I can't believe he didn't marry the excellent horse-like lady.

[Link: www.nytimes.com...]

Good Night, all.

There may be the beginnings of a sequel of sorts to Black Widow, here.

My attorney was lying in the bathwater listening to Jefferson Airplane and tripping on acid when he yelled at me "It's White Rabbit! Throw the cassette player into the bathtub at the climax! I want to get as high as I possibly can!"

re: #4 austin_blue

My attorney was lying in the bathwater listening to Jefferson Airplane and tripping on acid when he yelled at me "It's White Rabbit! Throw the cassette player into the bathtub at the climax! I want to get as high as I possibly can!"

Look, there's two women fucking a polar bear.

re: #5 Kragar

Look, there's two women fucking a polar bear.

You have a vivid imagination.

re: #6 Gus

You have a vivid imagination.

Its from a movie.

re: #7 Kragar

Its from a movie.

Of course. It's always from a movie.

re: #8 Gus

Don't go near the elevator, man, that's just what they want us to do. Trap us in a steel box, take us down to the basement.

I'm guessing this is another story from the same UK Telegraph interview with those two Romney foreign policy team advisers who were responsible for the "Anglo-Saxon heritage" idiocy.

David Cameron 'angered US conservatives' with 'unprecedented' election-year embrace of Barack Obama

David Cameron has failed to build alliances with the Republican Party and angered American conservatives with his "unprecedented" election-year embrace of Barack Obama, advisers to Mitt Romney have complained.

Seems a little odd to be criticizing/attacking the foreign leader who's about to host a meeting with your candidate, but what do I know.

re: #9 jaunte

Don't go near the elevator, man, that's just what they want us to do. Trap us in a steel box, take us down to the basement.

With a bit of luck, his life was ruined forever. Always thinking that just behind some narrow door in all of his favorite bars, men in red woolen shirts are getting incredible kicks from things he'll never know.

re: #10 simoom

Given that the supposedly "conservative" Tories are well more "socialist" than many in the US Democratic party, it's not surprising that the UK ruling elites see the American Republican party as something of a throwback.

re: #10 simoom

I wonder if the alleged "adviser" was just one of the rabble of RWNJ bloggers Mitt met with.

This anti-cow tipping sign could have been designed better. twitpic.com/abthyk

— Andrew Kaczynski (@BuzzFeedAndrew) July 26, 2012

re: #13 Mich-again

Swaine is sticking by his story that the advisor is part of Romney's advising team.

re: #14 Charles Johnson

[Embedded content]

That's a sheep silhouette isn't it?

Rain! It's raining! Finally.

re: #16 simoom

That's a sheep silhouette isn't it?

I think the sign doesn't mean what some people think it means...

re: #13 Mich-again

I wonder if the alleged "adviser" was just one of the rabble of RWNJ bloggers Mitt met with.

The Telegraph's background attribution was "two Romney advisers" that are members of his "foreign policy advisory team," so probably not:

[Link: abcnews.go.com...]

Coinciding with Mitt Romney's arrival in London for a six day foreign trip, The Telegraph reported two Romney advisers, later characterized as members of "the foreign policy advisory team," said President Obama could not fully understand the "Anglo-Saxon heritage" between the U.S. and Britain.

re: #19 simoom

maybe in this list then ..

Foreign Policy and National Security Advisory Team

(announced Oct. 6, 2011) Special advisors Cofer Black - Christopher Burnham - Michael Chertoff - Eliot Cohen - Norm Coleman - John Danilovich - Paula Dobriansky - Eric Edelman - Michael Hayden - Kerry Healey - Kim Holmes - Robert Joseph - Robert Kagan - John Lehman - Walid Phares - Pierre Prosper - Mitchell Reiss - Daniel Senor - Jim Talent - Vin Weber - Richard Williamson - Dov Zakheim. also regional and functional working groups. (added Nov. 29, 2011) Congresswoman ileana Ros-Lehtinen, Congressman Mario Diaz-Balart and former Congressman Lincoln Diaz-Balart.

Maybe one of them is a anglo saxophonist?

re: #20 Mich-again

Also, potentially, John Bolton:

[Link: abcnews.go.com...]

Though he is not listed as an official member of Romney’s foreign-policy and national-security advisory team, former U.N. ambassador and prominent neoconservative John Bolton has been identified in media reports as an influential policy voice in Romney’s circle.

This is lame, even for Romney:

Romney ad says stimulus money went to buy electric cars from Finland as a payback to Obama supporters

The ad’s suggestion that the Fisker loan was a reward to a political supporter also falls flat. The program was approved initially by the Bush administration.

re: #4 austin_blue

My attorney was lying in the bathwater listening to Jefferson Airplane and tripping on acid when he yelled at me "It's White Rabbit! Throw the cassette player into the bathtub at the climax! I want to get as high as I possibly can!"

Was this bathtub in the same hotel as the bar with the Lizard people?

Asked in an interview with NBC News whether a citizen should be able to buy “6-thousand rounds off the internet,” Romney responded, “Well this person shouldn’t have had any kind of weapons and bombs and other devices and it was illegal for him to have many of those things already.”

ABC News has confirmed that all four weapons used by the alleged shooter were legally purchased, as was the ammunition.

A spokeswoman for Romney said the candidate was referring to the bombs in the alleged shooter’s apartment when he suggested illegality of some of the weapons.

This guy is some special brand of weaselly dumbshit.

re: #24 goddamnedfrank

This guy is some special brand of weaselly dumbshit.

Politics, and especially American politics, is about a politician telling his intended constituents exactly what they want to hear. Romney is going for the NRA vote, so expect him to say exactly what they want to hear.

It's very rare for a politician to have the guts to look at the people he wants to have vote for him and tell them what he knows they don't want to hear.

An encore here - Edita Gruberova does her thing:

The weirdest freaking cola commercial I have ever seen:

Thanks, Germany

re: #26 freetoken

An encore here - Edita Gruberova does her thing:

[Embedded content]

nice... my opera idn't too good... is that from strauss' ariadne?

re: #28 engineer cat

nice... my opera idn't too good... is that from strauss' ariadne?

It's an interpretation of a Saint-Saens piece.

Here is some epic metal rock opera

re: #28 engineer cat

Here's a somewhat better performance, at least for my taste:

Ronnie James Dio 1964 - Che Tristezza Senza Te

Hey, look what came across the transom yesterday:

Walmart “Christmas In July” Statewide Canned Food Drive

Which reminds me....

No, it's not too early to shop, as there are only 151 more days until Christmas.

Morning, all

re: #33 freetoken

Wow.

Never gets old.

re: #32 Kragar

Another snapshot in time

Now for a bit of Vaughan Williams, his Fantasy on a theme by Thomas Tallis:

Ronnie Dio And The Prophets - Everybody's Got A Dance

And last one before I sleep

Elf (featuring Ronnie James Dio) - Carolina County Ball

re: #37 freetoken

The word 'grand' comes to mind

re: #39 Kragar

That works.

Later, all

re: #37 freetoken

A lovely performance.

Good morning Lizardia!

Light overcast and warm in Philadelphia.

Local sports talk appears to be concentrating on football with training camps opening and to a degree have already written off the Phillies. (Meanwhile, the Pirates remain in contention in their division...)

One local sports talk radio bomb-tosser who also does a column in the free Metro paper every week did a vindictive and typically snide takedown on Joe Paterno. Bully calling someone else a bully. Strange that he never spoke up for this before Paterno was dead. :p

Otherwise, things are calm and in a rut. But some vacation time next week since I have to go to Pittsburgh for a conference - so I am taking an extra few days off to go visiting some old haunts.

re: #44 Feline Emperor of the Conservative Waste

a vindictive and typically snide takedown on Joe Paterno.
I can imagine pissing on a grave will reach Olympian Proportions there by the time college football season kicks off

Dexter actress goes missing:
[Link: www.nypost.com...]
I hope they find her.

re: #45 sattv4u2

a vindictive and typically snide takedown on Joe Paterno.
I can imagine pissing on a grave will reach Olympian Proportions there by the time college football season kicks off

There has been less than I thought. That this writer/radio guy advocated nuking the program entirely for 2-3 years last week was no surprise. It's part of his MO as bomb-thrower to make semi-outrageous proclamations in order to stir up callers. (For example he wrote partway through last football season that he wanted the Eagles to lose their last 5-6 games so that they would then fire their head coach.)

