The clouds tell me that rain is coming…
Wish the roof didn’t leak.

Sun’s rays pierce those clouds,
On a cold spring day, April,
They bring May’s flowers.

I think my kitty likes the photo. As soon as the page loaded, she gave a little trill as she gazed forward.

re: #3 eclectic infidel

Did you realize that teh kitteh is now an Apple authorized accessory?

re: #4 freetoken

Did you realize that teh kitteh is now an Apple authorized accessory?

run away…

Time for me to get the bed. Sleep well, alll

Weather, not Climate.

Bad Weather

If anybody’s still out there, I have a question: At what point does a hatchling become a lizard? Length of time since registration? Number of posts? Quality of posts? Proven ability to survive X number of bare-knuckled brawls without completely losing one’s dignity? A combination of the above?

Just curious, as always. ;o)

Nate Phelps, son of Fred Phelps (Westboro Baptist Church) in his first television interview on the Canadian program, The Standard.

Nate Phelps

My name is Nate Phelps. I am one of the estranged children of Pastor Fred Phelps of the Westboro Baptist Church. I am assuming that you know about my father and his church if you have found your way to this site.

Since my father began his latest assault on some segment of the world in 1991, I have been approached from time to time, and asked to provide my perspective on this story. I have obliged, and a few more people are made aware of the dark, or should I say darker, side of my father…

re: #9 CuriousLurker

I cannot say definitively, but I would say that at the point that somebody takes up one of your posts, quotes it and/or and continues the thread based on it, then you are a member of the community.

re: #11 ralphieboy

Thanks, ralphieboy.

Gray skies are gonna clear up,
Put on a happy face!
Brush off the clouds and cheer up,
Put on a happy face!

Take off that gloomy mask of tragedy,
It’s not your style.
You’ll look so good that you’ll be glad ya decided to smile!

Pick out a pleasant outlook,
Stick out that noble chin,
Wipe off that full-of-doubt look,
Slap on a happy grin!

And spread sunshine all over the place,
Just put on a happy face!

re: #10 Gus 802

That group is beyond vile. I wonder how people are able to carry around such venom without dropping dead from the toxicity of it…

Good morning and see you all in a few weeks or, perhaps, months.
My laptop is going, going, and soon to be, gone! :(
Backing up everything as I type.
Wheee!

re: #8 bagua

Bad Weather

[Video]
- Avery Brady

Stormy Weather

Oh! Here comes the sun!

Heavy Weather

Jack Kerouac on Charlie Parker

Parker playing “All the Things You Are”

Snoring Duck in Walmart:

April
Come she will
When streams are swelled and ripe with rain
May
She will stay
Resting in my arms again
- S&G

Good Morning LGF

Fools said I you do not know
Silence like a cancer grows
- S&G

re: #22 Spare O’Lake

Monday mornings are the hardest….

I can gather all the news I need on the weather report…
- S&G

re: #14 CuriousLurker

That group is beyond vile. I wonder how people are able to carry around such venom without dropping dead from the toxicity of it…

Well, from their perspective, it’s normal. Besides, I think they feed off the publicity generated by their antics - heck it’s free advertising!

Seems I’ve got insomnia this morning.

See, you’re almost a lizard.

re: #24 Spare O’Lake

I can gather all the news I need on the weather report…
- S&G

You don’t need a weatherman to know which way the wind’s blowing….

Youtube Video

Morning all, no one up yet? I’ll just leave this here:

timesofmalta.com

Two billboards in Marsa advertising the Pope’s visit to Malta got the unlikely addition of two stencilled images of what looks like a panda. It is not clear why the “artist” in question juxtaposed the bears with the Pope. The organising committee was alerted yesterday morning and it plans to erase the images.

“Panda” print in question:

Image: 20100410—102856-loc_25.jpg

I’m up!

Well sort of…

Oh cool. I just noticed that there are actually birds in our purple martin house this year. The thing has been up for almost 3 years and no bird has moved in.

re: #27 RogueOne

Morning all, no one up yet? I’ll just leave this here:

[Link: www.timesofmalta.com…]

“Panda” print in question:

Image: 20100410—102856-loc_25.jpg

[i-see-what-you-did-there-squint]

Y’all seen this? Found it yesterday. It’s for real.

Type your name in… there is a great chance that a lot of your information is here.

I didn’t want it there. I clicked privacy on the home page, and followed the directions, it went away.

re: #31 Fat Bastard Vegetarian

Y’all seen this? Found it yesterday. It’s for real.

Type your name in… there is a great chance that a lot of your information is here.

I didn’t want it there. I clicked privacy on the home page, and followed the directions, it went away.

I meant THIS…

Oops.

re: #32 Fat Bastard Vegetarian

Type your area code and phone number into Google and see what turns up.

They also have an option to block such information.

re: #33 SixDegrees

This one was kind of neat… you pay 5.00 per month, you will find out the person’s credit rating, income, a bunch of stuff.

I am thinking of signing up. That might cut out some of the bullshit in my appointment running.

I just tested myself, name and email, and although the general location was right the rest of the info was all wrong and pulled up other peoples info.

re: #35 Jadespring

It is a fairly new site, as I understand it, I also understand that once you get into the paid part of the site, the accuracy increases dramatically. Like I said, I’m thinking of signing up.

Watching “Sunrise Earth”; Aspendos, Turkey. Watching an 80 year old man pick oranges at the base of the “Siphon Towers”…

Gosh, I love this show.

I’m trying to decide what to do today.

Good morning, Lizards. It’s been a while since I’ve come to hang out with you guys, but I’ve been very busy establishing myself in my new home. This weekend was project weekend: Planting, laying drainage pipe, repairing the dishwasher, and such like. Today it rains, which kinda puts a damper on all the activity, but at least I got done what needed to get done. Anything major explode while I was away?

Scott Brown disses the Tea Party.

That didn’t take very long, now did it?

re: #39 thedopefishlives

laying drainage pipe

That what you kids are calling it these days?

This won’t go over well…

Bishop ‘blames Jews’ for criticism of Catholic church record on abuse

A furious transatlantic row has erupted over quotes that were attributed to a retired Italian bishop, which suggested that Jews were behind the current criticism of the Catholic church’s record on tackling clerical sex abuse.

A website quoted Giacomo Babini, the emeritus bishop of Grosseto, as saying he believed a “Zionist attack” was behind the criticism, considering how “powerful and refined” the criticism is.

The comments, which have been denied by the bishop, follow a series of statements from Catholic churchmen alleging the existence of plots to weaken the church and Pope Benedict XVI.

Allegedly speaking to the Catholic website Pontifex, Babini, 81, was quoted as saying: “They do not want the church, they are its natural enemies. Deep down, historically speaking, the Jews are God killers.”

The interview was spotted on Friday by the American Jewish Committee, which said Babini was using “slanderous stereotypes, which sadly evoke the worst Christian and Nazi propaganda prior to world war two”.

re: #25 eclectic infidel

Well, from their perspective, it’s normal. Besides, I think they feed off the publicity generated by their antics - heck it’s free advertising!

Yeah, I guess normal is relative, but ewww. They do indeed get a lot of free publicity for such a small group.

See, you’re almost a lizard.

Hehehe, thanks.

re: #40 Sigma_x

Scott Brown is terrific. “We shouldn’t be paying for lawyers for terrorists, instead we should be paying for weapons to kill terrorists”. A great line.

re: #44 sandbox

I like it.

Man, what a great nights sleep I got. Makes me look forward to nap time. Morning Honcos!!

re: #45 Fat Bastard Vegetarian

And here we are 3 months after the Brown Senate victory and Obama and Holder still haven’t reversed policy on trying KSM and others in civilian rather than military courts.

re: #44 sandbox

Scott Brown is terrific. “We shouldn’t be paying for lawyers for terrorists, instead we should be paying for weapons to kill terrorists”. A great line.

Yeah when you catch them just buy a gun and shoot em. Who cares about any of that legal shyte.

re: #41 Fat Bastard Vegetarian

That what you kids are calling it these days?

Don’t I wish. In this case it’d be code for “Fixing what the previous homeowner spent an awful lot of time and money making a pig’s breakfast of.”

re: #46 Cannadian Club Akbar

We get up at twelve, and go to work at one…
Take an hour for lunch and then at two we’re done
Jolly good fun!

Senator: Dropping ‘Islamic extremism’ term is ‘Orwellian and counterproductive’

Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) on Sunday called the administration’s proposal to avoid the term “Islamic extremism” in national security references “absolutely Orwellian and counterproductive.”

Lieberman revealed on “Fox News Sunday” that he had sent a letter to the president’s top counterterrorism adviser, John Brennan, saying in part: “The failure to identify our enemy for what it is, violent Islamist extremism, is offensive and contradicts thousands of years of accepted military and intelligence doctrine to know your enemy.”

