Charles Johnson Images • Thu Aug 19, 2010 at 10:49 pm PDT • Views: 1,043
The desert rain lasted only 20 minutes, but the next morning all the cacti were shamelessly blooming.
Click to embiggen
(Camera: iPhone 4.)
Advertisement
482 comments
Comments do not necessarily reflect the views of Little Green Footballs.
Obscene, abusive, silly, or annoying remarks may be deleted, but the fact that particular comments remain on the site in no way constitutes an endorsement of their views by Little Green Footballs.
Posts that contain phone numbers, street addresses, email addresses or other personal information will also be deleted, as will posts that consist only of a variation on the word, "First!"
Comments that advocate violence will be cause for immediate banning with no appeal.
Disagreement and debate are welcome, but insults and abuse are not, and may cause your account to be blocked.
REMEMBER: posting comments at LGF is a privilege, not a right. Abuse that privilege, and your account will be blocked.
Charles, how do you like the iPhone 4 camera? The photo looks pretty good.
It's a 5 megapixel camera, and the color reproduction is very good. It won't replace my Nikon D90, but it works very well for certain kinds of shots. Best cell phone camera I've seen.
Seriously. TFK drove me NUTS. The Kerry crap. And the cryptic little messages. Sunspots! Sunspots!
But people told me he was a Vietnam vet, and had some brain damage, so I was really pretty damn patient for ages, and then he flounced, and it turned out he could like totally write complete sentences.
Seriously. TFK drove me NUTS. The Kerry crap. And the cryptic little messages. Sunspots! Sunspots!
But people told me he was a Vietnam vet, and had some brain damage, so I was really pretty damn patient for ages, and then he flounced, and it turned out he could like totally write complete sentences.
oh, he was the creepy obsessed Kerryhaterade guy! I know them by the stories but I always mix up their names
oh, he was the creepy obsessed Kerryhaterade guy! I know them by the stories but I always mix up their names
TFK had some serious deep dislike going for Kerry. You remember the crazy old Nazi, the playwright, in The Producers, who keeps ranting about Churchill? Every time they think they're gonna change the subject, he takes a deep breath and bellows "Chuurrrchilll!!!"
TFK had some serious deep dislike going for Kerry. You remember the crazy old Nazi, the playwright, in The Producers, who keeps ranting about Churchill? Every time they think they're gonna change the subject, he takes a deep breath and bellows "Chuurrrchilll!!!"
TFK had some serious deep dislike going for Kerry. You remember the crazy old Nazi, the playwright, in The Producers, who keeps ranting about Churchill? Every time they think they're gonna change the subject, he takes a deep breath and bellows "Chuurrrchilll!!!"
That was TFK and John Kerry.
Ah. Should have just said he was like a certain other poster and "radical Islam" every time he shows up.
TFK had some serious deep dislike going for Kerry. You remember the crazy old Nazi, the playwright, in The Producers, who keeps ranting about Churchill? Every time they think they're gonna change the subject, he takes a deep breath and bellows "Chuurrrchilll!!!"
That was TFK and John Kerry.
wowsers!
I figure there's every color of the rainbow of terrifying emotional vietnam trauma that I can't even being to understand, and it all seemed to get expressed like some sort of acid flashback during the 2004 campaign
Goodnight Wind, WUB, Cato, SFZ, IHOP Guy & everyone else. (pls don't feel diminished because I was too lazy to type out your names, you are in my head, no worries)
Goodnight Wind, WUB, Cato, SFZ, IHOP Guy & everyone else. (pls don't feel diminished because I was too lazy to type out your names, you are in my head, no worries)
Goodnight Wind, WUB, Cato, SFZ, IHOP Guy & everyone else. (pls don't feel diminished because I was too lazy to type out your names, you are in my head, no worries)
Goodnight Wind, WUB, Cato, SFZ, IHOP Guy & everyone else. (pls don't feel diminished because I was too lazy to type out your names, you are in my head, no worries)
Having grown up in the northeast and visited the SW a few times, I was always under the impression the cacti bloomed in June or thereabouts. Was this a recent pic? Lovely, whenever it was taken.
I was there in winter, so the reptiles were not much in evidence.
But there was a nun at the monastery I stayed at who liked to feed the coyotes, so Haku and I saw plenty of those.
There were certain neighbors who wanted to shoot that nun.
Hahahaaa... well from what I understand, the place has grown so much that the reptiles aren't so visible anymore. In fact they no longer hold the annual turtle race. I lived there in in 1959 and 1960.
By the way, 'taxfreekiller' tried to register again today, for the seventh time.
Why am I not surprised? The stalkers are going to be especially "festive" since you were mentioned in the Post.
The level of projection of those slimes has never ceased to astound me.
Of course, like all losers, all things wrong in their lives must be someone else's fault. This is ironic with all of their discussions about how tough and self-reliant they are. It astonishes me how they fixated on you, and me.
And of course all the other conspiracies out there, aimed right at them.
A good dose with the clue bat for many of them might be that it is not Obama's or yours or anyone's fault that the great drama of their lives has been so "tragic."
Take Savage for instance. He is an unemployed truck driver with apparently no other skills. In that situation you do something else, you get an education, you do something to better yourself. But of course that would be shining a mirror. The same goes for their hatred and persistent abuse of women.
It is not that there are dark forces conspiring against them in this front. It is not that women are too snooty or something is wrong with the women. It is the simple fact that creepy older men, with chicken legs and beer guts, no manners, no prospects and no conversational skills are not so attractive to any woman with sense.
But that would be shining a mirror.
So of course it is everyone else's fault. I have always written that these are nothing more or less than whiny betas with over developed sense of entitlement. The irony that they are far right wackos only adds to it.
So my advice to them is:
1. Get a job - at least try to find one.
2. Get out and experience something with some culture.
3. Read something that wasn't from a far right hate group and actually learn some facts, it will expand your horizons.
4. Learn that women aren't impressed with talk of how tough you are. They know over compensation when they see it, and they know that an alpha, need not brag.
5. Lose the beer gut. Really guys. You will feel so much better about yourselves. It isn't like you have intelligence, education, talent or charm to attract anyone.
5. Employ this enlightenment and newly found self confidence to meeting someone. Then the world will feel so much better!
Here's Pamz, trying to hide her hateful face behind stringy hair (but check out that arm!); the Poison Dwarf, sneering as usual; and some sunglassed guy who's probably their bodyguard.
Why do you continue to go there? Maybe you ought to stop doing that.
Ohh I did stop. I haven't looked there in days. That doesn't change the facts about them. These creatures fixated and stagnated in their own little loser worlds some time ago. Adults who regress to the level of whiny, surly teenagers, don't change that rapidly. If anything, they get worse if left on their own.
I am. I'm a six-four male evangelical Christian trucker from Twain Hart. I cast my first vote for Ronald Reagan and never regretted it.
But I enjoy hanging out on the Web, pretending to be a thirty-something Jewish girl schoolteacher from the Bay Area.
Well, if you are that male evangelical Christian trucker, you are a learned one. You know more about our religion than anyone her except perhaps Alouette and a very few others. Certainly more than me (my excuse is that I was raised a poor Reform child).
They devoted an entire issue of Philosphical Trans. B to the subject. Two of the papers touch on the effects of climate change - I've read the one by Jaggard. Would be interested in your thoughts.
Ohh I did stop. I haven't looked there in days. That doesn't change the facts about them. These creatures fixated and stagnated in their own little loser worlds some time ago. Adults who regress to the level of whiny, surly teenagers, don't change that rapidly. If anything, they get worse if left on their own.
I seem to go about my day without harboring any animosity for the departed.
They devoted an entire issue of Philosphical Trans. B to the subject. Two of the papers touch on the effects of climate change - I've read the one by Jaggard. Would be interested in your thoughts.
I haven't had the chance to read the papers, but, I was planning on curling up with them this weekend and making a mini blog post about it.
Back when I was a karaoke regular, I'd request that one. The KJ said he'd had the song for over 5 years and I was the only one who ever asked for it. Somehow that made me proud.
It's not an easy song to perform, as you don't get many chances to breathe. It's fun, though, and it gets attention, along the lines of, "Holy sh**, I haven't heard that in ages!"
I haven't had the chance to read the papers, but, I was planning on curling up with them this weekend and making a mini blog post about it.
Well, I was thinking of writing about Jaggard's et. al. paper - the Guardian article on the whole issue really messed up IMO. Just didnt' relay the tentativeness that is found in the paper. Even then, paper relies on some previous work that I think we can pretty much dismiss as being too preliminary or just not well based empirically.
Well, I was thinking of writing about Jaggard's et. al. paper - the Guardian article on the whole issue really messed up IMO. Just didnt' relay the tentativeness that is found in the paper. Even then, paper relies on some previous work that I think we can pretty much dismiss as being too preliminary or just not well based empirically.
Actually I am reading it now. It is my professional opinion that the paper is crap.
I say this for the following reasons:
1. Assuming the 550ppm world he is talking about, there will be drastic swings in very high temperature days. It has been demonstrated that the increase in scorchers and an overall warmer baseline has a very nasty negative effect on crops. It was shown on large scale in Russia just this harvest.
2. When he writes:
Airborne pests and diseases should remain controllable, so
long as policy changes do not remove too many types of crop-protection chemicals.
He does not take into account the proven loss of effectiveness of many pesticides in warmer weather, or the proliferation of insects associated with higher CO2 levels. He also does not take into account that weeds are the plants that do best in such an environment.
3. When he writes:
If this gap is closed and accompanied by improvements
in potential yields then there is a good prospect that crop production will increase by approximately 50 per cent or more by 2050 without extra land.
He has gone completely off his rocker. He does not take into account that crops need water as well to grow, and all predictions show much of the world's current bread basket significantly drying up. Crops also don't like to be drowned. Many other farming regions will get dramatically increased precipitation.
This is a paper that is bound to draw some very heavy criticism.
Well, I was thinking of writing about Jaggard's et. al. paper - the Guardian article on the whole issue really messed up IMO. Just didnt' relay the tentativeness that is found in the paper. Even then, paper relies on some previous work that I think we can pretty much dismiss as being too preliminary or just not well based empirically.
Oh dear G-d, I can just see where they will go with that... I am frightened to even look.
IN the same issue is a paper about the obvious question of what about water and temperature?
Competition for water for the food system
Kenneth Strzepek1,2 and Brent Boehlert3,*
1University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, USA
2The Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
3Industrial Economics, Inc., Cambridge, MA, USA
Although the global agricultural system will need to provide more food for a growing and wealthier population in decades to come, increasing demands for water and potential impacts of climate change pose threats to food systems. We review the primary threats to agricultural water availability, and model the potential effects of increases in municipal and industrial
(M&I) water demands, environmental flow requirements (EFRs) and changing water supplies given climate change. Our models show that, together, these factors cause an 18 per cent reduction in the availability of worldwide water for agriculture by 2050. Meeting EFRs, which can necessitate more than 50 per cent of the mean annual run-off in a basin depending on its hydrograph, presents the single biggest threat to agricultural water availability. Next are increases in M&I demands, which are projected to increase upwards of 200 per cent by 2050 in developing countries with rapidly increasing populations and incomes. Climate change will affect the spatial and temporal distribution of run-off, and thus affect availability from the supply side. The combined effect of these factors can be dramatic in particular hotspots, which include northern Africa, India, China, parts of Europe, the western US and eastern Australia, among others.
