guys, nobody likes tofu

that japan is all totally pretending

re: #1 WindUpBird

guys, nobody likes tofu

that japan is all totally pretending

Its good in miso soup.

re: #2 Kragar (Proud to be Kafir)

totally *_* and inarizushi, hell yeah

of course people from east asia tend to have the same reaction to westerners eating cheese

re: #4 engineer dog

of course people from east asia tend to have the same reaction to westerners eating cheese

I was actually not a fan of cheese at all until I was an adult, didn't like pizza, didn't like cheeseburgers, my friends thought I was nuts

still really don't like the texture of too much cheese on burgers and pizza, I'd rather have much less and have it be stronger

re: #1 WindUpBird

guys, nobody likes tofu

that japan is all totally pretending

re: #2 Kragar (Proud to be Kafir)

Its good in miso soup.

Heh, even in Japan tofu is used as part of something else, miso or not.

re: #6 freetoken

re: #2 Kragar (Proud to be Kafir)

Heh, even in Japan tofu is used as part of something else, miso or not.

that's most food, it's all part of something else, even chicken by itself with no seasoning or frying is pretty bland

if you want tofu to be a filet mignon, it's obviously not (it's actually sustainable as opposed to something like a steak that requires a cosmic amount of energy to produce)

And so it was that tofu became the center of conversation at Little Green Footballs...

re: #8 JasonA

And so it was that tofu became the center of conversation at Little Green Footballs...

See?! PROOF that LGF is nothing but moonbat central. Real Americans don't talk about tofu.

///

re: #9 Lidane

At least it's not arugula.

Two pieces of overnight news:

AJELive AJELive
Breaking: President of the #Maldives has resigned after protests against him intensified. Watch for more: aje.me/tz8yfa

Apparently, there have been events going on under the radar/dwarfed by convulsions in the Middle East.

Also:

2011feb17 HAMID
RT“@BintAlRifai: Homs this morning. Houses on fire, explosions. #Homs. youtu.be/rldZJobWHoE”

The Video

Expensive Missouri primary won't mean much

A series of political squabbles has rendered the state's Republican vote merely symbolic, turning the $7 million primary into a glorified public opinion poll that will play little to no role in determining the party's nominee.

Instead, the GOP plans to use state caucuses in March to begin the process of awarding Missouri's 52 presidential delegates. Tuesday's primary will still be used to award delegates for the Democratic nomination, which will undoubtedly go to President Barack Obama.

About 960,000 voters, or 23 percent of eligible voters, are expected to show up Tuesday, said Ryan Hobart, spokesman for the Secretary of State's office. If that projection holds up, the primary would draw nearly 500,000 fewer voters to the polls than in 2008, when 1.4 million Missourians cast ballots in a year with competitive primaries in both parties.

"We've been encouraging people to vote nonetheless," Hobart said, "to send a message they want to have a say in who the nominee is."

Republican voters will find a ballot including national front-runner Mitt Romney, Rick Santorum, Ron Paul and four candidates who've already dropped out of the race: Rick Perry, Michele Bachmann, Herman Cain, and Jon Huntsman.

Newt Gingrich isn't on the ballot because he didn't pay the $1,000 filing fee, explaining later that it didn't count for delegates.

More out of Maldives:

AJELive AJELive
#Maldives president has resigned after police stage mutiny and take over state TV: aje.me/yJbzad

This needs a page.

re: #13 ProLifeLiberal

There is now a page.

re: #4 engineer dog

of course people from east asia tend to have the same reaction to westerners eating cheese

Cheese is really more disturbing than tofu, if you think about it. Which isn't to say that I don't love both with an unhealthy passion.

re: #6 freetoken

re: #2 Kragar (Proud to be Kafir)

Heh, even in Japan tofu is used as part of something else, miso or not.

Well, you can just cut it into chunks and eat it like that, but only insane white vegetarians during the 1970s ever really thought that was a good idea.

Although the taste of uncooked, unseasoned tofu actually brings back for me the night of the 1989 earthquake. My dad had gone out to check on the building he managed, and my mom and I scavenged through the kitchen for stuff we could eat raw, coming up with tofu, and also brie and crackers. Sort of an odd mix.

re: #8 JasonA

And so it was that tofu became the center of conversation at Little Green Footballs...

Tofu is LIFE.

At least good tofu. There's this stuff you get back East that I swear is made with Elmer's glue.

Since Guess the Lighting is on hiatus or something Fuck Your Noguchi Coffee Table is now my new favorite blog.

Tofu is a culinary carte blanche: it absorbs the flovors of whtever you cook it with. It is not meant to be a substitute for meat products, just like you cannot substitute turnips for tomatoes in a salad.

So Karl Rove did have a hissy fit over Clint Eastwood's "stealth Obama campaign ad":

[Link: www.washingtonpost.com...]

only negative and depressing news about the economy and society will save the GOP (and by extension, The America We Love) now!

re: #19 ralphieboy

Tofu is a culinary carte blanche: it absorbs the flovors of whtever you cook it with.

Heh, just like Mitt Romney.

re: #21 freetoken

Heh, just like Mitt Romney.

No, tofu does not come in, buy up all the other ingredients and then have them "fired" them from the recipe...

re: #22 ralphieboy

Ok, then, Romney the candidate.

re: #24 freetoken

Ok, then, Romney the candidate.

Tofu does not come in, buy up all the other ingredients and then have them "fired" them from the recipe...and then claim that those ingredients are just envious of it because it is a "successful" ingredient.

Morning, all.

re: #23 freetoken

Great piece.

