Angry Toy Robot (D.A.N.A.)

SpaceX Falcon 9 Flight 2 Launch Webcast

2010-12-11T14:31:00.000-05:00

Religious People

2010-03-19T11:38:00.001-04:00

Religious People
Originally uploaded by • Bruce

The Company is Pleased - A thank you from Weyland-Yutani Corporation

2010-01-21T21:48:00.001-05:00

The Company is Pleased - A thank you from Weyland-Yutani Corporation

Posted using ShareThis

Creation Evidence Expo.jpg

2009-09-24T19:05:00.001-04:00

Creation Evidence Expo.jpg
Originally uploaded by fastfashn

Doctor Who: David Tennant + Russell T. Davies, the Metzger Interview (Boing Boing Video)

2009-08-26T13:13:00.001-04:00

killing time

2009-08-19T20:07:00.001-04:00

killing time
Originally uploaded by hkvam

O M G I G P Internet Explorer 8 Puke Vomit Girl

2009-07-02T12:00:00.001-04:00

Microsoft must be desperate.

Alikhani's Speech in Majlis in Support of Mousavi (English Subs)

2009-06-27T12:22:00.001-04:00

HAARM.org - Community Outreach

2009-06-23T22:34:00.001-04:00

THE REPUBLICAN HEALTH CARE HORROR SHOW - HD Version

2009-06-20T22:52:00.001-04:00

Indiana, behind the times? hahahaha

2009-06-03T13:27:00.001-04:00

http://www.indy.com/posts/state-won-t-mandate-safer-circuit-breakers

I was at the filling station (Speedway) at Washington and Emerson the other day and a teenager was hooking at the gas pumps (at around 2pm). She was young, she looked ill, and she was hitting on a middle-aged guy in a pickup truck/SUV (who I think went off with her). God forbid we should care for kids after they are born here in this state, get them good jobs and an education and safe, healthy (not McDees class) food...

"Tamper-resistant outlets have internal shutters that readily accept electrical plugs but can prevent children from shocking themselves. More than 2,400 U.S. children are injured each year after sticking metal objects such as keys or paper clips into the sockets, according to the electrical foundation.

“Indiana (often) is behind the times when it comes to life safety,” said Pike Township Fire Marshall Steve Jones, a supporter of the mandates. “Indiana routinely ignores parts of the National Electric Code because of the financial concerns of special interest groups, like the builders.”"

Ya? Surprise surprise.

2010 RS Camaro on the streets

2009-03-24T14:48:00.001-04:00

First 2010 Chevrolet Camaro VIN0001 Drives Off the Line - Plant Footage

2009-03-24T14:42:00.001-04:00

Cramer Responds to Stewart w/ Help from Scarborough

2009-03-10T13:01:00.001-04:00

Portal - Credits Song 'Still Alive'

2009-03-07T16:29:00.001-05:00

Homer Simpson tries to vote for Obama

2009-02-18T08:33:00.001-05:00

Hayworth: Economic Crisis? Blame Schumer and Soros!

2009-02-17T12:26:00.001-05:00

TSCC Returns Feb 13th teaser

2009-02-12T22:29:00.001-05:00

Terminator/Dollhouse - Grindhouse Promo

2009-02-12T22:27:00.001-05:00

Barney Frank: Iraq was the biggest spending program ever.

2009-02-01T18:43:00.001-05:00

Yay Barney!!!!! Yer my hero.

On the set of Terminator SCC

2009-01-29T17:31:00.003-05:00

http://terminatorscc.podOmatic.com/entry/2009-01-23T12_20_22-08_00

Flying Spaghetti Monster spotted in Germany

2009-01-28T14:35:00.001-05:00

“monitored all communications”

2009-01-23T21:14:00.001-05:00

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

And I Thought the Daily Show Would be Over After the Election

2009-01-23T21:09:00.001-05:00

The Daily Show With Jon StewartM - Th 11p / 10c

Fox News Fear Imbalance

Barack Obama Interview
John McCain Interview

Sarah Palin Video
Funny Election Video

The Daily Show is as good as ever!

Not Long Now

2009-01-20T11:20:00.002-05:00

Bush's Last Day

2009-01-20T07:59:00.000-05:00

Palpatine looks for a job.

2009-01-19T21:24:00.001-05:00

Police in Riot Gear

2009-01-08T11:01:00.001-05:00

Police in Riot Gear
Originally uploaded by Thomas Hawk

Paramedics, Oakland Riots

2009-01-08T10:57:00.003-05:00

Paramedics, Oakland Riots
Originally uploaded by Thomas Hawk

Kid Handcuffed in the Back of a Police Car, Oakland Riots

2009-01-08T10:57:00.001-05:00

Kid Handcuffed in the Back of a Police Car, Oakland Riots
Originally uploaded by Thomas Hawk

Posing in Front of a Burnt Out Car, Oakland Riots

2009-01-08T10:56:00.003-05:00

Posing in Front of a Burnt Out Car, Oakland Riots
Originally uploaded by Thomas Hawk

I'm stupid, look at me!

Obama Biden, Oakland Riots

2009-01-08T10:56:00.001-05:00

Obama Biden, Oakland Riots
Originally uploaded by Thomas Hawk

Morons riot in California

RamboBells

2008-12-17T15:09:00.001-05:00

When I was in 'Nam I could fly a helicopter for Jesus, I could drive a tank and save little yellow kids, I was in charge of million-dollar pieces of god-given machinery!

And... I come back here, and they call me all kinds of vile crap, spittin' on me, and then I voted for George W and he was an idiot, and my friends in the Taleban?! My friends! They started blowing up schools and killing babies, and I, I tried to get ahold of them, to tell them that was wrong, and they laughed at me... What am I supposed to do, huh? What am I supposed to do...

Thanks for Nothing Republicans

2008-12-12T10:52:00.002-05:00

Do you guys know what a piddling amount $14 billion is to the Federal Government? We just allocated 50 times that amount to the financial business. But not a penny will Republican Senators allow to the crumbling American automotive business.

Yeah, I know what 47% of you will say. It’s the fault of the UAW, those greedy, stubborn auto workers who won’t give up their big fat paychecks right away in order to secure the deal. Bad, bad auto workers!

Sure. I know each and every one of you would give up a chunk of your salary and benefits without a full and aggressive negotiation beforehand, just because a bunch of suits were holding your company hostage.

Guess what. You wouldn’t. I will bet you right now that each and every auto worker is at this moment willing to talk about a rational deal achieved after a good hard look at what needs to be done. But the Senate holding a gun to their heads as it earns its pinstripes playing to the angry anti-bailout voters back home? That’s the price for that meager little pile of cash?

http://stanleybing.blogs.fortune.cnn.com/2008/12/12/thanks-senate-for-nothing/

The Republicans have been happy to spend ten billion plus per month in Iraq. Republicans are happy to give money to so-called Christian charities, bankers, bridges to nowhere, dictators in Pakistan and oil companies that don’t need money. So, why, Republicans, can’t you support domestic auto manufacturing?

A real reckoning is coming, and Sarah Palin isn’t going to save your party. In other words, neocons and conservatives, go to hell.

I am SO happy to see your era of incompetence dying, but I’m sorry you are taking good people down the drain with you.

I'm in the industry, as you know, and new union hires are making a lot less than old union hires. Also health care has been cut and reorged, GM and Ford at least are making better cars. Union has already made a lot of cuts and changes, and has gone along with many plant closing with barely a peep.

The Republicans want to break the UAW (not all Republicans, just enough of them). And, as I said, they are balking at spending one month (+) of funding for the Iraq debacle. We can spend billions and billions overseas, and on bankers, but we can't loan GM some money? Something is really rotten in Denmark, folks.

I am not amused. I don't particularly like unions, but if you have no unions, you get Wal-Mart pay grades. The Republicans are the party of the people who blow off the tops of mountains to get coal. They are the party of people who don't like gays. They are not on my Christmas list.

If my 81 year old mom's pension goes away because of this I am going to be very disappointed.

