Republicans, Widows and Porn - Gail Collins, The New York Times
"Cruz is running ads to remind viewers that Trump once tried to force an elderly widow to sell her Atlantic City house so he could use the space as a parking lot for limousines.…the widow in question once referred to the man who is now the leading Republican presidential candidate as 'a maggot, a cockroach and a crumb.'"
Former Wall Street Watchdog Tim Geithner to Join Hedge Fund - Dark Money Is Still Dark
"There seems to be a lot of talk out there about a rigged financial system and a corrupt campaign finance system. However, if this keeps up, Reality is going to wind up fined by the FEC for making in-kind contributions to the Sanders campaign."
This map shows forecast wind chills at 7am Sunday morning from the Great Lakes to New England. #ArcticBlast pic.twitter.com/UrbxdjzQro
— NWS (@NWS) February 13, 2016
Super PAC moves to ramp up financial firepower for Clinton - The Washington Post
"Priorities USA Action, the main super PAC supporting Clinton, unleashed a $5 million infusion of spending on her behalf, upending plans to hold its fire until the general election.…
"In addition, the Democratic National Committee announced that it had rolled back restrictions introduced by presidential candidate Barack Obama in 2008 that banned donations from federal lobbyists and political action "
And, WaPo says, "both developments also give rival Bernie Sanders fresh fodder to highlight her relationship with Wall Street and other special interests."
Ya think?
Does the discovery of gravitational waves foretell the end of physics? - Quartz
" A gravitational wave from a source four light years away will cause a perturbation of no more than a thousandth of the width of an atomic nucleus."
Hillary can’t win, because Bernie has already won his real race - Quartz
"While Barack Obama’s 2008 run was a political campaign disguised as a progressive movement, Bernie Sanders’ campaign is a progressive movement disguised as a political campaign."
USOC takes steps to reassure athletes about Zika as Rio Games approach - The Washington Post
"A USOC spokesman said Thursday it would be impossible to estimate how many Team USA athletes might be pregnant during any given Olympics. "
The intriguing science behind kissing - Quartz
"According to an editorial in the American Journal of Medicine, we swap “an average of 9 mL of water, 0.7 mg of protein, 0.18 mg of organic compounds, 0.71 mg of different fats, and 0.45 mg of sodium chloride” when we lock lips."
Or maybe just stick to chocolate.
"The largest and most sophisticated MINI we’ve ever built ushers in a new era of motoring…"
6th Democratic debate live updates - LA Times
"President Obama isn't running again, but he is still popular with Democrats -- and he thus loomed over the debate."
Clinton dropped Obama’s name 21 times in last night’s Democratic debate, to Sanders’ nine. One word that was not mentioned in the debate—not once—is “encryption.” This despite encryption being a hot topic these days in the U.S. Congress and state legislatures, not to mention the EU and elsewhere, and in the environs of the FBI, Homeland Security, various other police agencies and Republicans debates. Also not mentioned were the words “cyber,” “internet,” and, of course ()MG) “email.” One guesses neither of the candidates know (or care) much about any of this, nor do the question askers or answer listeners. Midway through the second decade of the 21st Century, that’s a problem.
It’s also one of the reasons questions addressing fears of terror attacks in the U.S. never get answered: Clinton drops names and babbles about Syria and Libya (and drags out the old “plots have been foiled”) while Sanders reminds he voted agains the Iraq war. But on the question, they default to the Rs.
Hillary’s foundation subpoenaed over Huma Abedin’s work | New York Post
"The department’s inspector general asked for records about the six months in 2012 that Abedin was working for the [Clinton’s] foundation, the [State] department, Clinton’s personal office and a private consulting firm with ties to the Clintons, the Washington Post reported."
When it comes to small donations, Sanders leaves everyone in the dust:https://t.co/XLbEDfcuMo pic.twitter.com/2u2SF9gWeS— National Journal (@nationaljournal) February 12, 2016
Polar vortex to blast Northeast with coldest air in a decade - NY Daily News
"The frozen blast…will pepper the rest of the Northeast with freezing temperatures…"
Yeah, I think “pepper” is a questionable choice. It’s a little nippy this morning, true, but we have a warm jacket and some smoking hot socks. And it’s sunny. And we have errands to do.
