I sometimes think I'd like to live where palm trees grow, Then I remember how hot it gets in those places.

Two is company, tree's a cloud.

re: #1 Dark_Falcon

I sometimes think I'd like to live where palm trees grow, Then I remember how hot it gets in those places.

The heat in those places isn't the problem. Its the fact that the heat never goes away!

re: #1 Dark_Falcon

I sometimes think I'd like to live where palm trees grow, Then I remember how hot it gets in those places.

Not in Southern Cal - except for maybe 3-4 weeks a year!

And with that, good night!

Washingtonias RULE!
[Link: en.wikipedia.org...]

I've got to get to bed. Good night all.

re: #5 Stanley Sea

Goodnight, Stanley!

And, so it goes.
Off to the sleepytimes for me, also.

May you dream the dreams of richness & fulfillness, and your life follow your dreams!

Good night.

Chaka Khan & Rufus - Do You Love What You Feel

It is neither hot nor cold in So Cal, just never ending mediocrity

My time here is up for the night, take good care y'all!

War - Lowrider

Pat Buchanan, busy playing the race card again, in an essay entitled "Another God That Failed" that can be found throughout the nut-o-sphere, including Townhall:

"America is Losing the Free World," was the arresting headline over the Financial Times column by Gideon Rachman. His thesis:

The largest democracies of South America, Africa, the Middle East and Asia -- Brazil, South Africa, Turkey, India -- are all moving out of America's orbit. "(T)he assumption that the democracies would stick together is proving unfounded."

[...]

The ruling parties in all four were democratically elected. Yet, in all four, democratic solidarity is being trumped by an older solidarity -- of Third World people of color against a "white, rich Western world."

[...]

And if one-person, one-vote democracy in multiethnic countries leads to dispossession and persecution of the market-dominant minority, why would we promote democracy there?

[...]

It is just Buchanan cherry-picking events to show that democracy ("one-person, one-vote") in the nations of the brown people means that the white market-dominant minority suffers.

Note the new term "market-dominant minority".

Just an elaboration on a thought.

I just watched the President's speech on improving anti-terror efforts.

Let's compare Bush and Obama honestly.

When something went wrong with Bush, we heard how it was Clinton's fault, or the Liberal's fault or an intelligence failure, or whatever. It was always someone else's fault and never his responsibility. This would be followed (possibly) by by vague claims of "fixing things" with no real plan formulated. That is what incompetents who don't want to take responsibility do.

Obama on the other hand said this was a systemic failure, adressed what went wrong specifically, gave a detailed look at how he plans to fix things and said it was *his* responsibility to get things done and that moreover, because he was president, the buck stops with him. In other words, he takes responsibility for things. That is what actual leaders do.

Go figure.

I wish Americans would wake up and realize just how pathetic the GOP really is.

And right on cue... a comment on Townhall, on the Pat Buchanan essay I discussed above:

jaybird
Location: NM
Reply # 1
Date: Jan 8, 2010 - 3:11 AM EST

Hard truths:
Looking at all the great civilizations of history, that developed the societies that raised humanity up from savagery and barbarity: Egypt, Mesopotamia, Crete, Greece, Rome, Western Europe, the United States of America--none of these were founded by "people of color." These peoples were all some variant of caucasians, typical today of Northern Europe.

And yet, all peoples, of whatever colors, have benefited by from development of these high civilizations. "A rising tide lifts all boats."

I know, you're not supposed to say or think such things, because they're called "racist," and it is not "politically correct." Nonetheless they are true. Like individuals, not all ethnic groups have equal abilities. Rational thought, philosophy, physics, the scientific method of investigating our surroundings, equal rights for women, all are the result of the efforts of white people in what we call "Western Civilization"

Now this Western Civilization, at least the "progressive" or leftist element of it, seems hell-bent on self-destruction, as a result of trying to "empower" and accommodate lesser cultures, submitting to them instead of leading them, and because of moral decay from within.

[...]

So there you have it, Pat Buchanan's crowd, on Townhall, a forum site nominally run by a nominally "Christian" organization.

Will Townhall delete that post? Maybe, maybe not. It'll be interesting to see.

So, you think the creationists aren't trying to fight back?

You'd be soooo wrong....

For example, posted (along with other others) just three days ago on Vimeo:

(Charles have mercy on me.)

The preacher even uses the "watch" argument!

Or how about this essay, from Chuck Colson, only a few days ago:

150 Years of Dickens Vs. Darwin

On any given day in this country, millions of people, especially young people being homeschooled, are being dogmatized into rejecting the discoveries of the past 3 centuries or so.

This culture war is hardly over.

Colson comparing a scientific treatise to a novel? These are the same functional iliterates who think the Bible is a science textbook.

One more bit from the culture war before I saunter on out of here...

From two days ago, written by a Dr. Frank Creel, who supposedly has a Ph.D. from the University of Chicago, now retired, who also happened to have been a Peace Corp volunteer in Turkey (what would a creationist be doing in Turkey? :-O )

Darwin Says Chill

The University of East Anglia’s hacked emails prove that the global warming alarmists are not intellectually serious. So does their entire message.

If you polled the Chicken Littles of the global warming movement, you would undoubtedly discover that 100 percent of them are Darwinian evolutionists. Thus, it is a certitude to them that the vast and incredibly complex universe we inhabit (not to mention its astounding beauty and complementarity) is the fortuitous result of the innumerable random collisions of mindless matter and energy following the Big Bang.

[...]

I am waiting, for example, for a scientific intellect aware of the fact that the orthodoxies of Darwinian evolutionism and apocalyptic environmentalism contradict each other. The adaptability of species is the very heart of Darwinism. The sky-is-falling alarmism of the climatologists, cannot, in the long term, be reconciled with the essential resilience of nature from an evolutionary perspective. Would these people have us believe that the fundamental tenets of the Darwinist creed can be set aside only by them, Darwinism’s most fervent acolytes?

[...]

Thankfully, we who believe in the Intelligence responsible for the vast cosmos and all it contains have reasons to relax. From our perspective, being smothered by the gas the Creator made the issue of our lungs does not fit our notion of divine wisdom. We also have it on authority that the apocalypse is coming, and if it is to be in 2012 — well, hold up your heads and say amen, for your deliverance is at hand. If it is not till 20012, that is cool, too.

[...]
[emphases added]

There is no end of the lies humans are capable of telling themselves, when they need to in order to preserve some aspect of their ego. It is always good, thus, to have people around you with whom you don't agree yet who are capable of providing sound arguments against which one can wrestle.

But what we see from the likes of Dr. Creel are not sound arguments but the rehearsing of apologetics, the restating of presumptions, and outright mischaracterizations of scientists and science.

This is one reason why it is called a "culture" war. Specifically, the culture of modernity that has been bred from at least 4, maybe 5, centuries of the accumulation of knowledge and the concomitant wrestling with the implications of that knowledge is being attacked, with tactical intensity if also strategic chaos, by those who feel threatened by that knowledge.

It is a war, a war for hearts and minds. And like all wars there is a "war industry" to accompany the conflict, and money to be made by appealing to the fears and prejudices of people.

And since people around the world have many fears and prejudices, there is much money to be made.

Beyond that though is the slaughtering of truth for the sake of victory. E.g., in the series on Vimeo, of which one video I linked upstream, there is a part where the preacher starts discussing angular momentum and how that disproves the Big Bang. Without even touching on that issue though, his display of misunderstanding of angular momentum and the tortured explanation of the phenomenon makes for a physicist's nightmare. The preacher is just plain ignorant.

This is a very long war indeed.

freet,

it will be a long war, indeed, as it is based on some basic, deep-seated ignorance on the part of many.

Science is a very human undertaking, it is set up to account for human shortcomings in insisiting that everything be verifiable and repeatable by independent testing.

There will be differing interpretations of the data and different theories, some of which will be rejected or amended as new data become available. that is all part of the scientific process.

Religion is based on divine revelation, is not subjective to objective, independent testing and any contradictions in contains are chalked up to us being sinful or imperfect in understanding Divine Wisdom.

But there are those who want to teach one as if it were the other.

re: #20 ralphieboy

Nonsense, there are no contradictions within the "Holy Word" you just need to buy my books, tapes, and come to my seminars so that I can tell you what God thinks, wants, and is going to do.

///as if...

re: #21 ausador

Nonsense, there are no contradictions within the "Holy Word" you just need to buy my books, tapes, and come to my seminars so that I can tell you what God thinks, wants, and is going to do.

Put in the spin-offs... but it seems appropriate here too:

How cold is it?
It's so cold, a democrat was observed today with his hands in his own pockets.

Where do I find these people, I have some great bridges for sale at discount...

According to the Department of Education’s National Assessment of Adult Literacy, U.S. adults are terrible at solving real-world math problems, like calculating tips or comparing prices in grocery stores. Some dismal results:

*Only 42 percent were able to pick out two items on a menu, add them, and calculate a tip.

*Only 1 in 5 could reliably calculate mortgage interest.

*1 in 5 could not calculate weekly salary when told an hourly pay rate.

*Only 13 percent were deemed “proficient.” Worse yet, only 1 in 10 women, 1 in 25 Hispanics and 1 in 50 African Americans made the grade.

*Americans are terrified of numbers when it counts most: 20 million Americans pay someone to file their 1040EZ, a one-page tax form with around 10 blanks to fill out.

You have got to be frigging kidding, people actually pay tax preparers to fill out a "EZ" form for them? I guess I shouldn't be that surprised, they buy gold because Glenn Beck tells them to also...sigh. :(

re: #24 ausador

Where do I find these people, I have some great bridges for sale at discount...

