Beauty is a passing trait.

Give me money instead.

By "money" I mean gold, of course.

In such an ugly time the true protest is beauty.

— Phil Ochs

He ain't marching anymore, Jim.

re: #2 freetoken

By "money" I mean gold, of course.

Gold, seeds and guns!

/

Expecting outrage:

U.S. will undergo human rights scrutiny

Rolling out the State Department's latest human rights report, Secretary Hillary Rodham Clinton announced that, for the first time, the United States will submit itself to a process in which its record might be judged by some of the world's worst human rights abusers.

"Human rights are universal, but their experience is local. This is why we are committed to holding everyone to the same standard, including ourselves," Clinton said, referring to U.S. participation this fall in what's called the "universal periodic review" process, run by the U.N. Human Rights Council.

re: #5 Cato the Elder

Personal vendetta much?
Asshole.

re: #7 Spare O'Lake

Personal vendetta much?
Asshole.

As I said on the last thread, political disagreement. Comes under the First Amendment. Check it out sometime when you're not high.

re: #6 freetoken

Expecting outrage:

U.S. will undergo human rights scrutiny

Oh shit. The outrage is going to be unbelievable.

re: #9 iceweasel

Oh shit. The outpout-rage is going to be unbelievable.

Fixed for accuracy. Fauxrage would also be acceptable.

re: #9 iceweasel

Oh shit. The outrage is going to be unbelievable.

Imagine if they went back to review the CIA financed death squads in Central and South America. Or East Time. Or Cambodia and Laos. That won't happen of course.

re: #8 Cato the Elder

Bullshit. You are engaged in systematic harassment of one person, and I'm sick and tired of it. Get a life.

re: #11 Gus 802

Imagine if they went back to review the CIA financed death squads in Central and South America. Or East Time. Or Cambodia and Laos. That won't happen of course.

Oops. East Timor that is.

re: #11 Gus 802

Imagine if they went back to review the CIA financed death squads in Central and South America. Or East Time. Or Cambodia and Laos. That won't happen of course.

imagine if they actually did an accurate review of (any leftist government/movement here)

re: #14 redc1c4

imagine if they actually did an accurate review of (any leftist government/movement here)

That irrelevant.

re: #6 freetoken

Expecting outrage:

U.S. will undergo human rights scrutiny

After the announcement of the China "human rights report" on the US last week, the UN will find a way to screw the US on this...no outrage here, but I get the feel little good can come of this.

And those who cheer him on are just as bad.
Good night.

re: #11 Gus 802

Imagine if they went back to review the CIA financed death squads in Central and South America. Or East Time. Or Cambodia and Laos. That won't happen of course.

I can already predict the wingnut meme-themes. (well, anyone could)

SOvReiGnItY!
U.N.!!!1!
BLACK HeLiCoPtErS!
TrEaSoN!

ugh.

re: #16 talon_262

After the announcement of the China "human rights report" on the US last week, the UN will find a way to screw the US on this...no outrage here, but I get the feel little good can come of this.

Err, meant, "no outrage here, but I get the feeling little good can come of this."

re: #18 iceweasel

I can already predict the wingnut meme-themes. (well, anyone could)

SOvReiGnItY!
U.N.!!!1!
BLACK HeLiCoPtErS!
TrEaSoN!

ugh.

There goes my Murican cred.

Yeah, but so much for America "right or wrong" when it comes to the sitting president Barrack Obama. It's different then. Might as well even cheer on a foreign president to achieve those ends.

re: #16 talon_262

IMO, this is purely a diversionary move by Sec. Clinton, to take away a talking point some of her counterparts may have. No matter what the UN Human Rights commission may conclude, we aren't going to modify our national priorities.

re: #15 Gus 802

That irrelevant.

yes, you are..... at least in the larger context. your therapist can help with the rest, should you so choose.

but thanks for playing!

re: #22 redc1c4

yes, you are... at least in the larger context. your therapist can help with the rest, should you so choose.

but thanks for playing!

Yeah, thanks for playing doesn't work here anymore.

on a lighter note, there is some birthday fruitcup over -----------> there for the LNDT.

i figured i'd drop some off before surprising HRH.

/white smoke

re: #21 freetoken

IMO, this is purely a diversionary move by Sec. Clinton, to take away a talking point some of her counterparts may have. No matter what the UN Human Rights commission may conclude, we aren't going to modify our national priorities.

I completely agree with this.

However, the reality (that we aren't going to modify our national priorites, or indeed, do a damn thing we don't want to do) will be eclipsed or ignored by the full-on Scream Machine, which will be consumed by the themes I mentioned earlier, as well as insisting that this either makes us weak or 'look weak'.
There's a real obsession in some places with that notion.

NRO is going to be horrible tomorrow. Also the OpEds in the WaPo itself, I bet, later this week.

re: #22 redc1c4

yes, you are... at least in the larger context. your therapist can help with the rest, should you so choose.

but thanks for playing!

Just a note of fact though. If you include East Timor that also implicates Jimmy Carter and Tip O'Neil. So your interpretation that I'm singling out right wingers is incorrect.

I don't see what a therapist has to do with anything.

I don't see what a therapist has to do with anything.

there's a classic sign......

re: #25 iceweasel

Be ready for more "bowing to the UN"-rage.

re: #25 iceweasel

I completely agree with this.

However, the reality (that we aren't going to modify our national priorites, or indeed, do a damn thing we don't want to do) will be eclipsed or ignored by the full-on Scream Machine, which will be consumed by the themes I mentioned earlier, as well as insisting that this either makes us weak or 'look weak'.
There's a real obsession in some places with that notion.

NRO is going to be horrible tomorrow. Also the OpEds in the WaPo itself, I bet, later this week.

Should be interesting. Human rights used to mean that one responds to a terrorist attack that kill 12 people by bombing an urban area to kill one terrorist leader and subsequently killing 120 civilians and then brushing it off as collateral damage. Yep, that's a right to life ideology.

re: #28 freetoken

Be ready for more "bowing to the UN"-rage.

Yep. And heh-- I think UN-rage will be an excellent term for assorted UN outrage.

re: #27 redc1c4

there's a classic sign...

Congratulations Red. You're a troll.

re: #29 Gus 802

Should be interesting. Human rights used to mean that one responds to a terrorist attack that kill 12 people by bombing an urban area to kill one terrorist leader and subsequently killing 120 civilians and then brushing it off as collateral damage. Yep, that's a right to life ideology.

Speaking of which, a little something-something that also doesn't fit the wingnut narrative:

CIA director says secret attacks in Pakistan have hobbled al-Qaeda

Aggressive attacks against al-Qaeda in Pakistan's tribal region have driven Osama bin Laden and his top deputies deeper into hiding and disrupted their ability to plan sophisticated operations, CIA Director Leon Panetta said Wednesday.

So profound is al-Qaeda's disarray that one of its lieutenants, in a recently intercepted message, pleaded with bin Laden to come to the group's rescue and provide some leadership, Panetta said. He credited improved coordination with Pakistan's government and what he called "the most aggressive operation that CIA has been involved in in our history," offering a near-acknowledgment of what is officially a secret war.

"Those operations are seriously disrupting al-Qaeda," Panetta said. "It's pretty clear from all the intelligence we are getting that they are having a very difficult time putting together any kind of command and control, that they are scrambling. And that we really do have them on the run."

re: #31 Gus 802

Congratulations Red. You're a troll.

sorry, but you'll have to try harder: i'm an old timer that thinks there's more to life than the current buzz.... your blanket statement that the CIA was involved all over the world suppressing human rights, and that the UN rightfully needs to crawl up Uncle Sam's fourth point of contact, without *any* supporting documentation, is, at best, laughable.

that my saying so disturbs you is even more so.

i've been here on LGF for awhile, and, although i don;t come by as much as i used to, i don't troll, i don't flounce, and i respect the landlord's wishes when i'm in his house. where i come from, that's called courtesy.

re: #32 iceweasel

They'll never acknowledge it. Obama's going gang busters in Afghanistan and took up the slack that was never there. The kill ratio is higher than it ever was before so they're kind of, perplexed.

re: #35 Gus 802

They'll never acknowledge it. Obama's going gang busters in Afghanistan and took up the slack that was never there. The kill ratio is higher than it ever was before so they're kind of, perplexed.

Doesn't fit the narrative. Will not compute.
In other news, because there's no CBO score released today, (wednesday, that is) looks like a Sat HCR vote is off the table. Might still happen before the end of the weekend though.

No CBO score Wednesday night; Saturday healthcare vote unlikely

House Democratic leaders on Wednesday night said the long-awaited Congressional Budget Office score of the reconciliation bill will not come out until Thursday, forcing an acknowledgement that a Saturday healthcare vote is likely off the table.

But leaders are still hoping for a score on Thursday, and are still preparing for a possible vote before the end of the weekend.

Insurer targeted HIV patients to drop coverage

The revelations come at a time when President Barack Obama, in his frantic push to rescue the administration's health care plan, has stepped up his criticism of insurers. The U.S. House of Representatives is expected to vote later this week on an overhaul of the health system, which Obama has said is essential to do away with controversial and unpopular industry practices.

re: #12 Spare O'Lake

Bullshit. You are engaged in systematic harassment of one person, and I'm sick and tired of it. Get a life.

