s skippy the bush kangaroo: December 2013

skippy the bush kangaroo



Tuesday, December 31, 2013

auld lang syne

capitalism and democracy: year-end lessons

9 things the media called "the war on men" this year

also, 9 incredibly important things that happened in 2013 that you probably aren't talking about

our bud joe gandelman gives us best and worst of 2013 over at the moderate voice
posted by skippy at 8:38 PM | 0 comments

happy new year!


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posted by Cookie Jill at 6:19 PM | 0 comments

Monday, December 30, 2013

just wanted to say thank you

to atrios who just made my day.

merci.

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posted by Cookie Jill at 11:29 PM | 1 comments

lala land goes bagless

on january 1st. so all you angelenos, don't leave your house empty handed. it will cost ya....but a heck of a lot less those stupid plastic bags are costing our environment.
happy new year! and don't forget to take your own shopping tote to the supermarket. los angeles' ban on plastic bags at grocery stores goes into effect on jan. 1. starting wednesday, it will be illegal for big grocery chains, including retailers such as target and wal-mart that sell groceries, to distribute disposable plastic bags. in july, smaller markets will have to comply with the ban as well. - latimes

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posted by Cookie Jill at 10:49 PM | 2 comments

monday morning church

the best sci-fi books of the year

the 13 most memorable quotes of 2013

obama's not-so-terrible year

the top pro-choice heroes of 2013

the 9 worst things said about women, abortion and rape in 2013

and the 6 worst attacks on reproductive freedom of the year
posted by skippy at 5:32 AM | 0 comments

Sunday, December 29, 2013

harold simmons - dead at 82

name doesn't ring a bell? well, he's one of the major funders of the "swift boaters" and paid millions for advertisements "connecting" president obama to bill ayers.

we know him in santa barbara as the millionaire "prick" who refused to cut down on water usage during a major drought in the 80's. he trucked in water from around santa barbara to his 23-acre estate. the montecito water district estimated he used enough water to supply an average family of four for 28 years.

 well...he's dead.


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posted by Cookie Jill at 11:30 PM | 1 comments

environmental news stories sunday

for those little stories that were, most likely, not bandied about on the talking head shows.

farmer in shafter, california, helps bring focus to valley environmental issues. last year, almond farmer tom frantz shot a video of an oil company illegally spilling fracking fluid laced with chemicals into an open pit at the edge of shafter, calif. within months, his video had inspired stories from the new york times to the british broadcasting corp. - fresno bee

chemicals and kids can be a deadly combination. surprisingly, children’s environmental health is still a new field. many medical conditions result from what youngsters breathe in, eat, drink and touch. a recent international conference in Jerusalem discussed the issues - jerusalem post

beware, there's something in the sydney air. for the past 15 years, sydney's australian nuclear science and technology organisation has measured the city's air quality with a particular focus on the tiny aerosols that circulate but cannot be seen. the concentration of these particles varies during the seasons, but, as a whole, fine-particle pollution has serious health implications - sydney morning herald

california drought brings water rationing orders. december is usually not the time of year to discuss water rationing. but this holiday month has been so dry that mandatory water conservation orders are beginning to sweep across the sacramento region - sacramento bee

revealed: how global warming is changing scotland's marine life. global warming could cut commercial fish catches around scotland by 20 percent while they increase by 10 percent around the south of england, according to a new study by more than 150 government and university scientists - glasgow herald

bee decline overshadows endangered species act's 40th anniversary. saturday marks the 40th anniversary of the endangered species act being signed into law; the occasion, however, is being eclipsed by criticisms about whether government agencies are doing enough to protect some species – bees, especially - al jazeera america

meet the senator from exxonmobil who’s taking over the energy committee - grist

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posted by Cookie Jill at 11:18 PM | 0 comments

sunday for tea

10 reasons 2013 was a good year for social change

the top 5 economic wishes for 2014

11 wildest fast food creations of the year

the top video games of 2013

the best astronomy and space pictures of the year


posted by skippy at 8:49 AM | 0 comments

Saturday, December 28, 2013

saturday night fever

the most overlooked trends of 2013

the stinkiest media moments of the year

project censored's most overlooked stories of 2013

and don't forget to stop by batocchio's place for the 2013 jon swift memorial round up
posted by skippy at 9:19 AM | 1 comments

