Thanks for Nothing, Omar!

It's really been a crazy week in Metsland. From Omar, to Bernazard to Adam Rubin, to nearly sweeping the Colorado Rockies, the gamut of emotions for Mets fans have been all over the place.
So enter the non-waiver trade deadline -- today at 4 p.m. With a chance to redeem himself incredibly, after a year of more downs that ups, Omar came through -- by trading for no one.
I thought I'd give ole' Omar a chance this week by waiting until today before making a serious judgment. Now I've Source: The Hudson Line RSS Feed

Animal sacrifices becoming more common

From the NY Post:
An emaciated goat wandering Pelham Bay Park. A pig's head placed on a desolate street near the Green-Wood Cemetery. A dead rooster lying near a tree in Forest Park in Queens.
These bizarre discoveries have popped up with shocking frequency this year, making Big Apple parks look like makeshift sacrificial altars and grazing grounds for livestock left over from religious rituals.
In the last few months, four goats have been found in public places in The Bronx. Source: Queens Crap RSS Feed

What sort of message does this send out?

Times

Are we about to have “cut-price” democracy?

Oh dear! Oh dear! Can they never get this right? Given current Labour poll ratings in the mid-20s you can understand that ministers are not relishing the coming fight but this morning’s front page lead in the Times sends out all the wrong messages.

There are plans to reduce the costs by slashing the number of polling stations and reducing the hours that they stay open. Guess which ones would suffer? Those in Source: Political Betting RSS Feed

The Iowa Republican: A Conservative Slate – Recap of the Sioux City Gubernatorial Debate

By Brent Hoffman

While activists may debate the credentials of the Republican candidates for Governor, it seems “conservative values voters” are the focus of the candidates in advance of the primary. At the most recent debate, held in Sioux City on October 27th, the four candidates emphasized

Source: BlogNetNews.com/Iowa RSS Feed

Funeral for 1979 Saudi fall nurse

A Leeds nurse whose body has lain in a mortuary for 30 years after she died in mysterious circumstances is finally to receive a funeral service. Helen Smith, who died aged 23 after falling from a balcony at a party in Saudi Arabia in 1979, will be cremated in Wakefield on 9 November. Her father Ron has until now refused to allow a funeral - until he could prove his theory that she was murdered. It is thought to be the longest time a body has remained unburied in Britain. Since her death,Source: British Blogs RSS Feed

Next Up: Captain Crunch and Count Chocula -- By: Mark Krikorian

A Col. Sanders impersonator, on a publicity stunt for KFC, gained entry to restricted areas of the U.N. and had a handshaking photo-op with the President of the U.N. General Assembly, Dr. Ali A. Treki of Libya:

KFC president Roger Eaton had earlier written to U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, asking that the "Grilled Nation" of grilled chicken eaters be registered as the 193rd U.N. member state.

I can't resist: I'll have my Iran extra crispy, please.

H/t to DebbieSource: The Corner RSS Feed

Watch Ares I-X Test Launch Live (Atmospheric Test Flight)

I couldn't resist altering the image...
Free TV : Ustream
The video feed is provided by SpaceVidCast, who are my favorite source for watching NASA-TV on the Internet, and they have an excellent show that they do live every Thursday night. Check them out!!!
Ares I-Xis the first test flight in theAres Idevelopment program. Ares I is alaunch systemforhuman spaceflightsbeing developed byNASA, thespace agencyof theUnited States. The vehicle used for the Ares I-X suborbitaltestSource: Thunder Pig RSS Feed

Labour Ministers Conspired to Change the Population of Britain

Andrew Neather, a former speechwriter for Tony Blair, Jack Straw, and other Labour panjandrums, revealed recently, in a column in the Evening Standard defending Labour immigration policies, that Labour ministers encouraged massive Third World immigration out of a desire to change the character of the British nation, as well as in order to insult the political right while enlarging its own constituency. Labour’s policy was deliberately concealed from its own supporters, because it wasSource: Never Yet Melted RSS Feed

10 Queens people arrested in mortgage scam

From Times Ledger:
Just one week after federal investigators busted an alleged mortgage fraud scheme that affected several Queens properties, federal prosecutors indicted 41 individuals last Thursday, including 10 Queens residents, for reportedly raking in $64 million in a similar scandal.
Preet Bharara, the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, unsealed the charges in eight separate cases that were part of an investigation dubbed “Operation Bad Deeds.”
The Source: Queens Crap RSS Feed

Washington Caught Off Guard by Netanyahu Visit ~ Good For BiBi !

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Washington caught off guard by Netanyahu visit

Ynet

Israel says PM did not consult Obama ahead of trip because meeting on peace process unnecessary.

