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1 windsagio  Thu, Aug 19, 2010 10:51:43pm
2 jaunte  Thu, Aug 19, 2010 10:52:49pm

Jackson Bentley: What attracts you personally to the desert?
T.E. Lawrence: It's clean.

3 Mr Pancakes  Thu, Aug 19, 2010 10:54:20pm

re: #1 windsagio

Shameless self-promotion:
My brother's art site.

We're really really proud of him.

My grandson is autistic........

4 SanFranciscoZionist  Thu, Aug 19, 2010 10:55:06pm

re: #1 windsagio

Shameless self-promotion:
My brother's art site.

We're really really proud of him.

I like the trees.

5 WINDUPBIRD DISEASE [S.K.U.M.M.]  Thu, Aug 19, 2010 10:55:18pm

re: #2 jaunte

Jackson Bentley: What attracts you personally to the desert?
T.E. Lawrence: It's clean.

I'll be in the desert in two weeks, wish me luck *_*

6 windsagio  Thu, Aug 19, 2010 10:55:20pm

re: #3 Mr Pancakes

It's becoming more common for some reason. Interesting subject.

We're happy for Chris tho', he's 42, and for hte first time in his life, he's making enough money to pay his own way.

its pretty freakin' awesome.

7 WINDUPBIRD DISEASE [S.K.U.M.M.]  Thu, Aug 19, 2010 10:55:38pm

re: #6 windsagio

It's becoming more common for some reason. Interesting subject.

We're happy for Chris tho', he's 42, and for hte first time in his life, he's making enough money to pay his own way.

its pretty freakin' awesome.

FOURTY TWO!

8 windsagio  Thu, Aug 19, 2010 10:56:44pm

re: #7 WindUpBird

I know rite? We're gettin' old man >>

(PS apologies for the insanely ugly website, that's not my fault)

9 Mr Pancakes  Thu, Aug 19, 2010 10:57:13pm

re: #6 windsagio

It's becoming more common for some reason. Interesting subject.

We're happy for Chris tho', he's 42, and for hte first time in his life, he's making enough money to pay his own way.

its pretty freakin' awesome.

That's great man..... I have high hopes for my grandson, he 's 6 and hasn't spoke a word yet ....... he loves music.

10 Benghazzy Ben Ross  Thu, Aug 19, 2010 10:57:59pm
11 windsagio  Thu, Aug 19, 2010 10:58:13pm

re: #9 Mr Pancakes

Your kids have a tough row to hoe, lemme tell ya. The good news is its basically harmless till they hit their teens >>

I have some stories (which I've told here) which would totally freak you out about the 'violent stage'

12 SanFranciscoZionist  Thu, Aug 19, 2010 10:58:39pm

re: #9 Mr Pancakes

That's great man... I have high hopes for my grandson, he 's 6 and hasn't spoke a word yet ... he loves music.

Well, you know the story about the kid who doesn't talk until he's seven, and his mom serves meatloaf...

13 Mr Pancakes  Thu, Aug 19, 2010 10:59:19pm

re: #11 windsagio

Your kids have a tough row to hoe, lemme tell ya. The good news is its basically harmless till they hit their teens >>

I have some stories (which I've told here) which would totally freak you out about the 'violent stage'

I know... the way he shows love right now is by biting.

14 windsagio  Thu, Aug 19, 2010 11:00:16pm

re: #13 Mr Pancakes

I know... the way he shows love right now is by biting.

Oh damn, that sucks. My mom told my brother not to bite other people, so he started biting himself... Still does it.

Sometimes you just can't win >>

15 Charles Johnson  Thu, Aug 19, 2010 11:00:41pm

By the way, 'taxfreekiller' tried to register again today, for the seventh time.

16 windsagio  Thu, Aug 19, 2010 11:01:25pm

re: #15 Charles

Keeps 'em off the streets, I guess ;)

17 windsagio  Thu, Aug 19, 2010 11:02:06pm

Oh man, so many work stories too, but I can't tell them >>

18 SanFranciscoZionist  Thu, Aug 19, 2010 11:02:07pm

re: #15 Charles

By the way, 'taxfreekiller' tried to register again today, for the seventh time.

Why, I was just mentioning him. How is he?

19 ghazidor  Thu, Aug 19, 2010 11:06:12pm

Rated XXX for explicit interspecies Bee/cacti sex profferment...

20 ghazidor  Thu, Aug 19, 2010 11:08:26pm

re: #18 SanFranciscoZionist

Why, I was just mentioning him. How is he?

Still alive and still feeling well enough to want to troll apparently. :p

21 Hector1980  Thu, Aug 19, 2010 11:09:38pm

Charles, how do you like the iPhone 4 camera? The photo looks pretty good.

22 Charles Johnson  Thu, Aug 19, 2010 11:14:15pm

re: #21 Hector1980

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.

23 SanFranciscoZionist  Thu, Aug 19, 2010 11:15:22pm

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.

24 windsagio  Thu, Aug 19, 2010 11:15:45pm

re: #22 Charles

I really hate to admit it, but that Iphone 4 is a hell of a machine >>

25 windsagio  Thu, Aug 19, 2010 11:16:07pm

re: #23 SanFranciscoZionist

Never trust ANYONE on the internet, they're all lying.

(Not me tho')

26 SanFranciscoZionist  Thu, Aug 19, 2010 11:17:51pm

re: #25 windsagio

Never trust ANYONE on the internet, they're all lying.

(Not me tho')

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.

27 windsagio  Thu, Aug 19, 2010 11:18:26pm

re: #26 SanFranciscoZionist

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.

You know, you'd be my favorite person ever if that were true. Pulling something like that off for so long would be EPIC!

28 Charles Johnson  Thu, Aug 19, 2010 11:22:20pm

A really cool thing about the iPhone 4 camera is the touch-autofocus feature. Let me easily focus right in on that brazen yellow flower.

I just missed a bee having carnal relations with it, too. Flew away right before the picture.

29 WINDUPBIRD DISEASE [S.K.U.M.M.]  Thu, Aug 19, 2010 11:23:39pm

re: #26 SanFranciscoZionist

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.

You have a confederate flag and a supercharged Chevelle SS with drag slicks in your garage

30 WINDUPBIRD DISEASE [S.K.U.M.M.]  Thu, Aug 19, 2010 11:24:12pm

re: #24 windsagio

I really hate to admit it, but that Iphone 4 is a hell of a machine >>

That must have caused you physical agony to type :D

31 windsagio  Thu, Aug 19, 2010 11:24:36pm

re: #30 WindUpBird

I'm gonna have to cut the infected hand off, yeah.

32 SanFranciscoZionist  Thu, Aug 19, 2010 11:24:46pm

re: #27 windsagio

You know, you'd be my favorite person ever if that were true. Pulling something like that off for so long would be EPIC!

I'm sure people do.

33 windsagio  Thu, Aug 19, 2010 11:25:18pm

re: #32 SanFranciscoZionist

Oh it happens, sometimes WUB and I gamble on whose running a really deep scam on here :)

34 WINDUPBIRD DISEASE [S.K.U.M.M.]  Thu, Aug 19, 2010 11:26:06pm

re: #23 SanFranciscoZionist

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

35 WINDUPBIRD DISEASE [S.K.U.M.M.]  Thu, Aug 19, 2010 11:26:25pm

re: #33 windsagio

Oh it happens, sometimes WUB and I gamble on whose running a really deep scam on here :)

deep scam is a great turn of phrase, I love it

36 WINDUPBIRD DISEASE [S.K.U.M.M.]  Thu, Aug 19, 2010 11:27:07pm

re: #31 windsagio

I'm gonna have to cut the infected hand off, yeah.

The hand is like Dr. Strangelove's hand, but it's forced you to buy an iMac and that's all that hand will type on

37 Stanghazi  Thu, Aug 19, 2010 11:27:23pm

re: #1 windsagio

Shameless self-promotion:
My brother's art site.

We're really really proud of him.

Aw shit Wind. All that never meaning nothing in the world bickering downstairs & then I see this.

It's beautiful. I want the sunflowers. I'll contact you.

38 SanFranciscoZionist  Thu, Aug 19, 2010 11:28:41pm

re: #34 WindUpBird

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 "Chuurrrrrchillll!!!!"

That was TFK and John Kerry.

39 windsagio  Thu, Aug 19, 2010 11:28:42pm

re: #37 Stanley Sea

Oh for sure :D

I'll have to pass you on to my mom tho', she'll be thrilled :D

(It's probably more important to her than to anyone else really)

40 Cato the Elder  Thu, Aug 19, 2010 11:29:15pm

Is there a "Ulysses" joke hidden somewhere in this thread?

41 Ben G. Hazi  Thu, Aug 19, 2010 11:29:20pm

re: #31 windsagio

I'm gonna have to cut the infected hand off, yeah.

The hand went bad...

/Ash

42 SanFranciscoZionist  Thu, Aug 19, 2010 11:29:21pm

re: #38 SanFranciscoZionist

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.

Hans Liebkin. That's his name.

43 Benghazzy Ben Ross  Thu, Aug 19, 2010 11:29:59pm

re: #38 SanFranciscoZionist

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.

44 SanFranciscoZionist  Thu, Aug 19, 2010 11:30:48pm

re: #43 JasonA

Ah. Should have just said he was like a certain other poster and "radical Islam" every time he shows up.

Totally different styles. TFK never tried to connect it to anything topical, he just posted these cryptic little--poem-things.

