A Berlino si apre il Web 2.0 Expo, l'evento dedicato al web 2.0 e promosso da O'Reilly. A New York è finito da non molto e qui si possono vedere alcuni degli interventi. Il tutto sarà seguito da Luca Conti con articoli e resoconti sul suo blog.

Luca Muchetti, Cisvol

Obama does smart things that do not seem all that smart to his truest believers.  One of them was going on the Bill O’Reilly Show.  Another was appearing with John McCain on that born-again program.  Both venues were, for democrats, the Valley of Death.  But he went, anyway.  And did himself much good.  The enemy could take a look at him and a listen to him and see that -while not their cup of politics- he wasn’t the Anti-Christ, either.

Showing up there made him harder to hate.  So you don’t fight him so hard, so to-the-death.  Easy to hate what he stands for, hard to hate him.

How many votes does the disimpassioned enemy translate into this time?

***

Palin, too, walked into the Valley of Couric.  Only, it doesn’t seem to have done her any good.  There are so many things you can feel about another person but the one from which there is no recovery is contempt.  That is the feeling Couric engineered in that interview.  Maybe Couric simply wanted company.  More likely, to enhance her bona fides with the media of the left.  She was going to be Billy Jean King this time, not Margeret Court Smith.

What do you do, you future would be presidents and vice-presidents?  Do you go or not?

If you can go like Obama, go.  Just Know you could be walking into a trap.

Because you will be.

***

Probably, Palin knows that now.  And if there is another interview it will be worth watching.

Is it odd that this election is now about the young and The vital: Obama and Palin? And so not about the wooden and near death?

Right. I’m off to stock up on my MOO cards :-)

It seems Bill O'Reilly has been palling around with terrorists. But I'm sure Bill O'Reilly doesn't want to talk about the company "he" keeps. He sure does seem to want to keep the people in power that almost destroyed our country. I think Bill O'Rielly has proven to be very dangerous for America and our way of life. He continues to support the regime that is destroying our nation. [caption id="attachment_63" align="alignnone" width="320" caption="Bill O'Reilly Fox News"][/caption]

A while back, I posted about faux-outrage on the part of Pentecostal leaders and parishioners who were all wound up about a political cartoon. The cartoon actually painted the Republican Party in the position of "those who should be laughed at," but reason has never been the religious right's strong suit and they took offense anyway. In my attempt to show why it was absurd and unreasonable for them to be offended by a joke of such little importance, I offended at least one more of them, leading to the following comment¹:

You are an ignorant bigot who is probably going to hell. I say probably because as a CHRISTIAN (follower of Christ) I know only GOD knows whats in your heart. It is totally unfair for you to attack these MEN OF GOD for exercising their freedom of speech just because you hate that they are happy and secure in JESUS. And it is even worse because you don't do it to their face. You do it BEHIND THEIR BACK so they can't defend themselves. You should stop doing the devil's work and come to GOD before its too late.

The odds of this being a troll are probably quite high, though something about the wording makes me think it was written by a female, a gender with a much lower troll to human ratio. Regardless, it should be said that this is exactly what I was talking about in those posts, and the commenter has made my point nicely. Epidemic in religious "debate" is this idea that whoever does not agree with the church is ignorant. This is even worse than the subjectivism that is rampant in our culture, because instead of arguing that all opinions are equally valid, or that "we will have to agree to disagree," it argues that only one person's opinion is valid while the other is apparently not an opinion at all.

As for the claim that I have done anything behind anyone's back, I have to say I don't know what evidence there is for such a claim, but want to assure the anonymous author that I linked to the religious fanatic's blogs and left trackbacks. If they want to see what I said about them, they only have to click. The rest of the comment is inarguable because there isn't any substance to it, but I would like to ask what the point of this random capitalization is². Also, it would be nice to know if the apostrophes have been left out accidentally, or if it is a stylistic choice. Either way, I appreciate the reader's concern, and will seriously consider not doing the devil's work anymore.

On to real news:

It seems that every day there is a new story of police corruption or misconduct occurring somewhere in this country, and I have long been an advocate for more oversight of those to whom we give great authority. However, this week brought along two law enforcement stories of a different nature. The first discusses a police officer who actually does his job, and upholds the law.

Sheriff Thomas J. Dart in Cook County Illinois has decreed that his department will not take part in any further eviction proceedings until the banking industry gets its act together. A growing problem across the country, many tenants who are paid up on their rent are being evicted because their landlords have fallen behind on mortgage payments:

"These poor people are seeing everything they own put out on the street. ... They've paid their bills, paid them on time. Here we are with a battering ram at the front door going to throw them out. It's gotten insane," he said.

Mortgage companies are supposed to identify a building's occupants before asking for an eviction, but sheriff's deputies routinely find that the mortgage companies have not done so, Dart said.

"This is an example where the banking industry has not done any of the work they should do. It's a piece of paper to them," Dart said.

"These mortgage companies ... don't care who's in the building," Dart said Wednesday. "They simply want their money and don't care who gets hurt along the way.

"On top of it all, they want taxpayers to fund their investigative work for them. We're not going to do their jobs for them anymore. We're just not going to evict innocent tenants. It stops today."

Dart said he wants the courts or the state Legislature to establish protections for those most harmed by the mortgage crisis.

I applaud Sheriff Dart's attitude and approach to this issue. It is about time we started protecting our citizens before our corporations. The legal issues involved here are more complicated than this approach can effectively deal with, but it is a start.

Momentarily sticking with the topic of landowners before returning to police, this week brought us a man who has a subdivision he cannot sell due to the economy tanking so magnificently, and is electing to take his anger out on one of the few people who actually bought one of his overpriced tract houses. John Trumbo reports on Chick Edwards, the developer of a 47 lot subdivision in Kennewick, WA who is attempting to take legal action against the owner of a home that does not have proper landscaping. The homeowner, Lt. Burke Jensen, is an "involuntarily mobilized reservist" currently overseas Kuwait and has apparently let his yard work slide:

"I really don't give a [expletive] where he is or what his problem is . . . It doesn't matter to me," said Edwards, who insists Jensen has violated terms of the homeowners-association covenants requiring that landscaping be completed within one year after an occupancy permit is issued for a home.