So that he wrote this column was not that surprising. That most of it revolved around "I'm glad something finally took down this cranky and arrogant bully that noone would face" was surprising. And some pathetic glee was Paterno was now "an average Joe" and no longer the coach with the most wins was pretty stupid. That part of the NCAA penalty was pure window dressing, only impressive to stat wonks and people riding band wagons.

re: #46 Tommy's cone of shame

Dexter actress goes missing:
[Link: www.nypost.com...]
I hope they find her.

unharmed and safe

Hey Destro, WTH is up with the serial down-dings on Bob's Pages? Lame.

re: #49 CuriousLurker

Hey Destro, WTH is up with the serial down-dings on Bob's Pages? Lame.

COOOBBBBRRRAAAA!

re: #48 sattv4u2

They will, she wasn't driving a Subaru!

re: #47 Feline Emperor of the Conservative Waste

There has been less than I thought.

True, but the "outsiders" (non-Pennsyvanians) have been harsher

So that he wrote this column was not that surprising

As you stated, it's this guys MO

That part of the NCAA penalty was pure window dressing

Totally agree. It changes history. Those games were played and won. It doesn't "hurt" Joe Pa right now. I could almost see it if he were still alive,, almost. What of all the players that participated
"Son,, I'm going to show you a video of a game dad played in, but not really!!"

The overseas trip is off to an excellent start I see:

Romney backtracks on criticism of London Olympics

US presidential hopeful Mitt Romney tried on Thursday to calm a row over unflattering comments he made about the London Olympics, as he met a series of British political leaders.

The Republican former governor of Massachusetts jetted in with wife Ann on Wednesday for a three-day trip which will take in the opening ceremony and a meeting with Prime Minister David Cameron.

But he caused a storm in Britain when he said in a television interview aired Wednesday that there were "disconcerting" reports about London's Olympic preparations, and questioned whether Britons were behind the Games.

...

In an interview with NBC News in London on Wednesday, Romney had said more pessimistically it was "hard to know just how well it will turn out."
"There are a few things that were disconcerting," he said.

"The stories about the private security firm not having enough people, the supposed strike of the immigration and customs officials -- that obviously is not something which is encouraging."

British border officials on Wednesday called off a 24-hour walkout by immigration staff scheduled for Thursday.

Romney even called into question whether the British people as a whole were supportive of the event.

"Do they come together and celebrate the Olympic moment? That's something which we only find out once the Games actually begin," he said.
Cameron insisted that Britons would be behind the Games, despite the country facing an economic downturn, and said the big turnout for the Olympic torch relay around the country showed the national spirit.

"I think we'll show the whole world not just that we come together as a United Kingdom, but also we're extremely good at welcoming people from across the world," he told a press conference at the Olympic Park on Thursday.

"I'll obviously make those points to Mitt Romney, I'm looking forward to our meeting later today."

Romney's Olympic eye is keener than most. The multimillionaire former businessman and investor was called in to head the 2002 Winter Games in Salt Lake City after preparations were marred by scandal.

But his comments on London's readiness were greeted with scorn in the British press.

...

Romney has a personal connection with the London Games. His wife co-owns the horse Rafalca, which will compete in Olympic dressage.

Her husband however sounded on NBC like he knew little about competitive dressage, which in London marks its 100th year as an Olympic sport.

"I have to tell you. This is Ann's sport. I'm not even sure which day the sport goes on," he said. "She will get the chance to see it, I will not be watching the event."

re: #44 Feline Emperor of the Conservative Waste

Good morning Lizardia!

Light overcast and warm in Philadelphia.

Local sports talk appears to be concentrating on football with training camps opening and to a degree have already written off the Phillies. (Meanwhile, the Pirates remain in contention in their division...)

One local sports talk radio bomb-tosser who also does a column in the free Metro paper every week did a vindictive and typically snide takedown on Joe Paterno. Bully calling someone else a bully. Strange that he never spoke up for this before Paterno was dead. :p

Otherwise, things are calm and in a rut. But some vacation time next week since I have to go to Pittsburgh for a conference - so I am taking an extra few days off to go visiting some old haunts.

Wasn't Cataldi by any chance, was it?

re: #53 simoom

In an interview with NBC News in London on Wednesday, Romney had said more pessimistically it was "hard to know just how well it will turn out."
"There are a few things that were disconcerting," he said.

"The stories about the private security firm not having enough people, the supposed strike of the immigration and customs officials -- that obviously is not something which is encouraging."

He's absolutely correct
The Brits have had inquiries into the security problems.
[Link: stream.wsj.com...]

CNN has (and is still) running stories about it

[Link: edition.cnn.com...]
London's Olympic security headache

Just GOOGLE Olympic Security Concerns

[Link: www.google.com...]

re: #55 sattv4u2

There's lots of things that one could say that are perfectly correct, but are completely undiplomatic. Wannabe presidents are supposed to know this shit.

re: #52 sattv4u2

There has been less than I thought.

True, but the "outsiders" (non-Pennsyvanians) have been harsher

So that he wrote this column was not that surprising

As you stated, it's this guys MO

That part of the NCAA penalty was pure window dressing

Totally agree. It changes history. Those games were played and won. It doesn't "hurt" Joe Pa right now. I could almost see it if he were still alive,, almost. What of all the players that participated
"Son,, I'm going to show you a video of a game dad played in, but not really!!"

Haven't seen (or looked to be honest) for much opinion on the subject. Living in the sphere of influence of Penn State Football there is a lot of careful stepping around going on.

The PSU boosters are distraught and still coming to grips with things I think. The boosters of their rivals (of which category I fall into) are taking some secret glee in this - but also do not think this downfall was in any way worth the cost that led to it. So there is a cloud of mourning, betrayal, and denial hanging about the region still I think.

Outside of that I am sure people see things in a much clearer light. Not being part of the "the cult" or in its area of influence it is easier to see that the gravity of the crimes outweigh the other considerations and thus believe that it is obvious that the penalties are deserved and that the community should be forcefully moving to correct the situation and ensure that it never ever happens again.

re: #56 Obdicut

There's lots of things that one could say that are perfectly correct, but are completely undiplomatic. Wannabe presidents are supposed to know this shit.

So should sitting Presidents

re: #54 Mattand

Wasn't Cataldi by any chance, was it?

I was that obvious, was I? :)

re: #55 sattv4u2

Right, but Romney is not there in a managerial capacity to remind everyone about how well he ran the SLC Olympics at the expense of the current one -- he's there in a diplomatic capacity. Obviously telling the Brits they're F'ing it all up and they lack Olympic spirit is a particularly spectacular bit of failed diplomacy and that's why he's trying to walk it back at every stop he's making.

Heading to Georgia's "Wine Country" today with Wifey

Should we take a vineyard tour/ wine tasting or go see a couple of the old gold mines

decisions decisions!!!

re: #60 simoom

Right, but Romney is not there in a managerial capacity to remind everyone about how well he ran the SLC Olympics at the expense of the current one -- he's there in a diplomatic capacity. Obviously telling the Brits they're F'ing it all up and they lack Olympic spirit is a particularly spectacular bit of failed diplomacy and that's why he's trying to walk it back at every stop he's making.

But tact is a peon skill.

re: #61 sattv4u2

Heading to Georgia's "Wine Country" today with Wifey

Should we take a vineyard tour/ wine tasting or go see a couple of the old gold mines

decisions decisions!!!

See gold mines with a glass of wine.
Win-win.

re: #61 sattv4u2

Heading to Georgia's "Wine Country" today with Wifey

Should we take a vineyard tour/ wine tasting or go see a couple of the old gold mines

decisions decisions!!!

What's the weather like? Assuming the gold mines are underground cool and damp on a hot and muggy day might be more enjoyable than being above ground. Or you need to find a winery partially built into an old gold mine...

re: #63 Varek Raith

See gold mines with a glass of wine.
Win-win.