I am engaged in the systematic mockery of systemic wingnuttery. It's not my fault if a certain person is its avatar.

Get. A. Clue.

re: #34 redc1c4

sorry, but you'll have to try harder: i'm an old timer that thinks there's more to life than the current buzz... your blanket statement that the CIA was involved all over the world suppressing human rights, and that the UN rightfully needs to crawl up Uncle Sam's fourth point of contact, without *any* supporting documentation, is, at best, laughable.

that my saying so disturbs you is even more so.

i've been here on LGF for awhile, and, although i don;t come by as much as i used to, i don't troll, i don't flounce, and i respect the landlord's wishes when i'm in his house. where i come from, that's called courtesy.

Two things first Red. You're an "old time" by what? 1 year? Secondly, you're the one that went off half cocked and personal by alluding that I was crazy because I mentioned the CIA for being involved in the Central and South American death squads which-is-a-fact whether you care to admit to it or not. If you think you can come in here and pull the same old passive aggressive bullshit that used to pass for dialogue at LGF anymore well I have news for you. It doesn't work that way anymore. If you don't like what I have to say then tough shit. Go back to Patterico, Correspondence Committee or Riehl World View where you can feel safe.

re: #39 Gus 802

Fruitcup doesn't live here anymore.

re: #40 iceweasel

Fruitcup doesn't live here anymore.

Sure doesn't.

Yeah, just checked. Redc1c4 has also been hanging out at Ace of Spuds, Gateway Pundit, and even at Robert Stacy McCain's site.

Conan on Fox?

Fox Puts Pressure on Stations Over Conan

Wal-Mart 'appalled' at announcement telling blacks to leave store

New Jersey authorities are investigating an announcement made over a public address system at a southern New Jersey Wal-Mart telling "all blacks" to leave the store.

Shortly before 5 p.m. Sunday, an unidentified male accessed the public address system at the Turnersville, New Jersey, Wal-Mart Supercenter Store, Gloucester County prosecutors said.

"All blacks need to leave the store," the voice announced.

Suspect it was a student prank.

Put in the spin-offs a 21 year old video of a panel at a NAS meeting on Climate Change. Notably 2 out of 3 of the politicians speaking were Republicans. Of special note are the comments by former Governor Kean of NJ.

It's a link that won't be clicked much, but it is evidence that the GOP has fallen quite a bit from the idea of being serious about science.

Good Morning Lizards!

Morning peeps. Looks like it was a quiet night around here.

Obama has crossed the line

The campaign was personally orchestrated by President Barack Obama. His Vice President Biden accused us of “endangering US lives in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan.” Despite Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s abject apology, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton accused him of “insulting” the US. Obama’s chief political adviser David Axelrod even claimed that the Israeli government was deliberately undermining peace talks.

These hostile outbursts must be viewed in the context of the fact that despite strong ongoing support for Israel by the American people, the US-Israel relationship has been on a downward spiral since the election of the new administration. Former Mossad head Ephraim Halevy attributes this to Obama’s determination to rehabilitate Islam’s global tarnished image. [...]

We may not be a superpower but the Obama administration will hesitate to pursue a path which rejects the consensus of the nation. A demonstration of unity against the unprecedented attacks on Israel’s sovereignty by the Obama administration will also encourage the American people and Congress to publicly support and assist us to reaffirm the traditional alliance and bonds of friendship between our two nations.

It will hopefully also encourage the Obama administration to relate to us with at least the same level of courtesy and respect it extends to rogue states.

re: #50 gegenkritik

Obama has crossed the line

Listen Mister! Obama is just trying to repair the US relationship with all our allies that BUSH destroyed!

The best way to accomplish this is to throw them all under a very large bus!
//

MSNBC just played a couple of Biden clips from yesterday. I think he's been drinking. If there's a way to stick his foot in his mouth, he'll find it.

re: #52 RogueOne

MSNBC just played a couple of Biden clips from yesterday. I think he's been drinking. If there's a way to stick his foot in his mouth, he'll find it.

He is truly gifted. I imagine Obama has a mark on his forehead from slapping it each time he hears of another Biden gaffe.

Gotta go do life.

Later Lizardia!

re: #50 gegenkritik

Your author, ISI LEIBLER, sounds like quite the religious zealot:

Save religious Zionism

A religious Zionist who rejects the state is a vile aberration who should be expelled from the mainstream no less than an idol worshiper. If there is continued hesitation to eradicate such misguided zealots from its midst now, religious Zionism is poised at the edge of an abyss, [...]

Morning Joe is bringing on Dr. Brzezinski to discuss the question "Are US relations with Israel at their lowest point in 35 years?". I have $20 in my pocket that says I already know what he's going to say.

re: #52 RogueOne

MSNBC just played a couple of Biden clips from yesterday. I think he's been drinking. If there's a way to stick his foot in his mouth, he'll find it.

Doesn't he have some kind of research staff? Or Google?

re: #55 freetoken

Your author, ISI LEIBLER, sounds like quite the religious zealot:

Save religious Zionism

Whack job is a better descriptor.

re: #57 Cannadian Club Akbar

Doesn't he have some kind of research staff? Or Google?

Or a speech writer?

re: #55 freetoken

Your author, ISI LEIBLER, sounds like quite the religious zealot

Of course he is a religious zealot: Not only is he a Jew (and he does not even hide his religion!), he even promotes the idea of Israelis building houses in Israel, unbelieveable.

re: #57 Cannadian Club Akbar

Doesn't he have some kind of research staff? Or Google?

I liked his tiger woods quip the best. "Tiger came by and gave me some tips". He didn't think anything about it until the crowd started laughing.

Doug Porter, the state's director of Medicaid, said Medicaid recipients should be able to readily find another pharmacy because "we have many more pharmacy providers in our network than we need" for the state's 1 million Medicaid clients.

[Link: seattletimes.nwsource.com...]

So Walgreens won't take new Medicaid recipients because they're losing money. The above quote is from the link. Question: If a large drug store chain can't afford to lose money, how will smaller ones be able to?

re: #60 gegenkritik

You can, of course, ignore Liebler's ravings which are all over the internet, and the plenty of Jews who are very critical of his harsh zealotry.

It may come as a surprise to you, but the United States of America does not recognize the state of Israel based on religious claims.

Cops have visited elderly Brooklyn couple's home at least 50 TIMES looking for criminals
[Link: www.nydailynews.com...]

Brooklyn World War II vet Walter Martin and his wife, Rose, aren't at the top of the NYPD's most wanted list - it just feels that way.

Cops have swooped down on the law-abiding couple's modest Marine Park home at least 50 times in the last eight years hunting bad guys - only to learn they were chasing a bad address.

They've come looking for murder and robbery suspects. Once, cops came hunting for one of their own - an NYPD officer accused of raping his 14-year-old stepdaughter.

In each case, NYPD officers from commands ranging from the north Bronx to Staten Island somehow confused the Martins' two-story home with the hideout of a suspect or key witness - a different person nearly every time.

Read more: [Link: www.nydailynews.com...]

They are taking it a lot better than I would. 50 times? Someone needs to get on the ball and fix this before some cop kills the old man or shoots their dogs. By accident of course.

re: #63 freetoken

You can, of course, ignore Liebler's ravings which are all over the internet, and the plenty of Jews who are very critical of his harsh zealotry.

It may come as a surprise to you, but the United States of America does not recognize the state of Israel based on religious claims.

Nations come into existence by either treaty or conflict.

In the case of Israel, that nation was established by treaty first, the UN Partition plan (effectively the same mechanism used to establish Pakistan). Subsequently, she was attacked by the Arab world and then won.

Her national bona fides are impeccable notwithstanding claims otherwise.

re: #64 RogueOne

Cops have visited elderly Brooklyn couple's home at least 50 TIMES looking for criminals
[Link: www.nydailynews.com...]

They are taking it a lot better than I would. 50 times? Someone needs to get on the ball and fix this before some cop kills the old man or shoots their dogs. By accident of course.

And someone needs to refer a really good lawyer to those folks.

Dropping in 50 times at the wrong address is outrageous.

I don't care what you tax, but ya better tax something!!!
[Link: cbs3.com...]

re: #63 freetoken
Even though the whole world likes to do, I prefer not to interfere into Jewish religious issues, thanks.

It may come as a surprise to you, but vice versa Israel also does not recognize the United States of America based on religious claims (even though it's God's own country).

Another crime lab story, this time in NC:

Ex-FBI agents set to begin review of NC crime lab
[Link: billingsgazette.com...]

Two former assistant directors of the FBI are beginning a review of North Carolina's crime lab following revelations that led to a groundbreaking exoneration of a man wrongly accused in a 1991 murder.

A spokeswoman for Attorney General Roy Cooper says the independent assessment will begin with meetings Thursday. Cooper ordered a review of cases dating to the 1990s.

Past practices at the state crime lab Cooper now overseas came into focus after judges exonerated Greg Taylor after a lengthy inquiry into his claim of innocence. State Bureau of Investigation Director Robin Pendergraft has said the lab had a now-defunct policy of not automatically providing complete notes on blood test results for trials.

re: #67 Cannadian Club Akbar

I don't care what you tax, but ya better tax something!!!
[Link: cbs3.com...]

Related:

[Link: www.dailyfinance.com...]

A study published earlier this week by the American Medical Association's Archives of Internal Medicine argues that if pizza and soda were more expensive, people would consume them less frequently in favor of healthier fare. Tacking an 18% tax onto pizza and soda would reduce Americans' intake of calories, which would in turn help slash health care costs by an astounding $147 billion a year, according to the study's authors. Pizza was singled out by the researchers because, like soda, its real price (versus inflation, through 2006) fell over time, while costs for seemingly healthier foods such as whole milk rose over the 20-year period reviewed in the study.

Taking off for work, bbiab...

Good morning, folks.

Whoever invented being up at 4 AM (unwillingly) to go to work should be flogged severely.

re: #70 RogueOne

Pizza was singled out by the researchers because, like soda, its real price (versus inflation, through 2006) fell over time, while costs for seemingly healthier foods such as whole milk rose over the 20-year period reviewed in the study.

Big milk is killing us!!

re: #72 MrSilverDragon

Good morning, folks.

Whoever invented being up at 4 AM (unwillingly) to go to work should be flogged severely.

I think it was a guy who owned a bait shop. As a kid I worked with my neighbor at his parents bait shop. Bait shrimp and cold friend chicken know no time. 4 AM was the norm. And good morning.

Alex Chilton - Dec 28, 1950 - Mar 17, 2010

Nightime - Big Star/Alex Chilton

At nightime I go out and see the people
Air goes cool and hurrying on my way
And dressing so sweet, all the people to see
They're looking at me, all the people to see.
And when I set my eyes on you
You look like a kitty
And when you're in the moon
Oh you look so pretty
Caught a glance in your eyes
And fell through the skies
Glance in your eyes
And fell through the skies
I'm walking down the freezing street
Scarf goes out behind
You said, Get them away
Please don't say a word
Get me out of here
Get me out of here
I hate it here
Get me out of here
At nightime I go out and see the people
Air goes cool and hurrying on my way
Glanced in your eyes and fell through the skies
Dance in your eyes and fell through the skies

Doesn't look like I missed much, hello again shiny happy people:

re: #74 Cannadian Club Akbar

I think it was a guy who owned a bait shop. As a kid I worked with my neighbor at his parents bait shop. Bait shrimp and cold friend chicken know no time. 4 AM was the norm. And good morning.

God bless the bait shop guys of the world.
Good Morning LGF.

re: #77 Spare O'Lake

God bless the bait shop guys of the world.
Good Morning LGF.

I also worked on a shrimp boat as a kid. Snappy little fuckers.

So I flipped on Coast to Coast AM on the way home, and who do I hear but ALEX "The Animal" JONES losing his freaking mind about the census! Just going bonkers apocalyptic about it. Apparently on the long form there's a question about when you go to work, which to him was just the equivalent of being visited by the Stasi. And there's all these kooky people calling in, bitching about the census and how it's unconstitutional. It was truly something to behold! And then after a few minutes of this, George Norry seamlessly segued into the break. 'That was Alex Jones, up next, ancient Astronauts!"

LOL

re: #79 windupbird

I LOVE Coast to Coast. That is the best freak show out there. I have heard people with PHD's talking about the civilizations that dwell in the middle of the earth. Bwhahaha!!!!!!!!!!!

re: #80 Cannadian Club Akbar

I LOVE Coast to Coast. That is the best freak show out there. I have heard people with PHD's talking about the civilizations that dwell in the middle of the earth. Bwhahaha!!!

Shoot. They're digging a little too close to the new lizardoid underground lair, methinks.

Fuck. I need to cash my check, some food, some socks and hoses for my washer. This means one thing: Wal Mart. Oy.

re: #82 Cannadian Club Akbar

Fuck. I need to cash my check, some food, some socks and hoses for my washer. This means one thing: Wal Mart. Oy.

BIG WAL-MART IS EEEBIIILLL

re: #83 thedopefishlives

BIG WAL-MART IS EEEBIIILLL

I run in and out as fast as I can. My gosh I hate that place.

re: #83 thedopefishlives

BIG WAL-MART IS EEEBIIILLL

What are you talking about? It is how we send our borrowed Chinese money back to China.

re: #85 Fat Bastard Vegetarian

What are you talking about? It is how we send our borrowed Chinese money back to China.

I'm hoping to score some lead tainted socks!!!

re: #86 Cannadian Club Akbar

I'm hoping to score some lead tainted socks!!!

Re-defining steel tipped boots...

It's Only Israel So It's No Big Deal Alert:

Gaza Rocket Kills Man In Southern Israel:
A rocket fired by Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip on Thursday killed a migrant worker in the northern Negev.

Paramedics brought the man to the infirmary at Moshav Nativ Ha'asara, but declared him dead shortly after. This was the third rocket fired from the Gaza Strip in less than 24 hours, according to the Israel Defense Forces.
...
More than 100 rockets have been fired from Gaza at Israel since Operation Cast Lead ended in January 2009, according to the Israel Defense Forces.
[Link: www.haaretz.com...]

What other country in the world is required not only to tolerate this indiscriminate murderous conduct but also is expected to sit and negotiate its very existence with the leaders and enablers of the terrorists who fire these missiles?

re: #80 Cannadian Club Akbar

I LOVE Coast to Coast. That is the best freak show out there. I have heard people with PHD's talking about the civilizations that dwell in the middle of the earth. Bwhahaha!!!

To Inner Space! To the earth's molten core!

re: #79 windupbird

Since I complain about how much the government spends on EVERYTHING, I am going to fill out my Census form completely and correctly.

I do not want the count of my family to cost one penny more than it has to.

Friends do not Treat Friends in this Manner

A friend of TWS passes along this letter that Rabbi Stuart Weinblatt wrote to his congressman, Steny Hoyer:

Dear Steny,

I am very concerned by the hostile and belligerent tone taken by this Administration towards a close ally over an administrative error made by a low-level bureaucrat, and for which Prime Minister Netanyahu has now apologized no less than four times.

While Israel is trying to downplay the issue and to show its willingness to accept responsibility for an unfortunate error in timing, it appears that President Obama is seeking to use this as a pretext to drive a wedge between us and an important reliable ally of long-standing.

One cannot help but wonder –

Why was Abbas’ refusal to accept the US request and Israeli offer for direct negotiations not an “insult and affront” to the United States and the Vice President?

Why was Assad’s meeting with Ahmadinejad the day after the US announced that we were sending an ambassador to Syria ignored by the State Department and not deemed to be an “insult and affront” to the United States?

Why is Palestinian Authority incitement of rioters in Jerusalem and elsewhere not condemned by this administration and not an “insult and affront” to the United States and the Vice President?

Why is the naming of the main public square in Ramallah by Abbas in honor of Fatah terrorist Dalal Mughrabi, murderer of 38 Israelis - 13 of them little kids not an impediment to the peace process and not an insult and affront to the US and Israel????

Not to mention – why does this administration insist on viewing construction in a vacant piece of land, adjacent to existing housing seen as thwarting the two state solution?

Israel is being asked to make concessions just to get the other side to come to negotiations, (while no demands are being made of the Palestinians) and is being told she can trust assurances by this administration that they will support her. As Seth Meyers of Saturday Night Live would say, “Oh really?!” In light of the apoplectic response over this issue how can Israel have any faith that this administration understands the risks it is taking for peace or that it will support her in a time of trouble. The administration response is doing little more than to pamper to and firm up the extremists and rejectionists in the Arab world.

I urge you to please speak out and let President Obama, Secretary Clinton and members of his administration know that friends do not treat friends in this manner – unless they are not interested in being friends anymore.

Sincerely yours,

Rabbi Stuart Weinblatt

re: #79 windupbird

George Norry seamlessly segued into the break. 'That was Alex Jones, up next, ancient Astronauts!"

Aww, man, an interview with one of the original Mercury Seven? And I missed it? Damn!

//

Gonna run so I can get back. See ya'll in a bit. Ugh.

The pols call it "whipping" and "arm-twisting", but in the case of the Dem HRC holdouts isn't it more accurately described as bribing and blackmailing?

re: #86 Cannadian Club Akbar

I'm hoping to score some lead tainted socks!!!

You just can't get thick socks down here in the South. My feet are always cold because of my illness, but Wally World's Master Computer doesn't allocate the thick socks to the Southern States. So I got some at a Wal-Mart just outside of Pittsburgh nearly 10 years ago.

They've pilled up, but that's about it - 10 years of washing and wearing and still going strong! :)

So am I the only one here who goes to sleep when the sun comes up? :D

re: #94 Spare O'Lake

The pols call it "whipping" and "arm-twisting", but in the case of the Dem HRC holdouts isn't it more accurately described as bribing and blackmailing?

isn't that always how it goes when there's a close vote on a giant bill? Doesn't get much bigger than this one.

re: #91 gegenkritik

Why is the naming of the main public square in Ramallah by Abbas in honor of Fatah terrorist Dalal Mughrabi, murderer of 38 Israelis - 13 of them little kids not an impediment to the peace process and not an insult and affront to the US and Israel???

Helluva question, that.

re: #94 Spare O'Lake

The pols call it "whipping" and "arm-twisting", but in the case of the Dem HRC holdouts isn't it more accurately described as bribing and blackmailing?

Whipping = being slammed face first into the hood of a car.

