Crain's: How a federal default would hit Chicago and Illinois
A downgrade of the federal government's AAA credit rating "would likely lead ratings agencies to downgrade every state," an Illinois Office of Management and Budget spokeswoman said in a statement. "This action would add hundreds of millions of dollars in interest costs to bonds we sell in the future. Money we desperately need in our state to educate our students, ensure public safety and protect our seniors would now be used to pay interest costs..."
If there is some kind of default next week, the market reaction would no doubt be furious: Credit markets might quickly grind to a halt, much as they did after the bankruptcy of Lehman Bros. plunged the world into financial crisis three years ago, at least until Congress and the White House finally come to terms...
Bottom line, the market's behavior indicates that investors just don't believe Washington is stupid enough to let the government default and plunge the economy into full-tilt recession. At worst, they assume that an actual default would spur action without further delay.
The economic damage and political fallout "would be too much for even the Tea partiers to let that go on for too long," said Justin Hoogendoorn, fixed-income strategist in the Chicago office of BMO Capital Markets, a Bank of Montreal unit. "I don't think anybody in the bond market expects that to happen." (Based on what, exactly? - Ed.)
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Showing posts with label America: soon to be the most irrelevant far-flung backwater in the al Qaeda caliphate. Show all posts
Showing posts with label America: soon to be the most irrelevant far-flung backwater in the al Qaeda caliphate. Show all posts
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Friday, June 3, 2011
Literally unbelievable (cont'd)
Further evidence that the Soviets caved way too easily...
A few weeks ago representatives from a company called FireEye were in the GCN Lab demonstrating their product, which can protect networks from most phishing attacks. An engineer told me a story about a company he knew that would run phishing drills with their employees. They would tell everyone in the company that a phishing scam (created internally for just this purpose) would be delivered at noon the next day. They told them what the scam would attempt to get them to do and what the scam would look like. They told everyone to treat it like a real phishing scam, and to delete or ignore the e-mail. For extra points, they were told they could alert the tech staff about the attack, though this wasn’t required.
Sounds simple, right? According to the engineer telling the story, even with all those precautions, 60 percent of the people in the company still clicked on the e-mail the next day and about 30 percent entered their network passwords into the "hacker site." I can’t help but wonder how many of those same people must touch their red hot stove burner every day just to make sure it’s heating properly.
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A few weeks ago representatives from a company called FireEye were in the GCN Lab demonstrating their product, which can protect networks from most phishing attacks. An engineer told me a story about a company he knew that would run phishing drills with their employees. They would tell everyone in the company that a phishing scam (created internally for just this purpose) would be delivered at noon the next day. They told them what the scam would attempt to get them to do and what the scam would look like. They told everyone to treat it like a real phishing scam, and to delete or ignore the e-mail. For extra points, they were told they could alert the tech staff about the attack, though this wasn’t required.
Sounds simple, right? According to the engineer telling the story, even with all those precautions, 60 percent of the people in the company still clicked on the e-mail the next day and about 30 percent entered their network passwords into the "hacker site." I can’t help but wonder how many of those same people must touch their red hot stove burner every day just to make sure it’s heating properly.
~
Friday, December 17, 2010
If you believe a lie often enough, you're probably a Fox News viewer
Fox News makes you dumb (though if you're tuning in regularly, you were probably pretty dumb to begin with). And Fox News led the cable news ratings for 100 months in a row as of April 2010. And the skill most richly rewarded by our electoral system is the ability to raise YOOOOGE amounts of money to go on TV with commercials that are totally fullas#i+.
Those who watched Fox News almost daily were significantly more likely than those who never watched it to believe that:
~ most economists estimate the stimulus caused job losses (12 points more likely)
~ most economists have estimated the health care law will worsen the deficit (31 points)
~ the economy is getting worse (26 points)
~ most scientists do not agree that climate change is occurring (30 points)
~ the stimulus legislation did not include any tax cuts (14 points)
~ their own income taxes have gone up (14 points)
~ the auto bailout only occurred under Obama (13 points)
~ when TARP came up for a vote most Republicans opposed it (12 points)
~ and that it is not clear that Obama was born in the United States (31 points)
These effects increased incrementally with increasing levels of exposure and all were statistically significant. The effect was also not simply a function of partisan bias, as people who voted Democratic and watched Fox News were also more likely to have such misinformation than those who did not watch it--though by a lesser margin than those who voted Republican.