Oh dear G-d, I can just see where they will go with that... I am frightened to even look.
Here's how the Guardian reported it:
A team of scientists at Rothamsted, the UK's largest agricultural research centre, suggests that extra carbon dioxide in the air from global warming, [ugh - what a horrible sentence fragment,] along with better fertilisers and chemicals to protect arable crops, could hugely increase yields and reduce water consumption.
"Plant breeders will probably be able to increase yields considerably in the CO2 enriched environments of the future … There is a large gap between achievable yields and those delivered ... but if this is closed then there is good prospect that crop production will increase by about 50% or more by 2050 without extra land", says the paper by Dr Keith Jaggard et al.
Makes everything sound hunky-dory, doesn't it? The deniers will have a hay-day quoting that Guardian piece.
Only problem is, it's not really what the paper says! The paper does present the possibility of significantly increased crop production in 2050, but CO2 increases only play a small part in that, and only for certain crops!
Jaggard et. al. clearly point out that the important actions to increasing future crop production is through improved breeding, improved techniques among the less efficient farmers, and increasing use of fertilizers/pesticides in those nations now too poor to use much. Increase yields due to CO2 among certain crops are essentially cut in half by increased ozone (that comes in the future too.)
The other paper on climate change affecting food is much more cautious.
I think it is the political associations, real or perceived, that seem to set it off: AGW deniers see AGW as a plot to increase government control, see envornmentalists as a bunch of tree-huggers who want us all to live in lean-tos and wipe our butts with toilet paper.
And the science is too broad and complicated to fit into the sound-byte format of modern reporting, which makes it easy to pluck a few contradictory bits out at present them as proof that AGW is all a plot against humanity.
And the science is too broad and complicated to fit into the sound-byte format of modern reporting, which makes it easy to pluck a few contradictory bits out at present them as proof that AGW is all a plot against humanity.
Agree, that happens.
On a more fundamental level, newspapers (even online) and broadcast news suffer from a failed model of information transfer that shows up especially strongly when it comes to highly technical subjects like science and engineering.
A news outlet tends to use few (maybe only one) reporters that are expected to write articles on a wide variety of topics. And often. This keeps them from developing the needed expertise to read actual science papers or technical reports and being able to summarize them accurately to communicate to the general populace what is really going on.
This of course is why general purpose science mags were invented (e.g., Scientific American.) Yet those types of mags reach only a small share of the general population, compared to the big name news outlets.
On a more fundamental level, newspapers (even online) and broadcast news suffer from a failed model of information transfer that shows up especially strongly when it comes to highly technical subjects like science and engineering.
A news outlet tends to use few (maybe only one) reporters that are expected to write articles on a wide variety of topics. And often. This keeps them from developing the needed expertise to read actual science papers or technical reports and being able to summarize them accurately to communicate to the general populace what is really going on.
This of course is why general purpose science mags were invented (e.g., Scientific American.) Yet those types of mags reach only a small share of the general population, compared to the big name news outlets.
And if you have an agenda to promote, it is all too easy to find a few isolated facts to support your point of view. Or to hack into some private correspondence and cherry-pick a few...
Al Gore also made a mistake in thinking that he could retire from politics and then present the topic as a sort of elder statesman. But he wound up leading the discussion to assume a partisan edge that makes rational discussion night unto impossible.
On a more fundamental level, newspapers (even online) and broadcast news suffer from a failed model of information transfer that shows up especially strongly when it comes to highly technical subjects like science and engineering.
A news outlet tends to use few (maybe only one) reporters that are expected to write articles on a wide variety of topics. And often. This keeps them from developing the needed expertise to read actual science papers or technical reports and being able to summarize them accurately to communicate to the general populace what is really going on.
This of course is why general purpose science mags were invented (e.g., Scientific American.) Yet those types of mags reach only a small share of the general population, compared to the big name news outlets.
Those mags only interest the scientific audience. Many folks won't use their limited free time to read that stuff. We here on this site are the minority when it comes to intellectual curiosity. We tend to be information addicts and are shocked when others don't read the stuff we do. That is very much like my other time sink, slashdot.org. AGW is promoted as an on going process by the majority of climatologists. Those opposed often accuse those same scientists as having an ulterior motive, like doing it for continued academic funding. Having so many publish scientific evidence for AGW, dismissing all that based on greed seems a bit far fetched and entering the realm moderated by the likes of Rod Serling.
There are hundreds of millions of dollars of funding at stake in AGW research, and given human nature, it would tend to affect the scientists' approach, but compare that to the trillions of dollars at stake for the world's energy and petroleum industries...
My middle son has autism. He is 12 and such a sweet boy. Very intelligent, loves to draw and loves Google Maps Street View. He knows the roads in our area better than we do.
His medium used to be masking tape. He would make the most amazing 3D creations: bridges, streetlights, roads, playgrounds. He has moved past that, but not before we had to replace all the carpet in our house from tape residue destruction!
There are hundreds of millions of dollars of funding at stake in AGW research, and given human nature, it would tend to affect the scientists' approach, but compare that to the trillions of dollars at stake for the world's energy and petroleum industries...
Yes... their is a lot of research money. But having two brothers who have a PhD in science, I would never believe them capable of joining some grand conspiracy to keep them funded. They actually believe in what they do. Go figure! Both also found wives who also have PhDs and do research. I would never question their integrity as well. The amount of work required to achieve that level of expertise is not something that would be put at risk by so many. Sure, people have faked results and will fake results. But hypothesizing that the vast majority of scientists of a specific field would all support the same falsehood knowing all their hard work would be for naught if they were exposed does not pass the smell test. And that smell is something like dimethyl sulfide. :)
. ...But hypothesizing that the vast majority of scientists of a specific field would all support the same falsehood knowing all their hard work would be for naught if they were exposed does not pass the smell test. And that smell is something like dimethyl sulfide. :)
Chris Fonseca, the comedian is severely handicapped. He's funny as hell... there are clips of him on the interweaves...
Anyhoo, when I saw him, he pulled out a piano keyboard, and said,
"You've heard how some people who are autistic are geniuses with instruments? Well, I've got a treat for you!" Starts playing the piano keyboard... basically just banging on the keys. Absolutely no musical ability... just noise. Plays for about a minute and a half, then stopped.
Looked up at the audience and said, "I'm not autistic. I have cerebral palsy.".
The critics, including an activist from the Free Gaza movement who was aboard the Mavi Marmara, are organizing demonstrations on Sunday outside the BBC’s London headquarters and other BBC offices, and are calling for a mass campaign of complaints to the BBC in general and the program makers in particular.
CUT
I'm stunned that the BBC opted to tell the truth instead of sucking up to the terrorists and terrsymps.
by Sir Thomas Wyatt
Rating: 3.91
Votes: 11
They flee from me that sometime did me seek,
With naked foot stalking in my chamber.
I have seen them gentle, tame, and meek
That are now wild and do not remember
That sometime they put themselves in danger
To take bread at my hand; and now they range
Busily seeking with a continual change.
Thanked be fortune, it hath been otherwise
Twenty times better; but once in special,
In thin array after a pleasant guise,
When her loose gown did from her shoulders did fall,
And she me caught in her arms long and small,
Therewithall sweetly did me kiss,
And softly said, "Dear heart, how like you this?"
It was no dream, I lay broad waking.
But all is turned thorough my gentleness,
Into a strange fashion of forsaking;
And I have leave to go of her goodness,
And she also to use newfangleness.
But since that I so kindly am served,
I would fain know what she hath deserved.
I am. I'm a six-four male evangelical Christian trucker from Twain Hart. I cast my first vote for Ronald Reagan and never regretted it.
But I enjoy hanging out on the Web, pretending to be a thirty-something Jewish girl schoolteacher from the Bay Area.
That's weird. I'm a thirty-something Jewish girl schoolteacher from the Bay Area pretending to be a forty-something male Mormon bureaucrat from Georgia with 7 kids, 4 cats, 2 dogs and a turtle. /
Well, FBV, there are the "Travelers". They are Roma by way of Ireland and have a reputation as being scam artists and living off the grid.
When I lived in Augusta, there were many Travelers that lived there and also in McCormick SC. They are a closed society with strict rules of secrecy, banishment if families don't keep to those rules.
Do you remember several years ago the video of a woman in a white SUV beating her little girl? She was from a traveler family. She was subsequently shunned for turning a spotlight on the Traveler society.
I'm at the docs with my wife and I was just informed it's going to be another hour before the procedure. Amuse me people!
She Walks In Beauty
by Lord Byron
Rating: 3.67
Votes: 3
She walks in beauty, like the night
Of cloudless climes and starry skies;
And all that's best of dark and bright
Meet in her aspect and her eyes:
Thus mellowed to that tender light
Which heaven to gaudy day denies.
One shade the more, one ray the less,
Had half impaired the nameless grace
Which waves in every raven tress,
Or softly lightens o'er her face;
Where thoughts serenely sweet express
How pure, how dear their dwelling place.
And on that cheek, and o'er that brow,
So soft, so calm, yet eloquent,
The smiles that win, the tints that glow,
But tell of days in goodness spent,
A mind at peace with all below,
A heart whose love is innocent!
re: #152 prairiefire
There is a group of squatters here in Georgia that has just achieved true diversity by bringing together black supremecists and white supremecists in a common cause. Theft and Paper Terrorism.
White people run scams too, you know. As do those of every color.
The Roma have been systematically disposessed and ghettoized. They do have a higher incidence of petty crime than those who haven't.
What is done to them, though, is far worse than they do to others. Police in Italy barely even investigate their murders, the burnings of their camps.
Many governments have special 'taxes' specially for the Roma-- stealing from them, with the excuse that the Roma steal. Except these taxes affect all Roma, not just those who are criminal.
Yes. They're also persecuted-- and the result of long-standing persecution-- but a very different group.
The Roma, the Travelers, the Baque, and the Sami were all seriously fucked over in Europe. The Sami have the good luck to have been fucked over by the Scandinavians, who are now attempting to un-fuck them.
Lawyer/dentist/realtor Orly Taitz has now filed more pleadings with the US Supreme Court in her attempt to kill the $20K sanctions order and, while she is at it, further the birther movement..
She may become the first lawyer to be sanctioned by SCOTUS for frivolous pleading if she keeps this up. I expect them to show very little patience for her nonsense.
"Exactly 70 years ago war-time leader Winston Churchill stood up and addressed parliament to hail the efforts of the aircrew who were fighting overhead.
"Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few," he pronounced in the midst of his speech.
History tells us that outnumbered British air power, including Polish, Canadian and New Zealand pilots among others, defied the odds to withstand the Luftwaffe and a possible invasion."
Yeah. The Sami have already had their religion destroyed, the massacre of beaver (don't) has taken away a really important part of their lifestyle, and their language has been broken up and suppressed.
But at least the Scandinavians are trying to help them now, instead of further fucking them over, as everyone is doing to the Roma.
Plus all the British people working as the citizens' brigade. In Julie Andrew's memoir "Home", she told about how as a small child she was told to stand watch at night for the German planes as she was the only one who could discern the sound of their engines.