…kicked in big time today which means it’s true, the next few days are going to be real winter days, probably the coldest of this season. We’re looking at single-digit days and sub-zero nights—and snow. That’s right, snow. Maybe a significant amount of it. Six inches, perhaps. Or more.
So we’re not going to get through the winter without any snow, but we did get more than halfway through (Groundhog Day is the middle), and the days are noticeably getting longer. And by Tuesday or possibly Wednesday we’ll be back to 40-ish highs, so how bad is that. Spring is right around the corner now.
Valentine's Day: Why I Hate The Holiday - Motto
"'The tradition of sending and receiving classroom valentines,' observes American Greetings, which owns a $1.8 billion piece of the 'social expression' industry, 'is often a child’s first experience with greeting cards.'"
Former Defense Intel Chief Says Hillary Should 'Step Down' | The Daily Caller
"In an exclusive interview with The Daily Caller News Foundation, Lt. Gen. Michael T. Flynn (Ret.) said he thought the former Secretary of State should leave the Democratic presidential race: 'I think Hillary Clinton, for the good of the country, should step down and let this FBI investigation play out.'"
Vermin Supreme running for president, still wants to give everyone a pony
"In a field that includes 30 Republicans and 28 Democrats, the Maryland Democrat stands out for his unique headgear, lush, wizard-like beard, and consistently pro-pony platform. Asked about how he’d defeat terrorists, he answered 'Hooves on the ground and boots on our heads!' Political Monitor reports that Mr. Supreme paid his $1,000 registration fee in $50 bills marked 'not to be used for bribing politicians.'"
Why am I just now hearing about this guy?
Turns out he placed fourth place in the New Hampshire Democratic primary yesterday with 256 votes.
Carly Fiorina suspends presidential campaign. https://t.co/RCUHYt6jHb @rollcall
— Roll Call (@rollcall) February 10, 2016
Chris Christie Drops Out, But Did He Bring Marco Rubio Down with Him?
"Big Chicken's singular legacy in the 2016 Republican primary campaign can be found tattooed on the forehead of Young Marco Rubio."
"At this point, when I close my eyes, I see Rubio as a balloon in the Macy's parade with a hundred political reporters on the guide wires, trying desperately to keep him from floating away."
Who is Hillary Clinton? - CNNPolitics.com
"(CNN) Hillary Clinton, a woman who has lived in the public eye for the better part of three decades, is looking to write the latest chapter of her life by doing what she failed to do in 2008: win the presidency."
What about, can the voters have what they want?
Feb. 9: Sanders, Trump and Steinem - NY Daily News
[From a column of letters to the paper.]
"Let a thousand flowers bloom
"Douglaston: I totally agree with Voicer Thomas Hughes (no relation that I know of) about having horse-drawn streetcars and using their manure to grow lovely flowers in the park. The manure can be picked up by politicians, who seem to know how to handle it . Irene Hughes"
Who is John Kasich? - CNNPolitics.com
Here’s a guy who’s appeared in every one of the already-many Republican debate/quiz shows, several of which were produced by CNN, and CNN is worried people don’t know who he is? I know not everybody’s a politics geek like I am, but still…
Also: “He went to work at Lehman Brothers…but left before the investment bank went belly-up in the midst of the recession."
In the midst of the recession? Really? Midst?
Donald Trump wins 2016 GOP New Hampshire primary - NY Daily News
"Clueless New Hampshire voters handed billionaire bore Donald Trump a 'yuge' victory in the first-in-the nation primary Tuesday, providing the mad mogul with a new round of ammo a week after a disappointing second-place finish in Iowa."
Meanwhile the Clintons and their many friends got buried by Bernie.
New Hampshire is about 30 minutes up the road from where I live. Not me, but a lot of people from around here drive up there to schmooze with candidates (there’s a pretty good chance you can catch one in a small meeting or a coffee shop) or campaign. So there were sighs of relief last night, and a little celebration among the Berners.
Onward.
The Campus Left Fuels Bernie Sanders's Rise - The Atlantic
"They line up for hours to see Sanders, snow accumulating on their puffy jackets and knit caps and uncombed hair. They fill college arenas, chanting, “Ber-nie! Ber-nie!” They gather in little knots as they wait for him to appear, engaging in impromptu rap sessions about pot legalization and campaign-finance reform. They are feeling the Bern."