You have got to be frigging kidding, people actually pay tax preparers to fill out a "EZ" form for them? I guess I shouldn't be that surprised, they buy gold because Glenn Beck tells them to also...sigh. :(

Whoa, You aren't saying Glenn is wrong about gold are you!?!?!?!
//

Morning Lizards

re: #24 ausador

One of my favorite movie bits...

Ernie Capadino: Mmm-hmm. They'll pay you 75 dollars a week.
Kit Keller: We only make 30 at the dairy.
Ernie Capadino: Well then, this would be more, wouldn't it?

FBV Good Morning.

Work beckons, bbiab

37-21

re: #28 MandyManners

My wife grew up in Alabama. Grew up an Auburn fan. I really didn't have a dog in the fight, but I admired what Saban did in three years, so I had to root for Bama in secret. Deeeep undercover.

re: #29 Fat Bastard Vegetarian

My wife grew up in Alabama. Grew up an Auburn fan. I really didn't have a dog in the fight, but I admired what Saban did in three years, so I had to root for Bama in secret. Deeep undercover.

When it's all said and done, The Kid will root for anyone in the South other than Florida. (No, folks, Texas is NOT considered to be in "the South". Check your history books.)

re: #30 MandyManners

When it's all said and done, The Kid will root for anyone in the South other than Florida. (No, folks, Texas is NOT considered to be in "the South". Check your history books.)

Oh, what the heck.

re: #28 MandyManners

37-21

[Video]

Roll, Tide, Roll.

Morning, Lizards.

re: #31 MandyManners

Oh, what the heck.

[Video]

Ain't nothing like dancing a jig to wake you up in the morning!!!

re: #33 MandyManners

Ain't nothing like dancing a jig to wake you up in the morning!!!

Ain't nothing like dancing the "It's 2 below zero outside and I have to haul out the garbage" jig to wake one up in the morning. >.>

re: #15 LudwigVanQuixote

Lets see, for the last 2 weeks we've heard "the system worked" followed by "well, the system failed but it was the bush system". Now that the president has come out and said "the buck stops here but it was everyones fault" it's all better now? If the buck stops at his desk then who is responsible for the failure that almost killed 300 people on a christmas flight? When the campaign commercials start coming out saying "Obama failed to keep us safe" are we all going to agree, since that's what he said, right? What exactly does taking responsibility do for anyone?

Taking responsibility for a total failure means more than saying "My bad". That may be good enough to make the sycophants swoon but to a cynic like me it means squat.

Morning Folks! In case you can't tell I'm a little irritable. The gas is frozen up in my shop again. I was in here saturday and sunday trying to keep it working correctly but the gas company has failed me. We have a bad regulator they need to swap out.

re: #36 RogueOne

The gas company has had a systemic failure?

re: #37 Fat Bastard Vegetarian

They admitted their error so I guess I'll just let it slide. What's a few frozen pipes and broken toilets between friends.

re: #18 ralphieboy

Colson comparing a scientific treatise to a novel? These are the same functional iliterates who think the Bible is a science textbook.

I find it deliciously ironic that you misspelled illiterates. Don't disagree with your point.

re: #29 Fat Bastard Vegetarian

My wife grew up in Alabama. Grew up an Auburn fan. I really didn't have a dog in the fight, but I admired what Saban did in three years, so I had to root for Bama in secret. Deeep undercover.

One of the guys I work with was stationed at the Air Force War College in Montgomery. He tells a story about golfing with a local who said there were two things he needed to know about Alabama. 1. Alabama/Auburn, don't get involved and 2. We have 2 seasons, Beer and Bourbon.

Unemployment is running at 10.1%

[Link: finance.yahoo.com...]

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The economy lost more jobs in December and the unemployment rate was unchanged, as a sluggish economic recovery has yet to revive hiring among the nation's employers.

The Labor Department says employers cut 85,000 jobs last month, worse than the 8,000 drop analysts expected.

They were only off by a factor of 10, that's close enough for government work I guess. Maybe the president can come out and say the "buck stops at his desk, my bad and all that" and we'll all feel much better about living on the street.
(I'm going to be irritable until my heat gets back on)

re: #14 freetoken

I would take the stand that India is not moving away from the US, rather returning after the U.S. diplomatic blunders of the 60's and 70's. They are looking to counter China and Pakistan and I see them being pro-US for their needs.

Turkey is moving on establishing themselves as a their own player due to shifts in their political establishment and the rise of Islamic influences within the government. Their recent partnerships with Syria and outreach to Iran show this, as well as a reversal in inclusion of the Kurds with society.
They are the one to watch - with no entrance into the EU, they have charted a new course.

Brazil is a growing influence for South America and are more than happy to showcase that. With increasing ties to China and others, expect them to grab the title of South America's leader.

South Africa is becoming more in-step with their self-importance and increasingly willing to partner up with those opposing Europe. I think their dance is continuing as to who they align with.

I saw a link to this over on digg -- a neat photo of a tiny lizard holding a green bean in its mouth :P

[Link: www.flickr.com...]

re: #43 simoom

I saw a link to this over on digg -- a neat photo of a tiny lizard holding a green bean in its mouth :P

[Link: www.flickr.com...]

CHARLES! How could you allow yourself to be photographed in your undisguised state like this?!

re: #15 LudwigVanQuixote

Just an elaboration on a thought.

I just watched the President's speech on improving anti-terror efforts.

Let's compare Bush and Obama honestly.

When something went wrong with Bush, we heard how it was Clinton's fault, or the Liberal's fault or an intelligence failure, or whatever. It was always someone else's fault and never his responsibility. This would be followed (possibly) by by vague claims of "fixing things" with no real plan formulated. That is what incompetents who don't want to take responsibility do.

Obama on the other hand said this was a systemic failure, adressed what went wrong specifically, gave a detailed look at how he plans to fix things and said it was *his* responsibility to get things done and that moreover, because he was president, the buck stops with him. In other words, he takes responsibility for things. That is what actual leaders do.

Go figure.

I wish Americans would wake up and realize just how pathetic the GOP really is.

Eh, I think you went wildly over the top on both Presidents in wildly different directions. Obama sure did take credit for this latest failure, and rightfully so he is getting praise for that. But let's not forget that previously, on many other issues, the President routinely went back to the "blame GWB" game to deflect criticism of his own policies.

What comes instantly to mind is the blame game that went on around the time that Obama was pushing the stimulus bill, reminding us frequently that the deficit was Bush's fault, and somehow validating his decision to....widen the deficit even more.

I thought it a bit premature for some to have predicted a reversal in the jobs market... and the data shows this to be correct:

[Link: www.cnbc.com...]

"Job-Creation Hopes Dashed; 85,000 Shed in December"

re: #1 Dark_Falcon

I sometimes think I'd like to live where palm trees grow, Then I remember how hot it gets in those places.

It is cold. I am sitting here in my LL Bean plush robe trying to stay warm :(

re: #3 Surabaya Stew

The heat in those places isn't the problem. Its the fact that the heat never goes away!

That's what God made AC and backyard pools for.

re: #44 thedopefishlives

CHARLES! How could you allow yourself to be photographed in your undisguised state like this?!

I think he had just shed his skin. He's always a little groggy after that.
//

re: #15 LudwigVanQuixote

Just an elaboration on a thought.

I just watched the President's speech on improving anti-terror efforts.

Let's compare Bush and Obama honestly.

When something went wrong with Bush, we heard how it was Clinton's fault, or the Liberal's fault or an intelligence failure, or whatever. It was always someone else's fault and never his responsibility. This would be followed (possibly) by by vague claims of "fixing things" with no real plan formulated. That is what incompetents who don't want to take responsibility do.

Obama on the other hand said this was a systemic failure, adressed what went wrong specifically, gave a detailed look at how he plans to fix things and said it was *his* responsibility to get things done and that moreover, because he was president, the buck stops with him. In other words, he takes responsibility for things. That is what actual leaders do.

Go figure.

I wish Americans would wake up and realize just how pathetic the GOP really is.

OK so what is he going to do about it? Just asking.

Heat is back on. As the temp climbs my snark level should decline, but there's no guarantees.

Good morning, y'all.

re: #52 Irish Rose

Good morning, y'all.

Good morning, {Rose}. How does today find you on the fair shores of Lake Michigan?

Here is a happy story out of Afghanistan.

How one US base in Afghanistan adopted two orphans

US soldiers in eastern Afghanistan pay two orphan boys a day’s wage to do odd jobs and stay in school. The young boys are trying to support their Afghan families. The Americans are trying to salvage a bit of the orphans' childhood.

re: #53 thedopefishlives

Good morning, {Rose}. How does today find you on the fair shores of Lake Michigan?

Cold, and snowed in.
But in good humor, as I just took a peek at Pammys' new banner.... LMAO.

morning all!

Snow's not so bad in the Very Far Western Suburbs of Chicagoland.

re: #57 ggt

Snow's not so bad in the Very Far Western Suburbs of Chicagoland.

Thought I heard you guys were supposed to get hammered with snow today?

We didn't get much here, either... six inches tops, and all fluff.

re: #58 RogueOne

Thought I heard you guys were supposed to get hammered with snow today?

Yeah, that's what I heard yesterday.

Here in the wild north country, we only got about an inch. However, winds in excess of 30 mph caused major traffic delays as stupid people found themselves swept off the road by blowing and drifting snow. I counted 8 cars in a 5-mile stretch of highway when I was out running errands after work yesterday. I got home to discover that my driveway was completely blown over and I had to dig my way INTO my own house!

Heh...time for a short trip back to 2006 and Calvin Trillin predicting the underwear bomber.

I thought allah was god and god was allah, and all that?

[Link: english.aljazeera.net...]

Four Christian churches in Malaysia have been attacked amid tensions over the use of the word "Allah" by non-Muslims in the country.