Them that's got shall get
Them that's not shall lose
So the Bible said and it still is news
Mama may have, Papa may have
But God bless the child that's got his own
That's got his own
Yes, the strong gets more
While the weak ones fade
Empty pockets don't ever make the grade
Mama may have, Papa may have
But God bless the child that's got his own
That's got his own
Money, you've got lots of friends
Crowding round the door
When you're gone, spending ends
They don't come no more
Rich relations give
Crust of bread and such
You can help yourself
But don't take too much
Mama may have, Papa may have
But God bless the child that's got his own
That's got his own
Mama may have, Papa may have
But God bless the child that's got his own
That's got his own
He just worry 'bout nothin'
Cause he's got his own
Good luck! I think the only problem I have with babies is they grow up. My 6 year old is growing to the cusp of reality, and being our last, it saddens me to think I'll have no one to talk about Unicorns and Fairies with. Now if I could get my 12 year old to embrace the bass guitar, I'd be on my way to the Family Band and could restart my adolescence for the 4th or 5th time.
Good luck! I think the only problem I have with babies is they grow up. My 6 year old is growing to the cusp of reality, and being our last, it saddens me to think I'll have no one to talk about Unicorns and Fairies with. Now if I could get my 12 year old to embrace the bass guitar, I'd be on my way to the Family Band and could restart my adolescence for the 4th or 5th time.
Yes, they do.
*sob*
From yesterday:
399 reine.de.tout
8/19/2010 8:05:16 pm PDT
*sob*
My precious baby daughter, who yesterday I put on a school bus for her first day of kindergarten, moved into a COLLEGE DORM today.
It's mighty quiet here tonight.
Not very similar, but the use of shapes is kind of similar.
Wow! There is a similarity.
I also like the colors in windsagio's brother's art. I'm thinking I may just have to buy a print or two, soon as windsagio gets back and I can figure out how to do it (instructions at the site are vague).
I will have three starting college in the Spring. We will probably have them home as they complete their first two years to help them avoid the cost of dorms and on campus living.
As melancholy as it is to see them depart childhood the joy of watching them become adults is more than adequate compensation. (I'm also counting on some grandbabies to spoil within the next 5-10 years).
I lost a spelling bee in the 6th grade with the word "vague".
I'm going to go cry for a bit.
I lost a 7th grade spelling bee with "misspell" (I spelled it with only one "s" - duh! Coulda shot myself. I knew perfectly well how to spell "ptomaine", but they asked me for "misspell").
There's still a hint of similarity, though. Makes me wonder if Tolkein was had something in common with some autists, though obviously his mastery of language means he definitely wasn't autistic.
I will have three starting college in the Spring. We will probably have them home as they complete their first two years to help them avoid the cost of dorms and on campus living.
As melancholy as it is to see them depart childhood the joy of watching them become adults is more than adequate compensation. (I'm also counting on some grandbabies to spoil within the next 5-10 years).
Yes, I'm finding I'm very excited for her.
Although, she just showed up here, LOL. She's an early riser, and was keeping her roommate awake, so she came home to pick up a few things. I hope, truly I hope, that she finds a nice routine ON CAMPUS and pretty much stays there. Not that I don't miss her - but she needs to let go of home, as much as home needs to let go of her.
I lost a 7th grade spelling bee with "misspell" (I spelled it with only one "s" - duh! Coulda shot myself. I knew perfectly well how to spell "ptomaine", but they asked me for "misspell").
Spelling (English words) appears to be like organic chemistry. There's all the fun rules, but all the tests are based on the 1-2 exceptions to each rule.
Remind me a bit of an early 20th century French Colorist whose name escapes me at the moment. The use of pure color to create movement and depth is not to be sneezed at, that's for sure. And his compositional skills are pretty advanced to boot. Good stuff.
The other day in the office, was joking with some of my newer (baby) co-workers... was talking about having fun with the call center.
I told them that it is fun to use "P as in pterodactyl" when spelling something out... "K as in Knee" etc...
They argued with my that "Pterodactyl does not begin with a P"! one googled it on her phone, they looked at me with sheer terror that it actually did begin with a p.
There's still a hint of similarity, though. Makes me wonder if Tolkein was had something in common with some autists, though obviously his mastery of language means he definitely wasn't autistic.
The mind is an odd thing.
When I look at art, different artists, such different styles of portraying things, use of color - I wonder sometimes if it's their eyesight that's different from mine, or just what they see in their mind, or . . . hell, it's amazing to me how talented people can put something to paper and have it turn out where you know what it is, but it's not like a photo. Having no talent myself whatsoever, I truly appreciate those who do, the richness they bring to our lives.
The other day in the office, was joking with some of my newer (baby) co-workers... was talking about having fun with the call center.
I told them that it is fun to use "P as in pterodactyl" when spelling something out... "K as in Knee" etc...
They argued with my that "Pterodactyl does not begin with a P"! one googled it on her phone, they looked at me with sheer terror that it actually did begin with a p.
I really need to concentrate on writing more. It's hard for me to believe that I actually am that good at it, but people who read what I write say that it's great. I just need to focus on writing discipline.
I just idolize writers so much; hard to imagine myself amongst their number.
Spelling (English words) appears to be like organic chemistry. There's all the fun rules, but all the tests are based on the 1-2 exceptions to each rule.
Well, that was the thing!
I figured it must be a "trick" word, if they included something so simple-sounding in a spelling bee, it obviously should have two "s"'s, but it MUST have only one, so that's what I did.
Duh on me.
I really need to concentrate on writing more. It's hard for me to believe that I actually am that good at it, but people who read what I write say that it's great. I just need to focus on writing discipline.
I just idolize writers so much; hard to imagine myself amongst their number.
Obdi - practice practice practice.
re-read, re-read, re-read.
edit edit edit!
For goodness' sake, if you have a talent, do not let it go to waste!
Well, that was the thing!
I figured it must be a "trick" word, if they included something so simple-sounding in a spelling bee, it obviously should have two "s"'s, but it MUST have only one, so that's what I did.
Duh on me.
Well, there's always the classic Peanuts cartoon with Charlie Brown (baseball nut) in a spelling bee and he gets asked to spell "maze"...
We used to go to Palisades Amusement Park when I was a kid. They had the old school sideshow for a bit. Creepy.
There is a museum on the 4th floor of our capitol that contains samples of flora, fauna, minerals, industry and political history of the state. Because it started in the late 19th century and early 20th century a few of the exhibits are of the curiosity show type. They include a 2 headed calf and snake. It's what all the schoolkids remember.
Well, FBV, there are the "Travelers". They are Roma by way of Ireland and have a reputation as being scam artists and living off the grid.
When I lived in Augusta, there were many Travelers that lived there and also in McCormick SC. They are a closed society with strict rules of secrecy, banishment if families don't keep to those rules.
Do you remember several years ago the video of a woman in a white SUV beating her little girl? She was from a traveler family. She was subsequently shunned for turning a spotlight on the Traveler society.
Shunned not for beating her child but, for the spot-light?
I don't know Reine. I love my 12 year old, but there's a part of me who can't wait till she's 18. As my sister (in tears) explained to me abut a current row between my other sister and my mom "Mothers and daughters have a bond you will never understand." Apparently not as usually I'm the one on the shit end of the stick.
There is a group of squatters here in Georgia that has just achieved true diversity by bringing together black supremecists and white supremecists in a common cause. Theft and Paper Terrorism.
I want you to know I love you very much and am proud to be your father.
But... I married your mother. I did not marry you.
I want to spend the rest of my life with your mother. I do not intend to spend the rest of my life with you.
I married your mother. I ended up with you.
So? Get ready for the real world and get out of my house as soon as you can.
I don't know Reine. I love my 12 year old, but there's a part of me who can't wait till she's 18. As my sister (in tears) explained to me abut a current row between my other sister and my mom "Mothers and daughters have a bond you will never understand." Apparently not as usually I'm the one on the shit end of the stick.
I'm sure I'll feel different when the time comes.
My mother vowed never to turn into her mother. And one way to short circuit an argument with her was to tell her she was starting to act like her mother. Which was usually good enough to get my mother to stop and think for a few moments and thus disrupt an emotional give and take that was headed towards a meltdown.
And my parents did 90% of their arguing in private - out of earshot and view of the children. Therefore, I got the impression as a youth that most families were fairly placid collections beyond the siblings squabbling.
Then I went to college and met friends who has families where the default mode was shouting at each other all the time. They got along fine, just that their disagreements were loud and public.
I don't know Reine. I love my 12 year old, but there's a part of me who can't wait till she's 18. As my sister (in tears) explained to me abut a current row between my other sister and my mom "Mothers and daughters have a bond you will never understand." Apparently not as usually I'm the one on the shit end of the stick.
I'm sure I'll feel different when the time comes.
The bolded - I understand completely, the Roi & I have felt the same way at times.
White people run scams too, you know. As do those of every color.
The Roma have been systematically disposessed and ghettoized. They do have a higher incidence of petty crime than those who haven't.
What is done to them, though, is far worse than they do to others. Police in Italy barely even investigate their murders, the burnings of their camps.
Many governments have special 'taxes' specially for the Roma-- stealing from them, with the excuse that the Roma steal. Except these taxes affect all Roma, not just those who are criminal.
They are the perennially fucked over.
Are other immigrants treated by the EU the same way in my No. 134?
Took my oldest son to college on Tuesday. He is quite the mature young man, and the trip up was fun just him and I, and I know I had 18 or so years to prepare for this...but I still remember clearly bringing him home from the hospital and being able to hold him in my one forearm.
For the same reason that American slaves weren't able to do anything about it until Washington stepped in.
Should have said weren't able to do much about it, rather than anything. Underground railroad is still (IMO) one of the most bad-assed things in history.
And my parents did 90% of their arguing in private - out of earshot and view of the children. Therefore, I got the impression as a youth that most families were fairly placid collections beyond the siblings squabbling.
Then I went to college and met friends who has families where the default mode was shouting at each other all the time. They got along fine, just that their disagreements were loud and public.
I was from the former and my wife is from the latter... It took us a good 5 years of marriage to learn how to have a fight on each others wavelength. We like to think we've achieved a nice compromise dysfunction out of two previously uncompatable dysfunctions.
Vindictive Cat free to home (portland) Part ONE
This Cat is 12 years old. It is very cute and has a long tail, so it will look good sitting in your window while you are away!
It has two looks on its face at all times 1) surprise. 2) angry glare. It has always been vindictive and angry. It will shred your arms to the bone if picked up, so handling is not advisable. Cat will use litter box only once and then considers it soiled and will choose your chair (or elsewhere) instead. Free *1 month supply/ 5 gallon bucket of Nature's Miracle* will accompany Cat to new home. Cat hates other animals and children and people so please be an animal free and kid free and spouse/friend/roommate free home. Cat can only live with one Person. Cat hates for Person to have other people over, so you shouldn't have friends or it will pee in their purse or on their shoes. Person should be strong of mind and body and not at home much, as cat is not into interaction. Interaction with its Person makes Cat angry, and it will vomit on your pillow in retaliation.
Cat hates to be inside too long, but will not go through doors as it hates doorways. You must chase it outside with clacking salad tongs. Cat's *favorite salad tongs will be provided for free* and will accompany Cat to new home. Cat hates to be outdoors for too long as it prefers to pee, poop and vomit on your things, it likes to do this to claim its Person (this Person could be you!). Cat will come inside easily at dinnertime, no salad tongs necessary. Cat will vomit once during, and up to three times after dinner, usually on pillow, duvet, or laundry. Sometimes it will vomit in doorways. Sometimes it will just poop in these places. Other places Cat will poop: in front of refrigerator, in front of windows, near the litterbox, in front of teevee, on top of you if you are around for too long. Cat should not have access to any bathrooms as it hates bathmats and will destroy them on sight with a barrage of pee and poop and finally clawing it to shreds. Other things Cat will claw to shreds: arms, face, carpet, pillow, chair, laundry.
