Monday Night Open
Open • Views: 21,946
I’m trying to get rid of a bad cold, so here’s an open thread for the evening while I drift in and out of consciousness.
271 comments
3 |
Prononymous, rogue demon hunter Mon, Apr 4, 2011 8:58:43pm |
re: #2 b_sharp
He doesn't look stuffed up either. In fact it looks nice and sunny where he is...
Charles, come clean. You aren't actually vacationing in Australia are you?
| 5 |
b_sharp Mon, Apr 4, 2011 9:05:13pm |
Hello Hello Hello
Echo Echo Echo
Goodnight GoodnightGoodnight
Bloody hellll gooo already you dumb bugger
| 6 |
Michael McBacon Mon, Apr 4, 2011 9:07:54pm |
Agh, pretty sure I'm coming down with a cold as well.
| 7 |
Varek Raith Mon, Apr 4, 2011 9:09:45pm |
Get well soon!
As for me, work awaits.
Later gators!
| 8 |
A Man for all Seasons Mon, Apr 4, 2011 9:11:27pm |
Monday night open? I have never been more disappointed by the game tonight..Ugly..just ugly
As a sports fan there are few moments that bring joy to my life
Golden state in 75
The 49ers and Raiders in their hayday
The Red Sox in 2004
The Colts a few years ago
The Giants last year
There is much pain in being a fan
| 9 |
Dancing along the light of day Mon, Apr 4, 2011 9:13:06pm |
re: #8 HoosierHoops
BAH!
They're lucky to have you as a fan!
| 10 |
Killgore Trout Mon, Apr 4, 2011 9:14:15pm |
| 11 |
Dark_Falcon Mon, Apr 4, 2011 9:17:36pm |
re: #10 Killgore Trout
House Mouse Senate Mouse
[Video]
Everybody loves Weiner
Either Mouse meets Jeff the Giant Orange Cat, it becomes a snack.
| 12 |
A Man for all Seasons Mon, Apr 4, 2011 9:18:39pm |
re: #9 Floral Giraffe
BAH!
They're lucky to have you as a fan!
The bright side of my life is when the Lakers lose a game..Then I know Jack Nickelson is sitting at his Kitchen table drinking vodka naked staring out the window..In total dispare..
I feel pretty good then..
*wink*
| 13 |
recusancy Mon, Apr 4, 2011 9:20:43pm |
| 14 |
Dancing along the light of day Mon, Apr 4, 2011 9:21:15pm |
re: #12 HoosierHoops
LOL!
Jack is a HUGE FAN.
But, sometimes all teams loose.
Hugs to you & Winston.
| 15 |
Killgore Trout Mon, Apr 4, 2011 9:21:15pm |
re: #11 Dark_Falcon
Jeff has not killed since spring 2009. Methinks his days are done. Maru is still working despite the earthquakes, tsunamis and reactor meltdowns.
[Link: www.youtube.com...]
| 16 |
Killgore Trout Mon, Apr 4, 2011 9:21:49pm |
Cats are like college room mates.
| 17 |
Dancing along the light of day Mon, Apr 4, 2011 9:23:05pm |
re: #16 Killgore Trout
Cats are like college room mates.
[Video]
Mine were all HELLACIOUS.
DO NOT GO THERE.
Seriously.
Evil witches.
| 19 |
A Man for all Seasons Mon, Apr 4, 2011 9:24:54pm |
re: #14 Floral Giraffe
LOL!
Jack is a HUGE FAN.
But, sometimes all teams loose.
Hugs to you & Winston.
Hugs to you..Winston has another new friend..CoCo I watch them play in the field behind us.. Very cute.. I think he is very happy here with his home boys
| 20 |
Dark_Falcon Mon, Apr 4, 2011 9:26:50pm |
re: #15 Killgore Trout
Jeff has not killed since spring 2009. Methinks his days are done. Maru is still working despite the earthquakes, tsunamis and reactor meltdowns.
[Link: www.youtube.com...]
You have to check Jeff's other blog. It's still decent if you're a fan of notable cats.
| 21 |
Dark_Falcon Mon, Apr 4, 2011 9:27:33pm |
re: #19 HoosierHoops
Hugs to you..Winston has another new friend..CoCo I watch them play in the field behind us.. Very cute.. I think he is very happy here with his home boys
What kind of dog is CoCo?
| 22 |
reine.de.tout Mon, Apr 4, 2011 9:30:19pm |
re: #21 Dark_Falcon
What kind of dog is CoCo?
That's what I was wondering.
I mean, CoCo is so obviously a cat name - I can't believe anyone would name a dog "CoCo". Really.
| 23 |
Dancing along the light of day Mon, Apr 4, 2011 9:32:00pm |
| 24 |
Dark_Falcon Mon, Apr 4, 2011 9:32:40pm |
| 25 |
A Man for all Seasons Mon, Apr 4, 2011 9:33:52pm |
re: #22 reine.de.tout
That's what I was wondering.
I mean, CoCo is so obviously a cat name - I can't believe anyone would name a dog "CoCo". Really.
A teacup Chuchuchilla or ever the heck you spell their name...
| 26 |
Dark_Falcon Mon, Apr 4, 2011 9:34:11pm |
re: #22 reine.de.tout
That's what I was wondering.
I mean, CoCo is so obviously a cat name - I can't believe anyone would name a dog "CoCo". Really.
Cats don't get along well with small excitable dogs. Most dogs that get along well with cats are larger breeds. Terriers can almost never get along with a cat, since they are hunting breeds and chase anything that runs.
| 27 |
reine.de.tout Mon, Apr 4, 2011 9:34:43pm |
| 28 |
Killgore Trout Mon, Apr 4, 2011 9:35:37pm |
re: #20 Dark_Falcon
You have to check Jeff's other blog. It's still decent if you're a fan of notable cats.
Ah, it's nice to see Jeff still at work,
| 29 |
reine.de.tout Mon, Apr 4, 2011 9:37:19pm |
re: #26 Dark_Falcon
Cats don't get along well with small excitable dogs. Most dogs that get along well with cats are larger breeds. Terriers can almost never get along with a cat, since they are hunting breeds and chase anything that runs.
I have a dog that's part chihuahua, part terrier.
And 4 cats.
The dog gets along with everybody, and everybody gets along with the dog.
The cats don't get along with each other so much.
The dog gets very upset when the cats start hissing at each other - he can't figure out which one he should protect, and which one he needs to be mad at. So he just barks.
| 31 |
Dancing along the light of day Mon, Apr 4, 2011 9:45:33pm |
| 32 |
Dark_Falcon Mon, Apr 4, 2011 9:50:48pm |
re: #30 Gus 802
He retired. ;)
I still think he'll get another gopher or two in. But then i also still root for Chicago sports teams and mostly get my heart broken.
| 33 |
albusteve Mon, Apr 4, 2011 9:50:51pm |
| 34 |
Killgore Trout Mon, Apr 4, 2011 10:07:26pm |
| 35 |
Lidane Mon, Apr 4, 2011 10:09:10pm |
Since it's after midnight, I'm going to be completely self-indulgent and post my theme song for Tuesday:
:)
| 36 |
John Q Mon, Apr 4, 2011 10:12:24pm |
A few months ago I started taking a daily dose of N.A.C. on the recommendation of a friend, who told me that it would help my immune system.
This is the first winter I can remember that I didn't catch a winter cold.
| 39 |
FemNaziBitch Mon, Apr 4, 2011 10:14:02pm |
Hey all!
I think I've now gotten 6 emails stating that the email service used by a particular company was breached and my email (and only my email) has been accessed by a 3rd party.
All I can say is that Epislon is FUBAR.
How are you-all?
| 40 |
lostlakehiker Mon, Apr 4, 2011 10:14:54pm |
re: #6 UNIXon
Agh, pretty sure I'm coming down with a cold as well.
You can't get THAT kind of virus over the internet, doood.
///
| 41 |
Lidane Mon, Apr 4, 2011 10:15:04pm |
re: #39 ggt
Hey all!
I think I've now gotten 6 emails stating that the email service used by a particular company was breached and my email (and only my email) has been accessed by a 3rd party.
All I can say is that Epislon is FUBAR.
How are you-all?
Oh yeah -- Epsilon are screwed:
[Link: mashable.com...]
| 43 |
FemNaziBitch Mon, Apr 4, 2011 10:15:53pm |
re: #16 Killgore Trout
Cats are like college room mates.
[Video]
You know, I tell my vet that. He asks all kind of questions about the cat and I tell him he's not a pet, he's my roommate. I don't get involved in roommates business.
| 44 |
FemNaziBitch Mon, Apr 4, 2011 10:19:36pm |
re: #41 Lidane
Oh yeah -- Epsilon are screwed:
[Link: mashable.com...]
I'm not terribly worried. Judging by the amount of spam I receive that I never know I get until I decide to delete e contents of that file, everyone BUT God has my email already.
I don't get emails from G-d.
| 45 |
Kragar Mon, Apr 4, 2011 10:19:44pm |
re: #43 ggt
You don't know my cat, it's very demanding.
It? You don't know if it's a boy or girl?
I respect its privacy.
| 46 |
FemNaziBitch Mon, Apr 4, 2011 10:21:09pm |
re: #45 Kragar (Proud to be Kafir)
You don't know my cat, it's very demanding.
It? You don't know if it's a boy or girl?
I respect its privacy.
Well, I had to have the kitten sterilized as part of the contract with the shelter he came from. The vet told he he was neutered not spayed, so . . ..
| 47 |
albusteve Mon, Apr 4, 2011 10:30:53pm |
MORE COWBELL!
Bad To the Bone...
| 48 |
Guanxi88 Mon, Apr 4, 2011 10:36:39pm |
Don't pay the ransom! I've escaped!
it's been, what, better than half a year? How the hell is everyone?
| 49 |
albusteve Mon, Apr 4, 2011 10:38:01pm |
re: #48 Guanxi88
Don't pay the ransom! I've escaped!
it's been, what, better than half a year? How the hell is everyone?
I'm bad to the bone
| 50 |
Guanxi88 Mon, Apr 4, 2011 10:39:46pm |
re: #49 albusteve
I'm bad to the bone
Glad to hear it. I seem to recall having read something to the effect that you weren't doing so well some time ago. Glad to hear you were able to tell mortality "F*ck you and the horse you rode in on."
| 51 |
albusteve Mon, Apr 4, 2011 10:41:00pm |
re: #50 Guanxi88
Glad to hear it. I seem to recall having read something to the effect that you weren't doing so well some time ago. Glad to hear you were able to tell mortality "F*ck you and the horse you rode in on."
lost my right leg...still don't have another one yet
| 52 |
Guanxi88 Mon, Apr 4, 2011 10:41:54pm |
Currently playing on the Jukebox from Hell inside my skull, a humorous parody of a gosh-awful song.
Here's the best review I've found of it:
"After watching this more times than I care to admit, I've come to the conclusion that Rebecca Black's song existed solely for the purpose of its eventual re-birth as this epic song. It's as if the universe wanted THIS video and song to exist, and the only way it could make it happen was to go through the painful first step of "Friday," proving sometimes that real art is born from the most unlikely of sources."
And here's the video:
| 53 |
albusteve Mon, Apr 4, 2011 10:42:19pm |
re: #51 albusteve
below the knee that is...my calf and foot are in a Texas landfill
| 54 |
Guanxi88 Mon, Apr 4, 2011 10:42:36pm |
re: #51 albusteve
lost my right leg...still don't have another one yet
Crap! Still, glad you're still with us. But, jeez!
| 55 |
albusteve Mon, Apr 4, 2011 10:44:09pm |
re: #52 Guanxi88
whoa...way past my time
I'm back in the pasture
| 56 |
albusteve Mon, Apr 4, 2011 10:45:24pm |
re: #54 Guanxi88
Crap! Still, glad you're still with us. But, jeez!
thanks...walking without one leg is tricky
| 57 |
Guanxi88 Mon, Apr 4, 2011 10:46:03pm |
re: #55 albusteve
whoa...way past my time
I'm back in the pasture
Hell, it's past mine, too. I'm just glad someone is doing something about the pollution that passes for music among these young 'uns, who persist in trampling my lawn.
| 58 |
Guanxi88 Mon, Apr 4, 2011 10:47:35pm |
I've changed careers, involuntarily, tis true, but am glad to have done it. Previous gig was killing me, and making me every bit as bitter and twisted as the people I worked for and with.
