I got my H1N1 flu shot today -- at the grocery store. Probably not necessary, but for $10.00, I figured better safe than sorry.

The 8 civilian Americans killed by a suicide bomber in Afghanistan today were CIA agents. It happened inside a U.S. facility. How did they get in? More security failures?

The bomber managed to slip past security at Forward Operating Base Chapman in the eastern province of Khost before detonating an explosive belt in what one U.S. official described as a room used as a fitness center.

This is an open thread, all topics welcome.

If you want to see a good pitch in favor of the health bill, Kevin Drum has one:

"Community rating" is wonkspeak for a requirement that health insurers cover everyone at the same price, regardless of preexisting conditions or health status. James Surowiecki says it makes private health insurance unnecessary [. . .] I agree, and it's one of the reasons that, warts and all, I support the current healthcare reform legislation so strongly. My take is that community rating at the national level can eventually lead to only two outcomes: (a) the end of private health insurance completely1 or (b) the transformation of private insurers into regulated public utilities.[. . .] I'd prefer the former, but the regulated utility model works OK too, and it's hard to see how you avoid one or the other in the long run.

If true, then hosanna. The problem is, as always, regulatory capture. Will the community ratings be enforced or will there be a new formula built to beat the system? As Drum says, a public option would have insured (pun intended) a good result. But we did not get that.

Also I agree with John Cole here.

This is an Open Thread.

Via Susie Madrak via Lance Mannion, a great interview by Jesse Pearson of David Simon, ranting and raving about the issues of the day, talking about The Wire and his new show, Treme. Well worth the read.

This is an Open Thread.

I'm sure there are other topics besides al Qaida and Charlie Sheen to discuss.

Here's an open thread, all topics welcome.

Florida football coach Urban Meyer announced yesterday he was resigning due to health reasons. The shock in the Gator Nation is great.

The NFL is in action today. 3 wins yesterday got me back to .500 during the college bowl season.

As Jeralyn has documented, al Qaida related terrorism is back in the forefront of the news.

This is an Open Thread.

The New York Times has a really lengthy article on terminal sedation and end of life decisions. If there's a better way, I haven't read about it. Seems like a no-brainer.

Another interesting article: The Bail Sitters, about the security guards hired to guard the rich on bail -- think Bernie Madoff and Cameron Douglas. It asks whether the guards would rat out their ward given that's who's paying them. In Cameron Douglas's case, the answer was yes. As to the fact that only the rich can afford them, is that a reason to deny bail to those who can? [More...]

Fliers can expect tightened security measures in the aftermath of yesterday's foiled terror attempt. Yesterday I saw the new George Clooney film, Up in the Air, and the first scene of him going through security reminded me of how much time and energy is wasted flying anywhere. (The film was okay, not great, and if you haven't seen it, beware of a review at Daily Beast that tells the surprise ending without so much as a spoiler alert. Shame on them and don't they have editors?)

As a follow-up to my lengthy post on Charlie Sheen's Aspen arrest yesterday, Sheen's wife is no longer speaking to the cops and the DA says he won't decide whether he'll follow through with charges against Sheen until his next court appearance in February. He told TMZ he does file charges for false reporting.

We have another day of snow here. What's going on in your neck of the woods, and how are you spending the weekend?

This is an open thread, all topics welcome.

The war isn't over, but it's Christmas Eve. We send our best thoughts and wishes to those in our jails and prisons, the children of the incarcerated, and everyone in nursing homes and hospitals.

And of course, to TalkLeft readers and bloggers everywhere.

If you're looking for good music, KBCO in Boulder will be commercial free from 6pm MT through tomorrow. You can listen live here.

Our Xmas eve dinner thread is here -- this is another open thread, all topics welcome.

Christmas Eve is the one night of the year the world seems to shut down, from stores to movie theaters to restaurants.

I'm about to start on my lasagna, which I'll pair with an arugula salad, crusty baguette and red wine. For movies, we'll watch Inglorious Basterds (the TL kid hasn't seen it yet) and Johnny Depp's Public Enemies.

What are you cooking or hoping you get served tonight?

This is an open thread, all topics welcome, Merry Christmas Eve everyone!

It's Thursday morning.

This is an Open Thread.

I'm off to a rocky 1-2 start in the bowl games. Here are my picks for games from 12/23-30, using (using these lines):

Cal (-2.5) over Utah tonight. Nevada (-13) over SMU tomorrow night. In the December 26 games, I like Marshall (+3) over Ohio U., North Carolina (+3) over Pitt and Southern Cal (-7.5) over BC. In the December 27 game, I like Kentucky (+7) over Clemson. In the December 28 game, I like Georgia (-7) over Texas A&M. In the December 29 games, I like UCLA (-4.5) over Temple and the U (of Miami) (-3.5) over Wisconsin. In the December 30 games, I like Bowling Green (-2) over Idaho and Arizona (-1.5) over Nebaska.

This is an Open Thread.

As I have written many times, campaign promises are not worth the paper they are written on. And of course, politicians lying about what they said on the campaign trail was first seen in the time of Pericles. Obama was not the first and will not be the last. His broken promise and dissembling regarding the public option was not HIS first nor will it be his last (NAFTA renegotiation anyone?) Which leads me to my point, They All Disappoint: