Obscanity: You'll know it when you see it

Natasha Richardson dies after ski fall – CNN.com.

So sad – she was so young.

Yet another celebrity taken by the ski slopes… what’s so odd is that she didn’t seem to have any injuries after she fell – but I kind of had a bad feeling when I saw she’d been hospitalized, I don’t know why.

So sorry for her family. 🙁

Senators want to fight Mexican drug cartels’ expanding influence – CNN.com.

Anthony Placido of the Drug Enforcement Administration said the DEA does not believe "that in the near term the cartels will deliberately target U.S. government personnel or interests or intentionally target U.S. civilians in the United States."

Yeah, well. We all know how much the DEA is to be trusted. They would just as soon ignore the cartels and stick to the far safer job of taking medicine from cancer patients and uprooting big mean plants.

Here’s hoping Obama’s DEA is different.

Pam’s House Blend:: Louisiana: unarmed, black, 73-year-old cancer survivor shot dead by police.

Commentary: We owe oldest Americans an apology – CNN.com.

Not to mention those who should be on the brink of retirement right now, but for the fact that their entire retirement fund has been wiped out because they had the misfortune to work for 30+ years for one of the big companies currently going under or being nationalized…

Madoff worth more than $820 million, document says – CNN.com.

All the reason to liquidate his estate and divvy it up among his victims.

Family caught in Madoff swindle forced to sell Jewish heirlooms – CNN.com.

This just makes me so sick, and horrified, and disappointed in humanity, that it can produce somebody like Madoff. But not to worry. There’s a backhanded Jewish blessing for every occasion.

I hope to god the government seizes his entire estate – wherever it may be hiding – and redistributes it to his victims. There is no justification for what he did. There is no explaining the damage. Many of his victims were philanthropic groups or nonprofit organizations, or were benefactors to such groups. Without those contributions, how many more will suffer?

Frankly I think the government ought to bear some of the responsibility here anyway. They have oversight over situations like this, and they knew something was wrong – but they failed miserably in their investigations, despite multiple warnings that something was amiss. It makes me think of children who die at the hands of abusive parents, and then after the fact we find out that child protection agencies had investigated multiple times and refused to take the child out of the home, or found “no evidence” of abuse.

This is that serious. This man was chairman of the NASDAQ. Investors are not in a position to know whether securities fraud is taking place. This is why we have the SEC. Or at least, so we thought.

Most of all, it pisses me off that this was a Jewish guy swindling so many people, especially so many who were also Jews or Jewish charities. First, I hate to see Jewish people involved in anything so shameful. Just… as a Jew, it pisses me off that he would do that. He should know better. He should be a better person than that. Second, you know that anti-Semites all over the country are going, “Well, it figures. Never let a Jew touch your money.” Because we all know that what one Jew does wrong gets attributed to the whole of us. But third, it kills me because he went beyond mere financial scamming and exploited a familial trust. It’s hard to explain if you’re not Jewish; it’ll just sound like I’m endorsing the Jewish mafia or something. That’s not what I mean. What I mean is… just think about it. So many of his victims were elderly Ashkenazi Jews, many of them Holocaust survivors. These are the people whose parents and grandparents came over here on ships to escape pogroms, died in the Nazi camps, etc. These are the people who stood together at Mount Sinai (or so it goes, in Jewish theology). Point being: we’ve been through so much as a people – why would we do that to each other?

On “Mad Money,” Cramer back to normal – War Room – Salon.com.

Most disturbing:

The man himself wasn’t the only one trying to minimize the “Daily Show” interview on Friday. TVNewser reports that producers at Cramer’s sister network MSNBC were asked not to cover it during their own shows.

Uh, isn’t this similar to the very bullshit Jon Stewart was criticizing? This is news. Sorry, but it is. You don’t get to suppress it just because you’re a little embarrassed that it took a cable comedian to call your network to task for its role in the current economic meltdown.

Joe. My. God.: That’s Life: Board Games Make You Gay!.

Hey, numb-skulls… you realize the original board game let you do that too, right?

Next thing you know they’ll be petitioning the makers of the board game to create different holes for pink and blue pegs, and only allow one of each in the front seat. Oh, and the blue peg will ALWAYS be the in the driver’s seat.

Dad marries girlfriend, 17, to ‘fulfill a wish for Haleigh’ – CNN.com.

Creepy, yes. But a little less creepy once you do some digging into past stories and realize that “Dad” is only 25 years old. Aged 17 and 25, and getting married? My eyebrows are raised very, very high. But it’s still not quite as scummy as it seems at first glance.

Stewart seen as winner in showdown with Cramer – CNN.com.

I don’t know why anybody is surprised by this – Jon Stewart always takes his guests to task when he doesn’t agree with them.

In any event, I (and most people I know) have been saying all along that Jon Stewart provides the best news/commentary on TV right now… glad to see he’s still going strong post-election. His coverage of the 2008 election was the only thing that kept me sane throughout the whole ordeal, even as it drove me crazy to see what was going on. The man deserves a prize.

Watch the full episode of The Daily Show with guest Jim Cramer.

Another twist for the unemployed: Debit card fees – CNN.com.

According to the U.S. Department of Labor, 30 states offer direct deposit cards to the unemployed. Many of the nation’s biggest banks have contracts with the individual states. JP Morgan Chase, for instance, has contracts with seven states and has pending deals with two others, according to Chase spokesman John T. Murray. About 10 states, the Labor Department says, pay by check only.

The National Consumer Law Center says fees range from 40 cents to a high of $3 per transaction, if the debit card is used at an out-of-network ATM. Most banks give jobless debit card users one free withdrawal per deposit period, which averages every other week in most states. But consumer advocates, including the Law Center, say the unemployed “should be able to obtain cash and perform basic functions with no fees.”

Yeah – um, aren’t the banks getting enough taxpayer money without gunning for a share of unemployment funds, too? Next thing you know, they’ll be pulling this same shady business with Social Security checks.

Shooter planned ‘to go out in grand style,’ investigator says – CNN.com.

Call me heartless, but why can’t these people just KILL THEMSELVES FIRST instead of taking out so many people on the way? They always die in the end anyway. Not that I wish them dead, but if they’re going to kill themselves anyway, can’t they just skip right to the big finish instead of tearing families apart and slaughtering people who didn’t want to die?

I edited this from the original post to include my comment to the person who commented below, because I think it’s important to address this issue.

I understand that people “made fun of him” and that this may have contributed to his actions. I really do. I don’t condone it, but I understand it. That said, much of the time, the people who get killed are not the people who were responsible for creating a monster. Look at Columbine. Yes, some of the people killed were athletes who had tormented Harris and Klebold. But many of them were not. In this case a baby was shot, and a toddler killed. Did these children participate in any behavior that warranted a bullet? Really?

I don’t think mockery warrants capital punishment. And believe me – I know what it’s like to be made fun of by a lot of people, and I know what it’s like to be the target of everybody’s negative attention. But wouldn’t it be just as effective to go on to be more successful than the people who mocked you? Or take them to court for harassment? Or just tell them to fuck off? Why is killing them the logical answer? What is so fragile about the male ego that injuring it warrants capital punishment? You’re talking about the same sort of “shame” that makes men in Muslim countries throw acid on the faces of women who reject their marriage proposals. And god forbid a gay man should accidentally mistake a straight man for gay and say something even remotely suggestive – suddenly the gay man finds himself dead on a fence post. Why is it that men think they can excuse murderous behavior by saying they did it because their feelings were hurt?

In any event, killing people does not teach anybody to be nicer. It just gives people more reason to ostracize and avoid those who seem like they might “snap.” These people do worse for the fate of all outcasts than any athlete or smartass could possibly do, by becoming what everybody fears. You think things got any better for high school outcasts after Columbine? Fuck that. They got worse. The same will happen for people like this guy. People hate what they fear, and they oppress what they hate. This man just made things a lot worse for everybody else like him.

Ex-president of Israel blasts legal ‘lynching’ after rape indictment – CNN.com.

“The attorney general, the state prosecutor’s office, the police, politicians and journalists have shed my blood daily. For 32 months my rights and my honor have been trampled on and the lynching will not stop.”

K, I don’t know much about this guy, but it seems to me that a right-wing Israeli politician being accused of rape does not get to speak in lynching metaphors or claim his “blood” is being spilled by the press. Nuh uh.

K, remember how I raved yesterday about iHerb.com and their prices and cheap shipping? Well, add another thing to the list: My order ARRIVED TODAY. Of course it helps that we’re located in the same region, but still, I’m IMPRESSED.

Go to iHerb.com and check out their stock; they have a pretty broad selection. Don’t forget to use code COF922 to get $5 off your first order!

The girl in the window – St. Petersburg Times.

Give yourself a little time to read this one.