Lessee

Gold mine, they take you down to the caverns (walking all the way) and you have to actually pan for your own gold then walk all the way back up

Vineyard,, you sit on a porch overlooking the scenery, they bring you glasses of wines and cheese

umm,,decision made!!

re: #60 simoom

It's kind of telling that Romney often seems to think that the best way to promote himself is through negative comparisons.

re: #53 simoom

meme

re: #64 Feline Emperor of the Conservative Waste

What's the weather like? Assuming the gold mines are underground cool and damp on a hot and muggy day might be more enjoyable than being above ground. Or you need to find a winery partially built into an old gold mine...

Leaving the high 90's of suburban Atlanta to go to the mid to high 80's of the Georgia foothills (and less humid)

re: #65 sattv4u2

Lessee

Gold mine, they take you down to the caverns (walking all the way) and you have to actually pan for your own gold then walk all the way back up

Vineyard,, you sit on a porch overlooking the scenery, they bring you glasses of wines and cheese

umm,,decision made!!

Will there be banjo music?

(My experience of rural Georgia is getting a little outside of Athens back in the mid-80s to hit a BBQ place with my brother. An interesting experience.)

re: #69 Feline Emperor of the Conservative Waste

Will there be banjo music?

(My experience of rural Georgia is getting a little outside of Athens back in the mid-80s to hit a BBQ place with my brother. An interesting experience.)

LOL

Co-worker has the T-Shirt

"Paddle Faster, I Hear Banjo Music"

No, Dahlonega Georgia is more Napa Valley-ish than Deliverance-ish

re: #70 sattv4u2

LOL

Co-worker has the T-Shirt

"Paddle Faster, I Hear Banjo Music"

No, Dahlonega Georgia is more Napa Valley-ish than Deliverance-ish

The world does have its various oddities.

I visited my brother down in Lubbock, Texas in 1990 or so when he got married. We also went and visited a winery near there. Not the sort of land you'd expect to find one. (Then again there are alligator farms in Colorado.)

re: #71 Feline Emperor of the Conservative Waste

The world does have its various oddities.

I visited my brother down in Lubbock, Texas in 1990 or so when he got married. We also went and visited a winery near there. Not the sort of land you'd expect to find one. (Then again there are alligator farms in Colorado.)

True. It's funny how we have a mental "label" for an entire region

re: #70 sattv4u2

LOL

Co-worker has the T-Shirt

"Paddle Faster, I Hear Banjo Music"

No, Dahlonega Georgia is more Napa Valley-ish than Deliverance-ish

Have you been to Westville? Learn to make your own wine and everything else you need (like bricks).

[Link: www.westville.org...]

If Rafalca is a true Romney, she's lying about the other horses now. "That mare wants to take everyone else's oats."

— pourmecoffee (@pourmecoffee) July 26, 2012

re: #73 Decatur Deb

Have you been to Westville? Learn to make your own wine and everything else you need (like bricks).

[Link: www.westville.org...]

Yes

Son had a weekend soccer tourney in Warner Robbins. Monday morning we headed there (about an hours drive), spent the night and most of the next day before heading home

Really cool!

So, I bought a house.

(Now there's more SPACE to put more STUFF. I think I'd better BUY more STUFF. Then I can fill up all of the SPACE so I feel like there's no SPACE to put STUFF so I can BUY another HOUSE to have more SPACE to put STUFF)

re: #76 erik_t

So, I bought a house.

(Now there's more SPACE to put more STUFF. I think I'd better BUY more STUFF. Then I can fill up all of the SPACE so I feel like there's no SPACE to put STUFF so I can BUY another HOUSE to have more SPACE to put STUFF)

CONGRATS!!!!

re: "stuff"

We moved 3 times (Boston to North Carolina to Boston to Georgia) in a 14 month span

The 1st move we went to a smaller place forcing us to box a bunch of "stuff" and store it.

Here we are, 2 moves and 12 years later and most of the "stuff' is still in the original boxes either in our attic or the garage!!

re: #75 sattv4u2

Yes

Son had a weekend soccer tourney in Warner Robbins. Monday morning we headed there (about an hours drive), spent the night and most of the next day before heading home

Really cool!

Wife did a dulcimer fest there. (I liked it much more when I had to haul her dulcimer. Now she's into steel drum.)

re: #78 Decatur Deb

I liked it much more when I had to haul her dulcimer.

Is that what the kids are calling it these days?

re: #77 sattv4u2

The couches-atop-a-Civic is the part I'm most looking forward to...

re: #78 Decatur Deb

Wife did a dulcimer fest there. (I liked it much more when I had to haul her dulcimer. Now she's into steel drum.)

Love a good dulcimer jam.

Mornin' Deb, everyone else.

re: #80 erik_t

The couches-atop-a-Civic is the part I'm most looking forward to...

Want to borrow my Smart Car?

re: #80 erik_t

The couches-atop-a-Civic is the part I'm most looking forward to...

re: #82 darthstar

Want to borrow my Smart Car?

How "smart" can it be? It let you buy it!!!

re: #82 darthstar

Want to borrow my Smart Car?

If you had two smart cars you could put the couch between them and make a catamaran.

re: #82 darthstar

Want to borrow my Smart Car?

Does it have a roof rack?

Greets and saluts from the NYC metro area. I'm surprised Iran took as long as it did to blame Israel for the bombing in Bulgaria that killed a bunch of Israelis at the airport as an inside job. Israel has laid blame on Iran/Hizbullah.

Meanwhile, Iran has reportedly launched the first domestically built oil tanker, which is designed to help Iran circumvent sanctions against the country. The tanker was purchased by Venezuela.

And all while Israel and most of the Middle East is focused on Iranian designs on the region, there are growing concerns about the Muslim Brotherhood among Sunni-majority Gulf-state regimes. They're worried about being overthrown.

Some of this is a by-product of the Arab Spring, but there are legitimate concerns about the MB and their designs on power in various countries in the region. The Saudis helped quell protests in Bahrain to prop up the regime there, in part because of concerns about Iranian influence backing the protesters. The existing regimes don't want to see their power questioned, let alone diminished (either through agreed-upon changes/liberalization, or by open questioning of authority protests/insurrections, etc.). They're as much about preserving the status quo, even though the situation is hardly ideal for those living under these regimes or for the policies they support domestically or abroad.

And complicating all this? Syria and the ongoing civil war there. The violence continues unabated and there's no sign the situation will improve anytime soon. Assad's goons and Alawite dominated militias continue their vengeance against opposition militias giving still more fuel to a sectarian conflict. That's on top of Assad's military continuing operations against rebel-held strongholds in Aleppo and Damascus neighborhoods.

re: #76 erik_t

Congrats, and bonus points for the Carlin reference.

re: #86 erik_t

Does it have a roof rack?

No, but I have soft straps I put on it for my surfboard, which might actually be a few inches longer than the car.

re: #89 darthstar

No, but I have soft straps I put on it for my surfboard, which might actually be a few inches longer than the car.

hell. my arms are a few inches longer than the car ,,,, and I have short arms!!

Not to change the subject, but I like the fact that Mitt Romney seems to think people speculating about how dishonest he was with his taxes is better for him than people simply knowing that he got away with almost paying nothing for a couple of years. "People will think I'm evil if they know the truth about me." is a new one in Presidential races.

Tough qs for Mitt in Manchester.(And I don't mean Great Britain.)Thunder from Right on Romney's refusal to disclose.bit.ly/P2RvuI

— David Axelrod (@davidaxelrod) July 26, 2012

re: #90 sattv4u2
Little Debbie snacks did a promo a year or so ago. They painted a fleet of Smart Cars to look just like little chocolate cupcakes,complete with the little white curly-q frosting design on top.

re: #89 darthstar

No, but I have soft straps I put on it for my surfboard, which might actually be a few inches longer than the car.

Sounds like my canoe situation.

Oh, dear...this is good news. Sorry, Romney.

Dow Jones average jumps 240 points after European Central Bank vows to keep the euro intact - @AP

— Breaking News (@BreakingNews) July 26, 2012

re: #91 darthstar

[Embedded content]

Heh, it being the Union Leader I thought it would be amusing to see how many comments it would take before someone posted the popular RW standby about Pres. Obama needing to release his college transcripts first. The answer is three:

Jason Czekalski said:

Romney should refuse to turn over anything else until Obama releases his education records.
July 26, 2012 6:43 am

re: #82 darthstar

Want to borrow my Smart Car?

In old GDR, couch carry Trabant!
;)

re: #95 simoom

Heh, it being the Union Leader I thought it would be amusing to see how many comments it would take before someone posted the popular RW standby about Pres. Obama needing to release his college transcripts first. The answer is three:

If I were Obama and the prevailing mood was that my college bullshit from twenty years ago was more relevant to the Presidency than Romney's tax returns from last fucking year, you know, I'd take a perverse sort of pride in that.

re: #95 simoom

Heh, it being the Union Leader I thought it would be amusing to see how many comments it would take before someone posted the popular RW standby about Pres. Obama needing to release his college transcripts first. The answer is three:

HE ONCE GOT A C IN INTRODUCTORY PSYCH AFFIRMATIVE ACTION BARRY HUSSAIN OBUMMER

re: #96 Feline Emperor of the Conservative Waste

In old GDR, couch carry Trabant!
;)

The rarely-seen Trabant joke auto-upding rule is in effect.

I'm certainly no fan of North Korea (the regime, not the poor people that are under it's yoke), but they were rightfully mad about this

[Link: www.telegraph.co.uk...]
North Korea women footballers protest over flag gaffe
North Korea's Olympic women's football team walked off the pitch for an hour at their opening London 2012 match tonight after organisers mistakenly introduced the players using South Korea's flag.

I know it's probably nothing more than a simple key-stroke error by someone who wasn't paying proper attention to his/her job, but still

re: #76 erik_t

So, I bought a house.

(Now there's more SPACE to put more STUFF. I think I'd better BUY more STUFF. Then I can fill up all of the SPACE so I feel like there's no SPACE to put STUFF so I can BUY another HOUSE to have more SPACE to put STUFF)

May your finances be up to stuff... ///

re: #100 sattv4u2

I'm certainly no fan of North Korea (the regime, not the poor people that are under it's yoke), but they were rightfully mad about this

[Link: www.telegraph.co.uk...]
North Korea women footballers protest over flag gaffe
North Korea's Olympic women's football team walked off the pitch for an hour at their opening London 2012 match tonight after organisers mistakenly introduced the players using South Korea's flag.

I know it's probably nothing more than a simple key-stroke error by someone who wasn't paying proper attention to his/her job, but still

Yeah, I thought that was a pretty obvious one *not* to get wrong.

A bit like having the USA team running out under the old USSR flag in the 70s. "Hey, they're similar abbreviations!"

Mah brain! Mah brain! Well, it's still working this morning. Sort of.

re: #99 erik_t

The rarely-seen Trabant joke auto-upding rule is in effect.

Pulled some duty at an old MiG base near Erfurt after the wall came down. The Trabi's were piled about 12 high along the roadside. Apparently they don't melt down or bio-degrade.

re: #102 iossarian

Yeah, I thought that was a pretty obvious one *not* to get wrong.

A bit like having the USA team running out under the old USSR flag in the 70s. "Hey, they're similar abbreviations!"

Whoever was running the video board probably just typed in Korea and then hit the wrong one for the flag insert

re: #104 Decatur Deb

Pulled some duty at an old MIG base near Erfurt after the wall came down. The Trabi's were piled about 12 high along the roadside. Apparently they don't melt down or bio-degrade.

To break down, one must first be up. To degrade, one must first be... grade.

re: #104 Decatur Deb

Pulled some duty at an old MiG base near Erfurt after the wall came down. The Trabi's were piled about 12 high along the roadside. Apparently they don't melt down or bio-degrade.

OR ,, they were being prepared to be used as a high rise condo development!

re: #94 darthstar

Oh, dear...this is good news. Sorry, Romney.

[Embedded content]

Cameron giving Romney some pointers on how to plunge your country into a double-dip recession: yfrog.com/oc5plkzkj

— Matt Yglesias (@mattyglesias) July 26, 2012

Thursday's daily dose of business 101 with John Crudele
[Link: www.nypost.com...]
He even threw in a Ron Paul to boot!

re: #107 sattv4u2

OR ,, they were being prepared to be used as a high rise condo development!

Wonder what their blaubuch value is now.

re: #110 Decatur Deb

Wonder what their blaubuch value is now.

As a car, or a condo!?

re: #111 sattv4u2

As a car, or a condo!?

Heh. Worth more than my Rover.

[Link: www.hemmings.com...]

re: #108 Gus

[Embedded content]

Yeah, the UK economy is screwed right now.

And all because a bunch of super-rich posh boys decided that the way to get out of a depression was to cut social services and hand the savings over to their chums!

A scenario which has no chance of occurring here, thank god.

/

re: #104 Decatur Deb

Pulled some duty at an old MiG base near Erfurt after the wall came down. The Trabi's were piled about 12 high along the roadside. Apparently they don't melt down or bio-degrade.

Duroplast

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

Heh. Not metal. Doesn't biodegrade (normally), but it's edible. I wonder how many wags have suggested breaking it down into kibble and feeding it to the poor.

re: #112 Decatur Deb

Heh. Worth more than my Rover.

[Link: www.hemmings.com...]

1989,,,This is a very nice Trabant with only 32,000 miles

driven by a little babushka only on Sundays

re: #114 Feline Emperor of the Conservative Waste

Duroplast

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

Heh. Not metal. Doesn't biodegrade (normally), but it's edible. I wonder how many wags have suggested breaking it down into kibble and feeding it to the poor.

Yeah. IIRC, the body was a composite somewhat similar to a billiard ball.

re: #113 iossarian

Yeah, the UK economy is screwed right now.

And all because a bunch of super-rich posh boys decided that the way to get out of a depression was to cut social services and hand the savings over to their chums!

A scenario which has no chance of occurring here, thank god.

/

Hang on. I think Milton put his foot in his mouth...

David Cameron hits back at Mitt Romney over London 2012 doubts

re: #117 Gus

Hang on. I think Milton put his foot in his mouth...

David Cameron hits back at Mitt Romney over London 2012 doubts

Damn Soviet Union!
/Romney adviser

re: #118 Varek Raith

Damn Soviet Union!
/Romney adviser

Mitt Romney. Blowhard.

If Romney apologizes to David Cameron for his suggest London is not prepared for the Olympics, do we count that as apologizing for America?

— Andrew Kaczynski (@BuzzFeedAndrew) July 26, 2012

The Caucus: New Olympic Event: Cameron vs. Romney nyti.ms/NL4wvQ

— The New York Times (@nytimes) July 26, 2012

Okey Dokey then

As stated above, headed to Georgias wine country today

Was looking at the attractions in the town/ area

The #23 attraction is the Dahlonega DAIRY QUEEN!!

Be still, my heart!

re: #117 Gus

Hang on. I think Milton put his foot in his mouth...

David Cameron hits back at Mitt Romney over London 2012 doubts

"Do they come together and celebrate the Olympic moment? And that's something which we only find out once the Games actually begin. It is hard to know just how well it will turn out," said Romney.

Can't wait until he gets to Ben Gurion.

re: #123 Decatur Deb

"Do they come together and celebrate the Olympic moment? And that's something which we only find out once the Games actually begin. It is hard to know just how well it will turn out," said Romney.

Can't wait until he gets to Ben Gurion.

I hear he's also an expert on cookies.

re: #124 Gus

Ah. Pittsburgh--had to look it up.

Looks as if Romney isn't the only American concerned about London's Olympic security
[Link: news.yahoo.com...]

“We are holding an Olympic Games in one of the busiest, most active, bustling cities anywhere in the world. Of course it’s easier if you hold an Olympic Games in the middle of nowhere,”
-- Cameron striking back at Romney

...an allusion to Salt Lake City, which hosted Games that Mr. Romney oversaw.

Boom!

re: #126 sattv4u2

Looks as if Romney isn't the only American concerned about London's Olympic security
[Link: news.yahoo.com...]

Romney's also worried about the Soviet Union.

re: #128 Varek Raith

Romney's also worried about the Soviet Union.

Well, Putin is trying to get the band back together!!

re: #127 Gus

“We are holding an Olympic Games in one of the busiest, most active, bustling cities anywhere in the world. Of course it’s easier if you hold an Olympic Games in the middle of nowhere,”
-- Cameron striking back at Romney

...an allusion to Salt Lake City, which hosted Games that Mr. Romney oversaw.

Boom!

Bet that'll do a lot for Anglo Saxon relations.