WASHINGTON

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's intention to visit Washington for the annual UJC General Assembly has surprised many on Capitol Hill and was apparently not coordinated with the ObamaSource: Theodore's World RSS Feed

Meehan Sighting

A couple of Montgomery County businessmen were spotted chatting with Congressional candidate Pat Meehan at a fundraising event on Wednesday, October 21, at The Café located at 2011 Walnut Street in Philadelphia. Meehan, former U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, is seeking the Republican nomination for Pennsylvania's 7th Congressional District. Pictured from left to right: Geoffrey McKernan of Blue Bell, President and CEO, NSM Insurance (headquartered inSource: Tony Phyrillas RSS Feed

Grand Forks Herald Publishers Phony Call for Civility

The Grand Forks Herald’s editor and publisher had an column calling for civility to be shown during hockey games. When I read this I thought that I was in another world.

Now it’s true that the UND students have gotten a bit profane during the games against the Minnesota Gophers. But then again it’s been that way for years and other efforts to do better have been fruitless. So a call by the old radical, Mike Jacobs, isn’t probably going to change much.

On the other hand,Source: Say Anything RSS Feed

Ban in England On Geert Wilders Overturned and Wilders Speaks In America Temple University

Protesters rallied as anti-Islamic Dutch lawmaker Geert Wilders held a news conference in London Friday. Mr. Wilders, who made a controversial film about Islam, arrived in London after a ban against him entering Britain was overturned.

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Geert Wilders Dutch lawmaker speaks at Temple University

David Horowitz Freedom Center sponsored an event tonight atSource: Theodore's World RSS Feed

Harry Reid's the Weak Link in Obamacare

Yuval Levin has an analysis of Harry Reid's role in the defeat of the first real Senate floor vote on Obamacare:Conversations on the Hill this afternoon suggest Harry Reid has done himself some damage with the failed vote on the fix to the Medicare doctor payment formula. He lost significantly more Democrats than he expected, and seemed to lose control of what was in essence the first health care reform vote on the Senate floor.
The Democrats are now arguing that they knew they wouldSource: HolyCoast.com RSS Feed

Marc Elrich's Message for 2010

At-large County Council Member Marc Elrich is holding his first fundraiser of the season on Sunday. There is nothing newsworthy in the mere act of a candidate seeking money. But the message used by Elrich to market the fundraiser says something about where the politics of the county are headed next year.
Marc Elrich is not an ordinary politician. He is a leader of the old-school, slow-growth wing of the county’s divided progressive community. When he runs for office, he does notSource: Maryland Politics Watch RSS Feed

Barnes & Nobel Ready to Release E-Reader

The Wall Street Journal reports that Barnes & Nobel is ready to release its ebook reader this week:

Barnes & Noble, the nation’s largest bookstore chain as measured by revenue, is playing catch-up with Amazon in digital books, one of the few growing segments of the publishing industry. Over the summer, Barnes & Noble introduced its own e-book store, which now features over a million free public domain books from Google Inc. Its e-books can be read on devices including Apple Inc.’s Source: Liberal Values RSS Feed

Slideshow: (Political) Spoiler Alert!

In a world without third-party candidates, John Corzine would be losing New Jersey's gubernatorial election. He's not an inspiring figure and his poll numbers have been stalled around 40% since April. Yet, ever since independent candidate Chris Daggett joined the race, he has been merrily siphoning votes off of Corzine's opponent.Now itlooks like Corzine could win.Click through this TNR slideshow for a look at some other famous third-party spoilers.

Source: The Plank RSS Feed

Sarah Palin to campaign in Texas For Gov. Rick Perry

CNN

Republican gubernatorial campaigns in Virginia and New Jersey are giving Palin the cold shoulder out of fear that she might alienate independent voters.

But it's a very different story in the Texas Republican gubernatorial primary, a conservative slugfest between Gov. Rick Perry and Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison.

Palin will campaign for Perry sometime next year, according to his campaign, but the dates are still being finalized.Source: Theodore's World RSS Feed

Germany’s Got Revolutionary Power

Business Week says Germany’s building the power grid of the future. One of humanity’s boldest visions:

The electricity age is imminent in six German regions: The technology of the future for smart energy management is going to be developed and tested, under the label E-Energy, in several cities. A number of projects will kick into high gear this month. Tens of thousands of homes and hundreds of companies are expected to participate in the field tests.

