On This Day: President Obama meets with senior advisors in the Oval Office, March 2, 2010 (Photo by Pete Souza)
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The Week Ahead:
Monday: President Obama will host Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House. The Vice President will also attend.
Tuesday: The President will hold an event on the FY2015 budget and the plan to expand opportunity for all in Washington, DC. In the evening, the President will attend a DSCC event in the Washington, DC area.
First Lady Michelle Obama will join Secretary of State John Kerry to honor the recipients of the International Women of Courage Award in the Dean Acheson Auditorium of the U.S. Department of State.
Wednesday: The President will travel to the Hartford, Connecticut area for an event on the minimum wage. Following this, he will travel to Boston, Massachusetts for two DNC events.
First Lady Michelle Obama will participate in a conversation with Robin Roberts at the Leading Women Defined Summit, hosted by BET Networks. The discussion will be around the Affordable Care Act and a personal reflection on health and wellness. The First Lady will also visit a health center to highlight the work that hospitals, doctors and clinics are doing to educate their patients about the Affordable Care Act and how patients can get insurance.
Thursday: The President will hold an event on the economy and healthcare in Washington, DC.
Friday: The President and the First Lady will travel to the Miami area for an event on expanding opportunity for all.
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There. All better now. pic.twitter.com/nSwQZ29nPG
— Ｇｕｓ (@Gus_802) March 1, 2014
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.@samsteinhp dropping bombs on the recurring “biggest test of his presidency” cliché https://t.co/plPAqq7xVI pic.twitter.com/LUpmrBPZ7A
— Brendan Nyhan (@BrendanNyhan) March 1, 2014
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Timothy Snyder: Beneath The Hypocrisy, Putin Is Vulnerable. Here’s Where His Soft Spots Are
Russian intervention in Ukraine is directed against the EU, which Moscow has now decided is a threat to its interests and indeed a civilizational challenge. How can Europe respond to the immediate problem of military intervention in Ukraine and the more fundamental political challenge to European values and achievements? Much of the Russian elite has sent its children to private schools in the European Union or Switzerland. Beyond that, since no Russian of any serious means trusts the Russian financial system, wealthy Russians park their wealth in European banks. In other words, the Russian social order depends upon the Europe that Russian propaganda mocks. And beneath hypocrisy, as usual, lies vulnerability.
Soft power can hurt. General restrictions on tourist visas, a few thousand travel bans, and a few dozen frozen accounts might make a real difference. If millions of urban Russians understood that invading Ukraine meant no summer vacation, they might have second thoughts. If the Russian elites understood that invading Ukraine meant dealing with their disaffected teenagers on an indefinite basis, they too might reconsider. If wealthy Russians understood that their accounts could be frozen, as has just happened to Ukrainian oligarchs, that might affect their calculations as well.
More here
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Andrew Ackerman: Obama To Request 30% Bump In CFTC Funding
President Barack Obama’s 2015 budget plan, set for release Tuesday, will request a 30% funding boost for the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, according to people familiar with the matter. Mr. Obama is expected to request $280 million for the CFTC, these people said, a $65 million increase above the current-year funding levels of $215 million. The requested increase, which would be the largest in the agency’s history, would be funded through user fees to entities policed by the agency. An administration official said the funding boost, if enacted, would allow the agency to increase its staff by more than one-third and modernize its technology systems.
“The president is committed to securing sufficient funding to enable the CFTC to effectively oversee the futures and swaps markets,” the official said. The agency, which is responsible for implementing dozens of new rules required under the 2010 Dodd-Frank financial-overhaul law, has consistently warned it is underfunded. The funding woes prompted the CFTC to furlough employees last year and delay or shelve certain enforcement matters. Under the White House plan, the user fees would ensure taxpayers don’t have to bear the agency’s funding costs and put the CFTC on equal footing with other financial regulators such as the Securities and Exchange Commission.
More here
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700.000 people six feet under wished the GOP would have cared this much when Cheney was about to make $40 billion by invading Iraq. #Ukraine
— John (@linnyitssn) March 1, 2014
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TPM: Hundreds Of Gunmen Surround Military Base In Crimea
Hundreds of armed men in trucks and armored vehicles surrounded a Ukrainian military base Sunday in Crimea, blocking its soldiers from leaving. The outnumbered Ukrainians placed a tank at the base’s gate, leaving the two sides in a tense standoff. In Kiev, Ukraine’s new prime minister urged Russian President Vladimir Putin to pull back his military, warning that “we are on the brink of disaster.” Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk spoke a day after Russian forces took over the strategic Black Sea peninsula of Crimea from Ukraine without firing a shot.