Those who watched Fox News almost daily were significantly more likely than those who never watched it to believe that:
~ most economists estimate the stimulus caused job losses (12 points more likely)
~ most economists have estimated the health care law will worsen the deficit (31 points)
~ the economy is getting worse (26 points)
~ most scientists do not agree that climate change is occurring (30 points)
~ the stimulus legislation did not include any tax cuts (14 points)
~ their own income taxes have gone up (14 points)
~ the auto bailout only occurred under Obama (13 points)
~ when TARP came up for a vote most Republicans opposed it (12 points)
~ and that it is not clear that Obama was born in the United States (31 points)
These effects increased incrementally with increasing levels of exposure and all were statistically significant. The effect was also not simply a function of partisan bias, as people who voted Democratic and watched Fox News were also more likely to have such misinformation than those who did not watch it--though by a lesser margin than those who voted Republican.
Monday, November 17, 2008
Friday, October 24, 2008
sorry K-Mad, ya gotta wait...
McDonald's to hold the Angus burger -- for a year
If you're waiting for McDonald's hefty new Angus burger, it appears you'll be waiting for at least another year -- and you can partly blame the economy for that. In March 2007, McDonald's began test-marketing its new Angus third-pound hamburger in Southern California and later in New York and Columbus, Ohio. This week, company executives told stock analysts that the Angus isn't likely to go national for at least a year, according to a research note Friday by Steve West, a stock analyst at Stifel Nicolaus. The company is pleased with the Angus' test market results, the report said.But McDonald's system is taxed enough with the recent introduction of Southern Style chicken sandwiches and breakfast biscuits, as well as the rollout of a big blitz into specialty coffee, a process that will go well into next year, West wrote.
Oh, and then there's that economy thing. "Management did not think it prudent to try and launch a premium burger at a $4 price point during a time when the U.S. consumer is under so much strain," West wrote.McDonald's could not be immediately reached for comment.
~
If you're waiting for McDonald's hefty new Angus burger, it appears you'll be waiting for at least another year -- and you can partly blame the economy for that. In March 2007, McDonald's began test-marketing its new Angus third-pound hamburger in Southern California and later in New York and Columbus, Ohio. This week, company executives told stock analysts that the Angus isn't likely to go national for at least a year, according to a research note Friday by Steve West, a stock analyst at Stifel Nicolaus. The company is pleased with the Angus' test market results, the report said.But McDonald's system is taxed enough with the recent introduction of Southern Style chicken sandwiches and breakfast biscuits, as well as the rollout of a big blitz into specialty coffee, a process that will go well into next year, West wrote.
Oh, and then there's that economy thing. "Management did not think it prudent to try and launch a premium burger at a $4 price point during a time when the U.S. consumer is under so much strain," West wrote.McDonald's could not be immediately reached for comment.
~
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
da tarrists: wid McCain
In a message on an al Qaeda website, terrorists wrote of continuing the war in Iraq, "This requires presence of an impetuous American leader such as McCain, who pledged to continue the war till the last American soldier," the message said. "Then, al-Qaida will have to support McCain in the coming elections so that he continues the failing march of his predecessor, Bush."
~
~
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
on perfecting the art of keeping people who have been foreclosed on and other undesirables away from the voting booth (cont'd)
Encouraging signs everywhere... but nobody has had the balls to establish a poll tax?
* In Colorado and New Mexico there are not enough voting booths or machines for Election Day.
* Students in Virginia are receiving probing questionnaires from voting officials falsely implying they don't have the right to vote there.
* In Ohio alone, more than 600,000 newly-registered voters are threatened with purging.
* There are reports of sometimes-illegal mass voter roll purges in Michigan, New Mexico, Florida, Georgia, Colorado and other states. Several states are even purging voter rolls of people who are "Bob" on driver's licenses and "Robert" on voter registration forms.
* Officials in Indiana are avoiding setting up polling places in areas of the state heavily populated by minorities.
* The Republican Party in Michigan planned to challenge the registrations of every voter whose home had been foreclosed on recently.
* ACORN, which has been held out as a bogeyman for voter fraud (though only 26 TOTAL cases of voter fraud were prosecuted nationwide from 2002 - 2005), has bad registration rates below the California Republican Party's and a lawsuit alleging fraud in 2004 was dismissed by a judge for lack of merit.
* And, of course, there are ongoing worries across the country about electronic voting machines.
* In Colorado and New Mexico there are not enough voting booths or machines for Election Day.
* Students in Virginia are receiving probing questionnaires from voting officials falsely implying they don't have the right to vote there.
* In Ohio alone, more than 600,000 newly-registered voters are threatened with purging.