Arm-twisting = Grab wrist and twist until knuckles are between shoulder blades. Shove face into wall for additional emphasis.

re: #99 SteveC

WHERE THERE'S A WHIP, THERE'S A WAY

Washington State Walgreens bows out

Effective April 16, Walgreens drugstores across the state won't take any new Medicaid patients, saying that filling their prescriptions is a money-losing proposition — the latest development in an ongoing dispute over Medicaid reimbursement.

re: #79 windupbird

'That was Alex Jones, up next, ancient Astronauts!"

LOL

Hey now, I saw a program last week on the Science channel about those alien-nauts. It was on tv so it has to be true.

Hey everyone. I hope nobody's feeling Erin go BLAH! this morning.

re: #94 Spare O'Lake

The pols call it "whipping" and "arm-twisting", but in the case of the Dem HRC holdouts isn't it more accurately described as bribing and blackmailing?

Everybody but the taxpayers has been paid off in this bill.

re: #103 Mad Al-Jaffee

Hey everyone. I hope nobody's feeling Erin go BLAH! this morning.

Yeah, that'd be me. I spent all day yesterday moving boxes and gathering up kitties.

re: #105 thedopefishlives

Yeah, that'd be me. I spent all day yesterday moving boxes and gathering up kitties.

No green beer?

Speaking of Health Care. My aunt just went into surgery for a liver transplant. She's been in the hospital for almost a month, in a coma for a week, and had her liver and kidneys shut down. It's been a rough month for her.

re: #102 RogueOne

Hey now, I saw a program last week on the Science channel about those alien-nauts. It was on tv so it has to be true.

It makes for a cool video game plot!

re: #42 freetoken

I'd think that FOX would prefer to hire Conan the Barbarian as a commentator. Would use him for odd witticisms much as the Futurama had Morgo.

re: #106 Mad Al-Jaffee

No green beer?

No green beer, no corned beef (although my mother-in-law did serve some of that earlier in the week when moving some of my wife's stuff out of their house). We ate at a local barbecue joint to celebrate.

re: #109 oaktree

I'd think that FOX would prefer to hire Conan the Barbarian as a commentator. Would use him for odd witticisms much as the Futurama had Morgo.

WINDMILLS DO NOT WORK THAT WAY!!

I love Morbo. :D

re: #102 RogueOne

Hey now, I saw a program last week on the Science channel about those alien-nauts. It was on tv so it has to be true.

Ever read the book Walk on Water? It's about the Pediatric Heart Surgery program at the Cleveland Clinic. Baby arrives via helicopter and is rushed to the Cath Lab. Parents drive up a few moments later. They are shown to a waiting room, where one of the hosts is bringing them up to date on what is going on: Your child arrived a few minutes ago and was taken straight to the Cath Lab. They are going to take some pictures of his heart so the surgical team knows what the situation is. Dr. Mee himself is in the Cath Lab, just relax, he's operated on thousands of babies.

The mother says Who is this Mee person? I've never seen him on Montel.

/Jeebus, Lady!

re: #107 RogueOne

Speaking of Health Care. My aunt just went into surgery for a liver transplant. She's been in the hospital for almost a month, in a coma for a week, and had her liver and kidneys shut down. It's been a rough month for her.

My best - hope it all goes well for her!

Good morning Lizards from always sunny Philadelphia. (And we really mean it this morning.)

Amazingly enough, the gutters are not running with green puke despite the city's reputation for overindulgence on St. Patrick's Day. (The city police had special DUI squads out last night for instance.)

Cabbage and corned beef was passed on last night in favor of curried brown rice and some garlic chicken sausage washed down with a few wheat beers. Not traditional, but tasty nonetheless.

The cat overlords send a reminder to pet your kitty today. It will be remembered when your staff review comes up in the near future.

re: #113 SteveC

My best - hope it all goes well for her!

Thanks, she's in a very good hospital and getting top-notch care all with zero health insurance so thanks to everyone for kicking in.

re: #114 oaktree

....
The cat overlords send a reminder to pet your kitty today. It will be remembered when your staff review comes up in the near future.

I saw this on BoingBoing last night:
[Link: www.boingboing.net...]

The only reason I'm posting is because the cat does look like the Diabeetus cat and you can hear the owner using clicker training. If you've never tried clicker training your animals I highly recommend it.

re: #97 WindUpBird

isn't that always how it goes when there's a close vote on a giant bill? Doesn't get much bigger than this one.

Yep, business as usual in Washington, and who really cares anyway?
*yawn*
///

re: #117 Spare O'Lake

Yep, business as usual in Washington, and who really cares anyway?
*yawn*
///

I'm hoping it doesn't pass but I'm already bored with the whole thing. I'm wondering if that wasn't the whole point of dragging it out like this, to wear us down. I'm ready for it to be over.

re: #116 RogueOne

I'll look into it when I next receive a new cat overlord.

I'm not sure how the current set would respond to a clicker-based order response system. Both are older and entrenched in the current supervisory system. And one of them is deaf -- which leads to a lot of "can you hear me-now!" situations. (And of course he is half-Siamese and can wail like an air raid siren.)

Semi-good news:

I posted this lawsuit awhile ago and the court finally ruled:

[Link: www.philly.com...]

Court declines to decide if sexting is pornography

A federal appeals court in will not decide whether "sexting" is pornography in the case of three Pennsylvania teenagers facing criminal charges for appearing in cell phone photographs partly clothed.

The court today did rule that the former district attorney in Wyoming County, George Skumanick Jr., was wrong when he threatened to prosecute a teen because she refused to attend his "education" class.

The case before the Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit in Philadelphia gained national attention earlier this year because it was, potentially, the first case to address whether "sexting" was protected by free speech law.

They didn't rule that "sexting" was covered by free speech laws but they did slap the prosecutor around for trying to force the kids into re-education classes.

In and out of Wal Mart in record time- and got everything I needed!!!

re: #119 oaktree

I'll look into it when I next receive a new cat overlord.

I'm not sure how the current set would respond to a clicker-based order response system. Both are older and entrenched in the current supervisory system. And one of them is deaf -- which leads to a lot of "can you hear me-now!" situations. (And of course he is half-Siamese and can wail like an air raid siren.)

Dobermans are sensitive dogs, if you yell or force train them they'll all but break. Clicker training is perfect since it's all positive reinforcement and they all but teach themselves the trick. I still do it every day or so, They love it, they get all excited as soon as they see me grab the clicker.

re: #120 RogueOne

Semi-good news:

I posted this lawsuit awhile ago and the court finally ruled:

[Link: www.philly.com...]

Court declines to decide if sexting is pornography

They didn't rule that "sexting" was covered by free speech laws but they did slap the prosecutor around for trying to force the kids into re-education classes.

I do have to ask, what's so different about being in a cell phone photograph partially clothed as opposed to a regular photograph? Nudie pics are nudie pics, whether they be transmitted from phone to phone or displayed over the Internet or printed in a magazine.

IIRC, pron is only pron if there is more than 1 person in the pic. Nudie pics are fine as long as the person is 18 or over.

re: #124 Cannadian Club Akbar

IIRC, pron is only pron if there is more than 1 person in the pic. Nudie pics are fine as long as the person is 18 or over.

Which, if I'm given to understand the situation correctly, is not the case for these teenagers. I'm assuming that's why all the hullabaloo in the first place.

re: #123 thedopefishlives

I do have to ask, what's so different about being in a cell phone photograph partially clothed as opposed to a regular photograph? Nudie pics are nudie pics, whether they be transmitted from phone to phone or displayed over the Internet or printed in a magazine.

In this case the prosecutor didn't have enough, or any, probable cause needed to prosecute so he tried to bully the kids into his special "education" classes. The classes themselves violated the kids free-speech rights since they were being forced to admit and say things they didn't want to say under a threat of prosecution. In this case there was only one picture where a teenage girl was nude and, from what I've read, nudity alone isn't enough to consider a picture "pornography".

re: #125 thedopefishlives

Which, if I'm given to understand the situation correctly, is not the case for these teenagers. I'm assuming that's why all the hullabaloo in the first place.

The article said 2 12 year olds in training bras. I don't think that's porn, considering all the sites for modeling. The 16 year old with exposed breast could be a problem.

re: #121 Cannadian Club Akbar

In and out of Wal Mart in record time- and got everything I needed!!!

Wal-Mart, the store that everyone hates, except for the public!

re: #128 The Sanity Inspector

Wal-Mart, the store that everyone hates, except for the public!

I don't actually hate Wal Mart, just the people who shop there. They just walk around. Make a list people!!!

re: #129 Cannadian Club Akbar

I don't actually hate Wal Mart, just the people who shop there. They just walk around. Make a list people!!!

From the looks of some of them, it's the only exercise they get!

re: #127 Cannadian Club Akbar

The article said 2 12 year olds in training bras. I don't think that's porn, considering all the sites for modeling. The 16 year old with exposed breast could be a problem.

I think it has to do with genitals and suggestive posing, topless alone isn't enough. There was a big story in the next county over last year where a cop got busted sleeping with a 16 yr old. He didn't get in trouble for having sex with her but he did get in trouble for taking pictures of her in the act which seems a little off base to me.

re: #128 The Sanity Inspector

They have the best prices on kid's cereals, milk, and my acid reduced coffee.

re: #131 RogueOne

I think it has to do with genitals and suggestive posing, topless alone isn't enough. There was a big story in the next county over last year where a cop got busted sleeping with a 16 yr old. He didn't get in trouble for having sex with her but he did get in trouble for taking pictures of her in the act which seems a little off base to me.

