - Corn-Hold

The title is a little too off...

The Daily Show - Corn-Hold
Tags: Daily Show Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,The Daily Show on Facebook

Bin Laden Linked To Pakistan's ISI

The cell phone gave it away. Is this a surprise given the place where he was killed.

Raw Story: Cell phone links Osama bin Laden to Pakistani intel

DOW Down At Noon

In the noon hour the DOW is down 87 points.

Reuters: S&P falls 1 percent; 200-day average eyed

Have A Good Morning

The Onion - Report: Typical City Bus Contains No Fewer Than Four Erections At Any Given Time

The Onion: Report: Typical City Bus Contains No Fewer Than Four Erections At Any Given Time

I Love Yo

Live Science: Men Say 'I Love You' Before Women Do

Al Jazeera - Obama Oil Tap A 'Political Manoeuvre'

Al Jazeera - World News Updates

Gay Marriage In New York

Happy to see that Hew York is attempting to lead the way on some long overdue and progressive legislation.

The New York legislative body is close to approving a law making gay marriage legal in this state. I am happy to say that I relented and did vote for Governor Cuomo. Initially I was very opposed to another family - father/son governing duo. I did not like the Bush family monopoly. Cuomo's opponent was simply way too extreme for my tastes and let's face it, third party candidates get a maximum 5% of the vote, even though I tend to like them the most.

At this moment and as far as I know, they are one vote shy of passing the law. The 32nd vote will have to be a Republican and that person is presently not voting because of poor reasons. Let's face it, this is a poor place to play politics.

It is young people that are impressing me as the young vote is strongly behind gay marriage. There is a shift going on in the consciousness at large and its an improvement over the old school. Any way you cut it, this bill will eventually get approved, if not today then in a year or two.

CS Monitor: New York lawmakers delay same-sex marriage vote until Friday

The Democratic-dominated Assembly last week approved the bill, which would make New York the sixth and most populous state to permit same-sex marriages, and Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) has promised to sign it.


"No one wants to be the 32nd vote..."


...(gay marriage legislation is) especially (popular) among younger voters..

The Market On Friday

Good morning and welcome to the weekend. It is 65 degrees, cloudy, and with a thunderstorm logo here in Upstate NY. The weather pattern of rain is stuck over this area. This is the trend for this year, a week or two in a row of rain. We would like to see some sun but that's not happening for a few days more. Things are very green around here and the plants are thriving, bushes are getting overgrown. Everybody's lawn is deep green, not a speck of brown crab grass. We are deep in green.

At 8:00 a.m. futures are slightly up, the dollar is mixed, and oil is up.

On Thursday the market was steeply down all day long then almost completely recovered in the last hour of trading. News of a Greece bailout came through. Investors were happy to see that the E.U. along with the IMF put together another promise of rescue funds for Greece. That issue is still not going away yet.

At 8:30 a.m. we will get the final reading on the first quarter GDP. There are a host of ifs and what ifs for today but at this very moment the market is primed to open slightly higher and as we know that could change any second.

CNN: Investors pause after Greek aid cheer

The European Union pledged to extend aid to Greece, as long as the country introduces another round of tax hikes and spending hikes -- in an effort to help the debt-stricken country avoid a default.


The Commerce Department will release its final reading on first-quarter gross domestic product at 8:30 a.m. ET, as well as May durable goods orders.


Oil for August delivery gained 23 cents to $91.25 a barrel.

'Hide And Seek'

Another version of Imogen Heap's exceptional music piece.

Iman Shumpert

This is the New York Knicks new guard which they drafted at number 17 in the first round of the NBA draft tonight.

Good Night

Nikkei Opens Higher On Friday

Reuters: Nikkei edges up, Greece deal offsets falls in oil stocks

Help Senator Sanders Expose The Koch Echo Chamber

The Daily Show - Aliens Vs. Senator

The Daily Show
Tags: Daily Show Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,The Daily Show on Facebook

'You Are Not Your Brain'

I listened to one of the authors of this book on the local NPR affiliate today and found her discussion and comments to be compelling.

They have a very good program for helping people.

Amazon: You Are Not Your Brain: The 4-Step Solution for Changing Bad Habits, Ending Unhealthy Thinking, and Taking Control of Your Life

Tea Party Collapse In Florida

Its looking like the 15 minutes of fame is dissipating in some areas.

Raw Story: Poll: Tea party poses ‘real danger’ to GOP in Florida

TRNN - Selling Israeli Militarism Like Toothpaste

DOW Closes Down

The DOW dropped 59.67 points today closing at 12,050.

Reuters: Dow, S&P end down but off lows on Greek deal

Another Deliberate Attempt To Get Into Jail

This is the second story I have seen about someone trying to get into jail in order to get health care. I would presume that if there are two such stories, then there are probably many more that we are not aware of.

March 29, 20111 - journalgazette.net: Troubled man sets trailer fire, confesses

Osborn, 50, of the 2900 block of Coliseum Boulevard West, told police he did not belong in the outside world, could not get a job, support himself or get proper medical care for his depression, according to court documents.