* There are reports of sometimes-illegal mass voter roll purges in Michigan, New Mexico, Florida, Georgia, Colorado and other states. Several states are even purging voter rolls of people who are "Bob" on driver's licenses and "Robert" on voter registration forms.
* Officials in Indiana are avoiding setting up polling places in areas of the state heavily populated by minorities.
* The Republican Party in Michigan planned to challenge the registrations of every voter whose home had been foreclosed on recently.
* ACORN, which has been held out as a bogeyman for voter fraud (though only 26 TOTAL cases of voter fraud were prosecuted nationwide from 2002 - 2005), has bad registration rates below the California Republican Party's and a lawsuit alleging fraud in 2004 was dismissed by a judge for lack of merit.
* And, of course, there are ongoing worries across the country about electronic voting machines.
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Friday, September 12, 2008
Dis is nuttin 2 worry about...
Expulsions stoke US-Venezuela row
A series of tit-for-tat expulsions and sanctions leaves the US without ambassadors in Bolivia, Venezuela and Honduras.
A series of tit-for-tat expulsions and sanctions leaves the US without ambassadors in Bolivia, Venezuela and Honduras.
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Eh... who gives a s#i+...
[T]he routine acceptance of obvious lies now corrodes our politics as much as the money that was the subject of McCain’s famous act of Republican apostasy: McCain-Feingold campaign finance reform. McCain has described his motive for McCain-Feingold as a giant mea culpa for his involvement in the Keating Five scandal. Maybe when this is over, one way or another, McCain will swear off corrupt lying the way he has sworn off corrupt money...
[N]o one -- not the media, not the campaign professionals, not the voters -- cares enough about lying. To some extent, they even respect a well-told lie as evidence of professionalism. If a candidate complains too much about an opponent’s lies, he or she starts being regarded as a bad sport, a whiner. Stoic silence doesn’t work either. People start asking why you don’t “fight back.” Pretty soon, the victim of the lies starts getting blamed...
He says he’d rather lose the election than lose the war. But it seems he’d rather lose that honor he’s always going on about than lose the election
[N]o one -- not the media, not the campaign professionals, not the voters -- cares enough about lying. To some extent, they even respect a well-told lie as evidence of professionalism. If a candidate complains too much about an opponent’s lies, he or she starts being regarded as a bad sport, a whiner. Stoic silence doesn’t work either. People start asking why you don’t “fight back.” Pretty soon, the victim of the lies starts getting blamed...
He says he’d rather lose the election than lose the war. But it seems he’d rather lose that honor he’s always going on about than lose the election
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Be Very Afraid
Why rednecks may rule the world
The fact is that we American rednecks embrace the term in a sort of proud defiance.
Yes, just like black people embracing the term "nigga" is a sort of proud defiance.
white Southern Scots-Irish values - redneck values.
So the English are the aristocratic "uppity" ones then? (see below)
We come in one size: extra large
We fry things nobody ever considered friable - things like cupcakes, banana sandwiches and batter dipped artificial cheese…even pickles
Anyone think these two statements are related?
And most of all we are defiant and suspicious of authority, and people who are "uppity" (sophisticated) and "slick" (people who use words with more than three syllables). Two should be enough for anybody.
There's that uppity word again - will they ever learn?
We all understand that there is a political class which dominates in America, and that Sarah Palin for damned sure is not one of them. And the more she is attacked by liberal Democratic elements (translation: elite highly-educated big city people) the more America's working mooks will come to her defence. Her daughter had a baby out of wedlock? Big deal. What family has not? She is a Christian fundamentalist who believes God spat on his beefy paws and made the world in seven days? So do at least 150 million other Americans. She snowmobiles and fishes and she is a looker to boot. She's a redneck.
What they fail to understand is that once they vote in rednecks, they'll turn into those elites that they so hate. Except they aren't that smart. Those you vote in, that is. So you'll hate them, and they'll phokk things up to boot.
The fact is that we American rednecks embrace the term in a sort of proud defiance.
Yes, just like black people embracing the term "nigga" is a sort of proud defiance.
white Southern Scots-Irish values - redneck values.
So the English are the aristocratic "uppity" ones then? (see below)
We come in one size: extra large
We fry things nobody ever considered friable - things like cupcakes, banana sandwiches and batter dipped artificial cheese…even pickles
Anyone think these two statements are related?
And most of all we are defiant and suspicious of authority, and people who are "uppity" (sophisticated) and "slick" (people who use words with more than three syllables). Two should be enough for anybody.
There's that uppity word again - will they ever learn?