TY

Bars in NYC close at 4:00 AM. So, when I wake at 4:30, the streets are still full of drunken people, some happily singing, some carrying on incoherent arguments. It's like waking up to a Tom Waits song.

re: #29 Obdicut

Bars in NYC close at 4:00 AM. So, when I wake at 4:30, the streets are still full of drunken people, some happily singing, some carrying on incoherent arguments. It's like waking up to a Tom Waits song.

Singing a drunken incoherent argument?

re: #27 researchok

Great piece.

Nice beaver.

re: #1 WindUpBird

guys, nobody likes tofu

that japan is all totally pretending

You lie.

re: #30 Fat Bastard Vegetarian

Singing a drunken incoherent argument?

One guy was singing a song whose only lyrics were "Fuck you"

It went like this

Fuck

fuck

fuck you you fuck fuck you Yououououououououououououou

fuck

re: #33 Obdicut

Maybe it was Tom Waits.

Or Cee Lo Waits.

re: #34 Fat Bastard Vegetarian

I'm trying to imagine a Cee Lo/Waits collaboration. It could be amazing, but it's hard to picture.

re: #33 Obdicut

Took my kids to NYC... we took NJ Transit into town. As that we walked out of the Port Authority; a man was loading luggage into a double parked car. Car behind him honked his horn; the man looked at the car and said, "Fuck you!".

The kids (we were a little white bread family at the time) looked at me with an amused/shocked expression and I said, "Welcome to New York City kids. Let the shocking begin."

New York echo?

"HELLO!"
"SHUT THE FUCK UP!"

re: #36 Fat Bastard Vegetarian

The New Yorker's alphabet:

Fuckin' A, fuckin' B, fuckin' C, etc...

re: #33 Obdicut

One guy was singing a song whose only lyrics were "Fuck you"

It went like this

Fuck

fuck

fuck you you fuck fuck you Yououououououououououououou

fuck

I love that song. Morning all and Fuck you!

re: #33 Obdicut

Fuck

fuck

fuck you you fuck fuck you Yououououououououououououou

fuck

-Gisele

re: #39 Fat Bastard Vegetarian

She really stepped in it didn't she? On the positive side, he married someone who has his back.

re: #40 RogueOne

She really stepped in it didn't she? On the positive side, he married someone who has his back.

I think most folks thought she did the right thing.

Happy birthday Charles Dickens wherever you are.

re: #41 Fat Bastard Vegetarian

I think most folks thought she did the right thing.

Except Wes Welkers spouse

Howdy Honcos!

re: #33 Obdicut

One guy was singing a song whose only lyrics were "Fuck you"

It went like this

Fuck

fuck

fuck you you fuck fuck you Yououououououououououououou

fuck

Didn't Nilson in the early seventies have a song with the lyrics,
" You're breakin' my heart you're tearin' it apart so fuck you!"

Hey!!! What's with all this fuckin bad language lizards!?

Clean that shit up!!
//

re: #43 RogueOne

Except Wes Welkers spouse

I'm sure his wife will talk to Gisele about it. And Gisele will respond, "Oh. So he's not supposed to catch the fuckin' ball when it's right in his hands?"

re: #47 Fat Bastard Vegetarian

I'm sure his wife will talk to Gisele about it. And Gisele will respond, "Oh. So he's not supposed to catch the fuckin' ball when it's right in his hands?"

Maybe the girls could go out and toss the ball around a little....in lingerie...I'm just sayin.

Today's movie for Lizard Theater, that Cohen brother's classic Raising Arizona.

I'll start

Parole Board chairman: They've got a name for people like you H.I. That name is called "recidivism."
Parole Board member: Repeat offender!
Parole Board chairman: Not a pretty name, is it H.I.?
H.I.: No, sir. That's one bonehead name, but that ain't me any more.
Parole Board chairman: You're not just telling us what we want to hear?
H.I.: No, sir, no way.
Parole Board member: 'Cause we just want to hear the truth.
H.I.: Well, then I guess I am telling you what you want to hear.
Parole Board chairman: Boy, didn't we just tell you not to do that?
H.I.: Yes, sir.
Parole Board chairman: Okay, then.

re: #48 rwdflynavy

Maybe the girls could go out and toss the ball around a little...in lingerie...I'm just sayin.

Welkers soon-to-be spouse is very attractive. "Supermodel Catfight" would make a great halftime show.

Wes Welker's girlfriend Anna Burns
[Link: www.playerwives.com...]

H.I.: Wake up, Son.
[aims gun at the clerk]
H.I.: I'll be taking these Huggies and whatever cash ya got.
Ed McDonnough: [sees H.I. from the car] That son' bitch. That son of a bitch! You son of a bitch!
H.I.: Better hurry it up, I'm in dutch with the wife.

re: #49 rwdflynavy

I'm just going to yodel in the background.

re: #51 rwdflynavy

Christian Dior my butt.

No wonder no one wants to invade Iran, female Ninjas!

Ninja Training: 3,500 Women In Iran Kick Butt, Social Mores
[Link: www.huffingtonpost.com...]

re: #53 Obdicut

I tried to stand up and fly straight, but it wasn't easy with that sumbitch Reagan in the White House. I dunno. They say he's a decent man, so maybe his advisors are confused.

re: #55 rwdflynavy

Eight hundred leaf-tables and no chairs? You can't sell leaf-tables and no chairs. Chairs, you got a dinette set. No chairs, you got dick!

Raising Arizona is not one of the movies that I find extremely quotable. Though it is a wonderpiece.

re: #56 Obdicut

Prison life is structured - more'n some people care for.

re: #46 rwdflynavy

Hey!!! What's with all this fuckin bad language lizards!?

