Hissyspit
Hissyspit's JournalSen. Graham: ‘Grover is Wrong… I will Violate the Pledge’ (if Entitlement Reforms)
Source: ABC News / Raw Story
Sen. Graham: ‘Grover is wrong… I will violate the pledge’
By David Edwards
Sunday, November 25, 2012 13:29 EST
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) on Sunday said that he was willing to break with anti-tax lobbyist Grover Norquist and find ways to raise additional revenues for the government because he was worried that spending cuts would hurt the military.
Norquist recently insisted to The Wall Street Journal that no Republicans would violate his tax pledge because of the so-called fiscal cliff, which he called of a “completely invented crisis” where lawmakers of both parties agreed to automatic rate increases and spending cuts.
“What I would say to Grover is that the sequester destroys the United States military,” Graham told ABC’s George Stephanopoulos on Sunday. “I am willing to generate revenue. It’s fair to ask my party to put revenue on the table. We’re below historic averages. I will not raise tax rates to do it. I will cap deductions.”
“But to do this, I don’t just want a promise of spending cuts, I want entitlement reforms,” he added. “Republicans always put revenue on the table, Democrats always promise to cut spending. Well, we never cut spending. What I am looking for is more revenue for entitlement reform before the end of the year. I think that’s the magic deal.”
Read more: http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2012/11/25/sen-graham-grover-is-wrong-i-will-violate-the-pledge/
This Thanksgiving, Avoid a Horror Story (Food Safety Tips!)
http://abcnews.go.com/story?id=17776559This Thanksgiving, Avoid a Horror Story
By LISA STARK
Nov 21, 2012, 7:40 PM
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First is to clean- wash hands, utensils and food surfaces frequently. Second is to separate--keep raw meat and poultry away from anything you're not going to cook, such as salad or bread. Third, make sure you cook your turkey to the proper temperature, and finally get those leftovers in the refrigerator within two hours of dinner.
Mishandling your turkey, or stuffing or even your pumpkin pie can put you at risk of salmonella bacteria which is found in meat, poultry and eggs, or campylobacter bacteria which is found in the gastrointestinal tract of animals. Both can be killed by heat and thorough cooking.
"These are really serious illnesses," said Hagen, "that's why we're talking about this during a holiday that is so focused on the food and family."
Food safety experts advise against washing off your turkey; that can simply spread bacteria around the kitchen. And, they say, it's critical not to thaw the bird on the counter. "The surface of the turkey may have bacteria on it," said Diane Van, Manager of USDA's Meat and Poultry Hotline. "If it's sitting in a warm environment, the bacteria can multiply to quite high levels."
The best way to defrost the turkey is in the refrigerator. "You have to plan ahead," said Van, "it takes about a day for every four or five pounds of turkey." If you don't have the time for that, you can also defrost in cold water. That requires submerging the turkey in cold water, and changing that water every 30 minutes. To thaw the turkey, it will take about half an hour for every pound of meat.
- snip -
Johnson and the USDA also point out it's critical to cook the turkey to the correct temperature, at least 165 degrees as measured by a meat thermometer in three separate places, in the thigh, in the wing joint and in the thickest part of the breast. Johnson, who has a degree in nutrition dietetics and has been working the Butterball hotline for over a decade, says if you've stuffed the turkey, you also need to put the thermometer into the center of the stuffing and make sure the temperature there reaches 165 degrees.
It turns out stuffing is a touchy subject. There are those insist on stuffing their bird, and those who make the stuffing separately. From a safety standpoint, stuffing your turkey could be hazardous to your health if it's not done carefully.
"There are bacteria in the cavity of turkey," said the USDA's Van, "Stuffing is a rich medium for bacteria to grow." Van says if you do stuff your turkey, put the stuffing in right before you cook it, and pack it in loosely.
MUCH MORE AT LINK
Hamas, Israel Agree to Truce (Clinton Announces)
Source: Reuters
Will update
@Reuters: Egyptian TV says news conference expected soon from presidency where Clinton has held talks on Gaza truce http://t.co/vyx1DHrV
@Reuters: EGYPTIAN OFFICIAL CONFIRMS TO REUTERS CEASEFIRE AGREEMENT REACHED BETWEEN PALESTINIANS, ISRAEL
@Reuters: More: Egyptian official says formal announcement by Egypt about ceasefire deal to be made shortly http://t.co/vyx1DHrV
Hamas, Israel agree truce: Palestinian source
GAZA | Wed Nov 21, 2012 12:07pm EST
(Reuters) - Israel and the Islamist militant group Hamas agreed on Wednesday to a Gaza ceasefire deal, said a Palestinian official with knowledge of Egyptian mediation between the two sides.
The official declined to be named or to give further information.
There was no immediate official confirmation of the news, which came on the eighth day of intensive Israeli fire on the Gaza Strip and militant rocket attacks out of the Palestinian territory.
Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/11/21/us-palestinians-israel-ceasefire-idUSBRE8AK0ZX20121121
@CBSNews: BREAKING NEWS: Sec. of State Clinton and Egyptian President Morsi announce Gaza cease-fire http://t.co/ir9VstBX
Allen West Concedes to Patrick Murphy
Source: Politico
Allen West concedes to Patrick Murphy
By ALEX ISENSTADT | 11/20/12 5:45 AM EST
Florida Rep. Allen West — the tea party pugilist and face of the class of House Republicans that stormed to power two years ago — conceded Tuesday to 29-year-old construction executive Patrick Murphy in one of the nation’s highest-profile congressional races.
