[Explanations: lol your fat. pathetic anger bread. hey your gay.]
TFIF, Shakers!
Belly up to the bar,
and name your poison!
The Virtual Pub Is Open
[Explanations: lol your fat. pathetic anger bread. hey your gay.]
TFIF, Shakers!
Belly up to the bar,
and name your poison!
100 Years
[Trigger warning: The links contain graphic descriptions and photographs]
In case you were unaware, today marks the 100th anniversary of the Triangle Shirtwaist fire. One hundred forty-six people, mostly young immigrant women, perished in the fire. Unsafe working conditions were the primary factors responsible for both the fire and the loss of life. (On NPR this afternoon, a historian commented that managers locked one of two exit doors towards the end of shifts, in order to make it easier to search the women for stolen material when they left the sweatshop to return to the tenements).
Cornell's Center for Labor-Management Documentation & Archives hosts the world's most comprehensive collection of resources related to the tragedy.
As an aside, I was on the Lower East Side of New York (city and state) last weekend. I just happened across the building in question. That building, along with most of the buildings in that part of Manhattan, was absolutely gorgeous. I'm sure the realities of early 20th century America sullied that beautiful picture, to say the least. However, my point is that it's best to remember that oppression isn't just something that happens in isolated places-- it's also a fixture in places that make a great setting for $5 lattes [ETA: Also, amazing bagels and lox NOM NOM NOM.]
Daily Dose of Cute
Wow, it's cold outside. Time to do the laundry dance!
(Video description: A little rat terrier in a coat and booties alternates sticking her snoot and butt up to a warm laundry vent.)
An Ingenious Suggestion
by Shaker GoldFishy, who, with his partner The Captain and their adorable dog Cooper, resides in the great state of Minnesota.
So, in the last Minnesota state elections, Tim Pawlenty left the Governor's office (we aren't sure what he's gonna do next, right?) and was replaced by progressive Dem Mark Dayton. At the same time, control of both houses of the legislature flipped to the GOP. (Just our luck, huh?)
Before the election, the budget battles meant the executive branch blocking tax increases and cutting funding to crucial programs while the legislature pushed for the opposite. Now the tables have turned, and the governor is dealing with a legislature that wants to slash as much as possible, despite the effects on the state's most vulnerable citizens.
Recently, the legislature proposed a ridonkulous cut to the state's Health and Human Services Budget. The cuts are poorly detailed and would undoubtedly lead to massively destructive results for the elderly, people with disabilities, and the financially disadvantaged.
So, DFL-er Tina Liebling—who was my rep before we moved out of town last year and is an OUTSTANDING progressive legislator that does her best to call out her "friends across the aisle" in a no-nonsense yet light-hearted way—submitted an amendment to counter the proposed cut:
The commissioner of human services shall purchase a Mega Millions lottery ticket, using existing resources. The commissioner of management and budget shall book a savings of $304,00000,000 from implementation of this section.She then released a statement explaining, "Purchasing a Mega Millions lottery ticket is just as reliable as the budget proposals put forth by the Republicans. It's a nice dream but you can't take it to the bank."
Even though the situation TOTALLY stinks, because Minnesota is just another state with huge budget issues and a political deadlock that is hurting our citizens, that is hilarious.
This Sounds Like a Bad Thing, But I Bet It's a Good Thing
Bob Herbert to Leave the New York Times:
Bob Herbert, a columnist for The New York Times Op-Ed page, is leaving the paper after nearly 20 years. ...In a message accompanying the announcement, Mr. Herbert, who is 66, said he was eager to move on to a new form of writing.When the Times announced its new paywall structure, I tweeted that I'd happily pay by writer, so I could keep reading Bob Herbert. Instead, I'll just follow him wherever he goes.
"The deadlines and demands were a useful discipline, but for some time now I have grown eager to move beyond the constriction of the column format, with its rigid 800-word limit, in favor of broader and more versatile efforts," he said. "So I am leaving The New York Times and the rewards and rigors of daily journalism with the intent of writing more expansively and more aggressively about the injustices visited on working people, the poor and the many others in our society who find themselves on the wrong side of power."
Andrew Rosenthal, editor of The Times opinion pages, said in the memo that he accepted Mr. Herbert's resignation with "great regret."