Attackers threw a molotov cocktail which failed to ignite at a church in the state of Selangor on Friday afternoon, media reports said.

The incident comes hours after a petrol bomb was thrown at a church in the capital, Kuala Lumpur, as well as attackers trying to set another two ablaze in a nearby suburb.

Police also recieved reports of cars displaying Christian symbols having their windscreens smashed in the suburb of Bangsar.

re: #58 RogueOne

Thought I heard you guys were supposed to get hammered with snow today?

For some reason, we miss a lot of it out way out West.

The high tomorrow for us here in Tampa is going to be 40 degrees. People everywhere in Florida are digging to the backs of their closets, in a panic, to see if they in fact have a coat heavier than a wind breaker.

Professional asshole and terrorist sympathizer George Galloway deported and banned from Egypt for blockade running...

[Link: news.bbc.co.uk...]

re: #25 rwdflynavy

Whoa, You aren't saying Glenn is wrong about gold are you!?!?!?!
//

Morning Lizards

.

Mornin'

re: #65 negativ

Professional asshole and terrorist sympathizer George Galloway deported and banned from Egypt for blockade running...

[Link: news.bbc.co.uk...]

Too bad England won't take similar action.

Pentagon Detainee website --interesting.

Good morning Lizards.

Dusting of snow (~1") and low 30s here in Philly today. A bit more snow out in the suburbs.

The City does look nicer with a little frosting on it. But then again I walk to work and don't have to deal with the roads.

re: #60 thedopefishlives

re: #63 ggt

We got around 6" in my town just north of Indy. That's enough snow to cancel all the schools around here. They even sent them home early yesterday. Wimps.

re: #70 RogueOne

re: #63 ggt

We got around 6" in my town just north of Indy. That's enough snow to cancel all the schools around here. They even sent them home early yesterday. Wimps.

WE didn't get that much even.

re: #35 RogueOne

Lets see, for the last 2 weeks we've heard "the system worked" followed by "well, the system failed but it was the bush system". Now that the president has come out and said "the buck stops here but it was everyones fault" it's all better now? If the buck stops at his desk then who is responsible for the failure that almost killed 300 people on a christmas flight? When the campaign commercials start coming out saying "Obama failed to keep us safe" are we all going to agree, since that's what he said, right? What exactly does taking responsibility do for anyone?

Taking responsibility for a total failure means more than saying "My bad". That may be good enough to make the sycophants swoon but to a cynic like me it means squat.

Good for you. My thoughts exactly. Now that the buck stops with him what is he going to do about it? Buy more stuff? Wowzer!

re: #65 negativ

Professional asshole and terrorist sympathizer George Galloway deported and banned from Egypt for blockade running...

[Link: news.bbc.co.uk...]

You may not like him personally, but can you really see why allowing"items including heart monitors, clothing and dental equipment" would be a problem?

re: #64 TampaKnight

The high tomorrow for us here in Tampa is going to be 40 degrees. People everywhere in Florida are digging to the backs of their closets, in a panic, to see if they in fact have a coat heavier than a wind breaker.

I used to live in Florida, Palm Harbor... I lived in a little house on a dirt road across from an orange grove. I remember how the grower used to struggle to save his oranges during cold snaps.

Not going to be possible this year.

re: #38 RogueOne

They admitted their error so I guess I'll just let it slide. What's a few frozen pipes and broken toilets between friends.

The buck stopped with them? But it's your pipes that will leak when they thaw? OK.

re: #70 RogueOne

re: #63 ggt

We got around 6" in my town just north of Indy. That's enough snow to cancel all the schools around here. They even sent them home early yesterday. Wimps.

See, when I used to live in the Gary area, that was peanuts. They only canceled school for snow if the blizzard prevented the buses from running.

re: #76 thedopefishlives

See, when I used to live in the Gary area, that was peanuts. They only canceled school for snow if the blizzard prevented the buses from running.

Yup!

re: #43 simoom

I saw a link to this over on digg -- a neat photo of a tiny lizard holding a green bean in its mouth :P

[Link: www.flickr.com...]

I loves green beans:)

re: #72 Blueheron

I was grumpy. The gas company just left and the temp in my office is up to a brisk 55 so I'm feeling much better now.

gotta go.

Have a great day all!

re: #74 Irish Rose

I guess that means gas prices will go up.

Gotta run, y'all!

What kind of salad are you toting in that sack, Annie?

re: #73 darthstar

You may not like him personally, but can you really see why allowing"items including heart monitors, clothing and dental equipment" would be a problem?

You just don't get it, do you?

re: #83 MandyManners

You just don't get it, do you?

There are many who don't... Which is why people like George Galloway exist in the first place.

re: #69 oaktree

Good morning Lizards.

Dusting of snow (~1") and low 30s here in Philly today. A bit more snow out in the suburbs.

The City does look nicer with a little frosting on it. But then again I walk to work and don't have to deal with the roads.

eegad - it's warmer in Philly than it is down here in SE TN - balmy 14 degrees this a.m.

Oh, and, good morning all!

re: #64 TampaKnight

The high tomorrow for us here in Tampa is going to be 40 degrees. People everywhere in Florida are digging to the backs of their closets, in a panic, to see if they in fact have a coat heavier than a wind breaker.

I still have my ski jacket. Thank god and my not being better organized......shouda thrown it out yonks ago.

re: #84 thedopefishlives

There are many who don't... Which is why people like George Galloway exist in the first place.

DING!

re: #65 negativ

Professional asshole and terrorist sympathizer George Galloway deported and banned from Egypt for blockade running...

[Link: news.bbc.co.uk...]

Couldn't happen to a more deserving person.

re: #35 RogueOne

What exactly does taking responsibility do for anyone?

Taking responsibility for a total failure means more than saying "My bad".

Be sure and tell that to your kids the first time they get their ass in a jam.

Words to live by!

re: #83 MandyManners

You just don't get it, do you?

I support humanitarian aid for people who need it. That's not to criticize one side of the debate or the other. Aid shipments are like yard sales sometimes...people think, "What the fuck do they need a soccer ball for?" But a soccer ball will keep 12 kids entertained for hours doing something other than throwing rocks, for example.

re: #79 RogueOne

I was grumpy. The gas company just left and the temp in my office is up to a brisk 55 so I'm feeling much better now.

Hey grumpy and speaking the truth! Good for grumpiness, we need more of it!

re: #65 negativ

Professional asshole and terrorist sympathizer George Galloway deported and banned from Egypt for blockade running...

[Link: news.bbc.co.uk...]

What about Medea Benjamin? She's been busy over there recently.

Yes, Medea Benjamin, the Code Pinker who worked with FCC Diversity Officer Mark Lloyd at the National Conference for Media Reform in June, 2008.

me thinks I need more coffee . . . brb

re: #35 RogueOne

Lets see, for the last 2 weeks we've heard "the system worked" followed by "well, the system failed but it was the bush system". Now that the president has come out and said "the buck stops here but it was everyones fault" it's all better now? If the buck stops at his desk then who is responsible for the failure that almost killed 300 people on a christmas flight? When the campaign commercials start coming out saying "Obama failed to keep us safe" are we all going to agree, since that's what he said, right? What exactly does taking responsibility do for anyone?

Taking responsibility for a total failure means more than saying "My bad". That may be good enough to make the sycophants swoon but to a cynic like me it means squat.

I think I'm in love.

re: #90 darthstar

Why don't you go dig a tunnel?

re: #95 MandyManners

Why don't you go dig a tunnel?

witty
/

re: #94 MandyManners

I think I'm in love.

I know I am but he says he's just grumpy and he is cheering up. NOOOOOO!

re: #95 MandyManners

Mandy's in Da House!

;)

More unclenching fists!!!

Two men were arrested Friday in the investigation of a suspected bomb plot targeting New York City that previously led to charges against a Denver airport driver.

The arrests in New York of Adis Medunjanin and Zarein Ahmedzay were part of "an ongoing investigation" by the Joint Terrorism Task Force, according to FBI agent Richard Kolko, who declined to comment further.

There were no immediate details on the charges against the men, according to Kolko and Robert Nardoza, a spokesman for the U.S. attorney's office in Brooklyn.

The men were expected to appear in court later Friday, Nardoza said.

Medunjanin's attorney, Robert C. Gottlieb, said the FBI seized his client's passport Thursday. The search warrant indicated the passport was sought as part of an investigation into a conspiracy to use weapons of mass destruction.

SNIP

Obama could win points in my book if he got the intelligence community together, in one room, and simply stated smacking people around until they drop their petty in-fighting that puts us all at risk.

re: #85 SasyMomaCat

29 F currently with a light overcast and probably more snow flurries.

Since moving out here I've noticed that weather coming from the west tends to get pushed northeast by the ridge lines as it crosses Pennsylvania. A lot of snow (and rain) ends up hitting Scranton rather than Philadelphia. The "big" weather is when the nor'easters come up the coast.

Also amused by how the locals treat "cold" weather. Most of my misspent youth was in northern New York state where it was generally this cold (or colder) for most of the winter. I'm walking around in a squall jacket while most of the other pedestrians are bundled up in mufflers, layered jackets, and heavy gloves.*

* - However, I'm only walking three blocks. If I was planning a longer outside excursion I would dress heavier - add a vest and carry a scarf, hat, and gloves.

re: #99 MandyManners

More unclenching fists!!!

Two men were arrested Friday in the investigation of a suspected bomb plot targeting New York City that previously led to charges against a Denver airport driver.