TestingSource: The Moderate Voice RSS Feed

music, pattern, and the neurostructures of time

Noology | The term pattern has recently gained prominence as key term in understanding mankind's quest to make the universe intelligible, to fashion a Cosmos from the pure Chaos of the undiscriminate swarm of photons, electrons, air pressure changes, chemical and physical stimulants, that organisms are exposed to every instant of their living existence. On pattern are based not only the sciences, but also human society, and in the wider sense, life, and the lawfulness of the universe. TheSource: subrealism RSS Feed

Girl, 9, becomes first child to design UK coin

The Royal Mint is due to unveil the first UK coin designed by a child, which will enter circulation next year.Florence Jackson, nine, from Bristol, beat 17,000 other entries to win a BBC One Blue Peter competition celebrating the 2012 Olympic Games in London. Her high-jump motif is the first in a series of 29 officially-licensed 50p designs to commemorate the Olympics. She said: "It was amazing to... see my picture turned into a coin. I can't wait to see it in my pocket money."...
Girl,Source: British Blogs RSS Feed

MP’s STILL ARGUING OVER THEIR EXPENSES AT OUR EXPENSE

In the UK Members of Parliament (MP’s) from all political parties have been warned that they face being kicked out of Parliament (above) if they refuse to abide by a recent retrospective review over their expenses for the last 5 years and don’t pay back over-claimed money. Both Prime Minister Gordon Brown and Opposition Leader David Cameron have said that any MP’s that resist the financial payback demands raised by the review conducted by Sir Thomas Legg could lose the support ofSource: British Blogs RSS Feed

O'Reilly On Rush Limbaugh Smears from the left loons

This from the league who welcomed a dog killer with open arms and would still market OJ somehow if they could get away with it.....and this is what Roger Goodell calls a family environment and the protection of the brand and class in the NFL?

Oops, wrong picture there, and I'll bet that's one I'm sure the NFL isn't selling in their gift shops and online stores are they? However......
Oh, but you can buy a cute little Vick Dog jersey for your pup to remind you of this guySource: Chicagoray RSS Feed

Drunk Rick Sanchez of CNN Is A Hit and Run Driver Now Also LIES About Rush

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CNN: Rush Limbaugh's Controversial Push To Buy NFL Team

Rick Sanchez of CNN Ran Over a Man Then Fled the Scene. Two Hours Later, Sanchez Was Still Drunk.

Red State Blog

Rick Sanchez quoted Rush Limbaugh on CNN and the quote was fabricated. The racially insensitive quote attributed to Limbaugh was made up on the internet and not uttered by Rush.

Source: Theodore's World RSS Feed

Rock Salt, Paper, Morons (alternate title: We Will, We Will, Rock Salt You!)

The moment I heard Snowe was going to vote for the bill, I began furiously refreshing Red State for the reaction. Finally, they deliver:

That is right, folks. To show unhappy they are, they are going to ask you to buy rock salt through their amazon store and mail it to Olympia Snowe. They don’t call them the Red State Strike Farce for nothing.

Seriously, how do I make a joke about this?

Source: Balloon Juice RSS Feed

“Mother Night: Learning to See in the Dark”

Sounds True is the superlative audio company that has produced my audio books for the last twenty years… my works like The Radiant Coat, Stories about the Crossings Between Life and Death… a work used by many professionals in health, healing and hospices. Other of my works: Theatre of the Imagination: Thirteen weeks of live performances of myths and stories revolving around dark and difficult life themes… broadcast over many NPR and public radio stations in US and Canada. There are 14Source: The Moderate Voice RSS Feed

Tasers Under Fire In Australia

Tasers are under fire in Australia where a manufacturer’s warning is seen as a possible bonanza for lawsuit seeking lawyers. The Courier-Mail reports:

Manufacturer Taser International has issued the directive based on controversy over the impact of the stun guns on the human heart.

It recommends Tasers instead be aimed at a suspect’s legs or back.

Queensland Police are considering the directive as part of its revamped Taser training package to be rolled out nextSource: The Moderate Voice RSS Feed

Blackhawks Score 6 Unanswered Goals For Record Setting Victory

Hawks trailed 5-0 11:43 into game
The Blackhawks recorded their largest comeback in franchise history and tied the NHL mark when they rallied from a five-goal, first-period deficit to defeat the Calgary Flames 6-5 in overtime Monday night at the United Center.
It was one of the most thrilling games in recent memory. It was also one of those games you leave after the first period all disgusted .....and then you and your friends get home right about as the Hawks were notching theSource: Chicagoray RSS Feed

ICE Strips Sheriff Joe Arpaio Of Immigration Enforcement Powers

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Xenophobic Arizona Sheriff, Joe Arpaio, has raised a lot of eyebrows. Besides his very public hatred of Hispanics, he's also established ties with a Neo-Nazi group in his home state. Arpaio's obliteration of civil rights has finally caught up with him and the Obama Administration is finally pushing back:

A controversial Arizona sheriff known for taking a hard line against illegal immigrants has been stripped of some of his powers inSource: Crooks and Liars RSS Feed

Some polling data for top politics don Anthony King

How do these numbers fit with your article Professor?