Friday, December 27, 2013

friday night in dixie

america is the most inhumane civilized nation on the planet

scientists theorizes on how complex networks develop consciousness

5 unnecessary swat raids that went terribly wrong

sailors from the uss ronald reagan, which helped with the fukishima earthquake clean up, are coming down with symptoms of radiation sickness
posted by skippy at 5:14 AM | 0 comments

Thursday, December 26, 2013

this ordinary thursday

america needs stricter gun laws

unfortunately, teabaggers will always be with us

the science of snowflakes

the cheerleader effect
posted by skippy at 8:42 AM | 0 comments

Wednesday, December 25, 2013

scrooge doesn't take a holiday

congress is killing unemployment benefits for over a million americans.  unemployment has gotten worse if you look at something other than the official unemployment rate.
the orange line is the unemployment rate while the blue line is the number of unemployed according to the bureau of labor statistics

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posted by George at 2:16 PM | 0 comments

i'm dreaming of a white christmas



our very favorite xmas video...

merry christmas to all our dear readers, and to everyone in blogtopia, and yes, we coined that phrase!
posted by skippy at 6:08 AM | 3 comments

blue christmas

single mother needs a man: it must be christmas on tv

poll: americans prefer "happy holidays" to "merry christmas"

the real war on christmas is our corporate-driven materialism

but don't worry; christmas is kicking ass in the war on christmas

and finally, here's different news web sites would report the birth of jesus
posted by skippy at 5:46 AM | 0 comments

Tuesday, December 24, 2013

'twas the night before christmas


flowchart disproves war on christmas

tracking santa? there's an app for that

how climate inaction and hypermaterialism betray our children

6 things not to buy before christmas


posted by skippy at 9:10 AM | 0 comments

Monday, December 23, 2013

monday morning

how to reduce gun violence

80% of antibiotics go to farms

good christians "can't" get ptsd

pat robertson: allowing lesbians into your home can turn your children gay
posted by skippy at 7:22 AM | 1 comments

Sunday, December 22, 2013

blogs about tweeting

usually we'd have nothing to do with the gossip site buzzfeed.  unless they use one of our tweets in their articles (this one about the lazy homophobic sketch on an otherwise excellent snl last night)
posted by skippy at 3:50 PM | 0 comments

sunday for seven days

progressives must stand up to the right wing war on public employees

study shows low iq and right wing ideology go hand in hand

nobel winner declares boycott on science journals

uruguay becomes first county to legalize marijuana
posted by skippy at 7:11 AM | 0 comments

Saturday, December 21, 2013

saturday night divas

why do we dream?

for economic stimulus, pensions beat stadiums and servers

crummy service jobs are replacing good skilled jobs

america hates congressional republicans more than ever
posted by skippy at 7:03 AM | 0 comments

Friday, December 20, 2013

friday night fish fry

in japan, adult diaper sales are about to surpass baby diapers

australia having it's hottest year ever

super-expensive gadgets for the millionaires on your xmas list

why u.s. parks are full of squirrels
posted by skippy at 6:46 AM | 1 comments

Thursday, December 19, 2013

the tale of the magic thursday

which hollywood-style climate-change disasters will strike in your lifetime?

20 thong the poor do every day that the rich never have to worry about

6 scientific reasons to eat eggs

6 green alternatives to toxic holiday decorations
posted by skippy at 6:25 AM | 1 comments

Wednesday, December 18, 2013

chocolate santa

sure it may be megyn kelly's nightmare....but for me.....#nomnom!

Hm0fi5mx3zbbl0tgrpeu

"award-winning pastry chef mahesh weerasinghe stands with his hand-sculptured, chocolate art at the hilton americas, monday, dec. 16, 2013, in downtown houston. chef mahesh, along with the culinary and property operations teams, created a 1,000-pound santa in his chair, accompanied by his elves and a wagon full of toys, all made from dark chocolate....." - talking points memo

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posted by Cookie Jill at 9:47 PM | 1 comments

ruby wednesday

demand your privacy

undercover wal-mart

exposing alec's anti-gay past

u.s. imprisons 3 times as many black people as south africa
posted by skippy at 6:05 AM | 0 comments

Tuesday, December 17, 2013

tuesdays in chinatown

people are flocking to atheist churches

dod replaces general as head of anti-sex abuse office

6 reasons there's no such thing as compassionate conservatism

and 7 reasons Jesus would hate christmas
posted by skippy at 9:58 AM | 0 comments

Monday, December 16, 2013

Nothing Much...