"[Jensen] doesn't have the right to walk away from his obligation," said Edwards, who as the developer is the only member of the homeowners association. "I have most of the property still, so I am the homeowners association," he said.

Being a reasonable man, Jensen has stated a desire to find a renter for the property to handle upkeep while he is gone. Likewise, his neighbors have stated they don't mind the appearance of Jensen's property. Edwards is unmoved:

Edwards said [renting] would be a commercial use not allowed by the homeowners association. "He's not going to rent it," said Edwards,. . .an attorney who has reviewed the covenants agrees.

"This is a contract. I don't like the way his property looks. This clown gets to do what he wants, and I'm as mad as hell," he said.

Apparently the prospect of becoming a "have not" has the "haves" a little upset these days. Or, Edwards may just be certifiably insane. While clearly irrational, I think the developer's last quote is the most telling: "This clown gets to do what he wants, and I'm as mad as hell." Yes, I'm sure Lt. Jensen, the involuntarily mobilized reservist, was dying to go live in a hostile wasteland.

The second law enforcement story that caught my eye this week centers on Lee County Sheriff Mike Scott who made headlines when he referred to the democratic candidate for President as Barack Hussein Obama at a Palin rally in Florida. It is hard to tell whether the Obama supporters are more upset about the Sheriff's use of their guy's middle name, or the fact that he was in uniform when he introduced the Republican VP hopeful. Half of them are shouting Hatch Act! While the rest scream Smear! The entire thing is beyond me.

I hate to break it to everyone, but Barack Obama's middle name is Hussein. America already knows. Early in the campaign this might have been an issue, as certain conservatives used the name as a subtle attempt to tie terrorist ideals to the frontrunner, but does it really matter if the Sheriff uses Obama's middle name, when Palin is going to open her speech by saying outright that he hates America and sympathizes with terrorists? Supporters on both sides have become increasingly sensitive to attacks as the campaigns wind down, and I think all of us have lost sight of what we're really fighting about. Liberals: you don't need to fight the name game anymore, that ship has sailed.

When she isn't inciting conservatives to assault presidential candidates, Palin stays busy making rape victims pay for their own evidence collection kits, abusing her office's authority, and advocating abstinence instead of actual sex education. I have previously stated my case that no one has ever been better protected from sexual consequences by having less information. This week brought us a fantastically entertaining example of this principle at work, 17 year old Jamie Lynn Spears, C-list television star and sister of former pop-star Britney, is once again pregnant. It seems Ms. Spears didn't know you could get pregnant if you were breast feeding. Maybe we should have given her some of this basic anatomical information instead of telling her to "just say no" to sex.

On the bright side, despite being fired by Nickelodeon for her pregnancy
unspecified reasons, Ms. Spears may not be out of work. If PETA has their way, her breast milk will be a valuable commodity. In a move to clarify that they have lost their minds, the animal protection agency began advocating the use of human milk rather than cow milk in the production of ice cream. Apparently, keeping cows for milk is cruel, but keeping women is okay. Good to know white slaving is alive and well. Or did PETA not consider that the women who volunteered for this duty would have to be constantly monitored to ensure that they were not ingesting or injecting substances that would affect milk quality?

Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream was actually pretty sporting about the whole thing, saying "We applaud PETA's novel approach to bringing attention to an issue, but we believe a mother's milk is best used for her child." To which the udderly utterly humorless psychotics replied "Hey, guys, that's our point: Cow's milk is for baby cows."

Wow. The only thing funnier than that is this old video of Bill O'Reilly losing his mind because he doesn't understand colloquial English*:

That's the trash. See you next week.

D.pH

___________________________________

1 – Spelling and grammar has been left as it was in the original, which I deleted due to it being posted anonymously. I assure you that censorship was not my goal; rather, anonymous comments are tacky and have since been disabled – If you can't bother to include an online identity, or first name and city (or state if you live in a small area), I can't be bothered to give you a forum. However, it was my fault that the comment had to be taken down, so I am reprinting it in the trash and will reply posthaste.

2 – The capitalization does have an interesting and Freudian quality to it, when one considers the phrases and words chosen to be emphasized. CHRISTIAN, MEN OF GOD, JESUS, and GOD all appear in this format. They share the trait of being words unique to religion. Outside the context of Christianity, nearly all of them are meaningless, with the exception of god, (provided one uses a small "g"). At the same time a phrase primarily used to denote hypocrisy, BEHIND THEIR BACK, shows up in the same style. I'll let everyone draw their own inferences.

* - Almost as funny is the Brokers with Hands on their Faces photo blog, but nothing measures up to O'Reilly.

]]> http://wettingbeda.wordpress.com/2008/10/10/bed-in-wall-room-design/ Fri, 10 Oct 2008 22:48:04 +0000 albertobanksl http://wettingbeda.ca.wordpress.com/2008/10/10/bed-in-wall-room-design/
Resources on Bed In Wall Room Design :

1. Zoom-Room - Better than a murphy bed. Custom Murphy Bed, Wall Bed or ...

   ... Murphy beds and murphybed systems in the U.S. Wall bed ... home | zoom-room explained | design solutions | ownership | specifications | contact | press ...

   www.zoom-room.com/index.asp

2. Room Design Ideas - Paint Colors, Furniture Placement, Decorating Style ...

   Recessed Wall Niches. Small Jewel Box Home. Recycled Style. Small Furniture, Big Art ... Before-and-After Designs From Summer Showdown. Before-and-After ...

   www.hgtv.com/hgtv/dc_room_design/0,1792,HGTV_3497,00.html

3. Decorating : Bedroom : Decadent Guest Bedroom : Home & Garden Television

   ... a small office/guest room combo by using clever design tricks to carve out ... on its own wall also makes the bed a more prominent feature in the guest room. ...

   hgtv.com/hgtv/dc_design_bedroom/article/0,1793,HGTV_3366_5340481_02...