Them that's got shall get
Them that's not shall lose
So the Bible said and it still is news
Mama may have, Papa may have
But God bless the child that's got his own
That's got his own
Yes, the strong gets more
While the weak ones fade
Empty pockets don't ever make the grade
Mama may have, Papa may have
But God bless the child that's got his own
That's got his own
Money, you've got lots of friends
Crowding round the door
When you're gone, spending ends
They don't come no more
Rich relations give
Crust of bread and such
You can help yourself
But don't take too much
Mama may have, Papa may have
But God bless the child that's got his own
That's got his own
Mama may have, Papa may have
But God bless the child that's got his own
That's got his own
He just worry 'bout nothin'
Cause he's got his own
Are other immigrants treated by the EU the same way in my No. 134?
I doubt it. I bet the law is the same-- you can be deported if you can't show support-- but the Roma are specifically targeted. It's like if there was a law against begging that was only being enforced against black people.
Just like the taxes specifically against Roma in many countries; supposedly their taxes on any people that use campsites, travel by caravan, or live in large numbers in small apartments, but they're only enforced against the Roma.
Europeans, by and large, don't really hide their racism towards the Roma. They justify it instead, pointing to the petty thieves and con artists amongst the Roma and making a collective punishment argument.
They have very few defenders. And their ghettoization means that conditions in their camps are often appalling, which is then used as 'proof' that they're inferior and deserve what's done to them.
It's a very familiar pattern. It is very similar to what was done to Jews, except Roma do not have the high literacy rate, emphasis on education, and other factors that helped Jews endure such tactics.
Roma society itself is also used as an 'excuse'. Roma society tends to be misogynistic, superstitious, and archaic in a number of ways; a result of having been systematically cut off from integration. This lack of integration is blamed entirely on the Roma themselves, of course.
Good luck! I think the only problem I have with babies is they grow up. My 6 year old is growing to the cusp of reality, and being our last, it saddens me to think I'll have no one to talk about Unicorns and Fairies with. Now if I could get my 12 year old to embrace the bass guitar, I'd be on my way to the Family Band and could restart my adolescence for the 4th or 5th time.
Does the EU apply the same rules to all immigrants?
First off, they are not immigrants, they are citizens of the EU. The Roma are treated this way in many parts of Europe. Recently, the Sarkozy government has been cracking down on all sorts of immigrants and non-french "settlers" such as the Roma. There was a nasty incident of the police physically removing Muslim immigrants from a protest, mainly woman and their babies, in a Northern suburb of Paris.
Much of this push back from the Sarkozy government is left over from his promise to crack down on the the sort of people involved in car burnings and other riots and protests.
France 24 covers a lot of this... there are some video of the police breaking up the protest a few weeks ago.
LOL...when I was a kid in Ohio we had a house with eleven doors to the outside in various spots of the house. When it had snowed out, the cat would go to the main back door, howl until someone would let him out, then shrink away from the door when he saw the snow. Then he would proceed to go to various other doors and set up the caterwalling until those doors were opened and rejected due to snow. He never learned and we always joked that he was looking for a door to summer.
I was from the former and my wife is from the latter... It took us a good 5 years of marriage to learn how to have a fight on each others wavelength. We like to think we've achieved a nice compromise dysfunction out of two previously uncompatable dysfunctions.
Some of the "culture" clashes on that scale are interesting. My parents were fairly stoic in outlook and reaction to things (up to a point). It rubbed off on my brother and me and less so onto my sister.
My brother's "take it as it goes and deal with it calmly" attitude drives my sister-in-law to distraction. He plans with fairly open schedules and flexibility. She is a Type A who wants to plan things down to the literal minute, and thus is always rushing about because things are not running to schedule. (I've referred to her as the most disorganized organized person I know.)
Their minor disagreements are like watching someone beating on a rubber block with a mallet. He bends and rebounds, while she pounds away without much effect. She gets her way on just about any minor affairs since it's simply *not important* to my brother for the most part. When more important issues come up I expect the discussions get more heated, but those are not held with me in attendance.
Cat has a loud obnoxious yowl to indicate when it is angry. The yowl is akin to that of a rabid zombie on the make and is quite terrifying, so you would be well advised to take heed and figure out what Cat wants. If you haven't cleaned the litterbox in less than an hour, check that first. It may want you to provide running drinking water from the faucet. It WILL get on the counters, you should not interfere or you WILL be sorry. If yowling occurs between the hours of Noon and 7:00 pm, it may require feeding. Cat will attack you for your food, so it is not advisable to eat in the house. If not fed what you are eating, Cat will knock the dishes off the table in retaliation and eat the shards of glass and porcelain that fall, so that you will be required to take it to the vet. It likes the attention from the vet. Cat will look sweet and pitiful at vet's office and as I said before, Cat is very cute. No one will believe when you try to tell them what Cat is capable of, so don't try. They will look at you as if you are the problem. I will understand your situation and you can call me in an emergency to talk about Cat. * 1 year of free consulting and phone support * comes with Cat. I will not be available in person for support, Cat will not like it and it will escalate situation.
One of the better adds I've seen - do the clicky thang to read the rest and update!
[Link: bojack.org...]
LOL...when I was a kid in Ohio we had a house with eleven doors to the outside in various spots of the house. When it had snowed out, the cat would go to the main back door, howl until someone would let him out, then shrink away from the door when he saw the snow. Then he would proceed to go to various other doors and set up the caterwalling until those doors were opened and rejected due to snow. He never learned and we always joked that he was looking for a door to summer.
All right, I need to get on it. My wife's back from Kenya today after three weeks (third trip this summer) and we have a house to clean, yard to pick up and cake to make. It was her birthday this week!
That's not how it works, actually. They are still 'immigrants' to France, even though they are Romanian citizens and EU citizens. EU law allows free travel, but not stay of infinite duration; individual countries still get to make their own laws about that.
The deal is that France is enforcing these laws selectively, and obviously along ethnic lines.
Most places they don't register to vote, because they fear the authorities in general and don't want to be tracked in any way. A lot of places they can't provide an address, and so are prevented from voting. In other places, they have refugee status or are illegal immigrants and can't vote.
I doubt it. I bet the law is the same-- you can be deported if you can't show support-- but the Roma are specifically targeted. It's like if there was a law against begging that was only being enforced against black people.
Just like the taxes specifically against Roma in many countries; supposedly their taxes on any people that use campsites, travel by caravan, or live in large numbers in small apartments, but they're only enforced against the Roma.
Europeans, by and large, don't really hide their racism towards the Roma. They justify it instead, pointing to the petty thieves and con artists amongst the Roma and making a collective punishment argument.
They have very few defenders. And their ghettoization means that conditions in their camps are often appalling, which is then used as 'proof' that they're inferior and deserve what's done to them.
It's a very familiar pattern. It is very similar to what was done to Jews, except Roma do not have the high literacy rate, emphasis on education, and other factors that helped Jews endure such tactics.
Roma society itself is also used as an 'excuse'. Roma society tends to be misogynistic, superstitious, and archaic in a number of ways; a result of having been systematically cut off from integration. This lack of integration is blamed entirely on the Roma themselves, of course.
Can you imagine the stink that would be raised if Muslim immigrants were treated this way?!
First off, they are not immigrants, they are citizens of the EU. The Roma are treated this way in many parts of Europe. Recently, the Sarkozy government has been cracking down on all sorts of immigrants and non-french "settlers" such as the Roma. There was a nasty incident of the police physically removing Muslim immigrants from a protest, mainly woman and their babies, in a Northern suburb of Paris.
Much of this push back from the Sarkozy government is left over from his promise to crack down on the the sort of people involved in car burnings and other riots and protests.
France 24 covers a lot of this... there are some video of the police breaking up the protest a few weeks ago.
First off, they are not immigrants, they are citizens of the EU. The Roma are treated this way in many parts of Europe. Recently, the Sarkozy government has been cracking down on all sorts of immigrants and non-french "settlers" such as the Roma. There was a nasty incident of the police physically removing Muslim immigrants from a protest, mainly woman and their babies, in a Northern suburb of Paris.
Much of this push back from the Sarkozy government is left over from his promise to crack down on the the sort of people involved in car burnings and other riots and protests.
France 24 covers a lot of this... there are some video of the police breaking up the protest a few weeks ago.
As a family we don't shout, we invented snark. My wife's family is all about love and cooperation. It's so tedious sometimes.
My niece picked up on sarcasm *very* quickly. I suspect her uncle (whistles innocently) had a lot to do with it...
My mother and I steered clear of the child raising unless specifically asked to help with something. I clearly remember one occasion where the niece (about 4 at the time) through a tantrum in front of dad one morning. My mother and I simply burrowed our heads further into reading the paper at the breakfast table while my brother dealt with it.
The priceless part was my sister-in-law walking into the kitchen at the tail end of this while my niece was on the floor sobbing, seeing the behavior, saying "Ay-yah, fake crying" and continuing on to get a cup of coffee while ignoring her daughter completely.
Just another skirmish in the war between children and parents.
That's not how it works, actually. They are still 'immigrants' to France, even though they are Romanian citizens and EU citizens. EU law allows free travel, but not stay of infinite duration; individual countries still get to make their own laws about that.
The deal is that France is enforcing these laws selectively, and obviously along ethnic lines.
I am well aware of the residency laws in France and the EU. And I never said that France was not enforcing these laws selectively. There certainly are, where did I imply they weren't?
You yourself, when simply visiting France (actually most European countries), could be asked to show that you have enough available financing to support yourself if you needed to in the country.
When I went to Poland, I was required to show that I had an ex-amount of available funds and that I had medical insurance to cover any possible medical expenses.
I've been keeping up with this, that's why I have the link to France 24 readily available.
Most places they don't register to vote, because they fear the authorities in general and don't want to be tracked in any way. A lot of places they can't provide an address, and so are prevented from voting. In other places, they have refugee status or are illegal immigrants and can't vote.
Why don't they go to Romania (assuming that's their ancestral home)?
Can you imagine the stink that would be raised if Muslim immigrants were treated this way?!
Well, Muslim immigrants have also been ghettoized in a lot of France, and have also been discriminated against-- the North African ones especially. So yes, I can imagine what would happen if Muslim immigrants were treated that way, because many of them have been; not a hell of a lot. Remember, they just banned the headscarf for Muslim girls in school; not exactly love and tolerance.
It's also a little different, since most Muslim immigrants in France are from Morrocco or Algeria-- both places that the French colonized and there's been a longstanding tradition of French and Muslim involvement.
In addition, most of the Muslims in France are not very religious, and have assimilated to a large degree-- about half of them are religiously observant in any serious degree. The Roma are not nearly as well assimilated or integrated into French society, not by a long shot.
I am well aware of the residency laws in France and the EU. And I never said that France was not enforcing these laws selectively. There certainly are, where did I imply they weren't?