Merry Christmas.

That is all.

posted by Jim Yeager at 8:49 AM | 4 comments

monday monday monday

three ways the super-rich suck the wealth out of all of us

a third of all bank tellers in the u.s. are on public assistance

google: happy happy joy joy

and rip the great peter o'toole.  among the many of his great performances, may we recommend the bizarre black comedy from 1972, the ruling class, available in its entirety on youtube.

and unfortunately, also rip billy jack tom laughlin and glamorous movie star from the 40's & 50's, joan fontaine
posted by skippy at 1:29 AM | 0 comments

Sunday, December 15, 2013

sunday father

37 million dead bees found near gmo crops on canada

populist progressives strike back

tea party fantasies kills kids

the year in guns
posted by skippy at 6:31 AM | 0 comments

Saturday, December 14, 2013

saturday night bop

top ten ways the u.s. is the most corrupt country in the world

global elites worry about inequality

ayn rand destroys sears

eagle steals camera; takes selfies
posted by skippy at 6:21 AM | 0 comments

Friday, December 13, 2013

friday night fireside

the warts on christmas

the u.s. obscene wealth inequality

how corrupt is your country?

science proves: cats don't care
posted by skippy at 6:20 AM | 0 comments

Thursday, December 12, 2013

sweet thursday

scientific proof meditation is beneficial

companies than pay high tax rates create more jobs than tax evaders

14 author you didn't know were bigots

early enrollment: it's supposed to be slow
posted by skippy at 9:05 AM | 0 comments

Wednesday, December 11, 2013

resolution wednesday

5 ways our lives are being violated by corporate greed

a guide to 21st century spy speak

what happens to digital life after death

are prisons bleeding us dry?
posted by skippy at 1:53 AM | 0 comments

Tuesday, December 10, 2013

tuesday's dead

people are having less sex in britain

occupy is not the only movement

what is cicada 3301

science proves: cats just don't care
posted by skippy at 4:29 PM | 0 comments

Monday, December 09, 2013

monday monday blues

tasmania wants 100% renewable energy by 2020

soldiers come home broken from the wars

coming soon: a $12 minimum wage?

4 online personal finance resources
posted by skippy at 3:50 AM | 0 comments

Sunday, December 08, 2013

sunday driver

labor board: wal-mart can't silence workers any longer

california shuts down 10 fraudulent healthcare websites

why the koch brothers want to end public education

human babies are 75% water; eldery only about 50%
posted by skippy at 3:27 AM | 0 comments

Saturday, December 07, 2013

saturday night beneath the plastic palm trees

congress has barely passed one law a week this year

why jupiter's great red spot has lasted for centuries

men's rights activists: white hot rage

france taxes heroin dealer
posted by skippy at 2:41 AM | 3 comments

Friday, December 06, 2013

tweet this

if you are on twitter, or even if you have a life, may we recommend you follow these wonderful twits (twats?):

republigal

top conservative cat

rep. jack kimble

they are to twitter what our good friend, the late great jon swift was to blogtopia (and yes! we coined that phrase!)
posted by skippy at 11:11 AM | 0 comments

friday night fever

it's ugly out there for u.s. stores this season

counterinsurgency constantly resurrects, in spite of its continuing failure

dementia cases are declining, research says

and rip midsomer murders actor, who played dr. george ballard for over a decade, barry jackson

posted by skippy at 8:26 AM | 0 comments

Thursday, December 05, 2013

happy zappadan!

we inadvertently missed the beginning festivities of zappadan

here's frank, w/flo & eddie, doing call any vegetable


posted by skippy at 4:27 PM | 3 comments

suite thursday

6 american companies that make scrooge look soft

remember: social security does not increase the deficit

the right wing tears itself apart; thank the heritage foundation

scientists witness massive gamma ray burst, don't understand it
posted by skippy at 7:42 AM | 0 comments

