Friday Reads
Posted: August 5, 2011 Filed under: Democratic Politics, Foreign Affairs, income inequality, morning reads, Somalia, Syria | Tags: crippled nuclear plant, FAA furloughs end, Fukushima, Somalia Famine, Stock Market Plunge, Syria suppression of protestors, violence, warren jeffs guilty, Water on Mars 29 Comments
Good Morning!
At least there’s some good news this morning. Senator Harry Reid has found a deal to end FAA furloughs so that lots of people can return to work and those monies go to the government and not into the pockets of the airline industry.
Under a deal Reid made with House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio), the Senate will pass the House bill that includes cuts to rural flight service to airports in Nevada, West Virginia and Montana. But Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood will use his authority to waive the airports from the cuts, ending a 13-day impasse that left 4,000 FAA employees and about 70,000 construction employees out of work.
Reid said the deal did not solve the issues that led to the partial shutdown of the FAA, but he said those can be dealt with another day.
“I am pleased to announce that we have been able to broker a bipartisan compromise between the House and the Senate to put 74,000 transportation and construction workers back to work,” Reid said in a statement released by his office. “This agreement does not resolve the important differences that still remain. But I believe we should keep Americans working while Congress settles its differences, and this agreement will do exactly that.”
NASA’s funding may be on the chopping block, but the agency continues to do first class science. It has announced that it has found evidence of liquid water on Mars.
Pictures taken by the powerful HiRISE camera aboard the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) showed fingers of dark material running down rocky slopes facing the equator during spring and summer months. Scientists believe that this represents a significant sign that briny water is flowing on the surface of the red plant.
The dark stripes, approximately 0.5 yards wide and hundreds of yards long, appear during the warm months and then disappear again in cold months. The salty surface of Mars means that liquid water would be salty as well, making it less likely to freeze at the observed tempratures.
“These dark lineations are different from other types of features on Martian slopes,” MRO project scientist Richard Zurek said in a press advisory. “Repeated observations show they extend even farther downhill with time during the warm season.”
In my Monday Reads I mentioned the horrible famine taking place in Somalia. SOS Hillary Clinton has made an appeal to al-Shabaab to focus on feeding hungry people and letting world aid groups do their jobs.
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Thursday appealed to al-Shabaab militants in Somalia to give unfettered access to relief workers trying to aid thousands of people threatened by famine. Clinton said a high-level U.S. team will lead a fact-finding mission to neighboring Kenya to review relief efforts.
The United States lists al-Shabaab, which has ties to al-Qaida, as a terrorist organization and has actively helped Somalia’s U.N.-supported transitional government try to resist a takeover by the Islamic militants.
But in an unusual direct appeal to al-Shabaab, Clinton urged the group to drop what she said was its deliberate effort to block food deliveries in south-central Somalia and in parts of the capital, Mogadishu, under its direct or indirect control.
“It is particularly tragic that during the holy month of Ramadan, al-Shabaab are preventing assistance to the most vulnerable populations in Somalia – namely children, including infants, and girls and women who are attempting to bring themselves and those children to safety and the potential of being fed before more deaths occur,” said Clinton. “I call on al-Shabaab to allow assistance to be delivered in an absolutely unfettered way throughout the area that they currently control.”
Al-Shabaab, which dominates the southern part of Somalia, maintains there is no famine and has barred the entry of aid groups other than the International Committee of the Red Cross.
Creepy old polygamist leader–Warren Jeffs– has been convicted of child sex abuse despite his self representation in criminal court. He mostly hid under the mantle of The Book of Mormon and his right to practice his religion as he saw fit.
Warren Jeffs, leader of the Fundamentalist Latter Day Saints, has been convicted on child sexual assault charges.
His case stems from his relationship with two young followers he took as brides in what the FLDS church calls “spiritual marriages.”
Jeffs has acted as his own attorney during the trial after firing his attorneys on July 28.
In 2008, authorities raided the YFZ ranch near Eldorado, and seized about 400 children.