LOST IN SPACE IDAK REMIX

2008-11-28T09:06:00.001-05:00

2008-11-15T11:03:00.001-05:00

JOIN THE IMPACT: PROTEST FOR LGBTQ RIGHTS!

2008-11-14T12:32:00.001-05:00

Galaxy Song - Monty Python's The Meaning of Life

2008-11-10T18:34:00.001-05:00

2008-11-06T08:38:00.001-05:00

Obama Win Causes Obsessive Supporters To Realize How Empty Their Lives Are

Fox News: Palin didn't know Africa was a continent

2008-11-05T21:43:00.001-05:00

2008-11-05T15:47:00.001-05:00

2008-11-05T12:19:00.000-05:00

Oh, No, You Don't

Heart-breaking news this morning: a terribly close vote has stripped gay couples in California of their right to marry. The geographic balance shows that the inland parts of California voted for the Proposition and the coast and urban areas voted against it.

Yes, it is heart-breaking: it is always hard to be in a tiny minority whose rights and dignity are removed by a majority. It's a brutal rebuke to the state supreme court, and enshrinement in California's constitution that gay couples are now second-class citizens and second class human beings. Massively funded by the Mormon church, a religious majority finally managed to put gay people in the back of the bus in the biggest state of the union. The refusal of Schwarzenegger to really oppose the measure and Obama's luke-warm opposition didn't help. And cruelly, a very hefty black turnout, as feared, was one of the factors that defeated us, according to the exit poll. Today this is one of the solaces to a hard right and a Republican party that sees gay people as the least real of Americans...

http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2008/11/stripped-of-the.html#more

2008-11-05T10:06:00.001-05:00

Obama Spring here...
Gays not on Special Trains yay!
Know hope and freedom!

-Dana Nov 5, 2008

Remember the 5th!
November and no explodys...
This is good, I think?

-----

Beards not longer wow!
Constitution is the same.
Not fooled again by Bush.

-----

Sarah? Sarah? Where?
She was here a second ago.
Gone to find a knife.

2008-11-05T09:45:00.001-05:00

I am pleased, and honestly surprised about Indiana. I think it is also good that the margins are close as this will preclude (hopefully) complacency.

The only thing that dampens my enthusiasm is the absolute and utter failure of every gay rights battle in the country in general last night. We didn't try hard enough, and we lost. This was a failure, in CA at least, of complacency - because we honestly did not think we could lose until too late - and the high turnout of blacks, while great for Democrats in general, did not help us. Black churches are still vehemently anti-gay.

Of course, the fundies were smashed on their anti-abortion agenda all over the country, so all is not sadness. Also, the televangelists and Mormons have expended a lot of capital, political and monetary, and they have now lost a lot of White House influence and Congressional influence as well.

Colorado, home of James Dobson, voted for Obama. While Dobson was busy in California fighting gays, his state voted for Democrat Obama and some Democratic Party Congresscritters too. That's a good thing.

What happens to all the GLBT who have gotten married to this point, I do not know, but this issue isn't going away. We'll be back, and maybe we'll take the idea and possibility of failure more seriously.

Maybe we can get DADT ended, finally, with this President and Congress.

BTW - What's with Alaska re-electing felons and has anyone heard anything from Sarah Palin at all? She might be able to pose for Playboy and go on Girls Next Door...

Ok, now the real work, cleaning up the Republican mess of the last 12+ years, has to be done. We have to get out (insofar as is possible) of Iraq, figure out Afghanistan and Pakistan, work on the economy, blah blah blah.

