(via RawStory)
.
Larry Wilmore has his own show, President Obama will be giving his State of the Union address tonight — we’re finally seeing a long misunderstood and underrepresented minority get some hard-earned media attention. And I don’t just mean “nerds”!
The Grey Lady:
With the American job market surging to life, President Obama plans to use his State of the Union address on Tuesday night to effectively declare victory over the economic hard times that dominated his first six years in office and advocate using the nation’s healthier finances to tackle long-deferred issues like education and income inequality…
Mr. Obama has used the period since his party’s election defeat to reassert himself through a climate agreement with China, executive action to liberalize immigration rules and a diplomatic rapprochement with Cuba. His long-sagging approval ratings in polls have gone up, reaching 50 percent in a new Washington Post-ABC News survey, a nine-point jump since December, although other polls have not measured quite as big an increase.
Either way, that may owe as much to a reviving economy as anything else. Unemployment has fallen to 5.6 percent, gasoline prices are down, stock markets are up and the economy grew by 5 percent in the third quarter of last year, its fastest rate in more than a decade. For years, Mr. Obama has been cautious in welcoming positive economic news by noting that more work needed to be done to recover from the financial crash of 2008. But lately, he has been pushing the nation’s economic prospects more robustly and without as many caveats, saying it is time to move to a new stage.
“Over the last six years, we have been weighed down by the legacy of the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression,” Mr. Obama said in a video posted on the White House website, previewing his State of the Union address. “And because of the incredible grit and resilience of the American people, America is now in a position to really turn the page.”…
Every media outlet is already looking for ledes, from Politico’s coverage of Michelle Obama’s guests to ABC’s explainer on the “Designated Survivor” (whose name has not yet been released, but it won’t be Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell). There will no doubt be much live-blogging. And live-tweeting:
Join me on Tues. at 9 pm as I will live-tweet the State of the Union address. #SOTU2015 #webb2016
— Jim Webb (@JimWebbUSA) January 16, 2015
***********
Apart from SotU prepping, what’s on the agenda for the day?
Xboxershorts
Why is “The Grey Lady” choosing not to use the president’s title when referring to the president?
Schlemazel
@Xboxershorts:
I believe their style sheet has always refered to Presidents as “Mr. last name“
Baud
If Webb promises to be drunk, I will follow his live tweets tonight.
raven
@Schlemazel: And, in fact, they do in the article.
Mustang Bobby
@Xboxershorts: I think the rule — at least the way they do it at the NY Times — is to refer to him by his title at the first, then follow up with “Mr. Obama” thereafter. In person you address him as “Mr. President” first, and “sir” thereafter. I believe that follows the same tradition as when addressing royalty. The first time you meet the Queen, you address her as “Your Majesty,” and thereafter as “ma’am.”
OzarkHillbilly
Loves me some Larry Wilmore. And the properly oriented map behind him.
raven
@Mustang Bobby: But let’s freak out abut the headline.
Mustang Bobby
It’s a Tuesday that feels like a Monday since we got the day off yesterday. But it still makes the week feel just as long.
No celebrity sightings at the Art Deco Weekend on Miami Beach this weekend. Billy Joel will be in town later this month for a concert, but he didn’t show up this year with his motorcycles as he did a few years ago.
Xboxershorts
Thanks, I was enlisted so I never got that kinda learning about ettiquit
raven
@Xboxershorts: At ease.
Baud
Drink whenever Webb uses the hashtag #ScotchIrish4Ever.
OzarkHillbilly
@Baud: I think I’ll skip Webb and the SOTU and just go straight to drinking.
Patricia Kayden
It must be burning up Rightwingers (and many in the MSM) that President Obama’s approval ratings are actually going up after the November elections. Looking forward to the SOTU tonight. Although 99% of President Obama’s plans are dead on arrival, it’s a good opportunity to force Republicans to voice their opposition to policies that could help the middle class.
Schlemazel
@OzarkHillbilly:
I love maps & the first time I saw a map laid out like that I had to own a copy. It really does force a person to see the world differently. I have not see his show yet (its on DVR for this evening) and had not noticed until you mentioned it. Good thing too otherwise I would have shown up here tomorrow pointing it out & looked like a noob!
