It's Not the Political Message, It's the Expectation that they will have to pay attention...

Coca Cola has come out with some new Christmas-themed cans for this season - white with polar bears on them.

And there's an outrage about them.

Rush would have us believe that it's because the polar bears are an element of the global warming message, and people don't like to be warned about the lie that is global warming.

Well, they've done it again. They did it again. They've come out and decided, just like these people at GE, to "go green."

No, Rush, it's worse than that.

People are complaining about the white cans not because there's a subliminal message there - there isn't one. (Remember, Coke has often had Christmas commercials with a polar bear mother and her two cubs...even one in which a polar bear offered a coke to a penguin, which *I* thought was rather silly for two reasons. 1) A polar bear would eat a penguin in a flash, if it could, and 2) it never could because penguins live in the SOUTHERN hemisphere and Antarctica, not in the NORTHERN hemisphere and the Arctic. There are no penguins in the Arctic. (Which is rather odd, I admit. 23 species of Penguins and none of them live in the Arctic? Why is that?))

But I digress. The reason people are outraged are twofold.

1. Classic coke belongs in a red can. It has always been in a red can, it should always be in a red can.

2. Caffeine free soda products come in white cans. Imagine the horror! You buy a 24-pack of white-canned Coke which you assume is caffeine free, only to bring it home, drink it, get buzzed by the caffeine, and then have to go into caffeine withdrawal! Oh, what a lot of lawsuits this is going to engender. Never mind the fact that it says quite clearly on caffeine-free cans - Caffeine free.

People can't be expected to pay attention, can they? They can't be expected to read labels on boxes... no... color coding is everything, color coding makes it easy. Red is for real coke, white is for caffeine-free coke, and that's all there is to it.



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My Schedule of Regular Posts:
*Monday through Friday morning - schedules of President, VP and Secretary of State and her diplomats
*Monday through Friday afternoon - List of topics Limbaugh discussed on his program that day
*Monday through Friday throughout the day - My posts on anything that I feel like talking about. At least one or two a day, sometimes more.
*Saturday through Sunday morning - An addition to my booklist of political books - covering Democrats, Republicans and other interested parties.

Thank god I live in the US

In this case, of course, "Thank god" is a figure of speech, since I don't believe in God. But one cannot deny that it is because of the Judeo-Christian history of the Western world that I, a female atheist, can live in this country (the USA) and enjoy life, I can be the best I want to be.

I can go for a drive every day if I feel like getting some fresh air (although how long we as a people will be allowed to go for a drive any time we feel like it remains to be seen - global warming, you know).

I can expose my face to the breeze without having to wear a burkha, I can express my opinions and while there are always male chauvanists on the sports message boards (ie. CBS Sports, on which I post as AvengersGirl) who will respond to my comments with "Go into the kitchen and bake me a pie" or "Go back to the kitchen where you belong" - those are individual troglodytes just trying to put me down, not an institutionalized repression...I don't have to be afraid of a police squad coming for me and throwing me in jail because I dared to call a male an idiot on a CBSSports message board.

And if I should ever happen to be raped, I don't have to worry that it is *I* who will be thrown in jail!

Which is what women in Sharia law Muslim countries have to live with. (Or should I say, exist with? It's hardly living.) How can anyone live like that...I don't even like to wonder. Being told every day that you're no better than a dog. Stuck in your house - with no books to read and no TV to watch - only able to leave if you're accompanied by a male relative... in danger of being killed by your male relative as an honor killing should you even make lovey dovey eyes at someone, or refuse to marry whom you are told... there are many forms of hell on earth and that's one of them.

Rush talked about this a bit on his program yesterday (Friday) - a woman in Saudi Arabia arrested because she dared to drive a car. All kinds of news articles in Saudi - if the drive ban against women is lifted, prostitution will increase and there will be no more virgins left... these Muslims don't seem to have too much faith in their people holding true to their beliefs without the "force" of segregating half of their population.