4. Bedroom Feature Wall Color Idea Contemporary Styled Bedrooms

   Find Bedroom Interior Design Ideas. This great use of a feature wall in this bedroom provides a sturdy backdrop for a well balanced and stylish room design. A ...

   bedrooms.interiordezine.com/.../bedroom_feature_wall_color.html

5. Altering Bedroom Space Using Color and Patterns

   ... room, a cool color on the end wall and warm, dark colors on the side walls will ... Feature Walls. Watch bedroom design and decorating ideas videos here. ...

   bedrooms.interiordezine.com/bedroom_design/bedroom_color_space.html

6. Custom Wall Beds, Quality Wallbeds, Murphy Beds, Design-Your-Own Wall ...

   Wall Beds, Murphy Beds, Design-Your-Own Wall Bed, Custom Wallbeds, ... and maximize any area in any room with a wall bed, for stress-free everyday living. ...

   www.wallbedsusa.com

7. Arizona Wall Beds

   ... wall bed systems scottsdale, fold up beds glendale, hardwoods peoria, wall units ... Design Layouts Custom Finish Living Room Sewing Room Office-at-Home ...

   www.wallbeds.biz

8. Retractable Wall Beds SF Bay Area San Francisco, Zoom-Room

   InHouse Design Studio: Retractable wall beds, remote control built-in bed units in twin, full, queen and king sizes. ... MORE "DEAD" WALLS WHEN THE BED IS IN ...

   www.inhousesf.com/pages/zoom_beds.html

9. Bed Room Design, Bed Room Designs, Bed Room Room Designs

   Buy 'Bed Room Design' online at Brookstone. ... Ideal for bathrooms with limited wall or floor space. Hardware included. Chrome finish. ...

   www.brookstone.com/sl/home-gifts/bed-room-design

10. Wilding Wall Beds - Quality All Wood Murphy Beds - Total Room Bunk Bed ...

    Visit the Bunk Bed Murphy Bed Gallery for features, sizes and more ... Room units offer space savings and function unsurpassed by any other Wall Bed in ...

    www.wallbedsbywilding.com/bunk-bed-gallery.php

11. Wilding Wall Beds - Quality All Wood Murphy Beds - Murphy Bed Side ...

    ... and projects less into your room than any Side Mount Wall Bed in the industry. This design is also easier for children to operate. ...

    www.wallbedsbywilding.com/side-mount-murphy-bed-gallery.php

12. index

    ... a dedicated design wall in their studio or sewing room, Cheryl Ann's Design Wall ... for the safe, secure, and easy methods for ordering our Design Walls. ...

    www.cherylannsdesignwall.com

13. Bedroom Decorating Tips & Ideas

    Bedroom Decorating & Interior Design ideas for inspiration or wondering how to decorating a child's bedroom, romantic spaces and other room decor ideas

    www.rentaldecorating.com/bedroom_decorating.htm

14. Living Room Decorating - Furniture Arranging

    ... to review the articles listed in Interior Design 101 to get an understanding of ... lighter, neutral shades of walls generally found in rental buildings ...

    www.rentaldecorating.com/LivingRoom.htm

15. Room Design / How to Arrange a Room - Home Decor

    ... considered first - the sofa in the living room, the bed in the bedroom, the desk in the office. ... A long empty wall can be made into a focal point by ...

    www.homefurnish.com/livingroomdecor/homedecor/roomarrangements.aspx

16. Redefining Room Design - Home Design

    Redefine your home with unique room designs, like adding wall frames. ... This could include a home theater, a bed, a fireplace or a desk in a study. ...

    homefurnish.com/livingroomdecor/homedecor/redefining-room-design.aspx

17. Wall Bed - Zoom Room

    Zoom-Room, is far from being simply "a bed" or traditional "wall bed", is a design solution that allows you to think of the rooms in your home in a

    freshome.com/2007/11/08/wall-bed-zoom-room

18. Room | Furniture, Interior Design, Architecture, Decor and Home & House ...

    ... Room, is far from being simply "a bed" or traditional "wall bed", is a design ... on the walls and furnishings, especially in a room that receives little ...

    freshome.com/tag/room

19. Room Design Workshops

    Affinity� 4 Birthing Bed. TotalCare SpO2RT� Pulmonary Therapy System. Integris� B Series ... scale room models including beds, room furnishings, moveable wall panels, ...

    www.hill-rom.com/usa/Design_RoomDesign.htm

20. Bedroom ideas for little girls and girl bedroom decorating design tips

    ... affordable children's home design products; toddler bedding sets; and coordinating accessories for your child's room ... wall sconces on the side walls, ...

    www.bedrooms.it/girl/index.html

21. Murphy Bed Factory Direct

    ... Only Make Your Bed, We Make Your Room! *Click Above For Total ... Murphy Bed USA, Wall Bed Designs, and Total Interior Solutions will create a home design that ...

    www.wallbeddesignsinc.com/index.htm

22. Make My Home: Bed Room Design

    If that is impossible, hang heavy draperies between the wall and bed. ... Contemporary Room Designs. Country Style home decoration. Rustic Home Design - Rustic Style ...

    makemyhome.blogspot.com/.../bedroom-design-decorating-furniture.html

23. Sico Wallbeds: Room Maker� Wallbed System

    Exclusive Room Maker� Design Features - A real mattress and boxspring ... The face panel becomes a finished wall panel when the bed is raised. No doors to bother with ...

    www.sico-wallbeds.com/roommaker.php

24. Closettec's Wall Bed or Guest Room Storage

    When it's not in use, a Wall Bed gives you full use of the room. ... We design and construct the entire unit to fit beautifully into your home's ...

    www.closettec.com/wall.html

25. Boys Room Themes & Decorating Ideas | Rafter Tales

    ... Design. Home Building. Home " Decorating " Decor Themes " Boys Room Themes ... be sure to find wall art, toys, stuffed animals, bed linens and other items from ...

    raftertales.com/home-design/bedroom-design/boys-room-decorating-ideas

26. Retro Design : Modern furniture

    ... Design - Modern TV Stand Modern Coffee Table Modern Bedroom Modern Wardrobe Office Furniture Room Divider Modern Wall ... Sofa Bed. Modern Wall Units. Modern ...

    www.modern1furniture.com/modern-living-room-retro-design-c-27_52.html

27. Room Divider : Modern furniture

    ... Bed. Modern Wall Units. Modern Hall Unit. Modern TV Stand. Room Divider ... Modern Wall Unit. Modern Furniture. Sectional Sofa In Modern Living Room Design ...

