Welcome! "The Evening Blues" is a casual community diary (published Monday - Friday, 8:00 PM Eastern) where we hang out, share and talk about news, music, photography and other things of interest to the community.
Just about anything goes, but attacks and pie fights are not welcome here. This is a community diary and a friendly, peaceful, supportive place for people to interact.
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Hey! Good Evening!
This evenings music features Texas bluesman and guitar sideman to T-Bone Walker, Bobby Blue Bland, Big Mama Thornton and others Roy Gaines. Enjoy!
Roy Gaines - World's Biggest Fool
“Of all the preposterous assumptions of humanity over humanity, nothing exceeds most of the criticisms made on the habits of the poor by the well-housed, well- warmed, and well-fed.”
-- Herman Melville
News and Opinion
Robert Reich: Obama has compromised too much on the fiscal cliff
Why Democrats Must Break With Obama on Social Security Cuts
There are a lot of complicated ways in which to describe the schemes being floated by President Obama and congressional Republicans to abandon the traditional Consumer Price Index in favor of the so-called “chained-CPI” scheme. But there is nothing complicated about the reality that changing the calculations on which cost-of-living increases for Social Security recipients are based has the potential to dramatically reduce the buying power of Americans who rely on this successful and stable federal program.
So the word for what is being proposed is “cut”—as in: President Obama and congressional Republicans are proposing to cut Social Security. ...
If Obama cuts the deal, he will, in the words of CREDO political director Becky Bond, be engaging in a “massive betrayal” of his own campaign commitments, and of the voters who reelected him barely a month ago.
The question is whether the president’s backers will back the betrayal.
The only responsible response is to say “No!”
Kucinich: Obama’s Social Security cuts mean a ‘Cat Food Christmas’ for seniors
Israeli 'Surgical Targeting' of Journalists, Civilians a War Crime: Report
Israeli bombings of media outlets during the recent eight day siege on Gaza broke several international "laws of war," including the targeting of civilians, Human Rights Watch reports Thursday.
Out of the thousands of bombs dropped on Gaza during the attacks, several were used in at least four strikes that directly targeted journalists and media facilities, highlighting the fact that Israeli forces were aiming at more than so-called militants during their "Operation Pillar of Defense" last month.
Two Palestinian cameramen were killed and 10 media workers were wounded in the strikes, which hit four media buildings and four civilian offices in Gaza City.
One of the attacks, which Israel has deemed “surgical targeting" on “operational communications infrastructure," killed a two-year-old boy in the process.
HRW:
Under the laws of war, civilians and civilian structures may not be deliberate targets of attack. Just as it is unlawful to attack the civilian population to lower its morale, it is unlawful to attack facilities that shape public opinion, such as the media; neither directly contributes to military operations.
International law obligates states to investigate serious violations of the laws of war. Victims of violations and their families should be promptly and adequately compensated. Anyone responsible for deliberately or recklessly committing a serious violation of the laws of war should be prosecuted for war crimes.
Israeli Army Killing Palestinian Protestors with Impunity say Activists
Senators Feinstein, Levin and McCain slam bin Laden manhunt flick ‘Zero Dark Thirty’
Three top US senators, including former White House hopeful John McCain, on Wednesday slammed a new Osama bin Laden manhunt movie for suggesting that torture helped find the Al-Qaeda chief.
In a letter to Sony Pictures head Michael Lynton, Democratic senators Diane Feinstein and Carl Levin and Republican McCain took issue with “Zero Dark Thirty,” the new film by Oscar-winning director Kathryn Bigelow.
“The film graphically depicts CIA officers repeatedly torturing detainees and then credits these detainees with providing critical lead information on the courier that led to” Bin Laden, they wrote.
“Regardless of what message the filmmakers intended to convey, the movie clearly implies that the CIA’s coercive interrogation techniques were effective in eliciting important information related to a courier for” Bin Laden.
“We have reviewed CIA records and know that this is incorrect. ‘Zero Dark Thirty’ is factually inaccurate, and we believe that you have an obligation to state that the role of torture in the hunt for (Bin Laden) is not based on the facts, but rather part of the film’s fictional narrative.”
Walmart sells out of assault rifles in five states: report
In the wake of the attack on Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Connecticut, mega-retailer Walmart has sold out of its stock of assault rifles in five states, according to Bloomberg News.
The company said Wednesday it had no plans to stop selling semi-automatic assault rifles like the Bushmaster .223, which was used by the shooter to slaughter 20 school children on Friday.
Bloomberg noted that Pennsylvania, Kansas and Alabama were among the states where Walmart has sold out. The big box retailer reportedly took a photo and description of the Patrolman’s Carbine M4A3, made by Bushmaster, off its website following the massacre but continued to sell the assault weapon in its stores. ...
Walmart has banned from its stores albums by the likes of Green Day, The Goo Goo Dolls and Marilyn Manson, George Carlin’s book “When Will Jesus Bring the Pork Chops?” and Jon Stewart’s “America: The Book,” the “Plan B” emergency contraception pill and even a documentary about the war in Iraq. It also refuses to sell some rap albums unless they come pre-censored by the record label, and racy but not-quite-pornographic men’s magazines like “FHM” and “Maxim” are also out of the question.
The Bribery Aisle: How Wal-Mart Used Payoffs to Bribe Its Way Through Expansion in Mexico
Report: Ecosystems in Upheaval, Biodiversity in Collapse
New study documenting climate change shows sweeping changes happening faster than previously recorded and bringing 'cascading effects'
The report (pdf), led by the US Geological Survey, the National Wildlife Federation and Arizona State University,reportees a global loss of biodiversity and major shifts in ecosystems.
"These geographic range and timing changes are causing cascading effects that extend through ecosystems, bringing together species that haven't previously interacted and creating mismatches between animals and their food sources," states Nancy Grimm, a scientist at ASU and a lead author of the report.
And these changes will have direct consequences on humans, Amanda Staudt, a NWF climate scientist and a lead author on the report adds, as many ecosystems serve as a backbone in the defense of storm damage.
"Shifting climate conditions are affecting valuable ecosystem services, such as the role that coastal habitats play in dampening storm surge or the ability of our forests to provide timber and help filter our drinking water."
Blog Posts of Interest
Here are diaries and selected blog posts of interest on DailyKos and other blogs.
What's Happenin'
A Little Night Music
Roy Gaines - Worried ´Bout You Baby
Roy Gaines - Isabella
Roy Gaines - Dream girl
Roy Gaines - Skippy Is A Sissy
Roy Gaines - Black Gal
Roy Gaines - Heavy Load
Pushing Out Pushing In - Roy Gaines and his Orchestra Tuxedo Blues
Roy Gaines - Roy's Theme
Roy Gaines - Too many miles between us
Roy Gaines - I got a break baby
Fly Away to Glory - Roy Gaines and his Orchestra Tuxedo Blues
Charlie Musselwhite and Roy Gaines at the October 2011 Blues Cruise
Blues Guitar Duels - Grady Gaines & Roy Gaines, Clarence Holliman - Full Gain
Roy Gaines and His Orchestra - "Tuxedo Blues" - Every Day I Have The Blues
Roy Gaines & the Blues For Life Band - I'm your sweet pig poker
Remember when progressive debate was about our values and not about a "progressive" candidate? Remember when progressive websites championed progressive values and didn't tell progressives to shut up about values so that "progressive" candidates can get elected?
Come to where the debate is not constrained by oaths of fealty to persons or parties.
Come to where the pie is served in a variety of flavors.
"The smart way to keep people passive and obedient is to strictly limit the spectrum of acceptable opinion, but allow very lively debate within that spectrum." ~ Noam Chomsky
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