45 WINDUPBIRD DISEASE [S.K.U.M.M.]  Thu, Aug 19, 2010 11:31:07pm

re: #38 SanFranciscoZionist

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

46 WINDUPBIRD DISEASE [S.K.U.M.M.]  Thu, Aug 19, 2010 11:31:43pm

re: #44 SanFranciscoZionist

Totally different styles. TFK never tried to connect it to anything topical, he just posted these cryptic little--poem-things.

incantations

47 Benghazzy Ben Ross  Thu, Aug 19, 2010 11:31:58pm

re: #44 SanFranciscoZionist

Totally different styles. TFK never tried to connect it to anything topical, he just posted these cryptic little--poem-things.

Hm. That actually sounds a little creepy.

48 Stanghazi  Thu, Aug 19, 2010 11:32:24pm

re: #39 windsagio

Oh for sure :D

I'll have to pass you on to my mom tho', she'll be thrilled :D

(It's probably more important to her than to anyone else really)

Well, I'd be happy to make her happy. :)

I'll be in touch.

49 windsagio  Thu, Aug 19, 2010 11:33:12pm

re: #48 Stanley Sea

Well, I'd be happy to make her happy. :)

I'll be in touch.

:D:D:D:D:D

50 Charles Johnson  Thu, Aug 19, 2010 11:36:31pm

re: #47 JasonA

Hm. That actually sounds a little creepy.

More than a little.

51 Stanghazi  Thu, Aug 19, 2010 11:37:28pm

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)

52 windsagio  Thu, Aug 19, 2010 11:38:11pm

re: #51 Stanley Sea

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)

Nite SS! Excelsior!

53 Mr Pancakes  Thu, Aug 19, 2010 11:38:13pm

re: #51 Stanley Sea

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 Stanley

54 Benghazzy Ben Ross  Thu, Aug 19, 2010 11:38:29pm

re: #51 Stanley Sea

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)

Wait... I missed out on IHOP?

55 Mr Pancakes  Thu, Aug 19, 2010 11:38:57pm

re: #54 JasonA

Wait... I missed out on IHOP?

Nah.... i"m still here

56 Benghazzy Ben Ross  Thu, Aug 19, 2010 11:39:32pm

re: #50 Charles

More than a little.

I was curious for a second, but now I think I'm better off for not experiencing it.

57 Cato the Elder  Thu, Aug 19, 2010 11:39:46pm

It only rained one single time when I was in the Mojave for a month last winter, and that was the night I arrived in Joshua Tree.

A hard rain.

And the next morning I woke up and smelled the glory of a world that bides its time, and waits, and awakens when the rains from heaven do fall.

It was a feast for the nose and eyes.

58 KathyP  Thu, Aug 19, 2010 11:40:08pm

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.

59 Charles Johnson  Thu, Aug 19, 2010 11:40:25pm

Joe Conason linked to my post about the Geller-thing's flirtation with German neo-Nazis:

[Link: www.salon.com...]

60 Mr Pancakes  Thu, Aug 19, 2010 11:42:00pm

re: #57 Cato the Elder

It only rained one single time when I was in the Mojave for a month last winter, and that was the night I arrived in Joshua Tree.

A hard rain.

And the next morning I woke up and smelled the glory of a world that bides its time, and waits, and awakens when the rains from heaven do fall.

It was a feast for the nose and eyes.

I used to live in Joshua Tree...... there would be turtles around the house ever morning.

61 Charles Johnson  Thu, Aug 19, 2010 11:42:50pm

Oops, here's the link to Conason's post:

[Link: www.salon.com...]

62 windsagio  Thu, Aug 19, 2010 11:45:35pm


Some goodnight music:


Sleep well, all! Have a good night :)

63 Ben G. Hazi  Thu, Aug 19, 2010 11:46:20pm

On the topic of nature, here's a little biology lesson, courtesy of The Oatmeal:

Why Captain Higgins is My Favorite Parasitic Flatworm

;-P

64 Mr Pancakes  Thu, Aug 19, 2010 11:46:33pm

re: #62 windsagio


Some goodnight music:


[Video]
Sleep well, all! Have a good night :)

Goodnight Mr annoying.

65 windsagio  Thu, Aug 19, 2010 11:47:13pm

re: #64 Mr Pancakes

Love it! Peace >>

66 Benghazzy Ben Ross  Thu, Aug 19, 2010 11:47:29pm

re: #61 Charles

Oops, here's the link to Conason's post:

[Link: www.salon.com...]

How dare he. The gall of that man to put Pam in the crosshairs by labeling her as "anti-Muslim." What the hell was he thinking?!?

67 Mr Pancakes  Thu, Aug 19, 2010 11:47:44pm

re: #65 windsagio

Love it! Peace >>

Peace out dude

68 Ben G. Hazi  Thu, Aug 19, 2010 11:48:47pm

re: #61 Charles

Oops, here's the link to Conason's post:

[Link: www.salon.com...]

I wished he could have used your Zombie Pam pic ;-)

69 Cato the Elder  Thu, Aug 19, 2010 11:50:01pm

re: #60 Mr Pancakes

I used to live in Joshua Tree... there would be turtles around the house ever morning.

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.

70 tnguitarist  Thu, Aug 19, 2010 11:52:24pm

What's the word?

71 Cato the Elder  Thu, Aug 19, 2010 11:53:31pm

I hope that no one takes it wrong, or calls me a sexist, when I say that Pamsy's face is crumbling fast.

Like her message.

Hate is not a good thing for the skin.

72 SanFranciscoZionist  Thu, Aug 19, 2010 11:53:33pm

re: #69 Cato the Elder

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.

I'm pretty sure that's awful bad luck, shooting a nun.

73 Mr Pancakes  Thu, Aug 19, 2010 11:54:19pm

re: #69 Cato the Elder

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.

74 Ben G. Hazi  Thu, Aug 19, 2010 11:55:19pm

re: #70 tnguitarist

What's the word?

The bird's the word...

75 WINDUPBIRD DISEASE [S.K.U.M.M.]  Thu, Aug 19, 2010 11:57:14pm

re: #74 talon_262

It is the word


76 tnguitarist  Thu, Aug 19, 2010 11:58:22pm

re: #75 WindUpBird

I hate headless guitars.

77 Almost Killed by Space Hookers  Thu, Aug 19, 2010 11:59:37pm

re: #15 Charles

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!

78 Benghazzy Ben Ross  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 12:00:08am

re: #74 talon_262

The bird's the word...


[Video]

Well Peter's gonna tell you about the bird...

79 Cato the Elder  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 12:02:18am

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.

Ugliness on the Rostrum.

80 tnguitarist  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 12:02:34am

re: #75 WindUpBird

Not so much.

81 Mr Pancakes  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 12:02:43am

re: #77 LudwigVanQuixote

Why am I not surprised? The stalkers are going to be especially "festive" since you were mentioned in the Post.

Why do you continue to go there? Maybe you ought to stop doing that.

82 ClaudeMonet  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 12:03:42am

re: #10 JasonA

*giggle*

Image: tumblr_l79n181VEl1qzpwi0o1_500.jpg

Jeez, I didn't know I could laugh that hard at 3 AM! Thank you!!

83 tnguitarist  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 12:04:34am

re: #82 ClaudeMonet

Jeez, I didn't know I could laugh that hard at 3 AM! Thank you!!

Somebody in the comments said they spelled "on" wrong.

84 Almost Killed by Space Hookers  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 12:07:10am

re: #81 Mr Pancakes

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.

85 ClaudeMonet  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 12:07:11am

re: #26 SanFranciscoZionist

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).

86 Almost Killed by Space Hookers  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 12:08:29am

re: #26 SanFranciscoZionist

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 that ruins the little web crush I had on you...

87 freetoken  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 12:08:57am

LVQ - if you're still here, have you seen the RS publications of yesterday on population and food?

[Link: rstb.royalsocietypublishing.org...]

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.

88 ClaudeMonet  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 12:09:09am

re: #1 windsagio

Shameless self-promotion:
My brother's art site.

We're really really proud of him.

I can see why. I like how he uses the structure of one leaf for a whole tree.

89 Mr Pancakes  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 12:09:28am

re: #84 LudwigVanQuixote

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.

90 tnguitarist  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 12:11:28am

Don't these talking monkeys know that Eden has enough to go around?

91 Almost Killed by Space Hookers  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 12:13:22am

re: #87 freetoken

LVQ - if you're still here, have you seen the RS publications of yesterday on population and food?

[Link: rstb.royalsocietypublishing.org...]

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.

92 ClaudeMonet  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 12:16:05am

re: #74 talon_262

The bird's the word...


[Video]

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!"

93 freetoken  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 12:17:20am

re: #91 LudwigVanQuixote

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.

94 Almost Killed by Space Hookers  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 12:25:35am

re: #93 freetoken

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.

95 Almost Killed by Space Hookers  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 12:26:13am

re: #93 freetoken

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.

96 Cato the Elder  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 12:26:40am

re: #90 tnguitarist

Don't these talking monkeys know that Eden has enough to go around?

I'll see you that and raise you two by Tim Buckley (RIP), who still makes his talented son Jeff (RIP) look like a piker.

"Phantasmagoria in Two":

"Pleasant Street":

97 Almost Killed by Space Hookers  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 12:31:22am

Freetoken,

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.

98 freetoken  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 12:33:51am

re: #95 LudwigVanQuixote

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.

99 Almost Killed by Space Hookers  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 12:36:45am

re: #98 freetoken

There is a lot more than just one other paper.

Pretty much everything I have seen, and I will have to find you some more links, points to dramatic crop reductions starting now and accelerating.

100 tnguitarist  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 12:37:16am

re: #96 Cato the Elder

Repugnant is a creature
who would squander the ability
to lift an eye to heaven
conscious of his fleeting time here.

101 Mr Pancakes  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 12:40:04am

Well I guess this is an AGW thread now...... time for bed..... before my eyes roll back in my head.

