et alli.

Speaking Personally

Five of thirty-five Anglican Primates met with many of their bishops and delegates from other Anglican churches in Jerusalem last week.  As expected they went schismatic.  Its a low key schism  only a group within the communion rather than a dramatic "we are leaving."  Still it means a new church body, more conservative and centered in Africa. It follows the pattern used in North America of using transitory groups to facilitate a semi-orderly transition .  It will be interesting to see how this gambit changes the conservatives status at Lambeth.

 

Three Important Stories

On Point II: Transition to the New Campaign: The United States Army in Operation Iraqi Freedom, May 2003-January 2005 

Supreme Court Ruling - Lock and Load

Anglican conservatives form group

Quotes and  Pointers

 "Nobody will be allowed to execute others publicly, kidnap minorities, set fire to girls' schools and barber shops in Pakistan."

Yousuf Raza Gilani

 

"I can remember asking the question during our war gaming and the development of our plan, 'Okay, we are in Baghdad, what next?' No real good answers came forth,"

Thomas G. Torrance  

Out and About on the Net with Snarky Twitter Lines

 What is Obama’s Core Worldview? -- New Republican discovery...Obama is a liberal.

Watch the world’s first rotating skyscraper: Dubai’s “Dynamic Tower”

St. Louis Archbishop gets Vatican post -- Raymond Burke to Rome where he can keep Bernard Law company.

et alli is cross posted at The Intelligence Forum

et alli wordle 

   

 

Three Important Stories

Report Questions Pentagon Accounts

The Last Resort: Consequences of Preventive Military Action against Iran 

FERC examines causes of, responses to rising electricity costs

 

 

Quotes and  Pointers

"The lesson is to not let your ego or grudges get in the way of hiring absolutely the best people. I don't think the American people are fundamentally ideological. They're pragmatic ... and so I have an interest in casting a wide net, seeking out people with a wide range of expertise, including Republicans."

Barack Obama

 

"Some have suggested that detainee abuses committed by U.S. personnel at Abu Ghraib in Iraq and at Guantanamo were the result of a 'few bad apples' acting on their own. It would be a lot easier to accept if that were true.  Senior officials in the United States government sought out information on aggressive techniques, twisted the law to create the appearance of their legality, and authorized their use against detainees."

Carl M. Levin

Out and About on the Net with Snarky Twitter Lines

Human Rights Campaign San Francisco Dinner to Benefit Marriage Equality in California -- "The price of freedom is eternal vigilance... "

Results 1 - 50 of about 808 for marriage-equality. (1.47 seconds)

Eat Big Breakfasts in the Morning, Lose Weight in Time -- who would have thought? Note almost equal use of carbs and protien in grams.

Obama to Reject Public Funds for Election -- a "Read My Lips" moment...

et alli is cross posted at The Intelligence Forum

et alli wordle 

Three Important Stories

Supreme Court upholds Guantanomo rights

Gates picks non-fighter pilot to head the Air Force

Alan Blinder: Two Bubbles, Two Paths

 

Quotes and  Pointers

"The privilege of the writ of habeas corpus shall not be suspended, unless when in cases of rebellion or invasion the public safety may require it."

The Suspension Clause ... United States Constitution  Article One, Section 9

"The problem, however, is that barring an economic meltdown, the data we need to verify our oil market argument is unlikely to become available until well after this summer."

Adam Robinson and Michael Waldron

 

"The odd thing is that Jason Furman has a very strong and very wide reputation as an honest broker and as a consensus builder, which is exactly the kind of thing that you want in the job--as long as you think that truth is on your side, and thus that you are more likely than not to win honest, substantive, evidence-based debates.

It's not right to say thatJason Furman is closely associated with Robert Rubin without also saying that he is closely associated with Joe Stiglitz..." 

Brad DeLong

"I don't much care if people think I'm thick because I believe in God. But what's really nasty here – and it's a part of a growing phenomenon - is the way religion is being used as a subtle code for race.

Belief in God is alive and well in Africa and in the Middle East and declining in western Europe. Writing about the intelligence of religious believers has, for some, become a roundabout way of commenting on the intelligence of those with darker skins whilst seeking to avoid the charge of racism. Religion is being used with a nod and a wink, cover for some rather dodgy and dangerous politics."

Giles Fraser

Out and About on the Net with Snarky Twitter Lines

The Cost of War -- I wonder what the cost would be today if Mr. Bush had taken better advice rather than fighting on bad information and improbably low cost estimates.