    www.modern1furniture.com/room-divider-c-16.html

28. Kids Rooms: Kids Room Decor, shop kids bedrooms by decorating theme

    Shop our entire collection of kids room decor by design theme. ... Personalized Wall Art. Kids Room Decor. Playroom & Toys. Kids Wallpaper ...

    warmbiscuit.com/kids-rooms.html

29. Girls Bedrooms: Decorate Girls Rooms, Girls Room Themes

    Here you will find our girls bedroom decor collections organized by design theme. ... Personalized Wall Art. Kids Room Decor. Playroom & Toys. Kids Wallpaper ...

    warmbiscuit.com/girls-bedrooms.html

30. Lovely Westminster collection bedroom set

    Dining Room Furniture. Bar Furniture. Wall Units Furniture. Home-Office ... Comfortable design in graceful, stylish style describe best this bed. Price: $840 ...

    www.ideadesignfurniture.com/catalog-Westminster_bedroom_157.html

31. www.ideadesignfurniture.com/catalogx-r-bedroom-it-beds.html

    Dining Room Furniture. Bar Furniture. Wall Units Furniture. Home-Office Furniture. Home Decorations ... Cape Cod Collection Queen size bed in stylish design $439 ...

    www.ideadesignfurniture.com/catalogx-r-bedroom-it-beds.html

32. GuDian Furniture industry: wall bed manufacturer and wall beds design ...

    ... wall bed designs and our products fully satisfy the ... Wall Bed for family hobbies, special projects, computer room, sewing room, den or home office. ...

    www.086furniture.com/wall_bed.htm

33. Living room : Modern furniture | Contemporary furniture | Modern ...

    Retro Design. Daybeds. Dining Room. Bedroom. Sofa Beds. Coffee Table. Wall Units. Hall Unit ... Le Corbusier Sofa-Bed-Chaise (LC5) $2,400.00 ...

    www.laflat.com/living-room-c-27.html

34. Teen Bedroom Design - Compare Prices, Reviews and Buy at NexTag - Price ...

    Teen Bedroom Design - 15 results like the PB Teen Chelsea Armoire, SelfStick Daisy 4pc. Wall Art Set, POWELL FURNITURE ... Designs Savannah Panel Bed Series ...

    www.nextag.com/teen-bedroom-design/search-html

35. Design Kid Room - Compare Prices, Reviews and Buy at NexTag - Price ...

    ... room,living room design,bed room designs,teen room design,room ... bed kid room. tinkerbell room for kids. kids room wall decals. kid room furniture ...

    www.nextag.com/design-kid-room

36. Interior design: how to transform a bed into living room furniture

    ... sheer fabric all around the room and cover the walls in the same way you would ... This wall cushion will run along the side of your bed instead of heading ...

    www.essortment.com/home/interiordesign_szem.htm

37. Interior design: create a toile guest room

    Paint the other walls in the room to match the patterns background. ... it in three to four major areas of the room like the wall, the bed, the window ...

    www.essortment.com/home/interiordesign_sbav.htm

38. Kids Room Accessories, Kids Bean Bags, Kids Wall Decor, Kids Lamps ...

    JCPenney Kids' Bedding: Take kids room accessories to the next level with bean bags, wall decor, lamps and pillows. Our kids room accessories help to design a room ...

    www.jcpenneykidsbedding.com/c-10043.html

39. Wall Bed Systems, Inc. - Murphy Wall Bed Manufacturer - Sofa Bed Plus

    Use a Murphy Bed to turn your den, study, family room, basement or any corner of ... Privacy Policy - Terms of Use - Sitemap. Designed by: Nautical Web Design ...

    www.wallbedsystems.com/index.php?page=sofa-bed-plus

40. Wall Bed Systems, Inc.

    Use a Murphy Bed to turn your den, study, family room, basement or any corner of ... Privacy Policy - Terms of Use - Sitemap. Designed by: Nautical Web Design ...

    www.wallbedsystems.com

41. Living Room Design, Kitchen Design Online & Kid Room - Spacify

    Leather Bed. Luxury Bedding. Memory Foam Mattress. Platform Beds ... Wall Mirrors. Dining Room. Adjustable Tables. Buffets / Sideboards. Dining Chairs - Wood ...

    www.spacify.com/about-us.asp

42. Creative Wall Beds

    ... and maximize any area in any room with a wall bed, for stress-free everyday living. ... bed styles, finishes, features and options for that unique design ...

    www.beddingfactory.com

43. HGTV Bath Design: Ideas and videos for bathroom project planning ...

    ... inspiration for new Bath designs for contemporary baths with HGTV Bath Design. ... In the Key of Cool. This tiny music-themed powder room toots a sink made ...

    design.hgtv.com/bath

44. Decoration.com - Beds

    ... beds that, placed lengthwise against the wall, also function as sofas. ... A four-poster bed lends an interesting vertical element and design detail to a room. ...

    decoration.com/furniture/beds

45. Room Divider Screens - A.M.B. Furniture & Design

    Wall Mirrors. Bells and Cast... CD,DVD media racks. Coat Racks. Floor Lamps. Grandfather clocks ... Bed Frames. Bedroom Benches. Bedroom Mirrors. Bedroom Sets ...

    www.ambfurniture.com/catalog/Room-Divider-Screens-p-1-c-372.html

46. Sofa Sets - Sofas and Sets - Living room furniture - A.M.B. Furniture ...

    A.M.B. Furniture and Design has a full line of furniture including, Bedroom, Living room, Dining room, Children's bedroom, Game Room, Office furniture and many other ...

    www.ambfurniture.com/catalog/Sofa-Sets-p-1-c-388.html

47. roomTag Archive for room archive at BED Online Magazine - The Bed Blog ...

    ... Wall Graphic. 0 Comments Published by Tanya August 8th, 2008 in BED Home, ... BED Home, bespoke designs, design, Esquire, Floor, hand tufted, room, Rugs, wool ...

    bedzine.com/blog/tag/room

48. AVINA CV - Indoor Furniture, Bed Room, Wall Unit

    ... bed room, dining room, living room, wall unit etc, also we made custom design base on our ... Indoor Furniture, Bed Room, Wall Unit, Office Furniture, ...

    avivafurniture.trustpass.alibaba.com

49. Julianna Floral Wall Hanging Room Accessories by JoJo Designs only ...

    ... Floral Wall Hanging Room Accessories by JoJo Designs These adorable wall hangings ... Bedding Bed in a Bag Sets Bed Sheets Comforter Sets Designer Bedding Down ...

    beyond-bedding.com/julianna-girls-childrens-kids-wall-art-decor-hangings-jojo-designs...