Clean that shit up!!
//

Fuck you and the horse you rode in on, ya' wild kid ya'.

re: #51 rwdflynavy

best fucking movie

re: #29 Obdicut

Bars in NYC close at 4:00 AM. So, when I wake at 4:30, the streets are still full of drunken people, some happily singing, some carrying on incoherent arguments. It's like waking up to a Tom Waits song.

You automatically win

Gale: All right, ya hayseeds, it's a stick-up. Everybody freeze. Everybody down on the ground.
Feisty Hayseed: Well, which is it, young feller? You want I should freeze or get down on the ground? Mean to say, if'n I freeze, I can't rightly drop. And if'n I drop, I'm a-gonna be in motion. You see...
Gale: Shut up!
Feisty Hayseed: Okay then.
Gale: Everybody down on the ground!
Evelle: Y'all can just forget that part about freezin' now.
Gale: Better still to get down there.
Evelle: Yeah, y'all hear that, don't ya?
[Everybody lays down. Gale looks at the now-empty teller windows]
Gale: Shit! Where'd all the tellers go?
Teller's voices: We're down here, sir.
Evelle: They're on the floor as you commanded, Gale.

Muslim Heroes of the Holocaust - Robert Satloff

Cool video we watched as part of my Pakistan-Afghanistan Regional Security Studies class.

Tom waits. Ol' 55

Funny. I'm reading this fucking conversation while listening to Debussy's Clair de Lune.

It's like fucking cognitive dissonance.

re: #65 Fat Bastard Vegetarian

Funny. I'm reading this fucking conversation while listening to Debussy's Clair de Lune.

It's like fucking cognitive dissonance.

Debussy sucks donkey dick.

re: #66 EdDantes

Debussy sucks donkey dick.

Don't be an ass.

My favorite movie to quote is Full Metal Jacket.
"Private Pyle, what is this donut doing in your foot locker?!"

re: #68 Shropshire_Slasher

It was only the other day when I learned that Vincent D'Onofrio was Pyle. Amazing acting job, IMO.

re: #68 Shropshire_Slasher

I just found this one at IMDB:

Sgt. Hartman: " Are you quitting on me? Well, are you? Then quit, you slimy fucking walrus-looking piece of shit! Get the fuck off of my obstacle! Get the fuck down off of my obstacle! NOW! MOVE IT! Or I'm going to rip your balls off, so you cannot contaminate the rest of the world! I will motivate you, Private Pyle, IF IT SHORT-DICKS EVERY CANNIBAL ON THE CONGO!"

re: #70 EdDantes

I just found this one at IMDB:

Sgt. Hartman: " Are you quitting on me? Well, are you? Then quit, you slimy fucking walrus-looking piece of shit! Get the fuck off of my obstacle! Get the fuck down off of my obstacle! NOW! MOVE IT! Or I'm going to rip your balls off, so you cannot contaminate the rest of the world! I will motivate you, Private Pyle, IF IT SHORT-DICKS EVERY CANNIBAL ON THE CONGO!"

I used to use the wave file "What is your major malfunction Numbnuts!!?" as my windows error sound.

Quotes finished. Time to hit the road. Enjoy the day people.

re: #70 EdDantes

When I was at Knox in the mid-60's, the brother of a buddy was also drafted and sent there for Basic. The kid's friendly local draft-board screwed him--he was grossly outside the weight limits. His brother, who knew the rules by then, started the process to get him out. It took most of the BCT cycle to get him released and sent home. By then the grind had knocked off most of his flab, so after a month the draft board sent him back again, to start training over.

I have another grandbaby! This makes 30!

My son & daughter-in-law had a baby girl at 5:00 this morning. This is their 5th child, 4th girl.

Naming will take place on Thursday.

re: #74 Alouette

Genesis 1:28

Learn it... Live it....

re: #75 Fat Bastard Vegetarian

Did he mean that literally? If so, Alouette is well on the way. Congrats!

My favorite FMJ Drill Sergeant quote:

"I bet you're the kinda guy that would fuck a person in the ass and not even have the goddamn common courtesy to give him a reach around."

Off to class. Enjoy the day!

Looking at cute little girl outfits at janieandjack.com.

Why is it that some families have mostly sons and other families have mostly daughters?

re: #79 Alouette

It's neat the way grandparents are equally excited about new grandchildren, even with multiple experiences.

re: #80 Alouette

Why is it that some families have mostly sons and other families have mostly daughters?

Great,, something else i have to think about along with does a curveball really curve,, how do they get the toothpaste in a tube.. why do hummingbirds hum,,,who really shot JR,,, etc etc

I'll NEVER get any rest!!

re: #81 Fat Bastard Vegetarian

It's neat the way grandparents are equally excited about new grandchildren, even with multiple experiences.

Because it means we are dominating the earth!

re: #80 Alouette

I'm one of 50 grandchildren on my mother's side. My dads side? 20.

Our families are fond of their spouses as well.

re: #80 Alouette

Why is it that some families have mostly sons and other families have mostly daughters?

We had to go through three daughters before we finally got a son, my sister-in-law had three boys right off the bat and wants a girl...

Nite all:

re: #85 ralphieboy

We had to go through three daughters before we finally got a son, my sister-in-law had three boys right off the bat and wants a girl...

My son has four daughters and one son. My daughter has four sons and one daughter.

Morning Lizardim from the cold and windy wild north country. Looks like we're finally getting another dose of Arctic air to cool things off. Or maybe it's nature's counterbalance to the presence of several massive generators of hot air in our fair state.

Well, as my father explanied it, the men of our family are so potent, we blew their balls off, hence all the girls.
My dad had three girls before they had me. He was...relieved. I have been a letdown ever since.

re: #87 Alouette

My son has four daughters and one son. My daughter has four sons and one daughter.