"He was often called 'the conscience of The Times,'" Mr. Rosenthal wrote. "We will miss him and wish him the best in his new endeavors."
(Which, apparently, is a "soon-to-be-announced effort to help bolster progressive journalism." Tantalizing!)
There are a lot of people in the world whom I admire, in whole or in parts, but I don't have heroes. It seems such an unfair thing, to call someone a hero, to put someone on a pedestal and lionize them to the virtual point of dehumanization; such a terrible way to recognize the rarity of a person whose work and principles and decency are so abundant and meaningful that I aspire to follow their lead.
Instead of heroes, I have people, flawed people, who I respect, whose humanity I acknowledge as a fundamental part of what it is that makes them admirable in the first place.
After all, they live in the same shitty world that we all do, and have the same human foibles, but manage to be kind and wise despite the cultural cacophony of disincentives to be either.
To call someone a hero, it seems to me, steals them of the hard work they do to be good and replaces it with a distancing exceptionalism, which is really just a way of excusing ourselves from achieving the same goodness. So I don't have heroes.
But if I did, Bob Herbert would be on that list.
Open Thread & News Round-Up: Japan Reactor News
There are some new concerns about the state of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant today. As before, good information is difficult to come by, but below are links to some of what I've been reading this afternoon; please feel welcome and encouraged to leave additional links in comments.
The Guardian—Japanese nuclear officials fear crack in reactor core: "Nuclear safety officials in Japan fear the core of a reactor at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant may have cracked, causing a leak of high levels of radiation. ... Nuclear officials say the leak may have come from pipes or the reactor's pool for storing spent fuel rods, which workers have been struggling to cool off since the plant was badly damaged in the 11 March earthquake and tsunami."
Reuters—Radiation fears mount again in Japan after plant workers hurt: "Radiation fears escalated in Japan on Friday after workers suffered burns as they tried to cool an earthquake-crippled nuclear power station. ... Three workers trying to cool one of the most critical reactors at the plant were exposed to radiation levels 10,000 times higher than normal, raising the possibility of a leak of radioactive material through a crack in the core's container."
CNN—Japan reactor core may be leaking radioactive material, official says:
Contaminated water likely seeped through the containment vessel protecting the reactor's core, said Hidehiko Nishiyama of the Japan Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency.New York Times—Japan Encourages a Wider Evacuation From Reactor Area: "The authorities said that they would now assist people who want to leave the area from 12 to 19 miles outside the plant and that they were now encouraging 'voluntary evacuation' from the area. Those people had been advised March 15 to remain indoors, while those within a 12-mile radius of the plant had been ordered to evacuate."
Three employees working near the No. 3 reactor Thursday stepped into water that had 10,000 times the amount of radiation typical for a nuclear plant, Nishiyama said. An analysis of the contamination suggests "some sort of leakage" from the reactor core, signaling a possible break of the containment vessel that houses the core, he said.
The workers have been hospitalized and work inside the reactor building has been halted, according to the agency.
Work inside two other reactor buildings also had to stop and workers had to be pulled back Friday after the discovery of high levels of radiation in water at those locations, a Tokyo Electric Power Company official said Saturday. Water is still being pumped into the containment vessels, the utility official said.
AP—Humanitarian crisis continues: "Officials are also grappling with a humanitarian crisis, with much of the frigid northeast still a scene of despair and devastation as Japan struggles to feed and house hundreds of thousands of homeless survivors, clear away debris and bury the dead. Police said the official death toll jumped past 10,000 on Friday. With the cleanup and recovery operations continuing and more than 17,400 listed as missing, the final number of dead was expected to surpass 18,000."
Note all the qualifiers: Officials fear. Officials think. Officials think it's likely. Maybe this. Perhaps that.
There are so many unknowns. I feel so much compassion for the people of Japan, especially those in the most effected areas in the northeast, who are dealing with devastation on an indescribable level, and simultaneously facing this huge question mark regarding the reactor.
I also feel very helpless. Because I cannot think what else to do, I will suggest again that we support Doctors Without Borders, whose medical teams are on the ground in Japan and who are supporting a team of psychologists to help survivors process emotional trauma, too. Other ideas for teaspooning are welcome, as always.
