Random Artworkt hat caught my eye
painter Conrad Ruiz
digital art by Cory Arcangel
Saturday, December 19, 2009
Thursday, December 17, 2009
The Trauma of Joblessness
This is the single greatest issue facing the nation and Obama. The article below says that most folks are giving him a pass on the unemployment situation, but at some point Obama is going to own this issue, particularly since large commitments have gone to bail out Wall Street and to pursue the Afghan war. Neither of those initiatives promise to bear any fruit for the people, but look to extract much in the way of cost.
Perhaps it’s due to Obama, but I’ve found myself paying much closer attention generally to what’s happening in DC. One of the main takeaways I’ve gotten is the limit of the power of the presidency. That should not be very surprising to anyone as there’s a consistency of policies across administrations and precedents set by prior administrations can drive succeeding ones. The truth is that change is not possible unless the entire system of things changes; barring that all we talking about is a change in caretakers. The system is owned by and mainly responsive to those who have the economic prowess to make their voices heard above all others.
The entire situation we’re in was very predictable to anyone with a modicum of knowledge about the economy. So if folks like me with limited information could predict this, there were certainly folks in a position of responsibility with more information who know where we were headed and did nothing.
Poll Reveals Trauma of Joblessness in U.S. By MICHAEL LUO and MEGAN THEE-BRENANMore than half of the nation’s unemployed workers have borrowed money from friends or relatives since losing their jobs. An equal number have cut back on doctor visits or medical treatments because they are out of work.
Almost half have suffered from depression or anxiety. About 4 in 10 parents have noticed behavioral changes in their children that they attribute to their difficulties in finding work.
Joblessness has wreaked financial and emotional havoc on the lives of many of those out of work, according to a New York Times/CBS News poll of unemployed adults, causing major life changes, mental health issues and trouble maintaining even basic necessities.
The results of the poll, which surveyed 708 unemployed adults from Dec. 5 to Dec. 10 and has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus four percentage points, help to lay bare the depth of the trauma experienced by millions across the country who are out of work as the jobless rate hovers at 10 percent and, in particular, as the ranks of the long-term unemployed soar.
Roughly half of the respondents described the recession as a hardship that had caused fundamental changes in their lives. Generally, those who have been out of work longer reported experiencing more acute financial and emotional effects.
“I lost my job in March, and from there on, everything went downhill,” said Vicky Newton, 38, of Mount Pleasant, Mich., a single mother who had been a customer-service representative in an insurance agency.
“After struggling and struggling and not being able to pay my house payments or my other bills, I finally sucked up my pride,” she said in an interview after the poll was conducted. “I got food stamps just to help feed my daughter.”
Over the summer, she abandoned her home in Flint, Mich., after she started receiving foreclosure notices. She now lives 90 minutes away, in a rental house owned by her father.
With unemployment driving foreclosures nationwide, a quarter of those polled said they had either lost their home or been threatened with foreclosure or eviction for not paying their mortgage or rent. About a quarter, like Ms. Newton, have received food stamps. More than half said they had cut back on both luxuries and necessities in their spending. Seven in 10 rated their family’s financial situation as fairly bad or very bad.
But the impact on their lives was not limited to the difficulty in paying bills. Almost half said unemployment had led to more conflicts or arguments with family members and friends; 55 percent have suffered from insomnia.
“Everything gets touched,” said Colleen Klemm, 51, of North Lake, Wis., who lost her job as a manager at a landscaping company last November. “All your relationships are touched by it. You’re never your normal happy-go-lucky person. Your countenance, your self-esteem goes. You think, ‘I’m not employable.’ ”
A quarter of those who experienced anxiety or depression said they had gone to see a mental health professional. Women were significantly more likely than men to acknowledge emotional issues.
Tammy Linville, 29, of Louisville, Ky., said she lost her job as a clerical worker for the Census Bureau a year and a half ago. She began seeing a therapist for depression every week through Medicaid but recently has not been able to go because her car broke down and she cannot afford to fix it.
Her partner works at the Ford plant in the area, but his schedule has been sporadic. They have two small children and at this point, she said, they are “saving quarters for diapers.”
“Every time I think about money, I shut down because there is none,” Ms. Linville said. “I get major panic attacks. I just don’t know what we’re going to do.”