“There was no reason for the Russian Federation to invade Ukraine,” Yatsenyuk said after a closed session of his new parliament in Kiev. Ukraine’s acting president, Oleksandr Turchynov, announced late Saturday that he had ordered Ukraine’s armed forces to be at full readiness because of the threat of “potential aggression.” He also said he had ordered stepped-up security at nuclear power plants, airports and other strategic infrastructure.
More here
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NBC News: Kerry Denounces Russian ‘Act Of Aggression,’ Warns Of Trade Freeze
Secretary of State John Kerry denounced the Russian movement of troops into Ukraine Sunday as “an act of aggression” and accused President Vladimir Putin of “possibly trying to annex Crimea.” “He’s going to lose on the international stage, Russia is going to lose, the Russian people are going to lose, and he’s going to lose all of the glow that came out of the Olympics, his $60 billion extravaganza,” Kerry said on NBC’s Meet the Press. He warned that Russia will suffer a loss of trade and investment if Putin does not reverse course.
Russia has “major investment and trade needs” which are bound to suffer if Russian troops don’t leave Ukraine, he said. “There’s a unified view by all of the foreign ministers I talked with yesterday – all of the G-8 and more — that they’re simply going to isolate Russia; that they’re not going to engage with Russia in a normal business-as-usual manner…. The ruble is already going down and feeling the impact of this,” he said. He also warned that “there could even be ultimately asset freezes,” but did not specify how long it would take for foreign governments and banking authorities to freeze Russian assets held abroad. He also threatened bans on issuing visas to Russians seeking to travel to Europe, the United States and other countries.
More here (Video at the link)
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https://twitter.com/NerdyWonka/status/440114115562831872
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https://twitter.com/NerdyWonka/status/440120734057123840
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Hayes Brown: 5 Ways The U.S. Can Respond To Russia Invading Ukraine – Without Going To War
1. Suspend Russia’s membership in the G-8 Russia joining the Group of 7 in 1998, despite being the weakest of the group’s economies at the time, was considered a huge boost to the prestige a country still recovering after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Russia is also due to host the next meeting of the G-8 in Sochi, the site of the recently concluded Olympics, this June. Rather than the U.S. simply boycotting the meeting, the Obama administration could lead the charge along with the other members to suspend Russia’s membership in the group.
https://twitter.com/PentagonPresSec/status/439894954505433088
3. Enact trade sanctions against Russia As recently as December, Russia was looking to boost trade with the United States — which already stands at about $40 billion annually — though remaining just shy of a free trade deal. Both Russia and the United States are members of the World Trade Organization, which brings with it certain obligations when it comes to tarrifs and trade embargoes. But insofar as those obligations allow, the U.S. can use reduced trade with Russia to show its displeasure.
https://twitter.com/justice4ukraine/status/439615088387829761
4. Suspension of NATO cooperation and participation After the collapse of the USSR, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization welcomed in several of the formerly Soviet states, including Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia. Russia has long seen this expansion as a threat, which is part of the reason Ukraine is not a NATO member state. To help assauge those fears, NATO began outreach to Russia in the late 1990s, including setting up a NATO-Russia Council to frequently meet and exchange concerns. In light of Putin’s move on Ukraine, the U.S. should move to have those meetings suspended and cooperation between NATO and Russia halted.
More here
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Dexter Mullins: The ‘Invisible Man’ In The Age Of Trayvon And Jordan
With his widely read novel “Invisible Man,” Ralph Ellison ignited a conversation and an awareness of racial alienation in America that had the potential to help bridge the gap between the nation’s races. But as we celebrate what would have been his 100th birthday on Saturday, it is almost staggering to see how little has changed since Ellison published the book in 1952. Black people — and black men in particular — are still viewed and judged as though we are all one person, with one mind, and that we are all either criminals or about to become criminals. We are still treated as if we are less than everyone else, no matter the degrees we may possess, how impressive our job titles or our contributions to society. Indeed, as we celebrate Ellison today, it is a shame to have to say that the black man as an individual is still “invisible” and that the country has a long way to go.