SNIP

They are connected to the American cleric in Yemen who is also connected to the Fort Hood killer? If I heard my news correctly this morning.

re: #1 Dark_Falcon

San Francisco.

re: #35 RogueOne

Lets see, for the last 2 weeks we've heard "the system worked" followed by "well, the system failed but it was the bush system". Now that the president has come out and said "the buck stops here but it was everyones fault" it's all better now? If the buck stops at his desk then who is responsible for the failure that almost killed 300 people on a christmas flight? When the campaign commercials start coming out saying "Obama failed to keep us safe" are we all going to agree, since that's what he said, right? What exactly does taking responsibility do for anyone?

Taking responsibility for a total failure means more than saying "My bad". That may be good enough to make the sycophants swoon but to a cynic like me it means squat.

We heard that "the system worked after the incident", which was then taken out of context as you've done above. We've heard "well, the system failed but it was the bush system" but that noise is from the right claiming that's what the administration is saying (falsely) and then we hear the "buck stops here" where the President steps up yet it's STILL not good enough.

What...do...you... what?

And if your answer is you want to be 100pct safe with no threat of any problems, anywhere, ever then you sure better start advocating for a peaceful world because that is never going to happen in this life time.

The result of a hearing Monday in the case of al-Qaida confederate Ahmed Khalfan Ghailani, who is accused of helping to blow up two U.S. embassies in Africa, could have far-reaching implications for the federal government's decision to try the alleged 9/11 terrorists in the civilian justice system in New York.

Judge Lewis A. Kaplan will hear arguments Monday on whether or not the indictment against Ghailani in United States v. Hage, 98 cr. 1023 (S-10), should be dismissed on speedy-trial grounds, a decision that could serve as a template for the pretrial maneuvering in the controversial case against Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and four others for the Sept. 11, 2001, hijacking of four airliners and attacking New York City and Washington, D.C.
Ghailani's attorneys say their client's case is unique in one respect -- he was arrested in Pakistan in 2004 and then detained and interrogated at CIA "black sites" before being sent to the Guantanamo Bay detention facility on Sept. 6, 2006, for trial by military commission, almost eight years after he had already been indicted in the Southern District of New York for the Aug. 7, 1998, bombings of the U.S. embassies in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, and Nairobi, Kenya, that killed 224 people.

On the surface, the precedent for Ghailani's trial would seem to be the 2001 convictions of four co-defendants in the Southern District in the same crimes.

SNIP

re: #69 oaktree

Greets and saluts; we too had about an inch of snow this morning in the NYC metro area. Just enough to be a nuisance; not too much to be a real pain - and it will stick around for a while since the temps are going to drop all weekend.

re: #90 darthstar
Israel allowed and continues to allow humanitarian aid to go to Gaza, even during Operation Cast Lead. Israel provides Gaza with power even as Hamas and other terror groups cynically target the power plants and power lines that supply Gaza with power so that they can claim that Israel cut their power. Hamas has repeatedly been found to hoard humanitarian aid at the expense of the Gazan masses. Galloway's stunt is just that - a stunt and agitprop designed to bolster Hamas.

The facts show something quite different than Hamas merely allowing the aid to flow to Gazans; Hamas has repeatedly been found to skim food supplies and control the flow of aid to invoke a crisis atmosphere. It's what Hamas does.

re: #100 TampaKnight

Obama could win points in my book if he got the intelligence community together, in one room, and simply stated smacking people around until they drop their petty in-fighting that puts us all at risk.

It wpould help if he could tell Holder to lay off smacking the CIA around.

re: #3 Surabaya Stew

For me the problem was the humidity, spent a week in Key West once, you can't freaking breath down there when you're outside, you have to drink the air!

re: #102 Blueheron

They are connected to the American cleric in Yemen who is also connected to the Fort Hood killer? If I heard my news correctly this morning.

Beats me.

re: #101 oaktree

Do you like it in PA? We were looking at something in York recently, but have never lived out of the South. Don't know what to expect. From what I saw, it seems like a pretty nice place . . .

re: #104 Locker

We heard that "the system worked after the incident", which was then taken out of context as you've done above. We've heard "well, the system failed but it was the bush system" but that noise is from the right claiming that's what the administration is saying (falsely) and then we hear the "buck stops here" where the President steps up yet it's STILL not good enough.

What...do...you... what?

And if your answer is you want to be 100pct safe with no threat of any problems, anywhere, ever then you sure better start advocating for a peaceful world because that is never going to happen in this life time.

Next time he could try stepping to the microphone and looking all grim and serious a little earlier.

Senator McCain has some harsh things to say about public health care in a new add, he’s running in Arizona.

“…A narrator calls McCain "Arizona's last line of defense" against Obama's agenda and says McCain leads the charge against "ridiculously unaffordable ideas like government-run health care."

I find this somewhat curious; since Senator McCain has been on “government-run health care" ever since he was a “gleam in the eye” of his daddy, the Admiral McCain!

I suspect he may soon be against Medi Care, if Rep. J.D. Hayworth gets any closer to him in the polls.

Talking head fail.

re: #102 Blueheron

That's not what I heard; the two arrested this AM are in connection with the arrest of Najibullah Zazi this past September. They're awaiting charges, but the attorney for one of the two arrested today said that the investigation was into conspiracy to use WMD. Both apparently had Paksitani links and Zazi has been linked with AQ, but not necessarily Anwar al Awlaki, who has been linked to both the Fort Hood massacre gunman Hasan and the Christmas Day bomb plotter Mutallab.

Zazi has been linked with terrorists even higher up in the food chain than Awlaki.

Mustafa Abu al-Yazid, an Egyptian reputed to be one of the founders of the terrorist network, used a middleman to contact Afghan immigrant Najibullah Zazi as the 24-year-old man hatched a plot to use homemade backpack bombs, perhaps on the city's mass transit system, the two intelligence officials said.

Intelligence officials declined to discuss the nature of the contact or whether al-Yazid contacted Zazi to offer simple encouragement or help with the bombing plot prosecutors say Zazi was pursuing.

Al-Yazid's contact with Zazi indicates that al-Qaida leadership took an intense interest in what U.S. officials have called one of the most serious terrorism threats crafted on U.S. soil since the 9/11 attacks.

Gotta' love that RoP.

Three Malaysian churches have been firebombed in as tensions over the use of the word Allah by non-Muslims intensify.

The churches in the capital Kuala Lumpur were hit by incendiary devices early on Friday ahead of planned protests by Muslims over a High Court decision to end a ban on the use of the word "Allah" by non-Muslims.

The court has suspended its December 31 decision pending an appeal by the government. The government imposed the ban, saying use of the word could lead to confusion and conversions among members of the Islamic faith.

SNIP

re: #17 freetoken

Sounds like its become a guerrilla culture war if you ask me, no longer about trying to take their values to our kids (except in Texas) and more about how they can try and keep their kids from growing up to be any more intelligent then they are.

There's nothing sadder then when a parent holds their own offspring back regardless of if its out of ignorance, spite or whatever.....

re: #116 jamesfirecat

The sad part in this is that the parents believe that they are right and that they are protecting their children from misrepresentations of the "Truth." They see it as their duty and responsibility to ensure that their children learn the "Truth" and anything that disagrees with their version of it is considered dangerous.

The intent is not malicious nor is it to hold their offspring back. It is misguided and damaging in effect, but is rooted in love and concern for their children.

Work-place accident kills splodey-dopes!!!

Pakistani officials say militants accidentally detonated explosives, flattening their safehouse in the commercial center of Karachi and killing at least seven people.

Bomb squads helped search through the rubble. Police say some of the victims are militants and at least two suspects have been arrested.

SNIP

re: #24 ausador

Wow, this probably has something to do with how we're getting to be over reliant on calculators. Personally I'm not sure I could figure out how to do a tip without one (well give me a pencil and some scratch paper) so it would make sens that we wouldn't be able to do these kinds of problems in our heads.

Still the way people are afraid of doing math, that sends shivers up my spine for some reason...

re: #119 jamesfirecat

Wow, this probably has something to do with how we're getting to be over reliant on calculators. Personally I'm not sure I could figure out how to do a tip without one (well give me a pencil and some scratch paper) so it would make sens that we wouldn't be able to do these kinds of problems in our heads.

Still the way people are afraid of doing math, that sends shivers up my spine for some reason...

How to do a tip? Simple. Calculate 10 per cent then double it. Or, triple it.

re: #114 lawhawk

That's not what I heard; the two arrested this AM are in connection with the arrest of Najibullah Zazi this past September. They're awaiting charges, but the attorney for one of the two arrested today said that the investigation was into conspiracy to use WMD. Both apparently had Paksitani links and Zazi has been linked with AQ, but not necessarily Anwar al Awlaki, who has been linked to both the Fort Hood massacre gunman Hasan and the Christmas Day bomb plotter Mutallab.

Zazi has been linked with terrorists even higher up in the food chain than Awlaki.

Thanks :)

re: #120 MandyManners

How to do a tip? Simple. Calculate 10 per cent then double it. Or, triple it.

Calculate 10% and add half again. If you're a tightwad.

re: #39 rwdflynavy

Yes, and by the way, what bastard decided to make dyslexia so damn difficult to spell? I bet he was in cahoots with the scrabble people!

re: #115 MandyManners

Gotta' love that RoP.

Three Malaysian churches have been firebombed in as tensions over the use of the word Allah by non-Muslims intensify.

SNIP

The Christians are defaming whatshisname?

Fake but accurate on Drudge:
[Link: www.drudgereport.com...]
"X-rayed" woman is just a negative image of a nude woman.

re: #123 jamesfirecat

probably the same guy that made abbreviate such a long word . . .

re: #104 Locker

We heard that "the system worked after the incident", which was then taken out of context as you've done above. We've heard "well, the system failed but it was the bush system" but that noise is from the right claiming that's what the administration is saying (falsely) and then we hear the "buck stops here" where the President steps up yet it's STILL not good enough.

What...do...you... what?