Well, Well, Well
Canada, you cheeky devils!
It's official — the government has fallen from power, clearing the way for a spring election.Damn!
The opposition Liberals, NDP and Bloc Québécois came together Friday afternoon in a historic vote to say they no longer have confidence in the Conservative government.
Former Conservative — now Independent — MP Helena Guergis and independent MP André Arthur both voted against the Liberal motion. Liberal MP Keith Martin, who is not seeking re-election, was not in the House for the vote.
After the vote, Speaker Peter Milliken addressed Stephen Harper as a member of Parliament rather than as prime minister when Harper rose to move the House adjourn.
This is apparently only the sixth non-confidence vote in Canada's history.
Quote of the Day
[Trigger warning for homophobia and harassment.]
"Gee, now he knows how pretty much every woman in the world has felt at some point having to put up with unwanted advances from straight men. Poor baby."—Michael Jensen, editor of AfterElton.com, bringing the LOLs while writing about Bioware's great response to a homophobic straight dude's complaint about getting hit on by other men in Dragon Age II, in which characters are allowed to flirt with each other irrespective of gender.
And, ya know, as an aside, getting casually flirted with by men who take the hint when you register disinterest isn't a huge complaint of most female gamers. It's the guys who don't understand the difference between "flirting" and "harassment." And harassment is not even what Complainy Gamer was complaining about: "It makes things very awkward when your male companions keep making passes at you. The fact that a 'No Homosexuality' option, which could have been easily implemented, is omitted just proves my point."
Oh, Complainy Gamer. What color is the sky in your bubble of privilege?
[H/T to Shaker Siobhan.]
Number of the Day
15. The number of minutes famously always-late Elizabeth Taylor was late to her own funeral, by request.
Awesome. Totally awesome.
Two-Minute Nostalgia Sublime
Tina Turner, "Proud Mary," Live 2009
A few months ago, this concert was broadcast on Palladia, and I was watching it because Tina Turner. And during this number, I couldn't stop marveling at how her back-up dancers look like they are just having the absolute time of their fucking lives. You can just tell that they feel powerful, because they're not being treated like empty objectified bodies but as strong and amazing women, as Tina's Goddamned Crew.
Tina Turner is a woman who loves women, and I love her for it.
Conservative Collusion
[Trigger warning for violence.]
Whoooooooooooooops:
An Indiana deputy prosecutor and Republican activist resigned Thursday after the Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism uncovered an email to Gov. Scott Walker in which he suggested a fake attack on the governor to discredit union protesters.Lam originally denied sending the email and then came clean, apparently when he remembered IP addresses exist or whatever.
Carlos F. Lam submitted his resignation shortly before the Center published a story quoting his Feb. 19 email, which praised Walker for standing up to unions but went on to say that the chaos in Wisconsin presented "a good opportunity for what's called a 'false flag' operation."
"If you could employ an associate who pretends to be sympathetic to the unions' cause to physically attack you (or even use a firearm against you), you could discredit the unions," the email said.
"Currently, the media is painting the union protest as a democratic uprising and failing to mention the role of the DNC and umbrella union organizations in the protest. Employing a false flag operation would assist in undercutting any support that the media may be creating in favor of the unions. God bless, Carlos F. Lam."
Once again, I'll note this is a fine example of conservative projection. Conservatives are constantly suggesting that liberals engage in ratfucking, shit-stirring, false reporting of invented threats, etc. but whether it's the White House Plumbers or the Brooks Brothers Brigade or the corporate-funded "grassroots" Tea Party movement or dipshits like Carlos Lam, conservatives are the ones who love to infiltrate, invent shit, play dirty tricks, and generally do the bullshit they routinely accuse liberals of doing.
Perhaps nothing underscores the void of decency among movement conservatives more than this: They're so fucking jealous (!!!) that progressives can claim a heinous event like the shooting of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords on our "score cards" that they want to fucking invent one of their own.
Movement conservatives—the ones invested in getting desperate people to vote against their own interests—are just a bunch of obstructionist Social Darwinists for whom politics is nothing but a game, who treat voting records like scorecards and sneer at people who passionately care, admonishing them to get a life because they cannot contemplate an existence in which their policies really matter, beyond a balance sheet.