Hopefully Barack is smart enough not to be involved in any scandals with interns (etc) though we know there will be some Democrats somewhere that does a stupid or five. Republicans love scandals because they don't really have anything good to say anyway. Republicans are the party of Mrs. Grundys.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mrs_Grundy

2008-11-05T09:44:00.001-05:00

American Stories, American Solutions

2008-10-29T22:16:00.001-04:00

Sen. Ted Stevens Reacts to His Conviction

2008-10-29T14:02:00.001-04:00

Obama Confesses to Socialist Leanings

2008-10-29T13:58:00.001-04:00

No on 8 poster at Golden Apple

2008-10-24T20:08:00.001-04:00

No on 8 poster at Golden Apple
Originally uploaded by aharvey2k

Ellen Urges Californians to Vote No on Prop. 8

2008-10-24T19:48:00.001-04:00

Hello, I'm No On Prop 8

2008-10-24T19:47:00.001-04:00

And She's the California Constitution

2008-10-24T19:44:00.001-04:00

Wassup 2008

2008-10-24T19:39:00.001-04:00

Ron Howard's Call to Action

2008-10-23T20:03:00.001-04:00

5 Friends Uncensored

2008-10-22T15:31:00.001-04:00

Sarah Palin: VP Is 'In Charge Of United States Senate'

2008-10-21T16:14:00.001-04:00

Sarah, dumber than a box of rocks...

Freaky Right-Wing Religious Nuts: The Call, California

2008-10-19T20:28:00.001-04:00

Colin Powell Discusses His Endorsement of Barack Obama

2008-10-19T17:51:00.001-04:00

2008-10-19T12:54:00.001-04:00

Pastor at McCain Rally: God Must Ensure McCain Win

2008-10-13T20:46:00.001-04:00

Pitiful!

IN A SINKING ECONOMY (side A)

2008-10-09T22:44:00.001-04:00

IN A SINKING ECONOMY (side B)

2008-10-09T22:43:00.001-04:00

Don't Eliminate Marriage For Anyone

2008-10-08T19:35:00.001-04:00

Homer Simpson tries to vote for Obama

2008-10-02T23:06:00.001-04:00

Oh. MY.

2008-09-28T09:49:00.001-04:00

This has to be a snark. Surely people can't be this stupid... Can they?

A Risk We Just Can't Afford to Take

2008-09-22T19:17:00.000-04:00

Damon Condemns Palin

2008-09-21T21:43:00.001-04:00

Foreign Banks have Lobbyists Too

2008-09-21T21:38:00.001-04:00

The New York Times reports this evening that "foreign banks, which were initially excluded from the [Wall Street bailout] plan, lobbied successfully over the weekend to be able to sell the toxic American mortgage debt owned by their American units to the Treasury, getting the same treatment as United States banks."

Just keeps getting worse and worse...

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/22/business/22global.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin

Common Birds are Declining

2008-09-21T21:36:00.000-04:00

The populations of the world's common birds are declining as a result of continued habitat loss, a global assessment has warned.
The survey by BirdLife International found that 45% of Europe's common birds had seen numbers fall, as had more than 80% of Australia's wading species.
The study's authors said governments were failing to fund their promises to halt biodiversity loss by 2010.
The findings will be presented at the group's World Conference in Argentina.
The State of the World's Birds 2008 report, the first update since 2004, found that common species - ones considered to be familiar in people's everyday lives - were declining in all parts of the world.
In Europe, an analysis of 124 species over a 26-year period revealed that 56 species had declined in 20 countries.
Farmland birds were worst affected, with the number of European turtle-doves (Streptopelia turtur) falling by 79%.
In Africa, birds of prey were experiencing "widespread decline" outside of protected areas. While in Asia, 62% of the continent's migratory water bird species were "declining or already extinct".

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7622904.stm

2008-09-21T21:30:00.000-04:00

The St. Paul City Attorney’s office announced Friday it will not prosecute Democracy Now! journalists Amy Goodman, Sharif Abdel Kouddous and Nicole Salazar. St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman also issued a statement Friday that "the city will decline to prosecute misdemeanor charges for presence at an unlawful assembly for journalists arrested during the Republican National Convention."

Both announcements come two weeks after the conclusion of the Republican National Convention where over 40 journalists were arrested while reporting on protests taking place outside the convention center.

