Chocolate Chip Mint: Keeping it weird in Portland
"PDX Carpet Has Last Hoorah As Starlight Parade Grand Marshal
"As part of what seems to be the longest goodbye to flooring ever, the Portland Rose Festival named the Portland International Airport carpet grand marshal of the 2015 Starlight Parade in late May."
Common Core's cyber spies - Stephanie Simon - POLITICO
"The web patrol team works for Caveon, a test security company charged with protecting the integrity of new Common Core exams developed by the publishing giant Pearson. To that end, they’re monitoring social media for any leaks about test questions. News of the surveillance broke this week, sparking a firestorm."
Me, I say let ‘em cheat. USA!
Unleashed: America Must Pummel ISIS | The National Interest
"One suspects that President Obama, his core supporters, and many of his inner circle find this fierce and unexpected response from the U.S. public toward ISIS rather terrifying. Isn't this the sort of characteristically American, 'cowboy' foreign policy reaction Obama was elected to suppress?"
Petraeus Puts the Icing on Bibis Iran Cake
“Don’t just rely on Benjamin Netanyahu’s passionate advice to Congress on his way to reelection that Iran is our arch enemy. Now we have the counsel of retired general David Petraeus…"
Warp-speed rehabilitation, that.
The bad news is, because it’s covered up by new, white snow. And it’s still snowing. Or snowing again, which is just about the same thing.
We’re supposed to get into the low 40s by this afternoon, which means the new snow will melt (most of it) and freeze into ice tonight. So all the ice we just got rid of is coming back.
We wait all this time for Spring and we get this?
Who had the worst week in Washington? Rep. Aaron Schock. - The Washington Post
"And he was getting uncomfortable questions about billing the government for 170,000 miles on his private car between 2010 and 2014 — despite the fact that when he sold the car, it had only 80,000 miles on the odometer."
Lawmakers Trample On 4th Graders' Bill As They Watch From The Gallery | Crooks and Liars
"What is the matter with these jerks?"
David Petraeus: Iran more of a threat than ISIL - Nick Gass - POLITICO
"‘In fact, I would argue that the foremost threat to Iraq’s long-term stability and the broader regional equilibrium is not the Islamic State; rather, it is Shiite militias, many backed by — and some guided by — Iran,’ Petraeus said in written comments to The Washington Post’s Beirut bureau chief, Liz Sly."
Why are there so many people who never go away? Ever.
And, in other news…
EPIC - Most U.S. Voters Want "Right to Be Forgotten"
Who said irony is dead?
Why Libertarians Hate Rand Paul - The Daily Beast
"‘It sounds reasonable [to compromise] in order to win,’ said Jason Weinman, the party’s outreach director. ‘But if you’re compromising and then you’re going to lose anyway, why are you compromising to begin with?'"
The Case for Covering Biden - Jack Shafer - POLITICO Magazine
"No matter what the odds are of a Clinton crackup, no party can afford to bank so completely on a single candidate this far out—especially…a candidate who makes Vladimir Putin look cuddly."
The refreshing transparency of education-shunning Kentucky | New York Post
"Why, as Tournament teams are seen boarding or off-loading buses, are they now always seen wearing earphones? Why do we never see anyone carrying a book? Or are they listening to Books on Tape?"
Hillary’s favorite TV show follows female Danish head of state | New York Post
"The lighthearted appearance before the American Camp Association could be one of Clinton’s last paid speeches — where she has netted $200,000 and up — before she officially enters the presidential race."
Or at least a big step down in pay. Can a president get food stamps?
‘God almighty, clean up after your dogs,’ mayor pleads | Boston Herald
"Walsh made the comments this morning during an appearance on Boston Herald Radio’s ‘Morning Meeting’ program, telling hosts Jaclyn Cashman and Hillary Chabot he often has to remind dog owners that ‘the street is not a trash barrel.’"
Here too. Especially now when snow is starting to melt off, uncovering a winter’s worth of inattention. Maybe the dog owners should so community service for a weekend.
(Not you. We know you’re not responsible. But definitely them.)
Mandatory Voting? Obama Says It Would Be 'Transformative' - ABC News
"Obama said he thought it would be 'fun' for the U.S. to consider amending the Constitution to change the role that money plays in the electoral system. But don't hold your breath."
The kind of weather we’re heading into—warm days and below-freezing nights—is what makes the maples give up all that good syrup.
Not today, though. Today it’ll be below freezing all day. And it’s very windy, so good thing I don’t believe in wind chill. I have to make one more trip to the laundry and then I just might stay in for the rest of the day.
Obama says he should have closed Guantanamo on his first day - Yahoo News
"CLEVELAND (AP) — President Barack Obama says if he could start his presidency over, he would have closed the Guantanamo Bay prison his first day."
"So far, it looks like only one person has been committing this strange act — but there could be some copycat crimes soon."
