Evening Edition is an Open Thread

40 Top Story Final.

1 BP to pay 50 mln dlr fine for deadly 2005 Texas blast

by Mira Oberman, AFP

Fri Aug 13, 5:21 am ET

Paralysis at the Fed

By PAUL KRUGMAN, The New York Times

Published: August 12, 2010

Ten years ago, one of America’s leading economists delivered a stinging critique of the Bank of Japan, Japan’s equivalent of the Federal Reserve, titled “Japanese Monetary Policy: A Case of Self-Induced Paralysis?” With only a few changes in wording, the critique applies to the Fed today.

At the time, the Bank of Japan faced a situation broadly similar to that facing the Fed now. The economy was deeply depressed and showed few signs of improvement, and one might have expected the bank to take forceful action. But short-term interest rates – the usual tool of monetary policy – were near zero and could go no lower. And the Bank of Japan used that fact as an excuse to do no more.

That was malfeasance, declared the eminent U.S. economist: “Far from being powerless, the Bank of Japan could achieve a great deal if it were willing to abandon its excessive caution and its defensive response to criticism.” He rebuked officials hiding “behind minor institutional or technical difficulties in order to avoid taking action.”

Who was that tough-talking economist? Ben Bernanke, now the chairman of the Federal Reserve. So why is the Bernanke Fed being just as passive now as the Bank of Japan was a decade ago?

Keith, Rachel and plenty of them.  More repeats from Dave.  We have Boys.

• AMC– Pale Rider (Shane), Unforgiven (Clint’s Best Western)
• ESPN– Throwball Panthers @ Ravens
• Food– Good Eats (Trout and Lobster)
• FX– X-Men: The Last Stand x 2
• History– The Universe, More Stan Lee
• Lifetime– Project Runway
• Turner Classic– The Student Prince in Old Heidelberg (a classic silent), Private Lives
• TLC– Sr. v. Jr. (this is the one you’ve been waiting for)
• Toon– Repeats of Monday’s premiers
• USA– Burn Notice (premier)

I have beefs with Alton’s treatment of lobster, there is no reason at all to snoot the Roe and Tomalley or do anything other than steam it and serve with butter and lemon.  He does have a good technique for extracting the minor claw meat.

Later-

• FX– Elektra (even worse than Daredevil if you can imagine that)
• Turner Classic– Romeo and Juliet (a truly classic film performance)
• TLC– Sr. v. Jr. (12″ Director’s Cut Dance Remix)

On Jon Arcade Fire perform.  This is the first time I remember live musical guests.  I don’t think it worked for SCTV (and I like The Tubes) and I don’t think it works for Jon OR Stephen.

Oh, he has Chuck Close.

Alton does spices.  The Buddy System- Tim-Tom and Kevin.

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Notice what’s missing today?

News about Deepwater Horizon and BP.

The 3 pieces that are too short to quote indicate-

• BP resumes work on relief well at Gulf spill
• Officials testing seal at BP’s busted Gulf well
  
  If these tests are successful Retired Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen, the Obama administration’s point man on the spill, says there’s no need to continue work on plugging the well from below with the relief well.
• Markey wants BP to accept government oil estimate

Oh, and this one from Dan Froomkin at the Huffington Post–

• BP Links Compensation With Continued Oil Production In The Gulf

And this from Think Progress–

• DOJ gags scientists studying BP disaster.

(h/t AmericaBlog for the leads)

I’ll update this later with more news, right now I’m working on Prime Time.

59 Top Story Final.

1 Brazil’s pampered pets get best hospitals money can buy

by Marc Burleigh, AFP

Thu Aug 12, 1:50 pm ET

Perhaps you think I was unduly harsh to Rachel last night since she came up with this-

Well, I don’t think so at all.  I think it’s a pattern with this administration and I think her ‘special’ interest depends on who’s ox is gored.

The comment section is for you to tell me how wrong I am in that assessment, but the real purpose of this diary is to experiment with MSNBC embeds since Google (and therefore YouTube) has gone evil on Net Netrality and to point out these excellent posts on AmericaBlog (h/t for the Maddow video)-

Please, please, please. Interview an actual liberal as to why they’re upset before just assuming why they’re upset.

by John Aravosis (DC) on 8/11/2010 11:30:00 PM

(It’s a fallacy t)hat the President has passed the bulk of his agenda because he has passed a number of bills that bear the title of his agenda. It’s really not the same thing. While a rose may smell as sweet under any other name, legislation is judged by its substance not by its title. Health Care Reform was a serious disappointment because the President simply didn’t try to push for what he promised during the campaign. Just because he passed a bill is not sufficient reason for praise. We wanted him to at least try to pass the bill he promised us during the campaign. And he not only didn’t get it passed, he didn’t try to get it passed.

Dear Ruth Marcus, how was George Bush so effective when he didn’t have 60 votes in the Senate?

by John Aravosis (DC) on 8/12/2010 03:43:00 AM

I just find all this “woe is us” talk — about how we don’t have 60 votes in the Senate, and that being the reason that Obama fails to fight for so much of what he promised — to be incredibly naive.

Well, we found out how Rachel handled it.  Didn’t mention it at all that I noticed.  Maybe tonight.

