Fantastic Four #72: Where Soars the Silver Surfer!

‘Sheeesh! Billy Graham’s got nothin’ on you!’ - Ben Grimm

ArtsMarch 2011 • Views: 37,438

Tonight’s cover image from the Lizard Collection is one of my favorite Jack Kirby illustrations, a great example of his “energy foam” style, with a full color Silver Surfer overlaid on a dramatic duochrome background: issue #72 of Fantastic Four, published in March 1968.

The LC copy is in excellent condition with a slight spine curl and a few marks around the edges, but with exceptionally bright colors, very white pages, and amazingly shiny 43-year old staples.

Click to enlarge

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519 comments

wrenchwench Fri, Mar 4, 2011 6:02:32pm

Man, the cover alone is worth 12 cents!

Decatur Deb Fri, Mar 4, 2011 6:07:11pm

Un Canadien Errant

Youtube Video

wrenchwench Fri, Mar 4, 2011 6:13:03pm

My brother's twitter comes through again.

The Nietzsche Family Circus pairs a randomized Family Circus cartoon with a randomized Friedrich Nietzsche quote. Refresh the page to see a new comic and share your favorites by clicking permalink.

[Link: www.losanjealous.com...]

See y'all tomorrow.

Prononymous, rogue demon hunter Fri, Mar 4, 2011 6:13:07pm

I would like to express my elation that George RR Martin has finally announced a firm publishing date for the next book in the Song of Fire and Ice series, A Dance with Dragons. July 12, 2011. We have only waited 6 years. Damn, Santa Fe slackers.

Daniel Ballard Fri, Mar 4, 2011 6:20:16pm

Charles I hope you saw the news or the page I did on Archie #1. Highest price ever paid for a non superhero comic they say. $167,000 or so. WOW.

Decatur Deb Fri, Mar 4, 2011 6:24:37pm

Big Bill Broonzy:

Unemployment Stomp

Youtube Video

Mocking Jay Fri, Mar 4, 2011 6:24:42pm

re: #4 prononymous

I would like to express my elation that George RR Martin has finally announced a firm publishing date for the next book in the Song of Fire and Ice series, A Dance with Dragons. July 12, 2011. We have only waited 6 years. Damn, Santa Fe slackers.

Cool. Now I can start reading Feast for Crows.

Charles Johnson Fri, Mar 4, 2011 6:24:50pm

re: #5 Rightwingconspirator

Charles I hope you saw the news or the page I did on Archie #1. Highest price ever paid for a non superhero comic they say. $167,000 or so. WOW.

Saw it! We have several hundred Archie comics, but I don't think any of them are that valuable. Yet.

Mocking Jay Fri, Mar 4, 2011 6:25:10pm

re: #7 JasonA

Cool. Now I can start reading Feast for Crows.

It doesn't escape my attention that the TV show starts in April. Tricksy bastard...

Prononymous, rogue demon hunter Fri, Mar 4, 2011 6:27:54pm

re: #9 JasonA

It doesn't escape my attention that the TV show starts in April. Tricksy bastard...

Yeah, I am quite interested in the show. I hope HBO does the books justice.

They are doing one book per season. Hopefully GRRM finishes the next two books before HBO catches up.

Mocking Jay Fri, Mar 4, 2011 6:29:15pm

re: #10 prononymous

Yeah, I am quite interested in the show. I hope HBO does the books justice.

They are doing one book per season. Hopefully GRRM finishes the next two books before HBO catches up.

Knowing HBO that could mean a season every two years...

Prononymous, rogue demon hunter Fri, Mar 4, 2011 6:33:55pm

re: #11 JasonA

Knowing HBO that could mean a season every two years...

That would be ok with me. These books are so dense and convoluted that spending some extra time really fleshing them out on screen might be a good thing.

It would still be better than what ABC did with Legend of the Seeker.

Season 1: Roughly book 1
Season 2: Books 2-11 mashed together without much resemblance to the originals.

webevintage Fri, Mar 4, 2011 6:34:14pm

re: #4 prononymous

I would like to express my elation that George RR Martin has finally announced a firm publishing date for the next book in the Song of Fire and Ice series, A Dance with Dragons. July 12, 2011. We have only waited 6 years. Damn, Santa Fe slackers.

Reading in a series can be frustrating.
Just the other day I was looking to find out when the next book in the Mistress of the Art of Death series would be out.
The author died.
I'll try sticking with younger authors from now on.

(though I did later find out that she had finished the last book right before her death and it would be published at some point.)

Prononymous, rogue demon hunter Fri, Mar 4, 2011 6:36:52pm

re: #13 webevintage

Reading in a series can be frustrating.
Just the other day I was looking to find out when the next book in the Mistress of the Art of Death series would be out.
The author died.
I'll try sticking with younger authors from now on.

(though I did later find out that she had finished the last book right before her death and it would be published at some point.)

Frustrating indeed. Though it isn't so bad if you don't get hung up on knowing the ending. I also keep in mind when starting a new series that exactly this sort of thing can happen. Even young people can die. :(

Prononymous, rogue demon hunter Fri, Mar 4, 2011 6:37:59pm

*an unfinished series

PhillyPretzel Fri, Mar 4, 2011 6:38:22pm

re: #13 webevintage
I understand that very well. I was reading James Clavell's Asia saga when he died. Now I am reading David Weber's Honor Harrington series.

engineer cat Fri, Mar 4, 2011 6:39:51pm

i'm more partial to newspaper cartoon strips from the early 1900s, and i have a few, too, but they're much harder to lay your hands on than comic books

engineer cat Fri, Mar 4, 2011 7:00:11pm

now i have become death, destroyer of threads

Kronocide Fri, Mar 4, 2011 7:04:49pm

HECO's workers went on strike today right as a storm has landed and knocked off some power.

I expect this to be spun on the wingerblogs.

BishopX Fri, Mar 4, 2011 7:22:03pm

re: #14 prononymous

I'm still hung up over Robert Jordan dieing. The author his estate brought in to finish the wheel of time books just can't do the world justice. All the character's start resolving their deep seated emotional problems and everyone suddenly seems like they're speaking in a western drawl. Many of the characters stared using contractions...sometimes for the first time in ~12,000 pages.

Killgore Trout Fri, Mar 4, 2011 7:24:14pm

Barbaric Brutal Breakfast

Youtube Video

Ugly John Fri, Mar 4, 2011 7:24:42pm

re: #20 BishopX

It's not the same, but at least we will find out who killed Asmodian. I swear it's been driving me crazy for years now.

Killgore Trout Fri, Mar 4, 2011 7:27:28pm

re: #21 Killgore Trout

Barbaric Brutal Breakfast

[Video]

Gordon Ramsay is a pussy.

BishopX Fri, Mar 4, 2011 7:37:08pm

re: #22 Ugly John

My money's on Mordred.

Ugly John Fri, Mar 4, 2011 7:41:56pm

re: #24 BishopX

I'm thinking Lanfear. She's just twisted enough to organize a triple-cross.

BishopX Fri, Mar 4, 2011 7:44:17pm

re: #25 Ugly John

Teach him just enough to get him started then kill the tutor?

Ugly John Fri, Mar 4, 2011 7:46:32pm

re: #26 BishopX

Exactly. Then who does he have to go to for more teaching? Of course, I assume that she had Slayer do the actual killing (I think of him as a weapon not suspect).

Interesting Times Fri, Mar 4, 2011 7:49:21pm

re: #23 Killgore Trout

Just found this:

Don't Buy the False Promise of Industrial Agriculture: We Don't Need Genetically Engineered Food, Just Biodiverse Farms

Would you say it's accurate, based on your own gardening/growing experience?

Mostly sane, most of the time. Fri, Mar 4, 2011 7:49:32pm

I'm sworn off of Wheel of Time for this reason.

JK Rowling had the outline written and locked up, just in case.

Ugly John Fri, Mar 4, 2011 7:51:15pm

re: #29 EmmmieG

So did Jordan. His wife was the editor for his books and had the full outlines available when the replacement author came in. Now we just have to wait.

Mostly sane, most of the time. Fri, Mar 4, 2011 7:54:03pm

re: #30 Ugly John

So did Jordan. His wife was the editor for his books and had the full outlines available when the replacement author came in. Now we just have to wait.

But with Rowling I felt like she knew where things were going.

WOT felt like it was wandering.

At least Pratchett finishes with every book. He's going to stop soon because of the Alzheimer's. He's already wrapped up Tiffany Aching. You can feel it.

albusteve Fri, Mar 4, 2011 7:54:15pm

I'm going to wreak havoc on this pint of vodka sitting here

Mostly sane, most of the time. Fri, Mar 4, 2011 7:54:58pm

re: #32 albusteve

I'm going to wreak havoc on this pint of vodka sitting here

You aren't going to drink it? I had a Klondike Bar, and while I could have wreaked havoc, I chose to eat it instead.

Ugly John Fri, Mar 4, 2011 7:57:19pm

re: #31 EmmmieG

Yeah, Jordan had no idea how to get where he was going. That's the great thing that Saunderson is doing. He's finishing the books and closing out all the story-lines no matter what it takes.
It's a shame thinking about Pratchett. Such a marvelous mind slipping away from his own control. It's really my worst fear.

BishopX Fri, Mar 4, 2011 7:58:50pm

re: #89 sattv4u2

Any guesses about slayer? I had him figured as a remade dark friend, sorta like Fain but for a different reason. One of the many things I'm going to miss Jordan writing is the epic Lan/Perrin assault on the mountains of doom. Sanderson is probably going to make it sound like a western cavalry battle.

albusteve Fri, Mar 4, 2011 7:59:42pm

re: #33 EmmmieG

You aren't going to drink it? I had a Klondike Bar, and while I could have wreaked havoc, I chose to eat it instead.

I'm gonna drink it like I have a keg of it...no mercy

Prononymous, rogue demon hunter Fri, Mar 4, 2011 7:59:52pm

re: #28 publicityStunted

Just found this:

Don't Buy the False Promise of Industrial Agriculture: We Don't Need Genetically Engineered Food, Just Biodiverse Farms

Would you say it's accurate, based on your own gardening/growing experience?

Just started reading the link, I'll say more later if anyone cares. But, IMO, monocultures are disasters waiting to happen. It is almost as if people don't understand evolution. Irish potato famine anyone?

What, me worry? Fri, Mar 4, 2011 8:01:44pm

re: #36 albusteve

I'm gonna drink it like I have a keg of it...no mercy

Just remember. Type safely.

Mostly sane, most of the time. Fri, Mar 4, 2011 8:02:21pm

re: #36 albusteve

I'm gonna drink it like I have a keg of it...no mercy

Has it asked for mercy?

Ugly John Fri, Mar 4, 2011 8:02:41pm

re: #35 BishopX

I'm thinking most of the character development Jordan had planned for Slayer will be dropped. I has assumed in the past he was one of the false dragons. We'll probably never get the full story.

BishopX Fri, Mar 4, 2011 8:03:54pm

re: #34 Ugly John

I'm not so sure Jordan didn't know what was going on the whole time. I finished re-reading the series a year or so ago (my third time through but first as an adult) and it seems like he had every major plot element through book ten planned out before he put ink to paper. Eleven and twelve felt like he got his timing screwed up, he had to drop the main threads to catch up the side plots. And then he bought the farm.

Also, for the record, his references to the cold war in the books are amazing. I feel like I hit buried treasure every time I find one.

Interesting Times Fri, Mar 4, 2011 8:04:22pm

re: #37 prononymous

Just started reading the link, I'll say more later if anyone cares. But, IMO, monocultures are disasters waiting to happen.

Agricultural equivalent of inbreeding? I remember hearing they may be contributing to CCD as well, since bees, forced to get all their nutrition from just one crop, may not be getting what they need to stay healthy and fight off parasites.

BishopX Fri, Mar 4, 2011 8:05:13pm

re: #40 Ugly John

I had figured him for Lan's uncle (I think) the one who disappeared into the blight.

albusteve Fri, Mar 4, 2011 8:07:50pm

re: #39 EmmmieG

Has it asked for mercy?

no olives
no umbrellas
no fruit
Albu The Merciless

Mostly sane, most of the time. Fri, Mar 4, 2011 8:08:42pm

re: #43 BishopX

I had figured him for Lan's uncle (I think) the one who disappeared into the blight.

This is why I'm not reading the end. There was a time I could recite the plots of entire WOT books whole.

Now I'm vaguely remembering something about a cousin and an uncle and the treacherous aunt or something.

Not enough time to catch back up again.

Ugly John Fri, Mar 4, 2011 8:09:03pm

re: #41 BishopX

I'm sure he knew where he was going. It just felt like he didn't know how to get there. It's like he had a great ending all planned out and just couldn't figure out how make it happen. I wish we could have seen his vision fully realized on paper, but I will settle for finally seeing the ending.

Mostly sane, most of the time. Fri, Mar 4, 2011 8:10:15pm

re: #46 Ugly John

I'm sure he knew where he was going. It just felt like he didn't know how to get there. It's like he had a great ending all planned out and just couldn't figure out how make it happen. I wish we could have seen his vision fully realized on paper, but I will settle for finally seeing the ending.

I just want to know what happens to Mat's eyes.

Killgore Trout Fri, Mar 4, 2011 8:11:43pm

Image: XaNX3.png
g'nite, y'all

prairiefire Fri, Mar 4, 2011 8:11:48pm

Hey, crazy lizards. Hope all is well.

Mostly sane, most of the time. Fri, Mar 4, 2011 8:11:49pm

re: #47 EmmmieG

For those of you who have been reading along without knowing WOT, Mat has a prophecy that he will sacrifice half the light of the world or something.

Ugly John Fri, Mar 4, 2011 8:13:13pm

re: #47 EmmmieG

Mat is by far my favorite character. He's the one we have to watch for the big developments at the end. (I have a theory that he's going to betray Rand as Lews Theron was betrayed in the last age, and the Wheel of Time rolls on.)

BishopX Fri, Mar 4, 2011 8:14:28pm

re: #45 EmmmieG

I started reading them in 6th grade, caught up to the publication dates by eight grade (book 9?) and re-read the whole series again in 2005, and 09-10. I feel like I've grown up with these books in a way that's different from any other story, and I don't think I could forget them if I tried.

Prononymous, rogue demon hunter Fri, Mar 4, 2011 8:14:33pm

re: #42 publicityStunted

Agricultural equivalent of inbreeding? I remember hearing they may be contributing to CCD as well, since bees, forced to get all their nutrition from just one crop, may not be getting what they need to stay healthy and fight off parasites.

It isn't really equivalent to inbreeding. Though some breeding strategies do actually use inbreeding. It isn't necessarily a bad thing if balanced with appropriate genetic diversity somewhere in the line.

It is more like a single couple having an untold huge number of offspring. Now those offspring may have good genetics and be very fit for existing conditions. But the lack of genetic diversity among those offspring mean that a disease one is susceptible to, all are susceptible to. Or if conditions change all of them could potentially be unfit for the new conditions.

IMO, this probably isn't the cause for CCD. But with such a complex issue it is hard to say. All I know is the bees that took up residence under my shed are welcome to stay.

Ugly John Fri, Mar 4, 2011 8:15:10pm

re: #50 EmmmieG

The classic Odin myth. He gives up one eye for the wisdom of the ages. Mat has the wisdom - when (and how) will he give up the eye.

BishopX Fri, Mar 4, 2011 8:15:50pm

G'night all.

Ugly John Fri, Mar 4, 2011 8:17:27pm

re: #52 BishopX

I started when I worked at the pulp mill. Too many night shifts where I had to sit beside the phone and be ready in case anyone needed an asbestos test. We you have to fill twelve hours with out sleeping or leaving the room you read a lot of books.

Mostly sane, most of the time. Fri, Mar 4, 2011 8:18:52pm

My brother got WOT for his kindle or nook or whatever it is, and started reading. He let his 10 year old daughter start reading, too. About three books in (for him, she was behind that), he asked the rest of us if he should stop her until she's older.

Unanimous yes. We recommended a few other sci-fi/fantasy books for her in the meantime.

What, me worry? Fri, Mar 4, 2011 8:18:57pm

re: #50 EmmmieG

For those of you who have been reading along without knowing WOT, Mat has a prophecy that he will sacrifice half the light of the world or something.

Thanks for clearing that up! Whew!

*hug*

Gretchen G.Tiger Fri, Mar 4, 2011 8:20:40pm

Hey all!

How has the day been for you?

Mostly sane, most of the time. Fri, Mar 4, 2011 8:21:41pm

re: #59 ggt

Hey all!

How has the day been for you?

Slow, actually, and it's a relief.

What, me worry? Fri, Mar 4, 2011 8:23:12pm

Hubby digs the sci-fi, but more like alternative histories. Heinlein, Sterling, Clarke, lots of others.

Gretchen G.Tiger Fri, Mar 4, 2011 8:23:38pm

Is the last WOT book worth it since Jordan didn't write it?

I'm leary about it . . .

Ugly John Fri, Mar 4, 2011 8:25:57pm

re: #62 ggt

The most resent one is the second written by Brandon Saunderson after Jordon's death (through from Jordan's notes). There is supposed to be one more to finish everything off.

Interesting Times Fri, Mar 4, 2011 8:26:57pm

re: #53 prononymous

It is more like a single couple having an untold huge number of offspring.

Image: awfe.JPG

Ugly John Fri, Mar 4, 2011 8:27:25pm

re: #63 Ugly John

Oops, misunderstood your question. I haven't had a chance to read it yet. I will because I have to know how this all ends.

Mostly sane, most of the time. Fri, Mar 4, 2011 8:28:18pm

re: #65 Ugly John

Oops, misunderstood your question. I haven't had a chance to read it yet. I will because I have to know how this all ends.

Lots of people are in that boat.

Gretchen G.Tiger Fri, Mar 4, 2011 8:28:59pm

Gadhafi's Frozen Assets: $32 Billion And Counting

"To hear Gadhafi tell it, all this talk of his real estate holdings, investments and huge bank accounts is simply a Western conspiracy. "I have no assets and I don't take pride in keeping assets of American dollars," he told a rally of his supporters this week, according to an Al-Jazeera translation.
"If they are my personal accounts I am ready to have these accounts verified," he said. "My salary is only 465 dinars."

That's about $380, not much for the leader of an oil-rich nation."

SSDDictator . . .

Gretchen G.Tiger Fri, Mar 4, 2011 8:29:35pm

re: #65 Ugly John

Oops, misunderstood your question. I haven't had a chance to read it yet. I will because I have to know how this all ends.

s'lright

Gretchen G.Tiger Fri, Mar 4, 2011 8:34:59pm

According to the CIA factbook, about 1/3 of the Libyan population lives below the poverty rate. The article I referenced above stated:

"One major vehicle for those global investments is the Libya Investment Authority, the country's sovereign wealth fund. The LIA is estimated to control around $70 billion.

The Gadhafi/Libya investments in Europe are more well-known than those in the U.S. For instance, the LIA and Libya's central bank own more than 7 percent of one of Italy's largest banks, UniCredit. Another entity, the Libyan Arab Foreign Investment Co., owns 7.5 percent of a major Italian soccer club."

Mostly sane, most of the time. Fri, Mar 4, 2011 8:37:25pm

re: #69 ggt

According to the CIA factbook, about 1/3 of the Libyan population lives below the poverty rate. The article I referenced above stated:

Their property rate or ours? Big difference.

Mostly sane, most of the time. Fri, Mar 4, 2011 8:38:50pm

re: #70 EmmmieG

Their property rate or ours? Big difference.

AAAAAAHHHH

Poverty rate.

What, me worry? Fri, Mar 4, 2011 8:38:54pm

re: #64 publicityStunted

Image: awfe.JPG

All I could think of was the first few minutes of this Meaning of Life clip.

Youtube Video

Gretchen G.Tiger Fri, Mar 4, 2011 8:39:05pm

re: #70 EmmmieG

Their property rate or ours? Big difference.

No clue how the CIA figures that.

the actual words are:

Unemployment rate:
Field info displayed for all countries in alpha order.
30% (2004 est.)
country comparison to the world: 177

Population below poverty line:
Field info displayed for all countries in alpha order.
NA
note: About one-third of Libyans live at or below the national poverty line

Gretchen G.Tiger Fri, Mar 4, 2011 8:39:43pm

re: #71 EmmmieG

AAAHHH

Poverty rate.

I think we are all having "a day". . . .

Mostly sane, most of the time. Fri, Mar 4, 2011 8:41:04pm

re: #74 ggt

I think we are all having "a day". . . .

Well, this is the end of mine. I'm playing "band mom" again tomorrow, although it's technically Winterguard, not band.

Gretchen G.Tiger Fri, Mar 4, 2011 8:41:46pm

re: #75 EmmmieG

Well, this is the end of mine. I'm playing "band mom" again tomorrow, although it's technically Winterguard, not band.

I'm not long either . . . .

austin_blue Fri, Mar 4, 2011 8:42:46pm

re: #32 albusteve

I'm going to wreak havoc on this pint of vodka sitting here

Gah! We are being inundated with sci-fi geeks!

Oh, wait...I'm presently reading William Gibson's Zero History and getting together with Bruce Sterling next week for Meskin food.

Never mind...

Gretchen G.Tiger Fri, Mar 4, 2011 8:44:34pm

re: #77 austin_blue

Gah! We are being inundated with sci-fi geeks!

Oh, wait...I'm presently reading William Gibson's Zero History and getting together with Bruce Sterling next week for Meskin food.

Never mind...

Is it worth reading?

austin_blue Fri, Mar 4, 2011 8:44:51pm

re: #61 marjoriemoon

Hubby digs the sci-fi, but more like alternative histories. Heinlein, Sterling, Clarke, lots of others.

He should read Turtledove. Really.

Gretchen G.Tiger Fri, Mar 4, 2011 8:47:28pm

I'm listening to Captain's Share. The last in a series by Nathan Lowell available at Podiobooks.com for FREE. I've thoroughly enjoyed the series and his other two books also available for FREE on Podiobooks.com.