That said, I do kinda miss the money.
| 59 |
albusteve Mon, Apr 4, 2011 10:49:58pm |
this is really cool...the Neocube
[Link: www.youtube.com...]
| 60 |
albusteve Mon, Apr 4, 2011 10:51:10pm |
re: #57 Guanxi88
Hell, it's past mine, too. I'm just glad someone is doing something about the pollution that passes for music among these young 'uns, who persist in trampling my lawn.
I got lucky...both my grown kids dig what I do...indoctrination works
| 62 |
Guanxi88 Mon, Apr 4, 2011 11:04:18pm |
bob dylan famously observed:
Twenty years of schoolin’
And they put you on the day shift
Look out kid
They keep it all hid
Well, me, they put on the night shift. Better pay, though.
| 63 |
Guanxi88 Mon, Apr 4, 2011 11:05:15pm |
Working 6pm to 6 am, three days a week, and all the overtime I want. Not too shabby, but a bit exhausting.
| 64 |
Decatur Deb Mon, Apr 4, 2011 11:07:15pm |
We're under a tornado watch, so I'm up, watching. Not seeing. The storm line has passed into Satttv's turf.
| 65 |
Guanxi88 Mon, Apr 4, 2011 11:09:36pm |
The irony of the thing, though. In the middle of a recession, having lost a well-paying gig with no notice, I manage to land a job (in manufacturing, no less) a mere three miles from my front door, less than a month out of work. Granted, it's in a field about which I knew nothing at all, from a practical side (managerial theory and such like I knew and know all too well, and am bored of, and boring with, SPC, lean manufacturing, etc.).
| 66 |
Guanxi88 Mon, Apr 4, 2011 11:11:19pm |
Only downside to the place is that there's nowhere to sit. I mean, there's the cafeteria, and the break rooms, but otherwise, everyone stands all 12 hours of the shift. One becomes an expert on shoes and insoles rather quickly.
| 67 |
Guanxi88 Mon, Apr 4, 2011 11:16:32pm |
re: #65 Guanxi88
(oh, the irony I mentioned? I've only been driving a year or so, but have been making high-tech automotive electronics for the previous quarter)
| 68 |
FemNaziBitch Mon, Apr 4, 2011 11:18:49pm |
Just came back to share this pic. It is so very cool.
byeee
| 70 |
unrememberable Tue, Apr 5, 2011 2:03:44am |
re: #7 Varek Raith
Get well soon!
Get well
Get well soon
We wish you to get well
Get well
Get well soon
We wish you to get well
| 72 |
boxhead Tue, Apr 5, 2011 2:38:08am |
re: #8 HoosierHoops
Monday night open? I have never been more disappointed by the game tonight..Ugly..just ugly
As a sports fan there are few moments that bring joy to my life
Golden state in 75
The 49ers and Raiders in their hayday
The Red Sox in 2004
The Colts a few years ago
The Giants last yearThere is much pain in being a fan
Dodgers in 1988.. :)
| 73 |
boxhead Tue, Apr 5, 2011 2:40:08am |
re: #12 HoosierHoops
The bright side of my life is when the Lakers lose a game..Then I know Jack Nickelson is sitting at his Kitchen table drinking vodka naked staring out the window..In total dispare..
I feel pretty good then..
*wink*
uuuhhhh disturbing images just flooded my mind... thank you very much... :p
but Lakers will win it all again barring injuries...
| 76 |
Targetpractice Tue, Apr 5, 2011 2:46:40am |
re: #71 unrememberable
Curious: does LGF have RSS?
Yes, but it's been prescribed medicine for that.
///
| 77 |
boxhead Tue, Apr 5, 2011 2:47:38am |
re: #75 EdDantes
Kirk Gibson! The Natural.
.
Yep... and the Bulldog Orel Hershiser.
Hershiser put together one of the best single seasons in pitching history in 1988. That year, he led the league in wins (23), innings (267), and complete games (15). He finished the season with a record 59 1/3 consecutive scoreless innings pitched, breaking the mark held by Dodger great Don Drysdale. (It reached 60 innings going into 1989.) He also won his first Gold Glove. He was unanimously selected as the Cy Young Award winner, with a record of 23–8 and a 2.26 ERA.
That was from wikipedia.
| 80 |
EdDantes Tue, Apr 5, 2011 2:49:40am |
re: #77 boxhead
Orel looked like a wimp but he was a monster on the mound.
| 81 |
Walter L. Newton Tue, Apr 5, 2011 2:49:43am |
| 82 |
researchok Tue, Apr 5, 2011 2:51:22am |
| 83 |
boxhead Tue, Apr 5, 2011 2:52:31am |
re: #80 EdDantes
Orel looked like a wimp but he was a monster on the mound.
heh... he was no Clemons in appearance, but he was nasty... And now he is a terrible color man for ESPN or FOX baseball.... Spoiled I am by Vin Scully.
| 84 |
Obdicut Tue, Apr 5, 2011 2:55:37am |
Wow, the guy who writes Dilbert not only doesn't believe in evolution, but thinks that women are comparable to children and the handicapped.
[Link: www.somethingawful.com...]
Didn't see that coming.
| 85 |
EdDantes Tue, Apr 5, 2011 2:56:50am |
re: #83 boxhead
I haven't followed baseball since Bonds fraudulent 73 home runs. I miss Vin Scully, Joe Garagiola and, Tim McCarver.
| 86 |
Walter L. Newton Tue, Apr 5, 2011 2:59:27am |
re: #82 researchok
I live to start with you
Er... that's creepy...
I can't sleep... I guess that's because most of my work schedule is late evenings and/or overnights.
Actually I have 4 days off this week, mini vacation, but when I get one of these short weeks, my sleep schedule is all fucked up... up, down... napping... trying to be awake at the same time as the normal folks in the family... it's like living in a shadow world between them and myself... occasionally we interact.
Kaiser Permanente ordered some programming yesterday, so I'm trying to sleep, my mind is thinking of the project, so, I get up, and now organizing how I'm going to code this project. This is a large modification to the system I maintain, so, a nice chunk of cash for this one.
| 87 |
Obdicut Tue, Apr 5, 2011 3:00:03am |
re: #85 EdDantes
You should check out Buster Posey. The kid is a natural, with old-timey grace to him.
[Link: en.wikipedia.org...]
Beautiful swing.
| 88 |
boxhead Tue, Apr 5, 2011 3:00:43am |
re: #84 Obdicut
Wow, the guy who writes Dilbert not only doesn't believe in evolution, but thinks that women are comparable to children and the handicapped.
[Link: www.somethingawful.com...]
Didn't see that coming.
Is there a chance Scott Adams was being sarcastic? I would be very shocked if he really thought that way... He seemed rather sharp.
| 89 |
researchok Tue, Apr 5, 2011 3:00:45am |
re: #84 Obdicut
Wow, the guy who writes Dilbert not only doesn't believe in evolution, but thinks that women are comparable to children and the handicapped.
[Link: www.somethingawful.com...]
Didn't see that coming.
I wonder if that's for real. Might be no more than self promotion.
He's been around a long time and this is the first I've heard of any allegations like these.
| 90 |
boxhead Tue, Apr 5, 2011 3:02:01am |
re: #85 EdDantes
I haven't followed baseball since Bonds fraudulent 73 home runs. I miss Vin Scully, Joe Garagiola and, Tim McCarver.
I must admit that I bleed Dodger Blue. But I will not go to the stadium until there is a new owner... sad it is
| 91 |
boxhead Tue, Apr 5, 2011 3:03:22am |
re: #87 Obdicut
You should check out Buster Posey. The kid is a natural, with old-timey grace to him.
[Link: en.wikipedia.org...]Beautiful swing.
[Video]
yes he is good... he will be much better in Dodger Blue... :)
| 92 |
Obdicut Tue, Apr 5, 2011 3:03:49am |
re: #88 boxhead
Is there a chance Scott Adams was being sarcastic? I would be very shocked if he really thought that way... He seemed rather sharp.
Meh. It's not so much whether he thinks that way, than his explanation for his behavior was that he was trolling, basically. It's impossible to know what people really think. It is possible to see what they actually say.
When he wrote his 'apology', he basically reiterated the original statement and then said that he was sorry if anyone was offended by it.
There's plenty of pretty sharp guys who still regularly beclown themselves with idiotic opinions on things. Especially where evolution and the wimmins are concerned.
| 93 |
researchok Tue, Apr 5, 2011 3:04:15am |
re: #86 Walter L. Newton
Er... that's creepy...
I can't sleep... I guess that's because most of my work schedule is late evenings and/or overnights.
Actually I have 4 days off this week, mini vacation, but when I get one of these short weeks, my sleep schedule is all fucked up... up, down... napping... trying to be awake at the same time as the normal folks in the family... it's like living in a shadow world between them and myself... occasionally we interact.
Kaiser Permanente ordered some programming yesterday, so I'm trying to sleep, my mind is thinking of the project, so, I get up, and now organizing how I'm going to code this project. This is a large modification to the system I maintain, so, a nice chunk of cash for this one.
I hear you.
I have a crazy week as well. I was in DC Fri night into Saturday, Fayetteville yesterday and I've got VA Beach and DC ahead of me.
I don't envy you.
| 94 |
Obdicut Tue, Apr 5, 2011 3:06:16am |
re: #91 boxhead
If anyone ever trades Buster, they're just begging to start a new Curse for their team.
| 95 |
Targetpractice Tue, Apr 5, 2011 3:09:21am |
re: #93 researchok
I hear you.
I have a crazy week as well. I was in DC Fri night into Saturday, Fayetteville yesterday and I've got VA Beach and DC ahead of me.
I don't envy you.
VA Beach? Careful, the seagulls bite!
/
| 96 |
boxhead Tue, Apr 5, 2011 3:10:09am |
re: #92 Obdicut
Meh. It's not so much whether he thinks that way, than his explanation for his behavior was that he was trolling, basically. It's impossible to know what people really think. It is possible to see what they actually say.
When he wrote his 'apology', he basically reiterated the original statement and then said that he was sorry if anyone was offended by it.
There's plenty of pretty sharp guys who still regularly beclown themselves with idiotic opinions on things. Especially where evolution and the wimmins are concerned.
Usually when people denigrate a person or an entire group and then say they were just joking afterwards, they really have such beliefs. hmm... what is interesting is that the main woman regular in the strip is by far the only competent person...
wonder if personal life has recently influenced him.
| 97 |
boxhead Tue, Apr 5, 2011 3:11:07am |
re: #94 Obdicut
If anyone ever trades Buster, they're just begging to start a new Curse for their team.
you saying he is the next Babe? heheh... so even better if the Giants trade him..
| 98 |
EdDantes Tue, Apr 5, 2011 3:11:47am |
re: #87 Obdicut
I played the clip a dozen times. He watches the ball until just before it reaches the plate. He raises his left leg and with his eye still on the ball he steps into it and swings. Classic.
| 99 |
Obdicut Tue, Apr 5, 2011 3:11:58am |
Man, this quote by Clooney makes me really want him to get into politics.
[Link: www.sfgate.com...]
He says, "(I'd) start from the beginning by saying, 'I did it all. I drank the bong water. Now let's talk about issues.' That's gonna be my campaign slogan: 'I drank the bong water.'"
| 100 |
researchok Tue, Apr 5, 2011 3:12:28am |
re: #95 Targetpractice, Worst of Both Worlds
VA Beach? Careful, the seagulls bite!