The chairman of the Homeland Security Committee said the letter was the product of him growing “so frustrated” with the White House over the terminology issue. He said the Defense Department omitted references to “violent Islamist extremism” in its report on the massacre at Fort Hood.

“Clearly, from the record, [Nidal Malik Hasan] was motivated by Islamist extremism, and they didn’t mention that term there,” Lieberman said.

“This is not honest,” the senator said, adding that by dropping the clarification of extremism, “we disrespect the overwhelming majority of Muslims who are not extremists.”

Lieberman said that the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks were not carried out by “some amorphous group of violent extremists or environmental extremists or white supremacist extremists.”

“It’s absolutely Orwellian and counterproductive to the fight that we’re fighting at risk of great life every day to stop violent extremism of an Islamist base,” he said.

Damn right Joe! Calling Islamic terrorists something else doesn’t make the problem go away. This is an example of political correctness run amok.

re: #48 Jadespring

Yeah when you catch them just buy a take the gun that you already own and shoot em. Who cares about any of that legal shyte.

Legally pronouncing them dead?

Cloverfield was just on. Caught the last fifteen… Dang it. Really liked the movie.

Morning Lizards. I’m in Roanoke with my MIL who is having surgery on a broken arm today. I’ll be mooching the free wi-fi at the hospital all day.

FBV, Once I’ll be back in town most weekends helping her out, maybe we can grab another beer.

re: #52 Fat Bastard Vegetarian

Legally pronouncing them dead?

I prefer “former freedom fighter.”

re: #52 Fat Bastard Vegetarian

Legally pronouncing them dead?

Why bother with that. Country based on Laws is an outdated principle.
Back to Deadwood baby. Bad people? Just shoot em and chuck em into the pig pen.

IDF order will enable mass deportation from West Bank

A new military order aimed at preventing infiltration will come into force this week, enabling the deportation of tens of thousands of Palestinians from the West Bank, or their indictment on charges carrying prison terms of up to seven years.

When the order comes into effect, tens of thousands of Palestinians will automatically become criminal offenders liable to be severely punished.

Given the security authorities’ actions over the past decade, the first Palestinians likely to be targeted under the new rules will be those whose ID cards bear home addresses in the Gaza Strip - people born in Gaza and their West Bank-born children - or those born in the West Bank or abroad who for various reasons lost their residency status. Also likely to be targeted are foreign-born spouses of Palestinians.

re: #54 rwdflynavy

YAY!

re: #56 Jadespring

Let me guess… sarcasm?

re: #51 NJDhockeyfan

Name the enemy, win the war!

APB!!!! A monkey on the loose!!!
wtsp.com

What a great last round of the Masters! Good Morning all.
After getting up on the roof and clearing off the crap from the series of weather fronts that we had the past week - and playing with lawn care - I settled in to watch and was very happy to see the level of play. It’s not that these guys won’t hit a bad tee shot or putt, rather it’s how they recover to hole out.

Phil Mickelson was awesome, both from his play on the course and for the personal trails his wife and mother have experienced. Wonderful story.

Tiger? He’s a broken man, searching for self glory and coming up short.

Congratulations to Phil.

re: #62 Ericus58

I became a fan yesterday.

re: #59 Fat Bastard Vegetarian

Let me guess… sarcasm?

Depends on whether I’m the one that has the ability to make the “pig penning” determination. ;)

re: #61 Cannadian Club Akbar

Heh… monkey.

re: #61 Cannadian Club Akbar

APB!!! A monkey on the loose!!!
[Link: www.wtsp.com…]

LMAO!!

from the article:
“”It was extremely agile, like I’m talking Spiderman agile,” said Marc Ortiz after he tried tackling the monkey.”

No kidding! He’s a Monkey!
You just can’t make up stories like that, hilarious!

Teacher of the Year to go on trial…
www2.tbo.com
///

Headin’ to bed. Internship tomorrow. Nighty.

re: #65 Fat Bastard Vegetarian

Heh… monkey.

Hamas MP says Gaza authorities facing financial ‘crisis’

GAZA CITY (AFP) – A Hamas lawmaker said Monday that the Islamist group ruling Gaza was facing a financial “crisis” because of Egypt’s moves to seal its border and a boycott by local banks.

“The government is facing a crisis,” MP Jamal Nassar said in a statement. “The siege on the (Hamas-run) Palestinian government has been tightened recently and because of this it has been unable to bring in funds from abroad.”

Israel and Egypt have sealed Gaza off to all but very limited humanitarian aid since Hamas seized power in June 2007 after routing forces loyal to Western-backed Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas.

I have this here small violin…

re: #64 Jadespring

I am all over the charts on political things. And have stated many times that I greatly dislike “fringe” politicos.

But I have my personal “fringe” element also.

I am a “dig your heels in and kill every terrorist you can find war mongerer” when it comes to the war on terror. I am not interested in making friends with them… and I love the fact that Obama is droning the absolute fuck out of the bad guys.

Love drones… danger for them, not for us…

The idea of someone’s last thought, just sitting around the dinner table, “So, then I will take an infidel and… hey! What’s that nois…” makes me really happy.

Call them “cotton candy distributors” I really don’t care. Just kill them.

re: #71 Fat Bastard Vegetarian

I am all over the charts on political things. And have stated many times that I greatly dislike “fringe” politicos.

But I have my personal “fringe” element also.

I am a “dig your heels in and kill every terrorist you can find war mongerer” when it comes to the war on terror. I am not interested in making friends with them… and I love the fact that Obama is droning the absolute fuck out of the bad guys.

Love drones… danger for them, not for us…

The idea of someone’s last thought, just sitting around the dinner table, “So, then I will take an infidel and… hey! What’s that nois…” makes me really happy.

Call them “cotton candy distributors” I really don’t care. Just kill them.

War monger!

re: #71 Fat Bastard Vegetarian

I am all over the charts on political things. And have stated many times that I greatly dislike “fringe” politicos.

But I have my personal “fringe” element also.

I am a “dig your heels in and kill every terrorist you can find war mongerer” when it comes to the war on terror. I am not interested in making friends with them… and I love the fact that Obama is droning the absolute fuck out of the bad guys.

Love drones… danger for them, not for us…

The idea of someone’s last thought, just sitting around the dinner table, “So, then I will take an infidel and… hey! What’s that nois…” makes me really happy.

Call them “cotton candy distributors” I really don’t care. Just kill them.

Why do you hate cotton candy?
/

re: #73 Cannadian Club Akbar

Why do you hate cotton candy?
/

Actually, I don’t care if you hate cotton candy. But I draw the line if you’re Anti-Footlong Corndogs. Just sayin’.
/

re: #74 Cannadian Club Akbar

Actually, I don’t care if you hate cotton candy. But I draw the line if you’re Anti-Footlong Corndogs. Just sayin’.
/

What are his thoughts on funnel cakes? I’m a big fan of cotton candy personally. Just stay away from the deep fried twinkies.

re: #71 Fat Bastard Vegetarian

I am all over the charts on political things. And have stated many times that I greatly dislike “fringe” politicos.

But I have my personal “fringe” element also.

I am a “dig your heels in and kill every terrorist you can find war mongerer” when it comes to the war on terror. I am not interested in making friends with them… and I love the fact that Obama is droning the absolute fuck out of the bad guys.

Love drones… danger for them, not for us…

The idea of someone’s last thought, just sitting around the dinner table, “So, then I will take an infidel and… hey! What’s that nois…” makes me really happy.

Call them “cotton candy distributors” I really don’t care. Just kill them.

That’s fine. That’s war. That’s not the part of war that Brown’s comments were referring to though.

re: #68 laZardo

Headin’ to bed. Internship tomorrow. Nighty.

If you lived in the US? Obama’s trying to get you PAID!

re: #76 Jadespring

Oh, sure. Was just pointing out my “fukemup” stance.

re: #75 rwdflynavy

What are his thoughts on funnel cakes? I’m a big fan of cotton candy personally. Just stay away from the deep fried twinkies.

Urgh. Deep fried Twinkies are sensory overload. Pork chops on a stick are the current reigning favorite fair food in the Fish household.

Corndogs, cotton candy, funnel cakes, deep fried twinkies…

Carnies are terrorists! They’re trying to kill us all! Slowly…

re: #80 Fat Bastard Vegetarian

Corndogs, cotton candy, funnel cakes, deep fried twinkies…

Carnies are terrorists! They’re trying to kill us all! Slowly…

BIG FOOD IS RIPPING US OFF!

re: #80 Fat Bastard Vegetarian

Corndogs, cotton candy, funnel cakes, deep fried twinkies…

Carnies are terrorists! They’re trying to kill us all! Slowly…

Small hands, smell like cabbage!