So you know even if the ban is lifted, there'll be some self-righteous guys with Uzis who will first rape and then kill any woman who does try to drive. The rape because she's "asking for it", the killing because... well, just because. It's just a woman.

So I say again, thank god for Western civilization!

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My Schedule of Regular Posts:
*Monday through Friday morning - schedules of President, VP and Secretary of State and her diplomats
*Monday through Friday afternoon - List of topics Limbaugh discussed on his program that day
*Monday through Friday throughout the day - My posts on anything that I feel like talking about. At least one or two a day, sometimes more.
*Saturday through Sunday morning - An addition to my booklist of political books - covering Democrats, Republicans and other interested parties.

2 Dec 2011, Fri, Rush Limbaugh Headlines

Sorry to be late with these...
--Regime Manipulates Numbers to Get Unemployment Headline Under 9%
--Feminism in the Muslim World -- and Why Self-Abortion is a Crime in NYC
--Converted Lib Says His Marriage was Saved by EIB
--Newt Lights a Firestorm
--Nobody's Watching The Oprah
--Coke's Polar Bear Cans Crap Out
--Conservative Voter Seeks Motivation
--Praise for Two If By Tea Gift Set
--Is Newt Really a Big Gov't Guy?
--Zbigniew Brzezinski: Sheer Lunacy
--Luntz Capitulates to the Left, Advises That Capitalism is a Dirty Word
--Caller Idea: Toys for Snots
Stack of Stuff
--Unemployment Down as People Stop Looking
--Newt Rise Continues
--Islamists Poised to Seize Power in Egypt

Should Consumer Demand *Be* Strong?

Retailers depend on Black Friday, not to mention sales during the rest of Nov and December, to make their profit for the year.

So the news was very good for them on Black Friday - there was spending in record numbers, better than it's been for several years.

But as I read that news I found myself asking...where are the people getting the money they are spending?

Could it be that they are putting all their purchases on credit cards...which they will soon find out they have no ability to pay off...or if they do pay them off, it will take them several years and cost them twice as much money as they spent originally in interest fees?

And if people default on their credit card payments, what happens? They get the good they bought for free, and the credit card companies are out of luck. Even if they turn the outstanding bills over to collection agencies - they only get pennies on the dollar for each outstanding bill... any money collected goes to the collection agencies.




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My Schedule of Regular Posts:
*Monday through Friday morning - schedules of President, VP and Secretary of State and her diplomats
*Monday through Friday afternoon - List of topics Limbaugh discussed on his program that day
*Monday through Friday throughout the day - My posts on anything that I feel like talking about. At least one or two a day, sometimes more.
*Saturday through Sunday morning - An addition to my booklist of political books - covering Democrats, Republicans and other interested parties.

Misleading Headlines, But the Truth is in the Story

CNN Money reports that:
November jobs report: Hiring up, unemployment down

That's a bit more subdued than the Wall Street Journal's Headline, Unemployment Slips to 8.6% as Private Sector Adds Jobs

But if you read either article, you get the truth...

While some businesses have been hiring in November [and are they hiring full time workers or temporary Christmas help] - another reason why unemployment is "down" is because more people have not found jobs...but have stopped looking for jobs.

WASHINGTON (CNNMoney) -- Hiring accelerated in November, and the unemployment rate unexpectedly plummeted to its lowest rate in nearly three years.

Employers added 120,000 jobs in November, the Labor Department reported Friday, marking a pick-up in hiring from October.

Meanwhile, the unemployment rate fell to 8.6%, the lowest rate since March 2009 and a significant decline from 9% just a month before.

It's too early to bust out the champagne though. The unemployment rate fell for two reasons: yes, more Americans got jobs, but at the same time, even more people gave up on their job searches altogether.

Men were the biggest group to benefit from a stronger labor market, as the unemployment rate for those over age 20 fell to 8.3% from 8.8% in October, primarily because they landed jobs. The women's unemployment rate however, experienced a much smaller dip, mostly because more women had left the labor force.

"It's always important to keep in mind, the unemployment rate can bounce around, depending on who is actively looking for jobs," said Paul Ballew, chief economist for Nationwide.

Still though, this bounce was much better than expected. Economists surveyed by CNNMoney had expected the unemployment rate to remain unchanged, and a gain of 110,000 jobs.

Job growth from the two prior months was also stronger than originally reported. An additional 72,000 jobs were added during September and October combined.

Private businesses have been leading the charge, while the government has continued to bleed jobs, primarily at the state and local level. The public sector cut 20,000 jobs in November, while private employers added 140,000 jobs.

The retail industry alone added about 50,000 jobs, more than half of which were at clothing and accessory stores, while the leisure and hospitality industry added 22,000 jobs, mostly at restaurants. Because the Labor Department adjusts its numbers to account for seasonal trends, job growth in those industries is not necessarily because of holiday hiring alone.

"Retailers realized consumer demand was going to be stronger than had been anticipated," said Patrick O'Keefe, director of economic research at J.H. Cohn. "It's confirmation that more of them are taking an optimistic view -- but still many of those jobs could prove to be temporary in nature."

The government's monthly jobs report is compiled from two separate surveys: one that polls businesses and another that polls households. While businesses have reported mild job growth this year, the household report has shown much stronger gains, averaging around 320,000 jobs created each month since August.

Since the recession, the report has become one of the most closely watched economic indicators. Stocks headed higher Friday, and the White House cautiously welcomed the news, pointing out "the pace of improvement is still not fast enough given the large job losses from the recession that began in December 2007."

Overall, the labor market still has a long way to go to recover from the financial crisis. Less than a third of all the 8.8 million jobs shed have since been recovered. A whopping 13.3 million people remain unemployed and 43% of those have been out of work for more than six months.

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My Schedule of Regular Posts:
*Monday through Friday morning - schedules of President, VP and Secretary of State and her diplomats
*Monday through Friday afternoon - List of topics Limbaugh discussed on his program that day
*Monday through Friday throughout the day - My posts on anything that I feel like talking about. At least one or two a day, sometimes more.
*Saturday through Sunday morning - An addition to my booklist of political books - covering Democrats, Republicans and other interested parties.

2 Dec 2011, Fri, Sos Clinton and Staff Schedule

http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/appt/2011/12/178094.htm
SECRETARY HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON:
Secretary Clinton is on foreign travel in Rangoon, Burma. She is accompanied by Counselor Mills, Assistant Secretary Campbell, Assistant Secretary Posner, and Policy Planning Director Sullivan. Click here for more information.

9:00 a.m. LOCAL Secretary Clinton holds a private meeting with Aung San Suu Kyi in Rangoon, Burma.
(POOLED CAMERA SPRAY)

10:55 a.m. LOCAL Secretary Clinton meets with ethnic minority representatives in Rangoon, Burma.
(POOLED CAMERA SPRAY)

12:40 p.m. LOCAL Secretary Clinton meets with civil society representatives in Rangoon, Burma.
(POOLED CAMERA SPRAY)

2:55 p.m. LOCAL Secretary Clinton meets with the staff of Embassy Rangoon in Rangoon, Burma.
(CLOSED PRESS COVERAGE)

DEPUTY SECRETARY BILL BURNS:
10:00 a.m. Deputy Secretary Burns meets with Omani Ambassador Hunaina Al-Mughairy.
(CLOSED PRESS COVERAGE)

11:00 a.m. Deputy Secretary Burns attends a meeting at the White House.
(MEDIA DETERMINED BY WHITE HOUSE)

1:15 p.m. Deputy Secretary Burns attends a meeting at the White House.
(MEDIA DETERMINED BY WHITE HOUSE)

3:00 p.m. Deputy Secretary Burns meets with Senior Advisor to the Secretary for Conflict and Stabilization Ambassador Rick Barton.
(CLOSED PRESS COVERAGE)

3:30 p.m. Deputy Secretary Burns meets with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak.
(CLOSED PRESS COVERAGE)

4:15 p.m. Deputy Secretary Burns meets with Special Representative for North Korea Policy Ambassador Glyn Davies.
(CLOSED PRESS COVERAGE)