Jeffs faces up to life in prison.
A forensic analyst testified that Jeffs was an almost certain DNA match to the child of a 15-year-old mother.
Jeffs also was accused of assaulting a 12-year-old girl.
At least 2000 Syrians that oppose the dictator there have been killed. The latest slaughter–which is taking place during the Islamic holiday of Ramadan–includes tanks in Hama. SOS Hillary Clinton has said the current government of Syria has lost all legitimacy.
“The sound of tank shelling and their heavy machineguns echoed in Hama all day. We fear many more martyrs. Most people in my neighborhood have fled,” said one resident in Sabounia district, a small business owner who did not want to be named.
“The shabbiha (militiamen loyal to Assad) are cleaning the streets near the university campus to stage a pro-Assad march tomorrow as if nothing is happening in Hama,” he told Reuters by satellite phone.
Electricity and communications have been cut off and as many as 130 people have been killed in a five-day military assault since Assad, from Syria’s minority Alawite sect, sent troops into the city on Sunday, residents and activists said.
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Washington believed Assad’s forces were responsible for the deaths of more than 2,000 Syrians in their attacks on peaceful protesters during the five-month uprising.
Clinton repeated that the United States believed Assad had lost legitimacy in Syria and said Washington and its allies were working on strategies to apply more pressure beyond new sanctions announced earlier on Thursday.
Meanwhile, happy times are here again if you’re stinking, filthy rich.
Nordstrom has a waiting list for a Chanel sequined tweed coat with a $9,010 price. Neiman Marcus has sold out in almost every size of Christian Louboutin “Bianca” platform pumps, at $775 a pair. Mercedes-Benz said it sold more cars last month in the United States than it had in any July in five years.
Even with the economy in a funk and many Americans pulling back on spending, the rich are again buying designer clothing, luxury cars and about anything that catches their fancy. Luxury goods stores, which fared much worse than other retailers in the recession, are more than recovering — they are zooming. Many high-end businesses are even able to mark up, rather than discount, items to attract customers who equate quality with price.
“If a designer shoe goes up from $800 to $860, who notices?” said Arnold Aronson, managing director of retail strategies at the consulting firm Kurt Salmon, and the former chairman and chief executive of Saks.
The rich do not spend quite as they did in the free-wheeling period before the recession, but they are closer to that level.
The luxury category has posted 10 consecutive months of sales increases compared with the year earlier, even as overall consumer spending on categories like furniture and electronics has been tepid, according to the research service MasterCard Advisors SpendingPulse. In July, the luxury segment had an 11.6 percent increase, the biggest monthly gain in more than a year.
I’d say that trend might end given that equities markets are crashing and crashing extraordinarily big time. Yesterday was the worst day for the market since 2008. That’s what happens when the confidence fairy runs off with the high priest of voodoo economics. Poof! Don’t say I didn’t tell you to bail a few months ago!
Stocks plunged Thursday in their single worst day since the 2008 financial crisis.
The Dow tumbled 512 points — its ninth deepest point drop ever — as fear about the global economy spooked investors.
“The conventional wisdom on Wall Street was that the economy was growing — that the worst was behind us,” said Peter Schiff, president of Euro Pacific Capital. “Now what people are realizing is the stimulus didn’t work, and we may be headed back to recession.”
Also, don’t tell me I didn’t tell you that the stimulus wasn’t going to be enough to jump start the economy either. I think we all saw it. Too bad they never listen to us? Hmmmm? So, I’ll continue to watch this.
The disaster at Fukushima nuclear power plant continues. Radiation levels inside the crippled was said to be at levels that went beyond measurement capabilities. Folks, this is so scary. I can’t imagine the bravery of the workers trying to deal with this. It sounds like going near the place is a death sentence.
Radiation dosages of 5 sieverts per hour were detected indoors on the second floor of the No. 1 reactor at the crisis-hit Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant on Tuesday, the highest figure yet indoors, plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Co. said.
The figure was detected in front of a pipe in an air-conditioning machine room, the utility said, adding the dosage may be larger than the measured amount as it exceeds the capacity of measuring equipment.
Radioactive substances are considered to be staying in the pipe after they entered there when pressure in the reactor’s containment vessel was lowered on March 12, according to Tokyo Electric known as TEPCO.
The company has made the area off-limits.
TEPCO also said radiation doses of more than 10 sieverts, or 10,000 millisieverts, per hour were detected outdoors again Tuesday at the plant.
If exposed to such a high-level dosage of radiation in a short period of time, almost all people exposed would die, radiation experts said.
On Monday, Tokyo Electric said radiation doses of as high as 10 sieverts per hour were detected outside the buildings for the No. 1 and No. 2 reactors.
What’s on your reading and blogging list today?
peej
Carissa
bostonboomer
dakinikat
ecocatwoman
grayslady
mablue2
NW Luna
peggysue22
quixote
skydancingguestblogger
Mona (aka Wonk the Vote)
Sky Dancing 
Great roundup, Dak. I’m psyched that there is liquid water on Mars! That is so cool. Too bad Obama trashed the space program, but maybe some other country will find a way to go to Mars some day.
Edvard M at Man Are We Screwed wrote up the Times “Rich” piece and it got me down. And feeling a little bit dirty.
But Edvard there also linked to 14 Funny and Not So Funny Rich vs Poor Statistics here
http://theeconomiccollapseblog.com/archives/rich-vs-poor-14-funny-statistics-and-14-not-so-funny-statistics-about-this-economic-recovery
great round up!Thanks!
I remember Bush 2 announced a mission to Mars as well…but the top .99999% is simply taking the money from the treasury directly now …none of this giving money to those that manufactures something like the aerospace industy to filter though ..Folks, they aren’t trickling down to the likes of aerospace…what chance have we got?
I think Hill would have gotten farther if she said to the al-Shabaab militants , ” The world is laughing at your growing piles of dead women and children during holy month” rather than appealing to their humanity…if they had much , the situation would not have gotten this bad…really pay them to stop stealing the aid and then promise to pay them again if it’s actully delivered is perhaps the way to get it there
Nordstrom has a waiting list for a Chanel sequined tweed coat with a $9,010 price. .
jesus…9 thouand to look like Liberace? No wonder this class thinks everything is fine
about Japan.. the world has a cancer growth…and why is the compamy still in chagre there??
Included the closing, a must read article:
Kudos to the jury that found that paedophile Jeffs guilty. He’s a sick twisted pervert.
Great roundup. I cannot believe that people would still work at Fukishma after what happened at Chernobyl. The sickness, cancers…..it’s amazing that there are still people who are brave enough to try to stop the depredation.
What is the ultra 1800 century Warren Jeffs Mormon Prophet of Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (FLDS Church) saying now…no more heavenly messages. To bad they other children weren’t able to testify as this guy needs to be locked away permanently.
What a sicko, he preyed upon all the children, female, male and one supposedly committed suicide (I think they should thoroughly investigate this) and I hope Warren Jeffs is never let loose to abuse children again.
I have never, and will never understand what makes men like Jeffs so attractive to religious cults. He, in my estimation, is a truly evil person. He’s a pervert, yet his cult protected him for years. What is wrong with people that they would protect a pervert who preyed on their children? When my children were young, they were beautiful – and I’m not bragging although all young children are beautiful. Anyway, I went through a period where I had nightmares every night of someone abusing them – flashes from the past of my own abuse. I decided at that time that I would kill anyone who harmed one of my children. The nightmares stopped. I don’t think I’m unusual, although as a very liberal person murder is not my usual way of dealing with problems, and I’m doubtful that I would have killed someone like Jeffs, but I do wonder about all those parents who “donated” their children to Jeffs’ perversion.