Yeah, when you said that nudity alone wasn't enough, it kinda confused me, but that makes a lot more sense. The rules around pornography are kinda weird to me - if a girl's too young to have sex without getting the guy busted for statutory, what business does she have sending nude or partially nude pictures around?

re: #131 RogueOne

IIRC, some state's have the age of consent for sex at 16.

re: #129 Cannadian Club Akbar

I don't actually hate Wal Mart, just the people who shop there. They just walk around. Make a list people!!!

You mean these people?

re: #134 Cannadian Club Akbar

IIRC, some state's have the age of consent for sex at 16.

That's the age in Indiana. Just seemed weird that he's allowed to sleep with her all he wants, just not take any pictures. If she's too young to take a completely nude pic then shouldn't she be too young to have sex with?

re: #134 Cannadian Club Akbar

IIRC, some state's have the age of consent for sex at 16.

I once played a pretty big club in Baltimore. One of the dressing rooms had a sign on the wall that said something like: Attention Musicians. The age of consent in Maryland is 16. Please use this information wisely.

re: #132 prairiefire

They have the best prices on kid's cereals, milk, and my acid reduced coffee.

Hoses for my washing machine:
Home Depot:$21
Wal Mart:$11
And I got 6 pairs of Fruit of the Loom socks:6 pair/$5.
Heh.

re: #136 RogueOne

That's the age in Indiana. Just seemed weird that he's allowed to sleep with her all he wants, just not take any pictures. If she's too young to take a completely nude pic then shouldn't she be too young to have sex with?

You would think so.

re: #137 Mad Al-Jaffee

I once played a pretty big club in Baltimore. One of the dressing rooms had a sign on the wall that said something like: Attention Musicians. The age of consent in Maryland is 16. Please use this information wisely.

I used to hang at a club. Had drinks with this one girl. Used to hang out at the warehouses where bands practiced, more drinks with her. Then I found out her actual age. Not good.

Happy Spring Break!

If you go to mexico you run the risk of getting caught in a drug-related crossfire, if you go to Daytona you get raped....

[Link: www.wftv.com...]

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Six women reported they were raped in just the first week of spring break in Daytona Beach. One of the rapes happened in a bathroom stall at the county's Ocean Center. So far, police have arrested one man.

Daytona Beach police and tourism promoters said there are more students than there have been in several years and more attacks in this week than in the previous two months. Most of the reports are coming from the tourist zone, which is a half-mile stretch of hotels, bars and the beach.

CIA director says secret attacks have hobbled al-Qaeda:[Link: www.washingtonpost.com...]

re: #132 prairiefire

They have the best prices on kid's cereals, milk, and my acid reduced coffee.

Having a Wal-Mart in town is like giving the poor a tax cut.

re: #143 The Sanity Inspector

Having a Wal-Mart in town is like giving the poor a tax cut.

People who pay no taxes get a tax cut?

re: #132 prairiefire

They have the best prices on kid's cereals, milk, and my acid reduced coffee.

It's so true. I hate going there because i stand in line for 10 minutes regardless of what I'm buying, but my wife can handle it and legitimately gets cheaper staples in doing so. Hate the game, not the playa...

re: #143 The Sanity Inspector

Having a Wal-Mart in town is like giving the poor a tax cut.

And the lottery is like a tax on stupidity.

I was married in South Carolina. The legal age for girls is 14. I assured the clerk I was of age.

re: #146 Mad Al-Jaffee

And the lottery is like a tax on stupidity.

Exactly. But in Florida, we got the lottery to help education. Then the politicians reallocated education funds with the lottery money coming in. Fuckin' idiots.

re: #135 Mad Al-Jaffee

You mean these people?

i heart that website...

re: #147 prairiefire

I was married in South Carolina. The legal age for girls is 14. I assured the clerk I was of age.

Did you then sell him some Girl Scout cookies?
/

re: #143 The Sanity Inspector

Having a Wal-Mart in town is like giving the poor a tax cut.

As well as the not-so-poor

re: #145 Aceofwhat?

It's so true. I hate going there because i stand in line for 10 minutes regardless of what I'm buying, but my wife can handle it and legitimately gets cheaper staples in doing so. Hate the game, not the playa...

At our WalMart, the lines are long usually, but they are blazing fast at getting people through them. There's another store where I sometimes shop for groceries, I got in line there the other day, behind one person whose last item was being scanned. I was in that line for another 15 minutes before they finally finished checking her out.

re: #150 Cannadian Club Akbar

I heard that the age was so low because of the Travelers that live in certain SC towns. They marry off their kids really young. Who knew gypsies had such a strong lobby?

re: #144 Cannadian Club Akbar

Having a Wal-Mart in town is like giving the poor a tax cut.

People who pay no taxes get a tax cut?

Lower prices benefit the poor the most. Hence the analogy.

re: #151 reine.de.tout

At our WalMart, the lines are long usually, but they are blazing fast at getting people through them. There's another store where I sometimes shop for groceries, I got in line there the other day, behind one person whose last item was being scanned. I was in that line for another 15 minutes before they finally finished checking her out.

I imagine there was a reine embêtée at the end of that 15 minutes;)

I would shop at WalMart if there was one closer to home. The closest one is about a 20 minute drive away. There's a target just a few minutes away, and I love Target.

My staunchly pro-union (to the point of believing that ALL jobs should be union) hate WalMart. They'll still occasionally shop at Whole Foods though, but they fell guilty about it.

re: #153 The Sanity Inspector

Lower prices benefit the poor the most. Hence the analogy.

I read a report last year that said it also helps them eat healthier. Cheaper food prices=healthier public.

re: #153 The Sanity Inspector

Lower prices benefit the poor the most. Hence the analogy.

I knew that. Was just being difficult. :)

re: #146 Mad Al-Jaffee

And the lottery is like a tax on stupidity.

The answer is: The Georgia Lottery!
And the question...rip-rip...What has three balls and screws thousands of rednecks daily?

re: #68 gegenkritik

It may come as a surprise to you, but vice versa Israel also does not recognize the United States of America based on religious claims (even though it's God's own country).

That's New Zealand.

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

You fail very frequently.

re: #156 RogueOne

I read a report last year that said it also helps them eat healthier. Cheaper food prices=healthier public.

I have also heard that Wal Mart saves more money for consumers than the gubment gives away in entitlements.

re: #152 prairiefire

I heard that the age was so low because of the Travelers that live in certain SC towns. They marry off their kids really young. Who knew gypsies had such a strong lobby?

don't forget...April 8 is American Roma day...

re: #151 reine.de.tout

However, the quality of stuff at Wal-mart sucks. It really does.

Here's how Wal-Mart works:

Companies produce a special line of whatever it is they make to put at Wal-Mart. Not every company, but a lot of them, and especially the durable goods companies. This is because Wal-Mart pays them lower than anyone else, and so by mutual agreement this line, which has the same serial number, perhaps with a slight difference at the end-- has gone through fewer (or no) rounds of quality assurance testing.

The products at Wal-Mart are designed the same as their counterparts elsewhere, but their overall quality is demonstrably lower, since many more will fail.

The evil part about this is that it's a crapshoot, a lottery-- you may be the poor dude who buys the faulty TV that will fail in a year, or you may not.

Anyway: Wal-Mart products are cheaper, but in many, many cases, especially with high-end items, that comes with a price of lower quality control. So in the end, they're no cheaper than rival products.

I don't know as much about their other departments, mainly just about durable goods. But the company did not get to be where it was by giving generous deals to customers, I'm afraid.

re: #159 Obdicut

That's New Zealand.

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

You fail very frequently.

Dude, you should have gone with

"That is why you fail..."

wide-open opportunity there-

re: #161 Aceofwhat?

My fiancee is part Roma, and works with

[Link: www.voiceofroma.com...]

April 2nd is when it's going down out here. Some good music will be had.

re: #162 Obdicut

I don't quite follow, but i want to follow. Do you mean that a Sony sold at Wal-mart is more likely to fail, or that durable goods brands sold uniquely at Wal-mart are more likely to fail?

(and my wife shops there for the cereal prices...Grape Nuts do not fail...;)

re: #164 Obdicut

My fiancee is part Roma, and works with

[Link: www.voiceofroma.com...]

April 2nd is when it's going down out here. Some good music will be had.

Are you serious? That is all kinds of fantastic. Your kids will have legit Roma blood! How cool is that-

re: #162 Obdicut

My socks and skivvies hold up quite well.

re: #167 Cannadian Club Akbar

My socks and skivvies hold up quite well.

...although now that you mention it, socks and skivvies which expire after a certain amount of time aren't necessarily a disservice to the consumer...

re: #165 Aceofwhat?

(and my wife shops there for the cereal prices...Grape Nuts do not fail...;)

But there's no grapes or nuts in them! That sounds like fail to me! :)

I have a second cousin who has done genealogy research and he says we have a grandma who was Spanish gypsy/Roma. I need to write to him to get the details.

Greets and saluts from the NYC metro area. Israel's partners in peace are at it again. They murdered a Thai worker who was working on a greenhouse near Sderot when the kassam rocket fired by one of the terror groups from Gaza exploded and killed him.

An al Qaeda spinoff or Fatah's spinoff al Aqsa Martyrs Brigade (AAMB) claimed responsibility.

Read that last sentence again - the AAMB is Fatah. They're trying to show that they can be just as violent as Hamas or al Qaeda and all are dedicated to Israel's destruction and all are proffering the nonsensical rumor that Israel's dedication of the Hurva synagogue presages Israel's plan to take over the Temple Mount and rebuilt the Holy Temple where the Dome of the Rock now stands.

They claim that Israel is Judenizing Jerusalem with the dedication of the Hurva.

Memo to the Palestinian and anti-Semites - Israel and Jerusalem has had a Jewish presence for 3,000 years. Any claims to the contrary is revisionist history and purposefully seeking to discredit Israel's legitimacy. [deleted]

ALex Chilton - 1950 - 2010

The Box Tops - The Letter w/ Alex Chilton, age 16

re: #165 Aceofwhat?

Both. And I don't know about the food, but it's entirely possible that goes through fewer runs of quality control as well.

I mean the Sony television you buy at Wal-Mart that has the same serial number as one you buy from Sony directly has the identical physical plan and materials but has not been tested as well as the one from Sony, and so is far more likely to have a fault that will cause it to fail.

The lines produced directly for Wal-Mart are the quality that they are-- it's not that everything in Wal-mart is a bad price, but that's one example of them pretending they're giving you a good deal, but basically lying to you. It's just one example of their tricks.

They're one of my companies biggest customers, and I don't have an ethical problem with their existence. They do, however, game the system as much as possible and have way, way, way too much influence. A small company with a fun consumer product has a really tough time getting anywhere if they won't play ball with Wal-Mart.

I don't demonize them, there are plenty of companies that have records worse than theirs, but in everything from their treatment of labor to their treatment of manufacturers, they are ruthless. That's fine, that's allowed, but it still means they're profiting at the expense of others.

re: #162 Obdicut

I know nothing of Wal Mart-But this old expression says it best-"The poor can not afford cheap shoes." They need things that last, no money to buy and buy again. Crappy quality adds to their dilemma.

re: #166 Aceofwhat?

Yes. She's lovely. And our kids will have mixed Roma and Jewish blood-- ultimate survivor kids. Well, just need to marry, say, Maori-Armenian mix, and then we'll have the Superminority.

re: #175 Obdicut

Yes. She's lovely. And our kids will have mixed Roma and Jewish blood-- ultimate survivor kids. Well, just need to marry, say, Maori-Armenian mix, and then we'll have the Superminority.

...who controls the world /need I?

re: #72 MrSilverDragon

Good morning, folks.

Whoever invented being up at 4 AM (unwillingly) to go to work should be flogged severely.

Be happy you have work to go to. I'll take your place.

The CBO finally came up with a price tag for the latest version of the healthcare reform package that is expected to be voted on this week.

House Democrats say the legislation will cost $940 billion over 10 years and will reduce the deficit by more than $100 billion in that first decade.

Hmm...

re: #174 Rightwingconspirator

Exactly. I really wish that in this information age more people would avail themselves of the internet to learn what goods are really, really quality.

Every poor person should buy Timberland, for example:

[Link: www.knowist.com...]

Because they have a lifetime replacement guarantee.

It used to be that the poor in the US were the best-informed about how to live and shop cheaply. Now, sadly, many poor people pay far more for lower quality. Part of this is that the casual mechanical and electric skills are declining, so there's not as much ability to fix things, but that's not all of it-- it's mostly about a loss in ability to make good consumer decisions, or just that decisions are far more complex now.

Still, it's correctable, and I hope that someone is able to get that message out.

re: #177 Walter L. Newton

Be happy you have work to go to. I'll take your place.

Been in the same boat, repeatedly, Walter. Hope you find something soon.

I've been fortunate to have found short term independent gigs relatively quickly.

You might check out Rent-A-Coder. Jobs come in from all over, and as long as you're reasonably fast, you might be able to pull in a buck or two here and there.

re: #173 Obdicut

My gosh, how the food companies we repped as brokers would bitch and moan about Wal-mart. They salivated at the customer numbers, but no one would knuckle them on their prices like Wal-mart. If they internally made some changes in quality of product to meet the prices Wal-mart was demanding, I would not be surprised.
Funny story, when my dad was selling Ag advertising in the 70's, he heard a story about Sam Walton. Sam was holed up in a motel room with another man's wife. The other guy pulled up his cement mixer next to Sam's convertible cadillac at the motel and filled it full of concrete.

re: #179 Obdicut

Part of this is that the casual mechanical and electric skills are declining, so there's not as much ability to fix things, but that's not all of it-- it's mostly about a loss in ability to make good consumer decisions, or just that decisions are far more complex now.

Still, it's correctable, and I hope that someone is able to get that message out.

I'm not poor, at least not right now, but I definitely wish I knew more about fixing my house and vehicle. Hoping to take a class or something, as I'm completely ignorant about those sorts of things.

Walmart and the local foods movement

Lot to hate about Wal-Mart, a lot to give pause.

re: #173 Obdicut

Wal-Mart does play hardball with their suppliers but that's the price you pay to get your products in the biggest market in the world. If you buy a product made in china then I don't think you should be all that surprised when it breaks 6 months later. OTOH, I've bought a few tv's from Wally world and never had a problem.

re: #181 prairiefire

Heh. Should send that one into Snopes.

re: #173 Obdicut

Oh, there's no question that they are ruthless with smaller suppliers. I know that quite well. I didn't know that larger suppliers run different quality protocols, though.

That sounds...difficult, on its face. On a production line, once a certain quality threshold is reached, you often (not always...i'm sure there are exceptions) maintain lowest cost production by funneling everything through the same process, as opposed to setting up a parallel production line with slightly less quality output.

I wonder how that works...i'm sure it's possible...see, now you've engaged my operations management nerd overdrive...i'm going to be chewing on this all day-

re: #154 Aceofwhat?

I imagine there was a reine embêtée at the end of that 15 minutes;)

heh.
Actually, I finally went to the "self check out" line, even tho I had more items than is usually practical for self check out.

I was not a happy camper.

Life imitates the Simpsons

Reminds me of the episode where Homer had to gain enough wieght to claim a disability so he could work from home. And the woman in the story's last name is Simpson.

re: #184 RogueOne

Wal-Mart does play hardball with their suppliers but that's the price you pay to get your products in the biggest market in the world. If you buy a product made in china then I don't think you should be all that surprised when it breaks 6 months later. OTOH, I've bought a few tv's from Wally world and never had a problem.

The problem with Walmart is that it's a repeating cycle. American companies who can't meet Walmart's prices move their factories to China. Meanwhile the people they laid off can't affort to shop anywhere else because the good jobs they had got shipped off to China.

water for votes in CA?...or just a coincidence?

[Link: nrcc.org...]

re: #178 ausador

The CBO finally came up with a price tag for the latest version of the healthcare reform package that is expected to be voted on this week.

House Democrats say the legislation will cost $940 billion over 10 years and will reduce the deficit by more than $100 billion in that first decade.

Hmm...

We're gonna spend $940 billion and save $100 billion? Mmmkay.

re: #178 ausador

The CBO finally came up with a price tag for the latest version of the healthcare reform package that is expected to be voted on this week.

House Democrats say the legislation will cost $940 billion over 10 years and will reduce the deficit by more than $100 billion in that first decade.

Hmm...

I wonder if they're still counting the same $500 billion from Medicaid cuts twice. Although, raising taxes immediately and not kicking in the health plan for 4 or 5 years is certain to bring the costs down.....but only for the first decade.

re: #184 RogueOne

China isn't the problem-- Chinese companies will literally do whatever you want. If you want them to produce super high quality while using only certain materials from named places, they will. Sure, you have to have someone who's job is QA over them, but they'll do it. You just need to pay them.

The problem, to me, is that this is not common knowledge. I just want transparency of information for consumers. I want them to know that $100 Timberland boot is worth it because you never have to buy another pair, ever. And there are other companies that do eternal replacement too-- and sadly, mostly it's the well-off who buy them. Irony biteth.

re: #162 Obdicut

However, the quality of stuff at Wal-mart sucks. It really does.

Here's how Wal-Mart works:

Companies produce a special line of whatever it is they make to put at Wal-Mart. Not every company, but a lot of them, and especially the durable goods companies. This is because Wal-Mart pays them lower than anyone else, and so by mutual agreement this line, which has the same serial number, perhaps with a slight difference at the end-- has gone through fewer (or no) rounds of quality assurance testing.

The products at Wal-Mart are designed the same as their counterparts elsewhere, but their overall quality is demonstrably lower, since many more will fail.

The evil part about this is that it's a crapshoot, a lottery-- you may be the poor dude who buys the faulty TV that will fail in a year, or you may not.

Anyway: Wal-Mart products are cheaper, but in many, many cases, especially with high-end items, that comes with a price of lower quality control. So in the end, they're no cheaper than rival products.

I don't know as much about their other departments, mainly just about durable goods. But the company did not get to be where it was by giving generous deals to customers, I'm afraid.