I didn't say you implied that they weren't. I just said you were wrong to say they weren't immigrants; even though they are EU citizens, they're still immigrants to France.
You yourself, when simply visiting France (actually most European countries), could be asked to show that you have enough available financing to support yourself if you needed to in the country.
Yep.
I've been keeping up with this, that's why I have the link to France 24 readily available.
Well, to add to your up-keeping: Individual EU countries are allowed to craft their own immigration law, including dealing with immigration from other countries. Freedom of movement is not the same as freedom of habitation.
Well, Muslim immigrants have also been ghettoized in a lot of France, and have also been discriminated against-- the North African ones especially. So yes, I can imagine what would happen if Muslim immigrants were treated that way, because many of them have been; not a hell of a lot. Remember, they just banned the headscarf for Muslim girls in school; not exactly love and tolerance.
It's also a little different, since most Muslim immigrants in France are from Morrocco or Algeria-- both places that the French colonized and there's been a longstanding tradition of French and Muslim involvement.
In addition, most of the Muslims in France are not very religious, and have assimilated to a large degree-- about half of them are religiously observant in any serious degree. The Roma are not nearly as well assimilated or integrated into French society, not by a long shot.
Okay. Since there's the history of colonization and Muslims coming to France to work, there's a long history of assimilation in France-- and a lot of those "Muslims" are more rightly just called Moroccans and Algerians, since they're not really that religious. There is still ghettoization and persecution of some Muslim subgroups in France, but North Africans are well-established in French society and have a lot more resources and more people in the establishment in France to draw upon than the Roma do.
That's the best working theory, yeah. They Wiki article Walter linked is pretty accurate, as far as I can tell. They are probably a group that only really started to be distinct in the medieval period, though some scholars think they have a longer tradition.
Okay. Since there's the history of colonization and Muslims coming to France to work, there's a long history of assimilation in France-- and a lot of those "Muslims" are more rightly just called Moroccans and Algerians, since they're not really that religious. There is still ghettoization and persecution of some Muslim subgroups in France, but North Africans are well-established in French society and have a lot more resources and more people in the establishment in France to draw upon than the Roma do.
And, with strict residency requirements, it looks as if the Roma won't be able to get those resources.
That's the best working theory, yeah. They Wiki article Walter linked is pretty accurate, as far as I can tell. They are probably a group that only really started to be distinct in the medieval period, though some scholars think they have a longer tradition.
Like I said up thread, lately Sarkozy has been cracking down on various groups in France, SOme see it as a political bid to up his popularity, which has been sagging. Here is a video of the arrests at a housing protest in a northern Paris suburb... surprisingly vicious for the French...
And, with strict residency requirements, it looks as if the Roma won't be able to get those resources.
Strict requirements selectively enforced against Roma, combined with a general unwillingness to hire Roma, combined with a tendency for their camps to be destroyed, thus removing their ability to find work. Yes.
It's a very familiar pattern for the Roma. And their continued ostracism means their society and culture remains very archaic, cutting them off from most avenues towards wealth in the modern world even if they weren't being persecuted.
Some of the most influential Roma politicians in the EU came from Hungary; Hungary swung far right in the last election and I think all of the Roma politicians lost their seats, but I'm not sure. It's one reason we're seeing a spike in their persecution.
This is one of my favorite Roma politicians, partially because she looks slightly like my wife, but she's also very eloquent on the subject:
Like I said up thread, lately Sarkozy has been cracking down on various groups in France, SOme see it as a political bid to up his popularity, which has been sagging. Here is a video of the arrests at a housing protest in a northern Paris suburb... surprisingly vicious for the French...
That's the best working theory, yeah. They Wiki article Walter linked is pretty accurate, as far as I can tell. They are probably a group that only really started to be distinct in the medieval period, though some scholars think they have a longer tradition.
I've been keeping up with these issue of late since I am booked to be in Paris for 10 days in Jan. 2011, and I want to keep track of any possible "firestorms" I may be walking into. I typically do not just hang around the city proper, and some of these incidents have come close to certain areas I like to visit.
Nowhere. No one wants them. Everyone just wants to push them off and make them someone else's problem. They are a good soft target for any politician to hit at and seem tough on crime and tough on immigration.
Like I said up thread, lately Sarkozy has been cracking down on various groups in France, SOme see it as a political bid to up his popularity, which has been sagging. Here is a video of the arrests at a housing protest in a northern Paris suburb... surprisingly vicious for the French...
Strict requirements selectively enforced against Roma, combined with a general unwillingness to hire Roma, combined with a tendency for their camps to be destroyed, thus removing their ability to find work. Yes.
It's a very familiar pattern for the Roma. And their continued ostracism means their society and culture remains very archaic, cutting them off from most avenues towards wealth in the modern world even if they weren't being persecuted.
Some of the most influential Roma politicians in the EU came from Hungary; Hungary swung far right in the last election and I think all of the Roma politicians lost their seats, but I'm not sure. It's one reason we're seeing a spike in their persecution.
This is one of my favorite Roma politicians, partially because she looks slightly like my wife, but she's also very eloquent on the subject:
Nowhere. No one wants them. Everyone just wants to push them off and make them someone else's problem. They are a good soft target for any politician to hit at and seem tough on crime and tough on immigration.
Well... as most Lizards know, I am sort of a Francophile, but at the same time, my interest and love for the country is more based on it's history and culture, not so much it's politics. Politically, I've never been thrilled by their socialism, but I was interested in seeing how Sarkozy was going to moderate that, which he has, but I certainly don't agree with these recent crackdown, at least not in the manner I am seeing it happen.
Yep. If you look at the pictures of my wife (who is 1/4 Roma), you can see the similar features in the nose, cheekbones, and eyes.
They definitely came out of India during the Byzantine era, the question is whether they were a cohesive ethnic group before that, and for how long. Their persecution has muddled their history, and the Mongol invasion of India destroyed a lot of the records of the times before it, making it a challenge to track the movements of a lot of ethnic groups.
I really need to concentrate on writing more. It's hard for me to believe that I actually am that good at it, but people who read what I write say that it's great. I just need to focus on writing discipline.
I just idolize writers so much; hard to imagine myself amongst their number.
I feel the same way about porn actors, you just have to keep plugging away.
Too bad they didn't show that kind of ferocity when dealing with the Nazis.
I really don't support these tactics that Sarkozy has taken, but I also know that the politics surrounding the legal immigrants in France is as complex an issue as it is in most places, and there are good reasons on all side to be wary of the violence that comes out of all this. Paris has seen it's fair share of active terrorism in the streets and subways of Paris in the past... but I really don't think that this current wave of throwing ones weight around by Sarkozy is a good idea.
It's so much related to his poll numbers, not a good measuring stick for ordering this sort of crackdowns.
Thanks Mandy and everyone else. I'm seriously rooting for my wife, she's the one that wants children. I made it this long without any thanks to sheer determination and quality birth control but she's a great wife and I would feel guilty if I didn't do everything possible to get her what she wants.
Yep. If you look at the pictures of my wife (who is 1/4 Roma), you can see the similar features in the nose, cheekbones, and eyes.
They definitely came out of India during the Byzantine era, the question is whether they were a cohesive ethnic group before that, and for how long. Their persecution has muddled their history, and the Mongol invasion of India destroyed a lot of the records of the times before it, making it a challenge to track the movements of a lot of ethnic groups.
Wouldn't their mass migration indicate that they were a cohesive ethnic group?
I really don't support these tactics that Sarkozy has taken, but I also know that the politics surrounding the legal immigrants in France is as complex an issue as it is in most places, and there are good reasons on all side to be wary of the violence that comes out of all this. Paris has seen it's fair share of active terrorism in the streets and subways of Paris in the past... but I really don't think that this current wave of throwing ones weight around by Sarkozy is a good idea.
It's so much related to his poll numbers, not a good measuring stick for ordering this sort of crackdowns.
I wasn't aware that the Roma were terrorizing France.
Although. Had the USA done what the French are doing to the Roma now the United Nations would have already set up an emergency meeting. World wide outrage!
Thanks Mandy and everyone else. I'm seriously rooting for my wife, she's the one that wants children. I made it this long without any thanks to sheer determination and quality birth control but she's a great wife and I would feel guilty if I didn't do everything possible to get her what she wants.
I waited until I was 36 to get married, and then pregnant, and I gotta' tell you that i wish I had been married earlier 'cause kids require stupendous amounts of energy. But, I'm not really complaining. Well, I am but, it won't do my any good to bitch.
Wouldn't their mass migration indicate that they were a cohesive ethnic group?
Yes, but for how long before that? The Icelanders, for example, became a cohesive ethnic group over a very short span of time. Did the Roma originate there, or come from somewhere else?
Those are the scholarly questions. Very moot in terms of their current situation.
Although. Had the USA done what the French are doing to the Roma now the United Nations would have already set up an emergency meeting. World wide outrage!
Central Colorado seems to have an inordinate amount of that stuff. You'd think they're trying to compete with Chicago or Philly.
I don't know what's going on. I have a neighbor that claims to have just been beaten. Well, about two months ago. Typically I always thought of the DPD as being low key with the occasional outbursts.
Yes, but for how long before that? The Icelanders, for example, became a cohesive ethnic group over a very short span of time. Did the Roma originate there, or come from somewhere else?
Those are the scholarly questions. Very moot in terms of their current situation.
If they didn't come from India orginally, where did they come from?
And, you're right that it's moot now but, speculation is interesting.
I don't know what's going on. I have a neighbor that claims to have just been beaten. Well, about two months ago. Typically I always thought of the DPD as being low key with the occasional outbursts.
Two recent cases. Nothing too serious requiring hospitalization though. Mayor Hickenlooper called in the FBI to investigate one. Some guy that was on the phone while his friend was being arrested and ended up getting an elbow and then some to the face.
If they didn't come from India orginally, where did they come from?
And, you're right that it's moot now but, speculation is interesting.
They may have been a steppe tribe originally. It is most likely, according to most research, that they became a coherent ethnic group in India, though.
Two recent cases. Nothing too serious requiring hospitalization though. Mayor Hickenlooper called in the FBI to investigate one. Some guy that was on the phone while his friend was being arrested and ended up getting an elbow and then some to the face.
Well, if he was harassing the cops, I can see them getting pissed but, the cops could show some restaint.
But, then again, I don't know. Cops are human and are in an incredibly stressful job. Part of me wants to say that only those who don't get ruffled should be cops but, how do you know what the breaking point is for a future cop?!
A hip hop executive who converted and was an orthodox Jew was killed while trying to intervene in a robbery at a liquor store in Brooklyn.
A hip-hop record executive who converted to Orthodox Judaism was fatally shot during a liquor store robbery in Midwood last night. 34-year-old Yosef Robinson, originally from Jamaica, was shot in the chest and arm at the Kosher wine shop MB Vineyards in Flatbush when he tried to intervene and stop the robbery, which occurred at about 9:30 p.m., CBS 2 reports. Robinson worked as a clerk at the store, and was shot trying to stop the gunman from stealing his girlfriend's bracelet.
"We spoke briefly, you know, and he went inside the store to continue his duties," a friend tells NY1. "I went to Target to get a few things and came back to this." Another local resident says, "He was of a Jamaican background and he became Jewish. He was very well known in the neighborhood since I guess he had that mixture of the background. He was a very friendly person. Wherever you went, I guess, he spoke, you know, to everyone as a friend." And Rabbi Ezra Max tells the Post, "He was a good guy. Rock solid."