The story of Ricky comes to mind, who was abused suffered along with many other children then killed someone and himself. Many of the children said he never recovered from the abuse and that his mother til this day continues with the cult.
Maybe the parents can be charged and Jeffs required to testify to take the ‘prophet’ illusion away from him…he is a very sick man.
HT,
One thing that is good, in a sense is the silence broken by child abuse victims, as the silence only serves the abusers to continue on. We must support the children and I am glad the that this man Warren Jeffs was finally stopped.
dow down 212 points.but oil also down 85
I don’t know if any of you have followed the Danziger Bridge killings and shootings that occurred right after Katrina here in NOLA, but the verdicts are coming in and they’re coming in as guilty.
All four guilty unanimously on count 1…. that’s the death of the unarmed man that was mentally disabled.
guilty verdicts come in for the cover ups too. Also, violating civil rights. WOW. just WOW.
Wow, that is big.
I hope this goes a long way in weeding out the vast amount of corruption and misbehavior that characterizes a lot of the NOPD. I speak from experience as one who has had their civil rights violated repeatedly by them two years ago and is still seeking some form of justice.
I hope so too, but it is very difficult to create change when that culture of corruption has become such a part of the system. It is like prejudice within families, in that the hate they feel towards anyone different becomes a normal, unquestioned response. There is a disconnect between what some people will see as wrong, and these people who find the hate (or in the LOPD the corruption) absolutely normal behavior.
justice finally
Here’s some fun news:
Rick Perry got a D in Principles of Economics.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/08/05/rick-perry-college-transcript_n_919357.html?1312559872
That explains a lot, doesn’t it?
#SOMALIA At least 10 people died after gunmen attacked a #refugee camp in #Mogadishu to take food aid. http://ow.ly/5W4P0
This is like a repeat of other places — Haiti for example Big strong well fed males storm in and grab food being given to starving women and children.
Or perhaps one of the old European traditions where the males eat first and whatever they leave behind is given to the women and children? (This happened to my sister-in-law when she visited her husband’s family in Denmark. oh in the late 20th century.)
Thank you for this roundup. My heart goes out to Japan — I hope they are able to avert further disaster, but it does not sound good. I wonder how much radiation is hitting the population — there and elsewhere. I understand that bird mortality shot up a great deal after Chernobyl.
djmm
The S&P just closed below 1200. Another technical floor gone. NASDQ is close to its and the DJ already plunged through the 12,000 technical level.
my oh my … dear oh dear … where will the Won run and hide now?
USPS posts $3.1 billion loss in Q3, warns of default http://is.gd/CPdvyT
Per CNBC US government is preparing for imminent S&P downgrade
Yup, I saw that…and posted a link over on the comments in the new thread.
BREAKING: CNN’s John King reports S+P notified the U.S. it was downgrading the gov’s credit rating, BUT reconsidered after WH challenged.
From FT:
OK I have some news that has been ignored — Dennis Kucinich. I don’t like him because of his long history of anti-choice votes — he consistently voted with the enemy on women’s issues. Suddenly he undergoes a radical change when he runs for Prez. On some issues he may be progressive or even liberal but he is still part of the “known penis” club.
Anyway — he’s been visiting Washington way too often. Jay Inslee a congressional Representative represents parts of western Washington is retiring to run for Governor. It seems that OHIO Representative Kucinich wants to be a carpet bagger and run for Inslee seat.
Sorry but I don’t want a Catholic chauvinist pig representing any part of Washington.
He is an opportunistic jerk. He doesn’t know Washington and he sure as hell doesn’t understand the politics or the district he wants to carpet bag. He probably can’t even pronounce most of the city and town names in the district. JERK!
Replying late but… I’m in Inslee’s district and I don’t think Kucinich will do well here, even if he does come and carpet bag. Maybe another district in Seattle proper. It’s not liberal enough here in district 1. I hate that, but not because I want Kucinich here.
My comment is in moderation — I’ve used one of my new favorite comments about the patriarchy — “known p$nis club”.