Deepfried butter! My favourite WMHD.

re: #82 rwdflynavy

Austin Powers!

re: #80 Fat Bastard Vegetarian

Corndogs, cotton candy, funnel cakes, deep fried twinkies…

Carnies are terrorists! They’re trying to kill us all! Slowly…

Delicious, delicious murder!!!

re: #80 Fat Bastard Vegetarian

Partially true. (referring to HBO’s Carnivale).

re: #83 Jadespring

Deepfried butter! My favourite WMHD.

Heh. I have a very confused attitude towards heart disease. I eat the bad stuff a little too often and try and and balance it out with more or less healthy meals the rest of the time, plus I am very keen on exercise but not so bothered with weight loss. I’ll tell you how it works out in twenty years or so.

re: #84 Fat Bastard Vegetarian

Austin Powers!

But of course…
That’s what we Navy Pilots do when we aren’t flying or sleeping, watch movies.

Marco Rubio (running for Florida Senate seat) was just on my radio. We was asked if he wanted to back down from a statement he made about social security. (raising the age in a progressive way, tied to life expectancy) He said no. He will likely get my vote.

Survivors’ tales, Iran dominate Holocaust day

news.yahoo.com

“Melancholy music floated over the airwaves and tales of the fast-dwindling number of Holocaust survivors dominated the media as the world’s largest survivor community mourned the dead. Schools and military bases held memorial ceremonies, and restaurants, cafes and theaters were shuttered. During the two-minute siren heard across the land, drivers switched off their engines and others stopped their daily activities to stand at attention.”

re: #89 Cannadian Club Akbar

Marco Rubio (running for Florida Senate seat) was just on my radio. WeHe was asked if he wanted to back down from a statement he made about social security. (raising the age in a progressive way, tied to life expectancy) He said no. He will likely get my vote.

Oops.

re: #87 Kruk

Heh. I have a very confused attitude towards heart disease. I eat the bad stuff a little too often and try and and balance it out with more or less healthy meals the rest of the time, plus I am very keen on exercise but not so bothered with weight loss. I’ll tell you how it works out in twenty years or so.

Nothing wrong with occasional bad stuff. It’s one of the joys of life. I love the yearly jaunts to fairs because it’s great excuse to relish in the (healthwise) crappiest of foods. Now if fair food was a everyday fare that might cause some problems. :)

re: #92 Jadespring

Nothing wrong with occasional bad stuff. It’s one of the joys of life. I love the yearly jaunts to fairs because it’s great excuse to relish in the (healthwise) crappiest of foods. Now if fair food was a everyday fare that might cause some problems. :)

I actually thought about opening a place in the local mall named Fair Food. Good thing I only thought about it considering our mall is about to close.

Austin Powers: Only two things scare me and one of them is nuclear war.
Basil Exposition: What’s the other?
Austin Powers: Excuse me?
Basil Exposition: What’s the other thing that scares you?
Austin Powers: Carnies. Circus folk. Nomads, you know. Smell like cabbage. Small hands.

bbiab

Foiled.
nydailynews.com

re: #27 RogueOne

Morning all, no one up yet? I’ll just leave this here:

[Link: www.timesofmalta.com…]

“Panda” print in question:

Image: 20100410—102856-loc_25.jpg

He’s saying the Pope is a Pandaphile?

Wow. “The Wall” is 30 years old.
spinner.com

re: #96 Cannadian Club Akbar

Gosh, imagine an Anglo trying to give a description for a police drawing…

Uh… Short, dark hair, beard, mustache, yeah! That’s him!

re: #99 Fat Bastard Vegetarian

Gosh, imagine an Anglo trying to give a description for a police drawing…

Uh… Short, dark hair, beard, mustache, yeah! That’s him!

He works at my Dunkin Donuts!!
/Thanks, Joe!!

ut oh.

Afghan Civilians Attacked By NATO Troops: Four Killed, 18 Wounded In Kandahar
huffingtonpost.com

“They just suddenly opened fire, I don’t know why. We had been stopped and after that I don’t know what happened,” said Mohammad, his left eye was swollen shut and his beard and clothing matted with blood. Doctors said he had suffered a head injury but did not yet know how serious it was.

Within hours, scores of Afghans had blocked the main highway out of Kandahar city with burning tires, chanting “Death to America,” and calling for the downfall of Afghan President Hamid Karzai, himself a Kandahar native.

“The Americans are constantly killing our civilians and the government is not demanding an explanation,” said resident Mohammad Razaq. “We demand justice from the Karzai government and the punishment of those soldiers responsible.”

Hahahahahahahahahahaha!!!

[breathing in]

Hahahahahahahahahahahahah!!!!

Radical Muslims attack pro-Muslim Member of British Parliament Galloway

Campaigning for re-election, pro-Muslim British Member of Parliament George Galloway and entourage were attacked, Saturday, by Radical Muslims from the Al-Muhajiroun organization.

First they taunted Galloway as a “filthy Kaffir” [a British racist epithet for dark-skinned natives.]

M.P. Galloway explains that he encourages Muslims to vote, whereas Al-Muhajiroun discourages them and does not believe in democracy. Three gang members were arrested. Galloway had been held hostage for a few days by the same gang during the 2005 election.

Galloway, recently discovered to have been a paid agent of Saddam Hussein, was known for anti-Israel and pro-Arab views (Prof. Steven Plaut, 10/11 from ).

Galloway also recently tried to bring supplies from Sinai into Gaza, but was blocked by Egyptian police as he sought entry through unauthorized portals.

Good Morning Lizards!

Bagels in the kitchenette. NOM!

Obama at new low in Gallup poll

President Obama’s job approval numbers have reached a new low in the Gallup daily tracking poll.

Obama now garners 45% approval and 48% disapproval. Of course, the one point difference from his previous low of 46% isn’t very significant, statistically speaking.

I thought he was supposed to get a bounce after passing ObamaCare™. What happened?

re: #97 ryannon

He’s saying the Pope is a Pandaphile?

Can’t go wrong with a well placed pedobear joke. The buttholes in the comments thread in the story gave it away.

re: #87 Kruk

Heh. I have a very confused attitude towards heart disease. I eat the bad stuff a little too often and try and and balance it out with more or less healthy meals the rest of the time, plus I am very keen on exercise but not so bothered with weight loss. I’ll tell you how it works out in twenty years or so.

Heart disease is a weird animal. Inheritance plays a huge part. My best friends’ family basically lives on oats and organic applesauce (i’m exaggerating, but not much) because otherwise they tend to have heart failure at 50, whereas i have low blood pressure and no history of problems on either side of my family. I can eat bacon with extra salt every day and see 90 years if it were up to my heart.

OTOH, it’s Parkinson’s which stalks my particular DNA strands…not a kind disease, that one…

US Weapons to Lebanon Despite Hizbullah Closeness

With the dividing lines between Hizbullah and the Lebanese Armed Forces not altogether clear, the United States has delivered weapons and ammunition to Israel’s northern neighbor and thereby possibly to its enemy.

The U.S. embassy in Lebanon announced last week that on April 2 it had delivered the first in a series of shipments of weapons and ammunition. The shipment included 1,000 M16A4 rifles, 10 missile launchers, 1,583 grenade launchers, and 538 sets of day/night binoculars and night-vision devices. It was stressed that the equipment would be supported with training provided by the U.S. government.

Lebanese Defense Minister Elias Murr visited Washington in February to discuss military cooperation, especially U.S. assistance to the LAF to fight terrorism.

A month ago, Minister Murr told Lebanese Al-Manar television that though he does not support integrating Hizbullah arms and forces within the LAF, “this does not mean we should offer Israel a favor [and disarm Hizbullah].”

Insinuating that the issue is not a matter of consensus, Murr said, “There are some [Lebanese] annoyed by [the existence of] Hizbullah’s arms, and I could be one of them” – but he acknowledged that Hizbullah’s weapons deter Israel. Murr is said to be one of the government ministers considered close to the President of Lebanon.

re: #106 Aceofwhat?

Heart disease is a weird animal. Inheritance plays a huge part. My best friends’ family basically lives on oats and organic applesauce (i’m exaggerating, but not much) because otherwise they tend to have heart failure at 50, whereas i have low blood pressure and no history of problems on either side of my family. I can eat bacon with extra salt every day and see 90 years if it were up to my heart.

OTOH, it’s Parkinson’s which stalks my particular DNA strands…not a kind disease, that one…

Genes are part of my problem. I have CHD and diabetes on both sides of the family. The only consolation is that we seem to *live* with these problems, not die from them.

re: #105 RogueOne

Can’t go wrong with a well placed pedobear joke. The buttholes in the comments thread in the story gave it away.