/
I actually like VA Beach.
It's beach tacky, beach nice and so on.
There is a lot to the place and the huge, huge military presence adds to it. The large retired officer corps contribute quite a bit of unexpected sophistication.
Pretty good pizza, too.
| 101 |
Obdicut Tue, Apr 5, 2011 3:13:44am |
re: #98 EdDantes
Yep. I've had the pleasure of watching him play live frequently, and he's amazingly fun to watch. Takes it all seriously but is clearly happy as a clam at the same time. Very focused but totally at ease. Kind of reminds me of Joe Montana in that way-- though Posey's got a lot more natural athleticism than Montana did.
It's just nice to see a talented young kid really enjoying the hell out of the game, with a Ted Williams swing.
| 102 |
Targetpractice Tue, Apr 5, 2011 3:15:02am |
re: #100 researchok
I actually like VA Beach.
It's beach tacky, beach nice and so on.
There is a lot to the place and the huge, huge military presence adds to it. The large retired officer corps contribute quite a bit of unexpected sophistication.
Pretty good pizza, too.
I stay away from the beach on general principle. When the tourists aren't around, that's because the water's too cold. And when it's warm enough, that's because it's tourist season (why they call it a "season," but you can't shoot'em, I'll never know...). And taking a car anywhere within 10 blocks of the beachfront is just asking for trouble.
| 103 |
boxhead Tue, Apr 5, 2011 3:15:50am |
re: #99 Obdicut
Man, this quote by Clooney makes me really want him to get into politics.
[Link: www.sfgate.com...]
It would be nice to have a candidate who has lived life and is not afraid to admit it. All the recent candidates try to come off as perfect. No one is...
| 104 |
researchok Tue, Apr 5, 2011 3:17:08am |
re: #102 Targetpractice, Worst of Both Worlds
I stay away from the beach on general principle. When the tourists aren't around, that's because the water's too cold. And when it's warm enough, that's because it's tourist season (why they call it a "season," but you can't shoot'em, I'll never know...). And taking a car anywhere within 10 blocks of the beachfront is just asking for trouble.
Yeah...but there is good pizza.
| 105 |
Targetpractice Tue, Apr 5, 2011 3:18:40am |
| 107 |
boxhead Tue, Apr 5, 2011 3:24:01am |
re: #106 EdDantes
Reminded me of the Splendid Splinter too.
all good hitters look like that. eye right at the ball as it hits the barrel of the bat squarely. Hardest thing to do in sports.
Now Ted Williams was in another world... there were others, Ichiro Suzuki is a prime candidate. If he played all his ball in USA, he would break Pete Rose's record.
| 108 |
EdDantes Tue, Apr 5, 2011 3:26:59am |
re: #101 Obdicut
The last Giants game I went to was the year that Featured Bob Knepper, Jim Barr, John Montefusco, Willie McCovey and Ed Hilicki. Great pitching staff but lacking in offense
| 109 |
boxhead Tue, Apr 5, 2011 3:27:56am |
re: #108 EdDantes
The last Giants game I went to was the year that Featured Bob Knepper, Jim Barr, John Montefusco, Willie McCovey and Ed Hilicki. Great pitching staff but lacking in offense
heh... been a while I guess....
| 111 |
EdDantes Tue, Apr 5, 2011 3:31:50am |
re: #109 boxhead
heh... been a while I guess...
Yuppers. I didn't like the the trough style urinals in the bathrooms at Candlestick. Difficult to maintain my modesty. :)
| 115 |
RogueOne Tue, Apr 5, 2011 3:46:48am |
re: #114 laZardo
All of humanity or just the deceased that were close to you?
When Butler only shoots 18% for an entire game, all humanity loses.
| 116 |
RogueOne Tue, Apr 5, 2011 4:20:25am |
Woman charged in attack on 'evil' Gauguin painting
[Link: seattletimes.nwsource.com...]
A woman accused of pounding on a painting by Paul Gauguin and trying to rip it from a wall at the National Gallery of Art told police the post-Impressionist artist was evil and the painting should be burned, court documents show.Susan Burns, 53, of Arlington, Va., has been charged with attempted second-degree theft and destruction of property following the attack Friday. She was being held without bail pending a mental health hearing Tuesday.
According to charging documents, an investigator told Burns her rights and asked why she had tried to remove the painting.
"I feel that Gauguin is evil. He has nudity and is bad for the children. He has two women in the painting and it's very homosexual. I was trying to remove it. I think it should be burned," according to the documents.
Burns also said: "I am from the American CIA and I have a radio in my head. I am going to kill you."
| 117 |
Vicious Babushka Tue, Apr 5, 2011 4:21:28am |
Whoa. Top corporate honco arrested for DUI. There's going to be a lot of damage control.
| 118 |
RogueOne Tue, Apr 5, 2011 4:23:48am |
re: #117 Alouette
Whoa. Top corporate honco arrested for DUI. There's going to be a lot of damage control.
It could be worse. I used to work for a large non-profit whose CEO got busted for DUI. He was also wearing a dress and exposing himself to passerbys, scoring extra points for degree of difficulty.
| 119 |
Walter L. Newton Tue, Apr 5, 2011 4:26:21am |
re: #118 RogueOne
It could be worse. I used to work for a large non-profit whose CEO got busted for DUI. He was also wearing a dress and exposing himself to passerbys, scoring extra points for degree of difficulty.
What am I missing? Who, what, where... it's not me, is it?
| 120 |
Walter L. Newton Tue, Apr 5, 2011 4:30:07am |
re: #119 Walter L. Newton
What am I missing? Who, what, where... it's not me, is it?
Ok... maybe I was being too polite. Who the fuck are you talking about?
| 121 |
RogueOne Tue, Apr 5, 2011 4:32:20am |
re: #120 Walter L. Newton
The company I'm talking about used to handle the processing for federal student loans. The man who took over after the CEO was arrested was also let go a couple years later for having some very inappropriate porn on his work pc. oops.
| 122 |
Obdicut Tue, Apr 5, 2011 4:59:21am |
Interesting bit of autism research:
[Link: health.usnews.com...]
The brains of people with autism concentrate more resources in areas devoted to visual perception, resulting in less activity in areas used to plan and control thoughts and actions, says a new study.
The findings may explain why people with autism have exceptional visual abilities, said the researchers at the University of Montreal.They analyzed data from 26 brain imaging studies that were conducted over 15 years and included a total of 357 autistic and 370 non-autistic participants.
"Through this meta-analysis, we were able to observe that autistics exhibit more activity in the temporal and occipital regions and less activity in frontal cortex than non-autistics," first author Fabienne Samson said in a university news release.
The temporal and occipital regions are involved in perceiving and recognizing patterns and objects, while the frontal areas are involved with decision making, cognitive control, planning and execution, she explained.
The findings offer the "first physiological confirmation that enhanced perceptual processing is a core feature of neural organization in this population," Dr. Laurent Mottron, of the university's Centre for Excellence in Pervasive Development Disorders, said in the news release. "We now have a very strong statement about autism functioning, which may be ground for cognitive accounts of autistic perception, learning, memory and reasoning."
| 123 |
WINDUPBIRD DISEASE [S.K.U.M.M.] Tue, Apr 5, 2011 5:07:43am |
re: #84 Obdicut
Wow, the guy who writes Dilbert not only doesn't believe in evolution, but thinks that women are comparable to children and the handicapped.
[Link: www.somethingawful.com...]
Didn't see that coming.
In comic geekdom we call this "Pulling a Sim" as in Dave Sim, author and artist of Cerebus, who has some weird and at times brutally offensive ideas about women :P
(granted, he's really REALLY REALLY STRANGE ALL AROUND)
| 124 |
Vicious Babushka Tue, Apr 5, 2011 5:09:37am |
re: #123 WindUpBird
In comic geekdom we call this "Pulling a Sim" as in Dave Sim, author and artist of Cerebus, who has some weird and at times brutally offensive ideas about women :P
(granted, he's really REALLY REALLY STRANGE ALL AROUND)
Are you sure that's not "satire"? It is a comic and all...
| 125 |
RogueOne Tue, Apr 5, 2011 5:12:13am |
Lindsey Graham doubles down:
Lindsey Graham Defends Himself: "Petraeus Petraeus troops commander Petraeus!"
[Link: reason.com...]
NRO: But don't you fear that if we let Islamic extremists determine the speech debate in the United States, then we've lost something?GRAHAM: No. Here's what I fear: I fear that politicians don't have any problem pushing against laws in the Middle East that are outrageous. It's perfectly acceptable for me to push back against prosecutions by Islamic countries against people of my faith. And it is perfectly appropriate for me to condemn Koran burning when the general who is in charge of our troops believes that such action would help. I'm not letting Islamists determine what free speech in America is, but I am, as a political leader, trying to respond to the needs of our commander. You've got to remember, General Petraeus decided that this was important enough to get on the record as being inappropriate. And I want to be on the record with General Petraeus.
| 126 |
WINDUPBIRD DISEASE [S.K.U.M.M.] Tue, Apr 5, 2011 5:16:53am |
re: #124 Alouette
Are you sure that's not "satire"? It is a comic and all...
It isn't, this guy's an almost monkish recluse, and aggressively earnest. Cerebus is not really like any other comic... [Link: en.wikipedia.org...]
He's a really REALLY important person in the world of comics, but he's also a lil bonkers *_*
| 127 |
RogueOne Tue, Apr 5, 2011 5:18:31am |
Dogs > Cats:
Toddler missing overnight found in good condition with his Labrador retriever in woods
[Link: www.ydr.com...]
ELGIN, S.C. -- The only things that protected 22-month-old Tyler Jacobson from the frigid overnight temperatures Friday were a T-shirt, a diaper and his favorite buddy -- a mixed Labrador retriever."To tell you the truth, that dog is what kept him alive," Kershaw County Sheriff Jim Matthews told The State on Saturday.
The heat from that dog also might be what prevented an infrared-equipped search helicopter from spotting the missing child.
| 128 |
iceweasel Tue, Apr 5, 2011 5:22:30am |
re: #118 RogueOne
It could be worse. I used to work for a large non-profit whose CEO got busted for DUI. He was also wearing a dress and exposing himself to passerbys, scoring extra points for degree of difficulty.
Uh, wow.
Good morning lgf. Afternoon here.
| 129 |
RogueOne Tue, Apr 5, 2011 5:24:12am |
Man claims prostitute took money and left
[Link: articles.lancasteronline.com...]
Who do you call when a prostitute doesn't provide the service she promised?One john called Lancaster city police shortly after 7 p.m. on Thursday, police said.
He complained that he gave $25 to a female for sex in the 100 block of South Queen Street, and she took his money and left without completing the "transaction," police said.
Police advised the cell phone caller that his actions were illegal and he could be prosecuted, police said. The man then decided he did not wish police to investigate the incident any further.
....
City police Lt. Todd Umstead said the call was certainly unusual, but not a first."I recall handling a similar call years ago," he said. "The guy was very upset."
Cheap and stupid
| 130 |
Flounder Tue, Apr 5, 2011 5:25:36am |
Good morning all. Obdicut, how are you holding up, keep your chin up. Any word on the spawning?!
| 131 |
Obdicut Tue, Apr 5, 2011 5:26:49am |
re: #129 RogueOne
I remember reading an article a few years ago about a guy who had developed "a $149 a month prostitution habit".
How do you manage to spend $149 on prostitutes? It's like a dirty version of the knapsack problem.
| 132 |
Obdicut Tue, Apr 5, 2011 5:28:48am |
re: #130 shropshire_slasher
well, it's finally given me a reason to like Facebook.
[Link: www.facebook.com...]
