Human Dignity In Very Cool Font Animation
The Daily Dish | By Andrew Sullivan — A gorgeous visual play on the words in th Universal Declaration of Human Rights: More info on the video project here.

Eleanor Roosevelt & the Universal Declaration of Human Rights Animated (Video)
Tennessee Guerilla Women — I'm sorry I missed Eleanor Roosevelt's birthday -- on October 11. She was a great woman. After FDR's death, many urged her to run for the presidency. Eleanor Roosevelt was smart enough not to waste her time. Goddess knows what she could have done for this sorry world if not for the misogyny. "Originally written by Eleanor Roosevelt 60 years ago, it's astonishing that less than five percent of the world even knows that the document exists," writes Cool Hunting about the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. No one writes these things alone, yet Eleanor's role was huge. She chaired the United ...

Dr. Mike "Wonderland" Walden of NC State and Locke Foundation
BlueNC - The people's think tank — Submitted by usernamehere on Fri, 01/09/2009 - 3:41pm Art Pope Puppetshow economy And he gets paid to teach economics to children? I couldn't let this go by without posting. http://www.wral.com/business/story/4280363 Locke Foundation hack-on-the-side Dr. Mike Walden "assesses" that BB&T is cutting jobs because of a "lack of lending opportunities." Any business folk out there want to tell Dr. Walden and BB&T where to find a "lending opportunity" to use the bajillions they've taken from the government? Apparently they can't find anywhere to lend money, so they have to cut jobs. WTF? usernamehere's blog Login or register to post ...

Larry Kissell to be Featured on C-Span's Q&A this Sunday
BlueNC - The people's think tank — Submitted by Betsy Muse on Fri, 01/09/2009 - 4:12pm C-Span Larry Kissell Wow. This didn't take long. Does anyone remember back in 2006 when Larry Kissell had to pretty much tap dance with a peacock on his head to get press coverage? I guess those days are over. He will be on C-Span's new interview program, Q&A along with Rep. Anh (Joseph) Cao who beat Democrat William Jefferson in Louisiana's 2nd CD. You can learn more about the program here. This isn't alive show. It was taped Tuesday after Larry was sworn in. Still, really nice. Betsy Muse's blog Login or register to post comments

Rich Get Richer, Poor Get Diddly
BlueNC - The people's think tank — The Mountain Xpress features this story: Two major N.C. incentives programs sent large portions of funding for increased corporate expansion and job creation to areas of the state that basically needed it the least, according to a study by the Durham office of the Corporation for Enterprise Development, a Washington, D.C.-based advocate for federal and state economic policies. The study, the subject of a report on in today’s Charlotte Business Journal, was based on data from the N.C. Department of Commerce and covered the years 2003 to 2006 for the One North Carolina Fund and the Job Development Investment Grant — or JDIG — program. It found that One North Carolina ...

Congratulations Governor Perdue
BlueNC - The people's think tank — Submitted by Betsy Muse on Sat, 01/10/2009 - 11:39am Governor Bev Perdue This will be a very rough four years, Governor Perdue. We promise to back you as often as we can and nudge you in the right direction when we feel we need to. Congratulations Governor Perdue! Please use the comment section below to post well-wishes, advice, requests for Governor Perdue and we'll see to it that she receives a copy of this thread. Betsy Muse's blog Login or register to post comments

Where to put the new 14th District? (and other redistricting thoughts)
BlueNC - The people's think tank — (cross-posted at dKos ) All available analysis suggests that North Carolina will pick up a 14th district after the 2010 census. The question now is, where to put it? And another question--how to further shore up the map for the Dems? To help guide my analysis, I consulted North Carolina's current congressional map , the results for Hagan-Dole in 2008 and the presidential results . I relied more on the Senate map than the presidential map becaus as I mentioned in November , I believe Hagan's nine-point thumping of Dole is a better sign of where things are going in North Carolina. Based on population trends, it's very likely that a 14th ...

NC Congressional Delegation Activity January 6-9
BlueNC - The people's think tank — It is impossible to cover every meeting, phone call, hearing and interview our members of congress participate in and I'll do my best to give you a weekly rundown each weekend following the weeks they are in session. I'm covering Democrats. I'll let someone else take care of the Republicans. H.R. 11 : To amend title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967, and to modify the operation of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, to clarify that a discriminatory compensation decision or other practice that is unlawful under such Acts occurs each time compensation is paid pursuant to the ...

