From Bloomberg.com: Icelandic Anger Brings Debt Forgiveness In Best Recovery Story
Ahh, Iceland. Home to platinum blond super-models, Lord of the Rings-esque landscapes, and a peaceful yet proud people. Also, Iceland apparently holds the title as the only first world nation to retain a whit of common sense in the managing of its political and economic affairs. The Ride salutes you, Iceland!
As you may or may not remember, there was a lot of media coverage looking into the economic collapse of Iceland that paralleled the housing market bubble here in the states. Now as I'm sure most of my regular readers have gathered, my understanding of economics essentially boils down to crude stick figure drawings of subjects engaged in stick-rape, but basically the idea is a bunch of bankers stormed into Iceland on armies of marauding elephants and stole every coin in the coffer. Eerily familiar to the events we've been struggling to recover from here in America.
Here's where the story gets interesting. For once, fucking finally, there is a government protecting its people, defending the innocent for the rapacious actions of the world banking cartels. Instead of bailing out the failing banks and allowing the CEOs to receive ludicrous bonuses, Iceland is actually laying criminal charges against those involved in the scandals! That's right, folks! Good ol' fashioned prison sentences! Commit fraud, and you actually go to jail, what a novel concept!
In addition to their hard-line stance against coddling financial criminals, the Iceland government is also taking the method of allowing aid to bubble up from the victims instead of trusting it to trickle down from the offenders. And the result is that the Iceland economy is jumping back with such a bang that the tiny country is now in strong enough a position to respectfully want to keep its economy free from the debilitating integration with the European Union, preferring to make a stand on their own.
Of course, the dust is still settling and the jury is still out on what faces the dice will show when they stop spinning. But maybe if the Icelandic trend of success and solvency continues we will start to get the idea here in America. Even if you believe in the banks and corporations being "too big to fail", that doesn't mean the executives wrists' are too big to be put in cuffs.
Three Monkeys Say: Gonna catch me a criminal!!
Thursday, July 19, 2012
Sunday, July 15, 2012
Take it Easy
It's Sunday, friends.
Take today for yourself. Enjoy it.
Three Monkeys Say: Way down, down along Lazy River Road
Take today for yourself. Enjoy it.
Three Monkeys Say: Way down, down along Lazy River Road
Thursday, July 12, 2012
Rom-Com
Oh, Romney. You silly, scary bastard.
From Disinfo.com: Young Mitt Romney Would Impersonate A Police Officer And Pull People Over For Fun
In the great tradition of digging up dirt on Presidential candidates on the road to the White House, a true gem concerning the youthful exploits of Presidential hopeful Mitt Romney has surfaced. The source of the tale is a TV producer who apparently was friends with Romney during his time at Stanford, though the article includes an aside to mention that the friendship was quickly terminated. And if the tale is true, you can't blame this guy. What a creep-show.
Seriously? That sounds like some Ted Bundy level psychosis. Talk about a twisted authority complex.
Sounds like just the man to be in charge of the largest weapon stockpile on the planet. Full steam ahead.
Three Monkeys Say: Gotta admit, the man looks damn good in a suit...
From Disinfo.com: Young Mitt Romney Would Impersonate A Police Officer And Pull People Over For Fun
In the great tradition of digging up dirt on Presidential candidates on the road to the White House, a true gem concerning the youthful exploits of Presidential hopeful Mitt Romney has surfaced. The source of the tale is a TV producer who apparently was friends with Romney during his time at Stanford, though the article includes an aside to mention that the friendship was quickly terminated. And if the tale is true, you can't blame this guy. What a creep-show.
“He told us that he had gotten the uniform from his father,” George Romney, then the Governor of Michigan, whose security detail was staffed by uniformed troopers. “He told us that he was using it to pull over drivers on the road. He also had a red flashing light that he would attach to the top of his white Rambler. We thought it was all pretty weird. We all thought, ‘Wow, that’s pretty creepy.’ And after that, we didn’t have much interaction with him.”
Seriously? That sounds like some Ted Bundy level psychosis. Talk about a twisted authority complex.
Sounds like just the man to be in charge of the largest weapon stockpile on the planet. Full steam ahead.