There isn’t a black man or boy in this country who has not been told by someone in his family that while people may say we are equal, the reality is quite different and that — should you find yourself in a situation with any person of authority, or a rogue vigilante who thinks he’s above the law — it is better to hold your tongue and submit to the traffic ticket, search or humiliating line of questioning and get home alive than it is to try and make a stand to prove your point and come home in a pine box. At the end of Ellison’s novel, the main character learns to embrace his individuality after years of conforming to society’s perceptions and expectations of what a black man is supposed to be. Today, it is society that needs to embrace the individuality of minorities and re-examine where our nation’s race relations really are.
More here
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https://twitter.com/Our4thEstate/status/439927667240865792
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David Remnick: Putin Goes To War
Vladimir Putin, the Russian President and autocrat, had a plan for the winter of 2014: to reassert his country’s power a generation after the collapse of the Soviet Union. He thought that he would achieve this by building an Olympic wonderland on the Black Sea for fifty-one billion dollars and putting on a dazzling television show. It turns out that he will finish the season in a more ruthless fashion, by invading a peninsula on the Black Sea and putting on quite a different show—a demonstration war that could splinter a sovereign country and turn very bloody, very quickly.
Sergei Parkhomenko, a journalist and pro-democracy activist who was recently detained by the police in Moscow, described the scenario taking shape as “Afghanistan 2.” He recalled, for Slon.ru, an independent Russian news site, how the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan, in 1979, under the pretext of helping a “fraternal” ally in Kabul; to Parkhomenko, Putin’s decision to couch his military action as the “protection” of Russians living in Crimea is an equally transparent pretext. The same goes for the decorous way in which Putin, on Saturday, “requested” the Russian legislature’s authorization for the use of Russian troops in Ukraine until “the socio-political situation is normalized.” The legislature, which has all the independence of an organ grinder’s monkey, voted its unanimous assent.
More here
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Paul Carr: On The Importance Of Keeping Investors Out Of The Newsroom, And Not Treating Your Readers Like Fools
Yesterday afternoon, Pando published a report by Mark Ames showing that eBay founder Pierre Omidyar invested hundreds of thousands of dollars in Ukrainian opposition groups involved in the overthrow of the country’s government. Even more interesting, given that Omidyar is now publisher ofThe Intercept, a blog which vows to expose American government wrongdoing, is the revelation that his co-investor in the groups was… the US government. This morning, Omidyar Group staffer Glenn Greenwald spent almost three thousand words meticulously not responding to the piece. Whether Greenwald likes it or not, this is an important story and one we will continue to report. There is, however, one aspect of Greenwald’s post that demands a firm rebuttal, and that’s his continuing attempt to shrug off Pierre Omidyar’s $250 million investment in First Look as if it’s business as usual for a media organization.
https://twitter.com/paulcarr/status/439905714350206977
To suggest Omidyar is just a passive investor in Greenwald, Scahill, Wheeler et al. is as ridiculous as claiming Jesus was just a passive backer of the disciples (“Nah, you’ve got it all wrong. He just gave us the bread and wine, it’s up to us what we do with it.”) Pierre Omidyar is not the dumb money behind First Look, he is the company’s founder and publisher. It was Omidyar who called Glenn Greenwald and personally hired him to head The Intercept, just as it was Omidyar himself who takes credit for having hired Matt Taibbi away from Rolling Stone. Even after making those key hires, Omidyar did not recuse himself from the day-to-day editorial operations.
Pierre Omidyar, First Look’s sole backer, has a vision. A vision he spends his day sharing with First Look’s reporters via their internal messaging. By Scahill’s own admission, Omidyar’s voice is heard more frequently than any editorial staffer at the company. And yet, by Greenwald’s admission, he has spent precisely no time investigating the business deals or conflicts of interest which might shape that vision, or might lead Omidyar to try to influence the reporting by the staff whose paychecks he alone signs. If that’s how Omidyar believes the business of media should be transacted, that’s his choice. And if Greenwald is convinced that he remains entirely incorruptible, despite the constant muzak of his master’s voice playing in the newsroom, that’s fine too. But it’s not how most media companies do things, and it’s not how we do things at Pando. By claiming otherwise, Greenwald is treating his readers as fools.