When the Simpsons were early in their run I was on a Simpsons list serv. Every week someone would stop by & ask, “Has anyone noticed that they used a different couch gag this week?” to much general hilarity. I don’t want to be that guy!
OzarkHillbilly
@Schlemazel: I usually am “that guy” because the only TV I get is off the internet a couple days after everyone else has seen it.
Schlemazel
@Patricia Kayden:
You should remember though that the average mouth-breather that votes GOP believes that there are only two things the gov can do to help him/her: cut taxes and dismantle all services/oversight.. Oh, and of course spend much more on the toys for DoD. Despite ample evidence this is not a good way to go they still deeply believe it.
Baud
@Schlemazel:
That’s all that really matters.
Keith G
@Patricia Kayden:
A part of the reason for downward pressure on President Obama’s support #s was the mere fact of political messaging that is no longer in place since the elections are over.
The GOP won that round and now get to run Congress. I doubt they are much focused on Obama’s polling data. The next time that will be important is in July next year.
Betty Cracker
Torture apologist Mark Thiessen wrote a remarkably dumb column on the SOTU: “Obama Uses His Tax Proposal to Taunt the GOP.” He seems genuinely shocked that a president whose party got hammered in a recent midterm election would fail to meekly kowtow to the victors and instead engage in **gasp** political posturing in the SOTU. I guess Theissen skipped the Shrub’s 2007 address. I thought about writing a post on it, but life’s too goddamn short.
Hill Dweller
Obama’s numbers were down because the Republicans and their feckless allies in the Village were scaring the hell out of the public with ebola and ISIS hyperbole. The Village conveniently dropped the charade once the election ended. It also didn’t help when spineless Dems ran from the President and his polices/achievements, which actually poll well, especially relative to anyone/anything the Republicans are offering.
Mustang Bobby
@Betty Cracker:
Neener, neener, bitches.
danielx
I’m starting to think that Obama is enjoying sticking a finger in various Republican eyes* with the various new proposals he’s come up with of late. Let them explain why there are always more funds to shower upon DHS, DOD, NSA, etc etc, but none for his community college idea, among other things.
Oh yeah, how could I forget? From the Republican viewpoint, government isn’t supposed to be involved in funding education. Or health care. Or infrastructure.
*And why the hell not? It can’t be any fun trying to work with people who have clearly fallen from the crazy tree and hit every branch on the way down….in these parlous times, it’s important to enjoy every opportunity for amusement that comes by.
Karen in GA
Got 4 hours’ sleep last night, but wasn’t worried because I’m working from home and I can nap on my lunch hour, then drop for good at 5:00. Didn’t think about the fact that I’m getting a new heat pump installed today, and start my photography class tonight.
Much yawning shall ensue.
Lurking Canadian
@Betty Cracker: Among the serious plans Thiessen thinks the GOP should introduce to help the struggling middle class is a lower minimum wage. How this closes the income gap is left as an exercise.
Bystander
Maybe some measure of how much BHO is pissing off the rwns is the fact that Jonathan Karl only refers to the President as “Obama”. No Mr., no President.
Mike E
Going to see Miss E today, can’t wait to be reunited with my vacuum so that my car’s interior gets a cleaning! We’ll most likely hit the thrift store and mebbe the Costco, I might cook something too.
raven
@Mustang Bobby: Mornin Joe was whining that Obama seemed to want to taunt the GOP instead of compromising!
Randy P
Just getting home from a red eye flight.
Anyone have any idea what this new “TSA Pre” thing is all about? It’s an amazingly easy security line, no removal of shoes, coats or belts, no emptying of pockets or pulling out of laptops. But we didn’t ask for it. A couple of months ago my wife was designated but I got the usual treatment. This trip neither of us got it on the way out, but we both got it on the way back.
raven
@Karen in GA: At the Georgia Center?
Mustang Bobby
@raven: Joe Scar is Draco Malfoy without the blond wig.
raven
@Mustang Bobby: I’m deprived, had to google it.