Upon learning of the news, Democracy Now! Host, Amy Goodman said, "It’s good that these false charges have finally been dropped, but we never should have been arrested to begin with. These violent and unlawful arrests disrupted our work and had a chilling effect on the reporting of dissent. Freedom of the press is also about the public’s right to know what is happening on their streets. There needs to be a full investigation of law enforcement activities during the convention."

http://shakespearessister.blogspot.com/2008/09/action-item-update-charges-dropped.html#disqus_thread

NYT: PALIN SINGLED OUT GAY-THEMED BOOK IN CENSORSHIP INQUIRY

2008-09-21T21:19:00.002-04:00

NYT: PALIN SINGLED OUT GAY-THEMED BOOK IN CENSORSHIP INQUIRY
With regard to Sarah Palin and book banning, there's been a lot of discussion about whether or not particular books were singled out for censorship by the then mayor of Wasilla, Alaska.

In a searing front-page story in yesterday's New York Times, the paper reveals, among other things, that Palin wanted a children's book that teaches kids about homosexuality off the shelves, but would not read its contents:

http://www.towleroad.com/2008/09/the-new-mayor-a.html

What Wall Street Should Do To Get Its Blank Check

2008-09-21T17:58:00.000-04:00

What Wall Street Should Do To Get Its Blank Check

By Robert Reich - September 21, 2008, 1:48PM

The frame has been set, the dye cast. Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson, presumably representing the Bush administration but indirectly representing Wall Street, and Fed Chief Ben Bernanke, want a blank check from Congress for $700 billion or possibly a trillion dollars or more to take bad debt off Wall Street's balance sheets. Never before in the history of American capitalism has so much been asked of so many for (at least in the first instance) so few...

http://tpmcafe.talkingpointsmemo.com/2008/09/21/what_wall_street_should_do_to/index.php

Executive Power Grab in Bank Bail-Out Bill

2008-09-21T12:41:00.000-04:00

Executive Power Grab in Bank Bail-Out Bill
by: Alexa
Sat Sep 20, 2008 at 23:43:01 PM EDT

(propinas to Larry Madill at Daily Kos)
Though I can't pretend to understand the ongoing financial meltdown of the last week, two items seem apparent. As a disclaimer, I don't know if these events signal a Second Depression or not. If you know, please comment. This isn't a "special interest" issue like torture, and I don't believe any "most Americans" can opt out because jiringonza, it won't opt us out.

Item numero uno: A mito, or myth: "oh, what happens on Wall Street doesn't concern me because I don't have investments." This is a false perception. I live paycheck to paycheck, too. I see the impact in dozens of ways every single day. If you want me to sing Bad Moon Rising ("bathroom on the right," as Mayan quips) I could, but my guess is you're feeling some pinch, too.

http://www.neverinournames.com/showDiary.do;jsessionid=72D6F154C6A1613BE8BF73AA02FC7091?diaryId=2454

That's a Lotta Moola!

2008-09-21T11:29:00.001-04:00

BOB MOON: OK, I'm about to unload some numbers on you here, so I'll speak slowly so you can follow this.

The value of the entire U.S. Treasuries market: $4.5 trillion.

The value of the entire mortgage market: $7 trillion.

The size of the U.S. stock market: $22 trillion.

OK, you ready?

The size of the credit default swap market last year: $45 trillion.

KAI RYSSDAL: That's a lot of money, Bob

.

http://www.dailykos.com/

PUT ON THE BRAKES

2008-09-21T00:13:00.002-04:00

PUT ON THE BRAKES
As noted in the previous post, I'm quite convinced that some drastic action needs to be taken to avoid a cascading and debilitating series of crises. But the more I look at this plan, the more wrongheaded it seems. But if I'm understanding this deal, the taxpayers are going to pony up close to a trillion dollars to take bad debts off the hands of financial institutions who were foolish enough to make the deals in the first place. And in exchange, I think the tax payers get nothing? Sebastian Mallaby makes the good point that this is radically different than the S&L Crisis RTC which was liquidating the assets of thrifts that had already gone belly up -- paid the ultimate price, as it were. And as the insurer on the accounts, the government inherited the assets anyway. It was just a matter of selling them off. But here the point is to take these bad debts off these companies' hands so they can go back to being profitable businesses. This is moral hazard on steroids if I'm understanding this right.