More here
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Washington Post: Government Expands Help For Buying Health Insurance
With just a month left for Americans to select health plans this year through new insurance marketplaces, the Obama administration is bending some rules to prevent people from being stranded without coverage because of state-run exchanges riddled with computer problems. In states with dysfunctional insurance marketplaces, the government will for the first time help pay for certain health plans that consumers buy on their own. And once people in those states are able to sign up through the exchanges, their insurance can be made retroactive. These rewritten rules, laid out in a three-page memo,
can be used by any state but are aimed primarily at helping people in Maryland and three other states whose exchanges have not been working well. The four states are among 14 that have each created an insurance marketplace under the 2010 Affordable Care Act. The rewritten federal rules would allow people to receive federal subsidies for health plans outside exchanges as long as the covered benefits are comparable to those of plans sold through the exchanges. In order to get retroactive subsidies, people will have to start to pay the full price of their health plan, then get the reduction once their state’s exchange is working well enough to determine whether their incomes make them eligible for the help.
More here
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It’s #LastCall2014—and your chance to save is slipping away. Enroll now. http://t.co/1nUtfU7V32
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) March 1, 2014
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https://twitter.com/alphabetsuccess/status/439965828029489152
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President Obama with Donna Brazile and Debbie Wasserman-Schultz at the DNC Winter Meeting in Washington, Friday
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On This Day:
Senator Obama holds up a baby as he greets supporters during a town hall meeting in Westerville, Ohio, March 2, 2008
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First Lady Michelle Obama with daughters, Malia and Sasha, sled in the snow on the South Lawn of the White House, March 2, 2009 (Photo by Pete Souza)
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President Obama boards Air Force One, prior to departure from Hunter Army Airfield in Savannah, Ga., March 2, 2010 (Photo by Pete Souza)
President Obama talks with Mona Sutphen, chief of staff for policy, Josh Earnest, assistant press secretary, and Jeffrey Lerner, of the Office of Political Affairs, aboard Marine One en route to the White House, March 2, 2010 (Photo by Pete Souza)
President Obama signs H.R. 4691, Temporary Extension Act of 2010, in his private office in the residence of the White House, March 2, 2010 (Photo by Pete Souza)
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President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama wait in the Blue Room of the White House before greeting recipients of the 2010 National Medal of Arts and National Humanities Medal, March 2, 2011 (Photo by Pete Souza)
First Lady Michelle Obama shares a laugh with National Humanities Medal honoree Wendell E. Berry, as President Obama talks with National Endowment for the Arts Chairman Rocco Landesman in the Blue Room of the White House, March 2, 2011 (Photo by Pete Souza)
President Obama greets Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton on the Colonnade prior to their meeting in the Oval Office, March 2, 2011 (Photo by Pete Souza)
First Lady Michelle Obama participates in a conference call about the “Let’s Move!” Healthier U.S. School Challenge in the Map Room of the White House, March 2, 2011. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack joined Mrs. Obama to speak with education stakeholders about doubling the number of schools participating in the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s program (Photo by Chuck Kennedy)
President Obama is briefed by Lt. Gen. Doug Lute, Special Assistant to the President for Afghanistan and Pakistan, during a meeting in the Situation Room of the White House, March 2, 2011. Deputy National Security Advisor Denis McDonough and National Security Advisor Tom Donilon are at right (Photo by Pete Souza)
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President Obama and Vice President Biden talk following a meeting in the Oval Office, March 2, 2012 (Photo by Pete Souza)
First Lady Michelle Obama embraces members of the Johnson C. Smith ladies’ basketball team during a “Let’s Move!” physical fitness promotion between games at the CIAA basketball tournament in Charlotte, N.C., March 2, 2012
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The Obama Diary 
G Day!
Couldn’t take the time to write ‘good’ in case anyone was snapping at my heels! Phew! 😀 Now I feel like I’m truly back.
You is back and you is first.
And I is soooo happy! 😀
Morning Grandp, nice to see you – how is the little one?
G day to you vc and Congrats on First!
Good Morning to you! Very pleasing to know you weren’t washed away last night. I seem to remember you were relaxing to the lovely sound of raindrops falling on your
headroof, and you sounded quite pleased with the rushing sound.Yes, the rain was a welcome occurrence yesterday. Happy to see it come, glad to see it go 🙂
‘glad to see it go’
Ssshhh! Don’t go saying that too loudly, or so soon – I remember not too long ago you westerners praying for rain and using that ‘d’ word quite often with great apprehension.
Well played! Congratulations! 😀
{{{{Dudette}}}} Hi, sugah, long time no see! 😀 😀
Have you and nephew gone to that musical performance yet?