DEPUTY SECRETARY TOM NIDES:
7:45 a.m. Deputy Secretary Nides speaks with Global Health Initiative Ambassadors.
(CLOSED PRESS COVERAGE)

10:30 a.m. Deputy Secretary Nides meets with Deputy National Security Adviser Michael Froman, at the White House.
(MEDIA DETERMINED BY WHITE HOUSE)

12:00 p.m. Deputy Secretary Nides meets with Deputy Director for Management Jeffrey Zients, at the Office of Management & Budget.
(MEDIA DETERMINED BY OMB)

4:00 p.m. Deputy Secretary Nides hosts a kick-off meeting for the Economic Statecraft Task Force, at the Department of State.
(CLOSED PRESS COVERAGE)

USAID ADMINISTRATOR RAJIV SHAH:
Administrator Shah is on foreign travel in Busan, Republic of Korea to attend the Fourth High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness. Click here for more information.

US FOR ECONOMIC, ENERGY AND AGRICULTURAL AFFAIRS ROBERT HORMATS:
7:45 a.m. Under Secretary Hormats meets with Indian Commerce Secretary Rahul Khullar, in Washington, DC.
(CLOSED PRESS COVERAGE)

11:00 a.m. Under Secretary Hormats delivers remarks celebrating the ratification of the U.S.-Rwanda Bilateral Investment Treaty, at the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, in Washington, DC. Click here for more information.
(CLOSED PRESS COVERAGE)

1:15 p.m. Under Secretary Hormats attends a meeting at the White House.
(MEDIA DETERMINED BY WHITE HOUSE)

7:30 p.m. Under Secretary Hormats meets with Egyptian Ambassador Sameh Shoukry, at the Ambassador’s residence.
(CLOSED PRESS COVERAGE)

US FOR DEMOCRACY AND GLOBAL AFFAIRS MARIA OTERO:
Under Secretary Otero is on foreign travel to Central America and Brazil through December 7. Click here for more information.

COUNSELOR AND CHIEF OF STAFF CHERYL MILLS:
Counselor Mills accompanies Secretary Clinton on foreign travel in Rangoon, Burma. Click here for more information.

AS FOR SOUTH AND CENTRAL ASIAN AFFAIRS ROBERT BLAKE:
Assistant Secretary Blake is on foreign travel in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. Click here for more information.

AS FOR INTERNATIONAL NARCOTICS AND LAW ENFORCEMENT AFFAIRS WILLIAM BROWNFIELD:
Assistant Secretary Brownfield is on foreign travel in Port-au-Prince, Haiti to meet with host government officials.

AS FOR EAST ASIAN PACIFIC AFFAIRS KURT CAMPBELL:
Assistant Secretary Campbell accompanies Secretary Clinton on foreign travel in Rangoon, Burma. Click here for more information.

AS FOR ECONOMIC, ENERGY AND BUSINESS AFFAIRS JOSE FERNANDEZ:
12:15 p.m. Assistant Secretary Fernandez delivers remarks at the Caribbean-Central America Action (CCAA) Annual Conference, in New Orleans, Louisiana. Click here for more information.
(MEDIA DETERMINED BY HOST)

AS FOR OCEANS AND INTERNATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL AND SCIENTIFIC AFFAIRS KERRI-ANN JONES:
1:30 p.m. Assistant Secretary Jones participates in a meeting at the Council on Environmental Quality.
(CLOSED PRESS COVERAGE)

6:00 p.m. Assistant Secretary Jones attends an event hosted by the American Association for the Advancement of Science, in Washington, DC.
(CLOSED PRESS COVERAGE)

AS FOR DEMOCRACY, HUMAN RIGHTS AND LABOR MICHAEL POSNER:
Assistant Secretary Posner accompanies Secretary Clinton on foreign travel in Rangoon, Burma. Click here for more information.