There were six kids in my family, three of each gender.

re: #87 Alouette

My mom was one of twelve... 6 boys/6 girls... I am one of six, 3 boys/3 girls.

I remember the exact numbers of cousins and aunts and uncles on one side. The other side is kind of iffy.

My dad's family only speaks of the 7 that made adulthood. There were five or so that didn't make past five. Seriously, they don't even count them or speak of them.

Hard times in the mountains of West Virginia.

If you want an interesting comparison of portrayals of drill instructers in the USMC there's Sgt Hartmann in FMJ (1987), and then find a 1957 film "The D.I." and you get Jack Webb (just the facts recruit) doing the role as well.

If anything it shows how things had loosened up in terms of language and other issues in movies in the space of 30 years.

re: #91 Fat Bastard Vegetarian

My mom says she lost four kids before she gave birth to any of us six.

re: #92 oaktree

If you want an interesting comparison of portrayals of drill instructers in the USMC there's Sgt Hartmann in FMJ (1987), and then find a 1957 film "The D.I." and you get Jack Webb (just the facts recruit) doing the role as well.

If anything it shows how things had loosened up in terms of language and other issues in movies in the space of 30 years.

That was before they instituted a film rating system, before that, everything had to be G-rated.

re: #93 ralphieboy

My mom says she lost four kids before she gave birth to any of us six.

Both my parents lost siblings that died before the age of eight.

re: #94 ralphieboy

That was before they instituted a film rating system, before that, everything had to be G-rated.

True. And also the fact that Jack Webb was a very strait-laced and moralistic sort. And I think he produced the film as well as starring in it. And this is right in the middle of the run of the first Dragnet series.

re: #91 Fat Bastard Vegetarian

My mom was one of twelve... 6 boys/6 girls... I am one of six, 3 boys/3 girls.

I remember the exact numbers of cousins and aunts and uncles on one side. The other side is kind of iffy.

My dad's family only speaks of the 7 that made adulthood. There were five or so that didn't make past five. Seriously, they don't even count them or speak of them.

Hard times in the mountains of West Virginia.

re: #93 ralphieboy

My mom says she lost four kids before she gave birth to any of us six.

re: #95 oaktree

Both my parents lost siblings that died before the age of eight.

That's just tragic. Sadly, this was very common in the days before vaccinations became routine.

re: #93 ralphieboy

My mom says she lost four kids before she gave birth to any of us six.

Mom got knocked up, and proceeded to have six children in 7 years. None lost (that were apparent).

My granny had 12, and I've heard of as many as 15 miscarriages (don't think anyone's sure).

Hard times in the mountains of West Virginia.

re: #92 oaktree

If you want an interesting comparison of portrayals of drill instructers in the USMC there's Sgt Hartmann in FMJ (1987), and then find a 1957 film "The D.I." and you get Jack Webb (just the facts recruit) doing the role as well.

If anything it shows how things had loosened up in terms of language and other issues in movies in the space of 30 years.

Got the old school version of Basic in '65. A dozen years later I was back at Knox as a civilian, working with the training brigade. The Army really did learn a lot from Viet Nam, and had vastly improved the process. Then the civilian leadership went braindead and played MacNamara/LBJ all over again.

In my neighborhood last night....
Occu-Mob Goes Berserk: Smashes Windows, Dumps Trash, Intimidates Media/Cops

I was wondering why I was hearing police helicopters until about 1 am.

Texas primary date in doubt after deal talks stall

Texas is all but certain to have an even later say in choosing the Republican presidential nominee after what at first looked like a breakthrough deal in a bitter dispute over redistricting maps ended with wide rejection of the proposal.

That left the date of the Texas primaries in limbo Tuesday, a day after a court-imposed deadline for the state and minority advocacy groups to compromise came and went without temporary maps that everyone could agree on for the 2012 elections.

A San Antonio federal court had told both sides to reach a deal by Monday or see the April 3 primary date pushed back a second time. The Texas attorney general's office appeared to hit the deadline by announcing an agreement with some of the groups, but that was soon overshadowed by other prominent black and Hispanic organizations blasting the deal.

The court also appeared to reject the partial deal, as U.S. District Judge Orlando Garcia urged talks to continue toward "a general agreement between all" parties.

Now the date of the Texas primaries is in doubt again.

re: #99 Decatur Deb

Nice pics of your hoophouse that you posted yesterday. I ran a quick experiment with my greenhouse yesterday. We had a sunny day and I let it get up to over 100 degrees. I used a small fan to move cool air from my basement. Worked pretty well. It got down to about 85 in about 15 minutes. Before summer I'll have to rig a thermometer switch to automate it.

70's music station on Music Choice... John Lenon's "Imagine", Followed by BeeGees "You Should Be Dancing". Oh, Gawd. Followed by David Soul, "Don't give up on us".

Yeah no.

re: #100 Killgore Trout

Assholes. It was nicer when they wanted support.

re: #99 Decatur Deb

Got the old school version of Basic in '65. A dozen years later I was back at Knox as a civilian, working with the training brigade. The Army really did learn a lot from Viet Nam, and had vastly improved the process. Then the civilian leadership went braindead and played MacNamara/LBJ all over again.

Heh. Wikipedia article -> article jumping here is sort of interesting.

Found page on "The D.I." and that implied that the movie got USMC cooperation due to reaction to the "Ribbon Creek Incident" (training accident that got six recruits drowned) and the fact that Webb's film was sympathetic to the Corps (no verbal or physical abuse of recruits.)