How to Change North Carolina
BlueNC - The people's think tank — This Diary is meant as a how to guide on making North Carolina more progressive within the state legislature. As we have seen, even with large Democratic majorities, it is often not enough to just get more Democrats elected to office in Raleigh. We also need to make sure that we are pushing for different Democrats, real progressives who put people first. But, how do we do that on an individual basis? The simplest place for change to happen in Raleigh is to shake up our state legislature. This process has begun slowly, with the choosing of Speaker Hackney, and the upward movement by people like Deborah Ross. But there is still a lot of work to do. The first step to take is ...

After dark
BlueNC - The people's think tank — After dark Submitted by James Protzman on Sun, 01/11/2009 - 8:37pm Blue @ night [image] Puppetshow meltdown . Hat-tip to NC Policy Watch . James Protzman's blog Login or register to post comments On Israel Submitted by James Protzman on Sun, 01/11/2009 - 9:10pm. A call to boycott, divest and sanction by Naomi Klein. I have to say, my own sentiments have moved in this direction. Maybe our new State Treasurer might have an opinions on this topic? Login or register to post comments Goodbye, Mike Submitted by James Protzman on Sun, 01/11/2009 - 9:18pm. I was looking for a good wrap of ...

DAs Drive Up Death Penalty Costs
BlueNC - The people's think tank — Indigent Defense Services , which oversees legal representation for all indigent defendants in North Carolina, has released a study about the cost of the death penalty at the trial level. The study is available online here . The primary revelation of the study is that the cost of the death penalty has been exploded by DA charging decisions. A person accused of intentional homicide can be charged with first degree murder, second degree murder or voluntary manslaughter, depending on the circumstances of the killing. As many as 88% of intentional homicides are charged as either first degree or undesignated murder. These cases cost, on average, $27,834 in defense ...

High expectations
BlueNC - The people's think tank — The pundit pages are filled these days with advice and good wishes to our new Governor. From my career in business, it feels like a serious case of pent-up demand. Expectations are running higher than is healthy, in my opinion. But so far it looks the Governor is striking the right balance in terms of sanity and reasonableness. From Fayetteville ...

Richard Brrrrrrrr not lookin' so good
BlueNC - The people's think tank — From the polling guys at Daily Kos : Our most recent poll from Research 2000 pits Democrats Roy Cooper, the current Attorney General of North Carolina, and Richard Moore, the state's former Treasurer, against the state's senior Senator Richard Burr. As expected, Burr is going to have a tough race on his hands if Moore or Cooper runs, a scenario which would present yet another major headache for newly minted NRSC chair John Cornyn. Research 2000 for Daily Kos. 1/5-7. Likely voters. MoE 4% (No trend lines). Burr (R) 45 Cooper (D) 43 Burr (R) 46 Moore (D) 40 Very nice-looking numbers for the two Democrats. Nearly two years out, both of them have the incumbent under ...

How's Bev doing so far?
BlueNC - The people's think tank — How's Bev doing so far? Submitted by James Protzman on Mon, 01/12/2009 - 6:38pm Governor Perdue Pretty darn good 25% (1 vote) Okay by me 75% (3 votes) Not so good 0% (0 votes) Yuck 0% (0 votes) Total votes: 4 Login or register to post comments I know I've been harping on a few things Submitted by James Protzman on Mon, 01/12/2009 - 6:42pm. which is my solemn duty as a People's Think Tank pundit, but all in all, I'd say the Governor has done a damn fine job with her appointments and her gettin' down to business. I have a few notable bones to pick - and I'll continue to do so - but mostly I'm pretty satisfied. Login or ...

2008 NC Election Results Refute Old Ideas About Politics and LGBT Equality
BlueNC - The people's think tank — There was a time not so long ago (say, last year) that some Democratic party consultants and “leaders” still clung to the belief that gay issues were too toxic for the Democratic party to touch in The Old North State. While this myth has been crumbling for years, the 2008 elections finally swept away any remaining shred of this falsehood. At the statewide level, the NC GOP, in league with incumbent GOP Senator Elizabeth Dole attempted to smear Democrat Kay Hagan specifically using the topic of gay marriage. As reported in several outlets including ( http://pageoneq.com/news/2008/haganmailer1023.html ...