Buddy H
@Bystander: Yeah! I noticed that. I’ve been complaining for years about hearing “Mr. Obama” from some tv and radio people. (Even a few on NPR nice republican radio) They simple can’t bring themselves to say President Obama. Too many syllables? Did they ever say Mr. Bush? If they did, I never noticed. But now people like Karl are even dropping the Mister.
Kay
@danielx:
They got a Labor Department grant here for skilled trades training at the community college and it is genuinely popular. It’s almost getting more attention than it merits, honestly. They’ve had 5 or so pieces in the paper on it. It’s just 12 weeks-it’s the first step, the initial certification, so anyone who finishes would have to go on for more specialized training. I went to a public meeting on our new K-12 school last night and it was even mentioned by the builder when he made his presentation. He’ll be one of the eventual employers.
They should promote Thomas Perez (DOL) more. He seems to be good at these sorts of things.
Mustang Bobby
Per Steve Benen, there will be three rebuttals to the SOTU from the Republicans. The official one is from Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA), she of the pig-nuts-cutting fame, and because she’s not conservative enough, a Tea Party response from Rep. Curt Clawson (R-FL sigh), he who made a complete fool of himself last year by mistaking two Americans of Indian descent as being from India at a House hearing… “I love your country.” The official response en espanol will come from newly-unwrapped Rep. Carlos Curbelo (R-FL), who used to have an office next to mine when he was on the Miami-Dade school board.
I will be watching re-runs of “The Big Bang Theory.”
Iowa Old Lady
@raven: Obama is the one who doesn’t compromise? That is hilarious.
I can’t remember if I told you all my publisher sent me the name of the artist doing my cover, so we’re making progress, though the original February publication date was apparently a wish rather than a plan.
raven
@Iowa Old Lady: Cool!
Iowa Old Lady
@Mustang Bobby: I’m surprised they need both Joni Ernst and a Tea Party response. I thought her selection was a sign of the degree to which the Tea Party has taken over the GOP.
Betty Cracker
@Bystander & @Buddy H: The NYT has always (at least as long as I can recall) used “President” on the first mention and “Mr.” thereafter, and during the Bush Error, they got tons of email from butthurt wingnuts who were certain that they’d found an instance of the liebrul media dissing Bush at the time.
Many publications use a title or Mr. the first time and then refer to the politician (whether president, governor, senator, congressman or whatever) by last name only thereafter. It’s not a matter of disrespect; it’s about saving space and not elevating public officials to a status above normal humans, as our founders intended when they wisely eschewed titles.
OzarkHillbilly
@Buddy H: I can’t count the # of times I said “Bush is an idiot.” Come to think of it, there have been innumerable times I said, “Obama is….”
Xboxershorts
@raven:
Looks like the current meme word for the GOP has been distributed to all parties…..
dmsilev
@Randy P: TSA Precheck is a program you can register for, aimed mainly at people who travel a lot. You go through a background check of some sort, pay an annual fee (of order a hundred dollars if memory serves), and you go through the accelerated lines at the security checkpoints. Sometimes, depending on the number of people waiting, the TSA staff will more-or-less randomly route regular passengers through the Pre lines; that’s what happened to you. I’ve had the same thing happen once or twice; it’s definitely nice, but I don’t travel enough to care about jumping through the necessary hoops to actually enroll.
NotMax
Dunno about wherever y’all are, but still see an inordinate number of empty storefronts whenever I venture into town.
kc
@Patricia Kayden:
It’s always fun to listen them explain how cutting taxes on the filthy rich helps everyone else.
Mustang Bobby
@dmsilev: My experience is that it’s pretty random, too. I once got a Pre-Clear when I was flying coach, and then on the return trip when I got a free upgrade, I went through the whole megilla, even though first class is supposed to have a special line.
Betty Cracker
@dmsilev: I think it’s appalling that people are charged for that service. Background check, okay, that makes sense. But a big fat annual fee? As ever, some of us are more equal than others.
gene108
@Lurking Canadian:
Well, in theory per-Econ 101, the minimum wage increases unemployment in two ways: (1) by forcing employers to pay more for services than they can afford, the employers will cut back on hiring and (2) by creating artificially high wages, people who may have been willing to stay out of the labor market will try to get jobs.
Therefore, by reducing or eliminating the minimum wage employers will hire more people and therefore more people will have jobs and have more money than being unemployed.