Hey Sweetie Pie! 😀
Not yet — it’s on the 15th. I can’t wait!
While continuing #BlackKidsAllKidsOurFuture (a couple weeks ago) I found another young Georgia musician who just might be there as well, but I can’t remember her name right now. If I do, I’ll showcase her again….later.
wtg vcprezofan2….Congrats on 1st!
Did that STRONG cup of coffee I recommended get you to the finish line 1st!
Now go out there and have a SPLENDID DAY! I demand it! : ))
Wasn’t going to tell you coffee and I are not compatible because I did appreciate the cheerleading! 😀 Truth is I’m naturally wacko, Cindy, so I never add things like coffee and alcohol and icing, and stuff like that – you guys have to just take the real me. 😉
You Betcha!
Keeping it real…..is a BIG Freaking Deal! : )
hey vc! congrats on first – hope you are having a great day. 🙂
I am, and it’s greater now that you’ve arrived! 😀
let the celebrating commence! ~ 😀
^5
‘G’day’ is a word, right 99ts?
‘Tis now, if ’twasn’t before. 😉 😉
My mother hated me saying “g’day” – it was considered slang in the 1950s & 60s – I can still remember when I went on my first trip alone to visit friends “Don’t scream g’day when you get there – say hello!”
But – times change 🙂
Squeee! I just noticed that it was Nerdy Utal who gave me the entrance – O man, I feel so, so good! Thank you, my dear! I sorta hope this means I can now hear your silent footsteps when you arrive. 😀 Off to appreciate what you brought for us! Thanks, again.
Oh for goodness sakes! PBO has THIS on his mind and a visit from Nutbags Yahoo tomorrow????? I don’t know how he does this…..I would NOT have the patience for all this…..
Well, I was toying with the idea of not going to work on Monday so I can hang out in the village, but I see that Bibi is in town and I really don’t like him or his face, so maybe I’ll just go on in to work. Will see how I feel tomorrow a.m. 😉
Another jam-packed with goodness R&S, thanks a GAZILLION Nerdy!!!!!!
Thank you, Chiparoo.
Morning every
Finally up after a restless night and trying to catch up with the world news. Thanks for a brilliant R&S, as usual, NW! Congrats to VC on this post and Cindy on the previous one for getting here first.
Morning Judith,
Thank You!
Hopefully a good cup of coffee will give you a little pep-in-your-step : ))
Have a WONDERFUL DAY!!!
Thanks, Cindy. I will take your advice!
Okay, George Stephanopolis is on,
Magic Johnson and Colin Powell will be featured regarding President Obama’s commitment to African American boys.
Here is the down side; he is going to compare Bubble to the President, in terms of bringing out the crowds and voters. This is how the next 2 years will be; the Clintons is this and President Obama was that. Bubble understands blacks better than President Obama, on and on and on.
You can see it coming. Unrest around the globe and Georgie wants to bet on Bubble doing better than President Obama with getting the voters out.
These want to be journalists are no more than a joke; should have a part on the Road Runner and face the speeding train as the coyote had to do. Unlike the coyote, they should not get up again. Beep, Beep!
Slow and methodical……..
In my forty-six years of living this is probably the first time I’ve even heard of a place called “Crimea,” so I’ll just wait for the State Department, C.I.A. and the experts on Russia that hold Phd’s that President Obama meets with, to even begin to offer an opinion on what the United States next move should be.
“Stay winning US Media”
Love it!
Fantastic Rise & Shine, Nerdy Wonka. As Always!
Thank you very much, GB. Hope you’re having a good day and hope to see you on Twitter for the usual awards show snark fest.
Happy Oscars Day! Happy Lupita Day! 😀
“Happy Luptia Day! Love that! 😀
Angela Bassett at the Independent Spirit Awards….wow….wow….wow!
Black does not crack. Hot damn!
WOW…and she is 55! The men in the pic can’t help but stare even though some of them look young enough to be her son. 🙂 🙂
….close your mouth son you’re starting to drool… 🙂
Oh wow, that backside. Not complaining one bit, wish mines were like that.
I know I am going for my walk now, I still have a chance to “get fine.”
Going for my walk at 3:00 Will use this picture as inspiration. 🙂
wow. I’ve got work to do. 55 is coming fast. 🙂
My, my, my…..
THANK YOU Nerdy Wonka!!!
You are awesome…….time to read and enjoy real news and truths!
Thank you, Cindy.