Ford to retool truck plants to build cars  --  Alan Mulally will build Mondeo in US truck plants and seems ready to chuck Mercury...its a throw of the dice...its better than closing plants.

Passive-aggressive notes -- raised to art.

et alli is cross posted at The Intelligence Forum

   

Speaking Personally

Monday World political leaders moved into temporary Italian quarters for a conference on World Food output.   For some reson one African and one Middle Eastern head of state were not invited to a banquet given by the Italian host. 

On Tuesday afternoon it looks as if  Senator Barack Obama will be the next President of the United States.  I hope he and Hillary Clinton cut a deal which will not tend to divide some who favor gender equality from those who favor racial equality. 

Thursday the American stock markets leapt upward in the type move that brings thrill to the voices of financial reporters while oil gained $5.00 a barrel.  The World Food Conference ended without any substantial action.  Friday the same markets plummeted like a roller coaster as oil rose $10.00 a barrel.   

On Saturday Hillary Clinton urged her supporters to use their bus transfers and change to the Obama  Bus. 

   

Three Important Stories

UN Leader Ban Calls for 50% Rise in World Food Output

AP tally: Obama effectively clinches nomination

Paul Collier: Economist  -- TED Ideas Worth Spreading

 

Out and About on the Net with Snarky Twitter Lines

The Ascent of Central Bankers --  photo chopped humor.

'The History Boys' -- Review of a movie good enough to watch again some year.

Susan Brown Art at Shield Institute / Pure Vision Auction -- Video...like BBC's "Cash In The Atic"

et alli is cross posted at The Intelligence Forum

   

Speaking Personally

Realistically its  too late in the President's second term for the Senate to undertake an impeachment.  Never-the-less if Scott McClellen's  account in his memories about responsibility for the leak of Plame's CIA status is true, and we have no reason to doubt McClellen, than impeachment would be just.  I don't know if Brad DeLong coined the phrase "Impeach George W. Bush. Impeach him now."  But Delong has used the words "Bush" and "Impeach" together in blog postings at least 230 times.   

Meanwhile the price of spot oil moved dramatically on news of investigation in the US, Europe, and the UK of possible Enron style manipulation.  Analyst talk about $90.00 a barrow oil when the bubble deflates.  I doubt it will be that orderly and the bottom will be lower, lots lower.  Money is beginning to flow into technology again and even housing will have a renaissance, someday.

This years polling seems meaningless perhaps because citizens don't really want to give the time as subjects. 

If  googled press mentions mean anything...the fight between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama is beneficial for whichever is the Democrat nominee.

Results 1 - 30 of about 149,479 for Barack. (1.03 seconds)

Results 1 - 30 of about 129,921 for Hillary. (0.48 seconds)

Results 1 - 30 of about 113,138 for McCain. (0.58 seconds

 

Three Important Stories

McClellan: Plame leak case was turning point 

FSA joins western watchdogs in search for oil price rigging

· Futures market traders required to report daily
· Sharp correction due this year, analysts report

Florida, Michigan delegates restored    

 

Quotes and  Pointers

'it prompted Scott to ask the President directly, "Were you the one who authorized the leaking of Valerie Plame's name?" And the President apparently told Scott, "Yes, I was."'

Dana Perino

 

WILL the food crisis that is menacing the lives of millions ease up — or grow worse over time? The answer may be both. The recent rise in food prices has largely been caused by temporary problems like drought in Australia, Ukraine and elsewhere. Though the need for huge rescue operations is urgent, the present acute crisis will eventually end. But underlying it is a basic problem that will only intensify unless we recognize it and try to remedy it.

It is a tale of two peoples. In one version of the story, a country with a lot of poor people suddenly experiences fast economic expansion, but only half of the people share in the new prosperity. The favored ones spend a lot of their new income on food, and unless supply expands very quickly, prices shoot up. The rest of the poor now face higher food prices but no greater income, and begin to starve. Tragedies like this happen repeatedly in the world...

Amartya Sen 

 

"Speculation... is increasingly affecting the price...The price has this parabolic shape which is characteristic of bubbles"

George Soros on oil price bubble

 

Out and About on the Net with Snarky Twitter Lines

McCain economic policy shaped by lobbyist -- Former Texas Sen. Phil Gramm's sticky paws all over McCain economic policy.

DA Ronnie Earle says he won't seek re-election -- This week's et alli is resembling  The Texas Observer...

Sandals and gender -- Old song...new cartoon.

et alli is cross posted at The Intelligence Forum