Wednesday, December 04, 2013

our weekend starts on wednesday

tea party leadership fund exposed as a fraud

alaska woman on anti-obamacare ad is an actress from maryland

nra calling for armed revolution

obamacare will cost billions less than original estimated

posted by skippy at 9:31 AM | 1 comments

Tuesday, December 03, 2013

skippy's tuesday night music club

more "local boys" gone good...and big.  ventura locals, big bad voodoo daddy. (i used to swing dance to these guys when they first started out and played some local joints)

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posted by Cookie Jill at 11:43 PM | 1 comments

tuesday's child

eating with a disabled person does not make you a hero

ties to the military takes a mental toll on teens

female genital mutilation procedures on the rise in scotland

facebook: assassination threats ok, pregnant bellies, not so much
posted by skippy at 8:11 AM | 0 comments

Monday, December 02, 2013

skippy's monday night music club

hometown santa barbara dudes....dishwalla.

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posted by Cookie Jill at 11:37 PM | 0 comments

traffic

is different in yellowstone national park.  (h/t @interior)

Embedded image permalink

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posted by Cookie Jill at 10:22 PM | 0 comments

ca assembly gop set up fake healthcare sight

and try to trick their constituents. shouldn't there be a law against this?
california republicans are desperate and shameless. In the past two weeks, gop assembly members have sent mailings out on what appears to be the state's dime to their constituents about health insurance. only, they don't direct those people to coveredca.com to sign up. Instead, they send them to their own astroturf version at the url coveringhealthcareca.com. on their version, there are links to negative articles and twisted messages intended to sour people on signing up for health insurance before they ever land at the official health exchange site. - crooks & liars

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posted by Cookie Jill at 10:07 PM | 0 comments

monday, monday

number of young people who move hits a 50 year low

the anti-gay headline of the day

how seniors are getting screwed by social security

more than 600,000 americans are homeless on any given night
posted by skippy at 4:29 AM | 0 comments

Sunday, December 01, 2013

skippy's sunday night music club

happy birthday maria callas.

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posted by Cookie Jill at 11:30 PM | 0 comments

environmental news stories sunday

for those pesky little stories that the talking head shows didn't touch upon.

pesticide ban to protect bees enters into force. as of december 1, farmers in the european union will no longer be able to make large-scale use of pesticides suspected of killing bee populations. but the busy honey-makers remain under threat. deutsche welle

opportunities, risks could grow with proposed hog farm rules. georgia ranks no. 24 with only 200,000 farm-raised hogs. but the state is considering grabbing a bigger piece of the porcine pie by allowing farmers to vastly increase hog production. - ajc

activist/philanthropist jeff skoll to produce film on "merchants of doubt." if you use the internet or watch films, you've encountered jeff skoll in two of his roles. as ebay's first president, he helped transform the auction firm from a small startup into a global commodity. and as founder of film production company participant media, he produces blockbusters that feature political or social messages - the guardian

9/11 asbestos crews share fear of health coverage running out. while ground zero asbestos-removal crews are now at risk of developing mesothelioma and other cancers, there's no guarantee they'll have their future medical bills covered - nynewsday

rain brings plastic pollution to santa monica beach. when overcast skies brought rain to santa monica and southern california nov. 21, benjamin kay took his video camera and documented the single-use plastic pollution emanating from the Pico Kenter Storm Drain and onto santa monica beach - santa monica mirror

this bamboo scooter runs on nothing but air. forget gas, now a scooter exists that is designed to run on nothing but air. Specifically, compressed air, the same stuff that’s used to clean computer keyboards, fill scuba tanks, fire paintball guns, and more recently, to power cars - fast company

residents of a rural northern texas area were awoken early on thanksgiving by not one but two earthquakes. such quakes have become alarmingly normal during the past month, and fracking practices could be to blame. - grist

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posted by Cookie Jill at 10:28 PM | 0 comments

sunday drive

recessions linked to cognitive decline in later years

man sues over blog posts about his 'micro-penis'

reports of comet ison's death in the sun may have been greatly exaggerated

here's the troll flow chart
posted by skippy at 8:36 AM | 0 comments