I was noticing the Catholic responses in that comment thread.
Several very PO’d people (as I am).

re: #109 reine.de.tout

I was noticing the Catholic responses in that comment thread.
Several very PO’d people (as I am).

Clarifying:
Several folks as upset with the Church and its response. Not the “pedobear”.

Millions of unemployed may never recover

seattletimes.nwsource.com

….
Never since the Great Depression has the U.S. labor market seen anything like it. The previous high in long-term unemployment was 26 percent in June 1983, just after the deep downturn of the early ’80s. The 44 percent rate this year translates into more than 6.5 million people.

In fact, nearly two-thirds of these workers actually have been jobless for a year or longer, new Labor Department reports show.

“I’m particularly concerned about that statistic, because long spells of unemployment erode skills and lower the longer-term income and employment prospects of these workers,” Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said in a Wednesday speech.”
……

re: #106 Aceofwhat?

You’re entirely right. Most of the reasons to keep yourself ‘healthy’ aren’t to avoid death, but just to have good quality of life along the way.

Smoking is less of an indicator of lung cancer than genetics, even.

And, in closing, I had a great-aunt who ate a whole fruit pie every day who’s sides were made from flour and lard, who lived to be 101. She was also an enormous jerk.

When I was a kid, I thought it was so stupid that she was a jerk, because she got a pie every day. I mean, what else do you want?

re: #112 Obdicut

No shit.

re: #112 Obdicut

You’re entirely right. Most of the reasons to keep yourself ‘healthy’ aren’t to avoid death, but just to have good quality of life along the way.

Smoking is less of an indicator of lung cancer than genetics, even.

And, in closing, I had a great-aunt who ate a whole fruit pie every day who’s sides were made from flour and lard, who lived to be 101. She was also an enormous jerk.

When I was a kid, I thought it was so stupid that she was a jerk, because she got a pie every day. I mean, what else do you want?

Sex with pie?

re: #112 Obdicut

I love the stories where a local news station will cover someone’s 100th birthday and they say they drink a glass of bourbon and have 2 cigars every day.

re: #114 Jadespring

Sex with pie?

Okay. That came out wrong….

Bah. It’s a two cups of coffee morning methinks.

Feds can’t find Somalis they say Va. man smuggled into U.S.

Federal authorities say they’re certain nearly 300 Somalis allegedly smuggled into the United States by a Virginia man who admitted contacts with an Islamic terrorist group are in the country, but they can’t find them despite a worldwide search for leads.

The search, first reported by the Washington Examiner, started in early February after Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents arrested Anthony Joseph Tracy on charges that he helped smuggle the Somalis into the United States from Kenya. The 35-year-old has since been indicted on charges of conspiring with Cuban Embassy officials in Kenya to help the Somalis illegally enter the United States. ICE Agent Thomas Eyre has testified that authorities are “concerned” about the contact Tracy admitted having with the Somali terrorist organization Al-Shabaab, an al Qaeda ally.

On Friday, U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema questioned Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeanine Linehan about the status of the government’s search for the illegal immigrants.

“We have not identified anyone,” Linehan said. “We believe all the individuals are present in the United States. But by the virtue of [Tracy’s] successful smuggling scheme, we are having difficulty finding them.”

Eyre indicated in his testimony that authorities are trying to determine whether any of the Somalis are associated with Al-Shabaab.

re: #106 Aceofwhat?

I have a friend with ALS… diagnosed two months ago. Already has lost the ability to speak… took excellent care of himself.

All kinds of shit to get us… some of us it stalks more than others.

My dad’s 76, smoked for 40 years, quit 20 years ago (yep, started young). I got to their house on Easter Sunday, there’s an “Oxygen in use” sign on the door. Scared the crap out of me. CPAP… sleep apnea…

Mom? Never smoked, always took good care of herself… BAM! Cancer.

Go figure.

re: #116 Jadespring

Okay. That came out wrong…

Bah. It’s a two cups of coffee morning methinks.

oh, i thought you were making a SL joke from last night…

“you make sex with pie? ehhh?”

re: #118 Fat Bastard Vegetarian

ugh. CPAP machines are tough. they work, but i’ve seen them…it’s like going to bed in a Darth Vader mask, minus the cool chokey powers and James Earl Jones voice…

Good morning, folks.

Word of advice… if you catch a mouse in your house, don’t tell your significant other that “it’s cute and you should see it”, because in their infinite wisdom they’ll try to pick it up, which will allow the mouse to escape right back into the house as it jumps away in terror.

At least the cats had fun stalking it last night, although I feel bad for the mouse as it’s now a carcass and not running free outside. C’est la vie.

re: #111 Ericus58

Millions of unemployed may never recover

[Link: seattletimes.nwsource.com…]

…
Never since the Great Depression has the U.S. labor market seen anything like it. The previous high in long-term unemployment was 26 percent in June 1983, just after the deep downturn of the early ’80s. The 44 percent rate this year translates into more than 6.5 million people.

In fact, nearly two-thirds of these workers actually have been jobless for a year or longer, new Labor Department reports show.

“I’m particularly concerned about that statistic, because long spells of unemployment erode skills and lower the longer-term income and employment prospects of these workers,” Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said in a Wednesday speech.”
…

I would take a small issue with that view. Longer-term income prospects are eroded; for many, though, it will be because they’ve had a long stretch of unemployment, not because they can’t get back into the game and eventually be earning what they would have anyhow. Plus, it will take a bit of time to “catch up” to that earning potential (they’ll get it at a later age than the would have normally).

Where I have a big issue is with “skills”. Sure, they may ‘erode’, but most people pick the back up quickly once employed (or receive training that puts them past where they were).

This, I think, is the bigger problem for us right now:

At the same time, government revenues have fallen as Social Security, payroll and other tax receipts have shriveled with fewer jobs and lower earnings. That’s contributed to massive fiscal problems in many states. California already owes the federal government about $7 billion for unemployment-benefit loans and is getting deeper in the hole by the week.

re: #119 Aceofwhat?

oh, i thought you were making a SL joke from last night…

“you make sex with pie? ehhh?”

Hee. Well if that works then sure, it WAS an SL joke. :D

re: #116 Jadespring

Okay. That came out wrong…

Bah. It’s a two cups of coffee morning methinks.

Just 2?

LOL on me, then.
I need at least 6.

re: #120 Aceofwhat?

Nah, my point was, scared the shit out of me. I thought that the emphysema fairy had been to visit. Old son of a bitch is just snoring!

Mom and Dad don’t hide anything about their health, they just forget who they told, and it usually ain’t all of us (8 kids)…

Hell, I’d forget someone too.

worky stuff…. bbiab

re: #121 MrSilverDragon

Good morning, folks.

Word of advice… if you catch a mouse in your house, don’t tell your significant other that “it’s cute and you should see it”, because in their infinite wisdom they’ll try to pick it up, which will allow the mouse to escape right back into the house as it jumps away in terror.

At least the cats had fun stalking it last night, although I feel bad for the mouse as it’s now a carcass and not running free outside. C’est la vie.

Oh, gee.
We had the same thing.
Mouse got scared, ran into a corner, wouldn’t come out.
The Roi had to shoot it. Ugh.

re: #127 reine.de.tout

You should see how fast my fat ass can jump up on a chair. The word “eek” has actually been said by me.

Dutch death camp survivor knighted

Today is the 65th anniversary of the liberation by Canadian troops of Westerbork, the Nazi transit camp in the east of the Netherlands.

As part of the commemorations, Selma Engel-Wijnberg was made a Knight in the Order of Orange-Nassau. Presenting the royal award, Dutch Health Minister Ab Klink praised her continuing determination to tell her story for the benefit of future generations. He also offered a formal apology on behalf of the Dutch government for the way she was treated after the war.

Now 87, Selma Engel-Wijnberg is one of the few Dutch survivors of Sobibor extermination camp in Poland and the only one still alive. On her return, she had problems with the Dutch authorities. Because she had married a Polish man, Chaim Engel, they no longer regarded her as a Dutch citizen and attempted to deport her. The couple emigrated to Israel and then to the United States.

A biography by journalist Ad van Liempt, entitled Selma, de vrouw die Sobibor overleefde (Selma, the Woman who Survived Sobibor), was also presented today.

re: #57 NJDhockeyfan

read it carefully. Cuts all kinds of ways. Could be used just as easily to deport Jewish Israeli residents that the Military Authority/Defense Minister wants out.

Darth Vader reference above…. I’ve been looking for an excuse to post this old chestnut, but still funny even if you’ve seen it before:

Chad Vader: Day Shift

re: #124 reine.de.tout

Just 2?

LOL on me, then.
I need at least 6.