Now that Keith did a special comment.

I’ll not mention Steven Seagal night on AMC because of all the inarticulate ‘action heros’ out there he’s just about the most inarticulate which would be ok if the action weren’t also derivative and boring.

But you can say the same about Schwarzenegger, Stallone, and Willis.

• ESPN– Yankees @ Rangers
• ABC Family– Raising Helen
• Turner Classic– Walter Matthau night, Bad News Bears and The Odd Couple.  They won’t show his best work which is in my opinion Hopscotch (I didn’t say I don’t like Action movies, just boring and predictable ones).
• Discovery– New Man v. Wild (and they’ve apparently abandoned last season’s format which never worked).
• Travel– Man v. Food

Yup.  When I’m highlighting Man v. Food the pickings are pretty slim, but I’ve already posted the Dr. Strangelove video this week so I’ll spare you.

Later-

Dave still in repeats.  Jon has Laura Linney, Stephen David Finkel.  Alton does baklava (not the most interesting thing to do with phyllo dough, but tasty).

Home Is Where the Hate Is introduces Sergeant Hatred as a major character.  Though this episode follows last night’s, they’re not showing entirely in sequence so I can only imagine that they’re building up to a premier or something.

• AMC– Rubicon repeat, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off
• FX– Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle (good to sleep through)
• Turner Classic– Plaza Suite (More Matthau doing Simon)
• Travel– Much, much more Man v Food
• USA– Burn Notice (this week’s)

I am not going to sit on my ass as the events that affect me unfold to determine the course of my life. I’m going to take a stand. I’m going to defend it. Right or wrong, I’m going to defend it.

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Evening Edition is an Open Thread

1 BP oil spill lawsuits sent to Louisiana, storm delays final well kill

by Matt Davis, AFP

Tue Aug 10, 6:39 pm ET

Keith and Rachel.  I don’t know why I’m bothering to post anything else since all you all (that means my vast audience and all their cousins) ‘professional’ lefties will no doubt be fixated on Cable News Liars just as you were when you fired Shirley Sherrod.

Oh wait, that was Obama.

I’ll be particularly interested in how Rachel handles this since except for DADT she’s a consistent Obamabot.

I had the great pleasure today of voting against EVERY SINGLE INCUMBENT in my Democratic Primary because I Vote.

Every Time.

So thanks for the kick in the balls Barack.  It’s a real motivator with real consequences.  I hope you and your pack of 11 Dimensional Chess Masters have a great November.

You’re a bunch of privileged pampered morons.

But here in Real ‘Murica we don’t whore ourselves for a living and we have other interests.

• ESPN– World Series of Poker x 2
• ABC Family– Pretty Little Liars and Make It or Break It (family programming)
• FX– Dwayne Johnson
• SciFi– Warehouse 13 (last week’s .1 Eureka crossover conclusion with Quark and premier)
• Turner Classic– Show Boat (ain’t it neat to beat your feet upon the Mississippi mud), So This Is Love (Musicals)
• Toon– Unnatural History
• USA– White Collar (premier), Covert Affairs

Later-

• AMC– Fallen
• SciFi– Haven x 2
• VH1– Purple Rain

Dave is in re-runs.  Jon has Jason Bateman, Stephen Dylan Ratigan.  Alton does Ice Cream.

The Invisible Hand of Fate.

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Evening Edition is an Open Thread

1 BP makes first deposit into Gulf disaster fund

by Michael Mathes, AFP

Mon Aug 9, 7:00 pm ET

Keith and Rachel all night long.  Jon is repeating August 3rd- Will Ferrell, Stephen August 4th- Michael Posner.  David is also in repeats, from way back on June 23rd- Adam Sandler and Bettye LaVette.  Leno is at least live with Howie Mandel and Mike Posner (again, must have a book out).

Thank goodness for Adult Swim (though napping might be a good alternative).

• AMC– Michael Clayton again.  If I wanted to see it I would have watched the first time.  Rubicon repeat.
• ESPN– Cards @ Reds
• ABC Family– Secret Life of the American Teenager (premier) x 2.  Family oriented programming for Caribou Barbie.
• FX– Click.  Adam Sandler (click).
• History– Pawn Stars, American Pickers
• SciFi– Warehouse 13.1, Eureka crossover repeat.
• Discovery– Cash Cab in Vegas (new)
• TBS– Family Guy night
• Turner Classic– Splendor in the Grass (Warren Beatty night)
• TLC– Cake Boss night
• TNT– The Closer (last week’s and premier)
• Toon– Premier night, Adventure Time With Finn & Jake, Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack, Total Drama World Tour, Scooby-Doo: Mystery Incorporated
• Travel– Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations (premier)
• Disney– Another repeat of Summer Belongs to You

Later-

Well I’ve really sucked all the air out of it.  Alton does Oranges.  Shadowman 9: In the Cradle of Destiny is full of information about the the Guild of Calamitous Intent and the mysterious ‘Council of 13’.

• AMC– Yesterday’s Mad Men
• Comedy– Futurama repeats
• FX– Mr. 3000 (better than it should be)
• Turner Classic– Reds

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