And if your answer is you want to be 100pct safe with no threat of any problems, anywhere, ever then you sure better start advocating for a peaceful world because that is never going to happen in this life time.

I didn't take anything out of context, I was just helping people remember the timeline of the last 2 weeks. A day after Janet was on all the sunday morning shows saying "the system worked" they were out there saying the system didn't work but it was a system implemented by the Bush admin. That is passing the buck. What has gotten on my nerves since the presidents speech yesterday is the whole fan boy swooning over "omg! he admitted mistakes were made and he's in charge!" Because...So Freaking What?! What good is taking the blame for failure if there aren't any consequences for that failure? I'm not actually coming down on the president for admitting mistakes were made just the swooning response from sycophants.

I don't think anyone should be fired for what happened, (although J Napolitano is in over her head) and personally I think the State Dept was more in the wrong here than any other agency. Although, having the Intel heads come out yesterday and say "no way we could have seen this coming" is either a blatant lie or completely incompetent. Maybe if they'd pick up a damn newspaper they would have noticed this is the 3rd freaking time some asshole (pun intended) has tried (one successfully) to blow themselves up with underwear/sphincter bombs.

re: #120 MandyManners

I think a tip should be 15 percent, or worse dear god 12 percent.... I'd probably do that as two problems 10% is easy (just move the decimile over a place), then figure out what 2% was.

I don't think you'd make many friends tipping 10% but I could be wrong since I'm only 21 and the only tips I give are tend to giving out $20 bills to pay for $16 worth of well delivered pizza...

More from the RoP.

At least seven Coptic Christians were killed and another half dozen were wounded - many seriously - after a Thursday morning drive-by shooting after a Christmas midnight mass in Nag Hamadi in Upper Egypt.

Egypt's Coptic Christian community was celebrating midnight mass on Christmas Day, according to the Coptic calendar, when the shooter sprayed a large crowd in front of the church with a hail of gunfire. Many died on the spot. Others were taken to the hospital, in serious condition

.

SNIP

re: #122 thedopefishlives

Calculate 10% and add half again. If you're a tightwad.

Fifteen per cent?!

re: #119 jamesfirecat

Wow, this probably has something to do with how we're getting to be over reliant on calculators. Personally I'm not sure I could figure out how to do a tip without one (well give me a pencil and some scratch paper) so it would make sens that we wouldn't be able to do these kinds of problems in our heads.

Still the way people are afraid of doing math, that sends shivers up my spine for some reason...

I can do math in my head and be very accurate. It comes form years of construction estimating. Figuring the amount of pipe to lay, studs to buy etc.

re: #127 RogueOne

So you think that 'Janet' really did mean that the system worked before, not after, the incident? You don't believe that it was a statement about the response to the incident?

re: #112 oldegeezr

Senator McCain has some harsh things to say about public health care in a new add, he’s running in Arizona.

I find this somewhat curious; since Senator McCain has been on “government-run health care" ever since he was a “gleam in the eye” of his daddy, the Admiral McCain!

I suspect he may soon be against Medi Care, if Rep. J.D. Hayworth gets any closer to him in the polls.

Considering the hole that Medicare is in, and has been, this wouldn't be a terrible idea.

re: #128 jamesfirecat

I think a tip should be 15 percent, or worse dear god 12 percent... I'd probably do that as two problems 10% is easy (just move the decimile over a place), then figure out what 2% was.

I don't think you'd make many friends tipping 10% but I could be wrong since I'm only 21 and the only tips I give are tend to giving out $20 bills to pay for $16 worth of well delivered pizza...

Well, bless your heart. You'll get older and richer.

re: #131 Blueheron

I can do math in my head and be very accurate. It comes form FROMyears of construction estimating. Figuring the amount of pipe to lay, studs to buy etc.

I can not accurately type however:(

re: #124 Blueheron

The Christians are defaming whatshisname?

Yeah, I'd figure out a better word to use for God than *that* one if I lived in Malaysia.

re: #125 bosforus

Actually, it's accurate. Depending on the kind of body scanner involved, they can use xrays to create the image shown on the page. There are two types of body scanners being contemplated for wider use - a millimeter wave technology and a backscatter x-ray technology:

The TSA has tested two technologies, including "millimeter wave" (MMW) technology which bounces radio-frequency waves off people to construct a 3-D image within a few seconds. TSA also temporarily leased four "backscatter" units which use X-ray scanning, although the MMW method is currently faster.

re: #132 Obdicut

No I don't, like I said she's in over her head. Intel is not an area where her strengths lie and I don't think she's a strong enough personality to force the variety of intel shops under her watch to play nice together.

So I set aside my evening last night to watch the BCS game.
My thought's were Alabama would win, but was hoping for a good contest.
In most respects, it was good. However, I was amazed at the Texas coaching staff's dazed and shocked response to their Star QB going down early and not having planned any series with Gilbert in playing just in case. How many weeks did they have to prepare for this game?!
And what's up with the majority of the Texas receivers dropping the ball?! If not for Shipley....
Not that Alabama's QB and play-calling were up to speed either. And I actually was more impressed with 'Bama's second ball carrrier - more so that the trophy winner for durability.

re: #130 MandyManners

Fifteen per cent?!

Technically, it's the "standard" tip. Me, I prefer to tip around 20% - easier to do in my head, it's more generous, and I can afford it.

re: #120 MandyManners

How to do a tip? Simple. Calculate 10 per cent then double it. Or, triple it.

Ouch! I would like to wait on you Mandy :))

re: #113 Obdicut

Well at least he's honest!

re: #137 lawhawk

Actually, it's accurate. Depending on the kind of body scanner involved, they can use xrays to create the image shown on the page. There are two types of body scanners being contemplated for wider use - a millimeter wave technology and a backscatter x-ray technology:

The images at that article invert to black and white, as expected. The image at drudge inverts to a peach color. Do the TSA scanners do their scans in color?

He should be at home playing with his PS3. Seriously. He looks like a baby! Another life ruined by fucking jihad.

re: #140 thedopefishlives

Technically, it's the "standard" tip. Me, I prefer to tip around 20% - easier to do in my head, it's more generous, and I can afford it.

Around here 20 per cent is the standard tip. Servers live on tips.

re: #141 Blueheron

Ouch! I would like to wait on you Mandy :))

In bed?

re: #132 Obdicut

As a matter-of-fact I'd feel better with Hillary in charge of HMS even though the state dept dropped the ball on this one.

re: #127 RogueOne

Spot On, Rogue.

re: #117 SasyMomaCat

Yeah that's why I said "or whatever", I sort of grokked (HOLY CRAP that word doesn't get a red squiggly line underneath it!) that they were doing what they thought was right, and that shifts it from "deplorable" to "pathetic and kinda sad" to my opinion...

re: #138 RogueOne

Okay. That you don't think she has a strong enough personality doesn't have anything to do with whether her initial statement about the system referred to before or after the incident.

I understand you don't like her in that position, but what makes you sure that when she said 'the system worked' she didn't mean the response to the incident?

re: #145 MandyManners

Around here 20 per cent is the standard tip. Servers live on tips.

Of course they do. And that's part of the reason I try to tip well. I couldn't imagine having to make my living doing that kind of work, and I'd want people to be nice to me.

re: #110 SasyMomaCat

I think I'm used to it more than anything else. :)

I've been living in downtown Philly for about three years. Before that I spent 26 of 28 years living in/near Pittsburgh interrupted by a short 2 year stint working in Washington, DC while living in northern VA. Before that was time spent in northern New York (near the 1000 Islands), eastern Indiana, and northern New Jersey.

Weather is standard "northeast gray". Wet winters, damp springs with overcast, humid summers, and fall probably the nicest season. York is far enough west that I think all the weather will come from the west and southwest.

Politically the state is liberal on the two ends (Philly-Pittsburgh) with the middle being agrarian conservative. The Dover, PA school district (of Kitzmiller vs Dover fame) is near York. Though I would expect that one could find quality school districts if that is a leading criteria. I'd say in general that the educational opportunities are good, including a large number of good colleges and universities about if you want to find a town with "small town" feel with an added cultural layer.*

The state bureaucracy is heavy, but appears to be generally functional. Flat rate state income tax, 6% sales tax (with some counties adding a % or two to that) with no sales tax on food and clothing, and townships and school districts often have an income tax as well. (2.5% in the suburb I lived in. Philadelphia charges more.)

I'm not sure what the local utility rates are in that area, so can't comment on that. Probably reasonable given that power plants are plentiful in the general area (coal fired would be my guess) and there are wind farms going up in multiple places to the west of there.

*- I added that remark since my mother moved back east at one point and settled in the city of Meadville in western PA. Put her equidistant to both her sons, one of her sister-in-laws, and in a small industrial city in an agrarian region that had a good college there as well. Provided her with the cultural trapping she desired (including a good library) and the rural setting that allowed her to go hiking and bicycling.

re: #145 MandyManners

Around here 20 per cent is the standard tip. Servers live on tips.

Good on ya. 20% is my standard tip too. If I can afford the luxury of the restaurant, I can afford the tip too. I don't understand people who act as though the tip is a surprise charge at the end of the meal, not part of the price of it.

re: #128 jamesfirecat

I think a tip should be 15 percent, or worse dear god 12 percent... I'd probably do that as two problems 10% is easy (just move the decimile over a place), then figure out what 2% was.

I don't think you'd make many friends tipping 10% but I could be wrong since I'm only 21 and the only tips I give are tend to giving out $20 bills to pay for $16 worth of well delivered pizza...