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

[Link: en.wikipedia.org...]
(Note the use of the MBF defense offered in the court martial by Chesty Puller as well as trying to deflect blame onto the media.)*

This also led to the accelerated reforms of the training structure.

*- Standard caveat that this is Wikipedia and thus accuracy of articles can be challenged.

re: #100 Killgore Trout

re: #102 Killgore Trout

People who grow in glass houses are over-sensitive to berserk ninjas.

Dog occupier going berserk. BBack after the walk.

Here's the new little cutie.
My son's prayer for his new baby girl:

We are overjoyed to welcome our newborn baby girl to the beautiful world.

Our son and daughters are celebrating the arrival of their new baby sister.

We thank G-d for the miracle of birth, and the blessing of a healthy, alert and hungry infant.

To our newborn daughter:

We pledge to raise you with boundless love. Give you a purposeful education to live a meaningful life. Show you by example the warmth and relevance of Yiddishkeit and Chassidishkeit. Instill in you faith in Hashem and the Torah. Teach you values, tolerance, and an appreciation for all of G-ds children.

Love,
Tatti and Mommy

re: #104 Fat Bastard Vegetarian

Assholes. It was nicer when they wanted support.

Yeah, they aren't even trying anymore.

[Link: www.cnn.com...]

The Washington man who authorities believe killed his two sons and himself by setting fire to his house first gave toys and books to charity, sent multiple goodbye e-mails and doused the home with gasoline, they said.

Such evidence suggests that Josh Powell planned the murder-suicide for some time, according to Ed Troyer, spokesman for the Pierce County, Washington, Sheriff's Department.

"He was making arrangement to leave this place, so he had some knowledge of what he was going to do," he told CNN's John King. "(I) believe this was intentional -- it's two counts of murder and then suicide."

Powell, a suspect in the 2009 disappearance of his wife, died Sunday along with his two sons, 5-year-old Braden and 7-year-old Charlie, in what police believe was an intentionally set fire in Powell's Puyallup, Washington, home.

It was a tragic development in a puzzling case that began two years ago in the Salt Lake City suburb of West Valley City, Utah, when Susan Cox-Powell, 28, went missing.

re: #108 Alouette

Mazal Tov. 30!!! That is a lot of nachas to shep.

OT: So now it seems that not only is Gingrich trying to connect with Reagan each and every day, he is trying to tie Obama to Carter. He now believes that the Egyptian house arrests are eerily similar to the Iranian hostage crisis. Fox News has picked up this ball and run with it.

re: #112 Petero1818

OT: So now it seems that not only is Gingrich trying to connect with Reagan each and every day, he is trying to tie Obama to Carter. He now believes that the Egyptian house arrests are eerily similar to the Iranian hostage crisis. Fox News has picked up this ball and run with it.

Not a surprise. The wingnuts have been trying to call Barack Obama a black Jimmy Carter ever since he got elected.

Mornin' everyone...oops.

Madonna's halftime show was apparently a satanic Freemason illuminati ritual, or something.

[Link: hollywoodilluminati.com...]

re: #113 Lidane

Not a surprise. The wingnuts have been trying to call Barack Obama a black Jimmy Carter ever since he got elected.

I think this has the potential to blow up quite badly. Obama will be very aware of this rhetoric, and its potential impact on the electorate. Gingrich has absolutely no regard for the Americans under arrest, not for the geopolitical ramifications of how this plays out. He intends to use this for one reason and that is as a way win his primary and a general election. I hope that Obama does not find his hand forced in this situation. There will be enormous pressure I think for him to over react.

re: #114 darthstar

Mornin' everyone...oops.

Oh come on,..../

re: #117 Petero1818

Oh come on,.../

Well, the two boys were close in height.

re: #109 Killgore Trout

Yeah, they aren't even trying anymore.

"They" are probably down to the asshole Blac Block contingent that infected the host. The purposeful OWS types are back at home for the Winter, thinking up ways to manage a process that won't defeat their own goals.

Yahoo mail is down. :(

Mitt's old "job creator" company shows what it's good at:

On Wednesday, February 1st, American Airlines announced that it will take the advice of Mitt Romney’s firm, Bain Capital, and lay off 13,000 workers -15 percent of its workforce- replacing their pension plans with 401(k) plans and ending company-paid retiree healthcare.

The lay off announcement came only seven days after American Airlines hired Bain Capital to guide it through a bankruptcy procedure for which the airline had filed last November.

re: #121 darthstar

Mitt's old "job creator" company shows what it's good at:

It's the American way!

1) Load the company up with debt
2) Pay massive executive bonuses and consulting fees
3) Declare bankruptcy
4) Screw the workers out of their pensions
5) Watch and laugh as the jobless peons vote against the Mooslem president, in favor of people who will make it easier and easier to repeat from step 1)

re: #121 darthstar

Look, they are bankrupt. They need to reorganize. To think that they are going to do that without mass layoffs and a reorg of benefits is unrealistic. Bain likely is good at this. And that is not a bad thing. Taking companies that are not competitive and bringing them out of bankruptcy able to compete effectively is in effect job preservation for the 85% of the workforce that didn't lose its job.

The Sweet Meteor of Death 2012

The Republican Party is putting itself in the hands of the economy. With Mitt Romney as the nominee, we will be forced to hope for a deteriorating economy because, while I will vote for him and think he is vastly better than Barack Obama, the fact is he has made no case for himself against Barack Obama except that he can do a better job on the economy. And let’s be clear — no Republican should hope or appear to be hoping for a deteriorating economy. It’s just that with no other justification for his election other than electability based on the ability to fix the economy, if the economy fixes itself, suddenly there is no justification for Mitt Romney’s electability.

re: #123 Petero1818

Look, they are bankrupt. They need to reorganize. To think that they are going to do that without mass layoffs and a reorg of benefits is unrealistic. Bain likely is good at this. And that is not a bad thing. Taking companies that are not competitive and bringing them out of bankruptcy able to compete effectively is in effect job preservation for the 85% of the workforce that didn't lose its job.