Seeing all the people writing memorial testimonies to her does my heart good.
| 133 |
RogueOne Tue, Apr 5, 2011 5:35:57am |
Elfquest trailer:
I have no idea what this movie is about but after viewing the trailer I have a strong urge to see it:
| 134 |
NJDhockeyfan Tue, Apr 5, 2011 5:48:33am |
Good morning from the windy wet mountains of Virginia.
| 135 |
Obdicut Tue, Apr 5, 2011 5:54:17am |
Amazing article about the fighting in Afghanistan.
[Link: www.wired.com...]
| 136 |
NJDhockeyfan Tue, Apr 5, 2011 5:57:11am |
OMG, the kooks are out of control. Death threats in Wisconsin last week and now a bloody pig's foot sent to a Congressman.
Pig's foot, anti-Semitic message sent to Peter King
A bloody pig’s foot and an anti-Semitic note addressed to Rep. Peter King (R-N.Y.) were intercepted at a congressional mail facility on Monday.
...Coming less than a month after King held a widely publicized hearing warning that terrorist groups including Al Qaeda were targeting Muslim communities in the United States to recruit new members, the discovery of the package Monday morning at a postal facility in Landover, Md., is an odd twist.
...King and his staff haven’t seen the package, but a congressional source told POLITICO that the pig’s foot was bloody and that the letter was “a rambling type” of message conveying anti-Semitic sentiments. At one point, it refers to King as a “Jew,” though he is Catholic.
“Somewhere in the message it says ‘all the babies in America will be named Mohammed,’” the source said. The letter also says “kiss my black Muslim ass.”
The source said: “I guess you have to interpret it as a threat. It’s certainly not a sign of affection.”
| 138 |
Vicious Babushka Tue, Apr 5, 2011 5:59:55am |
re: #136 NJDhockeyfan
OMG, the kooks are out of control. Death threats in Wisconsin last week and now a bloody pig's foot sent to a Congressman.
That's just weird that an alleged "Muslim" would send a pig's foot. I thought they weren't allowed to touch pigs.
My guess is that it wasn't a Muslim who sent that threat, but somebody who wants to stir shit up.
| 139 |
NJDhockeyfan Tue, Apr 5, 2011 6:01:36am |
re: #138 Alouette
That's just weird that an alleged "Muslim" would send a pig's foot. I thought they weren't allowed to touch pigs.
My guess is that it wasn't a Muslim who sent that threat, but somebody who wants to stir shit up.
Muslims aren't supposed to drink alcohal either but I've known a few who could down shots of tequila with the best of them.
| 140 |
RogueOne Tue, Apr 5, 2011 6:02:06am |
quoting finished, I have to get to doing real work. Enjoy the day people
| 141 |
NJDhockeyfan Tue, Apr 5, 2011 6:04:54am |
Well isn't this lovely.
ElBaradei: We'll fight back if Israel attacks Gaza
Former International Atomic Energy Agency chief Mohamed ElBaradei, who had previously announced his intetions to run for the presidency of Egypt, said Monday that “if Israel attacked Gaza we would declare war against the Zionist regime."
What a sack of shit.
I expect the UN to denounce this threat to Israel.
//
| 142 |
iceweasel Tue, Apr 5, 2011 6:18:30am |
Do people remember that story about the 11 year old who was gangraped in Texas? The media coverage was terrible and came off like it blamed the 11 year old? The NYT had to apologise for it.
Well, the new story is out, and it's even worse than the original reports:
3-Month Nightmare Emerges in Rape Inquiry
Don't click if you want to have a happy day.
| 143 |
NJDhockeyfan Tue, Apr 5, 2011 6:23:35am |
re: #142 iceweasel
Do people remember that story about the 11 year old who was gangraped in Texas? The media coverage was terrible and came off like it blamed the 11 year old? The NYT had to apologise for it.
Well, the new story is out, and it's even worse than the original reports:
3-Month Nightmare Emerges in Rape InquiryDon't click if you want to have a happy day.
I hope all those sick bastard rapists get to experience in prison what she experienced from them.
[spit]
| 144 |
prairiefire Tue, Apr 5, 2011 6:24:03am |
re: #84 Obdicut
Wow, the guy who writes Dilbert not only doesn't believe in evolution, but thinks that women are comparable to children and the handicapped.
[Link: www.somethingawful.com...]
Didn't see that coming.
Ewwwww.
| 145 |
iceweasel Tue, Apr 5, 2011 6:26:11am |
re: #143 NJDhockeyfan
I hope all those sick bastard rapists get to experience in prison what she experienced from them.
[spit]
The whole town sounds fucked up.
| 147 |
lawhawk Tue, Apr 5, 2011 6:35:07am |
re: #145 iceweasel
Holy [deleted]. I hope all those involved in that heinous crime are prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. And then the families are sued for every last penny in compensation (though it doesn't appear that there's all that much to begin with) for what they put this young girl through.
[deleted]
And if that isn't cheery enough, we've got ourselves a serial killer on the loose on Long Island (and possibly connected to unsolved murders near Atlantic City, NJ). They found five bodies earlier this year near Gilgo Beach, and they have recovered another three bodies in that same area.
They're still searching for another missing woman in that area. All were apparently prostitutes and several appeared to have used Craigslist to solicit their services.
The new remains are in addition to the remains of a victim found in the area last week, about 45 miles east of New York City. That victim has not been identified, and police have not positively connected those remains to the bodies of four prostitutes found nearby in December.Police discovered the bodies while searching for 24-year-old Shannan Gilbert, who went missing in May in the area, and are investigating whether any of the newly-discovered remains are hers.
"The medical examiner is going to be looking at the possibility that Shannan Gilbert is one of the remains," Suffolk County Police Commissioner Richard Dormer said. "We do have forensic and information available to the ME that would either prove it's her or eliminate her."
The search for Gilbert is expected to resume Tuesday. Gilbert, like the other women whose remains have been identified, reportedly advertised as a prostitute on Craigslist.
Authorities have identified the four bodies found in December as Amber Lynn Costello, 27, originally of Wilmington, N.C.; Megan Waterman, 22, of Scarborough, Maine; Maureen Brainard-Barnes, 28, of Norwich, Conn.; and Melissa Barthelemy, 24, of Buffalo, N.Y.
Police suspect a serial killer but so far have no suspects.
| 148 |
NJDhockeyfan Tue, Apr 5, 2011 6:36:56am |
Say what?
US unfreezes assets of Libya 'mass murder suspect'
WASHINGTON — The Obama administration dropped financial sanctions on Monday against the top Libyan official who fled to Britain last week, saying it hoped the move would encourage other senior aides to abandon Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi, the country’s embattled leader.
But the decision to unfreeze bank accounts and permit business dealings with the official, Moussa Koussa, underscored the predicament his defection poses for American and British authorities, who said on Tuesday that Scottish police and prosecutors planned to interview Mr. Koussa about the 1988 Lockerbie bombing and other issues “in the next few days.”
Mr. Koussa’s close knowledge of the ruling circle, which he is believed to be sharing inside a British safe house, could be invaluable in trying to strip Colonel Qaddafi of support.
But as the longtime Libyan intelligence chief and foreign minister, Mr. Koussa is widely believed to be implicated in acts of terrorism and murder over the last three decades, including the assassination of dissidents, the training of international terrorists and the bombing of Pan Am 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland.
“He was both the left arm and the right arm of the regime, its bloodhound,” said Dirk Vandewalle, a Dartmouth professor who has studied Libya for many years.
| 150 |
NJDhockeyfan Tue, Apr 5, 2011 6:41:50am |
Greek Tablet May Shed Light on Early Bureaucratic Practices
An archaeologist digging in the rubble of a distant past counts on the conqueror’s havoc, nature’s upheavals and plain human negligence to have left legacies of unintended value — like a fragment of a clay tablet bearing archaic writing from an early period of state formation in Greece, more than 3,400 years ago.
Had it not been for some inadvertence, the tablet would almost certainly have disintegrated in the rain in a year or two and scattered with the wind as so much illiterate dust. The tablet seems to be a “page” from a bookkeeper’s note pad. Not meant to be saved as a permanent record, it was not baked in a kiln , but ended up in a refuse dump, where a fire hardened the clay for posterity.
The discoverers and other specialists in Greek history said the tablet, one of the oldest known examples of writing in mainland Europe, should cast light on the political structure and bureaucratic practices near the beginning of the renowned Mycenaean period, 1600 to 1100 B.C. At its height, the culture supported the splendor of palaces at Mycenae and Pylos and inspired the heroic legend of the Trojan War, immortalized in Homer’s Iliad.
| 151 |
abolitionist Tue, Apr 5, 2011 6:43:23am |
re: #66 Guanxi88
Only downside to the place is that there's nowhere to sit. I mean, there's the cafeteria, and the break rooms, but otherwise, everyone stands all 12 hours of the shift. One becomes an expert on shoes and insoles rather quickly.
Sounds like the dark side of an early "retirement" policy. Or something.
| 152 |
FemNaziBitch Tue, Apr 5, 2011 6:44:30am |
Morning all!
What's up.
Is Charles any better?
| 153 |
iceweasel Tue, Apr 5, 2011 6:46:42am |
re: #147 lawhawk
Holy [deleted]. I hope all those involved in that heinous crime are prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. And then the families are sued for every last penny in compensation (though it doesn't appear that there's all that much to begin with) for what they put this young girl through.
[deleted]
And if that isn't cheery enough, we've got ourselves a serial killer on the loose on Long Island (and possibly connected to unsolved murders near Atlantic City, NJ). They found five bodies earlier this year near Gilgo Beach, and they have recovered another three bodies in that same area.
They're still searching for another missing woman in that area. All were apparently prostitutes and several appeared to have used Craigslist to solicit their services.
I was just reading about this on gawker or the gothamist. Last Long Island serial killer I remember was Joel Rifkin. Also targetted prostitutes, if I remember correctly.
I think Craigs List should be cracking down on their sites. I thought they weren't supposed to be letting people use it for sexual services any more.
| 154 |
Killgore Trout Tue, Apr 5, 2011 6:46:45am |
Well, I guess this is one way to look at it.....
Democrats don't like GOP plan to postpone shutdown
| 155 |
lawhawk Tue, Apr 5, 2011 6:46:48am |
re: #148 NJDhockeyfan
It's the golden ticket/golden parachute that always seems to make itself available to despots, dictators, and lackeys of same when being forced into exile.
| 157 |
NJDhockeyfan Tue, Apr 5, 2011 6:47:27am |
NY nanny state news...
No fried food: Health Dept. workers cringe at new rules restricting foods, fragrances, decorations
No overbearing perfume. No obscene pictures. And definitely no French fries for work lunches.
That's the new edict for employees of the same city Health Department that brought you calorie-counting menus and snuffed out smoking on beaches and in parks.
The updated rules - which range from what workers can serve at agency powwows to how loud they can talk in the office - come as the Health Department begins to move into its new Queens digs today.
A set of guidelines for "Life in the Cubicle Village" sent to employees asks them to avoid wearing products with "noticeable odors" or posting "any displays, photos, cartoons, or other personal items that may be offensive."
They also should avoid eavesdropping.
If they can't - "at least resist the urge to add your comments," the cubicle rules recommend.
Employees also got a bright-colored brochure stipulating what can and can't be served at meetings and parties.
Tap water is a menu must when food or drinks are served. Other beverages must be less than 25 calories per 8 ounces.
"Cut muffins and bagels into halves or quarters, or order mini sizes. Offer thinly-sliced, whole-grain bread," the brochure states.
Deep-fried foods are an absolute no-no and "cannot be served."
For celebrations, cake and air-popped popcorn - "popped at the party and served in brown paper lunch bags" - are allowed.
But when a "celebration cake" is served, cookies can't be offered.