The Soviet Union is...

bereft of life, bloodless, bought the farm, breathless, buried, cadaverous, checked out, cold, cut off, deceased, defunct, departed, done for, erased, expired, extinct, gone, gone to meet maker, gone to reward, inanimate, inert, late, lifeless, liquidated, mortified, no more, not existing, offed, out of one's misery, passed away, perished, pushing up daisies, reposing, resting in peace, spiritless, stiff, unanimated, wasted

Any questions?

re: #130 gwangung

Bet that'll do a lot for Anglo Saxon relations.

Oral sex.

Rmoney: Fuck you!

Cameron: Yeah, well fuck you too!

re: #130 gwangung

Bet that'll do a lot for Anglo Saxon relations.

I love it. Romney goes to England and has another "7-11 cookie moment."

re: #128 Varek Raith

Romney's also worried about the Soviet Union.

Zombie Commisars!

How Romney's campaign would make Breitbart proud: bit.ly/PMvhlo #AngloSaxon

— The National Memo (@NationalMemo) July 26, 2012

re: #131 Varek Raith

The Soviet Union is...

Any questions?

Nothing about fjords?

David Horowitz warns Charles Darwin & the Muslim Brotherhood are behind everything bad in the world bit.ly/Pvjw2e

— Right Wing Watch (@RightWingWatch) July 26, 2012

re: #134 Learned Mother of Zion

Zombie Commisars!

Image: simpson-tide1.png

re: #96 Feline Emperor of the Conservative Waste

The old GDR had possibly the worst named drink ever:

Image: Prick%20Cola%20VEB%20Brauerei%20Gotha.jpg

“Also worth noting,” the e-mail read, “they both discussed their mutual love of Kit Kat bars.”

Dorks.

re: #140 Gus

“Also worth noting,” the e-mail read, “they both discussed their mutual love of Kit Kat bars.”

Dorks.

re: #137 Gus

[Embedded content]

Horowitz:

George Soros, who is an evil man, who has evil designs on this country, once said, he said he aspired to be the conscience of mankind. He knows that he’s a corrupt businessman who has caused a lot of pain and so he redeems himself by being the champion of the progressive future. That’s what it does for them. If you look at history you will see that all these ‘isms’—communism, socialism, naturalism—they all emerge after Darwin, that is after the decline of organized religion. They replace the religious vision of a redemption in the next life with a communist vision with a redemption in this life, and that is why they are so bloody dangerous.

re: #142 Gus

Horowitz:

Whut.

re: #142 Gus

Horowitz:

Horowitz:

Anthony Weiner is a Jew. So according to Muslim law, either Anthony Weiner has secretly converted to Islam or Huma Abedin has been given a special dispensation to marry a Jew so she can infiltrate our government.

re: #143 Varek Raith

Whut.

My thoughts exactly. Whut da fukity?

Yo David! Put the crack pipe down!

RWW's title:

Horowitz: Abedin May Have Been 'Given a Special Dispensation to Marry a Jew so She can Infiltrate our Government'

That's funny.

re: #142 Gus

Horowitz:

Must be a king.
How do you know?
Because he hasn't got shit all over him.

What the fuck is Horowitz smoking?

re: #144 Gus

Horowitz: Anthony Weiner is a Jew.

What is with these people and their obsession with labeling everyone. Weiner's Jewish, so fucking what?

Factcheck.org on yesterday's bombshell Bain revelation: Bain: Still ‘No Evidence

The Obama campaign says a new Associated Press story backs up its claims that Mitt Romney “did not leave [Bain Capital] when he says he did,” and that he’s responsible for “American jobs that were outsourced” by Bain-controlled companies after February 1999. We don’t think so.
...
Is Romney to some degree responsible for decisions made by others in his absence? We’ll leave questions like that to pundits, and voters. But based on the facts, there’s still nothing to show that Romney made the decisions the Obama campaign claimed he did.

re: #150 iossarian

What is with these people and their obsession with labeling everyone. Weiner's Jewish, so fucking what?

Guess it fits into Horowitz's plan, er blackboard, or notebook...

Delusions. Sounds like he used to drop acid or something. Maybe he's mixing up his flashbacks with his current imagination.

From an ABC report on the Romney visit, apparently before the Olympic security exchange:

"While I'm on foreign soil, I'm very careful not to be critical of my own government's policies," Romney said. "I would be even more remiss if I were to be critical to any other government's policies. I will instead look forward to an exchange of ideas."

[Link: abcnews.go.com...]

re: #150 iossarian

What is with these people and their obsession with labeling everyone. Weiner's Jewish, so fucking what?

[using Pam-illogic]
Huma Abedin hasn't been honor-killed for marrying a Joo.
Therefore, it must be part of the Master Islamic Plan!
[/Pam-illogic]

I think Horowitz's problem is that, because he lives in this fucked-up world where he blindly follows religious regulations that he doesn't really question or indeed understand, he assumes that everyone else must do that as well.

YOU ARE A MUSLIM THEREFORE YOU ALWAYS USE YOUR RIGHT HAND TO OPEN TINS OF CAT FOOD

re: #151 Killgore Trout

But based on the facts,

How dare they use facts !

re: #151 Killgore Trout

Factcheck.org on yesterday's bombshell Bain revelation: Bain: Still ‘No Evidence

Which still leaves Romney trying to distance himself from an alleged post-Romney Bain Capital. Still not seeing that are you? What's wrong with Bain after he left?

re: #151 Killgore Trout

Factcheck.org on yesterday's bombshell Bain revelation: Bain: Still ‘No Evidence

Is Romney to some degree responsible for decisions made by others in his absence? We’ll leave questions like that to pundits, and voters.

Way to stick to your guns, factcheck.org!

re: #156 sattv4u2

But based on the facts,

How dare they use facts !

Outrage!

re: #159 Killgore Trout

Outrage!

You will note that factcheck is now refusing to directly answer the question as to whether Romney is responsible for Bain decisions in the period 1999-2002.

You would have thought, if they thought the answer was "no", they would just say so.

re: #157 Gus

What's wrong with Bain after he left?

Nothing, from what I can see

Just like before he left, they had some successful ventures, they had some that didn't pan out

Glad that's settled.

//

re: #161 sattv4u2

What's wrong with Bain after he left?

Nothing, from what I can see

Just like before he left, they had some successful ventures, they had some that didn't pan out

Romney's a weasel. Fact.

re: #160 iossarian

You will note that factcheck is now refusing to directly answer the question as to whether Romney is responsible for Bain decisions in the period 1999-2002.

You would have thought, if they thought the answer was "no", they would just say so.

It's hard to prove a negative. He may have been making the decisions at Bain but there's no proof that he did.

re: #161 sattv4u2

What's wrong with Bain after he left?

Nothing, from what I can see

Just like before he left, they had some successful ventures, they had some that didn't pan out

40% of their profits came from companies that tanked under the debt that Bain loaded onto them.

In one case, they were taking money out while the company was laying people off and filing for bankruptcy.

But in any case, all you really need to know is that Romney thinks being associated with that period is so toxic, that he'll do anything to avoid acknowledging that his signature is all over the various legal filings and agreements.

re: #160 iossarian

You will note that factcheck is now refusing to directly answer the question as to whether Romney is responsible for Bain decisions in the period 1999-2002.

Funny that.

Wow, Romney shook some pretty good responses out of the usually terrible comments at the Telegraph. A sample:

He prefers to criticise our culture rather than privatised and corporate incompetents charging millions for very little and the corrupt political system that advances their interests over the nation's. But that is Romney's culture in a nutshell : all for the super-rich via corporate domination of society.

This man represents everything that is wrong with the world today: happy to put the interests of huge corporations and the global elites in front of the needs of ordinary people in his own country, let alone ours.

Romney took over Salt Lake after rampant sleeze, corruption, etc were unmasked amongst the organisers. With a huge injection of federal money he did help to ensure the games ran according to schedule, so deserves credit, but brought a different level of sleeze by giving contracts to friends, firms he owned and political contributors.
His wife's show horse is also participating here in London, but whatever his previous connections, he has no business flying over to cast aspersions about our preparedness. What a toad.

Bringing people together!!

Neither does Factcheck have evidence to the contrary.

re: #164 Killgore Trout

It's hard to prove a negative. He may have been making the decisions at Bain but there's no proof that he did.

