Tuesday, December 31, 2013
Monday, December 30, 2013
Friday, December 27, 2013
Thursday, December 26, 2013
Wednesday, December 25, 2013
Tuesday, December 24, 2013
Monday, December 23, 2013
Sunday, December 22, 2013
Saturday, December 21, 2013
Scott Brown met by protesters at NH GOP event
We don't pick the politicians they pick us. How else can you be elected for a life in Washington? It's like hitting the lottery.
Wednesday, December 18, 2013
Tuesday, December 17, 2013
Sunday, December 15, 2013
Saturday, December 14, 2013
Friday, December 13, 2013
Scott Brown Running for New Hampshire Senate?
Be sure to use the Cherokee line that works well in New Hampshire.
Thursday, December 12, 2013
Wednesday, December 11, 2013
Monday, December 9, 2013
Saturday, December 7, 2013
Friday, December 6, 2013
In honor of Nelson Mandela: Gandhi (6/8) Movie CLIP - It Is Time You Left (1982) HD
As true today as it was then.
Thursday, December 5, 2013
Wednesday, December 4, 2013
Detroit Enters Bankruptcy As Pensions and Benefits Go on Chopping Block
Hopefully they can use the money to give some to Michigan banks.
Tuesday, December 3, 2013
Monday, December 2, 2013
Saturday, November 30, 2013
Friday, November 29, 2013
Thursday, November 28, 2013
Wednesday, November 27, 2013
Stasi Files: The Lives of Others | Journal Reporter
I've been watching the movie "Lives of Others" terrific movie and a must see, as we enter this new NSA world.
Tuesday, November 26, 2013
Monday, November 25, 2013
Song for the night: Genesis - Shipwrecked (1997)
Their lead singer deserved a better fate as this was a really good album.
Sunday, November 24, 2013
Saturday, November 23, 2013
Friday, November 22, 2013
Tired Teachers - What TN teachers really think about new evaluations
“I am tired of trying to plan five different lessons a day that hit 61 different indicators on a rubric, and that’s just to score a rock-solid 3. I am tired of the public being convinced that Knox County is moving in the right direction when I see good teachers at my school in tears at some point during the day on a regular basis. I am tired of having to waste instruction time to give tests every week, whether I need to or not, just to have data,” Hopson says in the video. She’s calm, not impassioned, but the strength of her feeling—and her anger—comes through.
In that video, Hopson is standing in front of empty seats. But by the time the Nov. 6 board meeting rolled around, the room was full of hundreds of people wearing bright red to signify their support. Two dozen educators (and one student) told the board their concerns, over and over, often to raucous, deafening applause from the crowd.
“Why don’t we just manufacture robots instead of students,” one person said. “Even though I love to teach, I no longer love my job,” stated another. “In 28 years, I’ve never ever, ever seen morale as low as it is right now,” said a third. And the final speaker said, “There seems to be no foreseeable end of the assault on public teachers.”
Thursday, November 21, 2013
Wednesday, November 20, 2013
Tuesday, November 19, 2013
Song for the Night: Big Country - Broken Heart (Thirteen Valleys)
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000V64XC4/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B000V64XC4&linkCode=as2&tag=labspai-20
Monday, November 18, 2013
Monday, November 11, 2013
Song for the Night- Pink Floyd: Us and Them
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005NNUKF4/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B005NNUKF4&linkCode=as2&tag=labspai-20
Sunday, November 10, 2013
Saturday, November 9, 2013
Friday, November 8, 2013
Thursday, November 7, 2013
Wednesday, November 6, 2013
Joe Biden Called and Congratulated the Wrong Man for Boston Mayoral Election
After securing a victory in Tuesday evening’s Boston mayoral election, Democratic mayor-elect Marty Walsh fielded congratulatory phone calls from President Obama and outgoing Mayor Thomas Menino.
Missing from that list? Vice President Joe Biden.
But here’s the catch: Biden did call Marty Walsh. Just not the Marty Walsh.
Instead, he called former Sen. Edward Kennedy campaign staffer Marty Walsh, beginning the conversation with “You son of a gun.”
MassLive scribe (and Mediaite contributor) Garrett Quinn reports that, according to staffers, the two spoke briefly before Biden called and left a voicemail on the real Walsh’s phone.