That's a 25% tip on the pizza. I tend to over-tip on small things (back when I was a bartender and needed tips, I was very generous...tipping a buck a round (a round of drinks was 5-6 bucks at the time). Today, if it's a good meal with nice service, I'll tip 50 bucks on a 200 dollar meal, or 40 bucks if the service wasn't exceptional, but I'll only tip 15% or under if service is marginal or worse. What really sucks is the fact that you can't go out and have a nice meal for two for under a hundred bucks anymore. You can easily drop that much eating shit food at Red Lobster or Chilis.

re: #151 thedopefishlives

Of course they do. And that's part of the reason I try to tip well. I couldn't imagine having to make my living doing that kind of work, and I'd want people to be nice to me.

Spot on.

I worked in a restaurant for a few hours when I was a teen. Ain't enough money to get me to do it again. I MISSED THE FREAKIN' OZZI OSBOURNE CONCERT.

[Link: washingtontimes.com...]

Blackwater cleared in Nisour Square shootings, can we now hear an apology from the left who has tried to make Blackwater out to be some boogie man.

After being cleared I believe Blackwater not only has a perfect vip escort record (not one person in Blackwater's care has ever been killed in Iraq or Afghanistan) and they have not one black mark against their record with this trumped up BS being cleared in court.

re: #132 Obdicut

So you think that 'Janet' really did mean that the system worked before, not after, the incident? You don't believe that it was a statement about the response to the incident?

Napolitono does not project strength. She looks like everybodys favorite aunt. AQ must laugh their butts off when she is at the microphone and it isn't because she is female. Hillary Clinton for instance projects strength and does it very well.

re: #133 TampaKnight

TK, while that may be true; however, were it not for Medi Care and the VA, I would long ago have been nothing more than a cinder on the ash heap of history.

Truth be known, some consider me that, already!

re: #140 thedopefishlives

In some parts of the country, it's easier to just double the tax and round up or down depending. Here in the NYC metro area, the sales tax is usually about 8% - higher in NYC, lower in NJ, so you can round up or down and give you a rough guide.

Besides, nearly every cellphone comes with a tip calculator.

re: #143 bosforus

Depending on the scanning technology, they do have a color enhancement to better contrast potential explosives against the backgrounds... particularly for baggage checks.

Today show has a segment on millimeter wave body scans.

re: #153 Obdicut

Good on ya. 20% is my standard tip too. If I can afford the luxury of the restaurant, I can afford the tip too. I don't understand people who act as though the tip is a surprise charge at the end of the meal, not part of the price of it.

The only change for me is if I go out for dessert. If I do, I tip at least 50 per cent.

re: #150 Obdicut

Okay. That you don't think she has a strong enough personality doesn't have anything to do with whether her initial statement about the system referred to before or after the incident.

I understand you don't like her in that position, but what makes you sure that when she said 'the system worked' she didn't mean the response to the incident?

Yesterday the president came out and said we had a systematic failure and today you're trying to argue that we didn't. The system didn't work before the asshole got on the plane, during the layovers, or during the attempted downing. If not for "human error" on the terrorists part and the bravery of a foreigner we would have lost 300+ people over detroit. Like the president said, the system did not work.

re: #154 darthstar

What really sucks is the fact that you can't go out and have a nice meal for two for under a hundred bucks anymore. You can easily drop that much eating shit food at Red Lobster or Chilis.

Where on Earth do you live? Around these parts, I can get a great meal for myself and the Mrs. Fish at even an upscale, high-class restaurant for less than $50.

re: #154 darthstar

Come to San Francisco; paradoxically the best place in the US to get awesome food on the cheap.

re: #149 jamesfirecat

ya, true - it's sad to see folks who truly want the best for their kids but in attempting to provide that actually damage their capacity for critical thinking.

I'm from a unique background - grew up in that kind of environment with those beliefs, but was actively encouraged to think for myself and use critical thinking skills. I don't think they ever thought I would end up with my current mindset. Same goes for my brother in his thinking. As a result, there are a lot of topics I simply won't discuss with most of my immediate family.

re: #152 oaktree

Ah. Something I forgot to mention. Food.

Variety of ethnic cuisine probably available due to the area being settled by multiple groups. One or more European cuisines close by (Italian, Swedish, German, Polish) and I'd figure somewhere nearby would be able to provide passable Chinese and Mexican.

And I'd expect the York region would provide plenty of opportunity for local produce if that's your interest since it is mainly an agricultural area.

Gotta' git.

re: #159 lawhawk

Interesting. Thanks for that.

re: #160 MandyManners

The only change for me is if I go out for dessert. If I do, I tip at least 50 per cent.

Aw. This ex-bartender, ex-busboy, ex-waiter, ex-jet-ski waiter, thanks you.

re: #139 Ericus58

In response to coaching staff, Mack Brown is a great recruiter, piss-poor coach, read pre Vince Young era. if he didn't have the horses, UT didn't win. The five straight spankings OU put on UT gives a good picture about the quality of the UT coaching staff. If McCoy didn't get hurt, UT would have won.

re: #163 Obdicut

SF is a great food town; so is NYC and Chicago... Great cheap eats abound if you know where to look.

re: #150 Obdicut

I understand "the system" to represent government agencies, not private citizens on holiday.

re: #154 darthstar

That's a 25% tip on the pizza. I tend to over-tip on small things (back when I was a bartender and needed tips, I was very generous...tipping a buck a round (a round of drinks was 5-6 bucks at the time). Today, if it's a good meal with nice service, I'll tip 50 bucks on a 200 dollar meal, or 40 bucks if the service wasn't exceptional, but I'll only tip 15% or under if service is marginal or worse.

My mother raised 2 kids on her own working 2 jobs for tips. That is always in the back of my mind when I tip.

Now to get a bit off topic, (well nothing is really off topic in an overnight form like this is it?) but to go back to that old Science Fiction Thread we had a day or two ago, I was wonder has anyone else hear read the Salvation War? Its an online story that would basically probably make most Culture Warrior's heads explode with rage.

Its basically the Anti-Left Behind story, god decides to call those people who mindlessly worship him to heaven leaving everyone else behind on Earth to die and be eternally tortured in hell. Those of left behind on Earth say "No" and proceed to introduce the demons who arrive to kill us to 120 MM anti tank rounds. Demons who despite being about 8 feet tall and being able to shoot lightning bolts thanks to living under an oppressive dictatorship haven't advanced technologically past the bronze age.

I can provide links if anyone is interested....

re: #152 oaktree

thanks for the info - if anything comes of it, that will be good to know. :)

re: #162 thedopefishlives

Where on Earth do you live? Around these parts, I can get a great meal for myself and the Mrs. Fish at even an upscale, high-class restaurant for less than $50.

I live on the peninsula south of San Francisco...we like to call it 'living in an airport'. Most decent restaurants you can find yourself spending 30+ for an entree. Of course, throwing in a decent bottle of wine also adds 75 bucks or so to the tab. Even if you bring your own (say 25 bucks), you still have to pay almost as much in corkage.

re: #144 MandyManners

He should be at home playing with his PS3. Seriously. He looks like a baby! Another life ruined by fucking jihad.

I agree with that. He looks like a good kid. Too bad.

re: #125 bosforus

Fake but accurate on Drudge:
[Link: www.drudgereport.com...]
"X-rayed" woman is just a negative image of a nude woman.

oh geez!

Hey all, I'm back.

I think I see a family of rats, racoons, and squirrels living there.

re: #176 Blueheron

I agree with that. He looks like a good kid. Too bad.

And, his own dad turned him in!

Tipping is getting ridiculous- I went into a sandwich shop yesterday and they had a giant "tip jar" that they put right in front of your face. The price of that sandwich includes the cost of making it already, so what the hell am I tipping for?

re: #146 MandyManners

In bed?

For 20% you could get up.
For 30% how do you like your eggs ? :)))

re: #163 Obdicut

Come to San Francisco; paradoxically the best place in the US to get awesome food on the cheap.

Oh, I know...we're eating at Town in San Carlos tonight, but tomorrow we're planning on hitting one of our favorite chinese dives or possibly La Corneta after we go see Cirque de Soleil at the ballpark.

re: #171 Ericus58

Again-- why are you convinced that her reference meant the system before the incident, not the system after?

re: #175 darthstar

Come up to the Cancun, then, and throw down $6 on a blow-your-mind-burrito. Or go to the Shanhai Dumpling King, and stuff yourself to the gills with dumplings for $20.

Hell, my favorite dish in SF-- the crab noodles at Poleng-- are 'only' $15.

I'll happily show you one of these delectable places.

re: #180 TampaKnight

Tipping is getting ridiculous- I went into a sandwich shop yesterday and they had a giant "tip jar" that they put right in front of your face. The price of that sandwich includes the cost of making it already, so what the hell am I tipping for?

You are not obliged to tip in that instance.

re: #175 darthstar

I live on the peninsula south of San Francisco...we like to call it 'living in an airport'. Most decent restaurants you can find yourself spending 30+ for an entree. Of course, throwing in a decent bottle of wine also adds 75 bucks or so to the tab. Even if you bring your own (say 25 bucks), you still have to pay almost as much in corkage.

Okay. See, the Mrs. Fish and I don't drink, so that's one expense off our meal prices. For another thing, the absolute most expensive thing I've ever seen on any menu in the Twin Cities area is at the local high-class bar and grill, for $27. I typically pay in the neighborhood of $15 for a decent entree - that'll get you a full rack of ribs or a high-end cut of steak.

re: #133 TampaKnight

Considering the hole that Medicare is in, and has been, this wouldn't be a terrible idea.

And the last 40 or so years he's bee getting treatment as a result of being a POW.

Really can't diss McCain on his use of gubernet run heath-care. His Daddy and He EARNED it.

re: #162 thedopefishlives

Where on Earth do you live? Around these parts, I can get a great meal for myself and the Mrs. Fish at even an upscale, high-class restaurant for less than $50.