"These standards are mandatory for meetings and events sponsored by the Health Department," the brochure states.
| 158 |
Killgore Trout Tue, Apr 5, 2011 6:48:49am |
NATO: Use of human shields complicating airstrikes in Libya
Efforts to prevent forces loyal to Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi from attacking civilians have been complicated by weather and the regime's decision to hide military equipment in populated areas and use civilians as human shields in Misrata and other areas, NATO Brig. Gen. Marc van Uhm said Tuesday.
| 159 |
FemNaziBitch Tue, Apr 5, 2011 6:48:55am |
re: #157 NJDhockeyfan
NY nanny state news...
No fried food: Health Dept. workers cringe at new rules restricting foods, fragrances, decorations
What does this have to do with the economy and jobs?
idiots trying to justify their existence?
| 160 |
prairiefire Tue, Apr 5, 2011 6:50:20am |
re: #65 Guanxi88
The irony of the thing, though. In the middle of a recession, having lost a well-paying gig with no notice, I manage to land a job (in manufacturing, no less) a mere three miles from my front door, less than a month out of work. Granted, it's in a field about which I knew nothing at all, from a practical side (managerial theory and such like I knew and know all too well, and am bored of, and boring with, SPC, lean manufacturing, etc.).
So, no longer employed with the Chinese family?
| 161 |
Romantic Heretic Tue, Apr 5, 2011 6:50:48am |
re: #13 recusancy
Scott Walker Gives $81,500 Government Job To Top Donor’s 26-Year-Old College Dropout Son
Quelle surprise.
| 162 |
Vicious Babushka Tue, Apr 5, 2011 6:50:59am |
re: #159 ggt
What does this have to do with the economy and jobs?
idiots trying to justify their existence?
Well, it is the "Health" dept. They have to enforce "healthy" lifestyle choices. Or else.
| 163 |
FemNaziBitch Tue, Apr 5, 2011 6:51:55am |
re: #162 Alouette
Well, it is the "Health" dept. They have to enforce "healthy" lifestyle choices. Or else.
Maybe they should concentrate on bedbugs and lice? Cockroaches and rats?
| 164 |
Killgore Trout Tue, Apr 5, 2011 6:52:14am |
re: #154 Killgore Trout
Well, I guess this is one way to look at it...
Democrats don't like GOP plan to postpone shutdown
Here's the reason the plan was rejected.....
GOP's price to delay shutdown? $12B
A draft bill being prepared by the House Appropriations Committee on Monday night would put the Defense Department on permanent footing through the end of this fiscal year but require $12 billion in new cuts as the price for keeping domestic agencies and the State Department operating another week.
| 165 |
Vicious Babushka Tue, Apr 5, 2011 6:52:26am |
re: #163 ggt
Maybe they should concentrate on bedbugs and lice? Cockroaches and rats?
Nobody eats those.
| 166 |
FemNaziBitch Tue, Apr 5, 2011 6:53:00am |
re: #165 Alouette
Nobody eats those.
That's probably why there are too many of them.
Need some snakes and turtles roaming around!
| 167 |
lawhawk Tue, Apr 5, 2011 6:57:08am |
re: #153 iceweasel
I don't know the time frame for when these women were murdered and/or went missing - and whether they were soliciting under other pretenses to avoid the changes in Craigslist policies re: sexual services. That site has done an awful job of policing those kinds of services.
Serial murderers often target prostitutes because they're vulnerable and usually aren't missed for significant periods of time. Besides Rifkin, Arthur Shawcross comes to mind - after being paroled for manslaughter in the death of two kids, he went on to murder 12 prostitutes in upstate NY (convicted in 11).
| 168 |
iceweasel Tue, Apr 5, 2011 6:57:26am |
Cool paragraph from an essay Locker posted:
There is nothing “pro-life” about sonogram bills and denying Medicaid funding to (some!) rape victims or allowing doctors to opt out of giving pregnant women life-saving abortions. I know that what has kept me from having to make a decision about an unintended pregnancy is not the prospect of hearing a fetal heartbeat or having to go through a 24-hour wait period, but safe, easy and affordable access to contraception and good, honest medical information disseminated by doctors and medical professionals without religious agendas.
I was a girl growing up in Texas who was failed by abstinence-only education and soured by extreme religious dogma. I don’t want other girls to go through that, too.
I Was a "Prolife" Republican... Until I Fell in Love
Long but worth the read.
| 169 |
iceweasel Tue, Apr 5, 2011 6:59:20am |
re: #167 lawhawk
I remember Shawcross; had a friend from Rochester. There's a terrific and terrifying book by Jack olsen about him: The Misbegotten Son.
| 170 |
lawhawk Tue, Apr 5, 2011 7:00:16am |
re: #157 NJDhockeyfan
A business or agency has the right to set its own policies regarding food and drink brought in, but those rules at the NYC DOH are particularly restrictive and go above and beyond what is reasonable. I understand the agency's desire to set an example for others, but they may well find that workers aren't nearly as excited to work for the agency because of the restrictive rules, they may find that the productivity will decline and ends up harming the overall mission of the agency to promote better health among New Yorkers.
It is nanny-statism gone too far.
| 171 |
reine.de.tout Tue, Apr 5, 2011 7:03:56am |
re: #170 lawhawk
A business or agency has the right to set its own policies regarding food and drink brought in, but those rules at the NYC DOH are particularly restrictive and go above and beyond what is reasonable. I understand the agency's desire to set an example for others, but they may well find that workers aren't nearly as excited to work for the agency because of the restrictive rules, they may find that the productivity will decline and ends up harming the overall mission of the agency to promote better health among New Yorkers.
It is nanny-statism gone too far.
Also - if I may add this -
In a public agency, the agency will pay for refreshments at meetings and events it organizes.
HOWEVER, for things like employee birthday celebrations, holiday meals, etc - the public agency doesn't pay for those, there is no "corporate sponsorship" of these sorts of events for employees. Employees pay for those things themselves; they collect from other employees and put something together.
So I wonder how long it will take these employees to realize that they are being restricted from spending their own money in the way they wish to spend it, and start leaving the work premises for various events? Talk about lowered productivity . . .they'll be taking leave for something they used to do during their 15-minute break or 30-minute lunch.
| 172 |
FemNaziBitch Tue, Apr 5, 2011 7:07:59am |
re: #168 iceweasel
Cool paragraph from an essay Locker posted:
I Was a "Prolife" Republican... Until I Fell in Love
Long but worth the read.
Posted that on my Facebook!
| 173 |
NJDhockeyfan Tue, Apr 5, 2011 7:14:21am |
This seems the be the biggest story in the news this morning...
The Obama administration Monday abandoned its effort to put Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and four other alleged plotters of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on trial in civilian courts, saying the accused terrorists will instead face military trials at Guantanamo Bay, in the prison President Barack Obama had promised would be closed more than a year ago.The move, announced by Attorney General Eric Holder on the same day that Mr. Obama formally launched his bid for re-election, marked a significant reversal on an issue that has vexed two successive administrations.
Mr. Holder blamed politics for the continued delay in bringing the defendants to justice.
I think the lefty blogs are going to go apeshit about this decision.
| 174 |
Killgore Trout Tue, Apr 5, 2011 7:17:14am |
re: #173 NJDhockeyfan
This seems the be the biggest story in the news this morning...
I think the lefty blogs are going to go apeshit about this decision.
A few lefty commenters on Dkos and Huffpo are pissed but overall there isn't much outrage. Glenn Greenwald, Code Pink and the Paulians are the only ones who seem really outraged.
| 176 |
Lidane Tue, Apr 5, 2011 7:20:51am |
re: #174 Killgore Trout
A few lefty commenters on Dkos and Huffpo are pissed but overall there isn't much outrage. Glenn Greenwald, Code Pink and the Paulians are the only ones who seem really outraged.
I think at this point, most people have accepted that there are few good options left with respect to any 9/11 trials. Either that or they assume that trials happened a long time ago and it's not even on their radar.
| 177 |
abolitionist Tue, Apr 5, 2011 7:22:22am |
re: #176 Lidane
I think at this point, most people have accepted that there are few good options left with respect to any 9/11 trials. Either that or they assume that trials happened a long time ago and it's not even on their radar.
Reality is somewhat at odds with the speedy trial ideal.
| 178 |
FemNaziBitch Tue, Apr 5, 2011 7:25:03am |
re: #177 abolitionist
Reality is somewhat at odds with the speedy trial ideal.
Reality is often at odds with Code Pink, Paulians, Pat Buchannan . . . . ..
Glad Obama made the decision. I wasn't in favor of challenging the civilian justice system at this time. We have enough on our plate.
The idea of the Military ad "law enforcement" in a time of war is beyond me.
| 179 |
Killgore Trout Tue, Apr 5, 2011 7:25:48am |
re: #176 Lidane
I think at this point, most people have accepted that there are few good options left with respect to any 9/11 trials. Either that or they assume that trials happened a long time ago and it's not even on their radar.
Also I think the lefties just loved to complain about Gitmo and the patriot act because they wanted Bush to fail. It wasn't really a principled opinion.
| 180 |
iceweasel Tue, Apr 5, 2011 7:26:21am |
re: #177 abolitionist
Reality is somewhat at odds with the speedy trial ideal.
Yeah, they need to be tried already.
Mr. Obama's pledge to steer national security in a new direction was important to many of his supporters in the 2008 campaign. But his attempts as president to depart from Bush administration policies gave ammunition to Republicans who accused Mr. Obama of weakening U.S. counterterrorism efforts.
During the past two years, Mr. Obama has moved closer to embracing some of the Bush policies he had earlier criticized. In a March 2009 speech Mr. Obama endorsed the idea of restarting military commissions, which he had halted upon taking office. And he also announced he would set up a system to hold indefinitely without trial certain prisoners too dangerous to release.
Mr. Holder's November 2009 plan to try the five 9/11 defendants in civilian courts in New York followed Mr. Obama's order, signed on his second day in office, to close the prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, by January 2010.
But the proposal to try Mr. Mohammed, the alleged mastermind of the 9/11 attacks, in a federal courthouse in lower Manhattan just blocks away from the site of the former World Trade Center provoked a storm of opposition because of security concerns.
Congress voted last December to stop the administration from moving terror suspects held at Guantanamo Bay to U.S. soil for any purpose. That blocked not only the 9/11 trials in New York, but also put a freeze on the administration's plan to buy a prison in northern Illinois to use for Guantanamo detainees.
On Monday, groups representing the 9/11 families split in their reaction to Mr. Holder's announcement. Debra Burlingame, an outspoken critic of the Obama administration and sister of a pilot killed in the attacks, welcomed the decision, saying it was "driven by hard-knuckle politics."
That bolded paragraph-- that was when civil libertarians like me who had supported Obama knew that he was going to be the same as Bush. He was announcing a two-tier system for trials, as well as asserting the right to detain people indefinitely without charge.
Closing Gitmo was only ever going to be for show anyway. As was his order vetoing the use of Enhanced Interrogation Techniques *cough*.
| 181 |
iceweasel Tue, Apr 5, 2011 7:27:18am |
re: #179 Killgore Trout
Also I think the lefties just loved to complain about Gitmo and the patriot act because they wanted Bush to fail. It wasn't really a principled opinion.
That's true of some people, but certainly not all. Many people find it convenient to object to the abuse of power only when it's not their guy who has the power.
| 182 |
Lidane Tue, Apr 5, 2011 7:27:58am |
OT, but I'm struggling to stay awake this morning. Normally, I'd just be getting to school for the day, but today we had a lab at 8am and I got up at 6am unlike my usual 7:30am. Ugh. Just...ugh.
And it's my birthday today. Double fun. Heh.
| 183 |
iceweasel Tue, Apr 5, 2011 7:28:53am |
re: #182 Lidane
OT, but I'm struggling to stay awake this morning. Normally, I'd just be getting to school for the day, but today we had a lab at 8am and I got up at 6am unlike my usual 7:30am. Ugh. Just...ugh.
And it's my birthday today. Double fun. Heh.