Three Monkeys Say: Gotta admit, the man looks damn good in a suit...
Wednesday, July 11, 2012
Tango Down
Here's a real tear-jerker.
From CBSNews.com: Michael Marin Update: Canister labeled "cyanide" found in arsonist's vehicle, investigators say
Yee-haw. How's that for an attention grabber??
The facts: Michael Marin, a wealthy member of the financial elite who made his money on being a Wall Street shark, was charged with arson in relation to the fire that consumed his multi-million dollar mansion. As details about Marin's finances came to light, the authorities found that his bank accounts had suffered significant losses in the wake of financial unrest, and that he was unable to afford the upcoming payments for the property.
According to details I could find on the fire itself, apparently Marin was able to escape the blaze by brilliantly locating his scuba oxygen tank and using it to flee the thick smoke through a window and down a rope ladder to safety. As far as I understand it, the complexity of Marin's escape alone was enough to trigger the curiosity of fire investigators, and in combination with Marin's financial woes the case seemed pretty open and shut. Admittedly, details are hard to find now that most of the updates are concentrating on what happened after the guilty verdict was delivered.
A video provided in the CBS link captures the moments directly following Marin receiving the verdict. Marin can be seen holding his head in his hands, and surreptitiously slipping something from his hands to his mouth. Minutes later, he was dead on the courtroom floor.
While results are still pending regarding a toxicology screen, investigators have found a bottle in Marin's vehicle marked Cyanide. Pretty much settles that one.
And there you have it folks. Add another name to the tally of Wall Street suicides when these colossal egos are faced with the prospect of losing their reputation of being a mover and a shaker. Can't say I blame him. Must be pretty hard to go from Jeeves poppin' caviar to spooning slop from a tray in a cafeteria. Oh, the woe! The torment!
Three Monkeys Say: I'm sorry, sir! You can't cash in your chips here, you'll have to go to the casino cage!!
From CBSNews.com: Michael Marin Update: Canister labeled "cyanide" found in arsonist's vehicle, investigators say
Yee-haw. How's that for an attention grabber??
The facts: Michael Marin, a wealthy member of the financial elite who made his money on being a Wall Street shark, was charged with arson in relation to the fire that consumed his multi-million dollar mansion. As details about Marin's finances came to light, the authorities found that his bank accounts had suffered significant losses in the wake of financial unrest, and that he was unable to afford the upcoming payments for the property.
According to details I could find on the fire itself, apparently Marin was able to escape the blaze by brilliantly locating his scuba oxygen tank and using it to flee the thick smoke through a window and down a rope ladder to safety. As far as I understand it, the complexity of Marin's escape alone was enough to trigger the curiosity of fire investigators, and in combination with Marin's financial woes the case seemed pretty open and shut. Admittedly, details are hard to find now that most of the updates are concentrating on what happened after the guilty verdict was delivered.
A video provided in the CBS link captures the moments directly following Marin receiving the verdict. Marin can be seen holding his head in his hands, and surreptitiously slipping something from his hands to his mouth. Minutes later, he was dead on the courtroom floor.
While results are still pending regarding a toxicology screen, investigators have found a bottle in Marin's vehicle marked Cyanide. Pretty much settles that one.
And there you have it folks. Add another name to the tally of Wall Street suicides when these colossal egos are faced with the prospect of losing their reputation of being a mover and a shaker. Can't say I blame him. Must be pretty hard to go from Jeeves poppin' caviar to spooning slop from a tray in a cafeteria. Oh, the woe! The torment!
Three Monkeys Say: I'm sorry, sir! You can't cash in your chips here, you'll have to go to the casino cage!!
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
Mystery Lost
This might be the most infuriating and depressing headline I have ever read.
From FrontPageMag.com: Calls to Destroy Egypt’s Great Pyramids Begin
According to what the article describes as reports coming from the Arabic media, "prominent Muslim clerics have begun to call for the demolition of Egypt’s Great Pyramids—or, in the words of Saudi Sheikh Ali bin Said al-Rabi‘i, those 'symbols of paganism'."
Right. So, if you're like me, your first question should be "ARE YOU FUCKING SERIOUS?!" An valid question, properly followed by a careful query of "Why?" What possible reason could you have for wanting destroy one of the world's greatest archaeological mysteries, forever denying future generations the delight of looking upon these massive mountains from another era.