Lowell got an actual book deal, so they should be published in book form soon.

prairiefire Fri, Mar 4, 2011 8:48:49pm

re: #77 austin_blue

Gah! We are being inundated with sci-fi geeks!

Oh, wait...I'm presently reading William Gibson's Zero History and getting together with Bruce Sterling next week for Meskin food.

Never mind...

Son of rod?

austin_blue Fri, Mar 4, 2011 8:48:52pm

re: #57 EmmmieG

My brother got WOT for his kindle or nook or whatever it is, and started reading. He let his 10 year old daughter start reading, too. About three books in (for him, she was behind that), he asked the rest of us if he should stop her until she's older.

Unanimous yes. We recommended a few other sci-fi/fantasy books for her in the meantime.

Get her in to the Heinlein juveniles. The Moon's a Harsh Mistress, Farnum's Freehold, &c. Great stuff.

Gretchen G.Tiger Fri, Mar 4, 2011 8:48:53pm

I'm off for a while, maybe all night.

have a great evening all!

What, me worry? Fri, Mar 4, 2011 8:49:24pm

re: #79 austin_blue

He should read Turtledove. Really.

Oh yes, that's another.

Prononymous, rogue demon hunter Fri, Mar 4, 2011 8:50:59pm

re: #64 publicityStunted

Image: awfe.JPG

Basically. :D

austin_blue Fri, Mar 4, 2011 8:56:15pm

re: #81 prairiefire

Son of rod?

???

Rod Serling? No. The Chairman, the Pope Emperor of the Viridian Design movement. One of the founding fathers of Cyberpunk.

Here is one of the best short stories you will ever read:

Taklamakan.

prairiefire Fri, Mar 4, 2011 8:57:59pm

re: #86 austin_blue

Thanks. I will look it up.

Interesting Times Fri, Mar 4, 2011 9:01:51pm

re: #85 prononymous

Basically. :D

I must say, a Duggars google image search turns up some very interesting demotivational posters. Like this - harsh, but true!

prairiefire Fri, Mar 4, 2011 9:03:19pm

Rod Serling

Youtube Video

austin_blue Fri, Mar 4, 2011 9:04:41pm

re: #87 prairiefire

Thanks. I will look it up.

Do yourself a favor. Take a look at the setting on Google Earth before you read the story. It will give you context. One of the most lifeless places on the planet. And yet, in a subterranean chamber, the Chinese have set up a fascinating experiment...

austin_blue Fri, Mar 4, 2011 9:07:39pm

re: #78 ggt

Is it worth reading?

Oh, yes. you will need to read Pattern Recognition and Spook Country beforehand to catch up on the story.

Brilliant stuff.

Dark_Falcon Fri, Mar 4, 2011 9:12:38pm

Hello. Sorry I'm in late, I had a late dinner.

prairiefire Fri, Mar 4, 2011 9:13:40pm

I read a lot of sci fi in high school. I've been reading a lot of non-fiction and bios/auto-bios recently.

austin_blue Fri, Mar 4, 2011 9:15:06pm

Hey, Charles, generic question.

If you click on your nick, you can see your karma, registration date, the number of posts, but also "Pages Posted".

Does that relate to the number of pages posted *within* the blog, or the number of pages posted on the "Featured Pages" section? Enquiring minds, &c.

austin_blue Fri, Mar 4, 2011 9:15:46pm

re: #92 Dark_Falcon

Hello. Sorry I'm in late, I had a late dinner.

How was it?

Quiet night, here.

Fat Bastard Vegetarian Fri, Mar 4, 2011 9:22:03pm

Not a huge comic book guy. Never even had heard of the Silver Surfer until the latest "Fantastic Four" movie.

But... damn he's cool looking.

Varek Raith Fri, Mar 4, 2011 9:23:04pm

re: #96 Fat Bastard Vegetarian

Not a huge comic book guy. Never even had heard of the Silver Surfer until the latest "Fantastic Four" movie.

But... damn he's cool looking.

Srsy?!?!
O_o

Mocking Jay Fri, Mar 4, 2011 9:23:37pm

re: #97 Varek Raith

Srsy?!?!
O_o

I wasn't gonna say anything...

Varek Raith Fri, Mar 4, 2011 9:24:43pm

re: #98 JasonA

I wasn't gonna say anything...

I'm so shocked I can't spell right!!!
XD

100

Dark_Falcon Fri, Mar 4, 2011 9:24:45pm

re: #95 austin_blue

How was it?

Quiet night, here.

Very good. My parents and I went to Gibson's Steakhouse in Rosemont. It's a first rate place, as good as Morton's in fact and it has a bigger menu and slightly lower prices. Three locations in Chicagoland: Rosemont (near O'Hare), Chicago (Rush Street near the Hancock building) and Oakbrook (next to Oakbrook mall).

101

sattv4u2 Fri, Mar 4, 2011 9:26:04pm

re: #96 Fat Bastard Vegetarian

Not a huge comic book guy. Never even had heard of the Silver Surfer until the latest "Fantastic Four" movie.

But... damn he's cool looking.

Same here

Archie (just because of Betty and Veronica)

Beyond that, not much unless you count in Mad and Cracked Mags

102

sattv4u2 Fri, Mar 4, 2011 9:27:14pm

re: #100 Dark_Falcon

Very good. My parents and I went to Gibson's Steakhouse in Rosemont. It's a first rate place, as good as Morton's in fact and it has a bigger menu and slightly lower prices. Three locations in Chicagoland: Rosemont (near O'Hare), Chicago (Rush Street near the Hancock building) and Oakbrook (next to Oakbrook mall).

Mmmmmm,.,,
Cow !!

103

Fat Bastard Vegetarian Fri, Mar 4, 2011 9:29:15pm

re: #101 sattv4u2

I never had a two nickels to rub together as a boy. So, while I LOVED comic books, the only ones I could get my hands on were the ones that my cousin had.

If he didn't get them? I didn't see them. And I was a destructive little fucker, so, I'm sure he made sure I never saw his good ones.

The Hulk was my favorite of all the superheroes.

104

Dark_Falcon Fri, Mar 4, 2011 9:29:16pm

Here's a bit of annoying media cluelessness:

Why do America's police need an armored tank?

America's most in-demand police vehicle is a 10-officer 16,000-pound armored tank that takes bullets like Superman and drives 80 mph. The federal government buys dozens each year for local police departments. Do America's local police need tanks?

Every day, America produces a fresh batch of barricaded gunmen, some of whom want to lure police into a shootout. Roughly 50 police officers are killed every year, most in shootings, and many during arrests or ambushes.

Which is where the Lenco BearCat G3 rolls in.

"If somebody looks out and sees a Ford Crown Victoria sitting out there, they may not take you very seriously," Warren County, Va., Sheriff Daniel T. McEathron told a local newspaper in October, "but if they look out the window and see this thing sitting there, they're going to know you're serious."

The BearCat G3 claims the vast majority of armored personnel carrier sales to SWAT teams in the United States. Fashioned from a Ford F-550 commercial truck chassis, Massachusetts-based Lenco builds about 200 such vehicles in year, in grades from "VIP SUV" to combat-ready with gun turrets. The massive roller is actually a smaller version of the BEAR, or Ballistic Engineered Armored Response vehicle, which Lenco builds for armies and law enforcement agencies around the world.

Anytime there's a public shooting or standoff in an urban area, chances are a BearCat will be on the scene. It has option controls for battering rams, winches and even surviving a chemical weapons attack. With military-grade armor and the ability to take repeated hits from bullets up to .50 caliber, it's most frequently used as a rolling shield.

Last October, a gunman outside of Tyler, Texas, shot and killed his neighbor. When police arrived at his home, he unloaded at least 35 rounds from an AK-47 into a newly bought Lenco BearCat from close range. A police sniper killed the gunman; no one else was injured, and no bullets penetrated the BearCat.

The family-owned company had its start building armored bank trucks, but switched to security in the early '90s, offering an alternative to the surplus military vehicles larger police departments had used. Early purchases by the Los Angeles Police Department, along with the swelling number of the nation's 3,000 local police forces forming their own SWAT teams, gave Lenco a booming opportunity.

A wheeled armored personnel carrier is not a tank! it does have tracks and it can't take a hit like a tank. Hit it with an RPG-7 and it would be knocked out. I don't like when reporters call any armored vehicle a tank..

105

sattv4u2 Fri, Mar 4, 2011 9:31:51pm

re: #104 Dark_Falcon

And even If it was a tank??

Roughly 50 police officers are killed every year, most in shootings, and many during arrests or ambushes.

106

Varek Raith Fri, Mar 4, 2011 9:32:07pm

re: #104 Dark_Falcon

Lol, that's not a tank...

107

Dark_Falcon Fri, Mar 4, 2011 9:32:49pm

re: #102 sattv4u2

Mmmm,.,,
Cow !!

All the beef Gibson's serves is Prime. It is not a cheap place, not at all, but its not break the bank expensive if you order smart. They do have very extensive wine line, though that does mean some expensive types of wine, with the highest priced bottles costing over $500.

108

Dark_Falcon Fri, Mar 4, 2011 9:33:08pm

re: #107 Dark_Falcon

All the beef Gibson's serves is Prime. It is not a cheap place, not at all, but its not break the bank expensive if you order smart. They do have very extensive wine ~~line~~ list, though that does mean some expensive types of wine, with the highest priced bottles costing over $500.

109

prairiefire Fri, Mar 4, 2011 9:33:51pm

re: #100 Dark_Falcon

I've been to the one on Rush street. I think there were pixs of Mick Jagger, he's a fan.

I liked "Creepy" comics.[Link: www.darkhorse.com...]

110

sattv4u2 Fri, Mar 4, 2011 9:34:01pm

re: #108 Dark_Falcon

Or did you mean WHINE LINE!?!?

""WHAAA,, I want the $500 bottle of wine!!"

111

albusteve Fri, Mar 4, 2011 9:35:05pm

re: #104 Dark_Falcon

Here's a bit of annoying media cluelessness:

Why do America's police need an armored tank?

A wheeled armored personnel carrier is not a tank! it does have tracks and it can't take a hit like a tank. Hit it with an RPG-7 and it would be knocked out. I don't like when reporters call any armored vehicle a tank..

I hate semi-auto machine guns

112

Dark_Falcon Fri, Mar 4, 2011 9:36:19pm

re: #105 sattv4u2

And even If it was a tank??

Roughly 50 police officers are killed every year, most in shootings, and many during arrests or ambushes.

It does stand up well against rifle fire, but it would be in trouble facing heavy weapons or an IED.

113

Varek Raith Fri, Mar 4, 2011 9:36:20pm

Tank.
Image: drive+me+closer_+i+want+to+hit+them+with+my+sword.png

114

austin_blue Fri, Mar 4, 2011 9:40:15pm

re: #100 Dark_Falcon

Very good. My parents and I went to Gibson's Steakhouse in Rosemont. It's a first rate place, as good as Morton's in fact and it has a bigger menu and slightly lower prices. Three locations in Chicagoland: Rosemont (near O'Hare), Chicago (Rush Street near the Hancock building) and Oakbrook (next to Oakbrook mall).

I've got cousins in Park Ridge. My uncle used to run a grocery on Touhy Avenue just west of the tracks.

115

Digital Display Fri, Mar 4, 2011 9:40:31pm

I had a bad day today...Tonight I'm fighting deep depression..Very rare for me.. I know I'll wake up in the morning just fine and ready to face the world with a smile and a good attitude...
But tonight lizards..My heart is sunk..I feel like a failure..I feel lost and lonely..I miss everything back home..I hurt..
That is what a bad day brings you...I just have to write something about it...There hasn't been a hole in my heart for many years...Tonight I feel helpless waiting for the dawn to arrive with my dog...I know everything will be ok after this crappy day....I should really write a song tonight..
Sorry..I just had to say this..No need to react for you my friends..Just a really bad day that has torn my heart...

116

albusteve Fri, Mar 4, 2011 9:41:08pm

Accused Meth Dealer Faces Loss Of His Beloved 18,753 Comic Books

[Link: www.thesmokinggun.com...]

117

sattv4u2 Fri, Mar 4, 2011 9:42:29pm

re: #115 HoosierHoops

{{{manly hug}}}}

118

Kruk Fri, Mar 4, 2011 9:44:06pm

re: #4 prononymous

I would like to express my elation that George RR Martin has finally announced a firm publishing date for the next book in the Song of Fire and Ice series, A Dance with Dragons. July 12, 2011. We have only waited 6 years. Damn, Santa Fe slackers.

*Happy Dance* Any word on what's happening with the TV show?

119

Varek Raith Fri, Mar 4, 2011 9:45:11pm

re: #117 sattv4u2

{{{manly hug}}}

Seconded.

120

Dark_Falcon Fri, Mar 4, 2011 9:48:29pm

re: #114 austin_blue

I've got cousins in Park Ridge. My uncle used to run a grocery on Touhy Avenue just west of the tracks.

There's still a small one just west of the tracks near the Metra station. Is that the one?

121

albusteve Fri, Mar 4, 2011 9:49:15pm

re: #115 HoosierHoops

some days you're the bug....etc
chin up

122

Kruk Fri, Mar 4, 2011 9:50:49pm

re: #111 albusteve

I hate semi-auto machine guns

My pet hate is warships being called battleships.

123

Mocking Jay Fri, Mar 4, 2011 9:50:53pm

Some Republicans I can cheer for:

MSNBC Video

124

freetoken Fri, Mar 4, 2011 9:53:17pm

Internet gambling bill takes a step forward in the Iowa Senate

A controversial proposal to legalize online poker advanced in the Iowa Senate on this evening, despite qualms from several lawmakers from both parties.
“I think that’s a road that I really don’t think is appropriate to go down,” said Sen. Jerry Behn, R-Boone.

The Senate State Government Committee approved the bill 9-6 on Wednesday, which means it’s safe from Friday’s legislation-killing funnel.

[...]

Internet gambling is illegal, untaxed and unregulated in the United States, but federal law permits states to legalize and regulate it as long as the wagering takes place only within that state’s borders.

No state currently allows online gambling, but a bill approved by New Jersey legislators is on the governor’s desk (tomorrow is the deadline for signature or veto), and bills are being considered in Florida and California.

Iowa’s bill would allow only online poker. Iowans would play only fellow Iowans.

Senate File 1165 says approved gamblers could register for an account in person at a state-regulated casino, by mail, by telephone or by electronic means. They would to put cash into special accounts held by the local casino then log on from home to a password-protected site to play at a virtual poker table. One vendor would run the website hub, which would be regulated by the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission.

[...]

Interesting. A state whose Republican party is out to target homosexuals as much as possible, explicitly teach creationism in science classes, and so forth has members of same said party who are pushing for online gambling.

Historically the poker-only provision makes sense, and for many years Iowa was the only state other than Nevada to have legalized gambling, but only poker.

Still, what a weird state for politics.

125

austin_blue Fri, Mar 4, 2011 9:56:00pm

re: #115 HoosierHoops

I had a bad day today...Tonight I'm fighting deep depression..Very rare for me.. I know I'll wake up in the morning just fine and ready to face the world with a smile and a good attitude...
But tonight lizards..My heart is sunk..I feel like a failure..I feel lost and lonely..I miss everything back home..I hurt..
That is what a bad day brings you...I just have to write something about it...There hasn't been a hole in my heart for many years...Tonight I feel helpless waiting for the dawn to arrive with my dog...I know everything will be ok after this crappy day...I should really write a song tonight..
Sorry..I just had to say this..No need to react for you my friends..Just a really bad day that has torn my heart...

{{{Hoops}}}

Think of it this way, tomorrow could be Tuesday. That would really suck.

Take some vacation. Come to Austin for the SXSW Music Fest. Several hundred kick ass bands are playing, many in free venues (you don't come from Sweden to play two twenty minute showcases). The food is tremendous, the vibe is overwhelming, and the town is fun as shit.

And this coming week's SWSW Interactive Conference is killer bee for computer geeks. Kindly get your ass in a car and get it down here. It's a fine opportunity to chill. It seems you could use it.

126

austin_blue Fri, Mar 4, 2011 9:57:33pm

re: #120 Dark_Falcon

There's still a small one just west of the tracks near the Metra station. Is that the one?

I think his was bought out and turned into a Walgreen's.

((sniff))

127

Eclectic Infidel Fri, Mar 4, 2011 10:01:31pm

Booyah! I survived a week of 1 midterm, two pre-midterm tests, and two changes in stations (Garde Manager & Assistant Entremetier).

I am tired but awake...and happy to report that I'm pulling a 91% in my culinary class, a 94% in my Labor Relations class, and a 90% something in my Hospitality class.

128

Digital Display Fri, Mar 4, 2011 10:02:54pm

re: #121 albusteve

some days you're the bug...etc
chin up

Thanks Steve...I recall Friday the 13th in August of 2010 you lost your leg..Yet tonight I'm feeling sorry for myself...
somebody needs to punch me...
I feel like I was happier when I was a kid making 3 dollars an hour..I wish I could go back in time...Money can't buy you happiness.. I have everything...I'm not even sure how much money I have....I'd do anything to go back in time...
A few more beers and daylight will be upon me and I'll feel stupid for writing this..
Bad day my friend

129

Dark_Falcon Fri, Mar 4, 2011 10:02:55pm

re: #126 austin_blue

I think his was bought out and turned into a Walgreen's.

((sniff))

Possible. I'm not that familiar with Touhy west of the UP Northwest line tracks. The Pickwick just east of the tracks is still there, though. It's Art Deco exterior made it a landmark and has kept it going a a movie theater all these years.

130

freetoken Fri, Mar 4, 2011 10:04:06pm

More info from Libya about that FBI agent:

Years after vanishing in Iran, US man proven alive

Four years after a retired FBI agent mysteriously vanished inside Iran, U.S. officials have received irrefutable proof he is alive, a dramatic development that has sharply intensified diplomatic efforts to bring him home, The Associated Press has learned.
[...]

131

Gus Fri, Mar 4, 2011 10:05:10pm

Grunt.

132

freetoken Fri, Mar 4, 2011 10:05:30pm

re: #130 freetoken

I meant Iran of course.

133

freetoken Fri, Mar 4, 2011 10:06:36pm

I guess I have Libya on the mind. My fear is that a protracted civil war in Libya will have multiple consequences, from spiking up oil prices to involving many other nations.

134

Gus Fri, Mar 4, 2011 10:08:05pm

I'm in crabby mode again.

135

sattv4u2 Fri, Mar 4, 2011 10:08:44pm

re: #127 eclectic infidel

Booyah! I survived a week of 1 midterm, two pre-midterm tests, and two changes in stations (Garde Manager & Assistant Entremetier).

I am tired but awake...and happy to report that I'm pulling a 91% in my culinary class, a 94% in my Labor Relations class, and a 90% something in my Hospitality class.

Thats the good news

the bad news is that the top score is 500%!!

(j/k ,, congrats)

136

Digital Display Fri, Mar 4, 2011 10:12:46pm

re: #125 austin_blue

Thanks..Think I'll head down your way to check out UT this Summer..Just a few hours away

137

Gus Fri, Mar 4, 2011 10:15:48pm

_{Well, at least the door stopped slamming and can't hear any music -- knock on wood. It's Friday. They're young. It's not their fault that I'm a crabby old fart.}

138

Walter L. Newton Fri, Mar 4, 2011 10:16:23pm

re: #137 Gus 802

_{Well, at least the door stopped slamming and can't hear any music -- knock on wood. It's Friday. They're young. It's not their fault that I'm a crabby old fart.}

I didn't know you were old?

139

Gus Fri, Mar 4, 2011 10:16:45pm

re: #138 Walter L. Newton

I didn't know you were old?

You're as old as you feel.

140

Varek Raith Fri, Mar 4, 2011 10:20:22pm

re: #136 HoosierHoops

Thanks..Think I'll head down your way to check out UT this Summer..Just a few hours away

You going to be ok?

141

Dark_Falcon Fri, Mar 4, 2011 10:21:35pm

re: #133 freetoken

I guess I have Libya on the mind. My fear is that a protracted civil war in Libya will have multiple consequences, from spiking up oil prices to involving many other nations.

Right now, I'd say the only way a protracted war would be avoided is if Gaddafi wins. He's been able to rally enough force to push back and it will be months before the rebel in the easy can develop any effective offensive capacity.

142

Gus Fri, Mar 4, 2011 10:21:57pm

I need one...

Image: asus_gtx570_dc2_01.jpg

143

Varek Raith Fri, Mar 4, 2011 10:22:19pm

re: #142 Gus 802

I need one...

Image: asus_gtx570_dc2_01.jpg

Good god, I want!

144

Digital Display Fri, Mar 4, 2011 10:23:14pm

re: #140 Varek Raith

You going to be ok?

yes..I just had a really bad day...and a few beers..
I'll wake up in the morning and forget about this..
I just had to express the sadness I feel tonight..
Thank you

145

Gus Fri, Mar 4, 2011 10:23:23pm

re: #143 Varek Raith

Good god, I want!

Oops. Changed my mind. This one...

[Link: www.newegg.com...]

146

SanFranciscoZionist Fri, Mar 4, 2011 10:23:45pm

re: #144 HoosierHoops

yes..I just had a really bad day...and a few beers..
I'll wake up in the morning and forget about this..
I just had to express the sadness I feel tonight..
Thank you

Hang in there. We love you.

147

Varek Raith Fri, Mar 4, 2011 10:23:57pm

re: #145 Gus 802

Oops. Changed my mind. This one...

[Link: www.newegg.com...]

ATI?!
BOOO!!!
:P

148

Gus Fri, Mar 4, 2011 10:26:03pm

re: #147 Varek Raith

ATI?!
BOOO!!!
:P

I've got an Nvidia now. Nothing like this. Just an aging 512MB 7600 GS

149

Mocking Jay Fri, Mar 4, 2011 10:26:13pm

re: #147 Varek Raith

ATI?!
BOOO!!!
:P

Pfft. ATI ftw!

150

sattv4u2 Fri, Mar 4, 2011 10:27:27pm

re: #139 Gus 802

You're as old as you feel.