They have nothing to offer this nation, in its time of need. They are more than useless. They are destructive.
Good riddance, Mr. Lam.
[H/T to Shaker Mod Aphra_Behn.]
Wow
GE's Strategies Let It Avoid Taxes Altogether:
General Electric, the nation's largest corporation, had a very good year in 2010.And when the US workforce isn't well-compensated enough and/or widely employed enough to generate enough tax revenue to keep this nation afloat, GE will just pick up and exploit the workforce in a healthier economy for all its worth, and so on and so on.
The company reported worldwide profits of $14.2 billion, and said $5.1 billion of the total came from its operations in the United States.
Its American tax bill? None. In fact, G.E. claimed a tax benefit of $3.2 billion.
Until there's a country smart enough not to let corporations own its government, anyway.
Texting! With Liss and Deeky!
Liss: What the FUCK is THIS?! [Link leads to a trailer, which begins to play instantly, for the upcoming Jim Carrey garbage film Mr. Popper's Penguins.]
Deeky: Didn't anyone tell you? You're dead. You've died and gone to hell. Whoops!
LOL FOREVER
Image Description: A tweet by Speaker John Boehner (R-Eprobate) reading: "ObamaCare's Disastrous Impact on Women's Healthcare."
So much LOL.
Look, it's not like I don't have my own criticisms to make about the healthcare legislation and its impact on women's healthcare, but: 1. I'm using actual facts; and 2. FUCK YOU, JOHN BOEHNER.
Shameless hypocrite.
Daily Dose of Cute
Tilsy looks deceptively thoughtful, but it's really just
a series of clicks and buzzing in there.
Mmm. Cake.
[Trigger warning for eliminationism.]
As Melissa said yesterday, Republicans are hell-bent on obliterating unions and erasing the entire working class. And a really great way to erase a class of people is to take their food away.
Thinking about going on strike for better working conditions, better pay or benefits? You just might want to think again.... a group of House Republicans is launching a new stealth attack against union workers. GOP Reps. Jim Jordan (OH), Tim Scott (SC), Scott Garrett (NJ), Dan Burton (IN), and Louie Gohmert (TX) have introduced H.R. 1135, which states that it is designed to “provide information on total spending on means-tested welfare programs, to provide additional work requirements, and to provide an overall spending limit on means-tested welfare programs.”
Much of the bill is based upon verifying that those who receive food stamps benefits are meeting the federal requirements for doing so. However, one section buried deep within the bill adds a startling new requirement. The bill, if passed, would actually cut off all food stamp benefits to any family where one adult member is engaging in a strike against an employer.
But hey, Republican policies aren't evil.
The bill also includes a provision that would exempt households from losing eligibility, “if the household was eligible immediately prior to such strike, however, such family unit shall not receive an increased allotment as the result of a decrease in the income of the striking member or members of the household.”How magnanimous.
Photo of the Day
Pictured above are the stomach contents of a juvenile sea turtle accidentally captured off the coast of Argentina.Via Wired, who credits the image to Victoria González Carman. [H/T to Andy.]
...About 0.25 percent of all plastic ends up in the ocean. That might not sound like much, but humanity produces about 260 million tons of plastic a year. Tiny fractions add up fast. Oceanic plastic is pulled into the center of rotating currents, or gyres, where it doesn’t degrade, but breaks into smaller and smaller pieces. Some pieces end up in plankton and algae, or drift to the ocean floor. Others are mistaken for food by turtles.
The phenomenon is described in a new research review (pdf) published by the Global Sea Turtle Network and spotlighted by the fifth International Marine Debris Conference, now ongoing in Honolulu, Hawaii.
One anecdote in the article, written by biologists Wallace Nichols of the California Academy of Science and the University of British Columbia’s Colette Wabnitz, stands out. "Relief of gastrointestinal obstruction of a green turtle off Melbourne beach, Florida, resulted in the animal defecating 74 foreign objects over a period of a month, including four types of latex balloons, different types of hard plastic, a piece of carpet-like material, and two 2- to 4-mm tar balls," they wrote.
Related Reading: So much plastic and so hard to avoid using it: "In 1960, the average American consumed roughly 30 pounds of plastic a year. Now it's up to 300, [author Susan Freinkel] found."