LOL. If I had 6 cups I’d be running up the walls. I usually have 1 then move onto something herbal or fruity (iced in the summer), then in the afternoon it’s nice pot of Earl Gray or Chai.

Scott Brown snubs Sarah Palin, bags Tea Party rally

U.S. Sen. Scott Brown, whose stunning victory in January was fueled in part by Tea Party anger, has snubbed the fiery grassroots group and declined its invitation to join Sarah Palin Wednesday at a massive rally on Boston Common, the Herald has learned.

Brown’s decision to skip the first big rally in Boston by the group whose members are credited with helping him win election has some experts saying he’s tossed the Tea Party overboard, as he prepares for re-election in 2012.

“He wants to mainstream himself before the election,” said Larry Sabato, a University of Virginia political scientist.

Brown, who took heat for the alleged misbehavior of some of his supporters at campaign events, may be trying to distance himself from what could be a volatile event, said political analyst Lou DiNatale.

“You’re worried at a rally that there’s a sign, a statement, an incident that’s certifiably cuckoo occurs,” DiNatale said.

“To win re-election, Scott Brown floating to the right is a serious problem.

“And showing up at a Sarah Palin, Tea Party event is not the way to the middle.”

[…]

Heh… do tell.

re: #127 reine.de.tout

Oh, gee.
We had the same thing.
Mouse got scared, ran into a corner, wouldn’t come out.
The Roi had to shoot it. Ugh.

He SHOT it?? I’m not outraged, don’t get me wrong…it just sounds messy. Is there a caliber small enough to not make the thing explode?

Just to rub it in, I have great genes.

re: #134 Aceofwhat?

He SHOT it?? I’m not outraged, don’t get me wrong…it just sounds messy. Is there a caliber small enough to not make the thing explode?

Daisy BB gun?

re: #127 reine.de.tout

Oh, gee.
We had the same thing.
Mouse got scared, ran into a corner, wouldn’t come out.
The Roi had to shoot it. Ugh.

I’m still trying to figure out what possessed her to try and pick it up. Yes, cute baby mouse… but mouse nonetheless. This is what we can a “mental disconnect”.

re: #128 Fat Bastard Vegetarian

You should see how fast my fat ass can jump up on a chair. The word “eek” has actually been said by me.

{FBV}
LOL.

I’m not crazy about all critters, either, but usually, they’re more afraid of YOU than you are of them.

I only have two things that really creep me out.
1. Worms. Don’t know why, I just cannot stand them. Once, in college, it had been raining hard, and of course lots of earthworms came out of the ground and got onto the sidewalk. I saw a patch of ‘em up ahead, and turned around and went back to the dorm rather than walk over or around them. Just- ew.

2. Snakes at my front door. One of the cats will sometimes find a snake and leave it at the front door as a “gift”. The snake will usually coil up and pretend to be dead. The Roi picked one up once, thinking that it WAS dead, and it came back to life as he was carrying it to the back yard. LOL. Everybody was scared - including the snake, actually.

re: #135 RogueOne

Just to rub it in, I have great genes.

Maybe, but you just jinxed yourself.:)

re: #137 MrSilverDragon

CALL a mental disconnect.

no sleep from the skittering cats last night.

Guess I’m having one of those disconnects, too.

re: #132 Jadespring

LOL. If I had 6 cups I’d be running up the walls. I usually have 1 then move onto something herbal or fruity (iced in the summer), then in the afternoon it’s nice pot of Earl Gray or Chai.

For me, it’s a 2nd pot of coffee after lunch.
Earl Gray just ain’t gonna cut it.

‘Openly Anti-Semitic’ Party Gains Power in Hungary

The center-right and far-right won by a wide margin in Hungary’s elections Sunday, initial results showed. The right-wing Fidesz party took 52.77 percent of the vote, and the far-right Jobbik party took 16.71. The incumbent Socialist party took only 19.29 percent.

Runoffs will be held later in the month in districts where no candidate received a majority of the votes.

The results were a cause for concern for European Jewish groups, which have accused Jobbik of anti-Semitism and racial hatred. One Hungarian Jewish group labeled Sunday’s election the first time “a movement pursuing openly anti-Semitic policies” has gained power in Hungary since the Nazi era.

re: #134 Aceofwhat?

He SHOT it?? I’m not outraged, don’t get me wrong…it just sounds messy. Is there a caliber small enough to not make the thing explode?

pellet gun.

re: #122 reine.de.tout

Nevertheless, I do agree that there is a profound shift in the employability of many Americans.

When my parents grew up, in the Great Depression, they entered a world that was struggling in the aftermath of the transition from an agricultural society to an industrialized one.

Now we, the US, have moved post industrial (see the spin-off I put up about NH). Another shift in society, another wave of fractured institutions.

Where we go from here I do not know.

re: #144 freetoken

Nevertheless, I do agree that there is a profound shift in the employability of many Americans.

When my parents grew up, in the Great Depression, they entered a world that was struggling in the aftermath of the transition from an agricultural society to an industrialized one.

Now we, the US, have moved post industrial (see the spin-off I put up about NH). Another shift in society, another wave of fractured institutions.

Where we go from here I do not know.

And balance will eventually be restored.
I have faith.

re: #138 reine.de.tout

{FBV}
LOL.

I’m not crazy about all critters, either, but usually, they’re more afraid of YOU than you are of them.

I only have two things that really creep me out.
1. Worms. Don’t know why, I just cannot stand them.

2. Snakes at my front door. One of the cats will sometimes find a snake and leave it at the front door as a “gift”.

Centipedes, for me. It’s the flexibility + creepy too many legs + biting. Millipedes don’t have the biting, so they’re cool. Snakes don’t have the legs, so they’re cool. (actually, i love snakes) But i don’t suffer centipedes to live, even though the hairy wolf centipedes i used to get in Ohio actually eat the other bugs.

re: #144 freetoken

Damn straight, who knows.

Post depression, a bunch of jobs opened up with… “Apply here. Can you thread this nut onto this bolt? Yes? You’re hired! Stand right there. Here it comes! Oh! Good job… stand here and do that all day. You can’t read? Not a problem… put your X here.” “Can you carry this sack of flour over there? Yes? You’re hired. Carry this sack of flour over there.”

Brand new world…

re: #143 reine.de.tout

pellet gun.

Oh. I’d have just thrown a cat in the room. It’s what i did in Ohio when the occasional bat found their way into the house.

re: #90 Ericus58

Absolutely. Its something to see. The siren(special tone, not the same as pre-Shabbat or incoming-hostilities-get-to-your-sealed-room tone)goes off and everyone stops absolutely dead and stands stock still wherever they are for 2 minutes. Includes people getting out and standing beside their cars, and buses(although I had to give one Egged driver today the evil eye as he tried to creep forward on his route—bus was empty—before the end of the siren. Thought nobody was there to see him.). If you’re in an office meeting it stops and everyone stands. If you’re in a room with the doctor, the exam stops dead and you both stand(and I felt pretty silly standing there in one of those gowns).

re: #146 Aceofwhat?

Centipedes, for me. It’s the flexibility + creepy too many legs + biting. Millipedes don’t have the biting, so they’re cool. Snakes don’t have the legs, so they’re cool. (actually, i love snakes) But i don’t suffer centipedes to live, even though the hairy wolf centipedes i used to get in Ohio actually eat the other bugs.

Someone (FSU professors, maybe) decided to bring love bugs to Florida and run lab test to see if they could help with the skeeter problem. IIRC, they love bugs escaped. Now, 2 problems. Heh.

re: #149 Aceofwhat?

Oh. I’d have just thrown a cat in the room. It’s what i did in Ohio when the occasional bat found their way into the house.

Om nom nom…

re: #151 Cannadian Club Akbar

“Baby can you dig your man.”

re: #149 Aceofwhat?

Oh. I’d have just thrown a cat in the room. It’s what i did in Ohio when the occasional bat found their way into the house.

The cats had disappeared!
Plus, the pellet gun was quick.

One of the cats once came bounding through the open window with some sort of flying squirrel. Then let it go.

The squirrel disappeared completely.

It was two days before it got thirsty enough to need to come out for water, which is when we were able to catch it and send it on back outside again. We could hear it, but could never find it.

re: #151 Cannadian Club Akbar

Someone (FSU professors, maybe) decided to bring love bugs to Florida and run lab test to see if they could help with the skeeter problem. IIRC, they love bugs escaped. Now, 2 problems. Heh.

Heh. And the good news is that our palmetto bugs don’t nest in houses like northern roaches do, so we only see them occasionally.

The bad news is that if you’re skittish about bugs which look like roaches, palmetto bugs are big enough to saddle and ride around the den…

re: #149 Aceofwhat?