The "why" of the issue is thankfully provided by the article. Now, admittedly, I know about fuck-all in regards to Muslim history. It is one area where my personal knowledge is sadly lacking, so if anyone out there can confirm or deny anything in this article, or clarify any piece of it for me so I can digest this a little easier, please speak up in the comments.
My understanding of the issue goes like this. A companion of the Muslim Prophet Muhammad, Amr bin al-As and his Arabian tribesmen, conquered Egypt in 641 AD. From there they embarked on a mission of destroying the local heritage, plagued with pagan images and impurities, with a fervor fit to make a Crusader jealous of their zeal. The article even mentions that while many Western scholars disagree, early Muslim writers attribute the fall of the Library of Alexandria to these same hands.
Yet no matter how much momentum they may have gained melting down statues for precious metals and burning ancient manuscripts, it takes a bit more than a pitchfork and a torch to take down the Great Pyramid. For nearly 1400 years they stood, an apparent thorn in the foot of fundamentalists for centuries. And let's be honest, it's not exactly like they can look the other way, the fucking things are gigantic.
Let's all just hope that some voice of reason hears about this damn soon and throws a stake in the spokes of this machine. This story serves as a perfect example of why I will never understand the great majority of humanity. What the fuck gives someone the idea that they have the right to destroy someone else's heritage based on their own perceptions of its pagan nature? How does one cultivate such an utter lack of respect for other cultures? And honestly, you've fucking deal with their presence for 1400 years. No demons have erupted out of the apex of these monoliths. No plague of locusts has come flooding through the pyramids to salt the land with the tears of the afflicted. Why is it so fucking difficult for people to just leave well enough alone, to live and let live? Guess what kids - on a long enough timeline, the survival rate for everyone goes to Zero. Get the goddamn twist out of your panties and learn to let shit slide once in awhile. You'll enjoy The Ride much more. Trust me.
Don't you let that Deal Go Down.
Three Monkeys Say: Maybe they just need another Dead show to come around...38 years is a damn long time
From FrontPageMag.com: Calls to Destroy Egypt’s Great Pyramids Begin
According to what the article describes as reports coming from the Arabic media, "prominent Muslim clerics have begun to call for the demolition of Egypt’s Great Pyramids—or, in the words of Saudi Sheikh Ali bin Said al-Rabi‘i, those 'symbols of paganism'."
Right. So, if you're like me, your first question should be "ARE YOU FUCKING SERIOUS?!" An valid question, properly followed by a careful query of "Why?" What possible reason could you have for wanting destroy one of the world's greatest archaeological mysteries, forever denying future generations the delight of looking upon these massive mountains from another era.
The "why" of the issue is thankfully provided by the article. Now, admittedly, I know about fuck-all in regards to Muslim history. It is one area where my personal knowledge is sadly lacking, so if anyone out there can confirm or deny anything in this article, or clarify any piece of it for me so I can digest this a little easier, please speak up in the comments.
My understanding of the issue goes like this. A companion of the Muslim Prophet Muhammad, Amr bin al-As and his Arabian tribesmen, conquered Egypt in 641 AD. From there they embarked on a mission of destroying the local heritage, plagued with pagan images and impurities, with a fervor fit to make a Crusader jealous of their zeal. The article even mentions that while many Western scholars disagree, early Muslim writers attribute the fall of the Library of Alexandria to these same hands.
Yet no matter how much momentum they may have gained melting down statues for precious metals and burning ancient manuscripts, it takes a bit more than a pitchfork and a torch to take down the Great Pyramid. For nearly 1400 years they stood, an apparent thorn in the foot of fundamentalists for centuries. And let's be honest, it's not exactly like they can look the other way, the fucking things are gigantic.
Let's all just hope that some voice of reason hears about this damn soon and throws a stake in the spokes of this machine. This story serves as a perfect example of why I will never understand the great majority of humanity. What the fuck gives someone the idea that they have the right to destroy someone else's heritage based on their own perceptions of its pagan nature? How does one cultivate such an utter lack of respect for other cultures? And honestly, you've fucking deal with their presence for 1400 years. No demons have erupted out of the apex of these monoliths. No plague of locusts has come flooding through the pyramids to salt the land with the tears of the afflicted. Why is it so fucking difficult for people to just leave well enough alone, to live and let live? Guess what kids - on a long enough timeline, the survival rate for everyone goes to Zero. Get the goddamn twist out of your panties and learn to let shit slide once in awhile. You'll enjoy The Ride much more. Trust me.
Don't you let that Deal Go Down.
Three Monkeys Say: Maybe they just need another Dead show to come around...38 years is a damn long time
Monday, July 9, 2012
Consumption
Jobless millions whisked away
At last we have more room to play
From The Palm Beach Post: Worst TB outbreak in 20 years kept secret
Parts of this article read like the opening pages of The Stand by Stephen King. Apocalyptic overtones in spades.
The story goes a little something like this. Amid an apparent struggle to restructure in the wake of some large health care budget changes in the state of Florida, which included the closing of the state's specialist Tuberculosis treatment hospital, a very important memo has gone unnoticed. Nine days after the ink had dried on the papers detailing all of these changes, a CDC officer finished a report detailing the largest outbreak of TB in the area for over 20 years. The CDC report details how, aside from the 13 deaths and 99 contracted illnesses from TB reported, "3,000 people in the past two years may have had close contact with contagious people at Jacksonville’s homeless shelters, an outpatient mental health clinic and area jails. Yet only 253 people had been found and evaluated for TB infection, meaning Florida’s outbreak was, and is, far from contained."
Apparently the infection originally was spreading through areas like homeless shelters, which increased the difficulty of providing proper treatment to those afflicted. According to the article, to treat TB one must undergo a steady regiment of multiple antibiotics, and any faltering in treatment will result in a hardened, resistant strain of the virus. In most cases, hospitals send nurses to homes to ensure patients are properly taking their medication because of the possible consequences for relapse and transmission. One can easily assume the complications that might arise in a situation where TB was spreading through hub sites like a homeless shelter, making it difficult to ensure those afflicted properly complete their antibiotic regimen to ensure the ailment won't further complicate and spread.
And spread she has. Again, from The Palm Beach Post's article, "Furthermore, only two-thirds of the active cases could be traced to people and places in Jacksonville where the homeless and mentally ill had congregated. That suggested the TB strain had spread beyond the city’s underclass and into the general population. The Palm Beach Post requested a database showing where every related case has appeared. That database has not been released."
There's the kicker, boys and girls. If only the flow of information was as evolved a mechanic as the spread of a virus. According to The Palm Beach Post, at the writing of this article many important Florida health officials have not been made aware of the publication of this CDC warning. But furthermore, I find the detailed handling of the flow of information from the officials to the public to be eye-opening. The Post article details how when the infection was thought to be largely contained among the "underclass" of Jacksonville, there was no effort to inform the general public of the outbreak. The article mentions a desire to prevent any "turning away" from the homeless population of the city, at a time when they would surely need a helping heart and hand from the community. OK, that's a nice sentiment, but ultimately doomed.
Would it not be more prudent, especially once the spread of the strain had been noticed as far from Jacksonville as Miami, to dutifully inform the public of the danger? After all, I'm no medical professional, but my understanding of the situation goes that the reason so many of these deadly diseases have quietly died out in America is due to a combination of excellent medicine, and educating the public on ways they can help to stop the spread the disease. The original core of the infection in the "itinerant homeless, drug-addicted, mentally ill" section of Jacksonville's population would likely not be known for following the best sanitary practices, nor could they honestly be expected to recognize the symptoms of this disease. In my eyes then, the clear decision would then be to inform the public. Allow the general populace to keep an open eye for individuals displaying symptoms and try to defeat the hydra before it spawns too many heads.
But fuck, I'm not the CDC. I'm sure they have a million reasons why they knew about this outbreak in April and it wouldn't be a good idea to tell the public until June. Mass Panic. Anarchy. General Disarray. It's bad for business, you know.
And you know what's worse for business? All those damn homeless people sullying the delightful image of Downtown America. After all, who wants to dump money into the tourism industry when there's a bunch of unwashed vagrants clogging the streets.