[Emphasis in original.]
Cheney: Obama is 'worst president of my lifetime'
"'I used to have significant criticism of Jimmy Carter,' said the former Republican vice president. 'But compared to Barack Obama and the damage he is doing to the nation — it's a tragedy, a real tragedy, and we are going to pay a hell of a price just trying to dig out from under his presidency.'"
Donald Trump Takes Formal Steps Toward A 2016 Presidential Run
"'We have lost the respect of the entire world,' Trump said in a statement Wednesday. 'I am the only one who can make America truly great again!'"
Survival of the fittest might have actually been survival of the richest http://t.co/SURov0NeeE
— Washington Post (@washingtonpost) March 18, 2015
Secret Service wants to build W.H. replica to train agents - NY Daily News
"Right now we train on a parking lot, basically,' Clancy told the House Appropriations Committee…'We don't have on that parking lot, we don't have the bushes, we don't have the fountains,"
Havana-Bound: Cuba Rapidly Becomes a Favorite Member Destination - NationalJournal.com
"March 17, 2015 The first wave of American tourists hasn't yet hit the beaches of Havana, but members of Congress are—in record numbers.
"Even before President Obama's December announcement of normalization of relations with the country, congressional travel to Cuba had spiked following a 50-plus year standoff between the two countries."
As March Madness Begins, NCAA Returns To Court To Keep Players From Being Paid | ThinkProgress
"Before the NCAA Tournament begins with opening round games in Dayton, lawyers for the organization that will haul in an estimated billion dollars in revenue from college basketball’s biggest event will be in a California courtroom fighting off a threat to its current model and its future."
Imagine our distress.
Wisconsin Miscellany - Public Policy Polling
"There actually is one thing in Wisconsin (narrowly) more popular than Aaron Rodgers: cheese. 80% of voters in the state have a favorable opinion of cheese to only 5% with a negative one. Beer is popular too, with a 65/24 favorability rating. But it can't match up to cheese- when asked which of the two they like better 66% of voters pick cheese to only 23% for beer."
My wife the historian dug up this @TheNation cartoon from 1946-- pic.twitter.com/109l8HGiJ0
— Tom Tomorrow (@tomtomorrow) March 17, 2015
Defending the indefensible Hillary Clinton | New York Post
"Instead of trying to persuade voters that Hillary’s honest, Team Clinton should sell her as a president who will meet the public’s low expectations.
"Vote for me, she could say, because you already know you can’t trust me."
McConnell vows: no vote on attorney general until abortion flap solved (+video) - CSMonitor.com
"According to the Democrats, Republicans tried to pull a fast one…"
Rubio Puts Financially Troubled Home On The Market For A Loss
"Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) and former Rep. David Rivera (R-FL) have put the troubled Florida house they co-own on the market for less than they originally paid for it, according to a Politico report."
Coke a healthy snack? How company gets its message out
"The message that Coke can be a healthy snack is debatable."
Boston sets new snowfall record | Boston Herald
"Yesterday’s snowfall officially broke the record for snowiest winter in Boston, topping the list by an inch — and there could be more before the season is through.
"‘Superbowls, World Series, Stanley Cups, and snowfall records. We are truly a title city,’ joked Mayor Martin J. Walsh on Twitter, adding, ‘There will be no parade.’"
…we might break 50º this afternoon, which will certainly melt off some more of this ugly, dirty, totally depressing snow we still have on the ground—and even better, get the rest of the ice off the sidewalks. Progress is good.
Dead Wake describes the final Atlantic crossing of the British liner Lusitania in May of 1915. Wait until you have a little time to spare before you start this one, because you won’t want to put it down.
Data geniuses have figured out what the ultimate U.S. road trip looks like
"If you didn’t sleep, stop or hit traffic, Olson calculates that this would take roughly 9.33 days of driving."
I used to work in a factory that closed for two weeks every summer, providing employees with what was called “standard vacation.” Everybody (except for a few maintenance people) and their assorted families took off a the same time. The week after standard vacation, the prevailing topic of conversation among the reassembled was “how far we drove."
“We packed a lunch every morning so we wouldn’t have to stop."
“We got up at 4:00 every morning and were on the road by 5:30."
"The wife kept wanting to stop and shop for antiques but I just kept driving."
This kind of trip would have been just the thing.
Obama adviser behind leak of Hillary Clinton’s email scandal | New York Post
"Then, according to this source, Bill [Clinton] added: ‘The Obamas are out to get us any way they can.’"
"Users who rely on the information contained in this website or any part of it do so at their own risk. "
We’re throwing away tons of fruits and veggies for not being pretty enough - The Washington Post
" Cucumbers should be straight, cauliflower florets should be tightly held, and rhubarb stalks should be ruby red. If not, retailers tell farmers, consumers won’t buy them."
