June 30, 2015

Along the Greece theme, more here… Coming to the USA I fear.

Though there is no need for it to be this way. What the writer says is really profound imho. I think quite a few of us see a different version of this happening in slow motion here in the US. Look at the Ryan budget that passed the house.

If belonging to the largest and richest trading bloc in the world cannot provide dinner for a retired teacher like her, it has no reason to exist. If a European Union which produces €28,000 of annual GDP for every single one of its citizens cannot provide a safety net for her, then it is profoundly wicked. If this is not a union of partners, but a gang of big players and small players, who cut the weakest loose at the first sign of trouble, then it is nothing. Each one of us will have to engage in an internal battle before Sunday’s referendum. I will be thinking of you, Magda, when I vote. It seems as honest a basis to make a decision as any.

https://www.byline.com/column/11/article/126

June 30, 2015

Obama Admin TPP top trade officials receive bonuses from banks.

Surprise, Surprise!

Well not really.

Officials tapped by the Obama administration to lead the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade negotiations have received multimillion dollar bonuses from CitiGroup and Bank of America, financial disclosures obtained by Republic Report show.

Stefan Selig, a Bank of America investment banker nominated to become the Under Secretary for International Trade at the Department of Commerce, received more than$9 million in bonus pay as he was nominated to join the administration in November. The bonus pay came in addition to the $5.1 million in incentive pay awarded to Selig last year.

Michael Froman, the current U.S. Trade Representative, received over $4 million as part of multiple exit payments when he left CitiGroup to join the Obama administration. Froman told Senate Finance Committee members last summer that he donated approximately 75 percent of the $2.25 million bonus he received for his work in 2008 to charity. CitiGroup also gave Froman a $2 million payment inconnection to his holdings in two investment funds, which was awarded “in recognition of [Froman’s] service to Citi in various capacities since 1999.”

http://www.republicreport.org/2014/big-banks-tpp/


IS OBAMA IN A BUBBLE, OR A WILLING PARTICIPANT?

Edited to add that this article was posted back a year ago so may be old news.

June 17, 2015

Senate bill proposes centralizing Weather Service forecasting in 6 regional offices

The most important benefit from the regionalization of the public weather forecast task is to diminish the chances of the local staff being overwhelmed during severe weather outbreaks,” the NAS report said.

The local Mets I know (including some NWS) disagree with this and think it would be more likely the regional offices would be overwhelmed as staffing undoubtedly would be cut, not to mention the loss of local expertise.


http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/capital-weather-gang/wp/2015/06/16/senate-bill-proposes-centralizing-weather-service-forecasting-into-6-regional-offices/

June 8, 2015

Anti War Activist Confronts Tom Cotton

Not sure if this has already been posted as it occurred a couple of days ago, but it is well worth watching.

I'm really impressed by the calm professionalism of the Military Dad. Can't even begin to express how scary people like Cotton are.

http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/jun/06/tom-cotton-senate-military-father