Nearly half of the adults surveyed admitted to feeling embarrassed or ashamed most of the time or sometimes as a result of being out of work. Perhaps unsurprisingly, given the traditional image of men as breadwinners, men were significantly more likely than women to report feeling ashamed most of the time.
There was a pervasive sense from the poll that the American dream had been upended for many. Nearly half of those polled said they felt in danger of falling out of their social class, with those out of work six months or more feeling especially vulnerable. Working-class respondents felt at risk in the greatest numbers.
Nearly half of respondents said they did not have health insurance, with the vast majority citing job loss as a reason, a notable finding given the tug of war in Congress over a health care overhaul. The poll offered a glimpse of the potential ripple effect of having no coverage. More than half characterized the cost of basic medical care as a hardship.
Many in the ranks of the unemployed appear to be rethinking their career and life choices. Just over 40 percent said they had moved or considered moving to another part of the state or country where there were more jobs. More than two-thirds of respondents had considered changing their career or field, and 44 percent of those surveyed had pursued job retraining or other educational opportunities.
Joe Whitlow, 31, of Nashville, worked as a mechanic until a repair shop he was running with a friend finally petered out in August. He had contemplated going back to school before, but the potential loss in income always deterred him. Now he is enrolled at a local community college, planning to study accounting.
“When everything went bad, not that I didn’t have a choice, but it made the choice easier,” Mr. Whitlow said.
The poll also shed light on the formal and informal safety nets that the jobless have relied upon. More than half said they were receiving or had received unemployment benefits. But 61 percent of those receiving benefits said the amount was not enough to cover basic necessities.
Meanwhile, a fifth said they had received food from a nonprofit organization or religious institution. Among those with a working spouse, half said their spouse had taken on additional hours or another job to help make ends meet.
Even those who have stayed employed have not escaped the recession’s bite. According to a New York Times/CBS News nationwide poll conducted at the same time as the poll of unemployed adults, about 3 in 10 people said that in the past year, as a result of bad economic conditions, their pay had been cut.
In terms of casting blame for the high unemployment rate, 26 percent of unemployed adults cited former President George W. Bush; 12 percent pointed the finger at banks; 8 percent highlighted jobs going overseas and the same number blamed politicians. Only 3 percent blamed President Obama.
Those out of work were split, however, on the president’s handling of job creation, with 47 percent expressing approval and 44 percent disapproval.
Unemployed Americans are divided over what the future holds for the job market: 39 percent anticipate improvement, 36 percent expect it will stay the same, and 22 percent say it will get worse.
Marina Stefan and Dalia Sussman contributed reporting.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/15/us/15poll.html?_r=1&partner=rss&emc=rssProtest On Obama Statue Erected In Indonesia -- Another Wasteful Effort To Build National Pride
First of all, I do agree that the erection of this statue is a kind of weird thing to do. If you want to inspire Indonesian kids, aren’t there more people who can be a model for this statue? How about Soekarno as the first president of Indonesia who united Indonesia and liberate the country from the invasion of three European countries: Portugal, Holland, and Japan? Or BJ. Habibie, a genius scientist from Indonesia who invented the formula for the construction of Boeing wing plane which regarded a standing applause from German governor? I think those two people will be more appropriate to be built a statue about their childhood.
However, protesting to the extent of bringing the statue down is a little bit excessive. Eventhough some of us think that Barack Obama has no contribution whatsoever in Indonesia, that doesn’t mean that there isn’t anybody who isn’t inspired by him. Please do notice that he has a Nobel Peace award which is a very prestigious award. And also do remember that Barack Obama didn’t come from a prestigious family. He started from crawling until he can be the number 1 person in the USA. If people are inspired by his spectacular effort to become what he is right now, why stopping them from honouring this man? If you want to protest, why not donating for erecting a statue for someone appropriate to be a model of instead of demanding this statue to be taken down?
It’s not about our national pride will be threaten by this statue nor this statue will be a sign of Indonesia losing its identity, but it’s about inspirational character who happens to be nobody but became one of prestigious and honorable men. Unless he is Adolf Hitler or Osama bin Laden, I think it will be alright to honour him for his good deeds.