Lawyer: Madoff to plead guilty, faces 150 years – CNN.com.

While I sincerely doubt it is feasible, I hope that at least some of the investors are able to recover some of their losses. This was horrible.

War message found inside Lincoln’s watch – CNN.com.

I love random history articles. At least we know what he meant by his inscription, thanks to his interview! (or at least, what he wanted people to think he meant)

iHerb.com: Use the code COF922 at checkout and receive $5 off your first purchase!

I bought this really amazing elderberry syrup while I was in Seattle – not syrup for pancakes, but tonic-type syrup that you take to boost your immune system when you’re sick or getting sick. I went to restock my supply online, but discovered that the company that makes the product wanted nearly $15 in SHIPPING for one 4oz bottle! I’m all for supporting small businesses, but not when the shipping costs more then the product! So I did what any self-respecting ‘net junkie would do: I Googled the stuff.

That’s how I found iHerb.com. Not only did they sell the bottles at a discount, but Priority shipping was less than $3 (I think they deliberately take a hit on shipping to encourage people to shop there) even though I bought 2 small bottles and two large bottles! Not only that, but I was able to find a code for $5 off. So four bottles of product – the equivalent of six, in volume – cost me the same ($30) as a single small bottle + shipping would have cost elsewhere. Can’t beat that.

iHerb.com has lots of popular natural products at discount prices. Use the code COF922 at checkout and receive $5 off your first purchase!

Exxon Valdez oil could persist for ‘decades and possibly centuries’ | Greenspace | Los Angeles Times.

The “stunning” legacy of the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill in Alaska is the persistence of oil along the beaches of Prince William Sound that in places is “nearly as toxic as it was the first few weeks after the spill,” says a new report from the group charged with monitoring the cleanup.

Amazon to Sell E-Books to Read on the iPhone and iPod Touch – NYTimes.com.

Mmmm, yummy morals and values. Jesus would be proud.

Oh, wait.

I’ve been saying all along that the current Republican strategy is to let the economy tank, and fight against every possible measure designed to prevent that from happening. They *want* the economy to fail, at least until 2010 and 2012, and they’re willing to do anything to make that happen. Then when we’re all in the poorhouse or jumping out of windows like in 1929, the Republicans will say, “Hey, look, the Democrats failed. Elect us instead.” Hopefully the American people won’t be stupid enough to fall for it – especially now that they’ve admitted outright what they are trying to do:

“We will lose on legislation. But we will win the message war every day, and every week, until November 2010,” said Rep. Patrick McHenry, R-N.C., an outspoken conservative who has participated on the GOP message teams. “Our goal is to bring down approval numbers for [Speaker Nancy] Pelosi and for House Democrats. That will take repetition. This is a marathon, not a sprint.”

U.S. divorce rates: for various faith groups, age groups and geographical areas.

Guess what, folks? Not only do the “liberal, family hating” west and northeast have LOWER divorce rates than the marriage-protecting south and midwest (which, to be fair, probably has something to do with wealth and education as well as religion), but those who fight the MOST to prevent gay people from marrying – fundamentalist, evangelical Christians – actually have HIGHER divorce rates than atheists and agnostics! Jews are the highest in proportion by a slight margin, but hey, guess what? Judaism doesn’t prohibit divorce, and in fact the marriage contract itself usually includes protections for the woman in case of divorce.

But do the religious fundamentalists accept that they might ACTUALLY be hypocrites? Of course not. I love that the conservative Christian response is essentially to say, “But we know that can’t possibly be true, because these people are Christian, so of course they wouldn’t get divorced, because they’re living a Christian lifestyle, which doesn’t include divorce,” or “Well, they weren’t really Christian if they got divorced, so that doesn’t count.” But hey – these are the same people who say “These facts are true. We know they are true, because the Bible says they’re true. And we know the Bible is right, because the Bible says it’s right You see? There’s your proof. You can’t ignore the facts.”

Citigroup breaks the buck – Mar. 5, 2009.

This really SUCKS for people who have worked for Citibank for 30+ years, and have relied on the promise of a pension, and stayed with Citibank because they had a pension plan, and have received their annual bonuses in the form of stock options. Hey, guess what? These people now have little to nothing remaining of the pensions, healthcare, and options they earned over three decades’ span. We’re not talking about executives, CEOs and rich investors. We’re talking about middle class employees. What are they supposed to do now?

With Twitter Envy, Facebook Adds (Near) Real-time Web Capabilities.

The question is, will we LIKE the new capabilities?