Yes, the herd does need to be culled every so often. It's for the greater good of those who don't get fed to the lions!

Can't have the dead weight dragging us down.

/

re: #109 Killgore Trout

Yeah, they aren't even trying anymore.

They're being challenged by the anti-intellectual society.

re: #123 Petero1818

True. True. True. and True. But the optics on this are priceless from a political perspective. If Mitt tries to use February unemployment numbers against Obama, someone like Newt Gingrich can easily say, "He's one to talk...Mitt just laid off 13,000 Americans last month..." (yes, I know "Mitt" doesn't do shit, but he's strapped himself to Bain as a campaign strategy)

re: #125 iossarian

I don't understand the sarcasm there. I don't think you'd prefer that the companies closes and everyone loses their jobs.

re: #127 darthstar

How many Federal Employees does Newt want to lay off?

re: #127 darthstar

True. True. True. and True. But the optics on this are priceless from a political perspective. If Mitt tries to use February unemployment numbers against Obama, someone like Newt Gingrich can easily say, "He's one to talk...Mitt just laid off 13,000 Americans last month..." (yes, I know "Mitt" doesn't do shit, but he's strapped himself to Bain as a campaign strategy)

Oh for sure. The optics are absurd. No argument. I guess it bothers me that most can't understand the difference between optics and reality.

Intrade just put the President at 60.0 for re-election.

re: #120 Alouette

Yahoo mail is down. :(

Yeah, Internet backbone routers across North America are playing hard-to-get today, it seems.

re: #124 Lidane

The Sweet Meteor of Death 2012

Poor RedState...nothing left but to hope for US economic disaster and try to maintain the position that they think hoping for US economic disaster is morally wrong but if it happened it would be good for Mitt Romney. It's not easy being such a patriot.

re: #128 Fat Bastard Vegetarian

I don't understand the sarcasm there. I don't think you'd prefer that the companies closes and everyone loses their jobs.

I'm just laughing at people who gladly watch the little financial safety their (unionized) parents and grandparents fought for be blown out of the water by corporate raiders.

"We have to cut pensions to save the company." (CEO compensation increases 75% in two years)

"We have to lay off 15% of the workers to save the company." (Consulting fees treble)

"Thank you, sir, may I have another?"

re: #129 Fat Bastard Vegetarian

How many Federal Employees does Newt want to lay off?

Is this a trick question? All of them!

re: #131 Decatur Deb

Intrade just put the President at 60.0 for re-election.

On a related note, American "Thinker" is derping all over the place again:

So You Say You Want a Revolution? (Google cache link, BTW)

re: #132 thedopefishlives

Yeah, Internet backbone routers across North America are playing hard-to-get today, it seems.

wHO BROKE TEH iNTERt00BZ

re: #137 Alouette

wHO BROKE TEH iNTERt00BZ

I blame Basement Cat.

/Excuse me while I make a quick phone call, maybe I can get her on the line

re: #124 Lidane

The Sweet Meteor of Death 2012

"I’ll support the Republican nominee for President. I’ll defend him from meritless attacks and I will oppose Barack Obama. Any one of our candidates is better than Barack Obama. But God help us if any one of them is the nominee."

Real Get-Out-The-Vote pep talk, there.

Of course:

Romney: Komen Right to Cut Planned Parenthood

What a colossal dickhead this guy is.

re: #74 Alouette

I have another grandbaby! This makes 30!

My son & daughter-in-law had a baby girl at 5:00 this morning. This is their 5th child, 4th girl.

Naming will take place on Thursday.

Is the 31st incoming? //

Congrats!

re: #134 iossarian

I'm just laughing at people who gladly watch the little financial safety their (unionized) parents and grandparents fought for be blown out of the water by corporate raiders.

"We have to cut pensions to save the company." (CEO compensation increases 75% in two years)

"We have to lay off 15% of the workers to save the company." (Consulting fees treble)

"Thank you, sir, may I have another?"

I'm not exactly what you'd call a socialist, but the point

“Socialism never took root in America because the poor see themselves not as an exploited proletariat but as temporarily embarrassed millionaires.” -- John Steinbeck

is well taken.

That's right, folks. Keep dreaming your little Horatio Alger dreams and your ship'll come in any minute now. Keep voting against your own interests and something will trickle down on you soon enough.

re: #140 iossarian

Of course:

Romney: Komen Right to Cut Planned Parenthood

What a colossal dickhead this guy is.

That, Mr. Romney, is the cluephone.

It's for you.

Why isn't this in the Top 10 Comments?

re: #134 iossarian

The CEO thing does suck (though I do not know AA's particulars).

The only thing that the airlines can go after is labor and the associated costs when they can no longer pay their bills.

Can't cut down on fuel consumption, and the costs are fluid (get it!?!) and completely uncontrollable.
Can't cut down on maintenance, lest airplanes (or their parts) rain down from the sky.
Airport fees
Cost of machinery.
Taxes/other fees

Nothing can be done about any of the five listed above and many other things.

Companies get nailed for taking out personnel... but most of the time? Personnel is the only thing within their control once they've reached the point where AA is today.

re: #145 Fat Bastard Vegetarian

The CEO thing does suck (though I do not know AA's particulars).

The only thing that the airlines can go after is labor and the associated costs when they can no longer pay their bills.

Can't cut down on fuel consumption, and the costs are fluid (get it!?!) and completely uncontrollable.
Can't cut down on maintenance, lest airplanes (or their parts) rain down from the sky.
Airport fees
Cost of machinery.
Taxes/other fees

Nothing can be done about any of the five listed above and many other things.

Companies get nailed for taking out personnel... but most of the time? Personnel is the only thing within their control once they've reached the point where AA is today.

The cost of fuel drives everything else.

re: #144 Alouette

Ding whore.

re: #147 Fat Bastard Vegetarian

Ding whore.

It's for the children!

re: #145 Fat Bastard Vegetarian

Oh, which is another reason that AA could have saved themselves a shit load of money. I could have given them Bain's advice for a third of the fee.

re: #145 Fat Bastard Vegetarian

The CEO thing does suck (though I do not know AA's particulars).

The only thing that the airlines can go after is labor and the associated costs when they can no longer pay their bills.

The top 1% of earners in the US have seen their share of the take-home skyrocket in the past 20 years.

People in the bottom half have received nothing, and in terms of net wealth have gone backwards.

You've got plenty of time to figure it out. Global warming won't really kick in for at least a decade.

re: #150 iossarian

You've got plenty of time to figure it out. Global warming won't really kick in for at least a decade.

Don't be so negative. The Yellowstone Caldera might be first.

re: #134 iossarian

I'm just laughing at people who gladly watch the little financial safety their (unionized) parents and grandparents fought for be blown out of the water by corporate raiders.

"We have to cut pensions to save the company." (CEO compensation increases 75% in two years)

"We have to lay off 15% of the workers to save the company." (Consulting fees treble)

"Thank you, sir, may I have another?"

I am a firm believer in reorganization that cuts across the board. That means, Labour, management, bond holders, shareholders, contractors, everything has to be looked at. AA management has done a poor job in my opinion. Other airlines have been doing a lot better. Therefore yes they should dismiss some senior management. But its not like they can put a couple of baggage handlers in charge of the company to replace them. It is all part of the answer. That may include large layoffs, and a reorganization of benefits.

Haaretz exclusive: Organizer of Gaza flotilla sought assistance from Assad's office

The organizer of one of the flotillas to the Gaza Strip sought assistance from the office of Syrian President Bashar Assad, requesting it facilitates their departure from the Syrian port at Latakia.

Ths request came to light through the disclosure of emailed correspondence between former British MP George Galloway, who heads an organization called Viva Palestina, and Bouthaina Shaaban, who serves as media adviser to Assad.

re: #151 Fat Bastard Vegetarian

Don't be so negative. The Yellowstone Caldera might be first.

This is 2012, after all. We're on a limited timetable here.

re: #151 Fat Bastard Vegetarian

Don't be so negative. The Yellowstone Caldera might be first.

That's going to be pretty when it blows.

re: #120 Alouette

Yahoo mail is down. :(

It's back up.

re: #150 iossarian

The top 1% of earners in the US have seen their share of the take-home skyrocket in the past 20 years.

People in the bottom half have received nothing, and in terms of net wealth have gone backwards.

You've got plenty of time to figure it out. Global warming won't really kick in for at least a decade.

Companies everywhere are looking to cut costs and yet it never occurs to them to cut at the top. Is this "top talent" really so hard to find? They are so terrified that the "top talent" which is tanking their company will go elsewhere and tank some other company?

How stupid is this?

re: #157 Alouette

Companies everywhere are looking to cut costs and yet it never occurs to them to cut at the top. Is this "top talent" really so hard to find? They are so terrified that the "top talent" which is tanking their company will go elsewhere and tank some other company?

How stupid is this?

The fear is that if they don't provide "adequate compensation" for the "top talent", they won't actually GET the "top talent" and will end up with another round of losers who will tank the company. The problem is, management all runs in circles; there's very little new talent actually entering the arena, it's all the same guys getting recycled and making their millions at different companies. I say, fire the lot, cut compensation to a suitable level across the board, and start a mass recruiting drive for business management and MBA courses at US universities.

re: #155 darthstar

That's going to be pretty when it blows.

Especially when it takes out everything west of the Rockies.

re: #158 thedopefishlives

Also, the fact that the guys doing the ax job are at the top, and of course they don't want to cut themselves.

re: #145 Fat Bastard Vegetarian

...snip
Companies get nailed for taking out personnel... but most of the time? Personnel is the only thing within their control once they've reached the point where AA is today.

And who will put you out of a retail customer business faster than a pissed-off, incompetent, unmotivated lowest-bidder workforce?

WOW! DID YOU KNOW ANTS ARE SO STRONG THEY CAN LIFT THE LARGEST ROACHES BY THEMSELVES!??!

re: #158 thedopefishlives

The fear is that if they don't provide "adequate compensation" for the "top talent", they won't actually GET the "top talent" and will end up with another round of losers who will tank the company. The problem is, management all runs in circles; there's very little new talent actually entering the arena, it's all the same guys getting recycled and making their millions at different companies. I say, fire the lot, cut compensation to a suitable level across the board, and start a mass recruiting drive for business management and MBA courses at US universities.

How about this for a suggestion: start grooming engineers and technical people who actually understand the process instead of bean-counters who only understand the bottom line?

Oh wait, that would be too radical.

re: #151 Fat Bastard Vegetarian

Glad that I got to see it before it blows. Would really suck if I couldn't mark that off my bucket list before it blows (and with it my bucket!)

re: #158 thedopefishlives

The fear is that if they don't provide "adequate compensation" for the "top talent", they won't actually GET the "top talent" and will end up with another round of losers who will tank the company. The problem is, management all runs in circles; there's very little new talent actually entering the arena, it's all the same guys getting recycled and making their millions at different companies. I say, fire the lot, cut compensation to a suitable level across the board, and start a mass recruiting drive for business management and MBA courses at US universities.