Y’all, I think the chemo side effects are kicking in. There’s a burning sensation in my mouth when I drink any fluid. My scalp is tight and my body’s aching a little more often than I’d like. It’s bearable, but it’s messing with my mood.
I’m going to go lay down for a bit. ugh.
Hang in there, and hope you feel better soon GB. (((((GB)))))
Ok, GB. You do whatever you need to do and we will keep on praying for you, sending you good wishes and thoughts.
Good morning gobrooklyn,
Happy Sunday to you….in spite of. Don’t claim it. Hold on, keep trusting and keep praying. Speak health over your life in all situations, this too shall pass.
Sending *special healing prayers* to you, and a {{{{{BIG HUG}}}}. God will comfort you in your discomfort.
Warmest Blessings,
Cindy
(((((((((GB))))))))))))
Hang In there…GoB….May the Creator shine blessings on you …
GB when my sister in law was having chemo she would eat these pedia-lyte popsicles. This is what they look like: http://pedialyte.com/products/freezerpops She said it helped the metallic taste that she always had and they were cold.
I’ve heard about that. Wishing I had one tonight. Gonna put it on my grocery list.
GOB, hang in there–it will pass and it will make a difference. My 84 year old cousin has been fighting cancer in one form or another for 50 years and she’s overcome each episode. Latest was esophagus cancer that even her doctor thought she could not fight at her age. She went through chemo and has come out strong. I’m praying and rooting for you.
Oh, wow, Jackie! My best to your cousin. A real champ.
Hang in there GB!!! Know that we love you and are keeping you in our thoughts and prayers and sending lots of energy! {{{{{{{hugs}}}}}}
{{{{{ GoBrooklyn }}}}}
Sending you light, love and prayers GB.
{{{{{gb}}}}} GB, I’ve never needed chemo, but it might be soothing to do some deep breathing while you are resting. Sometimes the positive effects of regulating the breath helps to distribute oxygen more evenly throughout the body. It surely cannot cause any harm. God Bless, Light all around you, and Angels.
Thanks, Pamela. I’ll try.
{{{{{gobrooklyn}}}}}} thinking of you
G’morning Nerdy, Chips, TOD, lurkers, everyone and congrats vc on #1 🙂
Thanks Nerdy for such a wonderful and info-packed Sunday R & S round-up as only you could!!
Thank you, HF.
Some nut on George S. just said that President Obama is not needed because Clinton is more popular and the Dems doesn’t want the President in their State. Clinton campaigned for Grimes in Kentucky and he is in ecstasy because Gore didn’t let Clinton campaign for him.
Okay, pressure heading upward…….woosa, woosa, woosa!
Here we go again…..
Nuts will be nuts, Cindy. Ignore them because you sure know the president does.
Good West Coast morning NW, Chipsticks & TOD family.
Great R&S NW!
POTUS has to deal with Putin and Bibi in one week. That’s enough to make one run straight to the WH liquor cabinet!
Thanks, GGail.
President Obama sure does have the patience of a saint.
He sure does NW
For that, I am eternally grateful!
Don’t worry Eddie; Putin isn’t going to take his frustrations out on you.
Good morning all at TODville! We are still hunkered down here in Missoula. Wind blowing -27 wind chill. More snow this afternoon. Here is the story about our avalanche, a snowboarder caused this one. http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2014/03/01/snowboarder-may-have-caused-avalanche-that-injured-three-destroyed-house/
I am so thankful for President Obama and SOS Kerry. We have men who care about all of us and not just war.
Now I am going back and reading R & S.
Just wanted to add that the 8 yr old boy is doing fine. The older gentleman has been upgraded to serious, but the lady is still in critical shape. Their home is totally destroyed. All contents are buried under feet of heavy snow. There are people there trying to find what they can before we get more snow and now maybe rain. It’s a very sad situation.
Good news about the boy, Mt. Sure hope the lady recovers. I hope they find the snowboarder and charge him/her with negligent destruction.
He actually came down and helped, that’s how they knew about him. Don’t know if they can charge him with anything. They are looking into it. At the time he wasn’t doing anything illegal.
Thank you SOS Kerry. Let the warmongers in the US media and on Twitter go to Russia THEMSELVES and fight the war they’re advocating. The rest of us will stand with you and our President and the millions around the world.
David Gregory needs to take a seat.
Put like that, as everything being a test.. really means: He’s still ‘trying out’ for this job.. notreallypresident.