You could easily prove a negative in this case: come up with the guys who did make the decisions and signed off on them.

They've had weeks and no-one from Bain has come forward to claim responsibility.

That is pretty damning to anyone who isn't viewing this with a preconceived idea of Romney's innocence.

re: #160 iossarian

You will note that factcheck is now refusing to directly answer the question as to whether Romney is responsible for Bain decisions in the period 1999-2002.

You would have thought, if they thought the answer was "no", they would just say so.

Is Romney to some degree responsible for decisions made by others in his absence? We’ll leave questions like that to pundits, and voters.

Unless there is hard evidence thats an opinion. I don't think FactCheck is an editorial site

re: #164 Killgore Trout

It's hard to prove a negative. He may have been making the decisions at Bain but there's no proof that he did.

Yeah, that SEC paperwork sure puts a wrench in the gears!

re: #160 iossarian

You will note that factcheck is now refusing to directly answer the question as to whether Romney is responsible for Bain decisions in the period 1999-2002.

You would have thought, if they thought the answer was "no", they would just say so.

Ha! Good one and true. Factcheck does not provide any proof that Romney did not have any influence. Yet Romney remains in the SEC documents.

Good morning lizards!

Strange things are going on with my kids. One of my daughters fainted last Friday in Tennessee while we were fishing off my uncle's boat dock. She fell into the water and I had to pull her out. She was probably under the water of 20 or 30 seconds but is fine. She doesn't remember being in the water.

Last night my other daughter fainted in the kitchen. They both are 10.

Mr Leader? Did Mitt Romney forget Ed Miliband's name?

Mitt Romney follows gaffe over Britain's readiness to hold Olympic games by appearing to forget name of Labour leader

Image: Romney-miliband.jpg

Hehe

Has Mitt apologized yet?

— LOLGOP (@LOLGOP) July 26, 2012

re: #170 sattv4u2

Is Romney to some degree responsible for decisions made by others in his absence? We’ll leave questions like that to pundits, and voters.

Unless there is hard evidence thats an opinion. I don't think FactCheck is an editorial site

Which is, of course, why they awarded four Pinnochios to the Obama campaign.

They really shot themselves in the foot, and they'e continuing to reload.

re: #173 NJDhockeyfan

Good morning lizards!

Strange things are going on with my kids. One of my daughters fainted last Friday in Tennessee while we were fishing off my uncle's boat dock. She fell into the water and I had to pull her out. She was probably under the water of 20 or 30 seconds but is fine. She doesn't remember being in the water.

Last night my other daughter fainted in the kitchen. They both are 10.

Doctor.

re: #170 sattv4u2

Is Romney to some degree responsible for decisions made by others in his absence? We’ll leave questions like that to pundits, and voters.

Unless there is hard evidence thats an opinion. I don't think FactCheck is an editorial site

So, as an informed voter, you have a range of opinions to choose from to answer the question: was Romney making decisions at Bain between 1999 and 2002?

The most pro-Romney position is now: "there's not enough evidence to say".

The most anti-Romney position is now: "yes, clearly he did, look, he signed all of these SEC filings and other forms, and several people at Bain have said that he attended meetings and at the very least negotiated his massive (and massively complex) severance package"

So the truth is presumably somewhere in between. It certainly can't be "he definitely wasn't involved".

re: #168 Gus

Neither does Factcheck have evidence to the contrary.

Guilty until proven innocent.

re: #173 NJDhockeyfan

Good morning lizards!

Strange things are going on with my kids. One of my daughters fainted last Friday in Tennessee while we were fishing off my uncle's boat dock. She fell into the water and I had to pull her out. She was probably under the water of 20 or 30 seconds but is fine. She doesn't remember being in the water.

Last night my other daughter fainted in the kitchen. They both are 10.

Thoughts and good wishes for you and your family.

re: #179 NJDhockeyfan

Guilty until proven innocent.

SEC papers.

re: #173 NJDhockeyfan

Good morning lizards!

Strange things are going on with my kids. One of my daughters fainted last Friday in Tennessee while we were fishing off my uncle's boat dock. She fell into the water and I had to pull her out. She was probably under the water of 20 or 30 seconds but is fine. She doesn't remember being in the water.

Last night my other daughter fainted in the kitchen. They both are 10.

Yikes...get them to a doctor. Maybe they contracted a virus of some sort. Its probably nothing serious, but still.

re: #179 NJDhockeyfan

Guilty until proven innocent.

Then it's not really a "fact."

“That which can be asserted without evidence, can be dismissed without evidence.”

We still have the SEC documents. Next!

re: #177 Varek Raith

Doctor.

They are scheduled to have their yearly checkup with the doctor today.

re: #181 Varek Raith

SEC papers.

Facts. Inconvenient.

Better to ignore those.

Retroactive retirement.
Nope, not trying to hide anything here.

re: #181 Varek Raith

SEC papers.

Tainted by government. Unreliable. Solyndra!

re: #173 NJDhockeyfan

Good morning lizards!

Strange things are going on with my kids. One of my daughters fainted last Friday in Tennessee while we were fishing off my uncle's boat dock. She fell into the water and I had to pull her out. She was probably under the water of 20 or 30 seconds but is fine. She doesn't remember being in the water.

Last night my other daughter fainted in the kitchen. They both are 10.

Are they in a heat environment that is radically worse than home? Sometimes that's all it takes. Good that they're seeing the doc anyways.

re: #187 Varek Raith

Retroactive retirement.
Nope, not trying to hide anything here.

I still haven't heard anyone outside of the campaign or the media able to say 'retroactive retirement' with a straight face. It's breathtakingly bold, and by 'bold' I of course mean offensively stupid and profoundly dishonest.

re: #173 NJDhockeyfan

Good morning lizards!

Strange things are going on with my kids. One of my daughters fainted last Friday in Tennessee while we were fishing off my uncle's boat dock. She fell into the water and I had to pull her out. She was probably under the water of 20 or 30 seconds but is fine. She doesn't remember being in the water.

Last night my other daughter fainted in the kitchen. They both are 10.

Doctor is the right call, just in case.

Best wishes.

re: #173 NJDhockeyfan

Good morning lizards!

Strange things are going on with my kids. One of my daughters fainted last Friday in Tennessee while we were fishing off my uncle's boat dock. She fell into the water and I had to pull her out. She was probably under the water of 20 or 30 seconds but is fine. She doesn't remember being in the water.

Last night my other daughter fainted in the kitchen. They both are 10.

Virus, environmental toxin (or allergy), or even heat exhaustion, if you're in really hot weather. Good that they're seeing their doctor, and my best wishes for both of them.

re: #190 erik_t

I still haven't heard anyone outside of the campaign or the media able to say 'retroactive retirement' with a straight face. It's breathtakingly bold, and by 'bold' I of course mean offensively stupid and profoundly dishonest.

CNN's guy who write the Fortune article explained it quite well. It's not that difficult to understand.

Morning,

again.

you?

re: #173 NJDhockeyfan

Hopefully it's nothing serious, but let the doctors check them both out. Good luck with them.

Yep, skipped right over the SEC stuff.
Shocka!

re: #173 NJDhockeyfan

Good morning lizards!

Strange things are going on with my kids. One of my daughters fainted last Friday in Tennessee while we were fishing off my uncle's boat dock. She fell into the water and I had to pull her out. She was probably under the water of 20 or 30 seconds but is fine. She doesn't remember being in the water.

Last night my other daughter fainted in the kitchen. They both are 10.

gatorade!

If Mitt Romney was staying on to gain leverage for his severance package, does anyone believe he didn't have some say over investment management and acquisitions?

re: #193 Killgore Trout

CNN's guy who write the Fortune article explained it quite well. It's not that difficult to understand.

Yep. He took a leave of absence, while not appointing any interim officers because he expected to return. He continued to have full legal and fiscal responsibility, signing off on all deals. Later, when he decided he wasn't going to come back, he arranged for that leave of absence to turn into a retirement. Why he backdated it to 1999 is kind of a mystery, since he'd continued to take his salary and hold those positions through 2002. That's the bit that he hasn't even really attempted to explain, though it's probably some fiscal advantage for him to have done so.

So, it's much what it looks like; a privileged level of switcherooing that the ordinary person couldn't ever hope to take advantage of, available only to those who own their own company and can do such shenanigans.

re: #195 lawhawk

Hopefully it's nothing serious, but let the doctors check them both out. Good luck with them.