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/218444.php

You know what I think though? This crappy plan will go thru, we'll get fraked over, and nothing will change.

An 'abomination'? Critics attack SEC's short-selling ban

2008-09-21T00:03:00.000-04:00

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/money_co/2008/09/some-reaction-t.html

Some negative reaction today to the Securities and Exchange Commission’s surprise decision to temporarily ban short selling in 799 financial stocks:

--- Eric Newman, who manages the TFS Market Neutral Fund, which has both long and short positions in stocks: "The SEC has done a fantastic job blaming short sellers for nearly every problem in the financial markets today. It’s a brilliant PR campaign that links legitimate short sellers to ‘naked’ short sellers, that assumes any stock going down is only going down because of those pesky hedge funds and their short selling.

"The irony is that SEC is doing exactly what it claims to be against -- manipulating the markets and propping up ailing financial companies that are now politically important because they are essentially backed by taxpayers" via government loans.

--- Larry Harris, a professor of finance at USC and a former SEC chief economist, as quoted by Bloomberg News: "Proposals to ban short-selling are a highly politically motivated attempts to stop reality. To ban short selling is to in effect say that the government is going to try to determine what stock prices should be."

...

--- Jim Chanos, head of well-known short-selling firm Kynikos Associates and chairman of the Coalition of Private Investment Companies: "We are very concerned that these emergency orders will not enhance long-term market integrity nor will they address the fundamental economic issues that have been afflicting our financial sector. We also believe that markets cannot withstand for long constantly changing rules in which each new regulation is announced in the middle of the night without any public comment or participation.

"Far from being the cause of the crisis, many short sellers were warning months and years ago about problems in this area. Simply put: short selling is a vital investment strategy that responds to market fundamentals and contributes to the integrity of stock prices. Investors are best served when they can hear both the reasons to buy and the reasons to sell any given security."

...

Ann Coulter and Al Franken at The Connecticut Forum

2008-09-20T22:47:00.001-04:00

Al Franken: Where Rush Limbaugh's Facts Come From

2008-09-20T22:46:00.001-04:00

I'm a little worried about loaning "" Wall Street a trillion dollars.

2008-09-20T22:07:00.000-04:00

Dear Senator Lugar,

I'm a little worried about loaning "" Wall Street a trillion dollars.

I mean, I've seen Congress strain at gnats (can't spend money on science, can't spend money on a space station, have to cancel Apollo, have to let Skylab fall onto Australia, can't properly fund AIDs research, can't fund breast cancer research, have to close all the Mental Wards (Asylums) because we can't afford them, can't afford particle physics research, can't afford to keep National and State parks open, can't afford to fix the infrastructure) while spending hundreds of billions on the damned military and buying new public financed sports stadiums we don't need, but this takes the cake.

A bunch of corrupt and extremely stupid bankers can't add properly, they go bust, and taxpayers are supposed to bail them out or else THE ECONOMY WILL COLLAPSE!! Sounds like blackmail to me. Meanwhile, that smirking chimp of a President grins like a moron and goes along with this so-called plan.

Senator Lugar, I am not at all sure I believe that the economy is Doomed if AIG and a couple of investment banks go kaput. However, If the economy is so indelibly tied to mortgages that it will completely die if a few investment banks go bankrupt then something somewhere is incredibly wrong with the way this economy is structured.

What do you think? Are you willing to increase the public debt by another trillion dollars on the chance that this will actually fix things? To me this sounds like attacking the symptom instead of the cure... Like John McCain, I am not an expert on the economy. However, I'm also not an idiot (generally) and this deal seems somewhat wrong to me. There is insufficient thought behind this so-called plan to constitute a new, New Deal. It all seems rushed and disorganized, much as things were handled after Katrina, after 9-11 (etc). I don't think this will work and after a trillion dollars is blown on a half-baked plan and things become worse, then what? What's the back-up plan if the trillion dollar plan fails?