At least he initially called someone involved in politics and not any of the several dozen other Martin Walshes in the Boston metro area.
The “wrong” Walsh took the mixup in stride, telling the Boston Globe that he expects similar calls to come from more officials in coming weeks.
“We’re a dime a dozen in Boston,” he said. “I probably know eight Marty Walshes.”
UPDATE: According to The Hill, former senate staffer Marty Walsh also received erroneous phone calls from Minneapolis mayor R. T. Rybak and DNC Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL).
Originally published: http://www.mediaite.com/online/joe-biden-called-and-congratulated-the-wrong-man-for-boston-mayoral-election/
Missing from that list? Vice President Joe Biden.
But here’s the catch: Biden did call Marty Walsh. Just not the Marty Walsh.
Instead, he called former Sen. Edward Kennedy campaign staffer Marty Walsh, beginning the conversation with “You son of a gun.”
MassLive scribe (and Mediaite contributor) Garrett Quinn reports that, according to staffers, the two spoke briefly before Biden called and left a voicemail on the real Walsh’s phone.
At least he initially called someone involved in politics and not any of the several dozen other Martin Walshes in the Boston metro area.
The “wrong” Walsh took the mixup in stride, telling the Boston Globe that he expects similar calls to come from more officials in coming weeks.
“We’re a dime a dozen in Boston,” he said. “I probably know eight Marty Walshes.”
UPDATE: According to The Hill, former senate staffer Marty Walsh also received erroneous phone calls from Minneapolis mayor R. T. Rybak and DNC Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL).
Originally published: http://www.mediaite.com/online/joe-biden-called-and-congratulated-the-wrong-man-for-boston-mayoral-election/
Tuesday, November 5, 2013
Kevin Cullen on the anti-union bent of the local media
Mercifully, the campaign for mayor of Boston is over, and while I have no idea who will emerge the winner at the polls, I am quite certain who lost most in this race: union workers.
If there was a message, both explicit and subliminal, in all the debates and some of the news coverage, it’s that the city’s unions and unions in general are peopled by greedy, unreasonable, insatiable Bolsheviks who would gladly make Boston go the way of Detroit as long as they can get Bunker Hill Day off.
Funny, but I don’t know union workers who think like that, but then I’m in the tank.
My father was able to raise a family, and my mother was able to be a stay-at-home mom, because he belonged to a union. I belong to a union, and at one point, for reasons that remain a mystery, was elected president of the editorial workers at the Boston Herald back when Ronald Reagan became the darling of free marketeers everywhere by busting up the air traffic controllers union...
...The Globe and the Herald editorial pages can’t agree on what time it is, but they agree on the danger of electing a mayor who is a union activist.
It’s perfectly legitimate to ask if Marty Walsh would be beholden to unions, especially given the amount of money that unions have given his campaign, but both candidates should have been asked just as often if they’d be beholden to developers or law firms or any number of other monied interests.
The emphasis on the threat that unions pose to the future of the city left many union workers wishing they were only half as powerful as their critics believe them to be.
http://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2013/11/05/laboring-under-cloud/UuIfXRYB8oHrIsP0jERTfP/story.html
If there was a message, both explicit and subliminal, in all the debates and some of the news coverage, it’s that the city’s unions and unions in general are peopled by greedy, unreasonable, insatiable Bolsheviks who would gladly make Boston go the way of Detroit as long as they can get Bunker Hill Day off.
Funny, but I don’t know union workers who think like that, but then I’m in the tank.
My father was able to raise a family, and my mother was able to be a stay-at-home mom, because he belonged to a union. I belong to a union, and at one point, for reasons that remain a mystery, was elected president of the editorial workers at the Boston Herald back when Ronald Reagan became the darling of free marketeers everywhere by busting up the air traffic controllers union...
...The Globe and the Herald editorial pages can’t agree on what time it is, but they agree on the danger of electing a mayor who is a union activist.
It’s perfectly legitimate to ask if Marty Walsh would be beholden to unions, especially given the amount of money that unions have given his campaign, but both candidates should have been asked just as often if they’d be beholden to developers or law firms or any number of other monied interests.
