09 Nov 2009
— Freshman Democratic Rep. John Adler (N.J.)Freshman Democratic Rep. John Boccieri (Ohio)
— Freshman Democratic Rep. Bobby Bright (Ala.)Freshman Democratic Rep. Parker Griffith (Ala.)
— Freshman Democratic Rep. Larry Kissell (N.C.)
— Freshman Democratic Rep. Suzanne Kosmas (Fla.) Freshman Democratic Rep. Frank Kratovil Jr. (M.D.)
— Freshman Democratic Rep. Betsy Markey (Colo.)
— Freshman Democratic Rep. Eric Massa (N.Y.) Freshman Democratic Rep. Michael McMahon (N.Y.)
— Freshman Democratic Rep. Walt Minnick (Idaho) Freshman Democratic Rep. Scott Murphy (N.Y.) Freshman Democratic Rep. Glenn Nye (Va.)Freshman Democratic Rep. Harry Teague (N.M.)
— Freshman Republican Rep. Joseph Cao (La.)
» posted at 12:56pm
November 9, 1989: The Berlin Wall begins its fall.
» published at 12:20pm
President Kennedy speaks near the Berlin Wall, June 1963.
» published at 12:17pm
Google continues celebrating Sesame Street’s 40th anniversary. (via inothernews)
» published at 12:17pm
» posted at 11:27am
08 Nov 2009
» Obit: Jeremy Morris, Proved Exercise Is Heart-Healthy, Dies at 99½
Jeremy N. Morris, a British epidemiologist whose comparison of heart-attack rates among double-decker bus drivers and conductors in London in the late 1940s and early ’50s laid the scientific groundwork for the modern aerobics movement, died Oct. 28 in Hampstead, London. He was 99 ½.
“He always insisted on adding the ½,” said his daughter, Julie Zalewska.
» posted at 6:39pm
"The West Wing"
- President Bartlet: Sweden has a 100 percent literacy rate, Leo. One-hundred percent! How do they do that?
- Leo McGarry: Well, maybe they don't and they also can't count.
» posted at 6:32pm
It’s the birthday of Swiss psychologist Hermann Rorschach (b. November 8, 1884). He was torn between art and science as a boy, and managed to merge both with his famous inkblot psychological exam, which continues to be among the most popular and most frequently administered tests at outpatient mental health facilities.
Above: The first of Rorschach’s ten original cards. What do you see?
» published at 4:14pm
“When the Levee Breaks” — Led Zeppelin, Led Zeppelin IV (released November 8, 1971)
The song achieves its surreal effect through numerous recording tricks, including: John Bonham playing a new drumkit at the bottom of a stairwell with recording microphones positioned at the top; a backward echo effect on Robert Plant’s harmonica which makes the echo come before the sound; and a quick tempo slowed down to create a sludgy and dense effect.
» posted at 4:12pm
» Lost Chaplin Film Sold for $5.68 on eBay
The lost seven-minute film, called Charlie Chaplin in Zepped, was released in 1916 and was believed to be World War I propaganda to reduce fear in Britain of German zeppelin attacks, but the film vanished years ago.
(via thedailywhat)
» posted at 1:53pm
Today, I obtained a commitment from President Obama that he and I will work together to address the critical health care issues of Louisiana including the FMAP crisis and community disaster loan forgiveness, as well as issues related to Charity and Methodist Hospitals. And, I call on my constituents to support me as I work with him on these issues.
I have always said that I would put aside partisan wrangling to do the business of the people. My vote tonight was based on my priority of doing what is best for my constituents. ”
— Rep. Anh Cao (R-La.), explaining his vote—the lone House Republican vote—in favor of the health care bill.
Kudos to the man for his convictions, his watchful eye on behalf of his constituents, and the courage to voice both against his party’s orthodoxy.