//

Guess that depends on who you're feeling then!

151

Walter L. Newton Fri, Mar 4, 2011 10:28:42pm

re: #150 sattv4u2

Guess that depends on who you're feeling then!

She felt old to me.

152

Gus Fri, Mar 4, 2011 10:29:00pm

re: #150 sattv4u2

Guess that depends on who you're feeling then!

Or how one is feeling.

153

Mocking Jay Fri, Mar 4, 2011 10:29:31pm

re: #152 Gus 802

Or how one is feeling.

You seem like the grabby-hands type...

154

Gus Fri, Mar 4, 2011 10:29:56pm

re: #148 Gus 802

I've got an Nvidia now. Nothing like this. Just an aging 512MB 7600 GS

BFG. With a groovy old Zalman fan.

Image: VF700-Cu_02_b%280%29.jpg

155

sattv4u2 Fri, Mar 4, 2011 10:30:37pm

re: #151 Walter L. Newton

She felt old to me.

Speaking about old crabby guys

How are you tonight, Walter!?

((hell ,, for that matter, you could ask me the same!!))

156

Varek Raith Fri, Mar 4, 2011 10:30:47pm

Night!

157

sattv4u2 Fri, Mar 4, 2011 10:31:55pm

re: #156 Varek Raith

Night!

Hubcap

(oh ,, I thought you were just posting a random word!!)

158

Walter L. Newton Fri, Mar 4, 2011 10:33:20pm

re: #155 sattv4u2

Speaking about old crabby guys

How are you tonight, Walter!?

((hell ,, for that matter, you could ask me the same!!))

I'm fine. Just got home from work. looking over emails. getting ready to go to bed soon. May have a bowl of cereal. Probably take a shit first. Tmi?

159

sattv4u2 Fri, Mar 4, 2011 10:33:53pm

re: #158 Walter L. Newton

I'm fine. Just got home from work. looking over emails. getting ready to go to bed soon. May have a bowl of cereal. Probably take a shit first. Tmi?

yeah ,, I didn't need to know you were looking over e-mails!

160

austin_blue Fri, Mar 4, 2011 10:36:07pm

Adios, my friends. Sweet dreams.

161

sattv4u2 Fri, Mar 4, 2011 10:37:18pm

re: #160 austin_blue

Adios, my friends. Sweet dreams.

Not after Walters #158!!!

162

Walter L. Newton Fri, Mar 4, 2011 10:43:28pm

re: #161 sattv4u2

Not after Walters #158!!!

Well... you asked!

163

Gus Fri, Mar 4, 2011 10:47:16pm

Later.

164

tnguitarist Fri, Mar 4, 2011 10:50:37pm

Evenin'. Too late?

165

Dark_Falcon Fri, Mar 4, 2011 11:17:21pm

re: #164 tnguitarist

Evenin'. Too late?

Afraid so. I've got to go to bed too. Goodnight, all.

166

freetoken Fri, Mar 4, 2011 11:19:01pm

re: #165 Dark_Falcon

It's never too late... for a little bit of Aretha:

MP3 Audio

167

Kruk Fri, Mar 4, 2011 11:35:07pm

re: #135 sattv4u2

Thats the good news

the bad news is that the top score is 500%!!

//

(j/k ,, congrats)

Heh. That wasn't a joke in my pharmacy medicine compounding classes. We were marked out of 100, and a 90 was a fail.

168

Kruk Fri, Mar 4, 2011 11:35:54pm

re: #139 Gus 802

You're as old as you feel.

//

Or as old as the person you feel.

169

Prononymous, rogue demon hunter Sat, Mar 5, 2011 12:10:22am

re: #145 Gus 802

Oops. Changed my mind. This one...

[Link: www.newegg.com...]

Just wait for the ATI 6990. It will rip that card to shreds AND cost less.

170

RadicalModerate Sat, Mar 5, 2011 12:45:07am

A twofer:
Jim "dim" Hoft brings the stupid yet again (and again):

First, this screaming headline:

BOMB THREAT At Scott Walker News Conference – Leftist Protester Arrested!
Far Left protester Patrick J. Knauf, 43, of Eau Claire was arrested on Wednesday for the violation of making a bomb scare under state statute 947.015.
He was released on a $3,000 signature bond.
On Wednesday a bomb threat was made at an aviation business in Eau Claire just hours after Governor Scott Walker spoke there. Police brought in a man who was protesting this week against the Republican governor.
Amazing!
A bomb threat was called in on a Walker rally and the media doesn’t report on it?
Unbelievable.

About the only things that Hoft got right here was that Walker did speak there that day, and that the guy was arrested and posted bond. The rest? Let's just say that Hoft was making this stuff up.

Here's the actual story, with bits of information that Hoft failed to mention:
[Link: www.wqow.com...]

Eau Claire (WQOW)- It didn't take long for police to track down a suspect in a bomb threat case in Eau Claire. A search warrant shows the man's phone number came up on caller ID.

Court Documents show a receptionist at Heartland Aviation took a call on Wednesday asking for information about the owner. The person making the call then allegedly said he was going to bomb the place that night.
According to a search warrant, the caller ID at the airport showed the call came from Patrick Knauf's number.

Yeah. The guy called several hours after Walker had left, asked about the owner of the facility, and stated he was going to do the deed in the dead of night. Somehow, I (and obviously the Eau Claire judge) really don't think that Walker was the target here, otherwise he would have had to deal with more than a signature bond. Oh, and something that wasn't mentioned, but was reported in later stories is that a search warrant was executed on his home and place of business and no explosives or other similar devices were found.

Now, for the Number 2 outrage:

OBAMA ADMINISTRATION ADMITS TO FRAUD- Sebelius Tells Committee Dems Double-Counted $500 BILLION DOLLARS in Obamacare

THE BIGGEST NEWS OF THE DAY—-
Not only did the Obama Administration add another $100 billion to the cost of Obamacare one month after the bill was rammed through Congress but today the Obama Administration admitted to fraud. The White House and Democrats double-counted $500 billion in Obamacare in order to make it look like the bill was going to save the American taxpayers some cash.

Sounds real bad, right? After all, FoxNation and all the rightwing blogs are repeating the story.
Never let facts get in the way of a good smear, I always say.

Here's how the guys over at Heritage wrote it up (hardly a Obama-friendly orginization):

Proponents of Obamacare, including the White House, have claimed that the cuts will both extend the life of Medicare and pay for new programs, but the Medicare Actuary and the Congressional Budget Office have made it clear that both cannot occur. Despite this, when questioned at the hearing about which would occur under the new law, Sebelius replied, “Both,” admitting to double-counting savings.

The head of the HHS saying that Medicare spending cuts will extend the life of the program and will free up money for other programs is NOT double-counting it - after all, she didn't say that the entire $500B was to be used for new programs. There's other places that the money could come from - say from interest savings on the national debt.

For the second story, we have this headline:

171

RadicalModerate Sat, Mar 5, 2011 12:46:55am

PIMF: ugh. ignore that last line.

172

freetoken Sat, Mar 5, 2011 1:54:09am

MP3 Audio

173

researchok Sat, Mar 5, 2011 2:11:12am

Morning, all

174

Obdicut Sat, Mar 5, 2011 3:19:41am

re: #115 HoosierHoops

Hey Hoops. I know what you mean. I moved to New York from San Francisco, and even though I'm in the middle of this bustling metropolis with so much to offer, some days I just drag through, missing my old friends, my old places, the sights and sounds I was used to and used to loving. These things will happen.

Be good to yourself.

175

Obdicut Sat, Mar 5, 2011 4:01:15am

Oh man:

[Link: www.smbc-comics.com...]

176

sattv4u2 Sat, Mar 5, 2011 4:38:20am

Holy Schnikies

And we think jor related protests are bad here (in the states)

[Link: www.boston.com...]

Indian executive burned to death after layoffs

After learning they were laid off, about a dozen workers attacked a vehicle carrying Radhey Shyam Roy as he was leaving the factory in eastern Orissa state Thursday, dousing the Jeep with gasoline and setting it on fire

Incidents of industrial violence are common in India. In 2008, dismissed employees of an Italian manufacturing company used iron rods and wooden sticks to beat to death the company’s local chief executive officer on the outskirts of New Delhi.

NOTE TO SELF ,,, do NOT open that small business I was planning in Jaipur!!

177

sattv4u2 Sat, Mar 5, 2011 4:38:53am

re: #176 sattv4u2

Holy Schnikies

And we think ~~jor~~ JOB related protests are bad here (in the states)

[Link: www.boston.com...]

Indian executive burned to death after layoffs

After learning they were laid off, about a dozen workers attacked a vehicle carrying Radhey Shyam Roy as he was leaving the factory in eastern Orissa state Thursday, dousing the Jeep with gasoline and setting it on fire

Incidents of industrial violence are common in India. In 2008, dismissed employees of an Italian manufacturing company used iron rods and wooden sticks to beat to death the company’s local chief executive officer on the outskirts of New Delhi.

NOTE TO SELF ,,, do NOT open that small business I was planning in Jaipur!!

pimf

178

Walter L. Newton Sat, Mar 5, 2011 4:45:31am

re: #176 sattv4u2

Holy Schnikies

And we think jor related protests are bad here (in the states)

[Link: www.boston.com...]

Indian executive burned to death after layoffs

After learning they were laid off, about a dozen workers attacked a vehicle carrying Radhey Shyam Roy as he was leaving the factory in eastern Orissa state Thursday, dousing the Jeep with gasoline and setting it on fire

Incidents of industrial violence are common in India. In 2008, dismissed employees of an Italian manufacturing company used iron rods and wooden sticks to beat to death the company’s local chief executive officer on the outskirts of New Delhi.

NOTE TO SELF ,,, do NOT open that small business I was planning in Jaipur!!

Our contract with Local Seven of the United Food and Commercial Workers only allows us to do this on the last day of March.

179

sattv4u2 Sat, Mar 5, 2011 4:47:58am

re: #178 Walter L. Newton

Our contract with Local Seven of the United Food and Commercial Workers only allows us to do this on the last day of March.

"Dear Employees
I will be away from the office and out of cell phone/ computer/ twitter/ facebook range from March 30th through April 1st (inclusive)

Regards

The Boss"

180

sattv4u2 Sat, Mar 5, 2011 4:54:05am

Gotta love the headline!!

[Link: www.boston.com...]

SUV strikes and kills man, injures boy

Yup,, it's the SUV's fault! NOT the driver who was operating under the influence!

181

sattv4u2 Sat, Mar 5, 2011 4:57:14am

re: #178 Walter L. Newton

btw ,, what are you doing up so early!?! Didn't you work last night late!?!?

182

Walter L. Newton Sat, Mar 5, 2011 5:04:50am

re: #179 sattv4u2

"Dear Employees
I will be away from the office and out of cell phone/ computer/ twitter/ facebook range from March 30th through April 1st (inclusive)

Regards

The Boss"

When I arrived for my shift this past Thursday evening, the head clerk (the top front end manager, there are 5 front end managers in all), was complaining that my ELMS scores (Electronic Labor Management System) were so low that I wasn't even showing up on the report. ELMS reports stats on how fast you are scanning items, time between customers, how long it takes you to make transactions in the cash drawer, basically how many breaths you use of the companies air while on the clock.

Well, first off, if you are a cashier and you have ANY hours in any given week, you will show up on that report. Secondly, according to the union contract, managers are not suppose to even discipline you if your score is 95 or above (my average score is between 100-115). And finally, they changed my cashier number after I returned from my 4 week layoff, and didn't even put my name in the computer correctly.

Later that evening, I looked over the reports, I was on them, with my new cashiers number, and the wrong last name, and my scores were fine. Realize, I work 16 hours a week overnight, where ELMS is not even tracking me, it doesn't track you if you are working self scan or express lanes. And since I work so many late evening, I usually have under 100 customers that register on a report. If I was working normal hours, I would have from 600-800 customers in a 25 hour week.

Anyway, last night I was letting off steam to another manager about the stupid head clerk and her mistake. And Tony came back with a typical managers remark... "well, maybe Debbie is just interested in you doing as well as you can, and maybe she wants you to get even a higher score"

I turned to Tony and said... "well, at least you didn't come back with some lie or something, what you said is possible and honest, but that's the reason I have no interest in obtaining any management role around here. There is no way I could bullshit another person like you just did and keep a straight face."

Tony loves me.

183

sattv4u2 Sat, Mar 5, 2011 5:08:26am

re: #182 Walter L. Newton

So how are the voodoo dolls of Debbie and Tony coming along?

184

WINDUPBIRD DISEASE [S.K.U.M.M.] Sat, Mar 5, 2011 5:09:05am

I always just called them Kirby dots :D

185

RogueOne Sat, Mar 5, 2011 5:10:29am

re: #174 Obdicut

Hey Hoops. I know what you mean. I moved to New York from San Francisco, and even though I'm in the middle of this bustling metropolis with so much to offer, some days I just drag through, missing my old friends, my old places, the sights and sounds I was used to and used to loving. These things will happen.

Be good to yourself.

I have never been "homesick" for even a day....one of the benefits of moving so much as a kid I assume.

186

Fat Bastard Vegetarian Sat, Mar 5, 2011 5:13:52am

re: #185 RogueOne

Home is where your stuff is.

187

sattv4u2 Sat, Mar 5, 2011 5:15:36am

re: #185 RogueOne

I have never been "homesick" for even a day...one of the benefits of moving so much as a kid I assume.

Yeah,, same here (re:not being homesick)

Unlike you, I didn't move as a kid but I did do a lot of traveling and was away from home for long stretches of time every summer

Even now, although I do miss a lot of the things/ places/ people in and around Boston (where I resided for the better part of the 1st 45 years of my life) I haven't been what you would call "homesick" since moving to Atlanta 12 years ago

That said, it is a tad hard on me right now that my mother passed away in Boston a month ago (miss you, Mom) and trying to help dad from long distance.

188

Walter L. Newton Sat, Mar 5, 2011 5:18:12am

re: #183 sattv4u2

So how are the voodoo dolls of Debbie and Tony coming along?

LOL.

I worked a lot of retail and blue collar jobs when I was in my teens and early 20's. That was 40 years ago. And as my "career" moved on, I saw many changes in the way an employer deals with an employee. I've seen how a lot of management styles have moved away from top down management, and actually expect input from employees on the day to day activities and tasks that you perform at your job.

But, after being away from a company like Kroger, I expected that a retail chain like Kroger would have moved into the 21st century.

No way. This company is managed like something out of the 1930's. There is a real ivory tower mentality, and if HQ makes a decision, everyone down the line has to validate the decision as a correct decision, even if it is not working.

The management downstream spends more time trying to make unproductive schemes productive, or at least appear productive, all the while, waiting and hoping for the point in time that upper management finally admits (to themselves only) that a change needs to be made.

Non-management employees do not ever have any sort of meetings. Your input, ideas, opinions, observations are not solicited, wanted nor enjoyed.

I was really surprised to find this old fashioned and moldy management model to still be in use. Charles Dickens would feel right at home at Kroger.

189

Walter L. Newton Sat, Mar 5, 2011 5:19:17am

re: #187 sattv4u2

Yeah,, same here (re:not being homesick)

Unlike you, I didn't move as a kid but I did do a lot of traveling and was away from home for long stretches of time every summer

Even now, although I do miss a lot of the things/ places/ people in and around Boston (where I resided for the better part of the 1st 45 years of my life) I haven't been what you would call "homesick" since moving to Atlanta 12 years ago

That said, it is a tad hard on me right now that my mother passed away in Boston a month ago (miss you, Mom) and trying to help dad from long distance.

My parents did a lot of moving. They would send me out for a loaf of bread or something, and when I got back, they had moved. They put a candle in the window for me when I finally left home, but never lit it.

190

sattv4u2 Sat, Mar 5, 2011 5:19:46am

re: #188 Walter L. Newton

actually expect input from employees on the day to day activities and tasks that you perform at your job.

We get at least one internal survey per month asking us just those type of things

191

sattv4u2 Sat, Mar 5, 2011 5:20:24am

re: #189 Walter L. Newton

My parents did a lot of moving. They would send me out for a loaf of bread or something, and when I got back, they had moved. They put a candle in the window for me when I finally left home, but never lit it.

He'll be here all week

Try the veal!

192

Walter L. Newton Sat, Mar 5, 2011 5:22:59am

re: #191 sattv4u2

He'll be here all week

Try the veal!

Funny...

When I was a kid, I was very inquisitive... I once took a drunk apart to see what made him hic.

When I was born, I had snow white hair. That's because a near sighted nurse kept putting talcum on the wrong end.

I once saved a kid from drowning when he fell through the ice... he had my ice skates on.

da dum dum.

193

sattv4u2 Sat, Mar 5, 2011 5:27:26am

feh

Flying out of Atlanta today(in the rain)
Stopover in Philly to change planes (in the rain)
Arrive tonight on Boston (in the rain)

I HATE flying in the rain

Not that I'm worried or nervous, it's just boring as all hell looking out the window and either seeing the tops of clouds or being IN the clouds

194

Walter L. Newton Sat, Mar 5, 2011 5:30:22am

re: #190 sattv4u2

actually expect input from employees on the day to day activities and tasks that you perform at your job.

We get at least one internal survey per month asking us just those type of things

We have NO meetings of any sort, no one on ones, no advancement track meetings, nothing. The only time you will even be told anything about your job performance is if you have made a mistake or done something wrong.

I will have been there a year on March 31st, and I have yet heard a single comment about my job performance, which is above average.

Managers never have answers to simple questions like "how long do I have to work here before a raise" and other simple questions like that. If you go to the employee handbook to find out that kind of info, it says to speak to your store management.

It's a silly circle of non-committal management, that will rarely ever answer a question with hard facts, they act like they don't ever want to be held accountable for any information passed on.

And they all have similar facial expressions and body english that presents itself to you when you ask certain questions. I asked Tony last night if he could lend me the DVD with all the special management facial expressions on it.

He was clueless to my sarcasm.

195

RogueOne Sat, Mar 5, 2011 5:32:09am

re: #187 sattv4u2

I would guess my outlook is partly due to the moving so much and I have an emotional ADD problem...people amuse me for a short time and then I get bored and move on. The most fun decade I had was spent moving every month. You get to go to new places, meet new people, sleep with as many women in town as you can and move on!

196

sattv4u2 Sat, Mar 5, 2011 5:35:46am

re: #194 Walter L. Newton

We have NO meetings of any sort, no one on ones, no advancement track meetings, nothing

Just the opposite here

We have to state our goals for the year by the end of February
Mid -year reviews (one on one meeting with the on site manager followed by a phone call from HIS boss followed by an e-mail questionnaire from HIS boss) Mid July
Year end reviews by the end of January the following year

Monthly staff meetings for this particular facility
Monthly web conferences from the corporate office (mandatory attendance OR watching it online within two weeks)
Quarterly web conference from corporate (again, mandatory that you watch live or within two weeks)

197

sattv4u2 Sat, Mar 5, 2011 5:36:25am

re: #195 RogueOne

I would guess my outlook is partly due to the moving so much and I have an emotional ADD problem...people amuse me for a short time and then I get bored and move on. The most fun decade I had was spent moving every month. You get to go to new places, meet new people, sleep with as many women in town as you can and move on!

So ,, how was that one?
//

198

Gus Sat, Mar 5, 2011 5:37:00am

_{Help me. Help me. Heeeelp me!}

-- The Fly

199

Gus Sat, Mar 5, 2011 5:40:15am

I'm stuck in The Onion nightmare! Actual Tweet:

@TheFlaCracker

#NASA dumps ANOTHER satellite into the ocean to avoid actually finding FACTS that global warming is a MYTH #teaparty #gop #tlot #tcot #p2

200

RogueOne Sat, Mar 5, 2011 5:41:42am

re: #199 Gus 802

I said the same thing yesterday. It didn't crash into the ocean, they just don't want you to know the truth! Cover-up on a massive scale right before your eyes and you still don't see it.

201

Gus Sat, Mar 5, 2011 5:42:58am

re: #200 RogueOne

I said the same thing yesterday. It didn't crash into the ocean, they just don't want you to know the truth! Cover-up on a massive scale right before your eyes and you still don't see it.

It has come to this!

202

Gus Sat, Mar 5, 2011 5:45:54am

re: #200 RogueOne

I said the same thing yesterday. It didn't crash into the ocean, they just don't want you to know the truth! Cover-up on a massive scale right before your eyes and you still don't see it.

He's a new follower of mine on Twitter. But I think he follows a bazillion people from all sides.

Maybe I should start Tweeting about my personal life.

"Got up. Neck hurts. Took a piss. Made coffee. No bowel movement yet. #tcot #justinbieber..."

203

Walter L. Newton Sat, Mar 5, 2011 5:46:30am

It's 25 degrees (f) up here this morning. Winter is far from over. Forecast for Tuesday night is 10 degrees (f) and snow.

204

Walter L. Newton Sat, Mar 5, 2011 5:47:29am

re: #202 Gus 802

He's a new follower of mine on Twitter. But I think he follows a bazillion people from all sides.

Maybe I should start Tweeting about my personal life.

"Got up. Neck hurts. Took a piss. Made coffee. No bowel movement yet. #tcot #justinbieber..."

//

How about... I just shit a turd that looks like (fill in the blank). That seems to be a popular subject lately.

205

RogueOne Sat, Mar 5, 2011 5:48:03am

China Tightens Controls on Foreign Press
[Link: www.nytimes.com...]

BEIJING — Apparently unnerved by an anonymous Internet campaign urging Chinese citizens to emulate the protests that have rocked the Middle East, Chinese authorities this week have begun a forceful and carefully focused clampdown on activities by foreigners that the government deems threatening to political stability.

Public security officials have summoned dozens of foreign journalists in Beijing and Shanghai to be dressed down on videotape, warning them that they had broken reporting regulations by visiting locations that had been selected as protest sites in Internet postings. Journalists were bluntly warned that they faced the loss of their visas, revocation of their credentials and expulsion if they did not abide by new limits on their ability to interview and photograph Chinese citizens, the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of China said in a statement.