The emphasis on the threat that unions pose to the future of the city left many union workers wishing they were only half as powerful as their critics believe them to be.
http://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2013/11/05/laboring-under-cloud/UuIfXRYB8oHrIsP0jERTfP/story.html
Sunday, November 3, 2013
Saturday, November 2, 2013
Friday, November 1, 2013
Amy Burle's on-line event for the year anniversary of the publication of Out Across the Nowhere
A close friend of the blog. Please get out and support her. Amy has a very unique voice and perspective and her book is available on the side. I believe this is the start of a long productive career.
An excerpt of Amy's work published here over a year ago: http://laborspains.blogspot.com/2011/08/hungry-original-fiction-that-first.html
Thursday, October 31, 2013
Song fro the Night: John Waite Change
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002MIGPOS/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B002MIGPOS&linkCode=as2&tag=labspai-20
Tuesday, October 29, 2013
Saturday, October 26, 2013
Friday, October 25, 2013
Song for the night: The Who_How many friends
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000002P2W/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B000002P2W&linkCode=as2&tag=labspai-20
Wednesday, October 23, 2013
Tuesday, October 22, 2013
Monday, October 21, 2013
Song for the night: Duran Duran - Save A Prayer
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002ND8E32/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B002ND8E32&linkCode=as2&tag=labspai-20
Sunday, October 20, 2013
Saturday, October 19, 2013
Friday, October 18, 2013
Thursday, October 17, 2013
Song For The Night: Styx - Fooling Yourself 1978 - Live and In Concert 2DVD set
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001NTZFO8/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B001NTZFO8&linkCode=as2&tag=labspai-20
Corbett Frees $45M Philly School Funds He Held Hostage
Another replay another city school closes because no schools helps children.
Wednesday, October 16, 2013
Tuesday, October 15, 2013
Monday, October 14, 2013
The Sopranos - Columbus Day
The best line from the show was a sign one of the Native Americans was holding Mussolini was Hitler's bitch.
Sunday, October 13, 2013
We've done plenty of politics but it is time to celebrate our two huge comeback wins.
Pic of the night: Cop celebrates as Torii Hunter flips trying to catch Ortiz grand slam (Stan Grossfeld/Globe Staff) pic.twitter.com/Qenke4pyKM
— Andrew Ba Tran (@abtran) October 14, 2013
http://gif.mocksession.com/2013/10/disappearing-torii-hunter/
Good tweet from David Corn
.@samsteinhp Tea Party philosophy on govt: we have to burn the village to save the....Oh, let's just burn the village.
— David Corn (@DavidCornDC) October 13, 2013
The First "Attack Ads" On the Screen--Plus a Classic Book
One of the first attack ads when MGM set out to destroy writer Upton Sinclair.
Saturday, October 12, 2013
Song for the night Natalie Maines Performs 'Without You'
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00BCRR9OK/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00BCRR9OK&linkCode=as2&tag=labspai-20
Hopefully the next Mayor of Boston Labor Day '13
Marty Walsh will be running against the privatization money coming in from outside Boston hoping to get its hands on the Public School riches. You want to see the future of Boston look at all the schools closing in Chicago and ask is this the future of education you want for the city.
Scaring Up The White Vote The G O P Southern Strategy Lives at Fox New...
Always was there and still there. The Acorn boogie man who wasn't guilty of anything.
Friday, October 11, 2013
Song for the night: Doobie Brothers Live at Wolf Trap - South City Midnight Lady
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002DD42X8/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B002DD42X8&linkCode=as2&tag=labspai-20
Who Is The Better Progressive Choice In The Boston Mayor's Race? Chris F...
No doubt about it Marty Walsh is my guy.
Wednesday, October 9, 2013
Song for the night: Billy Joel - Everybody Loves You Now
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0012GMX6K/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B0012GMX6K&linkCode=as2&tag=labspai-20
Tuesday, October 8, 2013
Steven Colbert's excellent government shutdown game
In which nobody moves until Steven does and he automatically wins.
Monday, October 7, 2013
Sunday, October 6, 2013
Song for the night: The Eagles - Waiting In The Weeds
You're holding hands and laughing
And now the ferris wheel has stopped
You're swinging on the top
Suspended there with him
And he's the darling of the chic
The flavor of the week is melting
Down your pretty summer dress
Baby, what a mess you're making http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002Q7JYPC/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B002Q7JYPC&linkCode=as2&tag=labspai-20
Miley Cyrus - We Did Stop Official Video [SNL Parody Government Shutdown...