My wife is going have get blood work and give them a total checkup.

Still listening to the audio version of The Power Broker by Robert Caro. The book is making me sick to my stomach. If it was an hard copy I might have thrown it across the room several times by now.

LBJ had nothing on Robert Moses.

HUMANS!!!!

obligatory daily beebee kitteh!

re: #200 NJDhockeyfan
Best wishes to them,and you too. Nothing scarier than when the kids have some sort of health issue. Hopefully it's just this crazy heat.

re: #178 iossarian

So, as an informed voter, you have a range of opinions to choose from to answer the question: was Romney making decisions at Bain between 1999 and 2002?

Another option could be that between 1999 and 2002 he ran both the Olymipics (incredibly complex undertaking) as well as Bain (a multi billion dollar multi national empire) and did both remarkebly well

Hell,,,after that being President of one country should come easy!!
/

re: #204 sattv4u2

So, as an informed voter, you have a range of opinions to choose from to answer the question: was Romney making decisions at Bain between 1999 and 2002?

Another option could be that between 1999 and 2002 he ran both the Olymipics (incredibly complex undertaking) as well as Bain (a multi billion dollar multi national empire) and did both remarkebly well

Hell,,,after that being President of one country should come easy!!
/

I think you're making better arguments than Romney is, himself.

re: #201 ggt

What's amazing is that Moses was able to accumulate all that power in the first place, and each time he expanded his power, that gave him added incentive to gain still more.

IE: went from heading the NYC parks department to the state parks to the highway departments to link the state parks to the city, then bridges to link each to the other. It's why he was a master building, but his vision was spectacularly lacking re: mass transit. And his influence was so widespread that it affected transportation practices for decades thereafter (and still) around the US.

Mass transit options are finally being incorporated in many places in a serious and integrated fashion, but the costs are huge.

re: #204 sattv4u2

So, as an informed voter, you have a range of opinions to choose from to answer the question: was Romney making decisions at Bain between 1999 and 2002?

Another option could be that between 1999 and 2002 he ran both the Olymipics (incredibly complex undertaking) as well as Bain (a multi billion dollar multi national empire) and did both remarkebly well

/

Could be. But Romney is denying that vociferously. Also, since most of the records of his time at the Olympics were destroyed, it's hard to really judge that, too-- aside from his proficiency in getting government funding, of course.

re: #200 NJDhockeyfan

My wife is going have get blood work and give them a total checkup.

Didn't you have a fainting spell yourself either last year or the year before? Was the cause ever found?

Mitt Romney: Registered Lobbyist

re: #205 gwangung

I think you're making better arguments than Romney is, himself.

All his campaign has to do is send me a blank check and I'll keep em coming!

re: #208 Interesting Times

Didn't you have a fainting spell yourself either last year or the year before? Was the cause ever found?

Menopause!
/

re: #204 sattv4u2

So, as an informed voter, you have a range of opinions to choose from to answer the question: was Romney making decisions at Bain between 1999 and 2002?

Another option could be that between 1999 and 2002 he ran both the Olymipics (incredibly complex undertaking) as well as Bain (a multi billion dollar multi national empire) and did both remarkebly well

/

I think that would indeed be a good explanation of what happened. It accounts for a lot of the facts that we have available, and it makes a lot of sense.

It's a shame that Romney is running away from this explanation. Apart from that it's a winner.

re: #206 lawhawk

What's amazing is that Moses was able to accumulate all that power in the first place, and each time he expanded his power, that gave him added incentive to gain still more.

IE: went from heading the NYC parks department to the state parks to the highway departments to link the state parks to the city, then bridges to link each to the other. It's why he was a master building, but his vision was spectacularly lacking re: mass transit. And his influence was so widespread that it affected transportation practices for decades thereafter (and still) around the US.

Mass transit options are finally being incorporated in many places in a serious and integrated fashion, but the costs are huge.

He also managed to take over public housing --anything that had federal money attached to it basically. He got all the FDR Program money that came to NY, it seems and managed to make sure that NY got more than most.

I have to wonder how much of the eventual race relations issues were the result of his "urban planning".

re: #211 sattv4u2

a case of the vapors!
/

re: #214 Tommy's cone of shame

a case of the vapors!
/

Rhett,,, I do declare!!

re: #206 lawhawk

What's amazing is that Moses was able to accumulate all that power in the first place, and each time he expanded his power, that gave him added incentive to gain still more.

IE: went from heading the NYC parks department to the state parks to the highway departments to link the state parks to the city, then bridges to link each to the other. It's why he was a master building, but his vision was spectacularly lacking re: mass transit. And his influence was so widespread that it affected transportation practices for decades thereafter (and still) around the US.

Mass transit options are finally being incorporated in many places in a serious and integrated fashion, but the costs are huge.

His addiction to power was so great, I have to wonder how many women (or boys) he raped. So far, the author hasn't mentioned any extra-curricular activity.

Texas Congressman Pete Olson Is Here to Defend Honor of America, Capitalism, Ladies’ Purse Parties

“If you’ve got a business — you didn’t build that. Somebody else made that happen.” – President Obama, Roanoke, VA on July 13, 2012

Mr. President, I fundamentally disagree. In our capitalist system, businesses are created by an individual or group of individuals who have an idea for a product or service that others will want to purchase and, yes, so they can make a profit. This fundamental truth of our opportunity society is what built America, not government, bureaucrats, or mass armies of community organizers.

Indicator we're fucked, #2425: the number of passionate responses written in response to a deceptively-edited quote.

Devoid of ethics...or profoundly ignorant?

re: #213 ggt

Well, he did rip apart older established communities where immigrant populations and lower income populations used as a springboard to more affluent areas, replacing those "slums" with high rise developments. That was seen as a more economical, enlightened, and efficient use of those parcels. Yet, even though you can get more people to live in a given area with more amenities, it destroyed a sense of community there - and those kinds of problems devolved into the drug den culture that took over many of the projects here in NYC and those based on the apartment complex setup elsewhere.

Urban development has come around to a lower density integrated housing scheme - low to mid rises that blend into their surroundings, rather than standing apart. The results have been a much lower crime rate and improved social and economic outcomes.

re: #213 ggt

Sadly, an example that too many urban planners wished to emulate. They never saw a parking garage that they didn't like, or better yet, his Judge Doom toll schemes.

Another reason why I like Nelson Rockefeller for forcing him outta power.

re: #218 lawhawk

Well, he did rip apart older established communities where immigrant populations and lower income populations used as a springboard to more affluent areas, replacing those "slums" with high rise developments. That was seen as a more economical, enlightened, and efficient use of those parcels. Yet, even though you can get more people to live in a given area with more amenities, it destroyed a sense of community there - and those kinds of problems devolved into the drug den culture that took over many of the projects here in NYC and those based on the apartment complex setup elsewhere.

Urban development has come around to a lower density integrated housing scheme - low to mid rises that blend into their surroundings, rather than standing apart. The results have been a much lower crime rate and improved social and economic outcomes.

And the idea that whole communities are not isolated from the amenities of the city by the lack of public transportation or huge blocks of concrete that impossible to cross on foot.

re: #217 The Ghost of a Flea

Texas Congressman Pete Olson Is Here to Defend Honor of America, Capitalism, Ladies’ Purse Parties

Indicator we're fucked, #2425: the number of passionate responses written in response to a deceptively-edited quote.

Devoid of ethics...or profoundly ignorant?

Really, it's not even that so much, it's the number of passionate responses that are completely ignorant of how society has enabled them to be the "rugged individualists" that they think they are. They all take so many things for granted -- the education they receive, the roads that bring customers to their door, the federal subsidies for the people that make the raw materials that are used in construction of their product, etc.

It's the same phenomenon as all the Wal-Mart and Wendy's middle-managers that like to talk about "Going Galt" -- they're not producers of any sort, and nobody will miss them when they're gone, but boy howdy do they love to imagine that Atlas Shrugged was all about them.

re: #217 The Ghost of a Flea

in a Romney commercial they show "average people" and "small business owners" being offended (not the gilchrist ad) after seeing the edited quote, not the whole quote. In other words it's pure deceptiveness on the part of Romney.

re: #219 Fred Galt

Sadly, an example that too many urban planners wished to emulate. They never saw a parking garage that they didn't like, or better yet, his Judge Doom toll schemes.