ACTING AS OF STATE FOR POPULATION, REFUGEES AND MIGRATION DAVID ROBINSON:
Acting Assistant Secretary Robinson delivers welcoming remarks at the Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration Admissions Conference, in Washington, DC.
(CLOSED PRESS COVERAGE).

AS ANN STOCK (R):
Assistant Secretary Stock (R) is on foreign travel in India through December 2. She is visiting New Delhi, Chandigarh and Chennai to plan the next steps in the U.S.-India Educational Dialogue. Click here for more information.

AMBASSADOR-AT-LARGE AND COORDINATOR FOR COUNTERTERRORISM DANIEL BENJAMIN:
8:00 a.m. Ambassador Benjamin attends a meeting at the White House.
(MEDIA DETERMINED BY WHITE HOUSE)

11:00 a.m. Ambassador Benjamin attends a meeting at the White House.
(MEDIA DETERMINED BY WHITE HOUSE)

AMBASSADOR-AT-LARGE AND GLOBAL AIDS COORDINATOR ERIC GOOSBY:
8:00 a.m. Ambassador Goosby is on foreign travel in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia to participate in the 2011 International Conference on HIV/AIDS and Sexually Transmitted Infections in Africa (ICASA). Click here for more information.
(MEDIA DETERMINED BY HOST)

AMBASSADOR-AT-LARGE FOR GLOBAL WOMEN’S ISSUES MELANNE VERVEER:
Ambassador Verveer departs for foreign travel in Bonn, Germany through December 5 to participate in the International Afghanistan Conference.
(MEDIA DETERMINED BY HOSTS)

SR FOR GLOBAL PARTNERSHIPS KRIS BALDERSTON:
Special Representative Balderston is on foreign travel in Istanbul, Turkey through December 5 to participate in the Partners for a New Beginning Global Chapter Meeting and Second Global Summit on Entrepreneurship.

SR FOR GLOBAL INTERGOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS RETA JO LEWIS:
Special Representative Lewis is on foreign travel to Hyderabad, Pune, Mumbai and New Delhi, India, through December 2.

SPECIAL ENVOY FOR CLIMATE CHANGE TODD STERN:
Special Envoy Stern is on foreign travel in Durban, South Africa, through December 10, to participate in the 17th Session of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate. Click here for more information.

DIRECTOR OF POLICY PLANNING JAKE SULLIVAN:
Director Sullivan accompanies Secretary Clinton on foreign travel in Rangoon, Burma. Click here for more information.

PRESS BRIEFING SCHEDULE:
12:30 p.m. Daily Press Briefing with Deputy Spokesperson Mark Toner

___________
My Schedule of Regular Posts:
*Monday through Friday morning - schedules of President, VP and Secretary of State and her diplomats
*Monday through Friday afternoon - List of topics Limbaugh discussed on his program that day
*Monday through Friday throughout the day - My posts on anything that I feel like talking about. At least one or two a day, sometimes more.
*Saturday through Sunday morning - An addition to my booklist of political books - covering Democrats, Republicans and other interested parties.

2 Dec 2011, Fri, Pres and VP Schedules

http://www.whitehouse.gov/schedule
9:30 am
The President receives the Presidential Daily Briefing
Oval Office
Closed Press

10:50 am
The President tours the 815 Connecticut, NW Building
815 Connecticut, DC, NW Building, Washington
Pooled Press

11:10 am
The President delivers remarks
815 Connecticut, DC, NW Building, Washington
Pooled Press

12:00 pm
The President meets with senior advisors
Oval Office
Closed Press

2:20 pm
The President delivers remarks at the White House Tribal Nations Conference
U.S. Department of the Interior
Open to pre-credentialed media

Vice President Biden
No public schedule
______________
My Schedule of Regular Posts:
*Monday through Friday morning - schedules of President, VP and Secretary of State and her diplomats
*Monday through Friday afternoon - List of topics Limbaugh discussed on his program that day
*Monday through Friday throughout the day - My posts on anything that I feel like talking about. At least one or two a day, sometimes more.
*Saturday through Sunday morning - An addition to my booklist of political books - covering Democrats, Republicans and other interested parties.