News Source:
http://thejakartaglobe.com/city/facebook-group-calls-for-obamas-jakarta-statue-to-be-taken-down/347315
http://www.voa-islam.net/news/citizens-jurnalism/2009/12/15/2094/obama-%28memangtak-pantas-dipatungkan-di-indonesia/
http://www.republika.co.id/berita/95872/Patung_Obama_Didesak_Diturunkan
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Obama’s Safe Schools Czar Tied to Lewd Readings for 7th Graders
FoxNews | President Obama’s “Safe Schools Czar,” already a target of social conservatives for his past drug abuse and what they say is his promotion of homosexuality in schools, is under fresh attack after it was revealed that the pro-gay group he formerly headed recommends books his critics say are pornographic.
The group under fire is the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN), which Kevin Jennings, now the assistant deputy secretary for safe and drug-free schools in the Department of Education, founded and ran from 1990 to 2008.
GLSEN says it works to create a welcoming atmosphere for homosexual students in schools, and that effort includes recommending books for students of all ages.
But critics say many of the books, particularly some that are targeted for children between Grades 7 to 12, are inappropriately explicit. A full list is available at the blog Gateway Pundit, which has published dozens of controversial passages from the books.
One recommended book is titled “Queer 13: Lesbian and Gay Writers Recall Seventh Grade.” On pages 43 through 45, writer Justin Chin tells of how as a 13-year-old, he went along with “near-rapes” by older men, but “really did enjoy those sexual encounters.” Chin also recounts each sexual action he performed with an “ugly f*** of a man” he met on a bus.
In another book, “Passages of Pride,” the author writes about a 15-year-old boy’s relationship with a much older man.
“Near the end of summer, just before starting his sophomore year in high school, Dan picked up a weekly Twin Cities newspaper. Scanning the classifieds, he came upon an ad for a “Man-2-Man” massage. Home alone one day, he called the telephone number listed in the ad and set up an appointment to meet a man named Tom…. Even though Tom was older, almost twice Dan’s age, Dan felt unthreatened by him. Dan admits Tom was a ‘troll’ in every sense of the word — an older closeted gay man seeking sex with a man much younger. But Dan says he was not intimidated by the discrepancy in their ages. ‘He kind of had me in a corner in that he knew I didn’t have access to anything I wanted.’ says Dan. ‘But everything was consensual.’”
On Page 13 of a third book, “Reflections of a Rock Lobster,” the author recounts his sexual encounters in first grade.
“By first grade I was sexually active with many friends. In fact, a small group of us regularly met in the grammar school lavatory to perform fellatio on one another. A typical week’s schedule would be Aaron and Michael on Monday during lunch; Michael and Johnny on Tuesday after school; Fred and Timmy at noon Wednesday; Aaron and Timmy after school on Thursday. None of us ever got caught, but we never worried about it anyway.”
Read the whole article
MS Word is Republican
Okay, it’s not really Republican, but for those who have prior-to-2007 versions of Word available, it is hilarious.
Microsoft Word suggests “Osama” for “Obama.” Awkward!
I figured I was not the only person to find this, and the New York Times did not let me down. Don’t worry everyone, it’s fixed. Even funnier is if they had sent out this particular fix with all their other Windows updates.
Does anyone know any other good/bizarre suggestions?
Update: I should have read to the bottom of the quoted article. It IS an update you can download!!! Why does it have a step-by-step process, by the way? Step 1: Click on word. Step 2: Add to dictionary. Step 3: duhhhh
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Hypocrisy of Obama
During Mahatma Gandhi’s birth cenetary we find world leaders praising tons for Gandhi.
Gandhi is an ideal example for the anti – India forces to appreciate because that is whatthey want their adversaries to follow. They themselves would follow the anti of it i.e. violence. Obama was following the same line of tactic. He wants India to be non – violent and hence always slow to care for themselves. If Obama really cared for Gandhi , he would have stopped the war in Afghanistan and talked peace to them. But that wont work he knows and all know it too.
So keep telling others to be non violent when you can be as brutal as possible.
Dear Obama , why dont you praise Rama in the next Vijaydashmi ? he was righteous and did exactly what you are doing ..killing the demons .
Let The Purges Begin!
Fox News reports:
Most recently OPM made news when the Obama administration sought to use it as a tool upon which to consolidate power.
Under orders from the White House, it is being reported that OPM is on a mission to rid the executive branch bureaucracy of Bush-era personnel who are no longer political appointees and who have lawfully become civil servants.
…
The Obama administration has now ordered a purging of Republicans from federal government civil service.
The article basically details the fascist takeover of health care in America.
We are fucked.
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