» posted at 12:53pm
» Abortion Amendment to Health Care Bill Reveals the Dark Side of Gender Politics in America
In the wake of last night’s historic vote on health care—as President Obama has pointed out numerous times already, we’ve never gotten this far on health care reform—it’s not difficult to be disappointed by the inclusion of the amendment proposed by Rep. Bart Stupak (D-Mich.) that will limit a woman’s access to an abortion under this health plan. It reads in part:
No funds authorized or appropriated by this Act (or an amendment made by this Act) may be used to pay for any abortion or to cover any part of the costs of any health plan that includes coverage of abortion, except in the case where a woman suffers from a physical disorder, physical injury, or physical illness that would, as certified by a physician, place the woman in danger of death unless an abortion is performed, including a life-endangering physical caused by or arising from the pregnancy itself, or unless the pregnancy is the result of an act of rape or incest.
Abortion (heretofore: “abortion that doesn’t fall into any of the categories above”) coverage will still be available through non-subsidized private health plans, and women seeking insurance plans that include the cost of an abortion will be able to buy such plans with their money.
But, in a dirty little trick, private insurance companies that wish to offer abortion in an unsubsidized plan that will be available through the insurance exchange must also offer an identical plan that excludes abortion coverage.
The politics and reality of this are disappointing, and Ezra Klein notes, it will cause a chaotic rift in abortion access between women who have money and women who don’t:
[V]irtually all women with insurance through the exchange who find themselves in the unwanted and unexpected position of needing to terminate a pregnancy will not have coverage for the procedure. Abortion coverage will not be outlawed in this country. It will simply be tiered, reserved for those rich enough to afford insurance themselves or lucky enough to receive from their employers.
From the moment it was revealed that the compromise on Stupak’s amendment would be a vote of the full chamber, I knew it might as well be a done deal. Democrats won the House of Representatives in 2006 (and strengthened that majority in 2008) on the backs of congressmen representing rural, moderate, and conservative districts. Coupled with Republicans, there are more anti-choice congressmen (or at least congressmen willing to drastically restrict abortion) than not. Stupak’s amendment passed 240-194, with 64 Democrats joining 176 Republicans. People are expressing hope it will be lost from the deck when the House and Senate bills are folded together; I highly doubt that.
The amendment itself is disappointing, but for the sake of my own gender, let me say how disappointing it is that the public fight went something like this: men (Reps. Stupak and Brad Ellsworth, et al.) pushed for it, while women (primarily Reps. Diana DeGette and Rosa DeLauro) opposed and pushed back. Even in news stories, men were always quoted as supporting Stupak’s amendment, while women were quoted in opposition.
Symbolic, no?
In the end, of course, many male representatives gave impassioned speeches against the amendment from the House floor and voted unsuccessfully to block Stupak’s amendment. Yet I can’t help but ashamed of my gender this morning for not playing a more pivotal role in this. Safe, undiscriminated access to a legal procedure in America is not a male/female issue; it’s a feminist/anti-feminist issue, and the ranks of feminism include many, many men (although sometimes they hardly let it be known).
The p.r. campaign against Stupak’s amendment was flawed. Again, it was boosted by religious organizations and anti-choice committees. It pitted women against men, and ultimately led to a decision where men made health decisions for women. I feel like I’ve gone back in time, and I wish a male representative would have stood up and fought against Stupak’s amendment more publicly.
» posted at 9:32am
» Sweeping Health Care Plan Passes the House
The House narrowly approved a sweeping overhaul of the nation’s health care system on Saturday, advancing legislation that the Democrats said could be their defining social policy achievement.
» posted at 12:55am
07 Nov 2009
Google continues celebrating Sesame Street’s 40th anniversary.
This one might be my favorite. According to my grandmother, I watched so much Sesame Street as a child that I would yell furious gibberish at trash cans as a way of warding off any potential Grouches.
» published at 5:09pm
— Albert Camus (b. November 7, 1913), in his anti-capital punishment essay, “Reflections on the Guillotine”
» posted at 4:28pm