50. Affordable Andys Wall Beds in Collinsville AL

    Andy's Wall Bed designs and builds your Wall Bed system on site to enhance your ... Panel bed design eliminates Bi-fold doors ...

    andyswallbeds.com

::: snicker :::

Whether I would classify what we're in as a "Depression" or not, is beside the point.  The economy is definitely not doing well and folks are spooked.  Seeing the glass as half-full, Nat see's this current period as good for innovation, good for free and open source software and good for services and cloud computing:

...open source services and cloud computing will benefit from the tight financial situation where conditions will favour opex and not capex. It wil be nigh impossible to borrow to buy hardware or a major software license....cloud computing lets a company pay a little to use someone else's enormous capital investment.

Opex vs. Capex

This opex vs. capex distinction is one of the great advantages of services provided by the cloud (in both good times and bad). It helps to break down barriers to adoption, and allows purchases to be made in a timely manner rather than getting bogged down in endless approval cycles.

Separate from approval-cycle-avoidance, the other adoption mega-accelerator for cloud-based services is the basic hosted nature of the services.   Offsite hosting and maintenance mean that new services can be switched virtually instantaneously without needing to burden the often already over-taxed IT side of the house.

So, while I agree with Nat's thinking, I hope we don't have to test it for too long.

Pau for now...

Elijah Cummings, anggota DPR dari Partai Demokrat, Maryland, membeberkan korespondensi antara George Walker, sepupu Presiden AS George W Bush, dan eksekutif Lehman. Isinya adalah permohonan dari Walker pada Komite Eksekutif Lehman soal pembagian bonus sepanjang 2008. Walker duduk sebagai pengelola aset Lehman.

Pertemuan DPR AS dengan Fuld juga membuka tabir kebobrokan keluarga Bush. Neil Bush, saudara kandung Presiden Bush, juga pernah dituduh menjadi otak di balik kebangkrutan sebuah lembaga keuangan Amerika Serikat pada dekade 1980-an.

Jon Stewart, pembawa acara komedi Daily Show, pernah menyindir Bill O'reilly-nya Fox News yang pro-republikan. Dia menyindir komentar Bill O'reilly ketika menanggapi berita kehamilan di luar nikah yang menimpa anaknya Sarah Palin yang berbeda ketika menanggapi kasus yang sama yang terjadi pada seorang selebriti AS. Nah, kalau sekarang kelihatan sekali Bill menyalahkan Fuld. Perlu diliat apa komentarnya setelah dia mengetahui berita di atas, bahwa ada peran keluarga Bush di perusahaan Lehman.

After working as a lead negotiator on the, Chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, Barney Frank (D-MA) sure did take a beating from Fox News host Bill O’Reilly. The point of contention? That under Frank’s tutelage, the share prices of Government Sponsored Enterprises (GSEs) Freddie and Fannie declined 90%. (The transcript can be read on the Huffington Post, but the footage is much more vivid and rowdy.)

Indeed, the Democrats have been strenuously attacked for their role in protecting the GSEs from greater oversight. An indicting piece of YouTube extravaganza that has been immensely popular in the blogosphere, reviews clips of the 2004 Congressional Hearings into Fannie Mae’s accounting practices. It systematically highlights resistance to reigning in the GSEs by Democrats, while showcasing that it was Republicans who were demanding reform.

Brian Carney of the Wall Street Journal’s editorial board (see video) has also reviewed the 2004 Congressional Hearings, and concludes that over a period of five years, many congressional representatives, including Frank, were seduced by the very same ideas that held sway over ‘the market’ – that houses were robust assets, that subprime was doing service to the American Dream.  They preferred to defend the ideals of affordable housing at the expense of stronger regulation.

In the midst of the fray, there has been a resurgence of charismatic former Federal Reserve Chairman who was notably dismissiveness of the overheating real estate market earned the dubious honor of having the real estate correction named after him: Greenspan’s Bubble. With regards to the GSEs, Carney identifies Greenspan as being the hero, arguing that lawmakers ignored Greenspan’s repeated warnings that Freddie and Fannie’s portfolios are too large and difficult to hedge.

It would seem as though within the political arena, resolving accounting and managerial scandals at Fannie were put in direct contest with the goals of affordable housing. What should not be forgotten in all of this is that Fannie, as this Washington Post article points out, did not actually pursue the subprime market until 2006, quite late in the blowup, and in order to keep market share. They did however invest in subprime securities issued by private label lenders as early as 2002.

This suggests that a) as investors Freddie and Fannie did nothing more or less responsible than other institutional investors in the market by buying into triple A rated subprime securities; and that b) the political motives of Democrats during 2004, and the evaluation of GSE flaws at that time should not be conflated with later activities to deepen their participation in subprime lending in 2006. By that time subprime has already matured in the private label market, and if anything the GSEs were submitted to competitive pressure to play catch up.

Is this really a brute story of partisan politics, or is this a more subtle tale in here about institutions being caught in shifting rationalities of risk and lending?  I, for one, would tend towards the latter...

(Screen capture from CNN.com)

“Completely Negligent News” obviously has no problem crooning over oppressed protesters in Bangkok, Thailand, but dare not even blog about protests here at home.

Where was CNN when protesters at the Republican and Democratic National Conventions were being abused by police and having their rights trampled on?

Where were they when police were violating and abusing everyday Americans who weren’t even participating?

Where were they when journalists were arrested for simply covering the events?

They have turned their money-hungry backs on the people, and have become a mouthpiece and propaganda pedestal for the elite.

It now has become pretty clear that they have an agenda.

They want to show how bad it is in other countries, where people are treated like dogs by the government. They want Americans to think, “hey it’s not that bad, look at Thailand, they have no rights over there.”

This is the main reason that CNN covers protests abroad but won’t even fairly cover protests at home in America. They would rather parrot propaganda than report the news.

They want to focus attention on foreign events to draw people's attention from things happening here in America.

It’s just another example of how inept and castrated the mainstream media really is. Most of the reporters and producers just want to appease their superiors, and wouldn’t dare provide unbiased coverage because they’re more concerned with keeping their jobs than reporting the truth.

In the case of the protests at the RNC and DNC, rather than posting pictures of protesters, they posted pictures of police clad in Gestapo riot gear.

Instead of providing balanced coverage, they attempted to instill fear in everyone that happened to stumble upon their despicable website.

America, things aren’t too bad, look at Thailand. Never mind that baton that just broke your arm, never mind those handcuffs on your wrists, never mind those nice policeman, they just want to help as they paint the pavement with your blood.

Thanks CNN, it has become apparent that you don’t know what journalism is, and don’t give a damn about the American people.

By inaction, and your inability to cover important issues, you are betraying this country, and are just as bad as the perpetrators.

Anyways, I made a rare trip to MySpace, and my hatred for its children was renewed.  I came across the most moronic piece of hastily strung together words I've seen in quite some time.

I have decided to reproduce them here in hopes of shaming morons everywhere into being a little less dumb, at least as much as they can help it.  After that, I only ask that you, America's dumbest citizens, stop voting.  People with brains don't need you fucking things all up.

So here it is, I'll tear it apart point by point later, but I wanted to give it to you in its true, awful form first so that it might punch you squarely in the brain with its idiocy.

Also, I should point out that the formatting was added by me because I can't abide spending more time reading something than its author took writing it.  Other than that, the text is a full on copy-paste.  So take a little time to note the wholesale butchering of common English words, because I want to further drive home how absurd it is that a person this dumb is even allowed to graduate high school, let alone vote in a presidential election.

Update: As if this wasn't irritating enough, the person who wrote this fucked the formatting so bad that it simply will not paste without numerous errors.  Since I have to retype everything, this will likely end up being two separate posts.  Don't worry though, I'm taking extra care to copy it letter for letter.

To: All

most of these I have looked up myself to verifiy or else i wouldnt be posting it as a bullitin and i watched the interview with Bill O'riley weather your a Christian or not trust me we dont want a Muslium in the white house just as a reminder thats who we are at war with

Actual verified quotes from Barack Obama speeches and interviews:

"You know, my faith is one that admits some doubt."

"All people of faith --Christians, Jews, Muslims, animists, everyone-- know the same God."

"I believe there are many paths to the same place."

(These are not beliefs of a real Christian)

"We are no longer a Christian nation; we are now a nation of Christians, Jews, Muslims, Buddhists."

(Our forefathers fought and died for our right to be a Christian nation)

Ridiculing Jesus own words in the Bible:

"The Sermon on the Mount, a passage that is so radical that its doubtful even our own Defense department would survive its application."

(Sounds like Rev Wright?)

In a 2007 interview, Obama rembembered the Islamic evening call to prayer as:

"one of the prettiest sounds on earth at sunset."

He even recited the opening lines, complete with Arabic accent:

"Allah is Supreme!  Allah is Supreme!  Allah is supreme!  Allah is supreme!  I witness that there is no god but Allah!  I witness that there is no god but Allah!  I witness that Muhammed is his prophet!"

(Would any real Christian recite this publicly?)

In an interview with George Stefanopoulis, Obama stated:

"--my Muslim faith."  fortunately for him Stefanopoulis corrected him, "you mean Christian faith."

"My Christian faith."

A comment he made in San Francisco when he did not know the microphone was on:

"Its not surprising then, they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren't like them"

(Speaking about middle class citizens)

At a speech in Germany:

"I have become a symbol of America returning to its traditional values"

(Most every Liberal and Obama position is in direct opposition to traditional American values, as any educated person knows.)

When questioned by Rick Warren "At what point is a baby entitled to human rights?":

"Answering that question with specificity, uh, uh, you know is above my pay grade, uh, uh, but, but, but let me, I think, uh, uh, and so, uh, our, um"

(quoted verbatim)

(Obama supports killing babies even after they are out of the womb)

"I've got two daughters.  9 years old and 6 years old.  I am going to teach them first of all about values and morals.  But if they make a mistake, I don't want them punished with a baby."

(Explaining why he is in favor of abortion)

"The bomb that was dropped on Pearl Harbor"

(Perhaps he flunked history?"

"We could save as much oil as they talk about getting by more drilling if everyone just put more air in their tires and got a tune up"

(Cars dont get tuneups any more.  Perhaps he means helium in the tires?)

"Over the last 15 months, we've traveled to every corner of the United States.  I've now been in 57 states?  I think one left to go."

(There are 57 Muslim states))

"We can't drive our SUVs and eat as much as we want and keep our homes on 72 degrees at all times... and then just expect that other countries are going to say OK.  That's not leadership.  That's not going to happen."

(Under his presidency we must have smaller cars, less to eat, and colder homes.)

When questioned by Rick Warren about who are the three wisest persons you know and who you would rely on for advice in you administration?:

"You mentioned one person I'd be listening to, Michelle, my wife.  Not only is she wise but she is honest.  Another person is my grandmother."

(The main advisors to the Oval office would be his wife and grandmother!  Unbelievable!!)

In interview with Bill O'Reilly:

"My plan will give a tax reduction to 95% of Americans"

(A person in his position should know that around 50% of Americans already pay no income tax)

"We coach Little League in the Blue States and have gay friends in the Red States."

(Make any sense?)

"You know, you can put lipstick on a pig, but its still a pig"

(Some believe he was referring to Sarah Palin?)

Would you trust the leadership of our great country to a person who would say things like these quotes??

Experience required to be PRESIDENT.

You couldn't be a new lawyer with 143 days of experience and become a partner in any law firm.

You couldn't get a job at McDonalds and become district manager after 143 days of experience.

You couldn't become chief of surgery after 143 days of experience being a surgeon.

You couldn't get a job as a teacher and be the superintendent after 143 days of experience.

You couldn't join the military and become a general after 143 days of experience.

You couldn't get a job as a reporter and become the nightly news anchor after 143 days of experience.

BUT.... (and only in the U.S.A is this possible)  "From the time Barack Obama was sworn in as a United States Senator, to the time he announced he was forming a Presidential exploratory committee, he logged just 143 days of 'experience' in the Senate.  That's how many days the Senate was actually in session and working.