We all understand that there is a political class which dominates in America, and that Sarah Palin for damned sure is not one of them. And the more she is attacked by liberal Democratic elements (translation: elite highly-educated big city people) the more America's working mooks will come to her defence. Her daughter had a baby out of wedlock? Big deal. What family has not? She is a Christian fundamentalist who believes God spat on his beefy paws and made the world in seven days? So do at least 150 million other Americans. She snowmobiles and fishes and she is a looker to boot. She's a redneck.
What they fail to understand is that once they vote in rednecks, they'll turn into those elites that they so hate. Except they aren't that smart. Those you vote in, that is. So you'll hate them, and they'll phokk things up to boot.
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
That's So America (cont)
League bans 9-year-old pitcher because he's too good
NEW HAVEN, Conn. (AP) _ Nine-year-old Jericho Scott is a good baseball player — too good, it turns out.The right-hander has a fastball that tops out at about 40 mph. He throws so hard that the Youth Baseball League of New Haven told his coach that the boy could not pitch any more.
"He is a very skilled player, a very hard thrower," Noble said. "There are a lot of beginners. This is not a high-powered league. This is a developmental league whose main purpose is to promote the sport.
"Noble acknowledged that Jericho had not beaned any batters in the co-ed league of 8- to 10-year-olds, but say parents expressed safety concerns.
"Facing that kind of speed" is frightening for beginning players, Noble said.
NEW HAVEN, Conn. (AP) _ Nine-year-old Jericho Scott is a good baseball player — too good, it turns out.The right-hander has a fastball that tops out at about 40 mph. He throws so hard that the Youth Baseball League of New Haven told his coach that the boy could not pitch any more.
"He is a very skilled player, a very hard thrower," Noble said. "There are a lot of beginners. This is not a high-powered league. This is a developmental league whose main purpose is to promote the sport.
"Noble acknowledged that Jericho had not beaned any batters in the co-ed league of 8- to 10-year-olds, but say parents expressed safety concerns.
"Facing that kind of speed" is frightening for beginning players, Noble said.
Now, Fung remembers back in the day when he first started playing cricket. Or Rugby. Or any other damned sport. Everybody was bigger than me. Sometimes you played someone and that ball came whizzing thru way faster than the guys we played last week. Or they were so much bigger that they just crushed you. Now, did we quit? No! We strove to make ourselves better. We didn't go and ask them to take that guy out coz he bowled too fast or crushed the phokk out of the ball.
This is why everybody's just gonna blow by us. This is why we are in decline. This is why we need to move to New Zealand.
Friday, August 22, 2008
things that make you go HOLY PHOKKING S#I+ WE'RE SO PHOKKED (CONT'D)
I.O.U.S.&.A.
Unless a speeding sports car chases the Government Accountability Office over a cliff in this movie, I'm gonna guess nobody gives a s#i+.
Unless a speeding sports car chases the Government Accountability Office over a cliff in this movie, I'm gonna guess nobody gives a s#i+.
Thursday, August 7, 2008
while QT has our attention...
A Republic, If You Can Keep It:
A Canadian contestant on "Last Comic Standing" was told to avoid mentioning Canada because it might "confuse" American TV audiences.
A Canadian contestant on "Last Comic Standing" was told to avoid mentioning Canada because it might "confuse" American TV audiences.
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
WE SUCK!
The Olympics have started and the U S and A women's soccer team lost to Denmark, 2-0. In soccer, excuse me, football, parlance that's a blowout. Just pathetic.
Denmark? Not only are they the happiest country happy in the world, but they have the hottest women in the world (i was there for a day and just walked around wiff my tongue scrapping the ground), and now they're kicking our ass in "football." I want to be Danish. Plus, they taste good. Raspberry? Almond? Dat's good eatin'.
~
Monday, July 21, 2008
will it come with a free donut?
Trib buries news in redesign test
Crain's, July 21, 2008
The new face of the Chicago Tribune is taking shape, as staffers at the newspaper put the finishing touches on a prototype set for a test run in the next few weeks.
Crain's has learned that Tribune Co. will try out some dramatic changes in the 161-year-old broadsheet in a Saturday edition by early August. A version under consideration devotes the paper's front section to consumer-oriented and entertainment features. Local, national, international and business news is consolidated in the second section. Weather leads the third section, which also includes comics and classifieds, while the sports section is converted to a tabloid format.
It's not clear how many of these changes will make it into the final version of the prototype, which a spokesman calls a "work in progress." But aspects of the prototype that prove popular with readers are likely to find their way into a full-scale redesign of all editions of the paper, which Tribune expects to debut by September.