I was about to say exactly the same thing. Even the extreme high end around here might cost $75 for dinner for two, and that would be exceptional.

re: #182 darthstar

Oh, you meant food is more expensive down on the penninsula? That's messed up!

The one thing I always grab when I head out of SF on a trip: In-and-Out.

BTW, Kaam comes back with not enough info, but I'm going to guess it's Palisades Beach Road based on the unique cluster.

[Link: tinyurl.com...]

re: #163 Obdicut

Come to San Francisco; paradoxically the best place in the US to get awesome food on the cheap.

My son attends USF... and he's learned a few of them to take us too when we visit. I agree.

re: #181 Blueheron

For 20% you could get up.
For 30% how do you like your eggs ? :)))

Scrambled with heavy whipping cream and parmesan in the mix. I'd like four slices of bacon, three slices of buttered toast and lotsa' ripe canteloupe to go with them.

re: #165 oaktree

Oh, yes - food is a big deal to me! As a fairly "dull" person, it's my primary vice. :)

re: #185 thedopefishlives

That's the good thing about Indy. There are thousands of really good reasonable restaurants around town since no one around here likes to cook for themselves. It's also why we're one of the fattest cities in the country.

re: #153 Obdicut

I don't understand people who act as though the tip is a surprise charge at the end of the meal, not part of the price of it.

That would be my mother. We had a long, drawn out conversation when I took her to an Olive Garden for dinner one night. She couldn't understand why I was tipping the waiter at all, since the whole concept was lost on her. I chalk it up to her age (she's 73) and the fact that she's never worked a service job in her life, so she has no clue that without tips, servers really don't earn squat.

I worked in a restaurant for a while and I have friends that are bartenders, so I always try to tip well. I know what good tips mean for people.

re: #181 Blueheron

For 20% you could get up.
For 30% how do you like your eggs ? :)))

Oh, what the heck. I'd like a Denver omelet, hold the 'shrooms.

re: #186 ggt

And the last 40 or so years he's bee getting treatment as a result of being a POW.

Really can't diss McCain on his use of gubernet run heath-care. His Daddy and He EARNED it.

Great point that I can't believe I missed.

re: #183 Obdicut

Again-- why are you convinced that her reference meant the system before the incident, not the system after?

re: #175 darthstar

Come up to the Cancun, then, and throw down $6 on a blow-your-mind-burrito. Or go to the Shanhai Dumpling King, and stuff yourself to the gills with dumplings for $20.

Hell, my favorite dish in SF-- the crab noodles at Poleng-- are 'only' $15.

I'll happily show you one of these delectable places.

I was always a big fan of the Hang Ah tea room (dim sum) at Sacramento & Stockton...haven't been in years.

I suppose our biggest problem is we like pampering table service (Chenery Park, Chez Spenser, Boulevard, etc.)...that adds a couple bucks to a meal.

re: #193 RogueOne

That's the good thing about Indy. There are thousands of really good reasonable restaurants around town since no one around here likes to cook for themselves. It's also why we're one of the fattest cities in the country.

One thing I love about going home to visit Mom and Dad; they LOVE to treat me and my wife to dinner. Repeatedly and often.

Also, good morning all! Today promises to be an interesting day, since I'm taking the GRE in three hours. Hoo boy. Should be fun. =P

re: #188 Obdicut

Oh, you meant food is more expensive down on the penninsula? That's messed up!

The one thing I always grab when I head out of SF on a trip: In-and-Out.

I've been to In-n-Out once in my life. We do stop at Baja Fresh in Vacaville on our way to Tahoe if we're leaving near lunch time. Or Ikedas in Auburn on our way home.

re: #188 Obdicut

My wife and I like Azie's in the city. It's a little pricey, though.

[Link: www.restaurantlulu.com...]

re: #182 darthstar

Oh, I know...we're eating at Town in San Carlos tonight, but tomorrow we're planning on hitting one of our favorite chinese dives or possibly La Corneta after we go see Cirque de Soleil at the ballpark.

I envy you, the Cirque is just awesome.
Have you been to Teatro Zinzanni?

re: #199 Lidane

Also, good morning all! Today promises to be an interesting day, since I'm taking the GRE in three hours. Hoo boy. Should be fun. =P

I took the GMAT 3 years ago- if the GRE is anything like it, then I hope you have a stiff drink waiting for you at home. Good luck.

re: #173 jamesfirecat

Now to get a bit off topic, (well nothing is really off topic in an overnight form like this is it?) but to go back to that old Science Fiction Thread we had a day or two ago, I was wonder has anyone else hear read the Salvation War? Its an online story that would basically probably make most Culture Warrior's heads explode with rage.

Its basically the Anti-Left Behind story, god decides to call those people who mindlessly worship him to heaven leaving everyone else behind on Earth to die and be eternally tortured in hell. Those of left behind on Earth say "No" and proceed to introduce the demons who arrive to kill us to 120 MM anti tank rounds. Demons who despite being about 8 feet tall and being able to shoot lightning bolts thanks to living under an oppressive dictatorship haven't advanced technologically past the bronze age.

I can provide links if anyone is interested...

Huh? /

A Somali government spokesman says administration officials will meet representatives of the World Food Program this weekend to urge the humanitarian agency to resume its operations.

Abdulkadir Walayo says the Somali government is also calling on other international humanitarian organizations to help needy Somalis.

“Because of this development of stopping humanitarian assistance from the World Food Program to needy Somali people following the threats they received from al-Shabab, now, the government is looking (at) ways and means to resume that (operation) to Somali needy people,” he said.

Last Tuesday, WFP said that increasing threats and attacks on its operations, and unacceptable demands from various armed groups, make it impossible to continue reaching up to one million needy people in southern Somalia. But insurgent group al-Shabab denies attacking WFP operations.

Oh, bullshit. It's al-Shabab all the way. And, they ain't Baptists.

And, now, I'm gone.

re: #191 MandyManners

I see the cantaloupe is the healthy side / ;)

re: #156 lrsshadow

Well then good for them, I guess now it really is fair to say they're the right's equivalent of ACORN a lot of sound and fury from the other side, signifying nothing.

Though I still think "Blackwater" was a foolish name for a company in their line of work, it sounds like the name of the kind of organization that James Bond would have to infiltrate and destroy before they can take over the world.

Black-Water!
They're the men
With the taste for fighting
Its so delighting!
(Imagine sung to the Tune of "Goldfinger, and I won't go on because nothing really rhymes with "water" all that well except "daughter")

re: #173 jamesfirecat

yah I am interested, that sounds funny please send the link

re: #179 MandyManners

And, his own dad turned him in!

I have wondered if that fact isn't why he has been handled the way he has been.

re: #199 Lidane

Good luck - may you score high enough to get into your program and then some!

re: #208 jamesfirecat

That reminds me of the Hank Scorpio episode of The Simpsons. One of my favorites.

Hank Scorpio: By the way, Homer, what's your least favorite country? Italy or France?
Homer: France.
[Scorpio adjusts a giant laser cannon pointing towards the sky]
Hank Scorpio: Heh heh heh. Nobody ever says Italy...

re: #194 Lidane

That would be my mother. We had a long, drawn out conversation when I took her to an Olive Garden for dinner one night. She couldn't understand why I was tipping the waiter at all, since the whole concept was lost on her. I chalk it up to her age (she's 73) and the fact that she's never worked a service job in her life, so she has no clue that without tips, servers really don't earn squat.

I worked in a restaurant for a while and I have friends that are bartenders, so I always try to tip well. I know what good tips mean for people.

I know, my Mom is the same way. One time, I actually made an excuse (went to the bathroom) found the waiter and gave him extra cash and apologized. I think she tipped $5 on a meal that cost over $100 for all of us.

re: #183 Obdicut

IMHO, the 'system' is an organized group of agencies and professionals - not average jack on holiday. Relying on a private citizen to back stop the 'system' is akin to a hail-mary on the last play of the game, down by 5 and on their own 10 yard line.

And even that was bum-luck since the detonation sequence was hosed.

re: #209 lrsshadow

Here you go [Link: bbs.stardestroyer.net...] hope you enjoy it, I know I have!

I was in SF on business once and had a couple hours to kill with two colleagues. Right on the corner in an odd triangle shaped hole in the wall was a brand new, newly opened Coppola's restaurant. They were open for lunch. We went in and the place was deserted--I guess because they had only opened the night before.

They gave us the biggest table so we could spread all our laptops and papers out--a round table in the corner. It was clearly "the power table" as the whole restaurant was seated in twosies leading up to the this one.

Halfway through our lunch, none other than Francis Ford Coppola himself and his entourage came into the place. The employees were very nervous and we got no shortage of nasty looks from the group even though there were lots of seats left.

We ended up paying and leaving early.

re: #203 TampaKnight

Heh, yeah. I've got a bottle of Tito's vodka and some cranberry juice waiting for me when it's all over.

re: #211 SasyMomaCat

Good luck - may you score high enough to get into your program and then some!

Thanks. :)

I have the grades and everything else in place that I need to get in. The only thing I need now is the test and I've got to get at least 500 on it. With any luck, I'll blow past that with no problems. *crosses fingers*

re: #213 ggt

I know, my Mom is the same way. One time, I actually made an excuse (went to the bathroom) found the waiter and gave him extra cash and apologized. I think she tipped $5 on a meal that cost over $100 for all of us.

I once had a British girlfriend who refused to tip since they don't in the UK. She wouldn't listen to me about how little wait people make here and that they rely on tips. She said that instead of tipping, I should try to change the system so they make more money. That relationship didn't last too long.

re: #202 Ericus58

I envy you, the Cirque is just awesome.
Have you been to Teatro Zinzanni?

