Motley Moose – Archive

I started this diary a couple months back when the ‘Prayer for Obama’ stickers first hit Rightwinger bumpers coast to coast.

Before I got anywhere near finished, the two online distributors I was railing against (Zazzle and CafePress) pulled the offensive merchandise from their virtual shelves. I no longer had windmills to joust at. What had originally started as a diary on Rightwing hatred soon morphed into a fairly random collection of bible verses.  I entertained myself for a while with it…then set it on the backburner as a rather discombobulated mess.

It was the theological discussion that broke out in the Haitian Earthquake diary that reminded me of it and prompted me to tinker with it a bit. Well, I tinkered with it….and it is still pretty much a discombobulated mess…but, here it is…do with it what you will.  

In response to some off-topic posts on the achingly relevant and urgent Haiti thread, I’m going to throw out a few tidbits here and turn them into a diary, to leave the other thread unencumbered by this side discussion. Feel free to add anything I might miss, and jump into the discussion!

In an “exclusive” The Washington Times, which is considered right-leaning, notes:

President Obama notched substantial successes in spending cuts last year, winning 60 percent of his proposed cuts and managing to get Congress to ax several programs that had bedeviled President George W. Bush for years.

snip

The administration says Congress accepted at least $6.9 billion of the $11.3 billion in discretionary spending cuts Mr. Obama proposed for the current fiscal year.

snip

Among the president’s victories are canceling the multibillion-dollar F-22 Raptor program, ending the LORAN-C radio-based ship navigation system and culling a series of low-dollar education grants. In each of those cases, Mr. Obama succeeded in eliminating programs that Mr. Bush repeatedly failed to end.

The article notes that this still accounts for less than 1-half of 1 percent of the total budget.  But, hey, you gotta start somewhere.

08 was an exceptional year in terms of voter participation and these new online engagements. People felt like they had a voice. Now the old pork barrel grind of congress is back in action, they feel the only way they can make their voice heard again is by raising it to higher and higher levels of outrage?

prefer different labels (1+ / 0-)

How about these:

Capitulators versus the Fighters.

Cross posted from Nourishing the Planet.

Sylvia Banda started Sylva Professional Catering Services Limited in 1986, even though just 30 years ago women weren’t allowed to own businesses-or even eligible for loans-in Zambia. She began her business by serving people food she cooked and brought from home on what she calls, a “standing buffet,” because she didn’t have enough money for tables and chairs.

Not having furniture didn’t stop Sylvia’s business from taking off; she made almost a hundred dollars after a few days. And with her husband listed as the proprietor of her business because land rights are limited if not inaccessible to women in Zambia, Sylvia was able to grow her small “standing buffet” into three subsidiary businesses.

Sylva Professional Catering Services Limited is dedicated to creating, selling and serving nutritious foods, made from indigenous and traditional products that are purchased from local farmers and merchants. Sylvia provides work for 73 people and has developed partnerships with local development organizations, using her financial and popular success to become a proponent of farmer and employee training. She calls it “economic emancipation.”  

Sylvia’s success has benefited not just her own family, but the wider community as well. And Winrock International, an organization that collects examples of projects focused on sustainable food, improving livelihoods and preserving local food traditions, hopes to extend her positive impact even further still by making her case study available as a resource and model for potential entrepreneurs-and for policy makers and NGOs who support potential entrepreneurs-around the world.

For more information about Sylvia’s work and other projects that are focusing on sustainable food, improving livelihoods and preserving local food traditions, see Winrock International’s site on Community Food Enterprises.

By: Inoljt, http://mypolitikal.com/

Since the late death of Senator Edward Kennedy, his seat has been temporarily filled by former aide Paul Kirk. Things are set to change on January 19th, when the state will hold a special election to replace Mr. Kennedy. Attorney General Martha Coakley is running as the Democratic candidate, against Republican State Senator Scott Brown.

A number of political analysts have labeled this special election as a race-to-watch, to get a measure of the nation’s public mood. Back in the day, this is what presidential primaries were designed to do in the absence of good polling. Today polls have become more reliable, but different pollsters may perceive the electorate differently. And sometimes they still get things wrong. There is nothing like a good-old election to make things clearer.

If, as conservatives claim, Americans are moving back to the Republican column, then Ms. Coakley will win by less than expected for a Massachusetts Democrat. In the absolute worst case scenario, she may even lose altogether. On the other hand, if the election proves a cakewalk for Ms. Coakley – she defeats Mr. Brown by a comfortable margin – Democrats can breathe a sign of relief.

This race contains several complications, some favoring Democrats and some favoring Republicans.

More below.

In light of the recent quake-wrought devastation, we think it might be helpful to pull together a list of relief organizations and charitable groups working to aid the people of Haiti. Our hearts and thoughts go out to those who are suffering in this tumultuous atmosphere, and their friends and family in the US and around the world who are hoping and praying for the safety of their loved ones.  

If any corrections need to be made in the list below, please let us know in the comments. This is a hastily thrown-together list because we’d like to get the info out quickly. Thanks to all Moose who have submitted links and information. If you find anything else, please submit below.  

In light of the recent quake-wrought devastation, we think it might be helpful to pull together a list of relief organizations and charitable groups working to aid the people of Haiti. Our hearts and thoughts go out to those who are suffering in this tumultuous atmosphere, and their friends and family in the US and around the world who are hoping and praying for the safety of their loved ones.  

If any corrections need to be made in the list below, please let us know in the comments. This is a hastily thrown-together list because we’d like to get the info out quickly. Thanks to all Moose who have submitted links and information. If you find anything else, please submit below.  

Cross posted from Nourishing the Planet.

Soweto in Johannesburg, South Africa is most well known as the scene of massive protests and violence under Apartheid. Today, it is place of contradictions. While many of South Africa’s wealthiest citizens live there, it’s also a community plagued by poverty. Many of the residents live in shacks with tin roofs and don’t have running water or electricity. But like the residents of other cities in Africa, including Kibera, the largest slum in Nairobi (See Vertical Farms: Finding Creative Ways to Grow Food in Kibera and Farming on the Urban Fringe), the residents of Soweto are growing foods, including cabbage, kale, spinach, and other vegetables in their yards.

While Johannesburg doesn’t have an official policy supporting urban agriculture, the government in Cape Town, South Africa has invested $5 million rand ($671,670 USD) to help the city’s poorest residents grow vegetables and fruits and raise livestock.

Stay tuned for more on urban agriculture as I travel to other cities in sub-Saharan Africa.

There’s a reason Jon Stewart is the most trusted name in news. It’s not just because he rips on Republicans on a regular basis; rather, it’s because he points out failings and inconsistencies in both parties and amongst people all along the political spectrum. While I was disappointed that he didn’t stick it properly to John Yoo a couple of nights ago, he has done some stellar interviews that should make any halfway objective pundit or broadcaster proud. But despite his willingness to take down hypocrites and liars in both parties, it does often seem that his scathing satire more frequently targets Republicans — but not without reason.

As surely as facts have a liberal bias, hypocrisy has a conservative one. Let me be clear: This is not to say that Democrats (and truly, politicians in general) cannot be hypocrites. But when it comes to flagrant, vile, in-your-face, hysterical, mind-boggling hypocrisy, the Grand Old Party takes the cake. You know, the kind of hypocrisy that makes your head ache and pound near to the point of imminent explosion and your blood pressure skyrocket so quickly you get dizzy spells that rival those brought on by a strong, expensive dose of…