My apologies for returning to this subject but I feel I ought to raise yet again the issue of Blair’s 1996/97 polls ratings which are referred to in a commentary on the Mail BPIX poll by Anthony King, professor of government at Essex University. writes:-

“…However, the findings still indicate that the road ahead for the Tories may be rocky. Not only is the Conservatives’ lead over Labour not nearly as large asSource: Political Betting RSS Feed

'How's That Stimulus Working for You?' -- By: Veronique de Rugy

According to Roll Call this morning:

With unemployment headed to double digits, Democrats are facing a damned-if-they-do, damned-if-they-don't dilemma when it comes to passing another stimulus package.

That's why:

Democratic leaders and the White House are trying to thread the needle, opening the door to some more stimulus spending, while trying their best to avoid the word 'stimulus.'

Meanwhile, the more-often-wrong-than-not Harold Meyerson, over at theSource: The Corner RSS Feed

Judge tosses 2 of Hiram's charges

From the Queens Courier:
Justice William Erlbaum dismissed counts three and five – assault in the second degree and assault in the third degree – in State Senator Hiram Monserrate’s trial, but left the top charge.
The bombshell developments took place on Tuesday, October 6, near the end of the seventh day of Monserrate’s trial, which saw the prosecution rest its case and the defense call its first witness.
Monserrate Defense Attorney Joseph Tacopina argued that ErlbaumSource: Queens Crap RSS Feed

GOP Chair Michael Steele Attacks Credibility of AMA on Health Care Reform

It must have really frustrated the Republicans to see Barack Obama have a photo op to remind everyone that, unlike in past years, doctors are supporting health care reform. Unlike in past years when organized medicine even opposed the formation of Medicare, the American Medical Association has endorsed the House proposal. Over seven out of ten doctors even support the public option.

If doctors could simply write a prescription to fix the health care system, we’d probably already haveSource: Liberal Values RSS Feed

WCA aligns with Nick Spano’s firm

The Westchester County Association has formed an alliance with Empire Strategic Planning, a lobbying firm owned by former state Sen. Nick Spano.

In announcing the partnership, WCA President William Mooney said it was to create an “early warning system” about pending legislation that would affect its members in the business community. He cited the MTA Payroll Tax and the proposed Commercial Assessment Ratio bill as examples where members needed to be better informed earlier in theSource: Politics on the Hudson RSS Feed

What about a 2010 referendum bet at 10/1?

Is this worth a punt?

Ladbrokes has put a couple of interesting referendum markets up this morning one of which offers some value.

This is the 10/1 shot that there will be a referendum on the Lisbon treat during 2010. The price looks quite tempting.

Clearly it requires the Tories to win the election and then to go forward with a referendum plan that happens before the end of next year. As of now the party is only committed to doing this, though we don’t know about theSource: Political Betting RSS Feed

THE MIRROR STANDS BEFORE US (The 4th October Violent Verse)

Domestic violence as pre-existing condition? 8 states still allow it
The mirror now stands before us; Torn sleeves and skin,
she's come to watch the sorrow dripping down, the sap
of our veiled shame, our abysmal indifference… Disgrace,
the fickle comrade, has not discouraged her,
kept her from loving us fully though she’s been seen
weeping in the temple of mankind.
We try to imagine her echo shattering man’s tall ceiling
and the sharpSource: Peace, Social Justice and Truth for RSS Feed

Will the towns of England seal Brown’s fate?

Out at last - the PoliticsHome Marginals MegaPoll

We’ve now got the latest PolticsHome marginals poll which covers 238 constituencies with a sample of 33,610 voters. Apart from the scale what makes this different is that there is a two-stage voting intention question to try to tease out the potential for tactical voting.

Reproduced above is the main summary panel showing the seat predictions and projected swings in each of the different categories of seat and as can be seenSource: Political Betting RSS Feed

500 greet Glenn Beck in Chester County

More than 500 people stood in line for a chance to meet Glenn Beck and get his signature on his new book. Oh yeah, 8 liberal protesters also showed up.
From an article in The West Chester Daily Local News: The book signing that conservative television and radio host Glenn Beck held at the Barnes & Noble on Wednesday evening attracted throngs of outspoken fans.
An hour before the signing started, nearly 500 stood in a line that wrapped around the bookstore and continued allSource: Tony Phyrillas RSS Feed