Funny...I still haven't been to that. Keep meaning to some day. My wife manages the high end food service at the park, so we get tix to things like games, concerts, Cirque, etc.

re: #216 gregb

At least nobody came out of the men's room with a gun.

re: #218 Mad Al-Jaffee

I once had a British girlfriend who refused to tip since they don't in the UK. She wouldn't listen to me about how little wait people make here and that they rely on tips. She said that instead of tipping, I should try to change the system so they make more money. That relationship didn't last too long.

OMG!

Kids are not USB 2.0 compliant, who knew?

[Link: www.denverpost.com...]

Longmont toddler severely burned by putting USB cord in mouth

The family of a Longmont toddler seriously injured when she apparently put a USB cord dangling from a computer into her mouth, is encouraging other families to check their own homes for similar hazards.

"We just don't know what's attractive to children," said the child's grandfather, Jeff Anderson. "Take inventory of electrical cords in your house and unplug them when they aren't in use."

Sixteen-month-old Trinity Anderson was unconscious when she was rushed to Longmont United Hospital on Monday evening, after being shocked by the cord.

The USB cord for a music player was plugged into a laptop that was being charged on the floor next to the chair where her mother, Rhianna Anderson, was sitting. The music player was a Christmas gift. The laptop is less than a year old.

re: #195 MandyManners

Oh, what the heck. I'd like a Denver omelet, hold the 'shrooms.

Now that is more like it! :))

re: #213 ggt

I know, my Mom is the same way. One time, I actually made an excuse (went to the bathroom) found the waiter and gave him extra cash and apologized. I think she tipped $5 on a meal that cost over $100 for all of us.

Ouch. I've managed to avoid that happening, mostly because if my mom and I are together and any meal costs that much, I'll just insist on paying and whip out a credit card, taking the check away from her entirely, or we're with one of my aunts or uncles and they insist on paying, and they're good at tipping.

re: #200 darthstar

I've been to In-n-Out once in my life. We do stop at Baja Fresh in Vacaville on our way to Tahoe if we're leaving near lunch time. Or Ikedas in Auburn on our way home.

LOL, small world - same son at USF lived in Vaca with his mother and he took us to Baja - and yes, it was great.

Party on, Darth!

re: #222 RogueOne

Just wait until the USB 3.0 standard comes out.

re: #222 RogueOne

Kids are not USB 2.0 compliant, who knew?

I know a guy who used to drive his other crazy by putting his tongue in the light socket (this was before all the safety gadgets). I wouldn't have EVER thought of doing at as a young child.

They guy is still an adrenaline junkie--with little boys as crazy as he is.

What we are seeing, in other words, is Barack Obama's economy--the foreseeable consequence of the terrible economic policies that he, Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid have imposed or threatened to impose on the nation. There will of course be a recovery, as always; but that recovery will be much stronger and faster if Congress makes clear that it will block any further assaults on the economy in the form of cap and trade, massive tax increases, and so on.

intentional, or just plain stupid?...I say the former

[Link: www.powerlineblog.com...]

re: #219 darthstar

Funny...I still haven't been to that. Keep meaning to some day. My wife manages the high end food service at the park, so we get tix to things like games, concerts, Cirque, etc.

Sorta the same situation here. My spouse works in marketing for the best cable company on the planet! (They get me tix to all kinds of concerts) Free tickets are always the best tickets.

re: #219 darthstar

Funny...I still haven't been to that. Keep meaning to some day. My wife manages the high end food service at the park, so we get tix to things like games, concerts, Cirque, etc.

Having been to both the Seattle and SF Zinzanni's - the show is better at SF but the food is better in Seattle (Tom Douglas menu).

Go and have fun, you'll like it.

Most of the current acrimony over counterterrorism is stale. The debate is simply a rehash of issues that were discussed and, in fact, resolved early last decade.

new VDH

[Link: article.nationalreview.com...]

re: #216 gregb

I've been to the restaurant James Carville owns in DC. Didn't spot the Cajun gnome, but my brother has seen him there.

re: #226 gregb

re: #227 ggt

I'm surprised the kid got burned that badly. I didn't think there was enough juice coming out of a USB port to really hurt someone, according to the story she got screwed up pretty good. Poor little kid.

re: #233 RogueOne

re: #227 ggt

I'm surprised the kid got burned that badly. I didn't think there was enough juice coming out of a USB port to really hurt someone, according to the story she got screwed up pretty good. Poor little kid.

USB is capable of powering small devices; it's in the spec. It'll get ya good if you let it.

re: #218 Mad Al-Jaffee

I once had a British girlfriend who refused to tip since they don't in the UK. She wouldn't listen to me about how little wait people make here and that they rely on tips. She said that instead of tipping, I should try to change the system so they make more money. That relationship didn't last too long.

My British friends are astounded by the 'service' industry people here in the states. After visiting them in GB I can understand why. In GB you fend for yourself while the wait staff has a little chat.:X

Sounds like you made a good decision about her :)

re: #214 Ericus58

Again: Why do you disbelieve that she meant the system after the incident, rather than before?

re: #222 RogueOne

Makes me glad that mine is too old to be innocently sticking cords in his mouth.

re: #218 Mad Al-Jaffee

In France, the tipping is included in the price - waiters are treated as more of a professional avocation than a stepping stone to something else. It makes calculating the bill so much easier, but if service sucks, you can't do anything about it. I see the merits of both systems, but tip according to local rules - if in much of Europe, the tip is built in; in the US, you tip accordingly (and watch for where the tip is built in for larger groups).

re: #235 Blueheron

Sounds like you made a good decision about her :)

It was actually the other way around, but I'm very glad she left me. We became friends again, years later through email but I haven't been in touch with her in a long time.

Update on the "NOBama" t-shirt kid.

[Link: www.denverpost.com...]

[Link: www.denverpost.com...]

A Dakota Ridge High School student who wore a "Nobama" sticker taped across the front of his shirt prior to an appearance by Michelle Obama will receive $4,000 from Jefferson County authorities, the ACLU of Colorado announced today.

The $4,000 settlement agreement with the Jefferson County Sheriff's Department and the Jefferson County School District avoided a potential lawsuit, according to a news release from Taylor Pendergrass, ACLU staff attorney.

re: #238 lawhawk

In France, the tipping is included in the price - waiters are treated as more of a professional avocation than a stepping stone to something else. It makes calculating the bill so much easier, but if service sucks, you can't do anything about it. I see the merits of both systems, but tip according to local rules - if in much of Europe, the tip is built in; in the US, you tip accordingly (and watch for where the tip is built in for larger groups).

I always saw tipping as a sort of commission. If you do your job well, you earn more. But then, again, I'm a capitalist.

re: #238 lawhawk

Seriously, I don't get the people who think that saying "Well, in Germany, we don't tip!" is any sort of explanation. Because, well, they're not in Germany.

(Not singling out Germans in particular.)

This is why IER's president, Thomas J. Pyle, says that "when it comes to paving the way for the responsible development of homegrown, job-creating energy resources, no administration in history has done more to ensure producers do less." Similarly, David Holt, president of the Consumer Energy Alliance, offers this common-sense observation: "Adding layers of additional and unnecessary bureaucratic red tape to the federal oil and gas leasing process will result in less homegrown energy. ... At the same time, erecting these needless roadblocks for safely producing American energy will not only lead to more expensive and less stable prices for struggling consumers, but it will also deepen our nation's dependence on foreign and often unfriendly regions of the world to meet our growing demands and to keep our economy moving." In other words, Obama's policies in the energy field are producing exactly the opposite result he claims to seek.

can BO really be this stupid, or is this intentional?

[Link: www.washingtonexaminer.com...]

Bad news for fans of Natalie Portman (well, at least male fans.)

re: #242 Obdicut

(Not singling out Germans in particular.)

Toss that in for walter?//

re: #236 Obdicut

Again: Why do you disbelieve that she meant the system after the incident, rather than before?

you can really beat a dead horse

re: #241 ggt

That, of course, presumes that the majority of the patrons take that approach. I would think that would work best in higher-end restaurants. Around here, the service staff at the "nicer" chains and nice independent restaurants do pretty well. Mid-range servers, however, seem to attract a crowd that doesn't understand the concept of tipping - they either go with a flat 10% (with nothing if the service is poor) or don't tip any more than $2. It's really pathetic, quite frankly.

re: #241 ggt

Of course what not many people may realize is that a tip is actually a TIP "To Insure Promptness" or at least that's one theory of the origin of the phrase/word that I've heard. Of course if you tip at the very start of the meal it ends up seeming more like a bribe doesn't it?

re: #243 albusteve

Steve, the Consumer Energy Alliance are oil-industry lobbyists.

[Link: www.thedeets.com...]

Talking about Zinzanni reminded me of the first show my wife and I went to here in Seattle. I hadn't read the bill of scheduled performers and went in blind.

One of the acts was two twin gals, just gorgeous and bubbly - renowned for their trapeze bar act. Well, during the evening I thought it was just one gal and was constantly amazed at how she was able to 'pop up' at different places in the dinner theater during the evening (is there a tunnel under the seating area?!).

When it came time for their performance, they both came into the tent together in simmering costumes! Shaka!! And as they mirrored each other on the bar above us, I was smitten. My wife still ribs me about my expressions during their act ;)

re: #248 jamesfirecat

Of course what not many people may realize is that a tip is actually a TIP "To Insure Promptness" or at least that's one theory of the origin of the phrase/word that I've heard. Of course if you tip at the very start of the meal it ends up seeming more like a bribe doesn't it?

I, for one, really appreciate having someone serve me. I am happy to pay for it.

re: #251 ggt

agreed - I certainly believe in rewarding good service. Acceptable and competent service gets at least 20%. It goes up from there.