Happy birthday!
| 184 |
FemNaziBitch Tue, Apr 5, 2011 7:28:59am |
re: #182 Lidane
OT, but I'm struggling to stay awake this morning. Normally, I'd just be getting to school for the day, but today we had a lab at 8am and I got up at 6am unlike my usual 7:30am. Ugh. Just...ugh.
And it's my birthday today. Double fun. Heh.
| 185 |
Walter L. Newton Tue, Apr 5, 2011 7:35:49am |
re: #182 Lidane
OT, but I'm struggling to stay awake this morning. Normally, I'd just be getting to school for the day, but today we had a lab at 8am and I got up at 6am unlike my usual 7:30am. Ugh. Just...ugh.
And it's my birthday today. Double fun. Heh.
Happy ? Birthday.
| 187 |
Lidane Tue, Apr 5, 2011 7:39:21am |
re: #185 Walter L. Newton
Heh. It's a good thing. I'm not upset about getting older. I'm just not fully awake yet and am struggling through an annoying class. :)
| 188 |
Walter L. Newton Tue, Apr 5, 2011 7:40:30am |
re: #187 Lidane
Heh. It's a good thing. I'm not upset about getting older. I'm just not fully awake yet and am struggling through an annoying class. :)
I love getting older... beats the alternative... you betcha.
| 189 |
Killgore Trout Tue, Apr 5, 2011 7:41:26am |
re: #181 iceweasel
That's true of some people, but certainly not all. Many people find it convenient to object to the abuse of power only when it's not their guy who has the power.
I will give people like Ron Paul credit for consistency on issues like the patriot act and Gitmo but I'm glad Obama has moderated his positions.
| 190 |
Vicious Babushka Tue, Apr 5, 2011 7:42:31am |
re: #189 Killgore Trout
I will give people like Ron Paul credit for consistency on issues like the patriot act and Gitmo but I'm glad Obama has moderated his positions.
Blind squirrel-->nut
Broken clock-->twice a day
| 191 |
iceweasel Tue, Apr 5, 2011 7:44:15am |
re: #189 Killgore Trout
I will give people like Ron Paul credit for consistency on issues like the patriot act and Gitmo but I'm glad Obama has moderated his positions.
Obama's a pragmatist. Reading between the lines it was pretty clear that he would retain the Bush framework of commissions and trials. Also, the Bush admin fucked up the evidence gathering in so many ways that these guys probably can't be convicted in a criminal court (some of them).
| 192 |
Killgore Trout Tue, Apr 5, 2011 7:46:47am |
What are the odds of a government shutdown? There's a lot of noise about it. I think the Republicans are in a tough spot. Any comprimise will enrage their base so they have to at least pretend to want a shutdown. I have to wonder how the economy will react. If the Republicans force a shutdown and the stock market tanks it could make them look really bad.
| 193 |
Targetpractice Tue, Apr 5, 2011 7:50:02am |
re: #192 Killgore Trout
What are the odds of a government shutdown? There's a lot of noise about it. I think the Republicans are in a tough spot. Any comprimise will enrage their base so they have to at least pretend to want a shutdown. I have to wonder how the economy will react. If the Republicans force a shutdown and the stock market tanks it could make them look really bad.
They seem convinced that, when the gears come to a grinding crash this time around, they can paint it as Obama's fault. Probably some delusion that they can get the press to believe that their refusal to compromise is not the problem, Obama's "refusal" to agree to the draconian cuts they wish to pass is the problem.
| 194 |
lawhawk Tue, Apr 5, 2011 7:50:34am |
re: #191 iceweasel
For several of those caught overseas, trying to use civilian courts would never have made any sense. Some were captured on battlefields and not given civilian due process (they were battlefield captures after all - and due process takes a back seat to prosecuting a military operation). A bifurcated system of trying detainees always made sense to me - and still does.
Those terrorists captured in the US by law enforcement are handled in the civilian court system. Those captured overseas - where US due process and law enforcement is not in force (such as battlefield captures) should be handled in the tribunal system. The threshold matter is where the capture of the individual takes place. If original custody is in the US - then civilian courts.
It makes sense to do so since rules of evidence and criminal procedure are followed for domestic captures, while those same rules may not be followed for overseas captures (such as in battlefield captures).
The tribunals do provide due process to the detainees - and do provide more rights than accorded under the Geneva Conventions for POWs. And on that point, I think that the tribunals go beyond what the Geneva Conventions envisioned for out-of-uniform combatants, and that itself sets a dangerous precedent for future combat.
| 195 |
Killgore Trout Tue, Apr 5, 2011 7:50:45am |
re: #191 iceweasel
Obama's a pragmatist. Reading between the lines it was pretty clear that he would retain the Bush framework of commissions and trials. Also, the Bush admin fucked up the evidence gathering in so many ways that these guys probably can't be convicted in a criminal court (some of them).
Well, I think the whole legal premise of Gitmo is flawed. I do think it was an honest attempt at an open and transparent way of dealing with these guys but it doesn't seem to work very well. Now that we have them it's tough to deal with them legally. It is much easier to go back to CIA black sites and render them to the Pakistanis or whatever. It is uglier but it's out of the public eye so it doesn't seem to be as much of an issue. Out of sight, out of mind.
| 196 |
CarleeCork Tue, Apr 5, 2011 7:51:49am |
re: #137 iceweasel
I like the face of jesus in the three-cheese pizza one.
It looks more like Charles Manson to me.
| 197 |
Walter L. Newton Tue, Apr 5, 2011 7:52:02am |
Hindu guru Sai Baba on hospital breathing support
NEW DELHI—Revered Hindu holy man Sathya Sai Baba is hospitalized on breathing support as followers gather at his ashram in southern India.The 84-year-old guru entered the Sri Satya Sai Institute of Higher Medical Sciences last week for lung and chest congestion. A hospital statement said he was stable Tuesday, after describing his condition as critical.
Sai Baba has a huge international following, and devotees are flocking to his ashram in Puttaparti town in the southern Andhra Pradesh state. They consider him a living god and miracle worker who can conjure small objects such as rings and watches from his curly hair.
[Link: www.boston.com...]
(where do I start?)
Police are on guard to prevent devotees from gathering outside the hospital in hopes of receiving a blessing from the guru.
| 198 |
lawhawk Tue, Apr 5, 2011 7:53:54am |
re: #192 Killgore Trout
Not going to happen. The GOP have several competing interests here - TPers demanding smaller government via major cuts who want nothing less than a shutdown and a faction that wants continuing gov ops to avoid looking completely obstructionist along with a couple of pragmatists who are hoping to get some kind of a deal that gives some of what they want (but not everything).
I think the pragmatists will end up winning, because the Senate will ultimately get the House to back off - they don't have to run for reelection right away and they also know that the House TPers have no fallback plan besides obstruction so that if any TPers want something done, they've got to deal with the House. It's how politics gets done.
| 199 |
iceweasel Tue, Apr 5, 2011 7:54:15am |
re: #195 Killgore Trout
Well, I think the whole legal premise of Gitmo is flawed. I do think it was an honest attempt at an open and transparent way of dealing with these guys but it doesn't seem to work very well. Now that we have them it's tough to deal with them legally. It is much easier to go back to CIA black sites and render them to the Pakistanis or whatever. It is uglier but it's out of the public eye so it doesn't seem to be as much of an issue. Out of sight, out of mind.
Obama signed an executive order stopping the use of the EIT and supposedly closing the CIA black sites-- but the problem is the Bush admin long ago started quietly transfering the black sites to JSOC. Obama continued that process. So it's all still going on, just in different places.
| 200 |
iceweasel Tue, Apr 5, 2011 7:57:51am |
Ok, I'm off to meet Jimmah's dad in a pub, to be followed shortly by Jimmah when he gets home from work. Two drunken Scots. I don't know what they'd like for dinner, but they're getting meatloaf, potatoes and corn. Wish me luck. Have a great day all.
| 201 |
Vicious Babushka Tue, Apr 5, 2011 8:01:14am |
re: #197 Walter L. Newton
Hindu guru Sai Baba on hospital breathing support
[Link: www.boston.com...]
(where do I start?)
Police are on guard to prevent devotees from gathering outside the hospital in hopes of receiving a blessing from the guru.
Yesterday was my daughter's birthday. She announced that she had special powers to grant blessings and she was accepting prayers and requests over Facebook. Maybe next year she will add a Paypal button. :)
| 202 |
Walter L. Newton Tue, Apr 5, 2011 8:05:40am |
re: #201 Alouette
Yesterday was my daughter's birthday. She announced that she had special powers to grant blessings and she was accepting prayers and requests over Facebook. Maybe next year she will add a Paypal button. :)
Maybe you need to get her a Zohar?
| 203 |
Vicious Babushka Tue, Apr 5, 2011 8:06:37am |
| 204 |
Walter L. Newton Tue, Apr 5, 2011 8:07:08am |
| 205 |
abolitionist Tue, Apr 5, 2011 8:09:59am |
Obama Enters the Race (for 2012) --hulu.com
| 206 |
RogueOne Tue, Apr 5, 2011 8:11:44am |
re: #180 iceweasel
.......
Closing Gitmo was only ever going to be for show anyway. As was his order vetoing the use of Enhanced Interrogation Techniques *cough*.
We'll never-ever waterboard anyone ever again.....unless we really need to.
| 207 |
sattv4u2 Tue, Apr 5, 2011 8:13:48am |
re: #197 Walter L. Newton
Hindu guru Sai Baba on hospital breathing support
[Link: www.boston.com...](where do I start?)
Police are on guard to prevent devotees from gathering outside the hospital in hopes of receiving a blessing from the guru.
what time will you be there?
| 208 |
abolitionist Tue, Apr 5, 2011 8:16:11am |
| 209 |
unrememberable Tue, Apr 5, 2011 8:16:21am |
| 210 |
NJDhockeyfan Tue, Apr 5, 2011 8:19:12am |
IDF Kills Armed Terrorist; Hamas: He Was ‘Collecting Gravel’
The IDF Tuesday afternoon killed an armed terrorist approaching the Gaza security fence after he did not respond to warnings to stop. Hamas claimed he was a civilian who was collecting gravel.
How much is gravel going for these days?
| 211 |
Lidane Tue, Apr 5, 2011 8:19:33am |
re: #201 Alouette
Yesterday was my daughter's birthday. She announced that she had special powers to grant blessings and she was accepting prayers and requests over Facebook. Maybe next year she will add a Paypal button. :)
Heh. She should do what I did and get "ordained" by the Church of the Subgenius. She'd be obligated to charge people for her services then. ;)
| 212 |
sattv4u2 Tue, Apr 5, 2011 8:20:54am |
re: #210 NJDhockeyfan
IDF Kills Armed Terrorist; Hamas: He Was ‘Collecting Gravel’
How much is gravel going for these days?
one life, apparently!
| 213 |
Walter L. Newton Tue, Apr 5, 2011 8:21:57am |
re: #211 Lidane
Heh. She should do what I did and get "ordained" by the Church of the Subgenius. She'd be obligated to charge people for her services then. ;)
I tried that once... Bob sent me a refund.
| 214 |
Targetpractice Tue, Apr 5, 2011 8:22:05am |
| 215 |
Lidane Tue, Apr 5, 2011 8:23:42am |
re: #213 Walter L. Newton
I tried that once... Bob sent me a refund.
Bob was more than happy to take my money. Hehe.
| 216 |
sattv4u2 Tue, Apr 5, 2011 8:27:48am |
re: #215 Lidane
Bob was more than happy to take my money. Hehe.
I won't complain if you want to send any to me!
| 217 |
Lidane Tue, Apr 5, 2011 8:29:10am |
re: #216 sattv4u2
I won't complain if you want to send any to me!
I would. I only got so much in student loans this semester. Maybe another time. ;)
| 218 |
RogueOne Tue, Apr 5, 2011 8:29:35am |
Interesting:
Memo suggests FBI had mole inside ABC News in 1990s
[Link: www.publicintegrity.org...]