Thomas Friedman completely unaffected.

206

Gus Sat, Mar 5, 2011 5:48:20am

re: #204 Walter L. Newton

How about... I just shit a turd that looks like (fill in the blank). That seems to be a popular subject lately.

I thought about you when I wrote that. But, I chickened out and said "bowel movement" instead of "take a shit".

207

sattv4u2 Sat, Mar 5, 2011 5:48:32am

re: #203 Walter L. Newton

It's 25 degrees (f) up here this morning. Winter is far from over. Forecast for Tuesday night is 10 degrees (f) and snow.

You're in Colorado ,,,in the mountains,,

Winter starts in September and ends at the end of May!

208

sattv4u2 Sat, Mar 5, 2011 5:49:42am

re: #204 Walter L. Newton

re: #206 Gus 802

I thought about you when I wrote that. But, I chickened out and said "bowel movement" instead of "take a shit".

=)

George Carlin, about how stupid our language is

(paraphrase)

You don't TAKE a shit ,, you LEAVE a shit

209

Walter L. Newton Sat, Mar 5, 2011 5:50:48am

re: #196 sattv4u2

Oh, by the way, I never answered your question above about me being up this time of night/morning.

I slept a bit, then I noticed the pellet stove was not coming on, next thing I knew, I'm shop vacuuming the soot out of the stove, then I was sitting at my computer, decided to complete a programming task for Kaiser that I promised to have ready by COB Monday, next thing you know, I'm wide awake.

It's ok... my next two shifts are overnight shifts, tonight and Sunday nigh/Monday morning... so I need to flip the sleeping schedule anyway.

210

RogueOne Sat, Mar 5, 2011 5:51:21am

re: #205 RogueOne

I forgot to highlight this portion:

BEIJING — Apparently unnerved by an anonymous Internet campaign

211

Gus Sat, Mar 5, 2011 5:51:45am

re: #208 sattv4u2

re: #206 Gus 802

George Carlin, about how stupid our language is

(paraphrase)

You don't TAKE a shit ,, you LEAVE a shit

I thought it could be a verb as well. Like "shitting on one's parade".

Or then there's "take a powder"!

This is like math in the morning.

212

Walter L. Newton Sat, Mar 5, 2011 5:51:53am

re: #207 sattv4u2

You're in Colorado ,,,in the mountains,,

Winter starts in September and ends at the end of May!

That's about right. I've seen snow that early and that late here. Hell, two summers ago we had some below freezing nights in Aug. and a dusting of snow.

213

Romantic Heretic Sat, Mar 5, 2011 5:53:06am

re: #4 prononymous

I would like to express my elation that George RR Martin has finally announced a firm publishing date for the next book in the Song of Fire and Ice series, A Dance with Dragons. July 12, 2011. We have only waited 6 years. Damn, Santa Fe slackers.

I'm waiting with bated breath for the next Harry Dresden.

214

RogueOne Sat, Mar 5, 2011 5:53:46am

re: #212 Walter L. Newton

Just noticed your avatar. Did you ever post a page of your vaca photos?

215

sattv4u2 Sat, Mar 5, 2011 5:53:58am

re: #209 Walter L. Newton

Gotchya

Will you have the Kaiser thing done on time, considering your work schedule?

216

Gus Sat, Mar 5, 2011 5:54:14am

Is it wrong to find this funny?

Gaza banks shut in 'Hamas theft' protest

All banks in Gaza have closed for a day in protest at seizure of cash by gunmen allegedly protected by Hamas police.

Bank officials say the armed men forced their way into the Palestine Investment Bank in Gaza City and left with at least $250,000 (£154,000) in cash.

Hamas accuses the bank of illegally transferring money out of Gaza.

But the Palestine Monetary Authority (PMA), run by the rival Palestinian Authority based in the West Bank, said Hamas had carried out an armed robbery.

There has been no comment from Hamas...

217

Walter L. Newton Sat, Mar 5, 2011 5:55:24am

re: #215 sattv4u2

Gotchya

Will you have the Kaiser thing done on time, considering your work schedule?

It's done. Only took me a couple of hours. That's a quick 120 dollars.

218

Gus Sat, Mar 5, 2011 5:55:25am

re: #216 Gus 802

_{What a clusterfuck.}

219

Walter L. Newton Sat, Mar 5, 2011 5:57:01am

re: #214 RogueOne

Just noticed your avatar. Did you ever post a page of your vaca photos?

I posted a few links to singles I have on my server. I took over 800 photos, you don't want to see all that. Give me a few minutes to look at the folder on the server. I don't remember the names of the files and I didn't bookmark them, so I'll have to grab the names and post some links.

220

Feline Emperor of the Conservative Waste Sat, Mar 5, 2011 5:57:15am

re: #113 Varek Raith

Tank.
Image: drive+me+closer_+i+want+to+hit+them+with+my+sword. png

How does the ammo supply and power work for those things anyways? Just doesn't appear to be enough room in them for anything conventional given the number of guns and other requirements.

221

Fat Bastard Vegetarian Sat, Mar 5, 2011 6:00:58am

Anyone have a mint? My mouth tastes like a rodent crawled in there and died.

222

sattv4u2 Sat, Mar 5, 2011 6:02:23am

re: #212 Walter L. Newton

That's about right. I've seen snow that early and that late here. Hell, two summers ago we had some below freezing nights in Aug. and a dusting of snow.

I used to LOVE to go skiing in New Hampshire in July (Tuckermans Ravine)

You can't ski there until AFTER Avalanche season, which lasts all winter/spring

223

sattv4u2 Sat, Mar 5, 2011 6:03:21am

re: #221 Fat Bastard Vegetarian

Anyone have a mint? My mouth tastes like a rodent crawled in there and died.

well,, we weren't going to say anything ,, but ,,,, you also may want to do something about that body odor!

224

Gus Sat, Mar 5, 2011 6:03:30am

re: #221 Fat Bastard Vegetarian

Anyone have a mint? My mouth tastes like a rodent crawled in there and died.

Did you look inside your mouth? Could very well be a dead rodent in there.

_{"Mommy! Grandpa's breath smells like a hamster cage."}

225

Gus Sat, Mar 5, 2011 6:05:04am

Oops. Now I've done it. I implied that hamsters are rodents. I shall prepare for the onslaught of letters from the hamster owners of America!

/Rodentia

226

RogueOne Sat, Mar 5, 2011 6:05:06am

Bahrainis Fear the U.S. Isn’t Behind Their Fight for Democracy
[Link: www.nytimes.com...]

Three weeks of pro-democracy protests in this island nation have followed the pattern of those in Egypt and Tunisia, with cellphones and Facebook posts propelling the movement and a botched, deadly crackdown by security forces two weeks ago serving to embolden the demonstrators.

Yet those who lead and take part in the nearly daily demonstrations here say they fear at least one key difference: The United States may not be fully on their side.
....
At a ramshackle mosque overflowing with worshipers on Friday, the most senior cleric of the Shiite community in Bahrain offered a veiled but somber message for the pro-democracy movement: America and the West support democratic aspirations in the Arab world — but only to a point.

“They are looking out for their own interests,” Sheik Isa Qassim said in his Friday sermon.

Foreign countries had supported democracy around the globe and even waged wars in the name of democracy, he said. “But these countries offer only cool, verbal support when it comes to regimes friendly to them,” Mr. Qassim said, an apparent reference to the Bahrain government.

It seems they're having a hard time understanding the whole "realist" foreign policy ideal.

227

Feline Emperor of the Conservative Waste Sat, Mar 5, 2011 6:05:11am

Good morning everyone. Quiet so far in Philly while I sit back with a cup of tea, type comments, and carry out one of my primary roles in life (cat pillow).

228

Gus Sat, Mar 5, 2011 6:05:51am

_{They are rodents.}

229

sattv4u2 Sat, Mar 5, 2011 6:05:59am

re: #227 oaktree

Good morning everyone. Quiet so far in Philly while I sit back with a cup of tea, type comments, and carry out one of my primary roles in life (cat pillow).

Hey ,,, I'll be there (briefly) this afternoon!

230

Walter L. Newton Sat, Mar 5, 2011 6:09:48am

re: #214 RogueOne

Just noticed your avatar. Did you ever post a page of your vaca photos?

The Catacombs.
Image: catacombs_1.JPG

A picture I took for Killgore.
Image: 100_0235_LUTHIER.JPG

Two Holocaust memorial graves at Pere Larchaise cemetary.
Image: 100_0036_holocaust.JPG

I have a lot more, but not up on the server. Maybe I'll put a small collection together and post them in the near future.

231

Feline Emperor of the Conservative Waste Sat, Mar 5, 2011 6:10:20am

re: #229 sattv4u2

Hey ,,, I'll be there (briefly) this afternoon!

Drive-by, or Fly-by?

232

sattv4u2 Sat, Mar 5, 2011 6:14:27am

re: #231 oaktree

Drive-by, or Fly-by?

Fly by

Going up to Boston to help my dad clear up some stuff post moms funeral. Could have flown direct via Delta but it would have
A) cost me over twice as much
and
B) would have had to sit near the back in a middle seat both ways

Booked with USAIR it'll take me only about an hour and a half longer and for both legs of the flight up (Atlanta to Philly/ Philly to Boston) I'm near the front at window

For the flight back they bumped me up to 1st class for $25 more

233

RogueOne Sat, Mar 5, 2011 6:14:57am

re: #230 Walter L. Newton

That first one looks like my basement....

234

Walter L. Newton Sat, Mar 5, 2011 6:15:02am

re: #215 sattv4u2

Gotchya

Will you have the Kaiser thing done on time, considering your work schedule?

One more... Jim Morrison's grave at Pere Larchaise...
Image: 100_0021_jim.JPG

235

sattv4u2 Sat, Mar 5, 2011 6:16:36am

re: #233 RogueOne

That first one looks like my basement...

Note to Self

do NOT accept a dinner invite at Rogues (also known as Jefferey Dahmer Jr)

236

RogueOne Sat, Mar 5, 2011 6:17:07am

re: #235 sattv4u2

Wanna piece of candy? Wanna make a moovie?

237

sattv4u2 Sat, Mar 5, 2011 6:17:42am

re: #236 RogueOne

Wanna piece of candy? Wanna make a moovie?

Is that you, Pol Pot !?!?

238

Gus Sat, Mar 5, 2011 6:18:09am

Image: mummers-parade-philadephia.jpg

239

sattv4u2 Sat, Mar 5, 2011 6:18:46am

re: #231 oaktree

be at the airport around 5 pm

I'll let you buy me a drink!!
//

240

sattv4u2 Sat, Mar 5, 2011 6:19:23am

re: #238 Gus 802

Image: mummers-parade-philadephia.jpg

Thats the BEFORE picture of Rogues basement!!

241

Feline Emperor of the Conservative Waste Sat, Mar 5, 2011 6:19:48am

Downside of working for a Brazilian company (and not being in Brazil). With Carnival starting down there this weekend there is practically no technical support available since everyone is off.

Plus-side is that while the cat is away the mice get to play...

242

Gus Sat, Mar 5, 2011 6:23:25am

re: #240 sattv4u2

Thats the BEFORE picture of Rogues basement!!

Breaking news. 100 Mummers kidnapped from the streets of Philadelphia today. Police are looking for man going by the name of "Rogue"...

243

Walter L. Newton Sat, Mar 5, 2011 6:23:31am

re: #238 Gus 802

Image: mummers-parade-philadephia.jpg

I did that for 9 years. I marched with Trilby String Band for 6 years and Duffy String Band for 3 years.

244

Fat Bastard Vegetarian Sat, Mar 5, 2011 6:24:46am

re: #230 Walter L. Newton

The graves were fantastic! Thanks!

(well, you know what I mean; as art. Was not intimating that the Holocaust was fantastic.)

245

Walter L. Newton Sat, Mar 5, 2011 6:26:10am

re: #244 Fat Bastard Vegetarian

The graves were fantastic! Thanks!

(well, you know what I mean; as art. Was not intimating that the Holocaust was fantastic.)

I have a whole slew of holocaust memorial graves that are at Pere Larchaise. There was a whole section with massive monumental sized scuptures and crypts.

246

Feline Emperor of the Conservative Waste Sat, Mar 5, 2011 6:26:13am

re: #242 Gus 802

Breaking news. 100 Mummers kidnapped from the streets of Philadelphia today. Police are looking for man going by the name of "Rogue"...

"It puts on the costume, or it gets the hose again."

247

Fat Bastard Vegetarian Sat, Mar 5, 2011 6:26:46am

re: #238 Gus 802

The dude front right looks like John Leguizamo.

248

reloadingisnotahobby Sat, Mar 5, 2011 6:27:07am

re: #244 Fat Bastard Vegetarian

Dude...go brush your teeth or something...LOL
Good morning all!!

249

Fat Bastard Vegetarian Sat, Mar 5, 2011 6:27:13am

re: #245 Walter L. Newton

Fascinating.

250

sattv4u2 Sat, Mar 5, 2011 6:27:34am

re: #242 Gus 802

Breaking news. 100 Mummers kidnapped from the streets of Philadelphia today. Police are looking for man going by the name of "Rogue"...

He was last seen hanging at the outskirts of the circus, leering at the clown car

251

Gus Sat, Mar 5, 2011 6:28:55am

re: #246 oaktree

"It puts on the costume, or it gets the hose again."

Unless of course it "rubs the lotion on its skin"!

OK, that's, weird. D'oh!

252

Fat Bastard Vegetarian Sat, Mar 5, 2011 6:31:45am

re: #250 sattv4u2

I, to this day, do not know how that gag works.

253

reloadingisnotahobby Sat, Mar 5, 2011 6:32:38am

re: #250 sattv4u2

Speaking of Clown cars.....
The Police are so inept here.....My Burglar walked after being charged
with a Class B Misdemeanor possession of stolen property.
I'll get the firearm back but he stashed it in a pile of rocks so
it's damaged!
Little MOTHERF&^%!

254

Walter L. Newton Sat, Mar 5, 2011 6:34:24am

re: #250 sattv4u2

He was last seen hanging at the outskirts of the circus, leering at the clown car

The Mummers parade is the oldest continuous parading traditions in the United States. They trace the first organized parade back to 1875. It started as a New Years day tradition, small bands of mainly German and Dutch immigrants, in northeast Philly would go out on New Years eve, playing instruments and singing songs in the richer parts of town, basically begging for coins and cake and food and drink.

These small groups eventually formed service clubs, consisting of men in the marching band, and women taking care of stuff like making the costumes and putting together food for events (yes, it was misogynist, this was over 100 years ago). They would raise money for the poor, charge to parade in other parades in other cities, and have a good time themselves.

After a while, it became more organized, and an association was set up, comprised of string bands, clown clubs and what is known as "fancy" groups. Three divisions of paraders, all marching down Broad street in Philly every New Years day.

Parade starts about 8 in the morning and gets finished after 5 in the afternoon.

255

reloadingisnotahobby Sat, Mar 5, 2011 6:34:49am

re: #253 reloadingisnotahobby

Oop's...I meant MOTHER&^%*(#!!

256

sattv4u2 Sat, Mar 5, 2011 6:35:40am

re: #254 Walter L. Newton

The Mummers parade is the oldest continuous parading traditions in the United States

I've been to it several times

Even marched in it back in the late 70's as a member of a drum and bugle corps

257

BongCrodny Sat, Mar 5, 2011 6:36:43am

re: #252 Fat Bastard Vegetarian

I, to this day, do not know how that gag works.

It's got something to do with the TARDIS.

258

Fat Bastard Vegetarian Sat, Mar 5, 2011 6:37:27am

re: #254 Walter L. Newton

Youtube Video

259

Walter L. Newton Sat, Mar 5, 2011 6:39:26am

re: #256 sattv4u2

The Mummers parade is the oldest continuous parading traditions in the United States

I've been to it several times

Even marched in it back in the late 70's as a member of a drum and bugle corps

You were supplying the music for a fancy group, I suspect. Fancy groups are like a string band, but they do not play their own instruments or make their own music. They theme costume themselves, develop a dance/marching routine and they usually hire brass bands to march behind them supplying the music.

It was a development for the folks that were not musically inclined but wanted to join in the fun of dancing a routine in the parade.

(note... mummers usually refer to the "marching" as dancing, since that's more or less what it is, choreographed dance routines).

260

RogueOne Sat, Mar 5, 2011 6:39:52am

re: #250 sattv4u2

He was last seen hanging at the outskirts of the circus, leering at the clown car

I dated a clown for a short while, she had actually gone to some "clown college" somewhere. It was fun for awhile but that clown stuff gets creepy pretty quick.

261

Walter L. Newton Sat, Mar 5, 2011 6:40:36am

re: #256 sattv4u2

The Mummers parade is the oldest continuous parading traditions in the United States

I've been to it several times

Even marched in it back in the late 70's as a member of a drum and bugle corps

Small world. The last year I marched was 1974, so I suspect we were not on Broad street at the same time. But still, how many ex-mummers do you meet?

262

Fat Bastard Vegetarian Sat, Mar 5, 2011 6:40:43am

re: #257 BongCrodny

It's got something to do with the TARDIS.

What does being late have to do with anything?

263

Walter L. Newton Sat, Mar 5, 2011 6:43:11am

re: #260 RogueOne

I dated a clown for a short while, she had actually gone to some "clown college" somewhere. It was fun for awhile but that clown stuff gets creepy pretty quick.

Well, Mummers are not clowns, although it appears that the theme for that particular string band, in that particular picture was a jester theme. Mummers themes run the gamut of all kinds of subjects, from classical music to Broadway show tunes, country and western, big band and dixieland.

No matter what genre of music the band is performing, the style is mostly a dixieland sort of rhythm.

264

sattv4u2 Sat, Mar 5, 2011 6:44:11am

re: #262 Fat Bastard Vegetarian

What does being late have to do with anything?

it's not late

It's RE!!

(re-tardis!!)

265

Walter L. Newton Sat, Mar 5, 2011 6:45:29am

re: #258 Fat Bastard Vegetarian

[Video]

Yes, the roots of the Mummers in Philly come from Europe.

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

266

sattv4u2 Sat, Mar 5, 2011 6:46:24am

re: #260 RogueOne

I dated a clown for a short while, she had actually gone to some "clown college" somewhere. It was fun for awhile but that clown stuff gets creepy pretty quick.

1st period,,, how to squirt water out of a flower
2nd period,,, how to walk in those huge shoes
3rd period,,, make up tips,,, it's NEVER "too much"!

LUNCH,, Pie In The face

4th period ,, balloon animals

267

Gretchen G.Tiger Sat, Mar 5, 2011 6:46:53am

Just a drive-by post to wish you-all

a great day!

268

Walter L. Newton Sat, Mar 5, 2011 6:47:47am

re: #258 Fat Bastard Vegetarian

What else could a kid with an accordion do in the 60's but march with the Mummers? I missed the summer of love. I missed the winters of love... accordion ruled my life... it's a horrible addiction... I really can't go into it...

269

Feline Emperor of the Conservative Waste Sat, Mar 5, 2011 6:47:59am

re: #266 sattv4u2

1st period,,, how to squirt water out of a flower
2nd period,,, how to walk in those huge shoes
3rd period,,, make up tips,,, it's NEVER "too much"!

LUNCH,, Pie In The face

4th period ,, balloon animals

Darth Clown teaches 2nd period, makes you wear the shoes, and warns you to stop complaining or he will alter the deal further...

270

RogueOne Sat, Mar 5, 2011 6:49:22am

re: #269 oaktree

How weird is that. I was just watching Tripping The Rift on netflix the other night.

271

Walter L. Newton Sat, Mar 5, 2011 6:49:34am

re: #266 sattv4u2

1st period,,, how to squirt water out of a flower
2nd period,,, how to walk in those huge shoes
3rd period,,, make up tips,,, it's NEVER "too much"!

LUNCH,, Pie In The face

4th period ,, balloon animals

I do cheap balloon sculpturing... blow it up... it's a sausage... blow it up, connect it end to end, a toilet seat... blow it up, put one twist in the middle, two sausages... it's a living.

272

sattv4u2 Sat, Mar 5, 2011 6:50:07am

re: #271 Walter L. Newton

I do cheap balloon sculpturing... blow it up... it's a sausage... blow it up, connect it end to end, a toilet seat... blow it up, put one twist in the middle, two sausages... it's a living.

Is that a sausage in your hands, or are you just happy to see me

273

Walter L. Newton Sat, Mar 5, 2011 6:50:58am

re: #272 sattv4u2

Is that a sausage in your hands, or are you just happy to see me

I would never be that happy to see you... didn't mean to hurt your feelings, but...

274

Fat Bastard Vegetarian Sat, Mar 5, 2011 6:51:06am

re: #268 Walter L. Newton

"Welcome to Hell, Maestro. Here's your accordion."
-The Far Side

275

Walter L. Newton Sat, Mar 5, 2011 6:51:34am

re: #274 Fat Bastard Vegetarian

"Welcome to Hell, Maestro. Here's your accordion."
-The Far Side

I've seen that one... classic.

276

sattv4u2 Sat, Mar 5, 2011 6:52:13am

re: #273 Walter L. Newton

I would never be that happy to see you... didn't mean to hurt your feelings, but...

Hell,,, how do you think I feel

I have to see me every day!!!

277

RogueOne Sat, Mar 5, 2011 6:52:46am

re: #268 Walter L. Newton

What else could a kid with an accordion do in the 60's but march with the Mummers? I missed the summer of love. I missed the winters of love... accordion ruled my life... it's a horrible addiction... I really can't go into it...

Wow...and people think keeping bones in the basement is weird.

278

Feline Emperor of the Conservative Waste Sat, Mar 5, 2011 6:54:25am

re: #275 Walter L. Newton

I've seen that one... classic.

My favorite is the gator on the witness stand,
"Of course I did it in cold blood you idiot! I'm a reptile!"

279

Feline Emperor of the Conservative Waste Sat, Mar 5, 2011 6:55:19am

re: #277 RogueOne

Wow...and people think keeping bones in the basement is weird.

Is Teddy down there working on the canal? More yellow fever victims all the time...

280

Walter L. Newton Sat, Mar 5, 2011 6:58:29am

re: #277 RogueOne

Wow...and people think keeping bones in the basement is weird.

I had never visited the Paris catacombs in the past, even though I've been to Paris 6 times. It was something that just never got on my list of things to do. But I did it this time, and I must say, it's a rather interesting attraction. When you finally get to the interment area, you've walked almost a mile through a small cramped passage. The reburial area seems to go on forever, room after room, niche after niche... wiki has some good info...

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

281

Walter L. Newton Sat, Mar 5, 2011 7:00:24am

re: #277 RogueOne

Wow...and people think keeping bones in the basement is weird.

What is even more interesting is the Cataphiles...

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

Everyone should have such a hobby!

282

Fat Bastard Vegetarian Sat, Mar 5, 2011 7:00:32am

re: #274 Fat Bastard Vegetarian

Oops. Got it almost right.

283

Walter L. Newton Sat, Mar 5, 2011 7:01:11am

re: #279 oaktree

Is Teddy down there working on the canal? More yellow fever victims all the time...

That was the first role I ever preformed in theatre... about 35 years ago.

284

Walter L. Newton Sat, Mar 5, 2011 7:01:41am

re: #282 Fat Bastard Vegetarian

Oops. Got it almost right.

No... I've seen a "maestro" version of that.

285

RogueOne Sat, Mar 5, 2011 7:05:09am

re: #280 Walter L. Newton

That would be something I would be interested in seeing sometime.

286

Semper Fi Sat, Mar 5, 2011 7:07:51am

re: #115 HoosierHoops

I had a bad day today...Tonight I'm fighting deep depression..Very rare for me.. I know I'll wake up in the morning just fine and ready to face the world with a smile and a good attitude...
But tonight lizards..My heart is sunk..I feel like a failure..I feel lost and lonely..I miss everything back home..I hurt..
That is what a bad day brings you...I just have to write something about it...There hasn't been a hole in my heart for many years...Tonight I feel helpless waiting for the dawn to arrive with my dog...I know everything will be ok after this crappy day...I should really write a song tonight..
Sorry..I just had to say this..No need to react for you my friends..Just a really bad day that has torn my heart...

Hoops, it's morning and I trust you're feeling better. Hopefully, it's a sunny day for you in OK to add emphasis that it's a new day. A long time ago I had many such days over a period of a couple years. Fortunately, for me, a popular song at the time proclaimed: "Here comes the sun, it's all right." That bit of music played a big role in my ability to deal with events that were tearing me apart. I hope you've got something too... good luck.

Hi lizards.

287

Walter L. Newton Sat, Mar 5, 2011 7:08:39am

re: #285 RogueOne

That would be something I would be interested in seeing sometime.

While we were walking through the long tunnel that gives you access to the reburial area, I was shooting a video. You can use flash and lighting in all the areas of the tunnels EXCEPT the area where the bones and skulls are.

So, there is no one else in the tunnel, it's dark, spotty lighting, damp, quiet and as were are walking along, you can hear me on the audio of the video... "all I can say is I hope no one flushes..."

288

Fat Bastard Vegetarian Sat, Mar 5, 2011 7:09:24am

re: #284 Walter L. Newton

Really?! Yay! I could've sworn I'd seen one.

289

Walter L. Newton Sat, Mar 5, 2011 7:10:13am

re: #288 Fat Bastard Vegetarian

Really?! Yay! I could've sworn I'd seen one.

I've seen it. Maybe it wasn't the "Far Side" or something, but I have certainly seen the cartoon.

290

Fat Bastard Vegetarian Sat, Mar 5, 2011 7:16:14am

re: #289 Walter L. Newton

I've seen it. Maybe it wasn't the "Far Side" or something, but I have certainly seen the cartoon.

Aha! It's banjos!

291

Walter L. Newton Sat, Mar 5, 2011 7:18:42am

re: #290 Fat Bastard Vegetarian

Aha! It's banjos!

Ok... so we're both old and have faulty memories... so sue us!

292

RogueOne Sat, Mar 5, 2011 7:19:46am

re: #291 Walter L. Newton

Banjos are close enough. I'd take credit for nailing that one.

293

darthstar Sat, Mar 5, 2011 7:26:30am

Another observation on Huckabee's racism and his attempts to blow his dog whistle for attention. The Mau Mau uprising happened between 1952 and 1960...President Obama was born (in Hawaii) in 1961. And yet I know people who will look up the Mau Mau uprising ( I had to ) and cite it as evidence of President Obama's anti-colonial (read anti-white) attitude...even though he wasn't even born yet and lived on the other side of the fucking planet.

That's like saying the Irish potato famine is why I'm not a protestant.

294

Semper Fi Sat, Mar 5, 2011 7:27:10am

re: #136 HoosierHoops

Thanks..Think I'll head down your way to check out UT this Summer..Just a few hours away

Good idea Hoops. This is a perfect time to plan road trips for the warmer months. Gas prices will be $4+/gal by then and may help to lighten traffic. I'm thinking trans Canada this time. Drive up to Vancouver, turn east, then after several days, visit with an old friend who lives in New Brunswick. Right now the whole thing is just an idea but that's how they all start.

295

darthstar Sat, Mar 5, 2011 7:29:18am

re: #294 Semper Fi

Good idea Hoops. This is a perfect time to plan road trips for the warmer months. Gas prices will be $4+/gal by then and may help to lighten traffic. I'm thinking trans Canada this time. Drive up to Vancouver, turn east, then after several days, visit with an old friend who lives in New Brunswick. Right now the whole thing is just an idea but that's how they all start.

I did that trip when I was younger. It really is a pretty drive...though Saskatchewan is a bit like Nebraska...long and flat. Tie off the steering wheel, set cruise at 70, and grab a book.

296

Semper Fi Sat, Mar 5, 2011 7:33:59am

re: #295 darthstar

I did that trip when I was younger. It really is a pretty drive...though Saskatchewan is a bit like Nebraska...long and flat. Tie off the steering wheel, set cruise at 70, and grab a book.

That bit about the steering wheel brought a smile. Very good.

297

sattv4u2 Sat, Mar 5, 2011 7:35:12am

re: #295 darthstar

I did that trip when I was younger. It really is a pretty drive...though Saskatchewan is a bit like Nebraska...long and flat. Tie off the steering wheel, set cruise at 70, and grab a book.

Exactly

I've driven across Nebraska several times

hey ,, look,,, CORN!

298

Jadespring Sat, Mar 5, 2011 7:36:34am

re: #294 Semper Fi

Good idea Hoops. This is a perfect time to plan road trips for the warmer months. Gas prices will be $4+/gal by then and may help to lighten traffic. I'm thinking trans Canada this time. Drive up to Vancouver, turn east, then after several days, visit with an old friend who lives in New Brunswick. Right now the whole thing is just an idea but that's how they all start.

Several days? :D You probably would need more then several. I've done the drive from Vancouver to Ontario a few times, in 4 days of 11 to 12 hours of hard driving without any stops except for food and sleep. New Brunswick from where I stopped can be done in another 18 hours of hard driving. My Aunt and Uncle did it last year from here. It took them 2 days.

299

sattv4u2 Sat, Mar 5, 2011 7:36:59am

re: #293 darthstar

Not to quibble, but you don't have to be alive during a specific time period to have animosity or feelings or attitudes about something that happened IN that time period

300

RogueOne Sat, Mar 5, 2011 7:44:19am

re: #299 sattv4u2

Some people know how to hold a grudge

301

Semper Fi Sat, Mar 5, 2011 7:45:05am

re: #298 Jadespring

Several days? :D You probably would need more then several. I've done the drive from Vancouver to Ontario a few times, in 4 days of 11 to 12 hours of hard driving without any stops except for food and sleep. New Brunswick from where I stopped can be done in another 18 hours of hard driving. My Aunt and Uncle did it last year from here. It took them 2 days.

I agree. Looking at google earth earlier this week made me realize that British Columbia alone is a formidable drive. Not only that but many beautiful places where just zipping thru wouldn't be smart and I do like to stop awhile in especially nice places to let it soak in. Fortunately, for me, time is not a constraint as I'm happily retired.

302

Jadespring Sat, Mar 5, 2011 7:45:40am

re: #298 Jadespring

Just to add I've also done the trip from Ontario to Vancouver going through the US. It was faster because of the interstates. In Canada the flat land stretch is quick, though not as quick because of limits but once you get to Ontario it slows down. It takes a good days drive just to get through the northern part of the province to central Ontario and another day to get out the other end. :) Pretty drive though.

Every time I've driven it, it always gave me cognitive dissonance that when I hit Winnipeg that only meant I was halfway through the trip home. Ontario is massive.

303

darthstar Sat, Mar 5, 2011 7:47:22am

re: #299 sattv4u2

Not to quibble, but you don't have to be alive during a specific time period to have animosity or feelings or attitudes about something that happened IN that time period

Don't fuck with my potatoes. I'll stab you in the back of the hand with my fork.

304

sattv4u2 Sat, Mar 5, 2011 7:48:59am

re: #303 darthstar

Don't fuck with my potatoes. I'll stab you in the back of the hand with my fork.

A fork fuck?

305

Semper Fi Sat, Mar 5, 2011 7:51:47am

re: #302 Jadespring

Just to add I've also done the trip from Ontario to Vancouver going through the US. It was faster because of the interstates. In Canada the flat land stretch is quick, though not as quick because of limits but once you get to Ontario it slows down. It takes a good days drive just to get through the northern part of the province to central Ontario and another day to get out the other end. :) Pretty drive though.

Every time I've driven it, it always gave me cognitive dissonance that when I hit Winnipeg that only meant I was halfway through the trip home. Ontario is massive.

Ontario seems to be loaded with lakes of every size. This is piquing my interest.

306

Jadespring Sat, Mar 5, 2011 7:52:03am

re: #301 Semper Fi

I agree. Looking at google earth earlier this week made me realize that British Columbia alone is a formidable drive. Not only that but many beautiful places where just zipping thru wouldn't be smart and I do like to stop awhile in especially nice places to let it soak in. Fortunately, for me, time is not a constraint as I'm happily retired.

That's good. If you can just ease you're way along the road that's the best. The drive through the rockies in Canada is spectacular and pales in comparison with driving through the mountains in the US which says something because the US drive is amazing in itself. In Alberta it's totally worth the detour to see a few things, like Drumheller, not only for the dino museum but the neat landscape. Give yourself minimum half a day, a day is more realistic though. From there to Ontario there isn't too much that exciting but once you hit the Canadian shield, wowza, lots of places to stop and enjoy.

307

Killgore Trout Sat, Mar 5, 2011 7:53:37am

Beck Turns To The Fringe To Validate His "Crazy Conspiracy Theory"

Glenn Beck reached to the right-wing fringe for validation of his discredited conspiracy theory about the coming Islamo-Communist global takeover: Andrew Roberts, who advocated for mass internment of Iraqis and reportedly spoke at a dinner commemorating "the white supremacist government of Rhodesia"; and David Horowitz, who has a long history of pushing the same discredited conspiracy theories that Beck peddles.

I don't think I've heard of Andrew Roberts before but he seems like a real scumbag.

308

Jadespring Sat, Mar 5, 2011 7:53:47am

re: #305 Semper Fi

Ontario seems to be loaded with lakes of every size. This is piquing my interest.

Lakes around every corner. Great Lakes, medium lakes, small lakes. Lakes and more lakes. Lake Superior is a natural wonder.

309

darthstar Sat, Mar 5, 2011 7:55:11am

re: #305 Semper Fi

Ontario seems to be loaded with lakes of every size. This is piquing my interest.

And those lakes are loaded with Muskies.

310

Feline Emperor of the Conservative Waste Sat, Mar 5, 2011 7:55:42am

re: #295 darthstar

I did that trip when I was younger. It really is a pretty drive...though Saskatchewan is a bit like Nebraska...long and flat. Tie off the steering wheel, set cruise at 70, and grab a book.

I did that drive in '82.
Pittsburgh - Chicago - Winnepeg - Edmonton. Then Edmonton - > approximately Montreal via TC 1. Ontario is very wide...

Constant wind from an angle and straight enough highway you could almost tie the wheel down.

311

Jadespring Sat, Mar 5, 2011 7:56:55am

re: #309 darthstar

And those lakes are loaded with Muskies.

Moose. Have to be careful about the moose. They'll kill you. When I did an overnight around the north of Superior I parked myself behind a semi for moose safety sake.

312

Semper Fi Sat, Mar 5, 2011 7:57:58am

re: #306 Jadespring

That's good. If you can just ease you're way along the road that's the best. The drive through the rockies in Canada is spectacular and pales in comparison with driving through the mountains in the US which says something because the US drive is amazing in itself. In Alberta it's totally worth the detour to see a few things, like Drumheller, not only for the dino museum but the neat landscape. Give yourself minimum half a day, a day is more realistic though. From there to Ontario there isn't too much that exciting but once you hit the Canadian shield, wowza, lots of places to stop and enjoy.

"The Shield" meaning major population areas?

313

Semper Fi Sat, Mar 5, 2011 7:59:20am

re: #308 Jadespring

Lakes around every corner. Great Lakes, medium lakes, small lakes. Lakes and more lakes. Lake Superior is a natural wonder.

Google-earth showed sooo many.

314

Daniel Ballard Sat, Mar 5, 2011 7:59:53am

Been to that PS3 jailbreak site? Sony knows who you are...Or soon will.
Privacy weeps.

[Link: www.wired.com...]
A federal magistrate is granting Sony the right to acquire the internet IP addresses of anybody who has visited PlayStation 3 hacker George Hotz’s website from January of 2009 to the present.

315

Semper Fi Sat, Mar 5, 2011 8:00:11am

re: #309 darthstar

And those lakes are loaded with Muskies.

Good. Must be lots of fish dinners to enjoy along the way.

316

Jadespring Sat, Mar 5, 2011 8:01:02am

re: #312 Semper Fi

"The Shield" meaning major population areas?

No. :) Big sheet of rock. Vary little population You leave the prairies and it changes to rock and lakes mostly.

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

The Canadian Shield, also called the Laurentian Plateau, or Bouclier canadien (French), is a vast geological shield covered by a thin layer of soil that forms the nucleus of the North American or Laurentia craton. It is an area mostly composed of igneous rock which relates to its long volcanic history. It has a deep, common, joined bedrock region in eastern and central Canada and stretches North from the Great Lakes to the Arctic Ocean, covering over half of Canada; it also extends south into the northern reaches of the United States. Population is scarce, and industrial development is minimal,[

317

sattv4u2 Sat, Mar 5, 2011 8:01:13am

re: #309 darthstar

And those lakes are loaded with Muskies.

Any of them named Ed!?!?

318

Feline Emperor of the Conservative Waste Sat, Mar 5, 2011 8:01:48am

re: #312 Semper Fi

"The Shield" meaning major population areas?

Nope. Rough, rocky, terrain.

Our backyard in northern New York State had a 8'x4'x5' chunk of gneiss that a large mobile ice cube brought down from there as a souvenir.

319

sattv4u2 Sat, Mar 5, 2011 8:01:49am

and on that note, the (relatively) short, quiet ride to the airport beckons

320

Gus Sat, Mar 5, 2011 8:02:34am

re: #307 Killgore Trout

Beck Turns To The Fringe To Validate His "Crazy Conspiracy Theory"

I don't think I've heard of Andrew Roberts before but he seems like a real scumbag.

Never thought I'd see them literally defending Muammar Gaddafi but I expected that -- and on Fox News not less.

Image: PA103cockpit4.png

321

Semper Fi Sat, Mar 5, 2011 8:02:35am

re: #311 Jadespring

Moose. Have to be careful about the moose. They'll kill you. When I did an overnight around the north of Superior I parked myself behind a semi for moose safety sake.

Good tip, though I no longer do night driving. I recall many vehicle vs animal hits in Wyoming years ago. They can come thru the windshield.

322

Feline Emperor of the Conservative Waste Sat, Mar 5, 2011 8:03:54am

re: #321 Semper Fi

Good tip, though I no longer do night driving. I recall many vehicle vs animal hits in Wyoming years ago. They can come thru the windshield.

Mythbusters did a bit on whether driving fast enough when clipping the moose would get it to go all the way over the car. FAIL.

323

Gus Sat, Mar 5, 2011 8:04:17am

"No less." Anywho, off to the store and back to enjoy the quiet morning before the stupid humans wake up after another night of getting drunk or consuming mass quantities of sugar laden soft drinks.

324

Jadespring Sat, Mar 5, 2011 8:04:21am

re: #321 Semper Fi

Good tip, though I no longer do night driving. I recall many vehicle vs animal hits in Wyoming years ago. They can come thru the windshield.

Yep. When I was younger friends of the family hit a moose, while driving through the rockies. The husband died when it came through the windshield and crushed him.

325

Semper Fi Sat, Mar 5, 2011 8:06:12am

re: #316 Jadespring

No. :) Big sheet of rock. Vary little population You leave the prairies and it changes to rock and lakes mostly.

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

Thanks. I'll know what's happening along the terrain.

326

Dark_Falcon Sat, Mar 5, 2011 8:07:06am

re: #307 Killgore Trout

Beck Turns To The Fringe To Validate His "Crazy Conspiracy Theory"

I don't think I've heard of Andrew Roberts before but he seems like a real scumbag.

I wouldn't give that too much credence. I'll except clips from Media Matter, but David Brock has a bad habit with twisting quotes. He's not honest enough for his analysis to be trusted.

327

Semper Fi Sat, Mar 5, 2011 8:08:04am

re: #318 oaktree

Nope. Rough, rocky, terrain.

Our backyard in northern New York State had a 8'x4'x5' chunk of gneiss that a large mobile ice cube brought down from there as a souvenir.

That's another thing. Must be lots of glacier deposited bits along the way.

328

Semper Fi Sat, Mar 5, 2011 8:10:44am

re: #322 oaktree

Mythbusters did a bit on whether driving fast enough when clipping the moose would get it to go all the way over the car. FAIL.

What a tragic way to go for both animal and human.

329

Feline Emperor of the Conservative Waste Sat, Mar 5, 2011 8:10:55am

re: #327 Semper Fi

That's another thing. Must be lots of glacier deposited bits along the way.

Explains all the lakes as well actually. Classic glaciated terrain. One reason western NY and PA have some interesting terrain is that there is terminal glacial features here and there (plus some classic stuff) if you know where to look. Not to mention the Great Lakes themselves.

330

Jadespring Sat, Mar 5, 2011 8:12:05am

re: #325 Semper Fi

Thanks. I'll know what's happening along the terrain.

Well if I can make a suggestion when you get north of Huron between Sault St Marie and Sudbury a great 'detour' is to cut off the transcanada and head down to Manatoulin Island. From there you take a ferry across Huron to Tobermory and the Bruce Pennisula. If you like natural stuff that Pennisula is a mecca. There's stuff here that doesn't exist elsewhere in NA.

And added bonus is that if you come that route I would gladly meet up and show you around. The pennisula is my stomping grounds.

331

Dark_Falcon Sat, Mar 5, 2011 8:12:40am

re: #326 Dark_Falcon

I wouldn't give that too much credence. I'll except clips from Media Matter, but David Brock has a bad habit with twisting quotes. He's not honest enough for his analysis to be trusted.

I'll expand on that a bit: Brock seems correct on Andrew Roberts, but he has an ax to grind when it comes to David Horowitz. Horowitz went after Brock pretty hard when MM was founded, pointing out that Brock is an admitted liar and that his group got seed money from George Soros. Horowitz has some serious problems, but he's not a lunatic in the way that Roberts is, nor is he a racist like Roberts is.

332

Killgore Trout Sat, Mar 5, 2011 8:14:07am

re: #326 Dark_Falcon

I wouldn't give that too much credence. I'll except clips from Media Matter, but David Brock has a bad habit with twisting quotes. He's not honest enough for his analysis to be trusted.

Media Matters sometimes stretches but I generally find them fairly accurate.
Roberts' association with White Supremacists seems to check out.
Johann Hari: The dark side of Andrew Roberts

This historian's work elaborately defends the crimes of a white man's empire

333

Semper Fi Sat, Mar 5, 2011 8:14:21am

re: #324 Jadespring

Yep. When I was younger friends of the family hit a moose, while driving through the rockies. The husband died when it came through the windshield and crushed him.

My #328 applies. A sad end for all.

334

Killgore Trout Sat, Mar 5, 2011 8:16:01am

re: #331 Dark_Falcon

Horowitz has some serious problems, but he's not a lunatic in the way that Roberts is, nor is he a racist like Roberts is.

Ah, Ok. I wasn't aware to the personal history between Horowitz and Brock

335

freetoken Sat, Mar 5, 2011 8:16:29am

Scientist Imam threatened over Darwinist views

A prominent British imam has been forced to retract his claims that Islam is compatible with Darwin's theory of evolution after receiving death threats from fundamentalists.

Dr Usama Hasan, a physics lecturer at Middlesex University and a fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society, was intending yesterday to return to Masjid al-Tawhid, a mosque in Leyton, East London, for the first time since he delivered a lecture there entitled "Islam and the theory of evolution".

But according to his sister, police advised him not to attend after becoming concerned for his safety. Instead his father, Suhaib, head of the mosque's committee of trustees, posted a notice on his behalf expressing regret over his comments. "I seek Allah's forgiveness for my mistakes and apologise for any offence caused," the statement read.

The campaign is part of a growing movement by a small but vocal group of largely Saudi-influenced orthodox Muslims who use evolution as a way of discrediting imams whom they deem to be overly progressive or "western orientated".

[...] Dr Hasan delivered a lecture there detailing why he felt the theory of evolution and Islam were compatible – a position that is not unusual among many Islamic scholars with scientific backgrounds. But the lecture was interrupted by men he described as "fanatics" who distributed leaflets claiming that "Darwin is blasphemy".

"One man came up to me during the lecture and said 'You are an apostate and should be killed'," Dr Hasan told The Independent.[...]