Ah-Ha! So that's the plan! Wink-wink, nudge-nudge, say no more. I hear you loud and clear.
Three Monkeys Say: All systems go to kill the poor tonight
At last we have more room to play
From The Palm Beach Post: Worst TB outbreak in 20 years kept secret
Parts of this article read like the opening pages of The Stand by Stephen King. Apocalyptic overtones in spades.
The story goes a little something like this. Amid an apparent struggle to restructure in the wake of some large health care budget changes in the state of Florida, which included the closing of the state's specialist Tuberculosis treatment hospital, a very important memo has gone unnoticed. Nine days after the ink had dried on the papers detailing all of these changes, a CDC officer finished a report detailing the largest outbreak of TB in the area for over 20 years. The CDC report details how, aside from the 13 deaths and 99 contracted illnesses from TB reported, "3,000 people in the past two years may have had close contact with contagious people at Jacksonville’s homeless shelters, an outpatient mental health clinic and area jails. Yet only 253 people had been found and evaluated for TB infection, meaning Florida’s outbreak was, and is, far from contained."
Apparently the infection originally was spreading through areas like homeless shelters, which increased the difficulty of providing proper treatment to those afflicted. According to the article, to treat TB one must undergo a steady regiment of multiple antibiotics, and any faltering in treatment will result in a hardened, resistant strain of the virus. In most cases, hospitals send nurses to homes to ensure patients are properly taking their medication because of the possible consequences for relapse and transmission. One can easily assume the complications that might arise in a situation where TB was spreading through hub sites like a homeless shelter, making it difficult to ensure those afflicted properly complete their antibiotic regimen to ensure the ailment won't further complicate and spread.
And spread she has. Again, from The Palm Beach Post's article, "Furthermore, only two-thirds of the active cases could be traced to people and places in Jacksonville where the homeless and mentally ill had congregated. That suggested the TB strain had spread beyond the city’s underclass and into the general population. The Palm Beach Post requested a database showing where every related case has appeared. That database has not been released."
There's the kicker, boys and girls. If only the flow of information was as evolved a mechanic as the spread of a virus. According to The Palm Beach Post, at the writing of this article many important Florida health officials have not been made aware of the publication of this CDC warning. But furthermore, I find the detailed handling of the flow of information from the officials to the public to be eye-opening. The Post article details how when the infection was thought to be largely contained among the "underclass" of Jacksonville, there was no effort to inform the general public of the outbreak. The article mentions a desire to prevent any "turning away" from the homeless population of the city, at a time when they would surely need a helping heart and hand from the community. OK, that's a nice sentiment, but ultimately doomed.
Would it not be more prudent, especially once the spread of the strain had been noticed as far from Jacksonville as Miami, to dutifully inform the public of the danger? After all, I'm no medical professional, but my understanding of the situation goes that the reason so many of these deadly diseases have quietly died out in America is due to a combination of excellent medicine, and educating the public on ways they can help to stop the spread the disease. The original core of the infection in the "itinerant homeless, drug-addicted, mentally ill" section of Jacksonville's population would likely not be known for following the best sanitary practices, nor could they honestly be expected to recognize the symptoms of this disease. In my eyes then, the clear decision would then be to inform the public. Allow the general populace to keep an open eye for individuals displaying symptoms and try to defeat the hydra before it spawns too many heads.
But fuck, I'm not the CDC. I'm sure they have a million reasons why they knew about this outbreak in April and it wouldn't be a good idea to tell the public until June. Mass Panic. Anarchy. General Disarray. It's bad for business, you know.
And you know what's worse for business? All those damn homeless people sullying the delightful image of Downtown America. After all, who wants to dump money into the tourism industry when there's a bunch of unwashed vagrants clogging the streets.
Ah-Ha! So that's the plan! Wink-wink, nudge-nudge, say no more. I hear you loud and clear.
Three Monkeys Say: All systems go to kill the poor tonight
Sunday, July 8, 2012
You Got It!
It's Sunday!
Take a load off!
Three Monkeys Say: Once there were parking lots - now it's a peaceful oasis!!
Take a load off!
Three Monkeys Say: Once there were parking lots - now it's a peaceful oasis!!
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