'Different Ways Of Knowing'

TED talks

Nuclear Waste In Russia

Last night a NYPIRG worker knocked on the door looking for donations.

She was Russian and began to tell me about Russia's way of dealing with nuclear waste. She said that European countries also send their nuclear waste to Russia. Russia in turn dumps it all in Siberia.

I need to investigate this further when time allows but this BBC article linked below from a few years ago details a major mess in the Andreeva Bay. You see Russia has little environmental oversight. The waste is dumped, and that's about it.

The NYPIRG worker told me that nuclear waste in Russia is transported in train cars and that often the cars are joined to passenger train cars. The people riding are unwittingly exposed to radiation. How's that for adding unknown insult to unknown injury.

So when the GOP yaps on (and I use the word yap intentionally implying animal intelligence level behavior) about wanting to do away with the EPA and wants to allow big business to simply do what it wants, as the Koch Brothers so warmly advocate, we might also include how that brilliant strategy is working in Russia around nuke waste.

October 2006, BBC: uclear waste poses Arctic threat

About halfway between Severomorsk and the Norwegian border lies Andreeva Bay, an environmental nightmare where the waters are completely devoid of life.


Leaks from the region's largest nuclear waste storage facility mean no fish will ever swim in this fjord. Onshore, both the soil and the groundwater are badly contaminated.


On this vast site, 32 tons of highly radioactive waste with a high uranium content is stored in crumbling concrete bunkers and rusting tanks and containers - about a third of the nuclear waste mountain that can be found on the Kola Peninsula.

'Our Daily Bread'

I watched a portion of this documentary last night, and I literally had to stop and leave the room.

You might become a vegetarian after watching this documentary which shows among other things, details on how animals are processed in slaughter houses. It will make you think twice about eating meat, absolutely.

trailer



excerpt

DOW Down At Noon

In the noon hour the DOW is down 183 points. Oil prices are down over $4 per barrel. That is an unusual drop.

CNN: U.S. to release oil from strategic reserve

429,000

Bad news again on the economy - this will weigh down markets even more.

From CNN:

Initial filings for unemployment insurance climb by 9,000 in latest week to 429,000, Labor Department says.

Have A Good Morning

Work by Norval Morrisseau

The Onion - Prick Veterinarian Keeps Dachshund Waiting In Empty Lobby For 45 Minutes

We used to own a dachshund, Mitchel, for 15 years. This is a riot, because its so accurate.

The Onion: Prick Veterinarian Keeps Dachshund Waiting In Empty Lobby For 45 Minutes

Autism And Systemizing

Live Science: Autism More Common in Tech-Heavy Centers

Al Jazeera - Victims Of US Sterilisation Get Apology

Al Jazeera - World News Updates

Bernanke Does Greece

The linked CS Monitor article gets into a little more detail about Bernanke's comments on the economy. If you missed it Bernanke spoke on Wednesday.

In particular, Bernanke poo pooed concerns about Greece's impending economic collapse and how US banks will be effected. Allegedly the stress tests have been done and the impact of a Greek default would be minimal. Yet all we have heard over the last few months is - concerns about Greece times 100.

Bernanke has kicked the ball down the road as well saying the economy will really and truly begin to pop in 2013. Excellent, just in time for a new GOP president to completely f-it up.

CS Monitor: Federal Reserve chief tells US financial markets not to worry about Greece

Mr. Bernanke says the Fed asked the banks to “essentially do stress tests” – computer simulations – to see what would happen to their capital if Greece defaulted on its loans.


“And the answer is the effects are very small,” he said.


“The situation is similar in some sense, in that, with very few exceptions, the money market mutual funds don’t have much direct exposure to the three peripheral countries [Greece, Portugal and Ireland] which are currently dealing with debt problems,” he said.


By 2013, the Fed expects the economy to be operating at a faster pace.

The Market On Thursday

Good morning. It is 68 degrees, cloudy, and on the verge of raining here in Upstate NY. The weather report also has the lightning logo, kaboom. It was an uneventful morning walk not that it ever is eventful. I saw more walkers than joggers this time. I like seeing couples and groups out walking. Its a good thing.

At 8:15 a.m. futures are moderately down, the dollar is up, and oil is down.

In a word the market will sink today, unless, somebody help me out here...

Bernanke laid it out in raw terms yesterday. The economy is slowing again and the recovery is not really taking hold well. Investors are stock shy and ready to sell.

Is there a silver lining? In July second quarter reports will be coming out and that will be the tangible tale of the tape. I will not be surprised to read of record oil profits - just saying.

Adding kindling to the fire, today we also get reports on new homes sales and weekly first time unemployment benefit claims. This could get messy.

CNN: Stocks: Deflated after Fed

...the Fed issued a dour assessment of the economy but gave no indication that any additional stimulus measures are in the works.


In a widely expected move, the Fed held its benchmark interest rate near zero percent, saying the economic recovery has been weaker than expected.


Oil for August delivery slipped $2.51, or 2.6%, to $92.90 a barrel.

'Moonlight Beach Chaconne'

Swarmius