After 143 days of work 'experience,' Obama believed he was ready to be Commander In Chief, Leader of the Free World.... 143 days.

We all have to start somewhere.  The senate is a good start, but after 143 days, that's all it is - a start.

AND, strangely, a large sector of the American public is okay with this and campaigning for him.  We surely wouldn't accept this in our own line of work, (if you would, then I in the wrong line of work) yet some are okay with this for the President of the United States of America, the most powerful position in the world?

Come on folks, we are not voting for the next American Idol! Please pass this on to all of your contacts.

Ok... if you are anything like me you will need a little while to digest all of that.  So I'll pick this up on the next post.  But real quick before you go, I'd like you to do something for me.  With your thumb and forefinger, rub your eyes from the outside toward the bridge of your nose.  When they reach the end, hold them there and with eyes closed, shaking your head, sigh with exasperation as loudly as you are able.  Now imagine that you did that same thing over 9,000 times today.  You might find yourself thinking, "What!?  Over 9,000?  That's impossible!"  If that's the case, then two things have occurred.  First, you have played your part in recreating a stupid internet meme very well.  And second, you have begun to appreciate my torment at having had to write what is to come.

John Adams (1735-1826)

McCain and Palin are in attack mode; it's all they have left.  The coveted female and undecided voters are increasingly falling line behind Democrats and supporting Obama.

The economic meltdown is spreading overseas, leaving McCain unable to "turn the page," since the American voters want answers not dodging of the issues.

The farce of McCain's campaign suspension is still fresh in voters' minds as they consider the true cost of that bail out.  Sen. McCain left the trail, but left all his campaign offices open and active and left Palin to rally, to return to DC and become a leader on the bail out. And 2/3 of Republicans voted against the bill he encouraged them to support, while 2/3 of Democrats swallowed bad medicine and voted yay.   The bill that ultimate passed only did so because it was gift wrapped in the kind of pork spending McCain has spent months railing against on the campaign trail.  After voting for it, he encouraged Bush to veto it.

His path to the White House grows more improbable by the day.  Even Karl Rove admits Obama would win in a landslide if the election were held today. On the economy, McCain has been given a failing grade by voters. Realizing the American people won't take their insurance dollars being taxed, McCain now hopes to slash Medicaid and Medicare to pay for his health care program.  (Is this new suggestion a subtle admission that McCain is pulling out of Florida as well?)

I'm reminded of that line from A Knight's Tale when Adhemar looks down at Thatcher early in the film after besting him, saying, "You have been weighed, you have been measured, and you have been found wanting. In what world could you possibly beat me?"

In what world could McCain beat Obama? Based on McCain-Palin campaigning stops, they're counting on Bridge to the Yesterday filled with Racism and Fearmongering.  They seem to be taking their inspiration from Shakesville's Obama Racism/Muslim/Unpatriotic/Scary Dude Watch 2008.

In recent weeks, bloggers and journalists have interpreted what could be slight racist undertones to McCain ads, from "Advice" trying to tie Obama to non-advisor Raines to "Perverse" claiming Obama wants kindergardeners taught comprehensive sex education.

Today in New Mexico McCain asked "who is the real Barack Obama?" One member of the audience shouted "a terrorist," much to the surprise of even McCain, who, after recovering from the surprise of that shout out, seemed quite willing to work with that conclusion as he continued speaking.

This weekend Palin pulled out the Ayers card, a link so weak it did not work when applied by Hillary Clinton, but rabid conservatives continue to shout it from the mountaintops. Ayers is an unrepentant former member of the Weather Underground (never prosecuted) and a University of Illinois professor who works on education reform. They served on the board of the same non-profit dedicated to education reform in Chicago.

"Now it turns out, one of his earliest supporters is a man named Bill Ayers," Palin said.

"Boooo!" said the crowd.

"And, according to the New York Times, he was a domestic terrorist and part of a group that, quote, 'launched a campaign of bombings that would target the Pentagon and our U.S. Capitol,'" she continued.

"Boooo!" the crowd repeated.

"Kill him!" proposed one man in the audience.

Palin went on to say that . . . "I am just so fearful that this is not a man who sees America the way you and I see America, as the greatest force for good in the world. I'm afraid this is someone who sees America as 'imperfect enough' to work with a former domestic terrorist who had targeted his own country."

McCain and Palin are now indirectly driving home the idea that Obama is different.  He's not like you and me.  He hangs out with terrorists, and surprise! He's not a white dude.   Obama predicted as much. . .

"Nobody thinks that Bush and McCain have a real answer to the challenges we face. So what they're going to try to do is make you scared of me," Obama said. "You know, 'He's not patriotic enough, he's got a funny name,' you know, 'He doesn't look like all those other presidents on the dollar bills.'"

This same type of verbiage is now used full force by the McCain-Palin campaign daily.  The very verbiage they decried just 2 months ago.

McCain took on the role of aggrieved victim, his campaign waiting almost a day after Obama's remarks to charge that he had injected race into the presidential campaign. "Barack Obama has played the race card, and he played it from the bottom of the deck. It's divisive, negative, shameful and wrong," McCain campaign manager Rick Davis said.

Yes, that same "divisive, negative, shameful and wrong" language rallies the base, and while it also reach the few left on the fence, it's unlikely to reverse the course of this election season.

Are they prepared to face the potentially more devestating consequences of branding the opposing candidate for President as different, an outsider, a terrorist?

In July, a man opened fire during a "children's musical performance" at a Knoxville Unitarian church, killing 2 congregants and wounding 7 others.

Jim David Adkisson told investigators all liberals should be killed and admitted he shot people Sunday morning at Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church . . .

According to the affidavit requesting to search Adkisson's home, the suspect told investigators liberals should be killed because they were ruining the country. Adkisson also blamed Democrats for the country's decline, according to the affidavit.

A huge uproar ensued following Jenna Kern Rugile's column, "Does shock jock hate speech lead to violence?" in which she asked where this man might have picked up his ideas.

Might the shooter have heard talk-show host Rush Limbaugh say that "liberalism is the greatest threat this country faces" and "the Islamofascists are actually campaigning for the election of Democrats" and that riots at the Democratic Convention would be "the best damn thing that can happen to this country."