Robinson planned to release a book in December about his spiritual journey, called Jamaican Hip Hopper Turned Orthodox Jew, and his website bio says, "After years of illegal street activities, run-ins with the law, and a short-lived career in the music industry, Yoseph Robinson is facing the most complex transition of his life as a black man embracing Judaism." CBS 2 reports that after last night's shooting, over 100 people from the Orthodox and Hasidic neighborhood gathered outside the liquor store to pay their respects. Police have made no arrests.
I waited until I was 36 to get married, and then pregnant, and I gotta' tell you that i wish I had been married earlier 'cause kids require stupendous amounts of energy. But, I'm not really complaining. Well, I am but, it won't do my any good to bitch.
My wife just turned 31 and our 11 year anniversary is tomorrow. She knew my policy on children, they're great as long as they belong to someone else, but we started trying about 6 years ago anyway. I had to get poked, prodded, pulled, and had my "boys" operated on before I could prove it wasn't my fault. Not only does it take almost a miracle for her to get pregnant naturally (once) but then when she has gotten pregnant she's lost it. If one of these embryos makes it past 12 weeks then she's home clear.
They may have been a steppe tribe originally. It is most likely, according to most research, that they became a coherent ethnic group in India, though.
Too bad those marauding Mongols screwed up the historical records.
Mandy... there are a number of areas in which Sarkozy is cracking down on... breaking up the Roma camps around France, and being more forceful with the Muslims in the suburbs of Paris. Two different issues, happening at the same time, manly due to his poll numbers.
If you want all the lovely details as to what has been going on over the last few months, and the build up to this, then I suspect you will need to do some research, I can't type all morning.
In short, Sarkozy was elected as a more conservative president, there has been a lot of unrest in the suburbs of Praris over the years, the Roma camps have always been a sore spot, there is also the immigrant camps in Calais, set up right near the Chunnel, where people are trying to hop trains and stuff, a whole lot of internal politics and so on... Sarkozy is playing politics and trying to up his popularity...
Should have mentioned though. The two cops filed false police reports.
If true, those cops should be booted off the force. Losing your cool in a situation in which you feel threatened (I'm not saying that's the case here at all--I'm merely speculating about such a case) is very different than premeditatedly lying on an official report.
My wife just turned 31 and our 11 year anniversary is tomorrow. She knew my policy on children, they're great as long as they belong to someone else, but we started trying about 6 years ago anyway. I had to get poked, prodded, pulled, and had my "boys" operated on before I could prove it wasn't my fault. Not only does it take almost a miracle for her to get pregnant naturally (once) but then when she has gotten pregnant she's lost it. If one of these embryos makes it past 12 weeks then she's home clear.
I could be wrong but, she's going through much worse than your "boys" went through!
Mandy... there are a number of areas in which Sarkozy is cracking down on... breaking up the Roma camps around France, and being more forceful with the Muslims in the suburbs of Paris. Two different issues, happening at the same time, manly due to his poll numbers.
If you want all the lovely details as to what has been going on over the last few months, and the build up to this, then I suspect you will need to do some research, I can't type all morning.
In short, Sarkozy was elected as a more conservative president, there has been a lot of unrest in the suburbs of Praris over the years, the Roma camps have always been a sore spot, there is also the immigrant camps in Calais, set up right near the Chunnel, where people are trying to hop trains and stuff, a whole lot of internal politics and so on... Sarkozy is playing politics and trying to up his popularity...
If he is enforcing the will of the people, then I don't know if it's a cynical ploy to raise his numbers.
However, I have a jaundiced view of how the French treated the Jews.
I will be making a purchase of one of the prints and some cards. Fantastic work!
My son is autistic also, although his talents run a little different. When he draws something, it usually tends to be something related to Star Trek. He likes the Enterprise a lot.
I will be making a purchase of one of the prints and some cards. Fantastic work!
My son is autistic also, although his talents run a little different. When he draws something, it usually tends to be something related to Star Trek. He likes the Enterprise a lot.
My middle son is autistic and can tell you anything you want to know about video games and movies. He's also involved with Special Olympics as a basketball player. I'm very proud of him.
About 28 hours into labor, I BEGGED for a C-section. Yep. Major surgery instead of the regular method. Eight hours later, I was just glad the whole ordeal was over.
Sometimes folks just get sick. My father-in-law had double bypass surgery the other day. Does absolutely nothing that makes him a risk for heart disease.
What an amazing day - (the boyfriend) got has cast off and got his wheelchair! We also found out that his discharge date should be Sept. 3rd! He loves his wheelchair and is so excited to have his cast off. The scar is fairly large, but his wrist actually looked a great deal better than I expected! (the boyfriend) worked really hard today and lifted weights with both hands - he said he was worn out!
From The Boyfriend's caring bridge sight.
Now comes the hard part. Figuring out how to live as a paraplegic.
With great sadness I have to announce the passing of Dutch RTL correspondent Conny Mus. He was middle east correspondent for over 20 years. He was a balanced voice who showed both the Israeli and Palestinian side of stories. Because of that he was respected on both sides. He was also present in Baghdad during both gulf wars.
He was on holiday in the Netherlands and died in his sleep due to a heart attack. He was only 59 years old.
Anybody else read Krauthammer's new mosque article? He came so close to the realization that Islam doesn't equal radical, but then went completely the other way. The title "Moral myopia" is a little ironic though...
Radical Islam is not, by any means, a majority of Islam. But with its financiers, clerics, propagandists, trainers, leaders, operatives and sympathizers -- according to a conservative estimate, it commands the allegiance of 7 percent of Muslims, i.e., more than 80 million souls -- it is a very powerful strain within Islam. It has changed the course of nations and affected the lives of millions. It is the reason every airport in the West is an armed camp and every land is on constant alert.
Ground Zero is the site of the most lethal attack of that worldwide movement, which consists entirely of Muslims, acts in the name of Islam and is deeply embedded within the Islamic world. These are regrettable facts, but facts they are. And that is why putting up a monument to Islam in this place is not just insensitive but provocative.
With great sadness I have to announce the passing of Dutch RTL correspondent Conny Mus. He was middle east correspondent for over 20 years. He was a balanced voice who showed both the Israeli and Palestinian side of stories. Because of that he was respected on both sides. He was also present in Baghdad during both gulf wars.
He was on holiday in the Netherlands and died in his sleep due to a heart attack. He was only 59 years old.
By the way, Nugent was on George Lopez last night. Didn't watch it tho.
Wonder if he called George a name.
Ted's racist rant never made it out of the local paper. It should have been a bigger story but I think most people are just learning to accept this kind of thing. Palin's endorsement of the N word made it clear that this is where conservatives are headed.
Ted's racist rant never made it out of the local paper. It should have been a bigger story but I think most people are just learning to accept this kind of thing. Palin's endorsement of the N word made it clear that this is where conservatives are headed.
Did she explicity endorse ue of the word or, did she endorse Schlessinger's right to use it?
Did she explicity endorse ue of the word or, did she endorse Schlessinger's right to use it?
We had a thread on the endorsement yesterday. She think that conservatives should "reload" and be more outspoken with their controversial racial/pro-white views and not let groups like the NAACP silence them.
Saw him on his 'Wango Tango' tour in '81,2 or 3. From my seat in the nosebleed section using binoculars, it looked like he spent his time on stage spitting on the front row crowd.
"At the theater we were instructed to split in two groups; those that want to attend versus those that don't. At that point what crossed my mind is the fact that being given an option so late in the game implies that the leadership is attempting to make a point about its intention. The 'body language' was suggesting that 'we marched you here as a group to give you a clue that we really want you to attend (we tilt the table and expect you to roll in our direction), now we give you the choice to either satisfy us or disappoint us.' A number of soldiers seemed to notice these clues and sullenly volunteered for the concert in fear of possible consequences.
"Those of us that chose not to attend (about 80, or a little less that half) were marched back to the company area. At that point the NCO issued us a punishment. We were to be on lock-down in the company (not released from duty), could not go anywhere on post (no PX, no library, etc). We were to go to strictly to the barracks and contact maintenance. If we were caught sitting in our rooms, in our beds, or having/handling electronics (cell phones, laptops, games) and doing anything other than maintenance, we would further have our weekend passes revoked and continue barracks maintenance for the entirety of the weekend. At that point the implied message was clear in my mind 'we gave you a choice to either satisfy us or disappoint us. Since you chose to disappoint us you will now have your freedoms suspended and contact chores while the rest of your buddies are enjoying a concert.'
We had a thread on the endorsement yesterday. She think that conservatives should "reload" and be more outspoken with their controversial racial/pro-white views and not let groups like the NAACP silence them.
WTF? I gotta' check that out. (I was gone while the exterminators took care of Boris.)
Today being Friday, it's Krugman Day in the NYT. Since we have discussed matters of fiscal, monetary and tax policy here before, this is worth sharing.
Part 1:
As I look at what passes for responsible economic policy these days, there’s an analogy that keeps passing through my mind. I know it’s over the top, but here it is anyway: the policy elite — central bankers, finance ministers, politicians who pose as defenders of fiscal virtue — are acting like the priests of some ancient cult, demanding that we engage in human sacrifices to appease the anger of invisible gods.
Hey, I told you it was over the top. But bear with me for a minute.
Late last year the conventional wisdom on economic policy took a hard right turn. Even though the world’s major economies had barely begun to recover, even though unemployment remained disastrously high across much of America and Europe, creating jobs was no longer on the agenda. Instead, we were told, governments had to turn all their attention to reducing budget deficits.
Skeptics pointed out that slashing spending in a depressed economy does little to improve long-run budget prospects, and may actually make them worse by depressing economic growth. But the apostles of austerity — sometimes referred to as “austerians” — brushed aside all attempts to do the math. Never mind the numbers, they declared: immediate spending cuts were needed to ward off the “bond vigilantes,” investors who would pull the plug on spendthrift governments, driving up their borrowing costs and precipitating a crisis. Look at Greece, they said.
The skeptics countered that Greece is a special case, trapped by its use of the euro, which condemns it to years of deflation and stagnation whatever it does. The interest rates paid by major nations with their own currencies — not just the United States, but also Britain and Japan — showed no sign that the bond vigilantes were about to attack, or even that they existed.
Just you wait, said the austerians: the bond vigilantes may be invisible, but they must be feared all the same.
This was a strange argument even a few months ago, when the U.S. government could borrow for 10 years at less than 4 percent interest. We were being told that it was necessary to give up on job creation, to inflict suffering on millions of workers, in order to satisfy demands that investors were not, in fact, actually making, but which austerians claimed they would make in the future.
George Smith has been on a rather amusing flicking-boogers-at-Ted Nugent binge lately. It's also worth a read for well-informed bioterrorism commentary from time to time.
Ted Nugent sucks, his music sucks, and he's a racist asshole to boot.
Musician Ted Nugent made racially tinged remarks throughout his show Thursday night at the Mississippi Moon Bar in the Diamond Jo.
Within a few minutes of starting, Nugent commented on the race of his audience and the city of Dubuque.
"There's a lot of white people in this crowd -- I like that! (Dubuque) is a white town."
Nugent also pointed out at least one audience member and questioned his race.
Mississippi Moon Bar Entertainment Manager Scott Thomas said before any musician takes the stage at the Moon Bar, a contract is signed that covers the rules of the establishment -- censorship not being one of them.