Evolution "is not a matter of iman [belief] or kufr [disbelief]," said Dr Hasan, "and people are free to accept or reject a particular scientific theory." He also attacked clerics who made pronouncements about science they didn't understand, declaring that "any such fatwas about science from people ignorant of the subject matter are null and void."

[...]

Most Islamic scholars have little problem with evolution as long as Muslims accept the supremacy of God in the process. But in recent years a small number of orthodox scholars, mainly from Saudi Arabia – where many clerics still preach that the Sun revolves around the Earth – have ruled against evolution, declaring that belief in the concept goes against the Koran's statement that Adam and Eve were the first humans.

Darwin certainly scares lots of people, no?

336

Feline Emperor of the Conservative Waste Sat, Mar 5, 2011 8:19:46am

re: #335 freetoken

Scientist Imam threatened over Darwinist views

Darwin certainly scares lots of people, no?

Zombie Darwin hunts them and eats their faith...

337

Semper Fi Sat, Mar 5, 2011 8:20:40am

re: #329 oaktree

Explains all the lakes as well actually. Classic glaciated terrain. One reason western NY and PA have some interesting terrain is that there is terminal glacial features here and there (plus some classic stuff) if you know where to look. Not to mention the Great Lakes themselves.

I love seeing such features but only recognize the more obvious. After New Brunswick, both NY and PA will be next.

338

Jadespring Sat, Mar 5, 2011 8:21:10am

Some pics from the area.

[Link: www.google.ca...]

339

Jadespring Sat, Mar 5, 2011 8:24:00am

re: #337 Semper Fi

I love seeing such features but only recognize the more obvious. After New Brunswick, both NY and PA will be next.

There's this small hike I go on quite regularly in the summer where the trail is surrounded by these huge holes and caves made by rocks under the glacier. A rock has literally bored a hole down into the granite. It's pretty neat. You can go right into them.

340

Jadespring Sat, Mar 5, 2011 8:26:16am

Here's some good pics of them. Potholes!
[Link: www.sentex.net...]

341

Dark_Falcon Sat, Mar 5, 2011 8:28:04am

re: #335 freetoken

Scientist Imam threatened over Darwinist views

Darwin certainly scares lots of people, no?

It's not about fear in their case, but control. Like the Inquisition, they derive power from the fact that they can publicly force people to deny what they firmly believe to be true with threat of death. Hasan had little choice: Either he truckled under or they'd proclaim him an "apostate", after which he'd be under constant threat from Islamists who think it just to privately such a person. He decided that the truth wasn't worth getting his throat cut over.

342

Semper Fi Sat, Mar 5, 2011 8:29:28am

re: #330 Jadespring

Well if I can make a suggestion when you get north of Huron between Sault St Marie and Sudbury a great 'detour' is to cut off the transcanada and head down to Manatoulin Island. From there you take a ferry across Huron to Tobermory and the Bruce Pennisula. If you like natural stuff that Pennisula is a mecca. There's stuff here that doesn't exist elsewhere in NA.

And added bonus is that if you come that route I would gladly meet up and show you around. The pennisula is my stomping grounds.

Thanks for the offer. I remember Tobermory and Perry Sound from years ago when I sailed up from Detroit. Approaching Perry Sound across the Georgian Bay was an outstanding night sail. When the dawn came could see a house on the water (looked like it was floating) but had been built on all the available, above water land and rocks. These were cottages. I think it was called the 30,000 islands area.

343

Semper Fi Sat, Mar 5, 2011 8:32:32am

re: #338 Jadespring

Some pics from the area.

[Link: www.google.ca...]

[Link: www.google.ca...]

Gorgeous pics. Thanks.

344

Jadespring Sat, Mar 5, 2011 8:34:44am

re: #342 Semper Fi

Thanks for the offer. I remember Tobermory and Perry Sound from years ago when I sailed up from Detroit. Approaching Perry Sound across the Georgian Bay was an outstanding night sail. When the dawn came could see a house on the water (looked like it was floating) but had been built on all the available, above water land and rocks. These were cottages. I think it was called the 30,000 islands area.

It is pretty amazing. I took a boat tour out of Tobermory last summer. Went around the islands and to several wrecks. It was beautiful. Sometimes I have to remind myself that I live in area that people come from all over the world to see and that I need to get out myself and enjoy it. :)

345

Semper Fi Sat, Mar 5, 2011 8:35:15am

re: #340 Jadespring

Here's some good pics of them. Potholes!
[Link: www.sentex.net...]

Huge. Sorta reminds me of the Wisconsin Dells area but this is so much more beautiful and massive.

346

CuriousLurker Sat, Mar 5, 2011 8:36:08am

Today's episode of ODS:

Conservative Conference Warns Of Hidden Islamic Danger In ‘Race To The Top’ Funding

A new memo that has been making the rounds in conservative circles is a dire warning about an onslaught of Islamic “Gulen schools,” a growing international network of charter schools begun in Turkey that offer “a blend of religious faith and largely Western curriculum.”

At the Educational Policy Conference, a large gathering of social conservatives in St. Louis in January, prominent neoconservative and anti-Muslim conspiracy theorist Frank Gaffney, and former Colorado State Board of Education member Peggy Littleton sounded the alarm on the “creeping threat” of Gulen schools hidden in President Obama’s landmark education initiative, the Race to the Top program, which encourages innovation in education, including charter schools. Littleton, who currently serves as an El Paso County Commissioner, told conference-goers that “the only reason [Obama is] pushing more charter schools” through Race to the Top is “because of these Gulen schools.”

[...]

347

Jadespring Sat, Mar 5, 2011 8:38:30am

re: #346 CuriousLurker

Oh FFS. I'm not saying that these types of schools are not an issue. Some are but making them into an Obama agenda conspiracy is daft.

348

Semper Fi Sat, Mar 5, 2011 8:38:54am

re: #344 Jadespring

It is pretty amazing. I took a boat tour out of Tobermory last summer. Went around the islands and to several wrecks. It was beautiful. Sometimes I have to remind myself that I live in area that people come from all over the world to see and that I need to get out myself and enjoy it. :)

I would feel the same and what you say is true as I've heard of the sights of Canada all my life. That's part of the reason I'm considering this. Also, been thinking of the best month to do it.

349

CuriousLurker Sat, Mar 5, 2011 8:43:03am

re: #347 Jadespring

Oh FFS. I'm not saying that these types of schools are not an issue. Some are but making them into an Obama agenda conspiracy is daft.

I don't know much about charter schools, but I recently did a logo for a brand new one. Heh, I haven't heard the term "daft" in a long time—great word.

350

Dark_Falcon Sat, Mar 5, 2011 8:44:05am

re: #340 Jadespring

Here's some good pics of them. Potholes!
[Link: www.sentex.net...]

Until I clicked on the pic I just thought you meant a pothole in a road near your home. That's what 'pothole' usually means here in Chicagoland.

351

Killgore Trout Sat, Mar 5, 2011 8:44:49am

re: #346 CuriousLurker

Fethullah GülenSeems like a pretty moderate Sufi, he even had the balls to criticize the organizers of the Gaza flotilla. That's pretty damn rare. My only concern would be would be possible links to Adnan Oktar, the infamous Turkish creationist. Although I don't see any evidence of a connection.

352

Dark_Falcon Sat, Mar 5, 2011 8:45:08am

re: #347 Jadespring

Oh FFS. I'm not saying that these types of schools are not an issue. Some are but making them into an Obama agenda conspiracy is daft.

Quite Concur.

353

Jadespring Sat, Mar 5, 2011 8:46:03am

re: #348 Semper Fi

I would feel the same and what you say is true as I've heard of the sights of Canada all my life. That's part of the reason I'm considering this. Also, been thinking of the best month to do it.

Well with July and August you have more guarantees with getting decent weather but they're much busier. With June the weather can still be great but not as guaranteed to be great as July and August, but in Ontario at least June doesn't tend to be a humid and hot as July can be. Also way less people doing the traveling thing in June but most places that are only open seasonally are open. If it was me I would do a trip like this Junish or early Septemberish.

354

Killgore Trout Sat, Mar 5, 2011 8:48:02am

re: #351 Killgore Trout

Fethullah GülenSeems like a pretty moderate Sufi, he even had the balls to criticize the organizers of the Gaza flotilla. That's pretty damn rare. My only concern would be would be possible links to Adnan Oktar, the infamous Turkish creationist. Although I don't see any evidence of a connection.

Ah, he's a creationist: What is the Reason for the Persistence of Darwinism in the General Culture of the Masses, Though Many of Darwin's Hypotheses Have Been Challenged and Even Disproved?

355

Dark_Falcon Sat, Mar 5, 2011 8:48:24am

re: #351 Killgore Trout

Fethullah GülenSeems like a pretty moderate Sufi, he even had the balls to criticize the organizers of the Gaza flotilla. That's pretty damn rare. My only concern would be would be possible links to Adnan Oktar, the infamous Turkish creationist. Although I don't see any evidence of a connection.

The schools are Islamic, that's the connection in Gaffney's eyes. He does not care about theological differences between Muslim sects and their implications/ To him, Islam in toto is a threat. To let a Sufi have time to explain the Koran to a class is the first step towards sharia, in the paranoid way of thinking.

356

Jadespring Sat, Mar 5, 2011 8:48:33am

re: #349 CuriousLurker

I don't know much about charter schools, but I recently did a logo for a brand new one. Heh, I haven't heard the term "daft" in a long time—great word.

I don't usually use it. :D I really have no idea where it came from. It just popped out.

357

Jadespring Sat, Mar 5, 2011 8:49:28am

Anyways gotta run and do some work. Have great day everyone.

358

Dark_Falcon Sat, Mar 5, 2011 8:49:49am

re: #354 Killgore Trout

Ah, he's a creationist: What is the Reason for the Persistence of Darwinism in the General Culture of the Masses, Though Many of Darwin's Hypotheses Have Been Challenged and Even Disproved?

That's a problem, its a fact. But if he weren't a Muslim, a socon event would embrace him for his creationism.

359

_RememberTonyC Sat, Mar 5, 2011 8:49:55am

Good morning Lizards. I never cared for mike huckabee, but his criticism of Natalie Portman, who is pregnant but unmarried (although she is engaged) is not only idiotic, but may even have hints of antisemitism. Did Hucklberry Hound ever criticize Bristol Palin for being pregnant out of wedlock?

360

Killgore Trout Sat, Mar 5, 2011 8:50:01am

re: #355 Dark_Falcon

The schools are Islamic, that's the connection in Gaffney's eyes. He does not care about theological differences between Muslim sects and their implications/ To him, Islam in toto is a threat. To let a Sufi have time to explain the Koran to a class is the first step towards sharia, in the paranoid way of thinking.

Once again the counterjihad movement drops the ball. These schools probably aren't something to be celebrated but their over the top rhetoric misses the mark.

361

Semper Fi Sat, Mar 5, 2011 8:50:10am

re: #353 Jadespring

Well with July and August you have more guarantees with getting decent weather but they're much busier. With June the weather can still be great but not as guaranteed to be great as July and August, but in Ontario at least June doesn't tend to be a humid and hot as July can be. Also way less people doing the traveling thing in June but most places that are only open seasonally are open. If it was me I would do a trip like this Junish or early Septemberish.

Thanks for the recommendations.

362

Killgore Trout Sat, Mar 5, 2011 8:50:41am

re: #359 _RememberTonyC

Did Hucklberry Hound ever criticize Bristol Palin for being pregnant out of wedlock?

Good point.

363

CuriousLurker Sat, Mar 5, 2011 8:51:04am

re: #358 Dark_Falcon

That's a problem, its a fact. But if he weren't a Muslim, a socon event would embrace him for his creationism.

QFT

364

Feline Emperor of the Conservative Waste Sat, Mar 5, 2011 8:53:05am

re: #348 Semper Fi

I would feel the same and what you say is true as I've heard of the sights of Canada all my life. That's part of the reason I'm considering this. Also, been thinking of the best month to do it.

The trick is trying to catch it between winter, and mosquito/black fly season.

365

Fat Bastard Vegetarian Sat, Mar 5, 2011 8:55:28am

re: #359 _RememberTonyC

Mike would say that Bristol was a hero for not aborting, but Natalie is worth derision because she did not?

366

Semper Fi Sat, Mar 5, 2011 8:55:48am

re: #364 oaktree

The trick is trying to catch it between winter, and mosquito/black fly season.

Black fly season. I remember those flies, seemed like clouds of them on Lake Huron. Those babies bite.

367

Dark_Falcon Sat, Mar 5, 2011 8:57:01am

re: #359 _RememberTonyC

Good morning Lizards. I never cared for mike huckabee, but his criticism of Natalie Portman, who is pregnant but unmarried (although she is engaged) is not only idiotic, but may even have hints of antisemitism. Did Hucklberry Hound ever criticize Bristol Palin for being pregnant out of wedlock?

Bristol is "on the team" and Huck can't go after her without meeting pushback from her mother. And in a Huckabee vs. Palin confrontation, Palin's greater starpower would likely see her emerge as the winner. So Huck sacrifices consistency in favor of not alienating his base and not starting fights he's likely to lose.

368

CuriousLurker Sat, Mar 5, 2011 8:57:56am

re: #360 Killgore Trout

Once again the counterjihad movement drops the ball. These schools probably aren't something to be celebrated but their over the top rhetoric misses the mark.

I wonder what their curriculum looks like—i.e. is creationism something they'd be teaching? Would it be the sole teaching, or would evolution also be taught? In any event, for now I'll be content with Islamic schools that have a Sufi bent and teach tolerance & interfaith dialog.

369

_RememberTonyC Sat, Mar 5, 2011 8:57:56am

re: #365 Fat Bastard Vegetarian

Mike would say that Bristol was a hero for not aborting, but Natalie is worth derision because she did not?

I have always thought he was a douchebag ...

[Link: t1.gstatic.com...]

370

CuriousLurker Sat, Mar 5, 2011 8:59:13am

re: #365 Fat Bastard Vegetarian

re: #367 Dark_Falcon

Excellent points both.

371

Page 3 in the Binder of Women Sat, Mar 5, 2011 8:59:24am

re: #359 _RememberTonyC

Good morning Lizards. I never cared for mike huckabee, but his criticism of Natalie Portman, who is pregnant but unmarried (although she is engaged) is not only idiotic, but may even have hints of antisemitism. Did Hucklberry Hound ever criticize Bristol Palin for being pregnant out of wedlock?

"The way the media went after the daughter is the most shameful thing I’ve ever seen in my life. If anything, it just caused to run to her. Everyone understands that the basis of being a Christian is that everyone has fallen short of God’s ideal. Everyone understands that....We all mess up, the issue is how we respond to it. What she showed us is exactly what we wanted to see in terms of a witness."

Huckabee on Bristol. Hypocrite.

372

_RememberTonyC Sat, Mar 5, 2011 8:59:52am

re: #367 Dark_Falcon

Bristol is "on the team" and Huck can't go after her without meeting pushback from her mother. And in a Huckabee vs. Palin confrontation, Palin's greater starpower would likely see her emerge as the winner. So Huck sacrifices consistency in favor of not alienating his base and not starting fights he's likely to lose.

in other words, he's a hypocrite with no "cojones."

373

jaunte Sat, Mar 5, 2011 9:03:01am

re: #371 Stanley Sea

Everyone understands that the basis of being a Christian is that everyone has fallen short of God’s ideal.

Huckabee gave Bristol a same-sect pass.

374

Page 3 in the Binder of Women Sat, Mar 5, 2011 9:04:32am

re: #373 jaunte

Huckabee gave Bristol a same-sect pass.

All I can say about the Huck is MAU MAU.

Asshole!

375

Max Sat, Mar 5, 2011 9:06:17am

This morning, at the Huffington Post, the callous armchair foreign policy wonks are brainstorming solutions to the Libyan crisis at break-brain-stem speed. They think we should do nothing, let the Libyans die and deal with their rebelliousness themselves.

376

Semper Fi Sat, Mar 5, 2011 9:07:20am

Gotta get serious about todays chores and errands. Thanks for all the input regarding my trans-Canada idea. I truly appreciate it and bookmarking this thread. See ya later.

377

CuriousLurker Sat, Mar 5, 2011 9:10:06am

re: #373 jaunte

Huckabee gave Bristol a same-sect pass.

Yep.

Liberal Jew pregnant out of wedlock = Jezebel
Conservative Christian pregnant out of wedlock = (virtual) Madonna

378

Fat Bastard Vegetarian Sat, Mar 5, 2011 9:14:23am

re: #377 CuriousLurker

I, do not for one minute, believe it was out of religious bigotry.

Don't think it was about Natalie Portman, either. Was just the example he used.

Quayle had a better chance of making the Murphy Brown thing work than mess with America's main squeeze.

379

Dark_Falcon Sat, Mar 5, 2011 9:14:26am

re: #372 _RememberTonyC

in other words, he's a hypocrite with no "cojones."

Yes, he's a hypocrite. But its not "having no balls" to refrain from starting a fight when you are at a disadvantage, as he would be against the Palins. Rather, its accepting the facts and not setting yourself up to lose. But, if you honestly can't be consistent in making a attack owing a potential adversary's greater strength, then don't go with that point at all and be consistent is silence. It's better to be thought weak for keeping your mouth shut than to open it and remove all doubt.

It's not like having no balls, its more like having a tiny dick. :D

380

Dark_Falcon Sat, Mar 5, 2011 9:16:50am

re: #375 Max D. Reinhardt

This morning, at the Huffington Post, the callous armchair foreign policy wonks are brainstorming solutions to the Libyan crisis at break-brain-stem speed. They think we should do nothing, let the Libyans die and deal with their rebelliousness themselves.

HuffPo has a major problem with muscular American action. They've linked it so closely with "the stupidity of George W. Bush" that it would be major concession to admit that action has its place.

381

Fat Bastard Vegetarian Sat, Mar 5, 2011 9:17:43am

re: #379 Dark_Falcon

I've often wondered why the "Balls" thing gets such play.

382

CuriousLurker Sat, Mar 5, 2011 9:18:23am

re: #369 _RememberTonyC

I have always thought he was a douchebag ...

[Link: t1.gstatic.com...]

FWIW, I never liked him either.

I generally don't trust anyone who makes a point of touting what a sincere, dedicated Christian/Muslim/Jew/etc. he is, and then proceeds to jump into the cesspool of national politics where he's guaranteed to have to go against his (presumed) ethics.

383

Fat Bastard Vegetarian Sat, Mar 5, 2011 9:19:00am

re: #377 CuriousLurker

re: #373 jaunte

Same sect as in "Power Right Republican".

384

Killgore Trout Sat, Mar 5, 2011 9:19:27am

Huck is still spinning.....
Huckabee's Latest Defense Of His Obama-Kenya Comments: "That Was A Brain Slip"

385

jaunte Sat, Mar 5, 2011 9:21:08am

re: #383 Fat Bastard Vegetarian

I really don't know his motives, but it was a really dumb thing for a politician to volunteer to do, picking on a star who's guaranteed to be more popular than you are.

386

Fat Bastard Vegetarian Sat, Mar 5, 2011 9:21:51am

re: #384 Killgore Trout
(Read)
HOLY CRAP! I SAID THAT OUT LOUD?

387

Gus Sat, Mar 5, 2011 9:21:53am

Top Tweeted LGF Page in January:

Video: Christopher Hitchens: 'All Of Life Is A Wager'

519 Tweets

;-)

388

Daniel Ballard Sat, Mar 5, 2011 9:22:21am

re: #380 Dark_Falcon
QFT

HuffPo has a major problem with muscular American action. They've linked it so closely with "the stupidity of George W. Bush" that it would be major concession to admit that action has its place.

Huffpo is another "America is always wrong, or if right motivated by evil" (oil, etc) organization when it comes to foreign policy or the military.

389

Killgore Trout Sat, Mar 5, 2011 9:23:21am

re: #387 Gus 802

Top Tweeted LGF Page in January:

Video: Christopher Hitchens: 'All Of Life Is A Wager'

519 Tweets

;-)

That's going to be a tough one to beat.

390

jaunte Sat, Mar 5, 2011 9:23:43am

re: #384 Killgore Trout

That's great the way he rolls his eyes up and says "but don't let the facts get in the way..."

391

Killgore Trout Sat, Mar 5, 2011 9:24:40am

Rolling stone catalogs some of the ideas Glenn Beck has stolen from Alex Jones....
Glenn Beck's Shtick? Alex Jones Got There First

392

Page 3 in the Binder of Women Sat, Mar 5, 2011 9:25:42am

re: #384 Killgore Trout

Huck is still spinning...
Huckabee's Latest Defense Of His Obama-Kenya Comments: "That Was A Brain Slip"

LIAR. The Mau Mau just slipped out eh?

393

CuriousLurker Sat, Mar 5, 2011 9:25:48am

re: #378 Fat Bastard Vegetarian

I, do not for one minute, believe it was out of religious bigotry.

Don't think it was about Natalie Portman, either. Was just the example he used.

Quayle had a better chance of making the Murphy Brown thing work than mess with America's main squeeze.

Maybe you're right. We'll see how he behaves and what kinds of things he says when the run-up to 2012 goes into full swing.

394

Wozza Matter? Sat, Mar 5, 2011 9:28:57am

And - he *still* manages to maintain a positive approval rating............

Image: 20110305_WWD000.jpg

395

CuriousLurker Sat, Mar 5, 2011 9:29:21am

re: #387 Gus 802

Top Tweeted LGF Page in January:

Video: Christopher Hitchens: 'All Of Life Is A Wager'

519 Tweets

;-)

Thanks, I wasn't even aware of that page until now.

396

Wozza Matter? Sat, Mar 5, 2011 9:29:34am

re: #392 Stanley Sea

The Mau Mau just slipped out eh?

Needs better pants.

397

Fat Bastard Vegetarian Sat, Mar 5, 2011 9:31:58am

Oh! Guess who I met the other day!

The guy who broke George Allens "Macaca" moment into the mainstream.

An Anglo Hinu Priest.