After two weeks of battle with St. Lucie County elections officials — and a recount of early votes that wound up extending Murphy’s lead — West acknowledged that he couldn’t surmount his 1,904-vote, or 0.58 percent, deficit. That difference was just outside the 0.5 percent threshold to automatically trigger a recount of all votes.
- snip -
“For two weeks since Election Day, we have been working to ensure every vote is counted accurately and fairly. We have made progress towards that goal, thanks to the dedication of our supporters and their unrelenting efforts to protect the integrity of the democratic process,” West said in a statement to POLITICO. “While many questions remain unanswered, today I am announcing that I will take no further action to contest the outcome of this election.”
West congratulated Murphy, saying, “I pray he will serve his constituents with honor and integrity, and put the interests of our nation before his own.”
Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1112/84068.html?hp=bn
Tom Tomorrow: Droney Says "Humans are Weird"
Daily Kos Link: http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/11/19/1162612/-The-general-s-legacy?detail=hide
Paul Krugman: The Twinkie Manifesto
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/19/opinion/krugman-the-twinkie-manifesto.html?smid=tw-NytimesKrugmanOP-ED COLUMNIST
The Twinkie Manifesto
By PAUL KRUGMAN
Published: November 18, 2012
- snip -
Needless to say, it wasn’t really innocent. But the ’50s — the Twinkie Era — do offer lessons that remain relevant in the 21st century. Above all, the success of the postwar American economy demonstrates that, contrary to today’s conservative orthodoxy, you can have prosperity without demeaning workers and coddling the rich.
Consider the question of tax rates on the wealthy. The modern American right, and much of the alleged center, is obsessed with the notion that low tax rates at the top are essential to growth. Remember that Erskine Bowles and Alan Simpson, charged with producing a plan to curb deficits, nonetheless somehow ended up listing “lower tax rates” as a “guiding principle.”
- snip -
Strange to say, however, the oppressed executives Fortune portrayed in 1955 didn’t go Galt and deprive the nation of their talents. On the contrary, if Fortune is to be believed, they were working harder than ever. And the high-tax, strong-union decades after World War II were in fact marked by spectacular, widely shared economic growth: nothing before or since has matched the doubling of median family income between 1947 and 1973.
Which brings us back to the nostalgia thing.
There are, let’s face it, some people in our political life who pine for the days when minorities and women knew their place, gays stayed firmly in the closet and congressmen asked, “Are you now or have you ever been?” The rest of us, however, are very glad those days are gone. We are, morally, a much better nation than we were. Oh, and the food has improved a lot, too.
Along the way, however, we’ve forgotten something important — namely, that economic justice and economic growth aren’t incompatible. America in the 1950s made the rich pay their fair share; it gave workers the power to bargain for decent wages and benefits; yet contrary to right-wing propaganda then and now, it prospered. And we can do that again.
Democrat Barber retains Giffords' old House seat in Arizona
Source: NBC News
Democrat Barber retains Giffords' old House seat in Arizona
Samantha Sais / REUTERS
Congressman Ron Barber has won a full term in the House. He was an aide to Gabrielle Giffords and was wounded in the shooting in Tucson.
By Reuters
TUCSON, Ariz. - Democratic U.S. Representative Ron Barber, a former aide to Gabrielle Giffords who was wounded alongside her in a deadly 2011 shooting, has won a full term in Congress after defeating Republican Martha McSally in a closely contested race.
Barber, 67, who won a special election in June to finish out Giffords' term, said McSally called him on Saturday morning to concede. They were running in the November 6 election to represent southeast Arizona in the state's redrawn 2nd Congressional District.
McSally confirmed on her Facebook page that she called Barber to "congratulate him on his victory."
The contest was too close to call on election night last week and officials have since counted tens of thousands of provisional ballots cast in the race, as the lead swung back and forth between the two candidates.
Read more: http://nbcpolitics.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/11/17/15248334-democrat-barber-retains-giffords-old-house-seat-in-arizona
Occupy Wall St Says 'Rolling Jubilee' Raises Enough to Abolish $6 Million in Debt
http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2012/11/16/1205991/occupy-wall-streets-rolling-jubilee-raises-enough-to-abolish-5-million-in-debthttp://rollingjubilee.org/
OCCUPY WALL STREET’S ‘ROLLING JUBILEE’ RAISES ENOUGH TO ABOLISH $5 MILLION IN DEBT | Members of Occupy Wall Street last week announced the formation of “Rolling Jubilee,” a fundraising campaign that would be used to purchase outstanding debt and then abolish it. And as of Friday, the campaign has already raised enough to eliminate more than $5.7 million in personal debt, according to its web site. The group’s plans are to buy outstanding debt from financial institutions for a small price, but instead of collecting on the debt, it will forgive it in order to relieve student loan, medical, and other forms of debt.
Report Two Dead, Two Missing in Gulf Platform Explosion
Source: WLTV
Breaking News‏@BreakingNews
US Coast Guard in New Orleans reports offshore platform is burning in the Gulf of Mexico - @WWLTV http://bit.ly/T6pKIR
Report two dead, two missing in Gulf platform explosion
wwltv.com
Posted on November 16, 2012 at 9:48 AM
Updated today at 10:06 AM
OFF THE GULF COAST - KHOU-TV says that two people are dead and two people are missing after an explosion at a platform in the Gulf of Mexico.
The U.S. Coast Guard confirms there is an offshore platform burning in the Gulf of Mexico in the area of West Delta Block 32.
Read more: http://www.wwltv.com/news/Coast-Guard-reports-offshore-platform-burning-in-Gulf-of-Mexico-179665361.html
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