Like a lot of right-wing ideas, it sort of makes sense until you start looking at how the world really works, what things were like before the minimum wage kicked in and what things are like in countries that do not have or do not enforce the minimum wage and you realize it is total bullshit.
kc
@raven:
“Good evening. I’m the President, and you’re not.”
NotMax
@dmsilev
Mom reported that a new act has been added to the security theater. She flew NY to Florida pre-Charlie Hebdo but afterwards, for the the return flight, she mentioned that everyone had his/her palms scanned with what she guessed was ultraviolet by TSA.
Belafon
I would like the president to start his address with “Now that we’ve finally fixed the problems caused by the last administration….”
dmsilev
@Betty Cracker: Checking, it looks like it’s a one-time fee ($85) rather than a yearly. That’s a bit more reasonable.
La Caterina (Mrs. Johannes)
Okay, it’s been almost 12 hours, where’s the puppeh update?
Amir Khalid
@NotMax:
Any idea what the Theater of Security in America were looking for?
danielx
@Lurking Canadian:
You are to consider that in wingnut world, whether something works in practice is much less important than whether it fails ideologically.
Patricia Kayden
@Mustang Bobby: Who would torture themselves by watching three idiotic responses to the SOTU? Someone would have to pay me a lot of $$$ to waste my time and brain cells in that manner. I’ll enjoy the SOTU and then watch something else. All the Repub responses to President Obama’s proposals can be summed up in one word: “Nope”.
WereBear
@Belafon: Me like.
PurpleGirl
@La Caterina (Mrs. Johannes): Do you mean from the last update last night? Maybe we have to have that riot Mrs. Cole told him would ensue if he didn’t post pictures last night. Any one have an idea of how we can riot? Maybe everyone sends him an email or two….
AxelFoley
@Hill Dweller:
The only correct answer.
Amir Khalid
It’s the end of an era, and must be sad news for Britain’s teenage boys — those outside the Liverpool area, anyway.
PaulW
Just my blog flog about what I’d like to hear from Obama tonight:
http://noticeatrend.blogspot.com/2015/01/what-id-like-to-hear-from-obamas-state.html
If he does mention Episode VII, I will fan squee.
Karen in GA
@raven: UNG in Gainesville. It’s closer, and they offer a wider selection of courses.
raven
@Karen in GA: Cool, right up 53 and you are there! Are you doing one of the certificate programs?
Gin & Tonic
@Karen in GA: What’s the title/subject matter of what you’re signed up for?
rikyrah
THIS IS STRAIGHT UP GHOULISH
………..
Feds investigating stolen body parts ring in Detroit and Chicago
Jan 18, 2015 10:13 AM
by Mo Barnes
The federal government is investigating the trafficking of human body parts in the cities of Detroit and Chicago.
At the center of the investigation are the Biological Resource Center
of Illinois and International Biological in Detroit. Authorities said
the companies diverted bodies donated for medical research to a thriving black market for body parts.
When FBI agents and investigators from the Centers for Disease
Control raided two crematories operated by Cremation Services Inc., in a Chicago suburb, they found hundreds of body parts that were destined to be sold.
The raid was part of a year-long national investigation that started
in Detroit where thousands of body parts that were to be embalmed,
instead were kept on ice to be allegedly sold to the Biological Resource Center. Investigators in hazmat suits removed body bags stuffed with human heads, limbs and other body parts that had been donated to the facility.
http://rollingout.com/news/feds-investigating-stolen-body-parts-ring-detroit-chicago/
Karen in GA
@Mustang Bobby: I can’t watch that stuff in real time. I remember watching Sarah Palin at the Republican convention in 2008 and feeling physically sick. Now I just follow blog comments online — if the reaction is laughter rather than anger, I’ll check it out.
Betty Cracker
@dmsilev: It’s definitely more reasonable, but I still think it sucks that people are charged for the privilege of bypassing the lengthier kabuki dance. The TSA should offer anyone who identifies as a frequent traveler the option to undergo a background screening — for free — in exchange for future fast track security. It would be a win for everyone and a money-saver for the TSA to boot.