(crazier than a shithouse rat, too)

398

CuriousLurker Sat, Mar 5, 2011 9:33:09am

re: #392 Stanley Sea

Sea, are you still here/watching?

399

Dark_Falcon Sat, Mar 5, 2011 9:34:09am

re: #388 Rightwingconspirator

QFT

Huffpo is another "America is always wrong, or if right motivated by evil" (oil, etc) organization when it comes to foreign policy or the military.

Quite Concur.

400

Renaissance_Man Sat, Mar 5, 2011 9:34:21am

re: #378 Fat Bastard Vegetarian

I, do not for one minute, believe it was out of religious bigotry.

Don't think it was about Natalie Portman, either. Was just the example he used.

Quayle had a better chance of making the Murphy Brown thing work than mess with America's main squeeze.

No, not about religious bigotry. But it was about the 'Hollywood liberals' values meme.

401

Gus Sat, Mar 5, 2011 9:40:52am

Ah yes. My new stupid neighbors finally woke up. Of course they have to slam the door several times. Now they left the door open so you can hear their stupid voices in the hallway.

402

Page 3 in the Binder of Women Sat, Mar 5, 2011 9:41:32am

re: #398 CuriousLurker

Sea, are you still here/watching?

I'm back! Oh and of course I saw your seagull page. Lovely!

403

Fat Bastard Vegetarian Sat, Mar 5, 2011 9:42:02am

re: #401 Gus 802

Look at them... Just sitting there... Stupid.

404

CuriousLurker Sat, Mar 5, 2011 9:42:16am

re: #402 Stanley Sea

I'm back! Oh and of course I saw your seagull page. Lovely!

Great! You read my mind. ;o)

405

The Left Sat, Mar 5, 2011 9:42:22am

re: #401 Gus 802

Ah yes. My new stupid neighbors finally woke up. Of course they have to slam the door several times. Now they left the door open so you can hear their stupid voices in the hallway.

uhoh. The Louds?

406

Killgore Trout Sat, Mar 5, 2011 9:42:35am

re: #401 Gus 802

Ah yes. My new stupid neighbors finally woke up. Of course they have to slam the door several times. Now they left the door open so you can hear their stupid voices in the hallway.

My sympathies. I hated apartment living.

407

Gus Sat, Mar 5, 2011 9:42:49am

re: #405 iceweasel

uhoh. The Louds?

I think they're getting to it.

408

Page 3 in the Binder of Women Sat, Mar 5, 2011 9:43:09am

re: #405 iceweasel

uhoh. The Louds?

LOL, that was one of the best skits. I use that term a lot, when in a line at Disney or where ever. THE LOUDS.

409

jaunte Sat, Mar 5, 2011 9:43:27am

re: #401 Gus 802

How long until your lease is up?

410

Gus Sat, Mar 5, 2011 9:43:27am

re: #406 Killgore Trout

My sympathies. I hated apartment living.

It sucks. Most apartment dwellers don't care about anyone but themselves.

411

Gus Sat, Mar 5, 2011 9:43:53am

re: #409 jaunte

How long until your lease is up?

It's been up for a while. I'm on a month to month now.

412

Fat Bastard Vegetarian Sat, Mar 5, 2011 9:44:49am

re: #405 iceweasel

uhoh. The Louds?

I remember that skit!

Police officer rings the bell, they answer the door. Ask "Did the neighbors call you and complain?!!?!" Officer (Garrett Morris, IIRC) replies. "Uh... no. I was just... uh... driving by."

413

Dark_Falcon Sat, Mar 5, 2011 9:44:52am

re: #405 iceweasel

uhoh. The Louds?

Hello, Ice. Glad to finally be here at the same time as you.

414

CuriousLurker Sat, Mar 5, 2011 9:45:32am

re: #401 Gus 802

Ah yes. My new stupid neighbors finally woke up. Of course they have to slam the door several times. Now they left the door open so you can hear their stupid voices in the hallway.

Don't feel too bad. The guy upstairs flies into a screaming, spittle-flecked, vein throbbing rage at his teenage son at least twice a day (at least that's what I think it looks like based on how it sounds).

415

Gus Sat, Mar 5, 2011 9:46:18am

re: #414 CuriousLurker

Don't feel too bad. The guy upstairs flies into a screaming, spittle-flecked, vein throbbing rage at his teenage son at least twice a day (at least that's what I think it looks like based on how it sounds).

Ouch. Let me guess. They all wear size 22 shoes?

416

The Left Sat, Mar 5, 2011 9:46:31am

re: #413 Dark_Falcon

Hello, Ice. Glad to finally here at the same time as you.

Hey DF! Haven't seen you in AGES. How are you???

Shoutout to FVB too btw, and all others. ;)

417

Jeff In Ohio Sat, Mar 5, 2011 9:47:02am

I wish Natalie Portman was having my baby.

Hucklebee / Fetus Inajar '12

418

Killgore Trout Sat, Mar 5, 2011 9:48:24am

re: #410 Gus 802

It sucks. Most apartment dwellers don't care about anyone but themselves.

It's also a cultural thing. Especially with Americans it's often perceived as weakness to be courteous of others. Japanese make great neighbors because common courtesy is a cultural value.

419

Digital Display Sat, Mar 5, 2011 9:48:32am

re: #411 Gus 802

It's been up for a while. I'm on a month to month now.

Buy a rap CD..preferably 50 cent..When they get loud you get louder..They can't win...LOL

420

CuriousLurker Sat, Mar 5, 2011 9:49:16am

re: #415 Gus 802

Ouch. Let me guess. They all wear size 22 shoes?

No, but close. There's this one sound they make that I can't figure out. It's like someone dragging & thumping something fairly heavy along the floor.

421

Gus Sat, Mar 5, 2011 9:49:20am

re: #419 HoosierHoops

Buy a rap CD..preferably 50 cent..When they get loud you get louder..They can't win...LOL

Ugh. I did something similar to that once. Doesn't work.

422

prairiefire Sat, Mar 5, 2011 9:50:21am

My good friend who is a high school teacher is disappointed Pres. Obama is not making a stronger stand for teachers. She is an Obama supporter.
Her NEA rep told them they need to be sure to follow the school board's req. for signing in and out everyday, or it could be grounds for dismissal.
She has not had a raise in two years.
Everybody is pissed about gas prices.

423

Gus Sat, Mar 5, 2011 9:50:29am

re: #420 CuriousLurker

No, but close. There's this one sound they make that I can't figure out. It's like someone dragging & thumping something fairly heavy along the floor.

Weird. I could never figure out the loud thumps. I can hear it from below me sometimes. That's how screwed up some people can be. Then you have some people that seem to rearrange furniture at 4 AM.

424

CuriousLurker Sat, Mar 5, 2011 9:52:12am

re: #419 HoosierHoops

Buy a rap CD..preferably 50 cent..When they get loud you get louder..They can't win...LOL

Dude, no. Buy an Arabic or Indian music CD and crank it up. I once heard a Spanish guy complain that Persian music sounds like a cat being killed, so any of those ought to do the trick.

425

Dark_Falcon Sat, Mar 5, 2011 9:52:16am

re: #416 iceweasel

Hey DF! Haven't seen you in AGES. How are you???

Shoutout to FVB too btw, and all others. ;)

Lots of stress put my blood pressure through the roof, culminating in a spike last month that gave me a bad case of vertigo. Now I'm taking meds and it's a good bit better. Sales are also up at work, and that's helping a lot.

426

Fat Bastard Vegetarian Sat, Mar 5, 2011 9:52:50am

re: #412 Fat Bastard Vegetarian

Not bad. I was very close. From 1978! Wait! That was uh... counting on fingers, removes shoes and socks... counts toes, adds in limbs, belly button...uses holes in face... adds Obama mole...

33 years ago!

Pretty good memory.

427

wrenchwench Sat, Mar 5, 2011 9:52:51am

re: #422 prairiefire

Everybody is pissed about gas prices.

_{...except those oddballs in the bicycle business...}

428

Dark_Falcon Sat, Mar 5, 2011 9:53:05am

re: #417 Jeff In Ohio

I wish Natalie Portman was having my baby.

Hucklebee / Fetus Inajar '12

[DF pours a bucket of cold water onto Jeff]

429

The Left Sat, Mar 5, 2011 9:53:31am

re: #420 CuriousLurker

No, but close. There's this one sound they make that I can't figure out. It's like someone dragging & thumping something fairly heavy along the floor.

I once had an upstairs neighbour who seemed to practice bowling every once in a while-- a thump and then a long rolling sound.

He also once came downstairs and asked us to time how quickly he could escape from the straitjacket he was wearing. 'practicing for his magician gig'.

True story. And he did escape in under 5 minutes.

430

CuriousLurker Sat, Mar 5, 2011 9:54:50am

Hahahaha. Crazy neighbors are... CRAZY.

431

The Left Sat, Mar 5, 2011 9:55:53am

re: #425 Dark_Falcon

Lots of stress put my blood pressure through the roof, culminating in a spike last month that gave me a bad case of vertigo. Now I'm taking meds and it's a good bit better. Sales are also up at work, and that's helping a lot.

That sucks! (the spike and the vertigo). Glad you have meds and its under some control. Also glad to hear about the sales! Yay! Congrats!

432

wrenchwench Sat, Mar 5, 2011 9:56:46am

re: #425 Dark_Falcon

Lots of stress put my blood pressure through the roof, culminating in a spike last month that gave me a bad case of vertigo. Now I'm taking meds and it's a good bit better. Sales are also up at work, and that's helping a lot.

I worked for a woman whose mood was entirely dependent on how much money had come in to that point that day. I vowed never to be like her. I manage to keep my mood disconnected from things I can't control right away. Obviously there are things you CAN control that should be worked on.

Sales is stressful enough. Don't let it ruin your health. It may be trite, but there's some good advice in the Dale Carnegie books, especially for people in sales.

433

Page 3 in the Binder of Women Sat, Mar 5, 2011 9:56:58am

re: #422 prairiefire

My good friend who is a high school teacher is disappointed Pres. Obama is not making a stronger stand for teachers. She is an Obama supporter.
Her NEA rep told them they need to be sure to follow the school board's req. for signing in and out everyday, or it could be grounds for dismissal.
She has not had a raise in two years.
Everybody is pissed about gas prices.

3.89 yesterday, at the ARCO - the cheapest place around.

Love it!

And I'm hiring movers! Their rates do not reflect the price increase. Poor folks.

434

Fat Bastard Vegetarian Sat, Mar 5, 2011 9:57:00am

re: #428 Dark_Falcon

My favorite role for Portman was in "Garden State". "The Professional" is a close second.

She's fantastic. Still haven't seen Black Swan.

435

CuriousLurker Sat, Mar 5, 2011 9:58:29am

re: #425 Dark_Falcon

Lots of stress put my blood pressure through the roof, culminating in a spike last month that gave me a bad case of vertigo. Now I'm taking meds and it's a good bit better. Sales are also up at work, and that's helping a lot.

I wasn't aware you'd been unwell. I take meds for my blood pressure—you really need to find a way to manage the stress, because it can literally kill you.

I may get mad at you sometimes & disagree with you most of the time, but I wanna keep you around for a good long while. ;o)

436

Jeff In Ohio Sat, Mar 5, 2011 9:59:20am

re: #428 Dark_Falcon

[DF pours a bucket of cold water onto Jeff]

She knocked me out in Garden State. Whacky short chicks set me a sizzle. I almost moved back to NJ, but then remembered it was a movie.

Why does Huck hate babies? Is he some kind of welfare queen slamming, abortion loving, Mau Mau whistling shit shiner? Fetus Inajar is not going to be pleased at this ticket, he..she...er, um...it...is hoping for hope for Palin. Dangerous is a person with vile ideas who can string sentences together and make larger ideas, Huckleberry Fried Squirrel is a dangerous man.

OK...I'm streaming.

437

Fat Bastard Vegetarian Sat, Mar 5, 2011 9:59:21am

Back to "Working II, Enter the Working".

438

CuriousLurker Sat, Mar 5, 2011 10:00:37am

Uh-oh, speak of the devil. The guy upstairs just started ranting, but he hasn't gone into a full blown rage yet. See what you did, Gus?? //

439

Digital Display Sat, Mar 5, 2011 10:03:44am

oh crap..My first tornado warning siren in Oklahoma is going off...
/Springtime in Oklahoma

440

Gus Sat, Mar 5, 2011 10:04:16am

re: #438 CuriousLurker

Uh-oh, speak of the devil. The guy upstairs just started ranting, but he hasn't gone into a full blown rage yet. See what you did, Gus?? //

I know. Everytime I start babbling I keep thinking they'll just start up. Or something.

441

CuriousLurker Sat, Mar 5, 2011 10:04:20am

re: #439 HoosierHoops

oh crap..My first tornado warning siren in Oklahoma is going off...
/Springtime in Oklahoma

Yikes! Be safe.

442

Walter L. Newton Sat, Mar 5, 2011 10:05:22am

re: #439 HoosierHoops

oh crap..My first tornado warning siren in Oklahoma is going off...
/Springtime in Oklahoma

Do what I use to do in Texas... grab a beer, position you're porch chair looking south west and enjoy the show... there's not much else you can do. Nature wild is a wonderful thing.

443

CuriousLurker Sat, Mar 5, 2011 10:06:54am

Well, there are a few Pages I want to catch up on and I have some code to tinker with, so I'm outta here for now. Later, lizards.

444

Jeff In Ohio Sat, Mar 5, 2011 10:06:59am

re: #439 HoosierHoops

oh crap..My first tornado warning siren in Oklahoma is going off...
/Springtime in Oklahoma

We had tornado warnings Sunday night. The winds took out 2 trees which took out 2 telephone polls down the street. My 12 year old woke me at 3am to tell me the electric was off (hmm...OK, I guess it's more dark then it was when I went to bed) then my wife woke me at 6:30 to tell me the all clear siren was going off.

My family. Very helpful.

445

Digital Display Sat, Mar 5, 2011 10:07:01am

re: #441 CuriousLurker

Yikes! Be safe.

Weird.. The news reports shows tornadoes by Reine.. Nothing here..Maybe it was a test?

446

Dark_Falcon Sat, Mar 5, 2011 10:10:27am

re: #432 wrenchwench

I worked for a woman whose mood was entirely dependent on how much money had come in to that point that day. I vowed never to be like her. I manage to keep my mood disconnected from things I can't control right away. Obviously there are things you CAN control that should be worked on.

Sales is stressful enough. Don't let it ruin your health. It may be trite, but there's some good advice in the Dale Carnegie books, especially for people in sales.

It's also that I need to earn commissions to pay my bills, so when times are tough I'm left scrambling. Things are better than what they were, though.

447

The Left Sat, Mar 5, 2011 10:14:52am

jimmah calling-- back soon. Have a good one, folks!

448

Page 3 in the Binder of Women Sat, Mar 5, 2011 10:15:21am

OK, I'm out of here. Wish I could hang out on this deck and surf the web all day, but I have major chores. Moving. It sucks, but it's almost complete!

I'm in a great mood though, because I went to the best show last night. Uncle Kracker. At a small venue, great sound, great crowd, had a fab time.

Just FYI!!!

OUT

Youtube Video

449

wrenchwench Sat, Mar 5, 2011 10:16:48am

re: #446 Dark_Falcon

It's also that I need to earn commissions to pay my bills, so when times are tough I'm left scrambling. Things are better than what they were, though.

That's the hardest--when you have looming consequences for poor results, but even then, one can separate one's mood from the results. And one should. A financial buffer takes the heat off, but even without one, it will serve you well for the rest of your life if you can learn to keep your mood separate from your work, including and maybe especially while you are at work.

Believe it or not, impending doom can be faced with a sincere smile. Most of the time.

450

Walter L. Newton Sat, Mar 5, 2011 10:19:07am

re: #449 wrenchwench

That's the hardest--when you have looming consequences for poor results, but even then, one can separate one's mood from the results. And one should. A financial buffer takes the heat off, but even without one, it will serve you well for the rest of your life if you can learn to keep your mood separate from your work, including and maybe especially while you are at work.

Believe it or not, impending doom can be faced with a sincere smile. Most of the time.

I prefer to call that a shitty grin.

451

Killgore Trout Sat, Mar 5, 2011 10:27:16am

Crazy Pam is doing some damage control.....
CAIR Video: Islamic Supremacist Lies and the Leftists Who Carry Their Water

There is a CAIR propaganda video being circulated among the jihadi blogs and their knave enablers. Half a million views since yesterday. The Puff Ho is only to0 happy to pimp these lies by a Jewish "writer" (of course!) doing the dirty work of the Islamic supremacists. These traitors are a plague on our people.

In the opening of the video it says Pamela Geller was a sponsor of the protest -- I was no such thing. Yes, I ran it on my blog and supported a protest against terrorist sympathizers, but that video was cut to highlight bad behavior, which I don't encourage; nor do you see at my rallies. It is also important to remember that ICNA is not a benign charitable organization, but an Islamic supremacist group with ties to the Muslim Brotherhood.

452

Gretchen G.Tiger Sat, Mar 5, 2011 10:27:21am

hey all!

How is everyone?

453

wrenchwench Sat, Mar 5, 2011 10:30:06am

re: #451 Killgore Trout

Crazy Pam is doing some damage control...
CAIR Video: Islamic Supremacist Lies and the Leftists Who Carry Their Water

There is a CAIR propaganda video being circulated among the jihadi blogs and their knave enablers. Half a million views since yesterday. The Puff Ho is only to0 happy to pimp these lies by a Jewish "writer" (of course!) doing the dirty work of the Islamic supremacists. These traitors are a plague on our people.

In the opening of the video it says Pamela Geller was a sponsor of the protest -- I was no such thing. Yes, I ran it on my blog and supported a protest against terrorist sympathizers, but that video was cut to highlight bad behavior, which I don't encourage; nor do you see at my rallies. It is also important to remember that ICNA is not a benign charitable organization, but an Islamic supremacist group with ties to the Muslim Brotherhood.

Most of the bad behavior at her rallies takes place behind the podium.

454

Gretchen G.Tiger Sat, Mar 5, 2011 10:32:29am

re: #449 wrenchwench

That's the hardest--when you have looming consequences for poor results, but even then, one can separate one's mood from the results. And one should. A financial buffer takes the heat off, but even without one, it will serve you well for the rest of your life if you can learn to keep your mood separate from your work, including and maybe especially while you are at work.

Believe it or not, impending doom can be faced with a sincere smile. Most of the time.

Keeping one's mood separate from work when one is working on commission is a daily challenge. Some days you do it, most you don't.

I prefer working on commission.

455

Dark_Falcon Sat, Mar 5, 2011 10:34:33am

BBL

456

Gus Sat, Mar 5, 2011 10:35:03am

Working on something here. BIAB/W

457

Gretchen G.Tiger Sat, Mar 5, 2011 10:35:10am

As Manufacturing Demand Grows, So Do Jobs

"AccuRounds, an advanced manufacturing facility in Avon, Mass., makes a broad range of precision-tooled metal parts. All of the parts it makes are round or cylindrical.

The company makes metal posts for replacement teeth and dental crowns, parts for robots, and tubes for making flu vaccines. It also manufactures needles with tiny holes that are smaller than a human hair, which are used to make computer circuit boards."

iirc, precision tool making numbers are a good market indicator. . .

458

darthstar Sat, Mar 5, 2011 10:36:10am

Is it considered pulling a godwin if I don't add any domestic context to the following quote?

"We must close union offices, confiscate their money, and put their leaders in prison. We must reduce workers' salaries and take away their right to strike."

- Adolf Hilter, 2 May 1933

459

(I Stand By What I Said Whatever It Was) Sat, Mar 5, 2011 10:37:55am

The revolution in Egypt continues.

After getting the PM Shafiq to resign, the State Security HQ has been ransacked: [Link: zeyadsalem.wordpress.com...]

460

Gretchen G.Tiger Sat, Mar 5, 2011 10:38:38am

Tempest In A Foam Cup: Lawmakers Spar Over Plastic

Oregon Democrat Earl Blumenauer worries this is just the first step toward dismantling the whole Green the Capitol program.

"You wonder what's next," he says. "Lead paint? Asbestos? I mean, there's lots of things that are less expensive as long as you don't care about health and other considerations."

Under the Pelosi plan, the Capitol has been phasing out incandescent light bulbs in favor of more energy-efficient fluorescent bulbs. A Republican bill has been introduced to repeal that mandate.

"It's silly, it's unfortunate and it's not where America is going," Blumenauer says.

Could Washable Utensils Be Next?

Paper, plastic or foam, Jarrett Torres has to lift it. He's a busboy who empties trash in the Rayburn cafeteria. He used to take green bags filled with trash to the recycling room. Now, they're black bags.

"You have to take this black garbage to the Dumpster," he says.

But he says it doesn't really matter: It's all garbage to him.

Of course, this is Congress and there could be compromise. A pilot study is scheduled to start next week in the Rayburn cafeteria to study the feasibility of washable, reusable utensils.

I have to wonder how many PhD's it will take to determine that china is greener than plastic, paper or foam . . . .

461

(I Stand By What I Said Whatever It Was) Sat, Mar 5, 2011 10:39:15am

re: #458 darthstar

Never trust a quote without a complete source. It's Hitler, btw, not Hilter.

462

Gretchen G.Tiger Sat, Mar 5, 2011 10:39:28am

re: #458 darthstar

Is it considered pulling a godwin if I don't add any domestic context to the following quote?

"We must close union offices, confiscate their money, and put their leaders in prison. We must reduce workers' salaries and take away their right to strike."

- Adolf Hilter, 2 May 1933

yes

463

Gretchen G.Tiger Sat, Mar 5, 2011 10:45:52am

The Way You Learned Math Is So Old School

Well, our math guy, Keith Devlin, is very good at math, and he tells Weekend Edition Saturday host Scott Simon that there's a reason elementary schools are teaching arithmetic in a new way.

"That's largely to reflect the different needs of society," he says. "No one ever in their real life anymore needs to — and in most cases never does — do the calculations themselves."