You have National Parks being over-run by people growing pot plants. You don't have a replacement for the Space Shuttle. More bridges and dams may collapse at any time, the war in Iraq and Afghanistan are money pits, Sarah Palin thinks the planet is 6k years old, and we want to throw good money after bad to the tune of a trillion bucks. Do these sound like Good Things? Where is this money coming from, the Magic Gold Mine?

Sincerely,

Dana Kincaid

LEGISLATIVE PROPOSAL FOR TREASURY AUTHORITY
TO PURCHASE MORTGAGE-RELATED ASSETS

Section 1. Short Title.

This Act may be cited as ____________________.

Sec. 2. Purchases of Mortgage-Related Assets.

(a) Authority to Purchase.--The Secretary is authorized to purchase, and to make and fund commitments to purchase, on such terms and conditions as determined by the Secretary, mortgage-related assets from any financial institution having its headquarters in the United States.

(b) Necessary Actions.--The Secretary is authorized to take such actions as the Secretary deems necessary to carry out the authorities in this Act, including, without limitation:

(1) appointing such employees as may be required to carry out the authorities in this Act and defining their duties;

(2) entering into contracts, including contracts for services authorized by section 3109 of title 5, United States Code, without regard to any other provision of law regarding public contracts;

(3) designating financial institutions as financial agents of the Government, and they shall perform all such reasonable duties related to this Act as financial agents of the Government as may be required of them;

(4) establishing vehicles that are authorized, subject to supervision by the Secretary, to purchase mortgage-related assets and issue obligations; and

(5) issuing such regulations and other guidance as may be necessary or appropriate to define terms or carry out the authorities of this Act.

Sec. 3. Considerations.

In exercising the authorities granted in this Act, the Secretary shall take into consideration means for--

(1) providing stability or preventing disruption to the financial markets or banking system; and

(2) protecting the taxpayer.

Sec. 4. Reports to Congress.

Within three months of the first exercise of the authority granted in section 2(a), and semiannually thereafter, the Secretary shall report to the Committees on the Budget, Financial Services, and Ways and Means of the House of Representatives and the Committees on the Budget, Finance, and Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs of the Senate with respect to the authorities exercised under this Act and the considerations required by section 3.

Sec. 5. Rights; Management; Sale of Mortgage-Related Assets.

(a) Exercise of Rights.--The Secretary may, at any time, exercise any rights received in connection with mortgage-related assets purchased under this Act.

(b) Management of Mortgage-Related Assets.--The Secretary shall have authority to manage mortgage-related assets purchased under this Act, including revenues and portfolio risks therefrom.

(c) Sale of Mortgage-Related Assets.--The Secretary may, at any time, upon terms and conditions and at prices determined by the Secretary, sell, or enter into securities loans, repurchase transactions or other financial transactions in regard to, any mortgage-related asset purchased under this Act.

(d) Application of Sunset to Mortgage-Related Assets.--The authority of the Secretary to hold any mortgage-related asset purchased under this Act before the termination date in section 9, or to purchase or fund the purchase of a mortgage-related asset under a commitment entered into before the termination date in section 9, is not subject to the provisions of section 9.

Sec. 6. Maximum Amount of Authorized Purchases.

The Secretary’s authority to purchase mortgage-related assets under this Act shall be limited to $700,000,000,000 outstanding at any one time

Sec. 7. Funding.

For the purpose of the authorities granted in this Act, and for the costs of administering those authorities, the Secretary may use the proceeds of the sale of any securities issued under chapter 31 of title 31, United States Code, and the purposes for which securities may be issued under chapter 31 of title 31, United States Code, are extended to include actions authorized by this Act, including the payment of administrative expenses. Any funds expended for actions authorized by this Act, including the payment of administrative expenses, shall be deemed appropriated at the time of such expenditure.

Sec. 8. Review.

Decisions by the Secretary pursuant to the authority of this Act are non-reviewable and committed to agency discretion, and may not be reviewed by any court of law or any administrative agency.

Sec. 9. Termination of Authority.

The authorities under this Act, with the exception of authorities granted in sections 2(b)(5), 5 and 7, shall terminate two years from the date of enactment of this Act.