Another reason why I like Nelson Rockefeller for forcing him outta power.

Ah yes, the ongoing politics of construction jobs . . .

re: #217 The Ghost of a Flea

Yes.

re: #219 Fred Galt

Rockefeller had his own grand designs on NYS - he was a builder of epic proportions in his own right.

Among the projects he championed or backed: Empire State Plaza and the World Trade Center.

bbl

And the Empire State Building was almost broke --they had to get FDR to fill it?

Urban Planning seems to be more about proving dick size than the needs of people.

re: #131 Varek Raith

The Soviet Union is...

Any questions?

It's kicked the bucket, it's shuffled off its mortal coil, rung down the curtain and joined the bleedin' choir invisible!!

Romney: the first Dressage President

Punning is now open.

Romney is in a tight Horse Race with Obama.

We normally don't hear of scandals from China:

The wife of disgraced Chinese political leader Bo Xilai has been charged with the murder of UK businessman Neil Heywood, state news agency Xinhua says.

Gu Kailai and Zhang Xiaojun, employed at Mr Bo's home, were "recently" prosecuted by a Chinese court, Xinhua said, without giving further details.

Mr Heywood was found dead in a hotel in Chongqing on 15 November 2011.

The apparent murder of Mr Heywood triggered Mr Bo's downfall in a scandal that has rocked Chinese politics.

Local officials initially said Mr Heywood died of excessive drinking, but the government announced in April it was investigating Mr Bo's wife in connection with the case.

The two accused have been charged with intentional homicide by the Hefei Municipal Procuratorate (state prosecutor's office) in the eastern province of Anhui.

Britain welcomed the news, saying it was "glad to see" China is continuing the investigation into Mr Heywood's death.

And there is more!

Pre Moses-era, places where the public met were some of the grandest buildings of all. I wonder how much of a hand he had in changing the psychology of all that.

I have a theory that perhaps respect for public transportation, and perhaps respect for the federal government's role is bound up in what you can see of it on a local level. Pittsburgh is a really good example- giant classical styled federal buildings that are made out of granite. At least someone had confidence in the reserve system!

Public buildings, like park offices and post offices were built like brick you-know-whats all the way up to the 50s. It seems that increasingly from Eisenhower forward a lot of things slated for the public became second rate.

re: #229 Kronocide

Romney: the first Dressage President

Punning is now open.

Romney is in a tight Horse Race with Obama.

It's just not a good image for an American Politician to have the same hobbies as the British Royal Family.

I don't begrudge Ann and her horses. Dressage isn't easy. Mastering those horses is an accomplishment. But, it could have been handled so much better --using her horses and experience for charity or other MS patients or their kids and having lots of photo ops.

re: #231 Fred Galt

Pre Moses-era, places where the public met were some of the grandest buildings of all. I wonder how much of a hand he had in changing the psychology of all that.

I have a theory that perhaps respect for public transportation, and perhaps respect for the federal government's role is bound up in what you can see of it on a local level. Pittsburgh is a really good example- giant classical styled federal buildings that are made out of granite. At least someone had confidence in the reserve system!

Public buildings, like park offices and post offices were built like brick you-know-whats all the way up to the 50s. It seems that increasingly from Eisenhower forward a lot of things slated for the public became second rate.

Yes, there seems to be a real Bauhaus type of theme to public buildings --don't spend the public money frills and unnecessary brick-a-brac. Ugly, ugly, ugly. Not even good Bauhaus.

Is Twitter down?

re: #231 Fred Galt

Pre Moses-era, places where the public met were some of the grandest buildings of all. I wonder how much of a hand he had in changing the psychology of all that.

I have a theory that perhaps respect for public transportation, and perhaps respect for the federal government's role is bound up in what you can see of it on a local level. Pittsburgh is a really good example- giant classical styled federal buildings that are made out of granite. At least someone had confidence in the reserve system!

Public buildings, like park offices and post offices were built like brick you-know-whats all the way up to the 50s. It seems that increasingly from Eisenhower forward a lot of things slated for the public became second rate.

Also, after WWII, there was a change in building codes. IIRC, the realization that one could have vast spans of open space in a building with steel beams, negated the reason for a lot of the fluff and design--there were no pillars anymore, so no reason to have ornate capitals and fluting etc. Engineers took control of a lot, who unlike architects, didn't have aesthetics in mind.

re: #234 Learned Mother of Zion

Is Twitter down?

G-d I hope so.

re: #208 Interesting Times

Didn't you have a fainting spell yourself either last year or the year before? Was the cause ever found?

They don't know for sure but called it a seizure and now I have to take a pill twice a day.

Ironworkers are almost as crazy as linemen
[Link: www.nypost.com...]

following the money

Mexico's National Banking and Securities Commission (CNBV) said it had imposed the fine against HSBC due to its "non-compliance with anti-money laundering systems and controls".

HSBC Mexico issued a statement acknowledging that it failed to report 39 suspicious transactions and had been late in reporting 1,729 others.

"HSBC Mexico recognises it failed to strictly comply with banking regulations, and with the standards that regulators and clients expect of our institution," it said.

I don't know, do you think following the money makes more sense than following the guns?

North Korea flag mix-up to go down in Olympic history as major insult

A video before the North Korea-Colombia Olympic women's soccer game Wednesday showed the South Korean flag. In the history of Olympic host nation embarrassments, it's a whopper.

Heh.

re: #238 Tommy's cone of shame

Ironworkers are almost as crazy as linemen
[Link: www.nypost.com...]

I remember seeing footage of them throwing the hot metal joiner pieces to each other (rivets?) I always wondered if they dropped any, and what kind of impact it would have by the time it hit the ground.

re: #241 ggt

Ah, the good old days. Dropped rivets don't hurt much, thats what hard hats are for. We sometimes will dredge up old rivets under bridges. Up here rivets don't fare well against salt, being swapped out with bolts.

PA thanks IOC for refusing Munich victims memorial

The Palestinian Authority has thanked the International Olympic Committee [IOC] for refusing to allow a minute's silence at the opening ceremony in London to mark the 40th anniversary of the murder of 11 Israeli athletes in the Munich Games.

Jibril Rajoub, head of the Palestinian Football Union, sent a letter to IOC Chairman Jaques Rogge thanking him for his position, the PA's official news agency, Wafa, reported Wednesday.

re: #234 Learned Mother of Zion

Is Twitter down?

Twitter down across the globe

Work increases across the world explodes.

re: #242 Tommy's cone of shame

Ah, the good old days. Dropped rivets don't hurt much, thats what hard hats are for. We sometimes will dredge up old rivets under bridges. Up here rivets don't fare well against salt, being swapped out with bolts.

The new bridges they are building around here to replace those terrible open grate bridges are concrete for the most part anymore. Either poured onsite or cast offsite and brought in and set. They learned their lesson about open grate bridges and salt and what it can do to the supports after years of corrosion. But it was still cool walking over an open grate looking down at the water going under you.

Unfreakingbelievable.

What was the name for the Dragon Tatoo series in the rest of the world --"Men Who Hate Women."?

re: #232 ggt

honestly I doubt "she" participates much more than watching. This horse is a business investment complete with riders and trainers. Horseback riding may be therapy for those with MS. But i doubt she rides or really does "dressage".

re: #242 Tommy's cone of shame

Ah, the good old days. Dropped rivets don't hurt much, thats what hard hats are for. We sometimes will dredge up old rivets under bridges. Up here rivets don't fare well against salt, being swapped out with bolts.

But if they hit a pedestrian.

I mean, people die from falling icicles from building roofs in Chicago Winters.

re: #247 Brother Holy Cruise Missile of Mild Acceptance

honestly I doubt "she" participates much more than watching. This horse is a business investment complete with riders and trainers. Horseback riding may be therapy for those with MS. But i doubt she rides or really does "dressage".

Really? I thought the whole reason she got into horses was for therapy for her MS. Then, well, horses can be rather addictive --worse if you have the money for them.

re: #241 ggt

I remember seeing footage of them throwing the hot metal joiner pieces to each other (rivets?) I always wondered if they dropped any, and what kind of impact it would have by the time it hit the ground.

This has all been pretty well established.