On the other hand… he continues to “ace” these so-called tests… which means NO matter what they put in front of him.. as The Test.. they can’t match wits with Barack Obama.
Wow! What an intelligent president we have (a fact we here all recognized ages ago) – he keeps passing all of the ‘biggest test[s] of his presidency’! 😎
I know right? Good thing we hired the right guy!
HUGE 😀 of pride, in him AND in the smart voters/supporters! After all these years and successful results, it seems clear the others who are still mouthing ‘test’ of this or that, will never get it. Please proceed, ignorati!
BOOM.
Thank NW for the tweets. Our President and John Kerry are an awesome team.
Rise and Shine….
Extraordinary…..Sensational….these words do not seem to be enough…but I am extremely grateful
ty so much for Alllllllllll the time… effort and research that you do to bring us info that we can use…in fact info that “We The People” need…to keep on keeping on…
the article about the invisible man…
“We are still treated as if we are less than everyone else, no matter the degrees we may possess, how impressive our job titles or our contributions to society. Indeed, as we celebrate Ellison today, it is a shame to have to say that the black man as an individual is still “invisible” and that the country has a long way to go.”
aka…how they treat PBO!
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There is a concerted effort by those forces that benefit from the RW media and GOP’s use of racist hysteria and stereotypes….. to keep these notions and images alive in the minds of white America…and in Blk America as well…and then to enshrine this racist ideology into law…aka ALEC…
what is our strategy to combat this systemic racist ideology….
on one hand you have the Moral Marchers….the program…My Brother’s Keeper inspired by the BAM program in Chi town….to name just two….
and although the recent victory in AZ has been herald as a victory for the LGBT community…it is a victory for all of us…esp people of color…(not to say that there are no people of color in the LGBT community)..
but whenever I think of all the struggles being waged for freedom in our country…union rights ….women’s rights…the right to vote….minimum wage..etc…I can’t help but notice that we are all fighting against the same folks….the folks who would enslave us all….
I cannot say that we should merge our struggles…but I do think that we should see the connections…
YES We Will..
Thank you for all the positive feedback, Prettyfoot58.
“Invasion is not the act of someone who is strong. It is the act of someone who is weak.” @FaceTheNation—
John Kerry (@JohnKerry) March 02, 2014
Excuse me! But did Kerry just call Putin weak?
ha! Putin and George Bush 🙂
That’s the first thing I thought of, George Bush? Ha!
two peas in a pod 🙂 although I’m thinking Putin & Cheney would have a whole lot in common too.
I seem to remember G.W. Bush the Republican thought alot of Putin. Hay right right haters, what do you have to say about that?
yeppers
Yet another superlative NW R&S. Thank you!!!
Worthwhile for us citizens to participate in documenting Russia’s #ActsOfWar
Yes We Can
Thanks, Bob.
Yes WE MUST
Ukraine calls up all military reserves
Kiev says it needs to ensure its forces are combat-ready as Putin resists Western pressure to pull troops back.
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/africa/2014/03/ukraine-calls-up-all-military-reserves-201432102620995825.html
They will defend their vision of Ukraine …
dang, that actually looks like North Dakota ~
Thanks you NW for such a comprehensive R&S. Despite GOP attempts to use the crisis as another occasion to bash our President, I have every confidence that his team can collaborate to put together a devastating international diplomatic response with tough sanctions which will trash the shaky Russian economy. China also has reasons to oppose Russian aggression. So glad we have this site for information!
Putin’s fellow #Oligarchs are gonna take a “bath” in a few hours …
… and President Obama knows it and is obviously doing everything he can to make sure the water is really, really HOT.
It’s not like Putin had unanimous support …. and as the financial crisis he has wrought for Russia unfolds – and it will unfold quickly – well ….
Sorry for the duplicate, it was supposed to be ….
Bobf, you are so right, it’s hard for me to believe that those moguls give one single solitary fuck about Putin and his political machinations. And after a few days of those moguls receiving negative returns, the West will be the least of Putin’s problems.
Hi Bobfr – our markets are open – and already down 1%
BRAVO ….
George Will: It’s ‘not neighborly’ for LGBT people to ask for equal rights
Will pointed out the public accommodations section of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 said that businesses had to serve everyone equally.
“That’s a settled issue,” the pundit noted. “That said, this too must be said: It’s a funny kind of sore winner in the gay rights movement that would say, ‘A photographer doesn’t want to photograph my wedding — I’ve got lots of other photographers I could go to, but I’m going to use the hammer of government to force them to do this.’”
“It’s not neighborly and it’s not nice,” he added. “The gay rights movement is winning. They should be, as I say, not sore winners.”
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2014/03/02/george-will-its-not-neighborly-for-lgbt-people-to-ask-for-equal-rights/
Is it neighborly to stalk and kill unarmed teenagers? Must be because some folks in FLuraduh thinks so…….
https://twitter.com/root_e/status/440173418940338177
LOL…
Off with his head!!!
Worth a read …
NAC meeting concluded, NUC meeting soon to be underway ….
Important ….
Thanks BOB for these important updates!! 🙂
Malia’s first date with a boy and knowing Sasha’s next in a few years….
🙂
Really important that all of you read the article linked in this tweet …
… and please consider sending him a note of thanks. He’s not walking an easy path.
Yes We Can
Thanks, Bobfr!
Um…WTF!?!? What a bloody waste of time.
Well…if they want to protest, it is their right to do that…however, they are doing in front of the wrong place. They SHOULD be outside the State Dept. Not the WH.
Yup, and that’s my point – their choice of venue is telling. And notice the signs, PBO’s campaign logo (which should have nothing to do with XL) – it’s all about BARACK OBAMA for these idiots.
Their timing stinks!
Out of all the urgent issues broiling in the bloody universe, this is the one they will leave home and lay down for. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not in favor of the pipeline but who are these people?
Indeed meta. It’s not that they’re against the pipeline that is the problem, but it’s the venue and timing of their so-called protests that diminishes the sincerity of their efforts.
Is the hero Edward Snowden prepared to fight against Putin and the wrong he is doing?
Fact checking Putin ….
My reading. Worst case scenario. putin
takesland grabs crimea. Ukraine itself has a big army. It’s not iraq. With EU chipping in, putin will be way out of his depth. It’s high time EU showed some leadership on this. This is not a big old scary ussr anymore. It’s just friggin’ putin surrounded by not-so-friendly satellites.Lorde’s hit song “Royals” has many renditions on YouTube, but none quite like Bruce Springsteen’s. The Boss sang the New Zealand pop star’s single Saturday at his concert in Auckland, N.Z. Bruce played it without the band, and he rocked it with an acoustic guitar and harmonica. The video hit YouTube Saturday morning.
Entertaining photos of Jimmy Fallon taking the Polar Plunge in Lake Michigan in Chgo this a.m.——-10 degrees——–Look how much fun he’s having!—-ha!——-with Mayor Rahm and uh…….bagpipe guy? We have lots of interesting characters in this world.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-polar-plunge-fallon-emanuel-20140302,0,6591611.story
A few thoughts on Ukraine and the Crimea. Putin is desperate not to lost those two areas for two reasons beyond his megalomania.
1. Ukraine is the “breadbasket” of Russia. Because of its salubrious climate and good soil, it supplies the majority of produce in this area of the world. Think of what would happen to us agriculturally if we lost: California, Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, Michigan, Illinois, No. and South Dakota. Or, even if we lost only California…..the largest agricultural state in the union. We would have to import ALL produce, and most of the oil. Putin will become desperate.
2. Crimea contains the only warm water port Russia has. Throughout history, Russia’s obstacle in world trade and domination was its lack of a year round port. Peter the Great built St. Petersburg on the Baltic for ships, but it was not available all year. The Crimea is Russia’s path to world trade. You’ll notice the Russian fleet is stationed there.
Eventually the economic realities will get through even to Putin, as indicated above in various tweets. I don’t know how long it will take, and it won’t be immediate, but eventually Putin will blink. He will have to. This will not be resolved as quickly as the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1963, which I remember well, living in D.C. at the time.
I have every confidence in PBO and his team, and he has already brought France, GB, Canada on board re the Sochi G-8 summit…more will follow.
By the way, does anyone else think that PBO and President Hollande really strengthened our relationship when Hollande was here? There was no waiting or back and forthing from Hollande regarding Russia. Good sign.
https://twitter.com/matlasrj/status/440160816722362368
New post.
http://theobamadiary.com/2014/03/02/the-world-speaks/
Rubio: Russia Has A ‘Government Of Liars’
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/rubio-russia-ukraine-putin
——
Like you Marco ?
Anniebelle: Republicans Has A “Government of Liars” Something Russia and Republicans have in common.