102 freetoken  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 12:41:17am

re: #99 LudwigVanQuixote

Climate change is weaved throughout the topic. I merely concentrated on the Jaggard paper because that is the one the Guardian article focused on.

The Royal Society has a major undertaking looking at population and the future:

[Link: royalsociety.org...]

The current issue of Phil. Trans. B is just part of what will be discussed over the next couple of years.

103 freetoken  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 12:42:01am

re: #101 Mr Pancakes

Well I guess this is an AGW thread now... time for bed... before my eyes roll back in my head.

Well, that really wasn't my goal. My concern primarily is the incompetence of the news media to accurately report science.

104 AK-47%  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 12:44:16am

AGW threads almost immediately disintegrate into shouting matches. Why is it such a charged topic?

105 tnguitarist  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 12:45:42am

re: #104 ralphieboy

AGW threads almost immediately disintegrate into shouting matches. Why is it such a charged topic?

No reason it should be. The science is there.

106 AK-47%  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 12:49:30am

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.

107 tnguitarist  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 12:50:41am

Just because I'm in a TOOL mood tonight.

You must've been high.

108 WINDUPBIRD DISEASE [S.K.U.M.M.]  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 12:53:31am

re: #107 tnguitarist

109 freetoken  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 12:55:46am

re: #106 ralphieboy

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.

110 Cato the Elder  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 12:56:08am

re: #100 tnguitarist

Repugnant is a creature
who would squander the ability
to lift an eye to heaven
conscious of his fleeting time here.

Tim Buckley wrote a whole song about "fleeting".

Morning Glory:

And one more bonus song, about teaching your children badly.

"Carnival Song":

111 AK-47%  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 1:40:12am

re: #109 freetoken

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.

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.

112 windsagio  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 1:43:10am

Came back for a second:
Freakin' awesome!

113 boxhead  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 2:12:21am

re: #109 freetoken

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.

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.

114 Cato the Elder  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 2:13:39am

I think we need a French children's song (chanson enfantine) right about now.

À la claire fontaine:

À la claire fontaine,
M'en allant promener
J'ai trouvé l'eau si belle
Que je m'y suis baigné

Refrain :
Il y a longtemps que je t'aime
Jamais je ne t'oublierai

Sous les feuilles d'un chêne,
Je me suis fait sécher
Sur la plus haute branche,
Le rossignol chantait

Chante, rossignol, chante,
Toi qui as le cœur gai
Tu as le cœur à rire,
Moi je l'ai à pleurer

J'ai perdu ma maîtresse,
Sans l'avoir mérité
Pour un bouquet de roses,
Que je lui refusai

Je voudrais que la rose,
Fût encore au rosier
Et moi et ma maîtresse
Dans les mêmes amitiés

English:

At the clear fountain,
While I was strolling by,
I found the water so nice
That I went in to bathe.

Chorus
I've been loving you so long,
I will never forget you.

Under an oak tree,
I dried myself.
On the highest branch,
A nightingale was singing.

Sing, nightingale, sing,
Your heart is so happy.
Your heart feels like laughing,
Mine feels like weeping.

I lost my beloved,
Without deserving it,
For a bunch of roses,
That I denied her.

I would want the rose
To be still on the bush,
And my sweet beloved
To be still loving me.

115 AK-47%  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 2:25:54am

re: #113 boxhead

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...

116 Darth Vader Gargoyle  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 3:23:11am

re: #1 windsagio

Shameless self-promotion:
My brother's art site.

We're really really proud of him.

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!

He's a big fan of They Might Be Giants.

117 boxhead  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 3:27:33am

re: #115 ralphieboy

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. :)

118 boxhead  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 3:28:26am

re: #117 boxhead

s/their/there/


arrrrgggg

119 AK-47%  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 3:37:06am

re: #117 boxhead

. ...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. :)

You mean like the smell of an oil refinery?

120 MandyManners  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 4:32:06am

Last night in my sleep, I heard the vioces of a thousand spiders as they got snufed out. Yes, Boris is dead.

121 Ayeless in Ghazi  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 4:32:25am

Scanning for Wingnuts:

A Jimmah-Ice production.

122 Fat Bastard Vegetarian  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 4:35:32am

re: #120 MandyManners

Poor stupid Boris.

123 Darth Vader Gargoyle  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 4:37:53am

re: #122 Fat Bastard Vegetarian

Poor stupid Boris.

It's his own fault.
Mess with Mandy's chest,
Die like the rest!
//

124 MandyManners  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 4:39:03am

re: #122 Fat Bastard Vegetarian

Poor stupid Boris.

Teach that little bastard to bite me.

125 MandyManners  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 4:39:37am

re: #123 rwdflynavy

It's his own fault.
Mess with Mandy's chest,
Die like the rest!
//

*sigh* I should've said he bit me on the leg or somewhere else.

126 Ayeless in Ghazi  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 4:45:22am

That was a drive-by post; time to disappear back into the haze of domestic bliss from whence I came. Laters!

127 Fat Bastard Vegetarian  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 4:46:49am

re: #116 rwdflynavy

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.".

Put me on the floor.

128 Fat Bastard Vegetarian  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 4:49:07am

re: #125 MandyManners

Captain Kirk'd like the extra boob.

129 Darth Vader Gargoyle  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 4:52:02am

re: #128 Fat Bastard Vegetarian

Captain Kirk'd like the extra boob.

Especially if it was green.

130 MandyManners  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 4:53:21am

re: #128 Fat Bastard Vegetarian

Captain Kirk'd like the extra boob.

re: #129 rwdflynavy

Especially if it was green.

*shaking head*

131 MandyManners  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 4:56:57am

A story posted on Pages by Bob Levin.

A BBC documentary screened this week that investigated the Gaza flotilla incident on May 31 is causing a storm of protest – from critics of Israel, who are furious that the program was not as hostile to Israel as they thought it should be.

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.

132 Fat Bastard Vegetarian  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 5:02:44am

Tsk Tsk France.

No wonder we haven't heard them bitching about Arizona.

They don't hide they're racism.

133 Fat Bastard Vegetarian  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 5:07:20am

re: #132 Fat Bastard Vegetarian

Tsk Tsk France.

No wonder we haven't heard them bitching about Arizona.

They don't hide their racism.

They're, Their, There... it's not that complicated. Don't know why I screw it up.

134 MandyManners  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 5:08:03am

re: #132 Fat Bastard Vegetarian

Tsk Tsk France.

No wonder we haven't heard them bitching about Arizona.

They don't hide they're racism.

I posted an article about this the other day. Here's what I found strange.

Under EU rules, Roma are free to travel to France but have to prove they can support themselves in order to be allowed to stay longer than three months. Some 15,000 such Roma coming from central and eastern Europe, but predominantly Romania, are thought to be in France.

Does the EU apply the same rules to all immigrants?

135 MandyManners  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 5:08:42am

re: #133 Fat Bastard Vegetarian

They're, Their, There... it's not that complicated. Don't know why I screw it up.

I didn't notice it until you PIMFed yourself.

136 RogueOne  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 5:09:13am

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!

137 Darth Vader Gargoyle  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 5:10:27am

re: #130 MandyManners

re: #129 rwdflynavy


*shaking head*


We really are like children.

138 Darth Vader Gargoyle  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 5:10:58am

re: #136 RogueOne

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!


Have you heard about the new courdoroy pillows?
They're making headlines.

139 prairiefire  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 5:11:29am

"They flee from me who one time did seek me."

140 Darth Vader Gargoyle  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 5:11:52am

re: #134 MandyManners

I posted an article about this the other day. Here's what I found strange.

Under EU rules, Roma are free to travel to France but have to prove they can support themselves in order to be allowed to stay longer than three months. Some 15,000 such Roma coming from central and eastern Europe, but predominantly Romania, are thought to be in France.

Does the EU apply the same rules to all immigrants?


France is holding Roma to a much higher standard than other immigrants.

141 MandyManners  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 5:13:26am

re: #136 RogueOne

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!

I hung up my tap shoes a few years ago.

142 Fat Bastard Vegetarian  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 5:13:30am

re: #140 rwdflynavy

Looks to me.

143 Fat Bastard Vegetarian  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 5:14:27am

re: #136 RogueOne

What did the fish say when he swam into a concrete wall?

Dam.

144 MandyManners  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 5:14:33am

re: #137 rwdflynavy

We really are like children.

Did you make your bed? Brush your teeth? Do you have on clean undies? Lemme' see behind your ears.

145 prairiefire  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 5:14:41am

They Flee From Me That Sometime Did Me Seek

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.

146 RogueOne  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 5:14:54am

re: #138 rwdflynavy

That was awful but I appreciate the effort.

147 MandyManners  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 5:15:15am

re: #140 rwdflynavy

France is holding Roma to a much higher standard than other immigrants.

Do they have car-be-cues?

148 MandyManners  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 5:16:53am

Speaking of children, I gotta' haul HRH, The Kid, to school. bbiab

149 Fat Bastard Vegetarian  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 5:17:31am

re: #147 MandyManners

I've heard people speaking of "Gypsies" in America too.

Friend of mine worked for Lowes and told of the scams that the Romani would run at the Lowes stores all up and down the east coast.

I told him he was being racist, he told me I was being naive.

150 DaddyG  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 5:23:11am

re: #26 SanFranciscoZionist

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. /

151 DaddyG  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 5:25:00am

re: #136 RogueOne

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!


Colonoscopy or Catheter? It will make a difference in the humor we attempt.

152 prairiefire  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 5:25:20am

re: #149 Fat Bastard Vegetarian

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.

153 prairiefire  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 5:26:36am

re: #136 RogueOne

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!

154 Fat Bastard Vegetarian  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 5:28:05am

re: #150 DaddyG

heh

155 DaddyG  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 5:28:21am

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.

