Rubber Duckie and The Me

drawing by marguerita
Credit bubbles are like the tide. They can cover up a lot of rot. In our case, the excess consumer demand and jobs created by our credit and housing bubbles have masked not only our weaknesses in manufacturing and other economic fundamentals, but something worse: how far we have fallen behind in K-12 education and how much it is now costing us Today, we have fallen behind in both per capita high school graduates and their quality. Consequences to follow..Op-Ed Columnist - Swimming Without a Suit - NYTimes.com

Note:

Throughout history, civilization has yearned for friendship and nothing demonstrated friendship more than the production of the rubber ducky. In the 1800s the processes and equipment were finally invented that gave rise to the spectacular rubber ducky. No one is certain where the idea came from, but today the rubber ducky is a pillar of American pop culture. Rubber Duckies adorn the baby nursery, the dining room, and the bath areas. They have become extremely popular table and bath decor. From gifts to collectibles, rubber duckies have been designed to fit every occasion.

The rubber duckies of today come in all sorts of costumes, there are flag waving, military parading, and halloween dressed duckies. Each one brings a special sampling of adorability with it. Most of your purchases of rubber ducks should revolve around a theme. The following pictures and comments will assist you in finding the perfect duckie for your special occasion.

Obama & the BOinMischief Diversion

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The question will of course be rhetorical, since Bo, whose raison d’être is to be furry and sweet, has significantly fewer performance expectations than his master.
But it will by no means be idle, at least not to the psychologists, neuroscientists, philosophers and kissy-face dog owners who for centuries have pondered the mysteries of canine consciousness.
What, they ask, does a creature that lives to chew shoes and chase tennis balls really know about himself and his surroundings?
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/16/fashion/16firstdog.html?_r=1&hpw

We need to ask tough questions

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Once again, as in the run-up to the War in Iraq, too few people in Congress and the mainstream media are asking tough questions.
Few people seem willing to ask whether the main solution that's being talked about- sending more troops to Afghanistan--will actually work. If the devastating policies of the current administration have proved anything, it's that we need to ask tough questions before deploying our brave service members--and that we need to be suspicious of Washington 'group think.'
Otherwise, we are setting ourselves up for failure.
Obama Must Get Afghanistan Right

"The important thing is not to stop questioning."

Palinmantics & Moose Lingo: More of the Same

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“My attitude and my approaches towards dealing with the complexities of health care issues,” she said in an AARP debate in October 2006, “is a respectful and responsible approach, and it’s a positive approach. I don’t believe that the sky is falling here in Alaska.”

About Healthcare :
“Certificates of need” , they had been inflexible, “creating an environment where a lot of folks are lacking the receiving of their health care that is needed in some of the areas, especially in some of our larger markets.” She added, “The State of Alaska needs to be looking specifically at that inflexibility that exists today in order to fill some of the market needs that are out there in Alaska in our larger markets.”

She then added, “I can’t tell you how much that will reduce monetarily our health care costs, but competition makes everyone better, it makes us work harder, it does allow reduction in costs, so addressing that is going to be a priority.”

“Well, the point there, she said, “is that these are critical, and again it’s a matter of prioritizing and it’s a matter of government understanding its proper role in public safety, is health care, so it’s a matter of priorities.”

Mr. Halcro called her answer “political gibberish.”

About senior citizens:

“Yes, our precious, precious elders,” she said, looking into the camera. “For those who were prematurely lopped off, I am so sorry that that has happened to you.”

“It’s been a year today that I’ve been on the campaign trail,” Ms. Palin responded.

You know, you got to have the balls to take it on in the early part of a campaign, and not just go right to the big show.”

More Articles in US » A version of this article appeared in print on October 1, 2008, on page A20 of the New York edition