PS: I’m kind of on a tear about agency charges for convenience services. We just had to pay “convenience fees” to register several vehicles and vessels and discovered that the state sent us registration documents in separate batches so they could hose us twice. The fuckers!
Karen in GA
@Gin & Tonic: Photography. It’s a series of continuing education courses. Ends with a certificate, but I’m pretty sure that’s just to get you to pay them for all of the classes. Still, the classes look pretty interesting, and since I bought the DSLR, I really should learn how to use it properly.
Gin & Tonic
@rikyrah: Wasn’t that a Law & Order episode?
TS
@Betty Cracker: Whether it’s one off or an annual fee – just another perk for the wealthy – buy yourself a way around waiting for hours in a queue. Not sure it does much for security either
Gin & Tonic
@Karen in GA: I remember you asking about that when you were buying the camera, I was just wondering where these kinds of classes start, since even in digital world, I think you need to know the relationship between aperture, exposure and ISO, depth of field, that kind of fundamental stuff.
raven
@Gin & Tonic: Here’s their catalog.
Gin & Tonic
@TS: Is the $110 fee for a passport appalling as well?
raven
@Gin & Tonic: I’m still not clear on that “stuff” even with my new/used T3i.
Gin & Tonic
@raven: Thanks. Doesn’t say an awful lot, though.
TS
@Gin & Tonic: Getting a passport is way different to paying to go through “the fast queue” – I don’t see the relevance – but maybe I’m missing something.
To me if some can pay to bypass security checks – why have the checks at all?
PurpleGirl
@Amir Khalid: Why the qualification about Liverpool?
mikefromArlington
It’s all about the optics. Nothing’s more amusing than watching Obama talk about lowering middle tax class cuts paid for by upper class taxes and then pan over to Bohner his gang showing no applause.
Violet
@Gin & Tonic: @TS: You can pay the regular fee for the passport or pay more for an expedited passport it. Same sort of thing–you pay more money you get to go to the front of the line.
Karen in GA
@Gin & Tonic: Ah, whoops. Yep. It starts with basics — aperture, shutter speed, ISO, why they’re important, their relationships to each other, and how to control them on the camera. Later classes go more into outdoor photography, portraits, filters, black and white photography, digital editing, exhibiting, etc. I’m looking forward to it — just not tonight. Tonight I want to sleep.
Gin & Tonic
@raven: Pretty much second nature to me. I started with shooting sports for my high school paper mumble-mumble years ago. Into the darkroom after the game, develop, print, set up the paper and have it run for the next morning. I can still smell the chemicals.
PurpleGirl
@Gin & Tonic: Possibly multiple stories on Law & Order and L&O: Criminal Intent.
WereBear
Home sick today, but got to watch the video of the puppets nursing and I feel the tiniest bit better.
Belafon
@TS: It’s not just paying to bypass security. You go through an FBI background check.
PurpleGirl
@WereBear: Watching teeny, tiny puppehs (or kittehs) always raises the spirits.
Karen in GA
@raven: @Gin & Tonic: Here’s the list of photography classes, if you’re interested — mouse over the links and more detailed descriptions should pop up.
https://ce.ung.edu/wconnect/ace/ShowSchedule.awp?&Mode=GROUP&Group=PHOTO&Title=Photography
raven
@Gin & Tonic: Yea, I got into it late in the game. My ex was an art prof and she did a lot. A friend of mine is Dave Gahr’s nephew and he has pics from the old days that are great. Obviously his uncle was the real deal.
raven
@Karen in GA: Cool, so many of UNG faculty and instructors live down here in Athens but I don’t see anyone I know in that list.
Amir Khalid
@PurpleGirl:
The Sun made up some monstrous lies in its coverage of the Hillsborough disaster nearly 26 years ago. So, as Billy Bragg notes, Scousers never buy The Sun.
Gin & Tonic
@Karen in GA: Sounds like a good introduction. And at $129 for 10 hours of instruction, the price is really good.
My suggestion is take the 10 hours and then shoot lots of pictures to work out the concepts on your own, i.e. don’t rush to the next level. See what works and what doesn’t and try to figure out why.