I kid you not.

156 prairiefire  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 5:33:09am

re: #155 DaddyG

That's crazy. I had not heard of the black group when I lived in Augusta. That was 94-98. These folks do sound different than the Travelers.

157 Obdicut  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 5:33:12am

re: #152 prairiefire

The Irish Travelers are not Roma.

158 Obdicut  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 5:35:13am

re: #149 Fat Bastard Vegetarian

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.

159 Fat Bastard Vegetarian  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 5:35:38am

I can't imagine the US deporting a small subset of illegal immigrants, for example, Somalians, using the Pirates as an excuse.

160 Fat Bastard Vegetarian  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 5:37:18am

re: #158 Obdicut

Hell! They even had their own holocaust!

161 Obdicut  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 5:37:21am

re: #159 Fat Bastard Vegetarian

Very good point.

It really chaps my ass when France accuses Israel of collective punishment against Palestine-- while collectively punishing the Roma.

162 RogueOne  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 5:37:27am

re: #151 DaddyG

Colonoscopy or Catheter? It will make a difference in the humor we attempt.

Frozen embryo transfer. Wish my wife luck.

163 Fat Bastard Vegetarian  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 5:40:03am

re: #162 RogueOne

Frozen embryo transfer. Wish my wife luck.

Poor little kid... gonna be born wearing Mukluks...

164 prairiefire  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 5:42:26am

"France deports Roma Gypsies to Romania" [Link: news.yahoo.com...]

165 prairiefire  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 5:46:16am

re: #157 Obdicut

You're right. They are Irish ~ [Link: archive.southcoasttoday.com...]

166 RogueOne  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 5:48:48am

re: #163 Fat Bastard Vegetarian

Poor little kid... gonna be born wearing Mukluks...

I'm hoping for iceman super powers

167 Obdicut  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 5:51:50am

re: #165 prairiefire

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.

168 garhighway  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 5:52:53am

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..

[Link: www.talkingpointsmemo.com...]

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.

169 Obdicut  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 5:54:03am

re: #168 garhighway

Can they issue a writ of "Seriously, Knock It Off"?

She barely stands out amongst the crazies lined up to take a shot at Obama, now.

170 Fat Bastard Vegetarian  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 5:57:54am

re: #167 Obdicut

Really hard to "un-fuck" an entire group of people.

See African American/Native American/Chinese American... etc...

171 Ericus58  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 5:58:05am

Battle of Britain 70 years on: Churchill's 'Few'

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

"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."

172 Obdicut  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 6:00:29am

re: #170 Fat Bastard Vegetarian

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.

173 Obdicut  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 6:02:32am

re: #171 Ericus58


No. 303 Polish Fighter Squadron

One in eight pilots on the British side were Polish.

174 Fat Bastard Vegetarian  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 6:04:39am

re: #172 Obdicut

Crap, just looked them up. Did not know that "Laplanders" was a pejorative.

Lesson here, I guess, don't matter where you are in the world... you a minority... prepare for a fuckin'.

175 Jeff In Ohio  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 6:04:58am

re: #1 windsagio

Shameless self-promotion:
My brother's art site.

We're really really proud of him.

I think I've said this before when you posted his work, but it is truly inspiring and beautiful. 2 timeless qualities.

176 prairiefire  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 6:06:42am

re: #171 Ericus58

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.

177 Obdicut  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 6:09:26am

re: #174 Fat Bastard Vegetarian

Yep.


[Link: www.theonion.com...]

It's a grand old world.

178 Jeff In Ohio  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 6:13:23am

re: #169 Obdicut

She's the two headed calf in the sideshow of a circus of demagoguery.

179 Fat Bastard Vegetarian  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 6:15:43am

re: #172 Obdicut

Don't what?

*batts eyes innocently*

180 DaddyG  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 6:16:06am

"God Bless The Child"

Billie Holiday / Arthur Herzog Jr.

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

181 reine.de.tout  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 6:17:22am

re: #175 Jeff In Ohio

I think I've said this before when you posted his work, but it is truly inspiring and beautiful. 2 timeless qualities.

And original, that is, a different sort of style than I've ever seen, another timeless quality.

Impressive, IMO

182 Obdicut  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 6:19:11am

re: #181 reine.de.tout

They kind of remind me of Tolkien's drawings:

Image: p21_mrbaggins2%231%23.jpg

Not very similar, but the use of shapes is kind of similar.

183 Jeff In Ohio  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 6:20:45am

re: #162 RogueOne

Frozen embryo transfer. Wish my wife luck.

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.

184 DaddyG  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 6:22:54am

re: #178 Jeff In Ohio

She's the two headed calf in the sideshow of a circus of demagoguery.

So you've taken the Georgia state Capitol tour then?

185 reine.de.tout  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 6:24:27am

re: #183 Jeff In Ohio

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.

186 reine.de.tout  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 6:25:50am

re: #182 Obdicut

They kind of remind me of Tolkien's drawings:

Image: p21_mrbaggins2%231%23.jpg

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).

187 Fat Bastard Vegetarian  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 6:26:43am

re: #186 reine.de.tout

I lost a spelling bee in the 6th grade with the word "vague".

I'm going to go cry for a bit.

188 DaddyG  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 6:26:57am

re: #185 reine.de.tout

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).

189 DaddyG  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 6:27:37am

re: #187 Fat Bastard Vegetarian

I lost a spelling bee in the 6th grade with the word "vague".

I'm going to go cry for a bit.


Let go. It's time to move on. /

190 reine.de.tout  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 6:28:04am

re: #187 Fat Bastard Vegetarian

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").

191 Obdicut  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 6:29:02am

re: #186 reine.de.tout

Yeah, Tolkein's use of color is different.

Image: 15-01-041-12.jpg

Image: rivendell-jrrt.jpg

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.

192 DaddyG  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 6:29:30am

I got sent to the principles office for goofing off during my 5th grade spelling bee. (Yeah I was that kid.)

193 reine.de.tout  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 6:29:36am

re: #188 DaddyG

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.

194 Feline Emperor of the Conservative Tears  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 6:29:46am

re: #190 reine.de.tout

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.

195 Jeff In Ohio  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 6:31:05am

re: #182 Obdicut

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.

196 Fat Bastard Vegetarian  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 6:31:05am

re: #190 reine.de.tout

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.

All four that I was with were college graduates.

197 reine.de.tout  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 6:31:55am

re: #191 Obdicut

Yeah, Tolkein's use of color is different.

Image: 15-01-041-12.jpg

Image: rivendell-jrrt.jpg

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.

198 reine.de.tout  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 6:32:22am

re: #196 Fat Bastard Vegetarian

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.

All four that I was with were college graduates.

Oh. My.
That's funny!

199 Jeff In Ohio  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 6:32:37am

re: #184 DaddyG

So you've taken the Georgia state Capitol tour then?

Really?

We used to go to Palisades Amusement Park when I was a kid. They had the old school sideshow for a bit. Creepy.

200 Obdicut  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 6:33:36am

re: #197 reine.de.tout

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.

201 Feline Emperor of the Conservative Tears  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 6:33:49am

re: #199 Jeff In Ohio

Really?

We used to go to Palisades Amusement Park when I was a kid. They had the old school sideshow for a bit. Creepy.

The Indiana State Capitol includes a niche with their piece of the official state stone. Inscribed and everything.

202 reine.de.tout  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 6:33:55am

re: #194 oaktree

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.

203 Fat Bastard Vegetarian  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 6:34:17am

re: #192 DaddyG

I got sent to the principles office for goofing off during my 5th grade spelling bee. (Yeah I was that kid.)

Spelling Bee!

204 MandyManners  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 6:34:32am

re: #149 Fat Bastard Vegetarian

I've heard people speaking of "Gypsies" in America too.

Friend of mine worked for Lowes and told of the scams that the Romani would run at the Lowes stores all up and down the east coast.

I told him he was being racist, he told me I was being naive.

I would've told him that not all who live off the grid and travel around are of Romany extraction.

205 reine.de.tout  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 6:34:39am

re: #200 Obdicut

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!

206 William Barnett-Lewis  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 6:34:57am

re: #185 reine.de.tout

Yes, they do.
*sob*

From yesterday:

It's bad enough my little guy is going into third grade this year. They grow so fast, especially when you look away for a moment...

207 Feline Emperor of the Conservative Tears  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 6:35:40am

re: #202 reine.de.tout

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"...

208 DaddyG  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 6:35:45am

re: #199 Jeff In Ohio

Really?

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.

209 MandyManners  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 6:35:53am

re: #152 prairiefire

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?

210 Jeff In Ohio  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 6:36:36am

re: #185 reine.de.tout

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.

211 MandyManners  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 6:39:24am

re: #155 DaddyG

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 kid you not.

Freakin' chutzpah!

212 Fat Bastard Vegetarian  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 6:40:15am

re: #210 Jeff In Ohio

Told both of my kids the following.

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.

213 DaddyG  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 6:40:21am

re: #204 MandyManners

I would've told him that not all who live off the grid and travel around are of Romany extraction.

Yeah, some of them are community organizers.

/ducks and runs...

214 Feline Emperor of the Conservative Tears  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 6:40:31am

re: #210 Jeff In Ohio

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.

215 reine.de.tout  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 6:40:49am

re: #210 Jeff In Ohio

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.

216 MandyManners  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 6:40:56am

re: #158 Obdicut

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?

217 Big Steve  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 6:41:05am

re: #185 reine.de.tout

Yes, they do.
*sob*

From yesterday:

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.

218 MandyManners  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 6:41:37am

re: #161 Obdicut

Very good point.

It really chaps my ass when France accuses Israel of collective punishment against Palestine-- while collectively punishing the Roma.