Bev, the blogging Governor
BlueNC - The people's think tank — Governor Bev Perdue set out to change the way many things are done in North Carolina and she's changing the way we will communicate with the Governor's office. Bev started a blog. Most of you here probably received the email from the Governor's office yesterday. If not, here's the juicy part outlining what she did on her first day as Governor: 1. Set up a Governor’s Task Force for the Development of an Endowment for Positive Gubernatorial Campaigns - Starts the process of changing the way gubernatorial campaigns are run by creating a task force to develop the framework for an endowment that will provide third-party funding and remove special interest money from ...

The cure for PWS
BlueNC - The people's think tank — Hey Charlotte! Can anyone fill us in on how the world will be shaping up post-McCrory? The city will no doubt slide into PWS (Pat Withdrawal Syndrome), and I wouldn't be surprised of Mr. McCrory is angling toward a coronation of some hand-picked successor. The main name I've heard tossed on the Democratic side is current city council member ...

What I expect of our Wake County Democratic Party Chair.
BlueNC - The people's think tank — [image] While I am not running for the position of Wake County Democratic Party Chair, I do have a few ideas on what is needed to lead our county party. I also feel much of this applies to county party leadership across North Carolina. The historic election of 2008 shows the future promise and opportunity for the Democratic Party in Wake County. A massive infusion of money, staff, and enthusiastic volunteers from the Obama campaign resulted in 75% voter turnout and wins for nearly every state-wide and county-wide Democratic Candidate on the ballot. Our own county party efforts had significant impact too, with voter registration, canvassing, phone banks, distribution of voter ...

The Latest Message from Nancy Pelosi
BlueNC - The people's think tank —

Could budget woes put a dent in modern prohibition?
BlueNC - The people's think tank — North Carolina's undisputed queen of all things fiscal, Elaine Mejia, offers an interesting post at NC Policy Watch today, outlining her take on the budget challenges facing the General Assembly in Raleigh. It opens with a sobering assessment: The scope of the budget shortfall facing the state is large. The gap between the amount of revenue the tax system in its current form will generate and what spending is needed to maintain current services is roughly $3 billion, or 15 percent of the current budget. The federal government may step in and help North Carolina with some Medicaid and transportation expenses, but that will not come near closing the state’s budget ...

The UNC Two-Step Program
BlueNC - The people's think tank — The folks at NC Policy Watch have been on fire lately, with today's column by Chris Fitzsimon laying out some tough-love for the University of North Carolina System. I hope our friend Erskine Bowles will find some time to read the ideas Chris outlined, two of which seem like no-brainers to me. Step 1: Rescind the tuition break passed last year that allows out-of-state athletes to pay in-state tuition. That's good for a cool $10 million. Step 2: Eliminate current taxpayer subsidies for wealthy families with students attending private colleges and universities. That'll shake loose $55 million ... not chump change either. There you go, Erskine. $65 million ... and it ...

Coming tomorrow!
BlueNC - The people's think tank — Coming tomorrow! Submitted by James Protzman on Tue, 01/13/2009 - 9:16pm open thread Photobucket A fancy new graphical thingie to make it easier for me to post and find open threads first thing in the morning! Makes you want to go to the beach, no? James Protzman's blog Login or register to post comments Probably won't need as many open threads Submitted by Betsy Muse on Tue, 01/13/2009 - 10:42pm. with the forums. Login or register to post comments

2009: The final nail in the OLF coffin?
BlueNC - The people's think tank — The US Navy's "divide and conquer" strategy has tried to pit down east North Carolina communities against one another, but judging from the strength of local opposition across the board, it seems unlikely to work. Ham-handed from the get-go, the Navy still has not made a case (convincing or otherwise) that a North Carolina based Outlying Landing Field is important to its strategic readiness. That said, do there appear to be some cracks in the opposition? ...