Sec. 10. Increase in Statutory Limit on the Public Debt.

Subsection (b) of section 3101 of title 31, United States Code, is amended by striking out the dollar limitation contained in such subsection and inserting in lieu thereof $11,315,000,000,000.

Sec. 11. Credit Reform.

The costs of purchases of mortgage-related assets made under section 2(a) of this Act shall be determined as provided under the Federal Credit Reform Act of 1990, as applicable.

Sec. 12. Definitions.

For purposes of this section, the following definitions shall apply:

(1) Mortgage-Related Assets.--The term “mortgage-related assets” means residential or commercial mortgages and any securities, obligations, or other instruments that are based on or related to such mortgages, that in each case was originated or issued on or before September 17, 2008.

(2) Secretary.--The term “Secretary” means the Secretary of the Treasury.

(3) United States.--The term “United States” means the States, territories, and possessions of the United States and the District of Columbia.

Palin is Bush in DRAG! Naomi klein

2008-09-20T21:20:00.001-04:00

Cantor is an Arrogant Ass

2008-09-17T21:55:00.001-04:00

Alaska rallies against Sarah Palin

2008-09-16T18:50:00.001-04:00

2008-09-13T00:47:00.001-04:00

Morbius. Morbius! Something large is approaching from the south east. It is now quite close.

2008-09-11T22:31:00.000-04:00

Palin, "Ready" on day one...

2008-09-11T22:29:00.001-04:00

John McCain running mate Sarah Palin sought Thursday to defend her qualifications but struggled with foreign policy, unable to describe President Bush's doctrine of pre-emptive strikes against threatening nations and acknowledging she's never met a foreign head of state.

The Republican vice presidential nominee told Charles Gibson of ABC News in her first televised interview since being named to the GOP ticket that "I'm ready" to be president if called upon. However, she sidestepped on whether she had the national security credentials needed to be commander in chief.

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/2008/09/palin_tries_to_defend_qualific.php

Is God Angry With Texas?

2008-09-11T22:20:00.001-04:00

I mean, is Texas having a gay pride march this weekend or something?

2008-09-08T22:39:00.001-04:00

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Originally uploaded by fastfashn

Featurette Season 2

2008-09-04T13:09:00.001-04:00

2008-09-04T13:01:00.001-04:00

2008-09-04T12:29:00.001-04:00

The Sarah Palin Church Video Part One

2008-09-03T15:01:00.001-04:00

TPMtv: This Feels More Like An Insurance Convention

2008-09-02T21:46:00.001-04:00

2008-09-02T21:09:00.001-04:00

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Originally uploaded by fastfashn

Little bits of Gustav

2008-09-02T21:08:00.001-04:00

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Originally uploaded by fastfashn

New Orleans Dodged a Bullet

2008-09-02T10:23:00.001-04:00

So happy to hear that Gustav didn't kill the city. NO is lucky that the hurricane wasn't just a little bit stronger.

My cat might be a vampire...

2008-09-02T10:18:00.001-04:00

By Bob Rybarczyk
SPECIAL TO THE POST-DISPATCH
08/19/2008

I might be raising a vampire cat.

I don’t understand cats.

I just don’t. I never really have. I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve watched our cats doing something and wondered what in the hell they’re thinking. They think a piece of paper makes a perfect platform for a six-hour nap. They refuse to eat the last few pieces of kibble in their dish, and yet they are all too happy to drink out of the toilet. You get the point.

What surprises me the most is that they seem to keep coming up with new ways to be weird. I’ve only been around cats for the last four years or so, but you’d think four years would be more than enough time to figure out a species that can be amused for days by a pipe cleaner. Nope.

http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/lifestyle/columnists.nsf/suburbanfringe/story/26909E6B222203F8862574A90066BD42?OpenDocument

We Are Going to Miss You

2008-09-02T05:03:00.000-04:00

2008-09-01T10:43:00.002-04:00

2008-09-01T10:40:00.002-04:00

2008-08-31T22:22:00.000-04:00