We can defund what we want.
Matt Taibbi on How Wall Street Hedge Funds Are Looting the Pension Funds...
After they steal the money. Their politicians will say we've got to cut back because their is no money to give you for what we've allowed to be stolen. Let's move on. Nothing to see here.
Saturday, October 5, 2013
Song for the night: I Miss You - Stevie Nicks (lyrics on screen)
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001OGRQGA/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B001OGRQGA&linkCode=as2&tag=labspai-20
Friday, October 4, 2013
Song For the Night: Bruce Springsteen - I'll work for your love
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00138JATK/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00138JATK&linkCode=as2&tag=labspai-20
Republican Texas Rep. Randy Neugebauer Confronts Park Ranger at WWII Mem...
Idiots in Congress. Tea party lunkheads.
Thursday, October 3, 2013
Wednesday, October 2, 2013
Tuesday, October 1, 2013
Monday, September 30, 2013
Sunday, September 29, 2013
Saturday, September 28, 2013
Song For the Night: Kenny Loggins "Conviction of the Heart" (MuzikNusantara)
This is a close personal friend who has a wonderful new book out. It is also available to the right.
Parent Trigger - False Promises, Divided Communities and Disrupted Young...
The move to subvert funds from the public.
Friday, September 27, 2013
Thursday, September 26, 2013
Wednesday, September 25, 2013
Tuesday, September 24, 2013
Monday, September 23, 2013
Sunday, September 22, 2013
The Rise Of Evil - Reichstag Fire
Excellent piece have to wage war on terrorist and civil rights suspended.
Saturday, September 21, 2013
Friday, September 20, 2013
Song For the night: Jimmy Buffett Death of an Unpopular Poet
His royties to Spooner his old hound
Growing old on steak and bacon
In a dog house 10 foot round.
Thursday, September 19, 2013
Wednesday, September 18, 2013
Song For The Night: The Kinks - Sunny Afternoon
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00E5LP8IE/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00E5LP8IE&linkCode=as2&tag=labspai-20
Monday, September 16, 2013
Thursday, September 12, 2013
Sunday, September 8, 2013
Song for the Night: Lindsey Buckingham - Live in Minneapolis - End of Time
Link: http://amzn.to/1d0ACjh
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005J55PBA/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B005J55PBA&linkCode=as2&tag=labspai-20
VOICES: Organize the South or die
As the AFL-CIO and its affiliates contemplate the future of the labor movement, national labor leaders should look to the South for a glimpse of what that future might be. Workers in the South have the lowest wages, the fewest worker protections, and the least union representation. For decades, southern states have been "right to work for less" and have limited or denied their public employees the right to collectively bargain. Given the region's culture and laws, unions have not invested heavily in organizing the region. And so, it's no surprise that voters in the South keep electing state and federal officials who vote time and again against workers' interests.
The anti-worker culture of the South has an impact far beyond the Mason-Dixon line. Southern Tea Party conservatives block progressive policies in Congress. Companies are increasingly moving to the South in order to lower labor costs and avoid union contracts. And more states are adopting the union-busting laws that originated in the South and now form the basis for ALEC model bills.
More here: http://www.southernstudies.org/2013/09/voices-organize-the-south-or-die.html
Saturday, September 7, 2013
Life Of Brian - Spat At In The Face!
BEN: You lucky, lucky bastard.
BRIAN: What?
BEN: Proper little jailer's pet, aren't we?
BRIAN: What do you mean?
BEN: You must have slipped him a few shekels, eh?
BRIAN: Slipped him a few shekels? You saw him spit in my face!
BEN: Ohh! What wouldn't I give to be spat at in the face! I sometimes hang
awake at night dreaming of being spat at in the face.
BRIAN: Well, it's not exactly friendly, is it? They had me in manacles!
BEN: Manacles! Ooh oooh oh oh. My idea of heaven is to be allowed to be
put in manacles... just for a few hours. They must think the sun shines out o' your arse, sonny.
BRIAN: Oh, lay off me. I've had a hard time!
BEN: You've had a hard time?! I've been here five years! They only hung me
the right way up yesterday! So, don't you come 'rou--
BRIAN: All right. All right.
BEN: They must think you're Lord God Almighty.
BRIAN: What will they do to me?
BEN: Oh, you'll probably get away with crucifixion.