Roy Cooper and NC Prevail against the TVA
BlueNC - The people's think tank — The Associated Press is reporting that Judge Lacy Thornburg has ordered the TVA to install pollution controls at the four coal-fired power plants closest to the North Carolina border. In a move to protect the environment of our beautiful North Carolina mountains, Attorney General Cooper filed suit against the Tennessee Valley Authority to require they clean up their act. The TVA refused. Judge Thornburg sided with the North Carolina mountains. read more

Shuler for Senate 2010?
BlueNC - The people's think tank — From up Asheville way, the Scrutiny Hooligans are already predicting that loyal Blue Dog Dem and WNC favorite, Heath Shuler, will be the challenger to Richard Burr for the open Senate seat in 2010. Although not the favorite of most Progressives in North Carolina, Heath is widely acknowledge for having heavily fortified coffers and, if Gordon is to be believed, none other than former President Bill Clinton will be hosting a fundraiser for Heath in Raleigh a week from Monday (after the President Clinton delivers an address at N.C. State). Roy Cooper and Richard Moore, justifiably, have been getting most of the attention from early internet speculation concerning the ...

Reader Survey - How old are you?
BlueNC - The people's think tank — Reader Survey - How old are you? Submitted by Betsy Muse on Wed, 01/14/2009 - 12:03pm Meta poll under 18 0% (0 votes) 19 - 24 13% (1 vote) 25-34 13% (1 vote) 35-44 13% (1 vote) 45-54 38% (3 votes) 55-64 13% (1 vote) 65 or older 13% (1 vote) none of your danged business 0% (0 votes) Total votes: 8 Login or register to post comments I thought about adding a Submitted by Betsy Muse on Wed, 01/14/2009 - 12:07pm. "young at heart" choice, but then we'd all probably choose that and the poll wouldn't be worth much.....not that it is worth much anyway. This was done by a request of one of our readers. I think we ran one of ...

Rep. Larry Kissell's First Floor Speech is in support of SCHIP
BlueNC - The people's think tank — read more

After dark
BlueNC - The people's think tank — After dark Submitted by James Protzman on Wed, 01/14/2009 - 7:08pm Blue @ night [image] Got something personal you're really proud of? The spotlight is on. Let's hear some braggin'! James Protzman's blog Login or register to post comments CFZ Submitted by James Protzman on Wed, 01/14/2009 - 7:10pm. I hereby declare this thread to be a Criticism Free Zone! We are only accepting lavish praise. Login or register to post comments OK..in a few more days Nan and I will have been married Submitted by Stan on Wed, 01/14/2009 - 7:22pm. 21 years. If anyone deserves lavish praise it would be her. Not only is she ...

Haywood County Fails to Protect Homeowners from Landslide
BlueNC - The people's think tank — Tragedy always stirs the media and occasionally awakens dozing regulators. The recent tragedy: a 300 foot-landslide that flattened a three story Maggie Valley, North Carolina residence on Wildcat Run Road. Bruce and Lorraine Donin, who were at home, survived. Rick Wooten, a senior geologist for the N.C. Geological Survey who investigated the site, said ...

Calling Senator Hagan
BlueNC - The people's think tank — Isn't it always the case? The new guy/gal on the block is the one getting all the attention. North Carolina's newly minted Senator Kay Hagan is targeted for heavy lobbying over two high-profile issues on their way to showdown Senate votes soon--the first on children's health care, and the others before too long on labor organizing rights. Democratic leaders in Congress are pushing for early passage of an important bill to expand the Children's Health Insurance Program for the children of low-income working families. This is the legislation twice vetoed by the shameless George W. Bush, and which helped cement his reputation for ethical and political cluelessness. The U.S. ...

Site down time tonight
BlueNC - The people's think tank — Site down time tonight Submitted by Betsy Muse on Thu, 01/15/2009 - 5:27pm Meta We will be taking the site off line tonight starting at 9:30 p.m. I'm sorry for the inconvenience, but we have another security upgrade that has to be installed. I will do my best to have everything finished as quickly as possible, but the site will be down for at least a couple of hours. Thank you for your patience. Betsy Muse's blog Login or register to post comments

After dark
BlueNC - The people's think tank — After dark Submitted by James Protzman on Thu, 01/15/2009 - 7:03pm After Dark [image] Do good. Be nice. Have fun. These are the threads of life fully filled. James Protzman's blog Login or register to post comments This new content thingie is throwing me for a loop Submitted by James Protzman on Thu, 01/15/2009 - 7:06pm. I guess that's why they call me an old dog. Login or register to post comments

Kudos to Democracy NC
BlueNC - The people's think tank — Kudos to Democracy NC Nonprofitvote.org has just announced awards for 2008, one of which goes to our friends at Democracy NC. These folks are good friends who have done great work here in North Carolina. You can read all about the award here ...