Why don't the Roma do something about it?!

219 Fat Bastard Vegetarian  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 6:41:39am

re: #216 MandyManners

I don't think so. But, hey! It's Europe! They're enlightened.

220 MandyManners  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 6:42:14am

re: #162 RogueOne

Frozen embryo transfer. Wish my wife luck.

I hope ya'll have a bouncing baby next spring!!!

221 Fat Bastard Vegetarian  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 6:42:17am

re: #218 MandyManners

For the same reason that American slaves weren't able to do anything about it until Washington stepped in.

222 Feline Emperor of the Conservative Tears  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 6:42:36am

re: #219 Fat Bastard Vegetarian

I don't think so. But, hey! It's Europe! They're enlightened.

Is that education, or being downwind from Chernobyl? ;)

223 MandyManners  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 6:42:37am

re: #163 Fat Bastard Vegetarian

Poor little kid... gonna be born wearing Mukluks...

Thermal diapers.

224 Fat Bastard Vegetarian  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 6:44:13am

re: #221 Fat Bastard Vegetarian

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.

225 DaddyG  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 6:44:33am

re: #214 oaktree

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.

226 Ericus58  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 6:45:15am

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.

227 MandyManners  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 6:48:48am

re: #180 DaddyG

"God Bless The Child"

Billie Holiday / Arthur Herzog Jr.

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

Blood, Sweat and Tears.

228 Obdicut  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 6:49:12am

re: #216 MandyManners

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.

229 Jeff In Ohio  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 6:50:02am

re: #214 oaktree

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.

230 MandyManners  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 6:50:11am

re: #183 Jeff In Ohio

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.

Just wait until the grandbabies start coming in!

231 prairiefire  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 6:50:17am

re: #209 MandyManners

Yep.

232 Walter L. Newton  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 6:50:56am

re: #134 MandyManners

I posted an article about this the other day. Here's what I found strange.

Under EU rules, Roma are free to travel to France but have to prove they can support themselves in order to be allowed to stay longer than three months. Some 15,000 such Roma coming from central and eastern Europe, but predominantly Romania, are thought to be in France.

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.

There is a lot of articles on France 24.

[Link: www.france24.com...]

233 prairiefire  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 6:51:45am

re: #231 prairiefire

Although, I can't say what a Traveler's family ideas on child rearing are.

234 Big Steve  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 6:51:45am

re: #226 Ericus58

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.

235 Feline Emperor of the Conservative Tears  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 6:51:46am

re: #225 DaddyG

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.

236 Ericus58  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 6:53:03am

Vindictive Cat free to home (portland) Part TWO

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...]

237 MandyManners  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 6:53:06am

re: #213 DaddyG

Yeah, some of them are community organizers.

/ducks and runs...

*splutter*

238 MandyManners  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 6:53:55am

re: #219 Fat Bastard Vegetarian

I don't think so. But, hey! It's Europe! They're enlightened.

Riiiiggght.

239 Feline Emperor of the Conservative Tears  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 6:54:09am

re: #234 Big Steve

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.

Robert Heinlein.

240 Jeff In Ohio  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 6:54:46am

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!

241 Obdicut  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 6:54:50am

re: #232 Walter L. Newton

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.

242 MandyManners  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 6:54:50am

re: #221 Fat Bastard Vegetarian

For the same reason that American slaves weren't able to do anything about it until Washington stepped in.

Well, it's not the same. No one "owns" the Roma.

I wonder if they can't get political power because they don't have a voting bloc.

243 DaddyG  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 6:54:51am

re: #229 Jeff In Ohio

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.


Snark has saved my children's lives many times. It is such a proud moment when they make their first sarcastic joke.

244 Big Steve  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 6:56:34am

re: #239 oaktree
huh?

245 Obdicut  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 6:56:59am

re: #242 MandyManners

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.

246 MandyManners  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 6:57:46am

re: #228 Obdicut

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?!

247 MandyManners  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 6:58:29am

re: #231 prairiefire

Yep.

Well, I know what that particular group values.

248 Fat Bastard Vegetarian  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 6:58:56am

re: #242 MandyManners

Obdi appears to know quite a bit about it... see his 228.

Walter also appears to be following it.

I am clueless... to me it just has the appearance of "that is so fucking wrong!"

249 MandyManners  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 6:59:27am

re: #232 Walter L. Newton

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.

There is a lot of articles on France 24.

[Link: www.france24.com...]

Everything I've read says that they *are* immigrants.

250 MandyManners  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 6:59:51am

re: #232 Walter L. Newton

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.

There is a lot of articles on France 24.

[Link: www.france24.com...]

And, I've never heard of Roma being involved in car-be-cues.

251 Feline Emperor of the Conservative Tears  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 6:59:53am

re: #229 Jeff In Ohio

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.

252 MandyManners  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 7:00:29am

re: #233 prairiefire

Although, I can't say what a Traveler's family ideas on child rearing are.

I would reckon it depends on each family's interpretation of the cultural norms.

253 Walter L. Newton  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 7:01:01am

re: #241 Obdicut

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.

254 Walter L. Newton  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 7:02:19am

re: #249 MandyManners

Everything I've read says that they *are* immigrants.

My use of the word was incorrect.

255 Feline Emperor of the Conservative Tears  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 7:02:29am

re: #244 Big Steve

huh?

A very close parallel to that anecdote is told (and used as a analogy) in Henlein's _The Door Into Summer_. Which was published as a novel in 1957.

256 MandyManners  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 7:03:30am

re: #245 Obdicut

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)?

257 Obdicut  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 7:03:44am

re: #246 MandyManners

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.

258 Vicious Babushka  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 7:04:21am

re: #26 SanFranciscoZionist

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.

I am really a single thirtysomething gay guy in Seattle pretending to be a Hasidic grandmother with 26 grandchildren.

259 Walter L. Newton  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 7:04:40am

re: #256 MandyManners

Why don't they go to Romania (assuming that's their ancestral home)?

Try reading...

[Link: en.wikipedia.org...]

260 Obdicut  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 7:05:31am

re: #253 Walter L. Newton

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.

261 MandyManners  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 7:05:37am

re: #257 Obdicut

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.

Oh, I understand the colonial issue.

262 Obdicut  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 7:06:18am

re: #256 MandyManners

Why don't they go to Romania (assuming that's their ancestral home)?

Heh. Romania is where they were enslaved. It's their ancestral home the way the South is the ancestral home of blacks in the US.

263 MandyManners  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 7:07:43am

re: #259 Walter L. Newton

Try reading...

[Link: en.wikipedia.org...]

I don't know why I forgot about Hungary. On my dad's side I have Romani blood from there.

264 Slap  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 7:07:48am

re: #70 tnguitarist

Here's an early morn late reply, from Gil Scott-Heron......:

What's the Word?

265 MandyManners  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 7:08:15am

re: #262 Obdicut

Heh. Romania is where they were enslaved. It's their ancestral home the way the South is the ancestral home of blacks in the US.

Didn't they originally come from India?

266 Obdicut  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 7:08:53am

re: #261 MandyManners

Oh, I understand the colonial issue.

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.

267 Obdicut  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 7:11:08am

re: #265 MandyManners

Didn't they originally come from India?

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.

268 MandyManners  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 7:12:05am

re: #266 Obdicut

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.

269 MandyManners  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 7:12:42am

re: #267 Obdicut

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.

So, just where are they supposed to live?!

270 Walter L. Newton  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 7:12:44am

re: #261 MandyManners

Oh, I understand the colonial issue.

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...

[Link: www.france24.com...]

271 Obdicut  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 7:16:56am

re: #268 MandyManners

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:

[Link: romasummit.ning.com...]

272 Killgore Trout  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 7:17:26am

re: #270 Walter L. Newton

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...

[Link: www.france24.com...]

That stuff never looks good.

273 Walter L. Newton  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 7:17:29am

re: #267 Obdicut

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.

274 Obdicut  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 7:19:07am

re: #269 MandyManners

So, just where are they supposed to live?!

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.

275 MandyManners  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 7:19:22am

re: #270 Walter L. Newton

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...

[Link: www.france24.com...]

Too bad they didn't show that kind of ferocity when dealing with the Nazis.

276 MandyManners  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 7:21:04am

re: #271 Obdicut

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:

[Link: romasummit.ning.com...]

She looks Indian.

277 MandyManners  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 7:21:42am

re: #274 Obdicut

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.

Don't they remember how Hitler treated the Roma?!

278 Walter L. Newton  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 7:21:59am

re: #272 Killgore Trout

That stuff never looks good.

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.

This really surprised me.

279 MandyManners  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 7:23:26am

Man, my knickers are in a twist. bbiab

280 Obdicut  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 7:23:52am

re: #276 MandyManners

She looks Indian.

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.

281 RogueOne  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 7:24:51am

re: #200 Obdicut

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.

282 Walter L. Newton  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 7:27:21am

re: #275 MandyManners

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.

283 RogueOne  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 7:28:28am

re: #220 MandyManners

I hope ya'll have a bouncing baby next spring!!!

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.

284 Gus  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 7:28:30am

re: #272 Killgore Trout

That stuff never looks good.

At least the cameraman didn't get beaten and arrested. Unlike certain police departments. [cough]

285 MandyManners  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 7:31:49am

re: #280 Obdicut

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?

286 Fat Bastard Vegetarian  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 7:32:32am

re: #283 RogueOne

Yeah, you say that now. I did too.

Once they're in your arms, the entire tune changes.

Then? You can't wait for them to get out of your house.

287 MandyManners  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 7:32:36am

re: #282 Walter L. Newton

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.

288 Gus  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 7:33:55am

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!

