Good morning Motley Meese! Hope your weekend was lovely. Mine could have been exhausting – 410 miles each way to take Mom back to Tennessee, but Kidlet drove all but one hour the whole trip. Payback for all my years as a chauffeur, I guess.
PLEASE Don’t Recommend the check-in diary! Fierces on the weather jar comment are still welcome. |
This week’s shot is from a couple of weeks ago in Catoctin, MD: a kookaburra…really does look like it’s laughing.
By: inoljt, http://mypolitikal.com/
The story of the 2012 French presidential election is quite interesting. Right-wing incumbent Nicholas Sarkozy entered the election deeply unpopular. Opinion polls consistently showed him losing by around 20%.
France’s presidential system has two rounds. In the first round, everybody can be a candidate. The top two winners of the first round move to a second round run-off.
As election day approached, Sarkozy’s deficit continually shrunk. Opinion polls just before the first round showed Sarkozy losing by low double-digits. As the campaign for the second round began, they showed him behind by high single-digits.
Sarkozy ended up losing by 3.2%. That’s a pretty steep drop-off from the polls that showed him behind by 20%.
More below.
I post a weekly diary of historical notes, arts & science items, foreign news (often receiving little notice in the US) and whimsical pieces from the outside world that I often feature in “Cheers & Jeers”. For example …..
DIRECT DESCENDANTS? – folksinger Woody Guthrie and TV star Luke Perry.
OK, you’ve been warned – here is this week’s tomfoolery material that I posted.
If, like me, you are of the 96 million Americans who rely on a not-for-profit credit union for fairly priced financial services, it’s not too late to make your voice heard. Finance Committee leaders are working on a proposal for a new U.S. tax code and Big Banks are asking them to pick the pockets of Credit Union members.
Banks pushing for repeal of credit unions’ federal tax exemption
The Big Banks have armies of lobbyists loaded with cash and they are pressuring Congress to revoke the income tax exemption for not-for-profit Credit Unions. The Big Banks don’t like the competition and they especially don’t like the market pressure that forces them to rein in fees.
Credit Unions have their members, their voices, and their stories. It’s time to use them.
Make sure you let your peeps
know where to find you!
PLEASE Do Not Recommend the check-in diary! Fierces on the Weather Critter Comment are |
From the White House – Weekly Address
President Obama tells the American people about his speech at Knox College on Wednesday, where he discussed the cornerstones of what it means to be middle class, including having a good job, a home that is your own, quality education, a secure retirement, and affordable health care.
Make sure you let your peeps
know where to find you!
PLEASE Do Not Recommend the check-in diary! Fierces on the Weather Critter Comment are |
“Elections Matter”.
I know … I know. Trite and overstated. But yesterday it struck me again just how much elections matter.
In June, the Supreme Court of the United States (also known as Ginni Thomas’ excellent stick with which to beat cash out of donors for partisan political activities), struck down Section 4 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. That section identified 11 states and sundry counties which Congress had decided must get permission before they changed any voting laws. Many of us were understandably upset by that and even more upset at the reasoning of the Chief Justice John Roberts that we are post-racial and that states setting up barriers to minority voting is so 1950s last year yesterday.
Interrogatories
It’s bagelfest. How would you like your bagel?
Night of the Hunter1 – Mitchum or DeNiro?
Name a food you are afraid to eat. Would you dare to try it today and report back here?
Do you like your siblings’ lovers and/or spouses? If no siblings, how about best friends?
What’s in your wallet?
1 Renzo and bubbanomics have pointed out that I am confusing Cape Fear and Night of the Hunter. Night of the Hunter was only remade as a TV movie starring Dr. Kildare. I am leaving it up because Night of the Hunter is so fracking amazing that all of you should see it.
The Twitter Emitter
Snowden to be released from Moscow airport, given one hour head start, and hunted by shirtless Putin on horseback.
— pourmecoffee (@pourmecoffee) July 24, 2013
New Fox News poll finds George Zimmerman is well positioned for the 2016 Republican primary pic.twitter.com/81RzF84U01
— Judd Legum (@JuddLegum) July 25, 2013
They say you'll find love in the unlikeliest places, but I've been in the Sahara for a week now and I'm not convinced. Also, SEND WATER!
— Sixth Form Poet (@sixthformpoet) July 25, 2013
One of the biggest problems in this country is that we've confused having an opinion with being knowledgable.
— Crutnacker (@Crutnacker) July 25, 2013
Stop the name-calling, you drug mules.
— David Waldman (@KagroX) July 25, 2013
As long as Republicans are urging everyone not to buy insurance, we might as well urge everyone not to buy banking, either.
— David Waldman (@KagroX) July 25, 2013
Some people hit rock bottom and start looking for a shovel.
— God (@TheTweetOfGod) July 25, 2013
Anthony Weiner publicly demands for John Edwards to stop sending him Thank-You Gifts.
— John Fugelsang (@JohnFugelsang) July 25, 2013
With the Voting Rights Act gone, Florida restarted their purge of possible non-citizen voters by eliminating all Latinos not named Rubio.
— Top Conservative Cat (@TeaPartyCat) July 25, 2013
With all of the Huma Abedin stories out there today, I am deeply disappointed that there is not one entitled: Oh, The Huma-nity!
— TBogg (@tbogg) July 25, 2013
Speaking of Moses, have you seen that guy's calves? 40 years in the desert!
— David Waldman (@KagroX) July 25, 2013
Be sure and let your Peeps know where you are.
No need to rec this diary. Just hum a few bars and I will know you liked it.