Today's edition of quick hits:
* Secretary of State Hillary Clinton arrives in Israel, seeking a "durable outcome" in Gaza truce talks.
* France aimed to end its combat role in Afghanistan a faster track than other NATO allies, and it succeeded, withdrawing troops today.
* Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said today that 2013 could be a "very good year" for the U.S. economy unless Congress screws things up.
* On a related note, Bernanke added that the debate over the looming austerity crisis already appears to be affecting private spending and investment decisions and may be contributing to an increased sense of caution in financial markets, with adverse effects on the economy."
* The housing recovery continues: "Housing starts rose to their highest rate in more than four years in October, suggesting the housing market recovery was gaining steam, even though permits for future construction fell."
* Murdoch media scandal gets much worse: "In a new turn in the scandals swirling around Rupert Murdoch's British newspaper outpost, prosecutors said on Tuesday that two former top executives will be charged with paying bribes of up to $160,000 to public officials, in addition to several earlier charges against them."
* In an apparent bid to drive Fox News batty, it appears Attorney General Eric Holder is likely to stay at his post for another year.
* I'm quite eager to hear what NASA found on Mars: "On the one hand, they'd like to tell everybody what they found, but on the other, they have to wait because they want to make sure their results are not just some fluke or error in their instrument."
* There are broad concerns about the defense cuts looming in the sequester, but they really aren't that scary.
* Good for him: "Not content to simply rescue neighbors from burning buildings and invite cold Hurricane Sandy victims into his home, Cory Booker has a new plan to empathize with his constituency. He's going to live on food stamps."
Anything to add? Consider this an open thread.
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This is a bit geeky, but brainyquote.com has a bunch of misquotes listed under Thomas Jefferson.
Thanks for the heads up. I take it for granted that you verified this with cross checking reference books. I am sure the righties would love to rewrite a lot of his quotes.
This just reminds us that we still need libraries and book conservators.Do we want kids using wikipedia to learn? Do we want britebart elevated to a credible source?
I think they found Romney's tax returns on Mars. Either that or an off planet tax haven.
Poor NASA. Science just doesn't provide the spectacle- it is way way too slow-mo for 24/7 cable news.
When the results finally come out in December it will be like "Huh? So what?"
If I may- My speculation is that this will probably be that they found a complex organic molecule, like the kind of sugars found in "Sweet" Meteorites. It would be "earth shaking" because one theory of life's evolution is that during the late heavy bombardment introduced large amounts of organic chemicals onto the surface of the Earth. The heavy bombardment happened around 4 billion years ago caused when massive planets shifted orbits sending a torrent of Kuiper belt objects into the inner solar system- the results of which pock marked the moon. Anyway, these chemicals are essential building blocks for things like cell walls and RNA strings.
If they found organics on like one of the first couple scoops, it would suggest that organics are exceptionally common on Mars' surface. That would be surprising.
Here is a Nasa article on a sweet meteorite and why they are important.
Speaking of Twinkies. You know there is just something that just keeps going through my mind that I do want to know about. First NBC and MSNBC have increased in their ratings, but it was attributable to the very fact that they needed the way to do it. As I see it, many of us people who come here have definitely majorly contributed to changing NBC and MSNBC for the better. And I want to know what is in it for us people here who have really contributed majorly to the improvement of NBC and MSNBC, especially financially. Your terms and conditions in my frame of mind suck so if you could explain how it can really benefit us contributing people here who have stimulated and made comments to put NBC and MSNBC to change in the right direction? It would be appreciated if you didn’t use the typical business bull crap and pony out something substantial. How much do you really value the people who come here and really in ways have benefited MSNBC?
Deb, if you think your "words" are so great, SELL them somewhere, don't just post them here for free!!
Me? I'm fine with things the way they are, thank you!
BTW, you one of those people who think people HAVE to buy something just because YOU are selling it?
Denying the truth is pointless and just maintaining a status quo for MSNBC.
Oh my god. Just go away now. You used to have some relevance, some semblance of discourse, now you're just an effing troll. You have contributed NOTHING to this blog in how long now? because you're so busy posting about how special you are.
Go the eff away.
At what point in time are Americans going to wake up to the fact that the Defense Department, in collusion with the military industry, is going to bankrupt the country.
We've got more submarines than anyone else (it may be more than everyone else combined), yet we are still building them at a cost of a BILLION dollars each. We're building multi-billion dollar jets, that are designed to fight jet fighters that haven't been developed and can't be used for other purposes. We continue to spend MORE money on defense than nearly the rest of the world COMBINED. We put our military into countries at our cost, in countries that could well afford to defend themselves.
All so Congress on both sides of the aisle can talk about the jobs they're bringing home.
Aw @!$%#... Well there goes my happy feelings and optimism.
Hopefully, the republicans know that Pres. Obama can not run for another term and they can ease up on the obstructionism in regards to the economy. Maybe now they might think about representing the people.
If they don't, they're going to loose again.
D'oh!!!!!
The trouble with ignorance is that it picks up confidence as it goes along.
- Arnold H. Glasow
;-)
don't you mean until Congress screws things up?
I really like this kind of banter and interaction of Rachel and her staff as Rachel is so genuine and funny however WTH with the female that videos the guy at the end of the online version of the show? It seems very creep and "I'm corrupting the intern"-esque. The females staff member giggles, her voice sounds immature and breath-y. It's weird and I can't stand it and never watch it as it seems so odd. It doesn't seem to line up or serve the rest of the show at all.
Thank you for that. I can't scoll down fast enough every day. I use the msnbc player to watch and sometimes accidentally see a few seconds of these. I couldn't agree more.
Doonesbury has a post election science and math themed parade this week. It also features Rachel!
11/19/12
http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/19798680?cat=db&d=121119
11/20/12
http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/19798680?cat=db&d=121120
Parade coverage reminiscent of Thanksgiving day parade. That Trudeau is such a wicked lad to cast MSNBC hosts in such roles. I wonder if Rush's "Santa" float will show up in the coverage.
I would be surprised if the "Chris" paired with "Rachel" was the one and only Christopher Hayes.
John
I was thinking it maybe Chris Matthews hence the slight hyperbole. Chris Hayes isn't the exaggerator Chris Matthews sometimes is. And the parade goes on:
http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/19798680/ns/today-entertainment/?cat=db
I have nothing but respect for Cory Booker. He is too good to be a politician. And the rest of them know it!
I
Speaking as somebody who, of fiscal necessity, procures much of his cuisine these days from the Dollar Store (don't judge me - the "phoney balogna" may be disgusting, but the "sorta salami" is OK and Soylent Brown actually isn't too bad):
I understand that food stamps can actually be kind of tasty sauteed in enough melted margarine...
The trouble with ignorance is that it picks up confidence as it goes along.
- Arnold H. Glasow
;-)
Cory Booker is going to live on Food Stamps. Isn't that special. Is he going to live on the income required to qualify for Food Stamps? Because that would be something to see.
But it's only for a week and he knows when it will end. Most people have no idea or control over how long it takes.
I have been watching Secretary of State Hillary R Clinton and as usual I am amzed at her work ethic. I would like to suggest that instead of pushing a 65 year old to run for President, in four year. We show our support for S of S Clinton by making her President Obama's first pick for Justice of the Supreme Court
Is there some legal threshold or description of how much illegal activity is required before an enterprise is concidered a racket?
I would love to see the modern day Joseph Goebels charged with racketeering and his propaganda machine dismanteled
We need you Hillary. Stay on. It feels good to have a level headed leadership for once and you and Obama are that leadership.