Crain's, July 21, 2008
The new face of the Chicago Tribune is taking shape, as staffers at the newspaper put the finishing touches on a prototype set for a test run in the next few weeks.
Crain's has learned that Tribune Co. will try out some dramatic changes in the 161-year-old broadsheet in a Saturday edition by early August. A version under consideration devotes the paper's front section to consumer-oriented and entertainment features. Local, national, international and business news is consolidated in the second section. Weather leads the third section, which also includes comics and classifieds, while the sports section is converted to a tabloid format.
It's not clear how many of these changes will make it into the final version of the prototype, which a spokesman calls a "work in progress." But aspects of the prototype that prove popular with readers are likely to find their way into a full-scale redesign of all editions of the paper, which Tribune expects to debut by September.
Friday, July 18, 2008
We see nothing
The Federal Defense of Marriage Act will prevent 2010 census takers from taking into account married gay couples and married gay families. Hmm. State law regulates marriage. Unfortunately, the Old Testament regulates Federal law, and Federal law can preempt state law. (It really doesn't on the topic of marriage, but what the heck - right?). Gay families who are legally married will be reclassified as unmarried. Gay families with biologically unrelated children will not be classified as families. Gay parents with biologically related children will be classified as single parent families.
*
Of course refusing to see reality is priceless. The report doesn't ask about sexuality, but for now all gay married couples will still be counted/viewed as either unmarried, outraging the right, single parents, outraging the right or worst of all two gay adults who happen to be living with some kids - who probably need to be removed. And because the census controls how money flows - the failure to recognize reality will have some kind of monetary effect.
*
I for one plan on refusing to report to the census my marital status. I may just refuse to respond to any question other than with a nasty letter. This is stupid beyond recognition. I figure the god of the Old Testament wouldn't recognize me being married anyway, what me constantly preaching heresy and blaspheming and everything, and ignoring probably the majority of the 10 Commandments. I'll have to look those up and figure that one out. I encourage others to do the same if you so choose (and to possibly entice other like minded individuals). It's not as hardcore as refusing to pay taxes, but I don't think they throw you in jail for it either. If I could switch to a civil union I would do it. God has nothing to do with my marriage.
Monday, July 14, 2008
didn't we invent the internets? (specifically, I believe it was Al Gore)
News item: Nations in Europe and Asia our “cleaning our clock” on broadband deployment, competition, speeds and prices...
Bud sold to the Miserable Fat Belgian Bastards!?!?!
What's next - apple pie and hot dogs sold to the Germans? Just pathetic...
Anheuser-Busch being sold to InBev for $52B
BRUSSELS, Belgium - The maker of the King of Beers has agreed to go to work for the Belgian brewer InBev SA.
Anheuser-Busch Cos. said early Monday it had agreed to a sweetened $52 billion takeover bid from InBev, creating the world's largest brewer and heading off what was shaping up as an acrimonious fight for the maker of Budweiser and Bud Light beers. Inbev brands include Stella Artois, Beck's and Bass.
The combined company will be called Anheuser-Busch InBev. As of the end of last week, InBev said it would be the world's third largest consumer products company by market capitalization after Procter & Gamble of the United States and Nestle SA of Switzerland.
~
Anheuser-Busch being sold to InBev for $52B
BRUSSELS, Belgium - The maker of the King of Beers has agreed to go to work for the Belgian brewer InBev SA.
Anheuser-Busch Cos. said early Monday it had agreed to a sweetened $52 billion takeover bid from InBev, creating the world's largest brewer and heading off what was shaping up as an acrimonious fight for the maker of Budweiser and Bud Light beers. Inbev brands include Stella Artois, Beck's and Bass.
The combined company will be called Anheuser-Busch InBev. As of the end of last week, InBev said it would be the world's third largest consumer products company by market capitalization after Procter & Gamble of the United States and Nestle SA of Switzerland.
~
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
At last, our dream of a Nation free of annoying, pointy-headed elitists is within our ham-fisted reach
America’s human capital is tested
A startling and profoundly important fact about the US economy has received surprisingly little attention. The educational quality of the country’s workers is starting to decline – not just relatively (because other countries are catching up and moving ahead) but also, for the first time, in absolute terms. Over the coming years, baby-boomers departing from the labour force will have better educational qualifications than the younger workers replacing them.
A startling and profoundly important fact about the US economy has received surprisingly little attention. The educational quality of the country’s workers is starting to decline – not just relatively (because other countries are catching up and moving ahead) but also, for the first time, in absolute terms. Over the coming years, baby-boomers departing from the labour force will have better educational qualifications than the younger workers replacing them.
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