Computers do arithmetic for us, Devlin says, but making computers do the things we want them to do requires algebraic thinking. For instance, take a computer spreadsheet. The computer does all the calculations for you automatically. But you have to write the macros that tell it what calculations to do — and that is algebraic thinking.

hmmmmm . . . .

464

(I Stand By What I Said Whatever It Was) Sat, Mar 5, 2011 10:46:09am

re: #459 000G

The revolution in Egypt continues.

After getting the PM Shafiq to resign, the State Security HQ has been ransacked: [Link: zeyadsalem.wordpress.com...]

State Security in Egypt: [Link: en.wikipedia.org...]

465

Gretchen G.Tiger Sat, Mar 5, 2011 10:48:48am

Rescuers Abandon Man Trapped In Mine

How awful!

466

(I Stand By What I Said Whatever It Was) Sat, Mar 5, 2011 10:53:41am

re: #459 000G

The revolution in Egypt continues.

After getting the PM Shafiq to resign, the State Security HQ has been ransacked: [Link: zeyadsalem.wordpress.com...]

Some mainstream news to follow up on that:

Egyptians storm state security buildings (AFP)

Egyptians storm state security building in Cairo (Washington Post)

Egypt security building stormed (Al Jazeera)

Egypt: Protesters storm Alexandria state security HQ (BBC)

Military takes over state security HQ after fire (ahram)

467

schnapp Sat, Mar 5, 2011 10:55:01am

does anyone here like eminem? ive been in an eminem phase the last few days since pulling out some of his old stuff ...

468

Gretchen G.Tiger Sat, Mar 5, 2011 10:55:58am

re: #466 000G

Some mainstream news to follow up on that:

Egyptians storm state security buildings (AFP)

Egyptians storm state security building in Cairo (Washington Post)

Egypt security building stormed (Al Jazeera)

Egypt: Protesters storm Alexandria state security HQ (BBC)

Military takes over state security HQ after fire (ahram)

Burning documents is not a good sign thing . . .

469

Gretchen G.Tiger Sat, Mar 5, 2011 10:56:28am

re: #467 schnapp

does anyone here like eminem? ive been in an eminem phase the last few days since pulling out some of his old stuff ...

he is after my time . . . .

470

Walter L. Newton Sat, Mar 5, 2011 10:58:34am

re: #469 ggt

he is after my time . . .

And for whatever strange reason, my brain read... "does anyone here like enemas? ive been in an enema phase the last few days since pulling out some of old stuff ..."

471

SanFranciscoZionist Sat, Mar 5, 2011 10:58:56am

re: #349 CuriousLurker

I don't know much about charter schools, but I recently did a logo for a brand new one. Heh, I haven't heard the term "daft" in a long time—great word.

They can be great, and they can be awful. It all depends on a whole bunch of factors.

472

Gretchen G.Tiger Sat, Mar 5, 2011 11:00:53am

re: #470 Walter L. Newton

And for whatever strange reason, my brain read... "does anyone here like enemas? ive been in an enema phase the last few days since pulling out some of old stuff ..."

I'm not sure what I can reply to that, Walter.

473

SanFranciscoZionist Sat, Mar 5, 2011 11:01:32am

re: #359 _RememberTonyC

Good morning Lizards. I never cared for mike huckabee, but his criticism of Natalie Portman, who is pregnant but unmarried (although she is engaged) is not only idiotic, but may even have hints of antisemitism. Did Hucklberry Hound ever criticize Bristol Palin for being pregnant out of wedlock?

Not to my knowledge, no.

At the time, Bill O'Reilly, fresh from calling Jamie Lynn Spears' parents 'pinheads' because their seventeen-year-old daughter got pregnant and decided to have the baby, defended the Palins.

Partisan double standard as usual.

474

Feline Emperor of the Conservative Waste Sat, Mar 5, 2011 11:01:38am

re: #467 schnapp

does anyone here like eminem? ive been in an eminem phase the last few days since pulling out some of his old stuff ...

I'm still in a retro-phase this week...

Youtube Video

475

Gretchen G.Tiger Sat, Mar 5, 2011 11:02:11am

I have a stack of paperwork I don't want to look at, much less touch. I sort the bills from the non-bills as the mail arrives, so no worries there. It's just that tax stuff needs to get to the accountant . . . .

476

SanFranciscoZionist Sat, Mar 5, 2011 11:03:05am

re: #374 Stanley Sea

All I can say about the Huck is MAU MAU.

Asshole!

I think the whole GOP is being mau-maued right now.

477

Gretchen G.Tiger Sat, Mar 5, 2011 11:03:22am

re: #472 ggt

I'm not sure what I can reply to that, Walter.

Except maybe, try a colon cleanse?

478

Walter L. Newton Sat, Mar 5, 2011 11:03:30am

re: #472 ggt

I'm not sure what I can reply to that, Walter.

That's fine... I'm getting tired, that must be the reason. I worked to 11:00 pm last night, stayed up all night (was doing some programming for Kaiser from home) and now I have to get to bed, have two overnight shifts coming up tonight and tomorrow night.

479

Gretchen G.Tiger Sat, Mar 5, 2011 11:04:18am

re: #478 Walter L. Newton

That's fine... I'm getting tired, that must be the reason. I worked to 11:00 pm last night, stayed up all night (was doing some programming for Kaiser from home) and now I have to get to bed, have two overnight shifts coming up tonight and tomorrow night.

Take care of you, Walter. No need getting run down and giving someone the wrong change.

Life can suck when your drawer doesn't balance.

480

Obdicut Sat, Mar 5, 2011 11:04:55am

re: #460 ggt

Tempest In A Foam Cup: Lawmakers Spar Over Plastic

I have to wonder how many PhD's it will take to determine that china is greener than plastic, paper or foam . . .

It's not. There's a lot of heat involved in the production of china, a lot of energy use in its extraction, a lot of water used in the making of it, and it doesn't last forever.

481

SanFranciscoZionist Sat, Mar 5, 2011 11:06:00am

re: #378 Fat Bastard Vegetarian

I, do not for one minute, believe it was out of religious bigotry.

Don't think it was about Natalie Portman, either. Was just the example he used.

Quayle had a better chance of making the Murphy Brown thing work than mess with America's main squeeze.

I don't think it was out of bigotry, but I do think that Huck would never have pulled this with a public figure who was overtly evangelical.

482

Gretchen G.Tiger Sat, Mar 5, 2011 11:06:51am

re: #480 Obdicut

It's not. There's a lot of heat involved in the production of china, a lot of energy use in its extraction, a lot of water used in the making of it, and it doesn't last forever.

stoneware?

After they decide about the BPA's, it may be the only choice . . .

483

SanFranciscoZionist Sat, Mar 5, 2011 11:07:08am

re: #384 Killgore Trout

Huck is still spinning...
Huckabee's Latest Defense Of His Obama-Kenya Comments: "That Was A Brain Slip"

Yeah. I'd buy it if he said that Kenya was ruled by the Dutch.

He was clear, his details were specific.

484

Walter L. Newton Sat, Mar 5, 2011 11:07:11am

Just reading over the local weather geeks predications for the next few days (these local guys are better than any of our local weatherman)... looks like we may get a foot or more Monday through Tuesday. And temps overnight in the teens.

That would be the first big storm of 2011.

485

SanFranciscoZionist Sat, Mar 5, 2011 11:07:31am

re: #392 Stanley Sea

LIAR. The Mau Mau just slipped out eh?

They weren't in Indonesia too?

486

Obdicut Sat, Mar 5, 2011 11:08:24am

re: #482 ggt

stoneware?

After they decide about the BPA's, it may be the only choice . . .

Nope. Basically, the massier something is, the more environmentally unsound it is. Though some plastics, obviously, are light but pretty environmentally crappy.

Sustainable is where it's at-- and that means paper or some other natural product.

487

Walter L. Newton Sat, Mar 5, 2011 11:08:40am

re: #479 ggt

Take care of you, Walter. No need getting run down and giving someone the wrong change.

Life can suck when your drawer doesn't balance.

I've never had a problem. And we use lean accounting. We don't count the drawer but once a day, early in the morning. They are looking for big obvious mistakes, not a penny here or a penny there.

488

Gretchen G.Tiger Sat, Mar 5, 2011 11:10:47am

re: #487 Walter L. Newton

I've never had a problem. And we use lean accounting. We don't count the drawer but once a day, early in the morning. They are looking for big obvious mistakes, not a penny here or a penny there.

Our drawers get counted with every management shift change. Makes sense to me.

We also aren't the only one using our drawers which is kinda different for me. Anyone can ring on any drawer.

489

Walter L. Newton Sat, Mar 5, 2011 11:10:59am

re: #479 ggt

Take care of you, Walter. No need getting run down and giving someone the wrong change.

Life can suck when your drawer doesn't balance.

But, on that note, to bed... to my friends... see you later... others... feh.

490

SanFranciscoZionist Sat, Mar 5, 2011 11:11:36am

re: #414 CuriousLurker

Don't feel too bad. The guy upstairs flies into a screaming, spittle-flecked, vein throbbing rage at his teenage son at least twice a day (at least that's what I think it looks like based on how it sounds).

We used to have people next door who fought all the time. Loudly, and breaking shit as they did so. They had a beautiful little girl who they both seemed to adore, but they hated each other. Drunk in the courtyard screaming at two AM--oh it was a joy.

They moved out, and we got part of an extended Nigerian family that now has two or three apartments in the building. They are such a joy that I don't even mind that they crank up the stereo at times.

491

SanFranciscoZionist Sat, Mar 5, 2011 11:12:45am

re: #424 CuriousLurker

Dude, no. Buy an Arabic or Indian music CD and crank it up. I once heard a Spanish guy complain that Persian music sounds like a cat being killed, so any of those ought to do the trick.

People aren't used to the scale, for the most part. But I like all of those.

;)

492

Walter L. Newton Sat, Mar 5, 2011 11:12:59am

re: #488 ggt

Our drawers get counted with every management shift change. Makes sense to me.

We also aren't the only one using our drawers which is kinda different for me. Anyone can ring on any drawer.

We have one head clerk count around 5:00 am in the mornings... that's it. And we have multiple cashiers using each draw. Like I mentioned above, Kroger calls it "lean accounting." Suppose to save money and time.

Ok... to bed... really.

493

wrenchwench Sat, Mar 5, 2011 11:13:00am

re: #480 Obdicut

It's not. There's a lot of heat involved in the production of china, a lot of energy use in its extraction, a lot of water used in the making of it, and it doesn't last forever.

We have a pair of soup bowls that are 95 years old. I eat breakfast from a bowl that is about 75 years old.

Not forever, though, no.

Mr. w collects Shenango China, although my bowl is a Wallace of this pattern.

494

prairiefire Sat, Mar 5, 2011 11:13:16am

re: #490 SanFranciscoZionist

I bet they create yummy cooking vapors in the building.

495

Gretchen G.Tiger Sat, Mar 5, 2011 11:14:33am

re: #490 SanFranciscoZionist

We used to have people next door who fought all the time. Loudly, and breaking shit as they did so. They had a beautiful little girl who they both seemed to adore, but they hated each other. Drunk in the courtyard screaming at two AM--oh it was a joy.

They moved out, and we got part of an extended Nigerian family that now has two or three apartments in the building. They are such a joy that I don't even mind that they crank up the stereo at times.

Once I had a deaf couple living above us. You'd think they'd be real quiet, but their kid got away with murder because the parents couldn't hear a thing. Loud TV, music, jumping up and down. . .. One time their car made a big noise and quit working and they came to our door because they didn't understand what was wrong.

496

Gretchen G.Tiger Sat, Mar 5, 2011 11:15:57am

re: #493 wrenchwench

We have a pair of soup bowls that are 95 years old. I eat breakfast from a bowl that is about 75 years old.

Not forever, though, no.

Mr. w collects Shenango China, although my bowl is a Wallace of this pattern.

I'd like to see all the mis-matched crockery from all the Salvation Army, Goodwill, St. Vincent dePaula and other thrift shops go to the Capital cafeterias. . . .

497

prairiefire Sat, Mar 5, 2011 11:16:18am

I like that pattern. I've seen it in antique stores.[Link: cgi.ebay.com...]

498

wrenchwench Sat, Mar 5, 2011 11:18:53am

re: #496 ggt

I'd like to see all the mis-matched crockery from all the Salvation Army, Goodwill, St. Vincent dePaula and other thrift shops go to the Capital cafeterias. . . .

Mis-matched?!? Match it up!

I've been to Replacements. It's fun to visit, but it's more fun to shop for the stuff at garage sales where the seller has no idea of the value. The western patterns are very collectible.

499

Gretchen G.Tiger Sat, Mar 5, 2011 11:19:57am

re: #498 wrenchwench

Mis-matched?!? Match it up!

I've been to Replacements. It's fun to visit, but it's more fun to shop for the stuff at garage sales where the seller has no idea of the value. The western patterns are very collectible.

I've actually been stupid enough to take items to the person giving the garage sale and telling them to list them ebay.

feel like I'm stealing to buy it from them sometimes.

500

Gretchen G.Tiger Sat, Mar 5, 2011 11:21:16am

re: #499 ggt

I've actually been stupid enough to take items to the person giving the garage sale and telling them to list them ebay.

feel like I'm stealing to buy it from them sometimes.

although 9 times out of 10 the tell me to please take it away for the price marked.

I've come to a time in my life where I understand why. Time and motivation.

501

SanFranciscoZionist Sat, Mar 5, 2011 11:22:43am

re: #473 SanFranciscoZionist

Not to my knowledge, no.

At the time, Bill O'Reilly, fresh from calling Jamie Lynn Spears' parents 'pinheads' because their seventeen-year-old daughter got pregnant and decided to have the baby, defended the Palins.

Partisan double standard as usual.

It's not, BTW, that I want anyone to be mean to Bristol Palin, or, indeed, any other young woman having a baby. It's just that the Bristol Palin episode underscored a deep disconnect in certain circles, whereby one kind of young woman who gets pregnant is a heroine for not aborting, and another kind is a villain for getting pregnant.

502

SanFranciscoZionist Sat, Mar 5, 2011 11:25:09am

re: #494 prairiefire

I bet they create yummy cooking vapors in the building.

Oh yeah. Christmas, I almost invited myself in. It was a big party. They might not have noticed.

503

Gretchen G.Tiger Sat, Mar 5, 2011 11:25:43am

re: #501 SanFranciscoZionist

It's not, BTW, that I want anyone to be mean to Bristol Palin, or, indeed, any other young woman having a baby. It's just that the Bristol Palin episode underscored a deep disconnect in certain circles, whereby one kind of young woman who gets pregnant is a heroine for not aborting, and another kind is a villain for getting pregnant.

I think a reality TV showing what it is like to be a mom and dad to an infant or toddler 24/7 would be enough to scare a teenager from even holding hands with the opposite sex . . .

teehee

actually, I think there is one.

504

Gretchen G.Tiger Sat, Mar 5, 2011 11:26:19am

re: #502 SanFranciscoZionist

Oh yeah. Christmas, I almost invited myself in. It was a big party. They might not have noticed.

/

or cared. If they knew you were drooling, they would have probably invited you in . . .

505

Killgore Trout Sat, Mar 5, 2011 11:26:47am

Any thoughts on mikiesmoky2's posting in the pages? I'm not accusing him of trolling, I just don't get what he's doing.

506

Gretchen G.Tiger Sat, Mar 5, 2011 11:28:08am

It's time for my nap.

Have a great afternoon all!

507

wrenchwench Sat, Mar 5, 2011 11:29:51am

re: #505 Killgore Trout

Any thoughts on mikiesmoky2's posting in the pages? I'm not accusing him of trolling, I just don't get what he's doing.

I looked at the immigration one and decided life is too short to take it seriously. Maybe he can spark a discussion, but his positions were not well thought out.

508

SanFranciscoZionist Sat, Mar 5, 2011 11:31:03am

re: #505 Killgore Trout

Any thoughts on mikiesmoky2's posting in the pages? I'm not accusing him of trolling, I just don't get what he's doing.

I think he's presenting an argument that the Second Amendment does not guarantee an individual's right to be armed.

I don't know whose argument it is.

509

Obdicut Sat, Mar 5, 2011 11:31:31am

re: #493 wrenchwench

Yeah, but you're probably careful with them. Ordinary use of ceramic in, say, an institutional setting gives it a life of under a thousand uses.

510

Killgore Trout Sat, Mar 5, 2011 11:31:52am

re: #507 wrenchwench

I looked at the immigration one and decided life is too short to take it seriously. Maybe he can spark a discussion, but his positions were not well thought out.

I looked at some of his other pages and it looks like he's sparked some discussion in the past. I guess he seems ok.

511

Obdicut Sat, Mar 5, 2011 11:34:01am

re: #510 Killgore Trout

His definition of illegal immigrant is wrong, and he thinks there's such thing as an anchor baby.

512

wrenchwench Sat, Mar 5, 2011 11:34:34am

re: #509 Obdicut

Yeah, but you're probably careful with them. Ordinary use of ceramic in, say, an institutional setting gives it a life of under a thousand uses.

This is for institutional use. Restaurants, hospitals, the army, etc. Commercial dishwashers, lots of dropping, you'd be amazed. We'd dent our stainless steel sink way before we'd hurt this china. The old bowls weigh about a pound a piece. You can see wear, but very few chips.

513

Obdicut Sat, Mar 5, 2011 11:38:31am

re: #512 wrenchwench

Okay. Research into ceramic use in institutions has shown that ceramic plates and bowls generally last for a thousand uses or so, in those environments.

Of course, in those scenarios they throw them out when chipped at all, since chips are perfect breeding grounds for bacteria, given the porous nature of ceramic. Home users normally don't do that.

514

wrenchwench Sat, Mar 5, 2011 11:46:01am

re: #513 Obdicut

Okay. Research into ceramic use in institutions has shown that ceramic plates and bowls generally last for a thousand uses or so, in those environments.

Of course, in those scenarios they throw them out when chipped at all, since chips are perfect breeding grounds for bacteria, given the porous nature of ceramic. Home users normally don't do that.

I've worked as a dishwasher, too. There are all different levels of quality of china, and I'm pretty sure the good stuff is way better than the 1,000 uses estimate.

Unfortunately, few people bother to get the really good stuff.

515

Obdicut Sat, Mar 5, 2011 11:46:54am

re: #514 wrenchwench

Yep. I'm just talking about what is best for mass, sustainable use. There's also the energy and fresh water of washing to be taken into account.

Compost-able bamboo is probably ideal, as long as you have a real composting program.

516

lostlakehiker Sat, Mar 5, 2011 9:17:23pm

re: #335 freetoken

Scientist Imam threatened over Darwinist views

Darwin certainly scares lots of people, no?

It's nothing new, this hatred of science or indeed any sort of knowledge. Back at the outset of the Renaissance, the Catholic Church pronounced that the solution of a cubic equation was effrontery, that God had never intended that man should discern the answer to anything so subtle.

Doctrine changed, by and by. But the meta-doctrine remains: you aren't supposed to know anything new and amazing.

517

lostlakehiker Sat, Mar 5, 2011 9:27:54pm

re: #422 prairiefire

My good friend who is a high school teacher is disappointed Pres. Obama is not making a stronger stand for teachers. She is an Obama supporter.
Her NEA rep told them they need to be sure to follow the school board's req. for signing in and out everyday, or it could be grounds for dismissal.
She has not had a raise in two years.
Everybody is pissed about gas prices.

Gas prices? They're going a LOT higher. What are the constraints on gasoline consumption? Availability of roads, availability of cars that give sufficient mileage that the cost of using them is less than the utility they give, and numbers of people who are part of industrial civilization and can earn money.

All these constraints are fading. New roads are being built constantly, and old ones maintained. Cars get better gas mileage, which means that more people can afford to use it even if it is expensive. And more and more people are entering the industrial age.

The supply, meanwhile, is iffy. New technologies for discovery are barely keeping pace with the exhaustion of old fields, and political instability interferes with extraction and shipping.

Naturally, prices go up. There's nothing the president can do about it except sell off the national emergency petroleum reserve. But that would be nuts. We're not in a real emergency, and once sold, it will be impossibly expensive to restock.

If the cost of getting around is bothersome, there are alternatives to cars, especially if we allow alternatives that can be implemented over years rather than instantly.

When you take a new job and buy a new house, buy it close to work. Maybe some errands or work commuting can be done by bicycle, motor scooter, battery powered bicycle, etc. etc.? Mass transit is a joke in most places and cannot be made practical, but there are exceptions.

518

lostlakehiker Sat, Mar 5, 2011 9:34:26pm

re: #463 ggt

The Way You Learned Math Is So Old School

hmmm . . .

Yeah, and how are you going to learn algebra if you have no experience pushing symbols and no sense of how numbers work? It's not so much the skill itself that's useful, as it is the meta-skill. Organized arrays of marks on paper represent the execution of an algorithm with all sorts of implicit order, some of it surprisingly subtle.

One progresses from the mastery of simple algorithms to more involved. But if the starting point isn't there, the step from nothing, to algebra, figures to be a bitch.

Algebra, for that matter, if we're talking high school algebra, can be done by computer. So say we decide not to teach that either. We can just start with calculus. It'll be a disaster.

A sense of how algorithms work has to be built on a foundation that involves a lot of exploration of simple algorithms, a lot of messing around with variants on them. Throwing out arithmetic is a terrible idea.

519

CuriousLurker Sun, Mar 6, 2011 9:51:48pm

re: #491 SanFranciscoZionist

People aren't used to the scale, for the most part. But I like all of those.

;)

Me too!

re: #490 SanFranciscoZionist

We used to have people next door who fought all the time. Loudly, and breaking shit as they did so. They had a beautiful little girl who they both seemed to adore, but they hated each other. Drunk in the courtyard screaming at two AM--oh it was a joy.

They moved out, and we got part of an extended Nigerian family that now has two or three apartments in the building. They are such a joy that I don't even mind that they crank up the stereo at times.

I soooo love all your little personal vignettes. ;o)

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