289 Fat Bastard Vegetarian  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 7:34:00am

re: #287 MandyManners

I wasn't aware that the Roma were terrorizing France.

How did we get this far without a link?

290 Fat Bastard Vegetarian  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 7:34:25am

re: #289 Fat Bastard Vegetarian

Oh, that's awful.

291 MandyManners  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 7:34:39am

re: #283 RogueOne

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.

292 Fat Bastard Vegetarian  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 7:34:47am

re: #288 Gus 802

Kin'a.

293 Obdicut  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 7:35:30am

re: #285 MandyManners

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.

294 RogueOne  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 7:35:38am

re: #284 Gus 802

At least the cameraman didn't get beaten and arrested. Unlike certain police departments. [cough]

Central Colorado seems to have an inordinate amount of that stuff. You'd think they're trying to compete with Chicago or Philly.

295 MandyManners  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 7:35:50am

re: #288 Gus 802

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!

DAMN SKIPPY!

Hell, look how the UN is treating the flotilla!

296 MandyManners  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 7:36:39am

re: #290 Fat Bastard Vegetarian

Oh, that's awful.

What? The hair or the dress?

297 Fat Bastard Vegetarian  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 7:36:56am

re: #296 MandyManners

What? The hair or the dress?

Yes.

Oh, and the song.

298 Gus  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 7:37:15am

re: #294 RogueOne

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.

299 Walter L. Newton  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 7:37:32am

re: #287 MandyManners

I wasn't aware that the Roma were terrorizing France.

Mandy... I was talking about the suburban riots and the subway bombings that have happened in Paris, I was not talking about the Roma.

300 MandyManners  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 7:37:55am

re: #293 Obdicut

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.

301 Gus  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 7:38:01am

re: #296 MandyManners

What? The hair or the dress?

Almost looks like Marge Simpson's sisters hair.

302 MandyManners  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 7:38:44am

re: #297 Fat Bastard Vegetarian

Yes.

Oh, and the song.

I like all of it.

303 MandyManners  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 7:39:14am

re: #298 Gus 802

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.

Denver cops are beating people?

304 Fat Bastard Vegetarian  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 7:39:50am

re: #302 MandyManners

Cher helped a friend of mine who was dying of cancer. Hated her before... kind of love her now...

Still can't listen to her sing though...

Moonstruck! She was fantastic!

305 MandyManners  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 7:39:52am

re: #299 Walter L. Newton

Mandy... I was talking about the suburban riots and the subway bombings that have happened in Paris, I was not talking about the Roma.

So, why is Sarkozy picking on the Roma?

306 MandyManners  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 7:40:23am

re: #304 Fat Bastard Vegetarian

Cher helped a friend of mine who was dying of cancer. Hated her before... kind of love her now...

Still can't listen to her sing though...

Moonstruck! She was fantastic!

I love Cher.

307 Gus  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 7:40:59am

re: #303 MandyManners

Denver cops are beating people?

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.

308 Obdicut  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 7:41:07am

re: #300 MandyManners

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.

309 Gus  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 7:42:38am

re: #303 MandyManners

Denver cops are beating people?

Here's the latest.

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

Should have mentioned though. The two cops filed false police reports.

310 Fat Bastard Vegetarian  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 7:44:43am

re: #305 MandyManners

They're gypsies, tramps and thieves.

I guess...

311 MandyManners  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 7:45:21am

re: #307 Gus 802

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?!

312 lawhawk  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 7:45:42am

This is just a sad story from NYC:

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.

313 RogueOne  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 7:46:10am

re: #291 MandyManners

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.

314 MandyManners  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 7:46:12am

re: #308 Obdicut

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.

315 Gus  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 7:46:12am

I better get ready for a meeting to possibly, maybe, hopefully, get a client for a small job. Last two that I thought I had went down the drain.

Later!

316 Walter L. Newton  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 7:46:50am

re: #305 MandyManners

So, why is Sarkozy picking on the Roma?

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...

317 Walter L. Newton  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 7:48:10am

re: #315 Gus 802

I better get ready for a meeting to possibly, maybe, hopefully, get a client for a small job. Last two that I thought I had went down the drain.

Later!

good luck.

318 RogueOne  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 7:48:32am

re: #309 Gus 802

Here's the latest.

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

Should have mentioned though. The two cops filed false police reports.

Thank goodness for cell phone video.

319 MandyManners  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 7:50:46am

re: #309 Gus 802

Here's the latest.

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

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.

320 MandyManners  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 7:51:04am

re: #310 Fat Bastard Vegetarian

*whack*

321 RogueOne  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 7:51:11am

re: #310 Fat Bastard Vegetarian

They're gypsies, tramps and thieves.

I guess...

I just got that.

322 MandyManners  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 7:52:08am

re: #312 lawhawk

This is just a sad story from NYC:

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.

What an awful waste!

323 MandyManners  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 7:53:08am

re: #313 RogueOne

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!

324 MandyManners  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 7:53:33am

re: #315 Gus 802

I better get ready for a meeting to possibly, maybe, hopefully, get a client for a small job. Last two that I thought I had went down the drain.

Later!

Good lick!

325 MandyManners  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 7:54:54am

re: #316 Walter L. Newton

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.

326 RogueOne  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 7:55:46am

re: #323 MandyManners

I could be wrong but, she's going through much worse than your "boys" went through!

Maybe but I have a scar and stretch marks./

327 celticdragon  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 7:56:32am

re: #1 windsagio

Shameless self-promotion:
My brother's art site.

We're really really proud of him.

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.

328 Nervous Norvous  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 8:01:25am

re: #327 celticdragon

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.

329 MandyManners  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 8:02:27am

re: #326 RogueOne

Maybe but I have a scar and stretch marks./

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.

330 RogueOne  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 8:04:48am

Taking off for the afternoon. Everyone have a good day.

331 Vicious Babushka  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 8:05:38am

re: #312 lawhawk

This is just a sad story from NYC:

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.

Read about that this morning. Very tragic. People are sharing their reminiscences of this man and how he inspired their lives.

332 Fat Bastard Vegetarian  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 8:06:16am

re: #329 MandyManners

My kids were both c-sections. They both still prefer to leave through a window than a door.

333 Vicious Babushka  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 8:11:34am

I just found out my dad has taken a turn for the worse. He has been diagnosed with emphysema and is on oxygen tank.

They are baffled by the emphysema because he has never smoked in his life, except for one victory puff at the end of WW2.

334 MandyManners  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 8:11:43am

re: #330 RogueOne

Taking off for the afternoon. Everyone have a good day.

I'd love to frolic but I'm bound to the laundry room for a while.

335 MandyManners  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 8:12:38am

re: #332 Fat Bastard Vegetarian

My kids were both c-sections. They both still prefer to leave through a window than a door.

ROFLMAO!

336 MandyManners  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 8:13:21am

re: #333 Alouette

I just found out my dad has taken a turn for the worse. He has been diagnosed with emphysema and is on oxygen tank.

They are baffled by the emphysema because he has never smoked in his life, except for one victory puff at the end of WW2.

Did he work in any kind of heavy industry?

(((Alouette)))

337 Vicious Babushka  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 8:14:51am

re: #336 MandyManners

Did he work in any kind of heavy industry?

(((Alouette)))

Nope, never. He's been retired for 40 years, owned a retail store before that. Maybe it's 35 years of living in LA with all the smog and forest fires?

338 celticdragon  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 8:15:19am

re: #333 Alouette

I just found out my dad has taken a turn for the worse. He has been diagnosed with emphysema and is on oxygen tank.

They are baffled by the emphysema because he has never smoked in his life, except for one victory puff at the end of WW2.

Damn. I'm sorry.

Did he work around asbestos or mining, ship building or similar heavy industry?

339 Vicious Babushka  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 8:16:11am

BIAB. I'm missing a critical ingredient for my cherry pie.

340 Obdicut  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 8:16:13am

re: #333 Alouette

Pollution can be a cause too, I'm afraid.

I hope he has peace and comfort.

341 Ericus58  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 8:16:20am

re: #333 Alouette

I just found out my dad has taken a turn for the worse. He has been diagnosed with emphysema and is on oxygen tank.

They are baffled by the emphysema because he has never smoked in his life, except for one victory puff at the end of WW2.

((Alouette))

Thinking of your Father, Family and You.

342 celticdragon  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 8:16:22am

re: #337 Alouette

Nope, never. He's been retired for 40 years, owned a retail store before that. Maybe it's 35 years of living in LA with all the smog and forest fires?

Okay, you already answered that.

Wow. I'm at a loss, then.

343 Fat Bastard Vegetarian  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 8:18:51am

re: #339 Alouette

BIAB. I'm missing a critical ingredient for my cherry pie.

GO GET IT!

344 DaddyG  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 8:19:36am

re: #313 RogueOne Good man! They are great when they are yours. Trust me.

You have to share your wifes time but even with the little ones you will and should be the most important people in each other's lives.

Your willingness top go through whatever it takes to give her a child demonstrates your love.

345 Fat Bastard Vegetarian  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 8:21:08am

re: #333 Alouette

Sorry for you and your family.

346 DaddyG  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 8:21:21am

re: #339 Alouette

BIAB. I'm missing a critical ingredient for my cherry pie.


The FedEx box addressed to me?

347 Fat Bastard Vegetarian  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 8:22:28am

re: #338 celticdragon

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.

348 Fat Bastard Vegetarian  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 8:22:43am

re: #346 DaddyG

That was a good joke.

349 DaddyG  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 8:23:35am

re: #348 Fat Bastard Vegetarian

That was a good joke.


Thank you. I usually specialize in bad puns. :-)

350 MandyManners  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 8:23:46am

re: #337 Alouette

Nope, never. He's been retired for 40 years, owned a retail store before that. Maybe it's 35 years of living in LA with all the smog and forest fires?