I agree! Of course they didn't. Which is why I am very careful about what I buy at WalMart

I don't buy electronics. I sew, so I can look at clothing and know immediately whether the construction is good or poor. And then there are some items where I just don't care whether the product is top-notch or lower quality (say, coffee mugs, thermos bottles, whatever).

re: #180 PT Barnum

Been in the same boat, repeatedly, Walter. Hope you find something soon.

I've been fortunate to have found short term independent gigs relatively quickly.

You might check out Rent-A-Coder. Jobs come in from all over, and as long as you're reasonably fast, you might be able to pull in a buck or two here and there.

I will check that out. It's really weird. Just last week, I sent a resume to a legit job. They were upgrading to a new manufacturing/inventory control/distribution system, and all there old data was in medium sized legacy systems written in Access and Visual FoxPro going to an Oracle based system

My expertise is conversions of legacy systems, and my current skills is as an Oracle programmer

I can assure you that they did not get to many resumes from people who are guru's in Access and Visual FP and who is also well versed in designing applications with Oracle.

I cut my teeth on Dbase/Clipper/FoxPro and then in the 90's, moved into the Oracle world. Have designed many customs business applications in all those platforms.

Not a peep from the company. And my salary requirement were about half of what the industry can bear, but these people were a medium sized sports wear company and I priced accordingly.

Go figure.

I'll look them up.

re: #193 Obdicut

The problem, to me, is that this is not common knowledge. I just want transparency of information for consumers. I want them to know that $100 Timberland boot is worth it because you never have to buy another pair, ever. And there are other companies that do eternal replacement too-- and sadly, mostly it's the well-off who buy them. Irony biteth.

The problem is that if you NEED a pair of boots NOW, you can't afford to wait to buy the $100 pair, you have to buy the cheap ones because the price fits your miniscule discretionary dollars.

re: #186 Aceofwhat?

It can be as absolutely simple as having fewer people on the QA line, if there's any people involved, or just running a smaller number of tests on one line. That's what I've heard of-- making a change at the very end of the line, as it were.

I've also heard of them using parts that tested in the low end-- as in, the manufacturer tests a bunch of their circuit boards, and those that score in the bottom allowable range are the ones that are used by the companies making the electronics for Wal-Mart.

It's often worked into the supply chain itself throughout the process, rather than at one specific point, because Wal-mart orders, remember, are completely freaking huge. They are the biggest.

re: #193 Obdicut

Chinese factories are not to be trusted. They will scrimp and cheat. I know a jewelry maker that got kicked out of the military purchasing system for under carating-not enough diamond weight as promised in the cluster of stones. .38 is not a half carat! The volume was hundreds of items per style.

Set that formerly American manufacturer back millions in revenue. Seen this time and again. Now he is back making it all here, at a tiny margin. Rock and a hard place!

re: #189 PT Barnum

The problem with Walmart is that it's a repeating cycle. American companies who can't meet Walmart's prices move their factories to China. Meanwhile the people they laid off can't affort to shop anywhere else because the good jobs they had got shipped off to China.

Maybe. Here's a local company that Wal-Mart help make.

Tradewinds

Was a local supplier of bottled ice tea. They negotiated price with Wal-Mart, now they sell nationwide. Run by crystal gazing hippies.

re: #177 Walter L. Newton

Be happy you have work to go to. I'll take your place.

Glad I have a job, not glad I have to wake at the asscrack of morning to do it. It's a strange balance.

re: #196 PT Barnum

I know that, but then it should be something you save up for, and buy, because it'll save you so much in the long run. Our grandparents, or my grandparents, knew that, and bought durable, long-lasting goods even if they had to save up for them.

It's worth it, economically.

Anyone know or care who the lurker/troll "joecitizen" is here? Hasn't posted anything since November but seems to have an active dinglife...

re: #198 Rightwingconspirator

I'd much rather use US companies, but Chinese companies with just a bit of oversight will really, really set themselves up however you want, as long as you're paying. The irony is a lot of more 'responsible' companies put so many codicils and demands that they might as well pay the higher price in the States.

re: #195 Walter L. Newton

Call 'em, Walter!
Give them a call to see if they got your resume!

re: #189 PT Barnum

The problem with Walmart is that it's a repeating cycle. American companies who can't meet Walmart's prices move their factories to China. Meanwhile the people they laid off can't affort to shop anywhere else because the good jobs they had got shipped off to China.

That is true, partly. There are plenty of areas where american companies do very well competing against china, crappy toys and clothes aren't going to be a part of it though. Did you know that we actually manufacture more goods now than we did during the heyday of the 50's and 60's? The problem for workers is we're doing it with a much smaller workforce. We are losing jobs to china but we're also losing jobs to modern technology.

re: #202 Cato the Elder

I'm going to guess he's just an average Joe upset at the takeover of our government by secret Communist Muslim black overlords.

/

re: #183 Jeff In Ohio

Walmart and the local foods movement

Lot to hate about Wal-Mart, a lot to give pause.

Cool article - thanks

re: #195 Walter L. Newton

I can assure you that they did not get to many resumes from people who are guru's in Access and Visual FP and who is also well versed in designing applications with Oracle.

I'll look them up.

I'm working for a very small company right now. Being an Access guy myself, I fixed some stuff that the guy before me totally mucked up. (How do people ever get jobs creating databases without understanding data modeling and data normalization?)

Now I'm writing a custom ERP for them in .Net and MySQL which will integrate with their Accounting system and eventually the Marketing database I'm going to build for them.

re: #206 Obdicut

I'm going to guess he's just an average Joe upset at the takeover of our government by secret Communist Muslim black overlords.

/

Maybe he can help fix a leak or something. It's the day after St. Paddy's, there ought to be plenty of work for him...

re: #201 Obdicut

I know that, but then it should be something you save up for, and buy, because it'll save you so much in the long run. Our grandparents, or my grandparents, knew that, and bought durable, long-lasting goods even if they had to save up for them.

It's worth it, economically.

I'm not arguing your point, just pointing out that many don't have the choice. I have fallen prey to that myself, but now that you bring it up..I'll start paying closer attention.

re: #207 Aceofwhat?

Cool article - thanks

Yeah, that's really awesome to hear. Wal-Mart has a ton of power. If they use it for good, it can have really wonderful effects. If they use it to make money-- well, so are all other companies. I just don't want people to think the prices at Wal-Mart are always no-strings-attached.

In a company that big you often get different departments having totally different philosophies and ways of going about things, too.

A flounced lizard is spamming me with Facebook friend requests. And she just sent me a whining email "why don't you like me anymore?"

Jeez.

okay...time to go shower and go to work...was going to go on site today, but have a stomach bug. Warning, don't eat Chinese Buffet in Iowa...or anywhere else for that matter, unless you want a severe case of intestinal express.

re: #198 Rightwingconspirator

By the way, it wasn't until last night that I realized you design jewelry. I work stone, main interests are opal and turquoise. About 3 years ago I had to sell most of my saws and polishing equipment to get by financially, but I have a lot of already worked pieces waiting for mounting or outright sale.

I grind baroque style, freeform, especially with opal, I cut where the color is, don't want to force it into a shape and cut away color.

Do you mount custom for baroque and freeform? Am probably not ready financially to jump on any projects right now, but I expect to get back to cutting sometime and I'm always looking for good artists to finish what I start.

I'm not a caster, but I'm a good cutter. Point, I don't facet.

Email me sometime if you are interested.

re: #191 Cannadian Club Akbar

We're gonna spend $940 billion and save $100 billion? Mmmkay.

"Honey, i spent $200 on all of these things on sale! It's like I made money today!"

re: #202 Cato the Elder

Anyone know or care who the lurker/troll "joecitizen" is here? Hasn't posted anything since November but seems to have an active dinglife...

...which would imply that he does not, actually, have an active 'dinglife'...

re: #204 reine.de.tout

Call 'em, Walter!
Give them a call to see if they got your resume!

I don't know who they are. No name or phone number. I know the ad is legit just by the way they worded it. I did look up some wholesale sports wear companies in the mentioned town, and proactively called, left some message indicating that if this or that company is the one looking for a programmer, please call.

Nothing.

re: #211 Obdicut

Yeah, that's really awesome to hear. Wal-Mart has a ton of power. If they use it for good, it can have really wonderful effects. If they use it to make money-- well, so are all other companies. I just don't want people to think the prices at Wal-Mart are always no-strings-attached.

In a company that big you often get different departments having totally different philosophies and ways of going about things, too.

too true

Republican aides have been mining the Senate’s arcane parliamentary rules for an attack that aims at striking elements both broad and narrow from the bill, weakening the measure and ultimately defeating it. Their goal is to force changes that leave Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) without 51 votes to pass it, or at the very least, that drive it back to the House for a second vote that drags out the process and saps Democratic resolve.

two can play the procedural game it seems

Read more: [Link: www.politico.com...]

re: #215 Aceofwhat?

"Honey, i spent $200 on all of these things on sale! It's like I made money today!"

I spent $3000 on a new furnace 10 years ago, which paid for itself in 5 because of the $600 average per year I saved in heating bills.

Also, Wal-Mart really doesn't have the lower prices on a lot of stuff-- on a ton of stuff. Just on the stuff you're most likely to compare prices on, or have at the front of your knowledge.

A lot of their prices are higher than competitors. But they price differently from store-to-store in order to attack the local market in the way that they think is best. They really do want to-- as a capitalist company does-- drive their competitors out of business, and they really do use targeted price-setting to do it.

re: #191 Cannadian Club Akbar

re: #215 Aceofwhat?

Net. But what ever fits your meme.

re: #220 PT Barnum

I spent $3000 on a new furnace 10 years ago, which paid for itself in 5 because of the $600 average per year I saved in heating bills.

I bought a new A/C unit and my summer electric bill went from over $300 to about $110.

re: #198 Rightwingconspirator

Chinese factories are not to be trusted. They will scrimp and cheat. I know a jewelry maker that got kicked out of the military purchasing system for under carating-not enough diamond weight as promised in the cluster of stones. .38 is not a half carat! The volume was hundreds of items per style.

Set that formerly American manufacturer back millions in revenue. Seen this time and again. Now he is back making it all here, at a tiny margin. Rock and a hard place!

Just out of curiosity, what is what sounds like a maker of cheap-ass jewelry doing in the military purchasing system in the first place.

Bling for the brass? Brass bling? Wha?

re: #205 RogueOne

That is true, partly. There are plenty of areas where american companies do very well competing against china, crappy toys and clothes aren't going to be a part of it though. Did you know that we actually manufacture more goods now than we did during the heyday of the 50's and 60's? The problem for workers is we're doing it with a much smaller workforce. We are losing jobs to china but we're also losing jobs to modern technology.

Or put differently, we're shifting jobs to produce and develop modern tech to produce and develop goods. Nuttin' wrong wit dat.

Well, until we admit that this is an effort that the silly Texans are not exactly underwriting these days, mind you...

re: #219 albusteve

Republican aides have been mining the Senate’s arcane parliamentary rules for an attack that aims at striking elements both broad and narrow from the bill, weakening the measure and ultimately defeating it. Their goal is to force changes that leave Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) without 51 votes to pass it, or at the very least, that drive it back to the House for a second vote that drags out the process and saps Democratic resolve.

two can play the procedural game it seems

Read more: [Link: www.politico.com...]

The only reason the dems are playing the procedural game is because they've been forced to by the Republican's obstructionism.

re: #212 Alouette

A flounced lizard is spamming me with Facebook friend requests. And she just sent me a whining email "why don't you like me anymore?"

Jeez.

Are you the webmaster at the Jewish history site? I just sent you an e-mail.

re: #219 albusteve

2 have been playing the procedural game.

Am I the only one who was in school government? I got weekly schooled in parliamentary procedure by the Young Republican on student council. I had better pot and got laid.

re: #201 Obdicut

I know that, but then it should be something you save up for, and buy, because it'll save you so much in the long run. Our grandparents, or my grandparents, knew that, and bought durable, long-lasting goods even if they had to save up for them.

It's worth it, economically.

Manufacturing processes back then couldn't help but make things that lasted forever because they didn't have the ability to make lightweight cheaper materials. If Ford would have had the ability to manufacture lightweight components they would have. Our grandparents weren't brilliant, they just didn't have any other options.

The "good ol' days" are a myth.

re: #201 Obdicut

Absolutely agree - some company products are so durable that it's worth paying the initial premium so that you never have to worry about the product down the road.

That's why spending a bit more for stuff like Timberlands boots, is a value since you never need to buy another pair. It makes even more sense for household items, cars, or construction materials.

re: #222 Jeff In Ohio

re: #215 Aceofwhat?

Net. But what ever fits your meme.

I'm in a pleasant meme at the moment/

re: #202 Cato the Elder

Anyone know or care who the lurker/troll "joecitizen" is here? Hasn't posted anything since November but seems to have an active dinglife...

I noticed him yesterday. Maybe it's just you he doesn't like since he gave me an upding.

re: #217 Walter L. Newton

Well, crap.

re: #223 Cannadian Club Akbar

I bought a new A/C unit and my summer electric bill went from over $300 to about $110.

Just saying, you sometimes have to spend money to save or make money.

What is needed is some kind of analysis as to how long the healthcare reforms have to be in effect before they pay for the money spent to enact them.

re: #227 reine.de.tout

Are you the webmaster at the Jewish history site? I just sent you an e-mail.

...apparently, reports of your flouncing are premature//

re: #226 PT Barnum

The only reason the dems are playing the procedural game is because they've been forced to by the Republican's obstructionism.

That meme is not working anymore. It's in their lap now. You have Blue Dogs and Progressives mucking up things right now. Be proud, it's YOUR bill.

re: #235 Aceofwhat?

...apparently, reports of your flouncing are premature//

hahahaha!
*snort*
I didn't think about how that must have sounded.
LOL.

re: #230 lawhawk

We always buy for the long term and ease of repair. Boots, water heaters, vacuum cleaners.

On that note, I gotta send my sympathies to the women. Footwear for women is pretty poor.

re: #235 Aceofwhat?

...apparently, reports of your flouncing are premature//

I think there's medication you can get for that. :)

re: #236 Walter L. Newton

That meme is not working anymore. It's in their lap now. You have Blue Dogs and Progressives mucking up things right now. Be proud, it's YOUR bill.

Except that if the republicans were being honest players, there might be some way to find a bipartisan compromise. The problem is that the Republican's only interest is in causing the present administration to fail so they can regain power. They have shown no interest in actual governance, just pandering to the wingnut base.

re: #238 Jeff In Ohio

We always buy for the long term and ease of repair. Boots, water heaters, vacuum cleaners.

On that note, I gotta send my sympathies to the women. Footwear for women is pretty poor.

I blame the consumers. I keep telling my wife that if she keeps buying good-looking shoes that hurt her feet, they're going to keep making shoes that hurt her feet...

re: #226 PT Barnum

The only reason the dems are playing the procedural game is because they've been forced to by the Republican's obstructionism.

well I see you took the bait...didn't take too long...the only reason the GOP is obstructing is because the dems are playing procedural games with a bad bill that nobody wants...round and round it goes

Time to go get cleaned up and do some actual work. Unit testing..ugh...

What do software testing and NASCAR races have in common?

Neither is all that interesting until something goes wrong.

re: #238 Jeff In Ohio

We always buy for the long term and ease of repair. Boots, water heaters, vacuum cleaners.

On that note, I gotta send my sympathies to the women. Footwear for women is pretty poor.

It absolutely is!

I finally, this year, broke down and bought some genuine UGG boots.
They are the most comfortable footwear I own.
And cozy, without socks.
I discovered they are to be worn with bare feet and are designed to keep your feet at body temp regardless of outside temp. And they work.

But they are ugly ugly ugly.

re: #241 Aceofwhat?

I blame the consumers. I keep telling my wife that if she keeps buying good-looking shoes that hurt her feet, they're going to keep making shoes that hurt her feet...

There's a funny Steve Martin short story about that called Cruel Shoes.

re: #240 PT Barnum

Except that if the republicans were being honest players, there might be some way to find a bipartisan compromise. The problem is that the Republican's only interest is in causing the present administration to fail so they can regain power. They have shown no interest in actual governance, just pandering to the wingnut base.

Hmmm. Let's not make-believe that this process began with a lot of 'compromise'. Funny how bipartisanship is the mot du jour once they actually need the other party...

re: #240 PT Barnum

Except that if the republicans were being honest players, there might be some way to find a bipartisan compromise. The problem is that the Republican's only interest is in causing the present administration to fail so they can regain power. They have shown no interest in actual governance, just pandering to the wingnut base.

the dems have shown no interest in GOP input

re: #247 albusteve

Try the halibut.

re: #240 PT Barnum

Except that if the republicans were being honest players, there might be some way to find a bipartisan compromise. The problem is that the Republican's only interest is in causing the present administration to fail so they can regain power. They have shown no interest in actual governance, just pandering to the wingnut base.

Last week all they wanted was an up or down vote, now they don't even want that going into the record and somehow this is all the fault of the minority party?

re: #240 PT Barnum

Except that if the republicans were being honest players, there might be some way to find a bipartisan compromise. The problem is that the Republican's only interest is in causing the present administration to fail so they can regain power. They have shown no interest in actual governance, just pandering to the wingnut base.

No, you see, that's called "the other side doesn't agree with you." That's what a representative republic is all about, They don't have to agree with you, they don't have to be partisan. They have to represent the people who put them in office.

Call it anything you want. They want you to fail, they don't like seeing you in the Congressional showers, they don't like the way the Democrats smell, it doesn't matter, you can place any meme on the situation, but bottom line is... you have all the tools you need to make this work...

I know if I was on a team, and someone on the team was trying to sabotage a process or moving forward, I wouldn't just sit on my hands and whine... I would do something about it, move forward, gather support from the other members of my team who agree with me.. show some leadership.

What happened?

The president's two main emotions on display are regret and indignation. He's either lecturing about the problems facing the country in a slightly patronizing tone or expressing his disgust with someone who won't take his lesson to heart.
Obama presents himself so often as a victim of circumstances. He didn't want to bail out Wall Street, nationalize General Motors, add $2 trillion to the national debt, send two troop surges into Afghanistan, or propose a coercive package of fines and taxes to force people into a new health system. He just had no choice.

one and done

Read more at the Washington Examiner: [Link: www.washingtonexaminer.com...]