Campaigns Matter: 08 in a graph
BlueNC - The people's think tank — There is often a lot of talk in a lot of places during election time about knocking on doors, making phone calls and raising money. But the question people have is, "Do campaigns work?" This was actually tested by the Service Employees International Union in 2008, and the results are pretty darn impressive. SEIU held back a number of "control" subjects from the voter contact program. This was done through the use of a voter database that pulled out a group of representative voters from 11 states that SEIU had boots on the ground. The control and experimental groups were around 2500 each (obviously SEIU contacted more than 2500 people). The control group got no contact ...

Weekend wound up
BlueNC - The people's think tank — Weekend wound up Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting Brrrrrrr . James Protzman's blog Login or register to post comments Robots at war Submitted by James Protzman on Sat, 01/17/2009 - 1:52pm. The Matrix Previsited Login or register to post comments This is a cool new site Submitted by James Protzman on Sat, 01/17/2009 - 1:56pm. [image] Login or register to post comments Very cool, James! Submitted by Linda on Sat, 01/17/2009 - 3:06pm. Although since our thermometer outside this morning said 7 degrees, I think we'd be better off with a hot site, yes? I don't care ...

NC Congressional Activity January 12-16
BlueNC - The people's think tank — This week we saw the first floor speeches made by our two newest elected officials in Washington. Rep. Larry Kissell spoke in support of SCHIP and encouraged congress to consider optional funding for the program. Senator Kay Hagan spoke in support of the Lily Ledbetter Act. (Video coming later today.) There is also word that Congressman Brad Miller ...

Barack Obama's Path to the White House - Video Edition
BlueNC - The people's think tank — .cc_box a:hover .cc_home{background:url('http://www.comedycentral.com/comedycentral/video/assets/syndicated-logo-over.png') !important;}.cc_links a{color:#b9b9b9;text-decoration:none;}.cc_show a{color:#707070;text-decoration:none;}.cc_title a{color:#868686;text-decoration:none;}.cc_links a:hover{color:#67bee2;text-decoration:underline;} ...

Bookmark this
BlueNC - The people's think tank — With so much at stake in public policy over the next few years, we all need good sources of facts to inform our conversations.  When it comes to facts about the North Carolina economy, public spending, and taxes, no one does a better job than the people at the North Carolina Justice Center - and in particular their budget and tax people.  Bookmark these pages ... and use them whenever you have a question or need some numbers.  And while we're at it, use this thread to give them any feedback or questions you may have.  For example, I'd like for someone there to help us understand the real cost of North Carolina's ...

Bush: 8 Years in 8 Minutes
BlueNC - The people's think tank — Transcript George Walker Bush. 43rd president of the United States. First ever with a criminal record. Our third story tonight. His presidency: eight years in eight minutes. Early in 2001 the U.S. fingered Al Qaeda for the bombing of the USS Cole. Bush counterterrorism adviser Richard Clarke had a plan to take down Al Qaeda. Instead, by February the NSC had already discussed invading Iraq, and had a plan for post-Saddam Iraq. By March 5, Bush had a map ready for Iraqi oil exploration and a list of companies. Al Qaeda? Rice told Clarke not to give Bush a lot of long memos. not a big reader. August 6, 2001 a CIA analyst briefs Bush on vacation: "Bin Laden ...

Right-to-life agenda setting
BlueNC - The people's think tank — Here's how it works. Assert that the evil majority wants nothing less than zero restrictions on abortion. Charge them with advocating infanticide. Link that charge directly to President Obama, and by extension, the people he'll nominate for the US Supreme Court Stir up a ruckus so that local newspapers report on delusional fears as though they are well-researched facts. Use the drama to spur paranoid donors into contributing. Evoke god as your witness. And of course, expect the Christianists at the The N.C. Family Policy Council to carry your banner high. The truth is, Mr. Obama has staked out an exceedingly moderate position on abortion rights. He seems in favor of ...