"What they do is what they do," Thomas said. "They'll ask what kind of crowd it is, and they'll play for that kind of crowd. We don't censor anybody. The majority of the people know what they're coming to see."
But the argument has become even stranger recently, as it has become clear that investors aren’t worried about deficits; they’re worried about stagnation and deflation. And they’ve been signaling that concern by driving interest rates on the debt of major economies lower, not higher. On Thursday, the rate on 10-year U.S. bonds was only 2.58 percent.
So how do austerians deal with the reality of interest rates that are plunging, not soaring? The latest fashion is to declare that there’s a bubble in the bond market: investors aren’t really concerned about economic weakness; they’re just getting carried away. It’s hard to convey the sheer audacity of this argument: first we were told that we must ignore economic fundamentals and instead obey the dictates of financial markets; now we’re being told to ignore what those markets are actually saying because they’re confused.
You see, then, why I find myself thinking in terms of strange and savage cults, demanding human sacrifices to appease unseen forces.
And, yes, we are talking about sacrifices. Anyone who doubts the suffering caused by slashing spending in a weak economy should look at the catastrophic effects of austerity programs in Greece and Ireland.
Maybe those countries had no choice in the matter — although it’s worth noting that all the suffering being imposed on their populations doesn’t seem to have done anything to improve investor confidence in their governments.
But, in America, we do have a choice. The markets aren’t demanding that we give up on job creation. On the contrary, they seem worried about the lack of action — about the fact that, as Bill Gross of the giant bond fund Pimco put it earlier this week, we’re “approaching a cul-de-sac of stimulus,” which he warns “will slow to a snail’s pace, incapable of providing sufficient job growth going forward.”
It seems almost superfluous, given all that, to mention the final insult: many of the most vocal austerians are, of course, hypocrites. Notice, in particular, how suddenly Republicans lost interest in the budget deficit when they were challenged about the cost of retaining tax cuts for the wealthy. But that won’t stop them from continuing to pose as deficit hawks whenever anyone proposes doing something to help the unemployed.
So here’s the question I find myself asking: What will it take to break the hold of this cruel cult on the minds of the policy elite? When, if ever, will we get back to the job of rebuilding the economy?
Children can't drink and vote. Flowers get plucked.
I think he was trying to express that love, not hate makes the world go round and what a better world it would be if we could live at peace with each other.
Somewhere along the way our national discourse has denigrated to the lowest denominator, where shouting the N word at someone is justified as "freedom of speech" and the wish to be a flower child is met with disdain.
Home Secretary bans English Defence League march in Bradford
Theresa May, the Home Secretary, has authorised a blanket ban on marches in a city on the day of a planned protest by the English Defence League (EDL), an right-wing campaign group.
I can't speak for other services, but in the Navy, folks would be relieved of command over this type of thing.
Yeah, most I ever saw was the platoon or squad level, and it usually got straightened out quickly. Never saw anything like this at a command level. "Manadatory Fun Days", yeah, but never an overt religious theme to them.
I am absolutely no fan of the Ted's views, BUT...fwiw, the attitude he espouses in such statements is completely consistent throughout his professional career. He was a Detroit kid; before the Amboy Dukes he gigged quite frequently with musicians regardless of race from the Detroit area -- which, in the sixties, was not exactly common in most places. The language he uses now is no different than the language he used in his younger days.
The fact that he doesn't give enough of a shit to acknowledge that usage and times have changed since the sixties is QUITE another matter. The fact that he chooses to ignore contemporary sensibilities in his inimitable "f*ck you" attitude, to me, is the real Ted. I can't decide if he's genuinely racist or just an asshat.
Either way, I'm no fan. (I do, however, like Journey to the Center of Your Mind -- a slice of classic psychedelia if there ever was one.)
Gah... NYT, MSNBC, etc are all headlining with above the fold breathlessness that the Israeli-Palestinian peace process had itself a breakthrough and direct talks will resume in September.
Umm... who exactly is representing the Palestinians. That would be Fatah, under the rubric of the Palestinian Authority.
More to the point, does the PA, which claims to represent the Palestinians, actually represent all of the Palestinians? In a word? No.
Hamas controls Gaza and is also part of the PA. Hamas seeks Israel's destruction and refuses to hold talks with Israel since it doesn't recognize Israel's very right to exist. It doesn't want talks with Israel except to see Israel destroyed in pieces.
What exactly will Abbas be able to agree to? Not much - and even less where Gaza is concerned since Abbas exerts no power in Gaza or over Hamas. In fact, but for Israel's support, Fatah would have likely collapsed in its civil war against Hamas. Fatah is painted as a collaborator with Israel by Hamas, and that resonates with the Palestinians, especially in Gaza.
Then, there's the issue of public talks. The history of the Arab Israeli conflict has found that most agreements come in backchannel talks that are done out of the public eye - Oslo comes to mind, but so too were the Camp David talks where much of the substantive work was done prior to Sadat and Begin coming to the US.
Public talks have more often than not blown up in the faces of the participants as leaks make it all too clear what is going on and posturing/preening by the parties takes precedence.
Krugman is a classic Keynesian leavened with a healthy appreciation of monetarism ala Friedman and is at his best when he sticks to matters economic. This is a good explanation of the current situation.
I think he was trying to express that love, not hate makes the world go round and what a better world it would be if we could live at peace with each other.
Somewhere along the way our national discourse has denigrated to the lowest denominator, where shouting the N word at someone is justified as "freedom of speech" and the wish to be a flower child is met with disdain.
I am absolutely no fan of the Ted's views, BUT...fwiw, the attitude he espouses in such statements is completely consistent throughout his professional career. He was a Detroit kid; before the Amboy Dukes he gigged quite frequently with musicians regardless of race from the Detroit area -- which, in the sixties, was not exactly common in most places. The language he uses now is no different than the language he used in his younger days.
The fact that he doesn't give enough of a shit to acknowledge that usage and times have changed since the sixties is QUITE another matter. The fact that he chooses to ignore contemporary sensibilities in his inimitable "f*ck you" attitude, to me, is the real Ted. I can't decide if he's genuinely racist or just an asshat.
Either way, I'm no fan. (I do, however, like Journey to the Center of Your Mind -- a slice of classic psychedelia if there ever was one.)
True. Ted is nothing if not consistent.
I don't think he's a bigot. Ignoring contemporary sensibilities, however, as you say, is totally his schtick and always has been. The thing is he attracts real bigots and racists and in today's climate, it seems to be all the rage. Lowest common denominator and all that.
The First Amendment protects us from the government, and not from other Americans who disagree with what we have to say. “Congress shall make no law” — the first five words of the First Amendment — say it all: No government body can limit our rights to speak out. In this case, there’s no government action, just public outrage and pressure.
• Boycotts are also protected by the First Amendment. Dr. Laura complains about being “bullied” by those who might pressure her radio affiliates or advertisers, but boycotts are a time-honored use of the First Amendment to address perceived wrongs and have played a role in virtually every social movement in American history.
• Efforts to punish controversial speech comes from the right and the left. It’s true that liberal organizations are attacking Dr. Laura for use of the racial epithet, just as conservative organizations burned Dixie Chicks CDs when Natalie Maines told a London audience that she was embarrassed that President Bush came from Texas. Politicians and interest groups of all stripes consistently seek to limit the other side’s free speech.
• The marketplace of ideas and the marketplace are different things. We tend to take a romantic view of a nation in which we’re all free to speak, which thereby enriches “the marketplace of ideas.” In the marketplace, however, economic rules apply. Controversial comments can be rewarded with a growing audience or punished by unsettled advertisers. Speech is free; airtime is not.
• Dr. Laura’s First Amendment rights are alive and well. Although she’s leaving her radio show, she says she’ll continue to share her views through public speaking, TV interviews, in print, online, and in a new book due in January, all made possible by the First Amendment.
Krugman is a classic Keynesian leavened with a healthy appreciation of monetarism ala Friedman and is at his best when he sticks to matters economic. This is a good explanation of the current situation.
I agree that as a political economist he is too polarizing and shrill to be perceived as anything other than a partisan.
But on this topic he has been consistent, and fairly critical of the Obama administration. He thought the stimulus was too small (and he said so at the time) and he thought that the most effective tool the government has for getting the economy out of the ditch is stimulative spending.
I have yet to see a contradictory analysis that makes any sense.
Yee haw. Looked at some more authoritarian boot on your neck apologetics from Ace of Spades. He seems to be offended that one of his readers (Kat from Missouri) thinks that destroying our own ideals on private property and freedom of religion and association is a very bad idea and that we are handing propaganda victories to the Islamists.
Love this comment.
10
By opposing this mosque we're against muslims practicing their evil backward beliefs as much as how when we oppose homosexual marriage we're opposed to homos having the right suck each others dicks in the privacy of their own homes.
Why is that so hard to understand?
Posted by: no mr. bond, i expect you to die at August 19, 2010 02:37 PM (uFokq)
Another. You start to get the idea.
15 KatMo fell and hit her head, I think.
9-11 was an act of war. Building a mosque on or close to Ground Zero is another act of war.
Posted by: eman at August 19, 2010 02:40 PM (Nw/hR)
Gotta' get more done toward our pot-luck harvest fest. The butcher has the Porterhouse steaks ready, and the chickens that were killed and plucked yesterday have been roasting for an hour. I've quite a few cukes to use--serve some in a creamy dill sauce, as well as just sliced and iced. My tomatoes are just about all gone, and that really sucks. Got plenty of banana peppers and bell peppers, though. And, the beets I pickled and canned yesterday! Oh, how could I forget the bushels of purple-hull and crowder peas I shelled, pre-cooked and froze!
I can't wait to bite into the peaches-and-cream corn someone's bringing. And, the squash stuffed with parmesan and bread crumbs! Loads of food and loads of people.
I'm turning over the grilling to someone else 'cause it's hard to host and grill at the same time.
Ace and the crew have also found out about the AP changing their reporting standards regarding the inaccurately named "Ground Zero Mosque".
118 84 IT HAS BEGUN:
The Associated Press, one of world's most powerful news organizations, issued a memo today advising staff to avoid the phrase "Ground Zero mosque."
Yes, it should now be referred to as GZM, or jism for short.
Posted by: Lemmiwinks at August 19, 2010 03:08 PM (IqfKc)
oof.. well officially confirmed i've lost my job (writing "ARRA success stories") effective sept 24..
my department also had to reduce 13 full time staff and 4 more part time people. rough times...
oof.. well officially confirmed i've lost my job (writing "ARRA success stories") effective sept 24..
my department also had to reduce 13 full time staff and 4 more part time people. rough times...
... what is this constant badgering about race directed at whites and led by the president? Keep rubbing the race sore -- to promote what? Stir blacks and whites to violence?
Unjust accusations of racism should not be used just to gain a political advantage. Such accusations are despicable and ultimately tragic, but they are particularly dangerous when approved or permitted implicitly by the President of the United States
...
Will Obama incite blacks to riot or force whites to defend themselves against violent attack for his perverse political purposes?
...
The president is working a crude insider reparations program in administration policy and law-making -- for example, in the health care bill, or even administrative matters like the GM dealership closings, race and preferences have been in play. Obama is serious about redistribution by racial favors and quotas, and the legislation supported by his administration always provides preference and sets aside boilerplate that plays to the set asides and preferences bias.
oof.. well officially confirmed i've lost my job (writing "ARRA success stories") effective sept 24..
my department also had to reduce 13 full time staff and 4 more part time people. rough times...