Might the shooter have heard talk-show host Sean Hannity say in 2006, "There are things in life worth fighting and dying for, and one of them is making sure Nancy Pelosi doesn't become the speaker."

Addison owned a number of books with anti-liberal messaging written by conservative talking heads O'Reilly, Hannity, and Savage.  Surely, those books influenced his mind set and actions before whatever break down lead him to enter a church hoping to go down in a blaze of gunfire?

And here is the Republican ticket campaigning by trying to tar Obama as a terrorist-friendly predator with his eye on our innocent children and our defenseless old ladies.  He's the candidate with a Muslim-sounding middle name (Hussein). He's the candidate that's different. These are the words the conservative base, the Republican zealots, take to heart at rally after rally.

In the event of an attempt made on Obama's life by a wing nut spewing the same yarns told day after day by McCain, Palin, and their surrogates, would they own up to their contribution in riling up a criminal?  Me thinks not.

You saw that OMG moment for McCain in New Mexico, when he realized how extreme some of his supporters are in their blind hatred of Obama.  It's as though he just realized that the friendly, de-regulation loving Republican isn't the only one writing checks to the McCain campaign.

Back in May, Cindy McCain swore her husband would run a clean campaign.

Mrs. McCain said that the upcoming campaign against either Sen. Barack Obama or Sen. Hillary Clinton would not engage in negative tactics.

“We'd rather not win than to have to do that,” Mrs. McCain said. “That's not worth winning for. This is about being a leader and a person that can be a good example for our children, and a good role model. There's many, many, many more things to this job than just being the president. You are an example. You have to — you have to be better than that. You have to be.”

Sen. McCain also repeatedly called for clean campaigning.

What a difference a few months and the unbridled hunger for power make.  The campaign's embrace of the rankest of muck and insinuation speaks volumes about the campaign's leadership and the character of its candidates. They now stir the same kettle that the Limbaughs and Hannities of this country toil over.

At what price an American presidency?

UPDATE: For my follow up post, see McCain and Palin fueling the fires.

UPDATE 10/8: At McPalin rally today: "Off with his head."

UPDATE 10/10: Video of Obama's prediction in July that the current GOP tactics were inevitable

In this $700 billion bailout scheme we have been asked to trust the “wise men” and institutions that created this mess to begin with. Just a few months ago, President Bush assured us that the economy is sound. Senator Dodd and Congressman Frank told us that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were sound in mid-July. It was the Federal Reserve that inflated the currency that created the housing bubble and now the Federal Reserve is going to control private corporations and safely guide us through the darkness?

“In 2003, Barney Frank said in reaction to the Bush plan for increased regulation under the Treasury Department, ‘These two entities -- Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac -- are not facing any kind of financial crisis. The more people exaggerate these problems, the more pressure there is on these companies, the less we will see in terms of affordable housing.’'' (The Chalcedon Foundation)

Now Democrat Frank demands more regulation and claims that he is innocent; that it is all the fault of the previously Republican controlled Congress and the Bush Administration. I'm not a fan of Bush but we could respond to Fran with, "Liar, liar, pants on fire."

Frank cannot make a case that he is innocent, he is in fact as much a perpetrator of the financial fiasco than anyone. He is a leader in the destruction of the economy and should confess to such. He advocated low standards so that housing can be affordable to low income people who cannot afford a housing loan! He did the opposite and made housing unaffordable by flooding the market with easy credit. Now those poor people lost their houses anyway, and so did more responsible, hard working people. Iceberg ahead, Captain Frank of the banking Titanic.

Additionally, the SEC changed the rules so the companies like Lehmans could increase their leverage from 12-1 to 30-1. The Democratically controlled Congress with Jimmy Carter’s help passed legislation that forced banks to lend with virtually no down payment to people lacking creditworthiness lest they be accused or racism. This is now called sub-prime lending.

Although the CEO’s and others in these corporations were undoubtedly greedy and corrupt, it was the corruption, socialism and humanism of Congress, the courts and Congress that should receive the most blame.

Do you think they are going to repent? No, they are merely going to point the finger at someone else. You can watch Barney Frank do this in the video below as O’Reilly holds his feet to the fire.

Copyright © 2008 –Bruce Townsend

Here's azz crack Bill O'Reilly giving Barney Frank a piece of his neo-conservative mind about who's to blame for the economic woes we're currently facing.  O'Reilly isn't on my favorite persons list and is a loud and obnoxious !@#$$%@&**%.

It was a masterpiece of name calling and low blows where the only thing missing was some actual bloodshed lol.  FOX news better watch it before there's an ethics committee on your doorstep along with 80% of the country.

Yeah i said it. FOX news suck!!

I would have preferred it if Barney Frank received a physical beating in jail over a verbal beating on Fox News, but I guess it is better than nothing.  The unabashedly crooked congressman from Massachusetts has literally no shame from what I could see in a couple interviews.  The man who wants to create legislation for even more affordable housing even after the collapse of Fannie and Freddie is redonkulous. 

It is a constant theme with Frank in blocking any attempts to regulate Freddie and Fannie, but that is not really the issue.  The point is there should be no hybrid private/public companies that exist.  They decided it would be best to make housing affordable with sub prime lending that other banks wouldn't touch.  Blah, blah, blah... long story short, the Democrats and Republicans refuse to acknowledge that the financial crisis was self induced by government figures like Barney Frank.  How many millions did he alone cost America?  Who knows, but it is ridiculous he is having any input on the solution, and the he is not in jail for these crimes against the people.  He is getting huffy about getting yelled at, I say you are damn lucky Franky.

[vodpod id=Groupvideo.1627572&w=425&h=350&fv=key%3Dc44e0c7b53]more about "Little O'Reilly", posted with vodpod

..now that's how you exploit children!

Here are some examples of Bill being a D-bag and getting ran the fuck over. Keep in mind some of these videos are very old as he's been a d-bag for his entire life.

Jon Stewart busts him out for his views of france.

"...since when? Since the revolution they have not been our friend. [lol]"

Fucking d-bag considers himself one of the 3 most powerful people in the country behind G. W. Bush.

Video appears to be from 2004.

Some little kid from Denver fucks O'Reilly in his ass live on National Television!

video from 2007 I