Why Hillary Clinton shouldn’t get a pass on a New Hampshire loss - The Washington Post
"To hear Hillary Clinton and her supporters talk about her chances in Tuesday's New Hampshire presidential primary, you would think she was an underfunded upstart challenging a sitting president of the United States."
Cashman: Ivanka is Donald Trump’s best weapon in war on women | Boston Herald
"Ivanka Trump, at 34, is an accomplished, strong and thoughtful person thanks to the equal-opportunity parenting of her dad."
Donate Your Old USB Drives to Fight North Korean Brainwashing | WIRED
"Late last week, the New York-based Human Rights Foundation and the Silicon Valley nonprofit Forum 280 launched Flash Drives for Freedom, an initiative to collect USB flash drive donations from Americans and then ship those slices of silicon to North Korean defector groups."
Hillary Clinton pleads to N.H. voters for support in primary - NY Daily News
"'The Clintons are not happy, and have been letting all of us know that,' a Democratic official told Politico Monday. "
What the Earth will be like in 10,000 years, according to scientists - The Washington Post
"'The next few decades offer a brief window of opportunity to minimize large-scale and potentially catastrophic climate change that will extend longer than the entire history of human civilization thus far,' write the 22 climate researchers, led by Peter Clark, from Oregon State University."
Meanwhile here, now, we’ve got a fresh inch or so of snow, which at least covers up (for now) the pockets of dirty old stuff left over from December. The snowplow guy—the one who plows the driveway—arrived at first light this morning. He usually appears in the evening, after dark. Probably figured he’d better plow it fast before it melts. It’s been a bad year for the snowplow industry in these parts.
Standing in Line at a Trump Rally in New Hampshire
"Future historians are going to puzzle for decades over how an advanced civilization destroyed itself merely through the use of the phrase, 'I saw it on the Internet.'"
Bill Clinton slams 'sexist' Sanders supporters | TheHill
…does that make people who support Hillary antisemite?
#shutupBill
Hillary Clinton Has a Henry Kissinger Problem
"Bernie Sanders’ critique of Clinton is not that she’s cartoonishly corrupt in the Tammany Hall style, capable of being fully bought with a couple well-compensated speeches, but that she’s a creature of a fundamentally corrupt system, who comfortably operates within that system and accepts it as legitimate. Clinton has had trouble countering that critique because, well, it’s true. It’s not that she’s been bought, it’s that she bought in."
Clinton looks to sisterhood, but votes may go to Sanders - The Washington Post
"Everybody knows you can’t write 30,000 emails to your yoga instructor."
Obama’s Lofty Plans on Gun Violence Amount to Little Action - The New York Times
"WASHINGTON — The centerpiece of a plan for stemming gun violence that President Obama announced last month largely amounts to this: an updated web page and 10,000 pamphlets that federal agents will give out at gun shows.…
“'Nothing, from what we can see, has changed,' said Mike Bazinet, a spokesman for the National Shooting Sports Foundation, an industry group."
Can you read this message? - Business Insider
“…as long as we are proficient readers, we won't have a problem."
[Noted by Some Guy in Seattle]
Students Say Burlesque Show Violated Their Safe Space - The Daily Beast
"In other words, not getting a part in a school production—a fairly typical life experience—now counts as a microaggression."
Stasi: Clinton and Fiorina aren't doing any favors for women - NY Daily News
"It’s like watching the pissed-off school principal and a crazed substitute teacher coming unhinged in front of the whole PTA."
It’s 33º degrees outdoors right now, according to the app, but the sky is clear blue and the sun is warm and it feels a good 10º warmer just walking around. The app says “feels like” 28º but that’s because it doesn’t have enough sense to come out of the shade.
That snow we had the other day is still there, but it’s looking pretty melty right about now.
…who killed both their parents and then asked the court for leniency on the grounds they were orphans? Well, this beats that.
Here’s a Chicago cop who fatally shot a kid…
Chicago officer sues estate of teen he shot, claiming trauma - The Washington Post
…and is suing the kid’s estate for the trauma of it all.
Suing for $10 million.
No kidding.
$153 million in Bill and Hillary Clinton speaking fees, documented - CNNPolitics.com
…why aren’t they telling us?
They learned most of it on our dime.