I agree that as a political economist he is too polarizing and shrill to be perceived as anything other than a partisan.
LOL. True, I like him & enjoy his partisanship, but that's why I do feel he's at his best with the economic analysis.
But on this topic he has been consistent, and fairly critical of the Obama administration. He thought the stimulus was too small (and he said so at the time) and he thought that the most effective tool the government has for getting the economy out of the ditch is stimulative spending.
I have yet to see a contradictory analysis that makes any sense.
And I don't believe you will because it's the correct one. We should have had a much larger stimulus, we need to allow the tax cuts to expire & we need to put off worrying about the debt. Unfortunately we've had a number of presidencies in the past 30 years that promised that we could have everything & then some without having to pay for it and people aren't willing to put up with the pain of cuts or the pain of taxes...
oof.. well officially confirmed i've lost my job (writing "ARRA success stories") effective sept 24..
my department also had to reduce 13 full time staff and 4 more part time people. rough times...
I wanna hear more about how black people vote Democrat for the handouts. There's really no other plausible reason they'd stay away from the Republican party, right?
These people just absolutely disgust me. Whining like babies because they can't be outright racists.
I'm also curious about the idea that obama will "force whites to defend themselves against violent attack". I assume they think there will be racial violence and are preemptively blaming Obama and blacks.
Democrats have always supported social programs, helping the less fortunate and elderly, affordable healthcare for everyone and taxing the wealthy instead of the poor. And every one of those presidents happened to be white.
It's about creating a monster out of the Black president where it doesn't exist.
I don’t usually write about politics. It’s important, but something I want no part of – kind of like a raw sewage treatment facility. But frankly, I haven’t been this upset in a long time. And it’s due to the logic-hating, herd-mentality rhetoric that some have been flinging in opposition to the so-called “Ground Zero Mosque.” For the uninitiated, there are plans to construct an Islamic Community center in lower Manhattan. And, of course, lower Manhattan is where the World Trade Center stood before terrorists destroyed it, thereby murdering 3,000 Americans. I was working in New York City at the time. As was my father. As was my pregnant wife. I remember the day well. And the days that followed. I think most of all, I remember standing on the Staten Island Ferry, coming home with 200 other silent, reverent New Yorkers of every age, race, and religion, as we watched our city still smoldering a full week later. And it is with this backdrop that I can say to every politician spouting off and opposing the construction of this Islamic community center: “Shut up. Go away. You hate America.”
I’m talking about people like professional political tumor, Newt Gingrich, and future worst President ever, Sarah Palin, who have both slammed supporters of the Islamic community center with rhetoric so flawed, I’m afraid even linking to it might impair your computer’s higher functioning circuits. But it’s not just them. Due to the wave of misinformation being spread, apparently 68% of Americans also oppose the mosque.
How did this happen? Well, basically a complacent or a complicit media helped perpetuate three ideas that are either outright lies or intellectually dishonest arguments designed to bring out the very worst in all of us. And as you continue to hear them–and you will–take out this column which you will have already printed and laminated, and recite thusly:
The whole thing reminds me of Tim Robbins whining that folks were boycotting his stuff over his outspoken views. "My first amenment rights are being violated!". Uh, no, there are consequences to what you say regardless of the first amendment.
I'd really like to know where Dr. Laura's 1st Amendment rights were violated.
She's just pissed that she can't air a racist rant unabated. After all, she is the epitome of values, morals and ethics, so when SHE says the N word, it's perfectly fine to do so. Why doesn't anyone get that?? Feh.
She's just pissed that she can't air a racist rant unabated. After all, she is the epitome of values, morals and ethics, so when SHE says the N word, it's perfectly fine to do so. Why doesn't anyone get that?? Feh.
whoah. Cracked. and this looks serious.
go gladstone!
Gladstone doesn't pull any punches.
From Sarah Palin’s Twitter Feed:
“We all know that they have the right to do it, but should they?”
And from Harry Reid’s spokesperson:
While respecting that Muslims have a First Amendment right to religious freedom, Reid “thinks this mosque should be built some place else,” his spokesman Jim Manley said Monday.
Let me make something clear. In order to make these statements you must hate two things: logic and America. There is NO way to say that an individual has a protected right to do something and simultaneously criticize your government for not suppressing the execution of that right. There is no way for President Obama or any other president to put a stumbling block in the way of the free exercise of religion without violating the sanctity of that freedom. Should I say it more simply? OK.
You can’t legally stop people from obeying the law.
Oh, and PT, I'm DLing DNDOL now. I'll give it a spin and see if it's a game for me. It has a good head start with the word "free" in there and all.
Great! I renewed my subscription last night, which should allow me to let the rest of the guild into some content even if they're on a free subscription.
I have had a lot of fun with it. Drop me an email if you haven't already (include your LGF handle so I know who you are) The main thing is that we're all on the same server. The server I'm on is usually pretty open and I have multiple characters so I can use a mage or rogue to let somebody else play a fighter (generally the best for learning a system)
Great! I renewed my subscription last night, which should allow me to let the rest of the guild into some content even if they're on a free subscription.
I have had a lot of fun with it. Drop me an email if you haven't already (include your LGF handle so I know who you are) The main thing is that we're all on the same server. The server I'm on is usually pretty open and I have multiple characters so I can use a mage or rogue to let somebody else play a fighter (generally the best for learning a system)
Did I mention it has built in voice that actually works? (no ventrillo required)
Speaking after leading Friday prayers at a neighborhood mosque outside Bahrain's capital Manama, he said radical religious views pose a security threat in both the West and the Muslim world.
"This issue of extremism is something that has been a national security issue — not only for the United States but also for many countries and nations in the Muslim world," Rauf said. "This is why this particular trip has a great importance because all countries in the Muslim world — as well as the Western world — are facing this ... major security challenge."
In New York, Rauf's wife and a co-leader of the proposed Islamic center and mosque project known as Park51 said organizers are sticking with the project despite protests.
"Dropping the plan is definitely not an option at all," Daisy Khan, head of the American Society for Muslim Advancement, told The Associated Press in a brief phone interview Friday.
She said organizers were not considering scaling back the project or changing locations, but are consulting more closely with American Muslim leaders because they realize the uproar surrounding the center is affecting Muslims nationwide.
"We know that we have the right to do this, but what is right for the larger community, or the larger good of the larger Muslim community?" she said.
In Bahrain, Rauf also said he has been working on a way to "Americanize Islam." While he did not elaborate on what an American version of Islam might look like, he did note that different interpretations of the faith have emerged over the religion's 1,400-year existence.
"The same principles and rituals were everywhere, but what happened in different regions was there were different interpretations," he said. "So we recognize that our heritage allows for re-expressing the internal principles of our religion in different cultural times and places."
Great! I renewed my subscription last night, which should allow me to let the rest of the guild into some content even if they're on a free subscription.
I have had a lot of fun with it. Drop me an email if you haven't already (include your LGF handle so I know who you are) The main thing is that we're all on the same server. The server I'm on is usually pretty open and I have multiple characters so I can use a mage or rogue to let somebody else play a fighter (generally the best for learning a system)
I'll take a look at it today. I took a mental health day today.
Had to take the cat to the vet for this reoccurring rash. They're testing him for skin cancer now. I have to fetch him in a couple hours and see what's what.
Did I mention it has built in voice that actually works? (no ventrillo required)
And no grinding. Also, too.
But half the fun is running around in a circle for 4 hours trying to get enough rare drops to make the peice of armor you'll replace 20 minutes later in a new dungeon.
I don't mind paying. Gaming eats up most of our entertainment budget as it is.
My budget is going back into 40k. Just picked up a bunch more Space Wolves, so I'll have a drop pod for my Dreadnought and can field a whole squad of Skyclaws now.
Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf sounds exactly like the type of reformer and a force for change that I've been hoping would come about in the Muslim world. He is the last guy we need to be pissing off right now.
But half the fun is running around in a circle for 4 hours trying to get enough rare drops to make the peice of armor you'll replace 20 minutes later in a new dungeon.
/
Fixed that for you.
Actually Cracked had an article a while back about how most online games are based on the principle of a skinner box with grinding for stuff being the equivelant of making you do things that aren't all that much fun with the promise of being able to other things that are a lot more fun.
"So we recognize that our heritage allows for re-expressing the internal principles of our religion in different cultural times and places."
Which, in essence, is what happened to Christianity.
I posted some Orthodox hip-hop upthread. There's no reason why a religion cannot adapt to society and still keep its traditional values. In fact, that's more reason to respect a religion for doing so.
If we're going to chant about how we need to support moderate Muslims, which is what the NY mosque deniers are always saying, btw, we have no reason not to support Imam Rauf.
Which, in essence, is what happened to Christianity.
I posted some Orthodox hip-hop upthread. There's no reason why a religion cannot adapt to society and still keep its traditional values. In fact, that's more reason to respect a religion for doing so.
If we're going to chant about how we need to support moderate Muslims, which is what the NY mosque deniers are always saying, btw, we have no reason not to support Imam Rauf.
Get this shit...Pat Robertson is showing his ass again, this time commenting on how the Muslims might bribe the Murfreesboro city council to get their "mosque" (that, like Cordoba House/Park51, isn't strictly a mosque, but also a multi-use community center) approved:
Rutherford County Mayor Ernest Burgess and others scoffed at comments by nationally known televangelist Pat Robertson on his 700 Club program Thursday that Muslims could bribe local officials to expand their influence.
"It's entirely possible," Robertson said during the broadcast following a report from his show about the Islamic Center of Murfreesboro's plans to build a 52,960-square-foot structure on Veals Road off Bradyville Pike southeast of the city.
Get this shit...Pat Robertson is showing his ass again, this time commenting on how the Muslims might bribe the Murfreesboro city council to get their "mosque" (that, like Cordoba House/Park51, isn't strictly a mosque, but also a multi-use community center) approved:
I have a feeling that Robertson knows all about bribing public officals...
re: #407 Kragar (Proud to be Kafir)
In short. You have the right to say any stupid thing you want (short of yelling fire in a crowded theatre) and we have the right to ignore it.
Actually Cracked had an article a while back about how most online games are based on the principle of a skinner box with grinding for stuff being the equivelant of making you do things that aren't all that much fun with the promise of being able to other things that are a lot more fun.
Nick Yee did a doctoral thesis on MMORPG culture. There's a gigantic library of stuff at his website, but it's fascinating if you're into that sort of thing.
This was probably the basis (or at least the inspiration) for the Cracked article you mentioned.
In every language, the first word after "Mama!" that every kid learns to say is "Mine!" A system that doesn't allow ownership, that doesn't allow you to say "Mine!" when you grow up, has -- to put it mildly -- a fatal design flaw. From the time Mr. Developing Nation was forced to read "The Little Red Book" in exchange for a blob of rice, till the time he figured out that waiting in line for a loaf of pumpernickel was boring as f*ck, took about three generations. ... Decades of indoctrination, manipulation, censorship and KGB excursions haven't altered this fact: People want a piece of their own little Something-or-Other, and, if they don't get it, have a tendency to initiate counterrevolution.
Click to embiggen
Frank says:
