Today in history, greetings, and social banter here. (More)
São Paulo, Brazil was founded today (1554). Also, the Angolan capital of Luanda was founded (1575), as were Moscow University (1755) and the Falkland Islands settlement of Port Egmont (1765), an unsuccessful attack on the Springfield Armory marked the largest confrontation in Shays’ Rebellion (1787), the London Corresponding Society was founded (1792), Felix Mendelssohn’s Wedding March was played at the marriage of Queen Victoria’s daughter Friedrich of Prussia (1858), the Bulgarian National Bank was founded (1879), Nellie Bly completed her round-the-world journey in 72 days (1890), Richard Strauss’s Elektra premiered at the Dresden State Opera (1909), the first Winter Olympic Games opened in Chamonix, France (1924), The Guiding Light debuted on NBC radio (1937), the United Mine Workers rejoined the American Federation of Labor (1946), the first Emmy Awards were presented (1949), the National Association of Broadcasters responded to the Payola Scandal by threatening fines for any disc jockey who accepted payment for playing specific songs (1960), President John Kennedy delivered the first live televised presidential press conference (1961), India honored Mother Teresa with the Bharat Ratna, the nation’s highest civilian award (1980), the Clementine probe was launched (1994), the Opportunity rover landed on Mars (2004), and three independent teams of astronomers announced the discovery of OGLE-2005-BLG-390Lb, the first rocky planet to be observed orbiting another main-sequence star (2006). And Arab Spring protests began in Cairo, Egypt (2011).
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The Janitor Professor of Astrology was orbiting our sun as he researched this week’s Bippiescopes….
Aquarius: Explore uncharted territory this weekend. Find the shovel.
Pisces: Accept a reality check this weekend. Then watch it bounce.
Aries: Keep a steady pace this weekend. Napping qualifies.
Taurus: Think before you speak this weekend. They’ll wait.
Gemini: Be flexible with plans this weekend. Try a yoga class.
Cancer: Stay calm and steady this weekend. Imitate someone else.
Leo: Practice random acts of kindness this weekend. Flip a coin.
Virgo: Brilliant ideas may abound this weekend. As will the others.
Libra: Embrace spontaneity this weekend. And hold on tight.
Scorpio: Don’t overplay your hand this weekend. Or your foot.
Sagittarius: Conserve your energy this weekend. Snore quietly.
Capricorn: Expect uncertainty this weekend. Like when….
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Good morning! ::hugggggs::
January 25, 2013 at 6:02 am
Yesterday on Campus
Morning Feature – We the People, Part I: What Are “We?”
Midday Matinee – triciawyse with Fursdai Furries
Campus Question – Will Mary Jo White help the SEC implement reform?
Today on Campus
Morning Feature – We the People, Part II: Who Are “We?”
Noontime News at noon
Midday Matinee – triciawyse with Frieday Critters
Campus Question at 6pm ET
January 25, 2013 at 6:35 am
Good morning! It’s currently a cloudy -14 degrees here in the Adirondacks, with a high predicted of about 4 degrees. It’s supposed to be like that until Monday, when we warm up into the 20′s.
Story that almost makes me wish I still watched TV:
It’s a nice distraction from the flood of really stupid things that are coming out of various conservatives.
January 25, 2013 at 6:48 am
I can use the distraction from the stupidity of the conservative movement. Even as Jindal was telling them they’ve got to like the people in various groups if they want to win them over, another idiot was announcing that a raped woman should be forced to carry a baby to term as “evidence.”
Really, I’ve had enough of them. I just wish they didn’t get so much “in your face” time.
OTOH, it backfired last year, and if they keep it up, I think pretty soon the vast majority of Americans are going to be fed up. Good luck in 2014, safe district or not.
But we’ve got to prevent the dissection of the electoral college. Somebody needs to remind them that’s the only way Shrub won.
Keep warm, Norbrook. That’s some serious cold you have there.
January 25, 2013 at 7:14 am
I’ve been thinking of that running gag in “Airplane” : “I guess I picked the wrong week to …”
I guess I picked the wrong month to give up political blogging. 
January 25, 2013 at 7:39 am
No, you didn’t. You picked the best month to give it up. Personally, I’d like to be castaway on a desert island for the next year or so. Or at least the next six months. No TV? Doesn’t matter. You can’t escape it.
And I love that running gag from “Airplane.” Hah! One of my favorite bits ever. It’s up there with: “We need a bigger boat.”
January 25, 2013 at 8:19 am
I know, but every now and then.
More seriously, it’s not like they’re doing anything new or different 
and that I’m not going to say exactly the same things about how stupid they are. (sigh)
January 25, 2013 at 8:13 am
That long-running ‘feud’ has spawned countless laughs, including a famous (but not family-friendly) duet with Matt Damon and Sarah Silverman. Background: Silverman is Kimmel’s long-time partner.
Good morning! ::hugggggs::
January 25, 2013 at 7:13 am
I’m not sure why we didn’t get a complete filibuster reform except that it seems Reid and other Dems thought it would be a very bad idea. We got some concessions, which look good, but I see more roadblocks ahead.
WaPo has an interesting view.
I still haven’t made up my mind about this, but then, I’m one of the disappointed liberals.
Hugggs and good morning.
January 25, 2013 at 7:15 am
I’m seriously disappointed, and in particular about some of the Democrats who decided to block it. In particular, Feinstein had zero reason to be such an idiot about it.
January 25, 2013 at 7:30 am
Chalk me up as a disappointed liberal. What is it that Sen Harkin told Pres B.O. that w/o filibuster reform – you might as well take the next 4 years off.
January 25, 2013 at 7:42 am
The article I linked to suggests it might not be quite that bad. Other info I’ve heard but haven’t verified yet will prevent secret holds, and will put everyone on the record for a vote. I hope that’s true.
In the meantime, I think we’ve got an even bigger threat from Blue States with Republican government deciding to change the electoral vote process in a way that will nullify the popular vote. I hope the ACLU is ready to jump on this.
January 25, 2013 at 8:04 am
I have a serious case of cliff fatigue which has morphed into filibuster fatigue. I think I am disappointed but I haven’t read all the reasons why this isn’t so bad.
I think that if the parties were reversed, the GOP would have cast 51 votes and cackled. I could be wrong about the GOP but then I think the worst of them.
PS I keep typing filibuster with two LLs. Mostly spell checker fixes it. Maybe the problem is they are spelling it with only one L.
January 25, 2013 at 8:12 am
Thinking the worst gives them too much credit, IMO…….
January 25, 2013 at 8:25 am
The latest filibuster reform seems weak indeed, but we’ll have to wait and see how it plays out in actual practice. That said, The Hill reported on Tuesday that Majority Leader Reid didn’t have 51 votes, as Sens. Baucus, Feinstein, Levin, Manchin, and Pryor were holding out. For Sens. Baucus (ND), Manchin (WV) and Pryor (AR) the motivations may have been political; all are from states that went for Romney in 2012.
As for Sens. Feinstein (CA) and Levin (MI) – both from reliably blue states, unless Michigan’s Republican-dominated state legislature join the GOP’s push to gerrymander the Electoral College – their objection seems to be cultural. The House has always had a simple majority rule. Sens. Feinstein and Levin seem to be among many senior members who take pride in the Senate’s distinctions … and the filibuster is one of the most noteworthy distinctions.
As progressives, we need to recognize that weakness in the “laboratories of democracy” argument. Yes, in theory, it makes sense to let states work out different solutions to problems and see which solutions work best. But in practice, states often get culturally invested in their own solutions – just as senior members of the Senate have in the filibuster – and resist change even when their solution is clearly failing.
It’s like the bumper sticker once popular here in Florida: “I don’t care how you did it up North.”
Good morning! ::hugggggs::
January 25, 2013 at 7:40 am
Who’s in on South Fla’s “Python Challenge 2013?”
Organized by Fla’s Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, on Janury 12 a one-month python hunt began, opening it up to just about anybody over the age of 18.
.
This year, when I hit my golf ball beyond the hazard line — I will not look for it.