That would be my guess.

351 What, me worry?  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 8:23:49am

re: #312 lawhawk

How terribly tragic.

[Link: www.yosephrobinson.com...]

352 MandyManners  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 8:24:04am

re: #339 Alouette

BIAB. I'm missing a critical ingredient for my cherry pie.

Cherries?

353 MandyManners  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 8:24:16am

re: #339 Alouette

BIAB. I'm missing a critical ingredient for my cherry pie.

WE WANT PHOTOGRAPHS!!!

354 DaddyG  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 8:24:22am

re: #352 MandyManners

Cherries?


That would be the pits.

355 MandyManners  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 8:25:07am

re: #354 DaddyG

That would be the pits.

Their lack would stem production.

356 Fat Bastard Vegetarian  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 8:25:59am
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.

357 Fat Bastard Vegetarian  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 8:31:01am

Watching "Mary of Scotland".

Is it just me? Or was Kate Hepburn one of the sexiest women ever to live?

358 William of Orange  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 8:38:01am

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.

359 MandyManners  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 8:40:50am

re: #357 Fat Bastard Vegetarian

Watching "Mary of Scotland".

Is it just me? Or was Kate Hepburn one of the sexiest women ever to live?

It's not just you.

360 What, me worry?  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 8:46:30am

Kewl Jews :>

DeScribe and Y-Love

Y-Love talks about Jewish hip hop

361 lawhawk  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 8:46:38am

re: #357 Fat Bastard Vegetarian


I'd vote for Audrey, not Kate... but Kate is close.

362 Fat Bastard Vegetarian  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 8:46:39am

re: #358 William of Orange

Thanks, Bill. I hadn't heard of him, but; brave guy.

363 Fat Bastard Vegetarian  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 8:48:38am

re: #361 lawhawk

Oh... dude... Loves me some Audrey too, but she ain't on right now.

364 Fat Bastard Vegetarian  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 8:50:52am

re: #361 lawhawk

Kate had an intelligence sensuality that I never associated with Audrey. Audrey's was an innocence sensuality.

Probably because of casting.

To me anyway.

366 garhighway  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 8:51:34am
367 ShaunP  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 8:52:01am

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...

[Link: www.washingtonpost.com...]

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.

*shakes head*

368 Killgore Trout  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 8:53:54am

re: #366 garhighway

Priceless.

The Heston speech at the end is awesome.

369 Aceofwhat?  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 8:54:15am

re: #357 Fat Bastard Vegetarian

Watching "Mary of Scotland".

Is it just me? Or was Kate Hepburn one of the sexiest women ever to live?

it's not just you...

370 MandyManners  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 8:54:19am

re: #361 lawhawk

I'd vote for Audrey, not Kate... but Kate is close.

Kate's jaw and Audrey's neck.

371 MandyManners  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 8:54:41am

re: #358 William of Orange

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.

Awfully young.

372 Fat Bastard Vegetarian  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 8:56:35am

re: #365 Killgore Trout

By the way, Nugent was on George Lopez last night. Didn't watch it tho.

Wonder if he called George a name.

373 MandyManners  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 8:57:25am

re: #364 Fat Bastard Vegetarian

Kate had an intelligence sensuality that I never associated with Audrey. Audrey's was an innocence sensuality.

Probably because of casting.

To me anyway.

She threw a wild party.

374 Big Steve  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 8:57:40am

re: #367 ShaunP
I would say the betting odds are that Charles will be posting regarding today's Krauthammer

375 MandyManners  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 8:58:39am

And, don't forget Mr. Yunioshi!

376 Fat Bastard Vegetarian  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 9:02:03am
377 Killgore Trout  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 9:04:09am

re: #372 Fat Bastard Vegetarian

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.

378 MandyManners  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 9:05:04am

re: #377 Killgore Trout

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?

379 Fat Bastard Vegetarian  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 9:06:17am

re: #377 Killgore Trout

The interview was kind of cool. (watching it now)... on a Hispanic guy's tv show talking about James Brown, Muddy Waters... etc...

Faking it well.

380 Killgore Trout  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 9:07:40am

re: #378 MandyManners

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.

381 Killgore Trout  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 9:08:51am

re: #379 Fat Bastard Vegetarian

The interview was kind of cool. (watching it now)... on a Hispanic guy's tv show talking about James Brown, Muddy Waters... etc...

Faking it well.

Yeah, I just watched a little bit of it. He puts on a different act when his audience is nonwhite.

382 What, me worry?  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 9:10:02am

re: #376 Fat Bastard Vegetarian

Arrghhh. Stick to the music, Ted.

383 Fat Bastard Vegetarian  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 9:10:52am

re: #381 Killgore Trout

Yeah, I just watched a little bit of it. He puts on a different act when his audience is nonwhite.

I think most of the famous do a little more "pandering" than we'd like to see.

384 Kreuzueber Halbmond  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 9:11:43am
all the cacti were shamelessly blooming

I was a flower child once.
I hope to be again.
Flowers know no hate.
More people should be like children and flowers.

385 Taqyia2Me  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 9:15:38am

re: #382 marjoriemoon

Arrghhh. Stick to the music, Ted.

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.

386 Our Precious Bodily Fluids  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 9:27:28am

US Soldiers Punished for Not Attending Christian Concert

"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.'

387 MandyManners  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 9:37:25am

re: #380 Killgore Trout

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.)

388 MandyManners  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 9:38:24am

re: #384 Kreuzueber Halbmond

I was a flower child once.
I hope to be again.
Flowers know no hate.
More people should be like children and flowers.

Children can't drink and vote. Flowers get plucked.

389 William Barnett-Lewis  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 9:41:55am

re: #234 Big Steve

Just like the Heinlein novel? ;)

390 MandyManners  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 9:42:45am

re: #386 negativ

US Soldiers Punished for Not Attending Christian Concert

If true, this has to be stopped.

391 garhighway  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 9:42:46am

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.

392 Our Precious Bodily Fluids  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 9:43:41am

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."

Of that, I have no doubt.

393 Kragarghazi  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 9:43:47am

re: #386 negativ

This thoroughly enrages me. I saw situations like this dozens of time during my time in the service but nothing so blatant or on such a large scale.

394 garhighway  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 9:43:48am

Part 2:

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?

395 What, me worry?  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 9:45:15am

re: #388 MandyManners

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.

I think we should strive to do better.

396 Darth Vader Gargoyle  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 9:46:06am

re: #393 Kragar (Proud to be Kafir)

This thoroughly enrages me. I saw situations like this dozens of time during my time in the service but nothing so blatant or on such a large scale.


I can't speak for other services, but in the Navy, folks would be relieved of command over this type of thing.

397 Killgore Trout  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 9:46:23am


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.
398 Kragarghazi  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 9:50:43am

re: #396 rwdflynavy

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.

399 Slap  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 9:50:49am

re: #379 Fat Bastard Vegetarian

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.)

400 lawhawk  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 9:52:13am

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.

401 William Barnett-Lewis  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 9:53:59am

re: #391 garhighway

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.

402 wrenchwench  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 9:54:41am

Barrel Cactus? The Fishhook variety is prized (and I think protected) around here.

403 MandyManners  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 9:55:52am

re: #395 marjoriemoon

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 think we should strive to do better.

I can dig it.


404 Slap  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 9:56:21am

re: #392 negativ

Mea culpa, I had forgotten about this.

THIS crap is racist pandering.

405 What, me worry?  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 9:57:37am

re: #399 Slap

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.

406 What, me worry?  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 9:57:56am

re: #403 MandyManners

I can dig it.

[Video]

I knew that you could :)

407 Kragarghazi  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 9:58:12am

A quick refresher for Laura and Sarah on the first amendment;


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.

408 garhighway  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 9:58:19am

re: #401 wlewisiii

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.

409 Benghazzy Ben Ross  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 10:00:18am

re: #407 Kragar (Proud to be Kafir)

Their cries of victimhood are protected speech.

410 celticdragon  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 10:05:02am

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)

411 MandyManners  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 10:05:27am

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.

Gotta' git going! Have a great day, Lizards!

412 celticdragon  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 10:07:56am

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)

I need a shower.

413 Cannadian Club Akbar  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 10:08:01am

Someone mowed the yard at the house I am staying in this morning while I slept. Didn't know there was a lawn mowing fairy.

414 deranged cat  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 10:09:51am

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...

415 garhighway  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 10:10:41am

re: #414 deranged cat

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...

Condolences.

Hang in there.

416 Killgore Trout  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 10:10:50am

More wingnut fear mongering....
Race War A'Comin'?

... 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.

Dr. Laura and Palin are not alone.

417 Killgore Trout  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 10:11:14am

re: #414 deranged cat

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...

Ouch.

418 William Barnett-Lewis  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 10:12:46am

re: #408 garhighway

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...

419 Taqyia2Me  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 10:12:51am

re: #414 deranged cat

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...

O hope you are back at ot ASAP.

420 Charles Johnson  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 10:13:07am

re: #416 Killgore Trout

More wingnut fear mongering...
Race War A'Comin'?

Dr. Laura and Palin are not alone.

These people just absolutely disgust me. Whining like babies because they can't be outright racists.

421 Benghazzy Ben Ross  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 10:14:21am

re: #416 Killgore Trout

More wingnut fear mongering...
Race War A'Comin'?

Dr. Laura and Palin are not alone.

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?

422 Charles Johnson  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 10:15:05am

re: #399 Slap

Ted Nugent has appeared more than once on the white supremacist radio show Political Cesspool.

423 Killgore Trout  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 10:15:55am

re: #420 Charles

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.