BRIAN: Crucifixion?!
BEN: Yeah, first offence.
BRIAN: Get away with crucifixion?! It's--
BEN: Best thing the Romans ever did for us.
BRIAN: What?!
BEN: Oh, yeah. If we didn't have crucifixion, this country would be in a
right bloody mess.
BRIAN: Guards!
BEN: Nail him up, I say!
Friday, September 6, 2013
Wednesday, September 4, 2013
Tuesday, September 3, 2013
Monday, September 2, 2013
Same Old Labor Day; Very Different Face of Labor
Many have no boss that is the future of the labor movement.
Sunday, September 1, 2013
74 years ago today: The German's began the most successful counter attack
How Germany sold the war to their public? Demand accountability and truth from your government and don't follow like sheep.
Saturday, August 31, 2013
Obviously Randy Newman's song would work well too
No one likes us-I don't know why
We may not be perfect, but heaven knows we try
But all around, even our old friends put us down
Let's drop the big one and see what happens
We give them money-but are they grateful?
No, they're spiteful and they're hateful
They don't respect us-so let's surprise them
We'll drop the big one and pulverize them
Asia's crowded and Europe's too old
Africa is far too hot
And Canada's too cold
And South America stole our name
Let's drop the big one
There'll be no one left to blame us
We'll save Australia
Don't wanna hurt no kangaroo
We'll build an All American amusement park there
They got surfin', too
Boom goes London and boom Paris
More room for you and more room for me
And every city the whole world round
Will just be another American town
Oh, how peaceful it will be
We'll set everybody free
You'll wear a Japanese kimono babe
And there'll be Italian shoes for me
They all hate us anyhow
So let's drop the big one now
Let's drop the big one now
Friday, August 30, 2013
Thursday, August 29, 2013
Sunday, August 25, 2013
Friday, August 23, 2013
Friday, August 16, 2013
Thursday, August 15, 2013
Tuesday, August 13, 2013
Glenn Greenwald comments on Schieffer's objectivity
Since we first began reporting on NSA stories, there has been much debate over who is and is not a "journalist" and whether being a journalist requires "objectivity" (i.e., a pretense to not having opinions). Under this metric, does Bob Schieffer qualify?
Two weeks ago, Schieffer spewed a vicious, one-sided attack on Edward Snowden, accusing him of "putting the nation's security at risk and running away." Echoing Dick Cheney and Rudy Giuliani, Schieffer added:
I know eleven people who died or lost a member of their family on 9/11. My younger daughter lived in Manhattan then. It was six hours before we knew she was safe. I'm not interested in going through that again. I don't know yet if the government has over-reached since 9/11 to reinforce our defenses, and we need to find out. What I do know, though, is that these procedures were put in place and are being overseen by officials we elected and we should hold them accountable."I think what we have in Edward Snowden is just a narcissistic young man who has decided he is smarter than the rest of us. I don't know what he is beyond that, but he is no hero. If he has a valid point — and I'm not even sure he does — he would greatly help his cause by voluntarily coming home to face the consequences."
How come you're allowed to have that opinion and be an "objective journalist"? How come none of the people so very upset that those who are reporting on the NSA stories have opinions are objecting to any of that or calling the TV host an "activist"? The answer is clear: "objectivity" in Washington journalism does not mean being free of opinions; it means the opposite: dutifully echoing the official opinions and subjective mindset of those in political power. In the eyes of official Washington and its media mavens, spouting opinions is not a sin. The sin is spouting opinions that deviate from the ones expressed by and which serve the interests of those in power.
...Bob Schieffer is a more slavish, shameless spokesman for the NSA than anyone actually employed by that agency. But what one really finds here is a reverence for military officials like Michael Hayden so extreme that it's actually uncomfortable to watch.
A new Pew poll this weekend found that while the US public holds the media in very low esteem, the one function they actually value is having the media serve as a watchdog over political leaders. The percentage of Americans who value this press function has risen considerably this year.
This has happened despite the likes of NSA advocate and government spokesman Bob Schieffer continuing to dominate and shape establishment TV outlets. The fact that his "objectivity" as a journalist would never be questioned by those who raise such issues demonstrates that this concept of journalistic objectivity has only one real purpose: to delegitimize all views other than those that prop up and glorify those who wield the greatest power in US political and financial circles.