January 25, 2013 at 7:48 am
One of our senators, Bill Nelson, joined the hunt. Too little too late, apparently. But wise of you to avoid stepping beyond the hazard line. These things are showing up everywhere in south FL now. We have professional hunters working all the time.
We need some really cold weather for an extended period, to lower the numbers. Not likely this year.
January 25, 2013 at 8:34 am
The University of South Florida golf course is nicknamed “The Claw,” and for good reason. On one hole, I hit a tee shot over the corner of a dogleg, landing it squarely in the middle of the fairway. Alas, it was also nestled in the center of a coiled up water moccasin. I joked to my playing partner that this was a “moving immovable hazard,” and she agreed that I was entitled to a free drop.
I then hit my approach shot toward the green, but about 10 yards right of the center of the fairway. Alas, there the fairway sloped down toward a pond, and there at the edge of the pond I found my ball … with about a dozen others, all being guarded by a large alligator.
I cited the “moving immovable hazard” decision again but she refused, arguing that I would never have been near this particular problem had I not missed the fairway. Note: I did not “play it as it lies” ….
Good morning! ::hugggggs::
January 25, 2013 at 8:01 am
Regarding Mary Jo White’s selection for SEC Chair…I am skeptical. She likes going after bad guys, as long as they aren’t Wall Street bad guys. Her post U.S. Attorney of Southern District days were spent at Debevoise and Plimpton doing what exactly? Not sure, but she’s in the camp that says, no crime for stupidity and greed. Don’t bother me with criminal allegations.
Could be wrong, hope I’m wrong. Maybe I’m being too hard on her.
Frontline report on Tuesday about the Wall Street getting away with murder. Main takeaway, hundreds of due diligence folks and risk mgrs were ignored during the pre-securitization process. They eyeballed the fraudulent paperwork from the mortgage originators. Did the Holder’s Justice Department, particularly Lanny Breuer, interview these folks – no.
Coincidentally, or maybe not, Breuer resigned on Wednesday, the day after the Frontline report.
I just think Wall Street is one of Pres Obama’s blind spots. His justice Dept is good about going after the Inside Traders, but going after top execs with criminal charges…no way. I’ll have to check in with Yves Smith at her Naked Capitalism blog to see what she has to say.
January 25, 2013 at 8:10 am
Does too big to fail also mean too big to jail? I am as worried that the banks are bigger than they were in 2008. I don’t think behemoths are a good thing for our financial system.
January 25, 2013 at 8:05 am
Good morning!
We have a balmy 28 degrees and clouds. I too was hoping for more on filibuster reform. Sigh…….. Maybe next time?
Have a decent day!
Best, G
January 25, 2013 at 8:09 am
We’re foggy and 48 degrees, warming up from 41. We’re headed into a warming trend this weekend bringing us to 80 before another plunge hits us.
Have a great day, Gardener. I’m sure you’ve chocked it full.
Hugggs!
January 25, 2013 at 8:40 am
Ah, not so much. Interviewing pieces of steel for the shelving project…… Thirsty already!!
January 25, 2013 at 8:38 am
I think we all hoped for more on filibuster reform, Gardener. It’s possible these reforms will prove more effective than they seem. But when it comes to self-interested parties finding ways to finagle complex rules in their favor … I’m not optimistic.
Good morning! ::hugggggs::
January 25, 2013 at 8:18 am
Good morning. Thank goodness for books and DVDs as escapes from the news. I definitely need an escape. Riding high from the inauguration only to be deflated by the filibuster and curious about moving the debt ceiling to May. May? Has Congress hired a scriptwriter from a reality TV show and not told us? What a strange way to run a country.
And in the meantime state GOPers are trying to hijack the electoral college rules and disenfranchise voters. Some days we look like a fracking banana republic. 
Rant off.
January 25, 2013 at 8:38 am
These are desperate times for the TGOP. Their wares are not selling by normal means…….
January 25, 2013 at 8:41 am
The Republican Party’s political makeover seems to be mostly about finding ways to gain and keep power despite losing national elections. Alas, I doubt that will change until and unless they start losing state elections.
Good morning! ::hugggggs::