Oh. I’d have just thrown a cat in the room. It’s what i did in Ohio when the occasional bat found their way into the house.

Have you ever seen a bat flying around a room with an operating ceiling fan flying in circles with a cat on the bed jumping in the air to catch the bat every time it does an orbit? I have. I couldn’t stop laughing for a good 10 minutes. Trust me, it’ll make your day!

re: #155 Aceofwhat?

Heh. And the good news is that our palmetto bugs don’t nest in houses like northern roaches do, so we only see them occasionally.

The bad news is that if you’re skittish about bugs which look like roaches, palmetto bugs are big enough to saddle and ride around the den…

And they fly!!!

More videos coming:

WikiLeaks plans to post video showing US massacre of Afghani civilians

The whisteblower website WikiLeaks — which exploded onto the national stage earlier this month after it released a video recording showing US servicemembers shooting two reporters and six others to death — says they plan to release another, even more harrowing clip.

re: #121 MrSilverDragon

At least you’re going to get an uptick on your next overlord review. Supplying huntables in an indoor setting.

re: #151 Cannadian Club Akbar

Someone (FSU professors, maybe) decided to bring love bugs to Florida and run lab test to see if they could help with the skeeter problem. IIRC, they love bugs escaped. Now, 2 problems. Heh.

OMG, I hate those things!
Just hate them!

Stupid, messy - and the dead ones will smell awful when you wash them off your car, but you’ve got to get them off or lose the paint on your car.

I was wondering where they came from. Where were they originally?

re: #155 Aceofwhat?

But isn’t it true that palmettoes have the inside track on wrestling scholarships in Florida colleges?

re: #160 reine.de.tout

OMG, I hate those things!
Just hate them!

Stupid, messy - and the dead ones will smell awful when you wash them off your car, but you’ve got to get them off or lose the paint on your car.

I was wondering where they came from. Where were they originally?

Me was wrong. The experiment idea is a myth.
en.wikipedia.org

Joy!

Just got off the phone with my tax guy. Seems as if the gov’t doesn’t think I paid enough last year. I get the privilage of writing them a check this week!

yippee!!
/

Tax Mahal: IRS gets lift with stimulus cash, no creation of jobs

With tax day looming, officials from Washington to Massachusetts are blasting a $92 million “Cadillac”-style renovation of the sprawling IRS center in Andover, calling the use of federal stimulus dollars to collect more taxes a “boondoggle” that won’t even bring long-term jobs to the area.

The project’s key proponent, Rep. Niki Tsongas (D-Lowell), and other top regional Democrats have strongly touted the project, which is aimed at improving “productivity and customer service” at the 50-year-old federal complex.

But foes such as Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), Sen. Scott Brown (R-Mass.) and state Sen. Michael Knapik (R-Westfield) are jeering at the use of stimulus money to create a state-of-the-art processing and auditing center when roads, bridges and dams need urgent attention.

Dems spend $92 million of stimulus money and create ZERO jobs. Shocka!

re: #136 Cannadian Club Akbar

Daisy BB gun?

Careful with those. You’ll put somebody’s eye out… ;)

This isn’t surprising:

Sanctions no way to go in Iran, India tells US

Amid a fresh Western drive to impose fresh sanctions against Iran, India has made it clear to the US that while Tehran should stick to its obligations under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), sanctions are counter-productive.

The Iranian nuclear issue figured in discussions between Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and US President Obama at Blair House, the presidential guesthouse, Sunday on the eve of the Nuclear Security Summit that is expected to focus on Tehran’s defiant nuclear programme.

The discussions took place with a special reference to the ongoing discussions in New York on the possibility of a UN Security Council Resolution to deal with the Iranian nuclear issue, Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao told journalists here after talks.

“So, the president briefed the prime minister on these discussions. Our prime minister made known India’s position very clearly in this regard,” said Rao.

“You are aware of the fact that we have always stressed that Iran has certain obligations to fulfil as a member of the NPT on the nuclear issue as it concerns Iran,” said Rao.

On the issue of sanctions, Manmohan Singh told Obama that “sanctions when they target ordinary people have always been counter-productive.”

[…]

While India believes that a nuclear weapon Iran is not in the interests of regional stability, it has consistently advocated dialogue and diplomacy to resolve the issue of the Iranian nuclear programme, suspected of developing nuclear weapons.

re: #164 sattv4u2

I’m getting $8,000.00 back… I hope it ain’t thousands you’ve gotta pay, but, dude… I lent them $8,000.00!

I want it back now!

re: #167 freetoken

it has consistently advocated dialogue and diplomacy to resolve the issue of the Iranian nuclear programme, suspected of developing nuclear weapons

Yes, because thats been working so well with Iran (and North Korea) lo these many decades!

re: #164 sattv4u2

Hey… I get to pay the IRS and Sacramento… the latter being the nastier, more aggressive of the two (don’t mess with the FTB!)

re: #164 sattv4u2

Joy!

Just got off the phone with my tax guy. Seems as if the gov’t doesn’t think I paid enough last year. I get the privilage of writing them a check this week!

yippee!!
/

Write me one while you’re at it.
/

re: #148 MandyManners

The stunning figure was revealed by Cuban leader Raúl Castro himself: The Cuban government and its enterprises might have more than one million excess workers on their payrolls.

SNIP

hoo-boy.
Let’s hope this isn’t where we’re headed, with unemployment being “relieved” by stimulus jobs, etc.

re: #163 Cannadian Club Akbar

Darn… I was digging the Captain Trips thoughts.

re: #170 sattv4u2

So, how would you convince the Indians otherwise?

re: #171 freetoken

Hey… I get to pay the IRS and Sacramento… the latter being the nastier, more aggressive of the two (don’t mess with the FTB!)

Yeah ,, I get to write the State Of Georgia one, but thats only a few bucks this year (under $100)

re: #138 reine.de.tout

{FBV}
LOL.

I’m not crazy about all critters, either, but usually, they’re more afraid of YOU than you are of them.

I only have two things that really creep me out.
1. Worms. Don’t know why, I just cannot stand them. Once, in college, it had been raining hard, and of course lots of earthworms came out of the ground and got onto the sidewalk. I saw a patch of ‘em up ahead, and turned around and went back to the dorm rather than walk over or around them. Just- ew.

My brother in his youth (12 through high school) sold nightcrawlers for bait. After/during those summer rainstorms he’d employ me to go with him and capture fresh supplies for his boxes. So we’d be out at night with coffee cans and flashlights picking them up. Or catching them by hand as they’d be 3/4 of the way out of their burrows doing whatever worms do when it’s damp outside and the homestead is half flooded.

I also have cats that liked catching snakes and bringing them home. I think they viewed them as some sort of self-propelled shoestring toy, but better! Garter snakes exude musk when alarmed, and I think the one cat liked the smell.

re: #176 sattv4u2

That is perfect tax planning. Congratulations to either you or your tax guy who told you how to do it.

Nice.

re: #175 freetoken

So, how would you convince the Indians otherwise?

We have huge leverage over MANY countries that we have NEVER tried (that I’m aware of)

We give huge amounts of aid and have for decades to many different countries. Hell, we give both Israel and Egypt $$$ that they use to but weapons to aim at each other (as an example)

All this, while our country is swimming in red ink!

SO ,,, the leverage that we have is simple ,, $$$ (or cuts there of)

re: #155 Aceofwhat?

According to Prachett’s God of Evolution the cockroach is the ultimate adaptive lifeform. (The Last Continent)

re: #177 oaktree

My brother in his youth (12 through high school) sold nightcrawlers for bait. After/during those summer rainstorms he’d employ me to go with him and capture fresh supplies for his boxes. So we’d be out at night with coffee cans and flashlights picking them up. Or catching them by hand as they’d be 3/4 of the way out of their burrows doing whatever worms do when it’s damp outside and the homestead is half flooded.
…
.

*shudder*
*cold shudder*
ew.

I’ve seen people use a stick punched into the ground, with a can top being beaten with another stick, to get those things to just pop up out of the ground, too.
Yuck.

re: #178 Fat Bastard Vegetarian

That is perfect tax planning. Congratulations to either you or your tax guy who told you how to do it.

Nice.

Yeah, he’s a kepper

We break or come close to breaking even each year. The monkey wrnch this year was a new way my company set up stock options and the selling and taxation of them. On paper, it looks as if I cashed some in each month (and paid the taxes on them as I did). In reality, I never got any $$ (yet) bit will NOT have to pay the taxes on it when I do (when presumably they will be worth more)

re: #178 Fat Bastard Vegetarian

Yeah, he’s a kepper KEEPER

pimf

New Research Sheds Light on Soviet Plans for World War III

German historians are divided over the significance of a massive Communist-era bunker in the former East Germany. Was it to be used as a command post in the event of a Soviet invasion of Western Europe? Researchers now believe Europe was closer to the nuclear abyss than was previously believed.