Frankly, looking at some of the material in the level 3 class, I really doubt much (any?) of that would be useful to a non-geek hobbyist.
Mike in NC
Front page of local rag today: “Trump states case for becoming next president”. He jetted into SC yesterday to pander to a crowd of Tea Party lunatics. Run, Donny, run!
PurpleGirl
@Amir Khalid: Ah, okay. That makes sense. The Hillsborough disaster was part of the plot for an episode of Cracker (Robbie Coltrane version) and I’ve read a little about it.
Iowa Old Lady
Sometimes I get TSA Pre-check apparently randomly. I’ve never applied, but when I print my boarding passes, there it is.
In the small airport where I live and at O’Hare recently, all that gave me was leaving my shoes on, but at National, I didn’t have to take out liquids or anything.
WereBear
@PurpleGirl: There is only the Robbie Coltrane version. I’m just grateful the Americans never tackled Monty Python.
PurpleGirl
@WereBear: True, the American version of Cracker (with Robert Pastorelli) didn’t have a story that referenced the Hillsborough disaster and Liverpool FC.
ETA: I really liked the Coltrane Cracker and tolerated a handful of the American show’s episodes.
NotMax
@Amir Khalid
No idea whatsoever.
Mnemosyne (iPad Mini)
@TS:
It’s not just “pay to bypass,” though. You pay for the FBI to do a pretty thorough background check on you and to update it every year. Mostly, it’s for business travelers who can get their companies to reimburse them for the fee and, of course, for rich people. We fly maybe twice a year, so the extra money isn’t worth it.
Oh, and since someone else asked, the scan of your hands is to look for traces of explosives. Don’t re-load cartridges or build any pipe bombs just before leaving for the airport or you’ll have a hassle.
Mnemosyne (iPad Mini)
@NotMax:
It’s definitely better here in So Cal — the storefronts have been filling up for a while. I think the high oil prices are still hurting you guys because it made flying so expensive. I know it made G and I delay our return trip to Kauai because it took us a while to accept how much the flight was going to cost.
Karen in GA
@Gin & Tonic: I wouldn’t mind learning more about using the flash. I’ve learned a little bit (a very little bit) about different uses other than “it’s dark in here, let’s throw some harsh light at the subject” — I had no idea it could be that useful in so many other situations.
@PurpleGirl: Featuring a young, creepy Robert Carlyle.
Robert
@Keith G: Yeah, like a dark shadow over the entire land…a dark evil paid for by unknown dark money sources…the smell of rotting corpses over a battlefield has lifted, only to reappear in congress…Hey, did someone say the drinking game has begun???
catclub
@raven: Another was saying that he is sabotaging tax reform by talking about it. As if the GOP was juuuust about ready to compromise, and then he ruined it for them.
Cervantes
@Mnemosyne (iPad Mini):
Or light up any fireworks, and so on.
catclub
@danielx:
There was a great letter to Andrew Tobias on what exactly Rationalism is, and it is this. That ‘Reasoning’ is much more important than actual observation.
http://andrewtobias.com/column/ayn-rand-ii-steven-not-an-idiot/
Origuy
@PurpleGirl:
Many people in Liverpool have boycotted The Sun for years because of their coverage of the Hillsborough Disaster.
There was a lot more, little or none of it true.
burnspbesq
If someone can provide a convincing explanation as to how anything the President might propose in his SOTU can be implemented, I’ll pay attention.
Otherwise, I’ll be watching basketball and playing with the cat.
Randy P
@Iowa Old Lady: That’s how it was with us. If we had it, it was printed on our boarding passes at check-in. Not decided in the security line.
Summer
@Schlemazel: And yet, on NPR this morning, in an interview with someone talking about Europe, the NPR interviewer said something like, “But what is Europe not doing that we’ve done here, like cut taxes…”
Tree With Water
May God in It’s infinite wisdom command Obama to cite the words and works of Pope Francis in his speech tonight, being sure to cite the source. That’ll drive the GOP crazy.
Bill Arnold
@Mnemosyne (iPad Mini):
Out of curiosity, general question to everyone, is there any documentation on what percentage of applicants are rejected, and why (at an aggregate level)? Can you get rejected for political reasons? (If yes, then what political reasons?)