A once-classified FBI memo reveals that the bureau treated a senior ABC News journalist as a potential confidential informant in the 1990s, pumping the reporter to ascertain the source of a sensational but uncorroborated tip that the network had obtained during its early coverage of the Oklahoma City bombing.
....
The journalist “advised that a source within the Saudi Arabian Intelligence Service advised that the Oklahoma City bombing was sponsored by the Iraqi Special Services who contracted seven (7) former Afghani Freedom Fighters out of Pakistan,” an April 17, 1996 FBI memo states, recounting the then-ABC journalist’s interview with FBI agents a year earlier on the evening of the April 19, 1995 bombing. (The Iraqi connection, of course, never materialized.)
Journalism professors upset:
Tim McGuire, a journalism professor at Arizona State University, believes the fact the reporter was assigned an informant number and had contributed information in the past precludes any argument that he was sharing this information in the public good.“I mean, he’s not only a rat, he’s a really huge rat” says McGuire. “He’s obviously decided that helping the government on an ongoing basis is more important than being a journalist.”
I'm going to disagree with the professor. When you decide that your professional ethics take precedence over the possibility of a terrorist attack you're not a journalist, you're a dick.
| 219 |
kirkspencer Tue, Apr 5, 2011 8:30:15am |
re: #179 Killgore Trout
Also I think the lefties just loved to complain about Gitmo and the patriot act because they wanted Bush to fail. It wasn't really a principled opinion.
Speaking as a lefty who complained about both Gitmo and the Patriot Act, [censored].
The principle objection I had and have with the US Patriot act can be nutshelled thusly: We have sacrificed freedom for security, and will get neither as a result. I am going to point to one lie as an example of the whole. Librarians said the order would allow their records to be taken and used, and the gag order portion would be used to disallow objection. Ashcroft said libraries weren't and would not be facing such a problem. As the lawsuit by libraries in Connecticut demonstrated, he said this even while such actions were ongoing. (Pfeh, who cares about library records? Well, prior to the USPatriot act, almost every state said those records were private, requiring either subpoena or warrant to access.) It is not the sole case.
The objection I held to gitmo was the "neither fish nor fowl" issue. It was created as a consequence of the peculiar determination of the "third category" of Geneva status. Previously, a person was either a combatant or a non-combatant. Each had rights and expectations of treatment, little of which was 'coddling'. Gitmo's detainment section was specifically created to act on the concept that there was a class of individuals that had NO rights given they were neither combatants nor non-combatants.
For what it's worth, when I briefed my NCOs and enlisteds on the Geneva Conventions, I would frequently get asked why we should follow them when the other guys wouldn't. There are several reasons, but the easiest to follow is hard-headed practicality and the example of WWII. German soldiers were losing on the east and the west. Which side tended to see more people surrender? the west. A soldier that's willing to surrender instead of fighting to the last man will inflict fewer casualties on his enemy as well. Add to this the counter-insurgency issues of making the fanaticism seem unecessarily extreme which in turn removes a lot of his local support and cover. Gitmo was part of a larger process that killed that for us.
So again - it is and was principle on which I objected to both those.
| 220 |
Targetpractice Tue, Apr 5, 2011 8:37:32am |
Gee, I wake up and I see great news. Paul Ryan's tellin' us that he can cut the deficit's by $6 trillion over the next decade, create millions of jobs, and get America back on an even keel. The catch? The elderly gets put on a voucher system that relies upon the private health care industry to handle their needs, the poor will have an even harder time getting medical care, and the rich get their taxes cut from 35% to 25%!
I think the GOP's found their candidate for next year.
| 221 |
kirkspencer Tue, Apr 5, 2011 8:39:08am |
re: #220 Targetpractice, Worst of Both Worlds
Gee, I wake up and I see great news. Paul Ryan's tellin' us that he can cut the deficit's by $6 trillion over the next decade, create millions of jobs, and get America back on an even keel. The catch? The elderly gets put on a voucher system that relies upon the private health care industry to handle their needs, the poor will have an even harder time getting medical care, and the rich get their taxes cut from 35% to 25%!
I think the GOP's found their candidate for next year.
I've read the budget proposal, now. I'm going to be taking it apart over the next couple of days to see if I can separate fact from rhetoric. You can do the same: [Link: budget.house.gov...]
| 222 |
njdhockeyfan Tue, Apr 5, 2011 8:50:52am |
Michael Totten: Welcome to Hezbollahland
An excerpt from The Road to Fatima Gate
Between Beirut and Tel Aviv there is . . . this strange dark kingdom.
— Jonathan Spyer
Leena and I pulled up to the last Lebanese army checkpoint before Hezbollah’s territory began.
“Who’s he?” said the soldier in charge. Leena didn’t need a permit to enter the zone, but I, as a foreigner, did. And I didn’t have one.
“He’s a friend,” she said.
“Where’s he from?” the soldier said.
“I’m American,” I said. There was no point in pretending I was anything else. I looked like an American, talked like an American, and carried an American passport. There wasn’t a chance I could convince him I was from South Lebanon.
“Like I said, he is a friend,” Leena said in Arabic with a southern accent that can’t be easily faked. “I’m taking him to my family’s house so I can show him where I come from.”
The soldier nodded and let us pass. So much for needing a permit.
As soon as Leena and I drove away from the checkpoint, we had effectively left Lebanon and arrived somewhere else. Neither government soldiers nor police officers were allowed down there. The Shia-majority cities of Nabatieh and Tyre behind us were within the government’s jurisdiction, but the only authority near the border with Israel was Hezbollah. Tehran had more sovereignty there than Beirut did.
[snip]
| 223 |
blueraven Tue, Apr 5, 2011 8:51:20am |
re: #189 Killgore Trout
I will give people like Ron Paul credit for consistency on issues like the patriot act and Gitmo but I'm glad Obama has moderated his positions.
I dont know if he has moderated his position so much as he is facing the political reality. His own party in congress would not support the trials in the US or fund the closing of Gitmo.
Either way, the results are the same.
| 224 |
Obdicut Tue, Apr 5, 2011 8:53:31am |
re: #220 Targetpractice, Worst of Both Worlds
And magically, no money that he cuts will result in costs further down the road, at all!
And a five year pay freeze for everyone in the federal government. It's not like they do real jobs at all.
I read his proposal. It was a walk through a cherrypicking festival.
| 225 |
SanFranciscoZionist Tue, Apr 5, 2011 8:57:14am |
re: #197 Walter L. Newton
Hindu guru Sai Baba on hospital breathing support
[Link: www.boston.com...]
(where do I start?)
Police are on guard to prevent devotees from gathering outside the hospital in hopes of receiving a blessing from the guru.
R'fuah shlema.
| 226 |
RogueOne Tue, Apr 5, 2011 8:58:52am |
re: #220 Targetpractice, Worst of Both Worlds
The president should set up a panel to look at these issues and get back to us, maybe they'll come back with a better idea. Oh wait...
[Link: finance.yahoo.com...]
| 227 |
Achilles Tang Tue, Apr 5, 2011 9:01:15am |
re: #220 Targetpractice, Worst of Both Worlds
Gee, I wake up and I see great news. Paul Ryan's tellin' us that he can cut the deficit's by $6 trillion over the next decade, create millions of jobs, and get America back on an even keel. The catch? The elderly gets put on a voucher system that relies upon the private health care industry to handle their needs, the poor will have an even harder time getting medical care, and the rich get their taxes cut from 35% to 25%!
I think the GOP's found their candidate for next year.
I get more depressed all the time listening to this stuff. I'm all in favor of a plan that would reduce the deficit in a structured manner, but then I remember that Republicans don't understand basic science, like evolution or global warming which is far less complicated than the economic theories of the largest economy on the planet.
So I'm supposed to think they know what they are talking about based on what evidence?
Then we have the other little issue about what it means to to them to accept economic pain.
Either a large percentage of Americans are really really stupid, or the GOP thinks they are when they argue that if the pain is largely on the middle class and the poor and the richest are left untouched, then the richest will be sure to pass their excess back in the form of jobs because previously they didn't have enough cash under the bed to do that. (sarc)
Assuming of course that first someone else (not the gummint, heaven forbid) will create enough jobs for them to get enough revenue to create more jobs themselves. See how simple all this economic stuff is? Just join the Pea Party and all will be explained.//
| 228 |
abolitionist Tue, Apr 5, 2011 9:03:08am |
re: #224 Obdicut
And magically, no money that he cuts will result in costs further down the road, at all!
And a five year pay freeze for everyone in the federal government. It's not like they do real jobs at all.
I read his proposal. It was a walk through a cherrypicking festival.
Sorry, you can't use that voucher for an oil change.
Sorry, you can't use that voucher for a bicycle.
Sorry, you can't use that voucher for a cane.
Hip replacement? No problem.
| 229 |
Mostly sane, most of the time. Tue, Apr 5, 2011 9:05:59am |
I just read Curious Lurker's page.
Would you believe I showed the Four Yorkshiremen to my kids for the first time yesterday.
Hehehehe.
The only problem is that my husband is not a Monty Python fan (Something deeply wrong with him, I guess) and he had to endure a dinner that was essentially, one long repetition of the skit.
| 230 |
RogueOne Tue, Apr 5, 2011 9:06:25am |
Voters still split on blame for possible shutdown
[Link: www.washingtonpost.com...]
With a potential federal government shutdown closing in, the public remains split down the middle when it comes to which side it would blame for a work stoppage, according to a new Washington Post poll.In the poll, 37 percent say they would fault the Obama administration for a partial federal shutdown. The same number would blame the Republicans in Congress. Those figures are nearly the same as in late February, despite five weeks of fierce budget negotiations and positioning on the issue.
| 231 |
RogueOne Tue, Apr 5, 2011 9:07:16am |
re: #229 EmmmieG
I just read Curious Lurker's page.
Would you believe I showed the Four Yorkshiremen to my kids for the first time yesterday.
Hehehehe.
The only problem is that my husband is not a Monty Python fan (Something deeply wrong with him, I guess) and he had to endure a dinner that was essentially, one long repetition of the skit.
You guys might want to consider family therapy and get him the help he needs.//
| 232 |
NJDhockeyfan Tue, Apr 5, 2011 9:09:18am |
'Face of Elvis' found on a bug in Singapore forest
Amateur photographer Winston Jansen was left stunned after seeing The King while on an expedition.Mr Jansen said he had come across hundreds of insects on the trip, but none caught his eye like this stink bug.
Its stunning colour and intricate camouflage certainly makes it stand out.
But its marked back appeared to Mr Jansen to resemble a face, and the black markings at the top brought to mind the most famous quiff in rock'n'roll history.
Because of his suspicious mind, Mr Jansen quickly whipped out his camera to get up close for this great shot.
| 233 |
abolitionist Tue, Apr 5, 2011 9:11:46am |
| 234 |
SanFranciscoZionist Tue, Apr 5, 2011 9:12:01am |
re: #232 NJDhockeyfan
What evolutionary pressures would result in a bug having the face of Elvis on it?
| 236 |
Achilles Tang Tue, Apr 5, 2011 9:15:10am |
re: #234 SanFranciscoZionist
What evolutionary pressures would result in a bug having the face of Elvis on it?
Same one that put the shape of a bunny wabbit in the clouds that just passed over here.
| 237 |
RogueOne Tue, Apr 5, 2011 9:16:07am |
re: #234 SanFranciscoZionist
What evolutionary pressures would result in a bug having the face of Elvis on it?
How could you fail at breeding with a face like that?
Image: 300.presley.elvis.081508.jpg
| 238 |
SanFranciscoZionist Tue, Apr 5, 2011 9:16:35am |
re: #236 Naso Tang
Same one that put the shape of a bunny wabbit in the clouds that just passed over here.
Ah, the human tendency to spot patterns, and impose data from other settings into random configurations? Gotcha.
| 239 |
blueraven Tue, Apr 5, 2011 9:16:51am |
re: #235 lawhawk
That's not Elvis.