Riding in fully enclosed trucks, a military construction crew under the command of the East German National People’s Army was driven to a remote woodlot near Kossa in the state of Saxony, which at the time was part of communist East Germany. They were not supposed to hear anything, see anything or say anything. They were only here to work.

First, the soldiers put up 6 kilometers (3.75 miles) of steel fencing and ran 6,000 volts of electricity through it. The men dug deep holes with excavators and poured concrete walls. Then the underground facility was fitted with electronic systems.

The secret fortress was completed in 1979. Located in the middle of a heath, the installation consisted of six separate bunkers that cannot be seen from the air, spread over an area of 75 hectares (185 acres), and built with blast-resistant steel doors and decontamination showers.

re: #182 reine.de.tout

*shudder*
*cold shudder*
ew.

I’ve seen people use a stick punched into the ground, with a can top being beaten with another stick, to get those things to just pop up out of the ground, too.
Yuck.

Worm equivalent of “fishing” using a stick of dynamite. Not sporting at all. :p

re: #179 sattv4u2

India, the country in question, is a major trading partner with both the US and Iran.

They refuse (and have worked against) any serious economic sanctions against Iran.

I know of no way to change them on this. If you think somehow that we will strong arm India into changing on this, where is the precedent? While, because of their own nuclear program we have kept India at arms’ length on nuclear technology related matters, on the whole we keep good relations with them and have intertwined our own economy with theirs.

re: #180 oaktree

Mythbusters tested the radiation myth. The nasty little bastards died.

re: #185 MandyManners

Cold shudder.

*snicker*

It’s actually quite descriptive.
I’ve decided I like it.

re: #133 freetoken

Scott Brown snubs Sarah Palin, bags Tea Party rally

Heh… do tell.

If I recall, he didn’t have Palin campaign for him in the first place. She was up in New York’s 23rd helping lose that election, and simply took credit for Brown’s victory after the fact. Brown’s probably enjoying Palin’s mentioning him to tea partiers, so they know who to vote for, but he’s not stupid enough to consider them the majority. That said, I’m not exactly impressed with him and wouldn’t mind seeing him ousted…

re: #184 MandyManners

Ninety-five per cent of Cubans are employed by the government. What’s the percentage here, from municipalities to counties to states to the feds?

About 8% of jobs in the US are government jobs.

re: #188 oaktree

Worm equivalent of “fishing” using a stick of dynamite. Not sporting at all. :p

LOL.
Sorry.
Who the heck worries about ‘sporting’ when it’s a WORM??!!??

re: #189 freetoken

If you think somehow that we will strong arm India into changing on this, where is the precedent

Where in my reply did I say “strong arm”?
Do you think that India based companies will stop doing business with US companies just because the US gov’t reduces aid to the Indian gov’t?

re: #194 reine.de.tout

Worms.

re: #184 MandyManners

Ninety-five per cent of Cubans are employed by the government. What’s the percentage here, from municipalities to counties to states to the feds?

Well, right now, much less than 95%.
Let’s hope it stays that way.

re: #193 Obdicut

About 8% of jobs in the US are government jobs.

Federal jobs? Or across the board?

What was your source on that? I’d like to dig into it.

I found my wallet. Everyone can stop looking.:)

re: #199 Fat Bastard Vegetarian

Federal jobs? Or across the board?

What was your source on that? I’d like to dig into it.

Still looking for worms!?!?
/

re: #200 Cannadian Club Akbar

I found my wallet. Everyone can stop looking.:)

The gov’t found MINE!

re: #202 sattv4u2

The gov’t found MINE!

Don’t be greedy!
/

re: #190 Fat Bastard Vegetarian

Mythbusters tested the radiation myth. The nasty little bastards died.

Most things will. The reason that the flour beetles did so well in comparison to the roaches was smaller size and cross-section exposure to the radiation source.

Plus, if you do some additional background reading, the theory on roach survival of radiation exposure is also based upon the fact that they reproduce generationally much faster than larger beasties like us. They’ll go through 5-6 (or more) generations where each generation doesn’t get that much chance to accumulate radiation damage to their genetic material while creatures with longer reproduction periods potentially get damage that will cause lower successful reproduction rates. (Also brought up is the roach default behavior when alarmed to scuttle under nearest cover - thus a tendency to shelter in a shielded environment.)

re: #200 Cannadian Club Akbar

“The pope-a has-a lost his a-wallet!”
-Father Guido Sarducci

re: #199 Fat Bastard Vegetarian

Federal jobs? Or across the board?

What was your source on that? I’d like to dig into it.

I don’t know where Obdi got his info.
But the US Bureau of Labor Statistics has more information about the labor situation than anyone really ever wants to know.

Medicaid Drops Coverage For Mom With Cancer

A woman battling a cancer battle was dealt a surprise blow by Uncle Sam this month.

Diana Smith has gone through six months of radiation and chemotherapy — one week out of every month. She is in remission and had a donor for a transplant; being in remission is prerequisite for the transplant.

But her hopes of receiving the transplant were dashed in March, when she says, the Social Security Administration contacted her –without her soliciting it — and told her that her three year-old son was entitled to receive Social Security disability payments. Even though she didn’t ask for it, she signed the form and received her son’s first check check.

In April, Medicaid canceled her universal health care policy because her income level had risen with her son’s payments – making her ineligible for the insurance program.

The problem is Jackson Memorial Hospital cannot provide the procedure because the risk is too high. The universal policy from Medicaid helps shield the hospital from liability in this kind of case. Without it, they are subject to liability issues.

Even though Smith offered to cancel her son’s disability benefits, she was told it’s too late.

“She’s gone through six months worth of radiation and chemo, her body can’t take anymore. If they don’t allow her to have this transplant coming up right now next week, they’re in effect signing her death warrant,” said her friend Tom Noonan.

“I want to live to see my son grow up and get on with my life,” Smith told CBS4’s Ted Scouten.

re: #194 reine.de.tout

LOL.
Sorry.
Who the heck worries about ‘sporting’ when it’s a WORM??!!??

No problem. It was a joke. :)

re: #209 oaktree

aw, heck, I knew it!
*joking back*

re: #70 NJDhockeyfan

Hamas MP says Gaza authorities facing financial ‘crisis’

I have this here small violin…

They are smuggling containers full of cash through the tunnels as fast as they can.

re: #171 freetoken

Hey… I get to pay the IRS and Sacramento… the latter being the nastier, more aggressive of the two (don’t mess with the FTB!)

Not having a state income tax rules, by the way…

re: #208 NJDhockeyfan

I think there are programs that will cover people whose income doesn’t allow them to receive medical assistance benefits, but who have a “catastrophic” situation on their hands. This lady needs to do some more checking around.

re: #212 Aceofwhat?

Not having a state income tax rules, by the way…

Preach it brother!!!

re: #212 Aceofwhat?

Not having a state income tax rules, by the way…

Having a very small state income tax rules.
And about $12 worth of property tax a year on my home - rules too.

re: #120 Aceofwhat?

ugh. CPAP machines are tough. they work, but i’ve seen them…it’s like going to bed in a Darth Vader mask, minus the cool chokey powers and James Earl Jones voice…

Zedushka always gets stopped for “special treatment” whenever he takes his portable CPAP through airport security.

re: #208 NJDhockeyfan

wow. what a coincidence. i am so surprised.

re: #212 Aceofwhat?

Not having a state income tax rules, by the way…

Yeah,,, but what are your property taxes

FOR EXAMPLE

When I had a house in New Hampshire, no state sales tax
PROPERTY TAX,,, 6K a year
Here in Georgia, we have a 6% sales tax on some items

PROPERTY TAX ,, UNDER 2K a year (basically same size house,, much more land, btw)

re: #147 Fat Bastard Vegetarian

Damn straight, who knows.

Post depression, a bunch of jobs opened up with… “Apply here. Can you thread this nut onto this bolt? Yes? You’re hired! Stand right there. Here it comes! Oh! Good job… stand here and do that all day. You can’t read? Not a problem… put your X here.” “Can you carry this sack of flour over there? Yes? You’re hired. Carry this sack of flour over there.”

Brand new world…

And those jobs were all the military.

re: #213 reine.de.tout

I think there are programs that will cover people whose income doesn’t allow them to receive medical assistance benefits, but who have a “catastrophic” situation on their hands. This lady needs to do some more checking around.