424 garhighway  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 10:16:52am

re: #416 Killgore Trout

More wingnut fear mongering...
Race War A'Comin'?

Dr. Laura and Palin are not alone.

I feel like I need a shower after going to that website.

Ewwwwww.

425 Cannadian Club Akbar  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 10:16:54am

test. (I know, fail. Save it)

426 What, me worry?  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 10:17:31am

re: #416 Killgore Trout

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.

427 Benghazzy Ben Ross  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 10:18:42am

re: #420 Charles

These people just absolutely disgust me. Whining like babies because they can't be outright racists.

I'd really like to know where Dr. Laura's 1st Amendment rights were violated.

428 Cannadian Club Akbar  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 10:19:16am

Charles, for some reason my preview button isn't working. I have restarted. Is it on my end? I have to reload the page just to get new comments.

429 Benghazzy Ben Ross  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 10:20:29am

re: #428 Cannadian Club Akbar

Charles, for some reason my preview button isn't working. I have restarted. Is it on my end? I have to reload the page just to get new comments.

When you say restarted, are you talking about the browser or your PC? If it's the former, try rebooting.

430 Kragarghazi  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 10:20:34am

3 Reasons the “Ground Zero Mosque” Debate Makes No Sense

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:

431 Kragarghazi  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 10:21:11am

re: #427 JasonA

I'd really like to know where Dr. Laura's 1st Amendment rights were violated.

When someone complained.

432 What, me worry?  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 10:21:20am

re: #422 Charles

Ted Nugent has appeared more than once on the white supremacist radio show Political Cesspool.

Ah yes... well maybe he's a bigot after all.

433 Darth Vader Gargoyle  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 10:23:33am

re: #431 Kragar (Proud to be Kafir)

When someone complained.

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.

434 deranged cat  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 10:26:32am

re: #430 Kragar (Proud to be Kafir)

whoah. Cracked. and this looks serious.
go gladstone!

435 What, me worry?  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 10:26:46am

re: #427 JasonA

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.

436 What, me worry?  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 10:27:16am

re: #428 Cannadian Club Akbar

Charles, for some reason my preview button isn't working. I have restarted. Is it on my end? I have to reload the page just to get new comments.

Are you using Firefox?

437 Benghazzy Ben Ross  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 10:28:11am

re: #435 marjoriemoon

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.

I know. I'm so damn dense.

438 Cannadian Club Akbar  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 10:29:22am

re: #436 marjoriemoon

Are you using Firefox?

yes

439 What, me worry?  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 10:30:59am

re: #437 JasonA

I know. I'm so damn dense.

You're pretty wise. And always funny. Funny is good. Silly is better. You can't go wrong with a silly man. My philosophy.

440 Nervous Norvous  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 10:31:16am

re: #437 JasonA

I know. I'm so damn dense.

No you just have a keen sense of the obvious, as opposed to Dr. Laura who has a keen sense of the oblivious.

441 What, me worry?  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 10:31:25am

re: #438 Cannadian Club Akbar

yes

Hmmm... Firefox cured all my ills. That's all I got!

442 Kragarghazi  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 10:31:32am

re: #434 deranged cat

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.

443 What, me worry?  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 10:32:43am

re: #441 marjoriemoon

So dude, can I ask you who you're voting for on Tuesday?

444 What, me worry?  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 10:33:10am

re: #438 Cannadian Club Akbar

yes

Oops, I meant that for you lol Care to share?

445 Benghazzy Ben Ross  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 10:33:26am

re: #439 marjoriemoon

re: #440 PT Barnum

Keep it up and you guys'll give me a big head.

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.

446 Benghazzy Ben Ross  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 10:35:22am

re: #442 Kragar (Proud to be Kafir)

Gladstone doesn't pull any punches.

I loved this part.

447 Nervous Norvous  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 10:36:47am

re: #445 JasonA

re: #440 PT Barnum

Keep it up and you guys'll give me a big head.

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)

448 Nervous Norvous  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 10:38:35am

re: #447 PT Barnum

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)

And no grinding. Also, too.

449 Kragarghazi  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 10:40:05am

NY mosque imam: Extremism is global threat

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."

450 What, me worry?  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 10:40:51am

re: #447 PT Barnum

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.

451 Benghazzy Ben Ross  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 10:41:03am

re: #448 PT Barnum

Did I mention it has built in voice that actually works? (no ventrillo required)

And no grinding. Also, too.

Good. All grinding and no play makes Jay a dull boy.

452 Kragarghazi  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 10:41:27am

re: #448 PT Barnum

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.

453 DaddyG  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 10:42:39am

re: #386 negativ It seems like the 1st Amendment is under attack from ignorance. First the Manhattan Mosque then this.

I blame our public schools. /sort of

454 Benghazzy Ben Ross  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 10:42:40am

re: #449 Kragar (Proud to be Kafir)

If this Imam was serious about reaching out to Americans then he'd convert to Christianity.

455 What, me worry?  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 10:42:44am

re: #448 PT Barnum

re: #451 JasonA

I don't mind paying. Gaming eats up most of our entertainment budget as it is.

456 What, me worry?  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 10:43:27am

re: #454 JasonA

If this Imam was serious about reaching out to Americans then he'd convert to Christianity.

hehe Egads, what if he converted to Judaism!

457 Kragarghazi  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 10:43:47am

re: #454 JasonA

If this Imam was serious about reaching out to Americans then he'd convert to Christianity.

Come here.

Little closer.

*SLAP

458 webevintage  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 10:45:10am

re: #430 Kragar (Proud to be Kafir)

3 Reasons the “Ground Zero Mosque” Debate Makes No Sense

wow...this 100Xs.

459 Kragarghazi  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 10:45:15am

re: #455 marjoriemoon

re: #451 JasonA

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.

460 deranged cat  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 10:45:17am

re: #442 Kragar (Proud to be Kafir)

gotta love Cracked lol.
Here's my comment:

madwalrusinabox
this was a great article, and you took it seriously with reason, logic, intelligence and respect. Thank you.

here's a reply i got:

WackDynamite
man I will slap tha s**t outta you for being so correct.
461 Benghazzy Ben Ross  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 10:45:25am

re: #456 marjoriemoon

hehe Egads, what if he converted to Judaism!

Thinking about that made my brain stop. Rebooting...

re: #457 Kragar (Proud to be Kafir)

Come here.

Little closer.

*SLAP


I totally deserved that.

462 Neutral President  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 10:45:29am

re: #449 Kragar (Proud to be Kafir)

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.

463 webevintage  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 10:47:27am

Last night, Daily Show...follow the money?

464 Cannadian Club Akbar  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 10:48:35am

test. This isn't working. Tried FF and iE. I'll check back later.

465 Nervous Norvous  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 10:49:22am

re: #452 Kragar (Proud to be Kafir)

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.

466 What, me worry?  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 10:49:35am

re: #449 Kragar (Proud to be Kafir)

"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.

467 Nervous Norvous  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 10:50:11am

re: #466 marjoriemoon

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.

Ta-Shma or Matenyahu?

468 Ben G. Hazi  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 10:50:20am

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.

Full story here: Tennessean - Pat Robertson: Muslims could bribe Rutherford officials to get mosque

469 Benghazzy Ben Ross  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 10:52:27am

Dick Morris: We're establishing, literally, a command center for terrorism right at the 9/11 site.

Jon Stewart: Just for the record, I'm against establishing a terrorist command post at 9/11 ground zero... or really anywhere else in the city.

Watch. He was on target last night.

470 What, me worry?  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 10:52:32am

re: #467 PT Barnum

Ta-Shma or Matenyahu?

Actually Y-Love and DeScribe (whom I hadn't previously heard about).

[Link: littlegreenfootballs.com...]

471 Nervous Norvous  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 10:52:58am

re: #470 marjoriemoon

Actually Y-Love and DeScribe (whom I hadn't previously heard about).

[Link: littlegreenfootballs.com...]

Will have to check those out...

472 Benghazzy Ben Ross  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 10:53:15am

re: #463 webevintage

Last night, Daily Show...follow the money?

[Link: www.thedailyshow.com...]

Foiled again! Curses!

473 prairiefire  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 10:53:26am

re: #304 Fat Bastard Vegetarian

Cher helped a friend of mine who was dying of cancer. Hated her before... kind of love her now...

Still can't listen to her sing though...

Moonstruck! She was fantastic!

"Snap out of it!!" *Slap*

474 webevintage  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 10:53:55am

re: #468 talon_262

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...

475 prairiefire  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 10:55:11am

re: #450 marjoriemoon

Good Luck!

476 DaddyG  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 10:56:16am

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.

477 deranged cat  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 10:57:01am

re: #463 webevintage

haha! "Is Fox News a terrorist command center?"

478 webevintage  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 10:57:20am

re: #472 JasonA

Foiled again! Curses!

HA!
The Team Jesus/Team Mohammad bit was made of funny too....
I just wish they had used a picture of "Buddy Christ" on the T-shirt.

479 Benghazzy Ben Ross  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 10:59:13am

re: #478 webevintage

HA!
The Team Jesus/Team Mohammad bit was made of funny too...
I just wish they had used a picture of "Buddy Christ" on the T-shirt.

"If there's anyone who can bring Christians, Muslims, and Jews together, it's Moses."

480 DaddyG  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 11:01:06am

re: #468 talon_262
Wow! Talk about throwing stones in a glass worship center.

481 Slap  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 11:02:26am

re: #422 Charles

re: #422 Charles

Thanks for the info about his appearances.

Not so thankful that I now know there's such a program on the air -- but I'm also glad I'm not a radio listener, in that case!

482 Our Precious Bodily Fluids  Fri, Aug 20, 2010 11:37:49am

re: #465 PT Barnum

/

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.

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.


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