That's Walter (not L. Newton).
[Video]
Have you ever seen them in the same room at the same time? Suspicious, I say.
| 240 |
lawhawk Tue, Apr 5, 2011 9:17:19am |
re: #239 blueraven
Well, Elvis isn't dead. He just went home. /Kay
| 241 |
McSpiff Tue, Apr 5, 2011 9:18:18am |
re: #236 Naso Tang
Same one that put the shape of a bunny wabbit in the clouds that just passed over here.
So you mean the government right?
| 242 |
Aceofwhat? Tue, Apr 5, 2011 9:23:11am |
re: #234 SanFranciscoZionist
What evolutionary pressures would result in a bug having the face of Elvis on it?
To get women. Duh;)
(hi everyone)
| 243 |
NJDhockeyfan Tue, Apr 5, 2011 9:25:03am |
Mark Knopfler - Calling Elvis
| 244 |
abolitionist Tue, Apr 5, 2011 9:25:44am |
re: #241 McSpiff
So you mean the government right?
[Video]
Obliviously, it's a conspiracy. Chemtrails are in our water supply now. /
| 245 |
NJDhockeyfan Tue, Apr 5, 2011 9:26:20am |
re: #244 abolitionist
Obliviously, it's a conspiracy. Chemtrails are in our water supply now. /
My SIL been talking to you?
| 246 |
Four More Tears Tue, Apr 5, 2011 9:27:39am |
Here are those jobs we've been waiting for.
| 247 |
lawhawk Tue, Apr 5, 2011 9:28:39am |
re: #244 abolitionist
All Nightmare Long - some conspiracies are deadlier than others....
| 248 |
SanFranciscoZionist Tue, Apr 5, 2011 9:28:50am |
re: #244 abolitionist
Obliviously, it's a conspiracy. Chemtrails are in our water supply now. /
You can tell because of the sprinkler rainbows.
SPRINKLER RAINBOW WOMAN!!!
| 249 |
blueraven Tue, Apr 5, 2011 9:33:13am |
| 250 |
HappyWarrior Tue, Apr 5, 2011 9:42:20am |
re: #246 JasonA
Here are those jobs we've been waiting for.
I heard they got rid of Ronald. Good, I thought because he creeps me out.
| 251 |
Aceofwhat? Tue, Apr 5, 2011 9:42:31am |
| 252 |
blueraven Tue, Apr 5, 2011 9:49:48am |
re: #251 Aceofwhat?
In a related vein, this is an interesting post i stumbled across last month. Jobs lost to min-wage increases? Personally, i'm not convinced that the entire loss is due to increases in the minimum rate, but the raw numbers are interesting.
I think there is a lot more going on than the minimum wage here. Yes, unemployment has hit harder in the lower economic demographic. That is not surprising. There are many factors. Retail sales jobs and extra office personnel would be hit hard in a downturn like we have been through.
| 253 |
Interesting Times Tue, Apr 5, 2011 9:52:00am |
re: #249 blueraven
That should help with the "yute's"
Exactly! We can put an end to Un-American socialist concepts like school lunches!
Can’t they get a job during the summer by the time they are 16? Hunger can be a positive motivator. What is wrong with the idea of getting a job so you can get better meals? Tip: If you work for McDonald’s, they will feed you for free during your break.
| 254 |
Aceofwhat? Tue, Apr 5, 2011 9:52:15am |
re: #252 blueraven
I think there is a lot more going on than the minimum wage here. Yes, unemployment has hit harder in the lower economic demographic. That is not surprising. There are many factors. Retail sales jobs and extra office personnel would be hit hard in a downturn like we have been through.
I quite agree. What's unknown is how this compares to past recessions where the min. wage was left unchanged; that'd probably be a better comparison. Either way, i agree that it's not surprising to see the min. wage jobs hit hard, but i didn't have a good grasp of the numbers until i saw them in front of me. Interesting stuff.
| 255 |
Achilles Tang Tue, Apr 5, 2011 9:54:30am |
re: #251 Aceofwhat?
In a related vein, this is an interesting post i stumbled across last month. Jobs lost to min-wage increases? Personally, i'm not convinced that the entire loss is due to increases in the minimum rate, but the raw numbers are interesting.
There is nothing in there that actually argues that the loss is BECAUSE of the minimum wage.
Seems to me to be perfectly logical that minimum wage jobs will be the first to go in a recession. Less need to clean hotel rooms. Less restaurant business. Less janitorial needs. Less fast food purchases, less simple assembly line in manufacturing and so on.
| 256 |
NJDhockeyfan Tue, Apr 5, 2011 9:54:33am |
In Nazi news today:
New Berlin exhibition on Nazi Eichmann
BERLIN — A new exhibition opens in Berlin Tuesday marking 50 years since Nazi war criminal Adolf Eichmann went on trial in Israel after being kidnapped in Argentina by Mossad agents.
The temporary exhibition in the Topography of Terror museum explores Eichmann's activities as one of the main organisers of Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler's attempt to wipe out Europe's Jewish population in World War II.
It uses film footage from the trial in Jerusalem, which began on April 11, 1961, including testimony by Holocaust survivors and Eichmann's rambling attempts to portray himself as just a "small cog" merely following orders.
The trial was also a worldwide media event and the exhibition, which runs to September 18, also touches on newspaper coverage from around the world, including in East and West Germany and Israel.
The court sentenced Eichmann to death in December 1961, upheld on appeal in the Israeli Supreme Court on May 29, 1962. An appeal for clemency was rejected two days later and he was hanged at midnight.
"I will never forget the first moments of the trial," Gabriel Bach, 84, one of the prosecutors in the trial, said in Berlin.
"If you had asked me to choose one person to have face trial, I undoubtedly would have chosen Eichmann. He was the man who organised every single part and stage of the Holocaust."
If this exhibition can educate even one person about the horror of the Holocaust, it's worth it. May many more learn and never forget what happened.
| 257 |
Killgore Trout Tue, Apr 5, 2011 9:55:30am |
Here comes the shutdown...
Boehner: No agreement with Obama on budget
House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, said lawmakers did not strike a budget deal during this morning's meeting with President Obama at the White House, increasing the chances of a federal government shutdown this weekend.
| 258 |
darthstar Tue, Apr 5, 2011 9:57:29am |
I had that cold, Charles. Sudafed was the key to getting back to feeling like a human. Though buying that stuff isn't as easy as it used to be. Now you have to scan your driver's license to buy the shit. Must be tough on the meth makers.
| 259 |
Lidane Tue, Apr 5, 2011 9:57:47am |
re: #257 Killgore Trout
Here comes the shutdown...
Boehner: No agreement with Obama on budget
*sigh*
This is going to backfire spectacularly on the GOP, just like it did back in the 90's. Oh well. Guess they'll have to learn that lesson again the hard way.
| 260 |
Targetpractice Tue, Apr 5, 2011 9:58:13am |
re: #257 Killgore Trout
Here comes the shutdown...
Boehner: No agreement with Obama on budget
"Hard part 'bout playing chicken is knowing when to flinch."
| 261 |
darthstar Tue, Apr 5, 2011 9:58:28am |
re: #257 Killgore Trout
Here comes the shutdown...
Boehner: No agreement with Obama on budget
Boehner's boner will be short lived. Look for tears as he begs for mercy because those mean Democrats wouldn't let him be an asshole.
| 262 |
blueraven Tue, Apr 5, 2011 9:59:57am |
re: #257 Killgore Trout
Here comes the shutdown...
Boehner: No agreement with Obama on budget
This is ridiculous! The republicans want to cut 60 billion over the next 5 months on 12% of overall spending. Plus the riders to defund PP and NPR and other crap.
They are not serious!
| 263 |
Aceofwhat? Tue, Apr 5, 2011 10:00:01am |
re: #255 Naso Tang
There is nothing in there that actually argues that the loss is BECAUSE of the minimum wage.
Seems to me to be perfectly logical that minimum wage jobs will be the first to go in a recession. Less need to clean hotel rooms. Less restaurant business. Less janitorial needs. Less fast food purchases, less simple assembly line in manufacturing and so on.
Right, as i said above. I'm sure the increases play some part, but this won't tell us. I just didn't realize just how many less $7.25 jobs we have compared to 2006.
| 264 |
Killgore Trout Tue, Apr 5, 2011 10:00:04am |
re: #259 Lidane
*sigh*
This is going to backfire spectacularly on the GOP, just like it did back in the 90's. Oh well. Guess they'll have to learn that lesson again the hard way.
I suspect you're probably right but it could go either way. I'm not sure how the public is going to react and if they're still going to hold that grudge into the next election cycle. Given the Republican governor's blunder with union busting it seems clear to me they're willing to commit political suicide to advance their agenda.
| 265 |
Targetpractice Tue, Apr 5, 2011 10:00:19am |
re: #261 darthstar
Boehner's boner will be short lived. Look for tears as he begs for mercy because those mean Democrats wouldn't let him be an asshole.
Oh, I expect we'll hear plenty of it between now and next Monday. "We wouldn't have had this shutdown if they'd just given us what we wanted! If they can't govern, let us do it! We did so well last time around!"
| 266 |
NJDhockeyfan Tue, Apr 5, 2011 10:01:49am |
re: #257 Killgore Trout
Here comes the shutdown...
Boehner: No agreement with Obama on budget
Video release of the behind closed doors budget debate:
| 267 |
Aceofwhat? Tue, Apr 5, 2011 10:02:23am |
re: #261 darthstar
Boehner's boner will be short lived. Look for tears as he begs for mercy because those mean Democrats wouldn't let him be an asshole.
they can all suck it, if you ask me. i'd have gone with the bipartisan commission recommendations all the way and shared the pain. Obama balked, the republicans balked...and now we're here. *kicks pebble*
| 268 |
Walter L. Newton Tue, Apr 5, 2011 10:04:08am |
re: #256 NJDhockeyfan
In Nazi news today:
New Berlin exhibition on Nazi Eichmann
If this exhibition can educate even one person about the horror of the Holocaust, it's worth it. May many more learn and never forget what happened.
The two strongest recommendations I can make, from my personal experience is to visit the Warsaw Rising Museum in Warsaw.
Short of a trip to Poland, get the multimedia CD "Stories from the Warsaw Ghetto" from Montparnasse Multimedia in France (hard to find, but worth your time to find it).
| 269 |
Killgore Trout Tue, Apr 5, 2011 10:05:38am |
I think a big factor in the wingnut mentality is they were robbed of their doomsday fantasies. The economy recovered, unemployment is easing, the markets are recovering, the dollar didn't collapse, hyperinflation never happened. If they can't find a crisis I think they want to create one.
| 270 |
Lidane Tue, Apr 5, 2011 10:05:49am |
re: #264 Killgore Trout
I suspect you're probably right but it could go either way. I'm not sure how the public is going to react and if they're still going to hold that grudge into the next election cycle.
Well, true. I'm mostly looking at what happened the last time, and the fact that the favored candidates on the right so far seem to be Romney and Trump. I honestly can't see either man as POTUS, and if the GOP really insist on pissing people off by shutting down the government, their chances won't improve.
Given the Republican governor's blunder with union busting it seems clear to me they're willing to commit political suicide to advance their agenda.
True. They seem to be all about ideology more than actually caring about their chances in 2012. The buyer's remorse in Ohio and WI will bite them in the ass for sure.
| 271 |
iceweasel Tue, Apr 5, 2011 12:30:50pm |
re: #200 iceweasel
Ok, I'm off to meet Jimmah's dad in a pub, to be followed shortly by Jimmah when he gets home from work. Two drunken Scots. I don't know what they'd like for dinner, but they're getting meatloaf, potatoes and corn. Wish me luck. Have a great day all.
Addendum: Jimmah was arrested on the way to the pub, but it's all okay now./
(littering offense)
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