I hope so. Imagine fighting cancer for that long and one week before the operation that possibly will cure you the government cuts off your coverage. How fucked up is that?

re: #208 NJDhockeyfan

Damn if you do, damn if you don’t.

re: #215 reine.de.tout

Having a very small state income tax rules.
And about $12 worth of property tax a year on my home - rules too.

no question…it’s the sum total which matters. but i’ve been renting since i moved here and am not gonna buy until it’s both less expensive to buy and the market turns around. neither are the case in Jacksonville right now. i have a beautiful house about 10min from the beach and the nice lady who owns the house isn’t even close to breaking even on my rent…

re: #222 badger1970

Damn if you do, damn if you don’t.

Actually, with most things gov’t run

Damned if you do, Damned if you do!

re: #189 freetoken

India, the country in question, is a major trading partner with both the US and Iran.

They refuse (and have worked against) any serious economic sanctions against Iran.

I know of no way to change them on this. If you think somehow that we will strong arm India into changing on this, where is the precedent? While, because of their own nuclear program we have kept India at arms’ length on nuclear technology related matters, on the whole we keep good relations with them and have intertwined our own economy with theirs.

India’s problem is twofold. 1.) they need iranian business and money 2.) they need continue to play their relationship with Iran against Pakistan.

That said, they can be bought off with cash and favors. I’ve advocated for awhile to add India to the permanent UN security council list, maybe that’s a good enough carrot to get them on board.

re: #219 sattv4u2

Yeah,,, but what are your property taxes

FOR EXAMPLE

When I had a house in New Hampshire, no state sales tax
PROPERTY TAX,,, 6K a year
Here in Georgia, we have a 6% sales tax on some items

PROPERTY TAX ,, UNDER 2K a year (basically same size house,, much more land, btw)

I just went to the county website and it estimated about $5k on a $300k house. So it’s not a panacea, by any means…

re: #199 Fat Bastard Vegetarian

Federal jobs? Or across the board?

What was your source on that? I’d like to dig into it.

Across the board, and it was the BLS. It took me awhile to construct, though, and I don’t think I have all the links. Here’s the basic, though.

bls.gov

9,748,080 government workers, all total, excluding teachers, giving a rate of about 4% of all jobs. That’s excluding, however, workers who are state workers in the schools, hospitals, and legislative/judicial branches (police are not part of that) which about doubles the number.

re: #223 Aceofwhat?

no question…it’s the sum total which matters. but i’ve been renting since i moved here and am not gonna buy until it’s both less expensive to buy and the market turns around. neither are the case in Jacksonville right now. i have a beautiful house about 10min from the beach and the nice lady who owns the house isn’t even close to breaking even on my rent…

I don’t think it’s gonna get much lower than this!

We;ve had houses sitting for sale around me for 18-24 months. During the 1st 12-16 months they would reduce the price every so often. Since then the price has held firm

re: #223 Aceofwhat?

We had a small, one week time-share in Destin for awhile.
Our “week” was during the school year so at some point, after our daughter was born, it made no sense to keep it. Same thing - the rent we got on it for our ‘week’ didn’t cover the annual property taxes on a small one-bedroom efficiency one week time-share!

re: #221 NJDhockeyfan

Not so messed up as it just is the way it is going to be.

They are going to do things that make Blue Cross look like Good King Wenceslas. But they’re gonna use Blue Cross to take the blame.

Not death panels… not what I am saying.

Shenanigans like that story.

re: #219 sattv4u2

Yeah,,, but what are your property taxes

FOR EXAMPLE

When I had a house in New Hampshire, no state sales tax
PROPERTY TAX,,, 6K a year
Here in Georgia, we have a 6% sales tax on some items

PROPERTY TAX ,, UNDER 2K a year (basically same size house,, much more land, btw)

We have sales tax, property tax AND state tax…hat trick!

re: #228 Obdicut

Oh and that’s excluding temporary workers like census people, and doesn’t include jobs that are fully funded by the government but done by private industry, obviously.

re: #228 Obdicut

9,748,080 government workers, all total,

Hold on. That does NOT include teachers, workers who are state workers in the schools, hospitals, and legislative/judicial branches and you think those included would only DOUBLE the numbers?!?!

I would think it would increase it three or four fold

re: #234 darthstar

But how’s the weather? /

re: #230 sattv4u2

I don’t think it’s gonna get much lower than this!

We;ve had houses sitting for sale around me for 18-24 months. During the 1st 12-16 months they would reduce the price every so often. Since then the price has held firm

i don’t like guessing the bottom of a market…i’m not prescient enough. I’d rather buy on the uptick and be sure. and my rent is waaay less than the mortgage + property taxes would be on this baby, even with the tax deduction, so i’m in no hurry.

after owning for the past 10 years, it’s really nice to call someone every time an appliance breaks or the A/C goes out and let them foot the bill!

re: #234 darthstar

We have sales tax, property tax AND state tax…hat trick!

Yes, but as ACE stated, the sum total of that

As long as they don;t soak me on my property taxes ON TOP of all the others (and here in Georgia they don’t) I’m fine with that

re: #181 MandyManners

Ousted Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiyev has rallied his supporters, days after violence in the capital, Bishkek, overthrew his government.

Economic aid = pay-off.

he should be less cavalier about talking about bloodshed. If Putin is backing the new government’s play and we’re trying to keep our base lease, the government can probably mow down his supporters without paying a price.

re: #234 darthstar

We have sales tax, property tax AND state tax…hat trick!

In Connecticut the effective rate is about 63%? Fed/State/Local/Property/Sales/Death/coffin/asking question tax…

re: #229 MandyManners

Aren’t they also still good buds with China as they were during the Cold War?

Not really. China/India are in the midst of their own little cold war although it’s mostly based around economic issues. China has a big headstart but, IMO, it’s only a matter of time before India surpasses China both economically and militarily if they so choose.

re: #228 Obdicut

Across the board, and it was the BLS. It took me awhile to construct, though, and I don’t think I have all the links. Here’s the basic, though.

[Link: www.bls.gov…]

9,748,080 government workers, all total, excluding teachers, giving a rate of about 4% of all jobs. That’s excluding, however, workers who are state workers in the schools, hospitals, and legislative/judicial branches (police are not part of that) which about doubles the number.

My only issue with this:

I have a college degree, and worked as a high-level administrator and part of the executive staff of a state agency.

I resent the moniker government “worker”.
When anyone working anywhere else is called an “employee”.

Sorry.
This has bothered me for a gajillion years.
If you work for the government, it just seems your professionalism will be demeaned.

re: #237 badger1970

But how’s the weather? /

Right now it’s pissing down rain…has been all weekend…and we’ve got 40 mph winds up here on the ridge to go with it. Now, most of the year, it’s pretty sweet.

re: #239 Aceofwhat?

i don’t like guessing the bottom of a market…i’m not prescient enough. I’d rather buy on the uptick and be sure. and my rent is waaay less than the mortgage + property taxes would be on this baby, even with the tax deduction, so i’m in no hurry.

after owning for the past 10 years, it’s really nice to call someone every time an appliance breaks or the A/C goes out and let them foot the bill!

HEY,, stop calling me!!!

(I have a couple of rental properties, but Thank God my tenants are GREAT,, they only call if its something major.)

re: #245 reine.de.tout

Excellent point, freeloader.
/
*runs away giggling*

re: #232 MandyManners

Why exclude teachers?! Their checks come from our coffers.

That’s not the point of the BLS stuff, though, Mandy. They break down stuff by occupation, and a teacher for the government is more similar to a private teacher than they are to, say, a DMV worker for the purposes of occupation and the economy. It’s not some underhanded ploy to undercount workers.

We actually have a very efficient government compared to other countries, but good luck getting Americans to believe that. We’re kinda spoiled. It’s partially because we’re pretty non-corrupt— number 17, woot!— but mainly because the high value-added-per-worker-hour remains high for government.

re: #247 sattv4u2

I fixed some things at the house I rented years ago. My laird was shocked.

re: #247 sattv4u2

HEY,, stop calling me!!!

(I have a couple of rental properties, but Thank God my tenants are GREAT,, they only call if its something major.)

My AC went out when I was 24 and renting. Landlord was an asshole. I withheld my rent check ‘til he fixed it.

re: #245 reine.de.tout

I resent the moniker government “worker”.
When anyone working anywhere else is called an “employee”.

I would be very happy if my boss called me a ‘worker”. Beats the hell out of what he usually calls us !!

//

re: #245 reine.de.tout

My apologies, Reine. No disrespect meant, and I’ll be careful of that in the future.

re: #232 MandyManners

Why exclude teachers?! Their checks come from our coffers.

I don’t know why, but teachers are often excluded from counts of government employees.

And legislative and health-care employees are often exluded because often, they are not in protected positions, but “at-will” positions for some reason.
Legislators themselves, of course, being at the will of the voters.

Counts of government employees will usually include mainly those whose jobs are protected and considered permanent.