School can only teach so much. The market is efficient enough to drive itself up again in fairly short order. The reality is that scarcity of talent drives up the cost. There are some people that can lead and others that can follow. Leaders, and ones that won't lead you off a cliff, are not that easy to find. MBA classes are filled with middle and upper managers. Leaders, visionaries, innovators are far fewer.

Oh, and greets and saluts from the NYC metro area; home to the World Champion New York Football Giants. Lower Manhattan is a madhouse with hundreds of thousands of people taking time from work to party and enjoy the parade down the Canyon of Heroes. For the rest of us, we're at work and it may actually be easier for me to watch things on my computer than to try and look out the windows of the building to see the parade pass by.

re: #166 lawhawk

Oh, and greets and saluts from the NYC metro area; home to the World Champion New York Football Giants. Lower Manhattan is a madhouse with hundreds of thousands of people taking time from work to party and enjoy the parade down the Canyon of Heroes. For the rest of us, we're at work and it may actually be easier for me to watch things on my computer than to try and look out the windows of the building to see the parade pass by.

Quick! Someone say it's actually an Occupy movement!

re: #165 Petero1818

School can only teach so much. The market is efficient enough to drive itself up again in fairly short order. The reality is that scarcity of talent drives up the cost. There are some people that can lead and others that can follow. Leaders, and ones that won't lead you off a cliff, are not that easy to find. MBA classes are filled with middle and upper managers. Leaders, visionaries, innovators are far fewer.

The market artificially inflates itself because these blowhards all think they deserve to get paid exorbitant salaries. It's getting to the point where even I, a relatively ardent free-market capitalist, am starting to think that federally imposed wage limits (as a percentage of total company salary) would be a good idea.

re: #165 Petero1818

School can only teach so much. The market is efficient enough to drive itself up again in fairly short order. The reality is that scarcity of talent drives up the cost. There are some people that can lead and others that can follow. Leaders, and ones that won't lead you off a cliff, are not that easy to find. MBA classes are filled with middle and upper managers. Leaders, visionaries, innovators are far fewer.

And frequently they are more technical than business-oriented, so they tend to get passed over in favor of the bean counters.

re: #152 Petero1818

"It would have been a blessing for shareholders if someone had thought to shoot down Orville Wright at Kitty Hawk."
-Warren E. Buffett

Ooh...the weather looks a little nasty outside. I think I'll take the dogs for a run.

re: #169 Alouette

And frequently they are more technical than business-oriented, so they tend to get passed over in favor of the bean counters.

The company I work for was founded by a partnership between a tech guru and a beancounter. It works so well because the techie understands what the business does and where it needs to go, while the beancounter can tell him how much it's going to cost to go there and what kind of money will need to come in to make it profitable.

re: #152 Petero1818

Other airlines have been doing a lot better.

OK, one little point first: have you not noticed how big companies "take it in turns" to be doing well/badly? I'm not saying it's deliberate, mind you. But there's a cycle: you do well, make big profits (and pay big dividends to shareholders), then there's an external shock or downturn, and you "have to" screw the workers. So it's AA today. Delta's doing pretty well at the moment - they were bankrupt less than 5 years ago!

But its not like they can put a couple of baggage handlers in charge of the company to replace them. It is all part of the answer. That may include large layoffs, and a reorganization of benefits.

You need smart people running companies. The issue is not with that. The issue is how you regulate their compensation, because clearly, the system that is in place at the moment leads to massive wage and wealth inequality, something which history has shown to end badly pretty much every time.

In the past you had stiff tax rates on outlier income/wealth, so there wasn't really much point in trying to go from being "really rich" to "fuck off I own this entire planet" rich. Now, there's no such control in place, and so we see what we see.

Mostly, though, I just think it's funny that (some of) the peasants scrabbling in the mud for turnips are always happy to defend the lords as they ride by in their fancy carriages.

re: #108 Alouette

aww

re: #155 darthstar

That's going to be pretty when it blows.

Maybe from the Moon.

re: #168 thedopefishlives

The market artificially inflates itself because these blowhards all think they deserve to get paid exorbitant salaries. It's getting to the point where even I, a relatively ardent free-market capitalist, am starting to think that federally imposed wage limits (as a percentage of total company salary) would be a good idea.

I know that feeling. But the reality is for many of these executives, the gross part of their compensation comes in stock options. In the case of AA, for instance, the CEO salary was $550,000. The other 3M of compensation was in options and the like. I have no problem with finding clever ways to treat executive compensation in public companies and tying them to percentages of total compensation in the company. But I think it is a mistake to not let stock options be used to compensate as that is the motivation to keep the company profitable. I would hate to see CEO bloat their workforce in order to drive up their own salary on a percentage basis.

re: #146 Alouette

The cost of fuel drives everything else.

They actually calculated the fuel penalty for loading up on peanuts, one reason you don't get any.

re: #169 Alouette

And frequently they are more technical than business-oriented, so they tend to get passed over in favor of the bean counters.

Actually, there are other reasons.

Reason one: it is easier to justify people who directly affect money flow than those who do it indirectly.

Reason two: the mirror effect. The more similar you are to the boss, the more likely the boss will promote you. Since the top boss is more likely to be sales/marketing than technical the sales/marketing people have an edge.

Note in both cases that I've added a third category. In my experience bean counters are as liable to be cut (or fail to promote) as technical people. The majority of the top level spent at least some if not all their time in the sales and marketing track.

Because it doesn't matter how good your mousetrap or how well you control costs, people won't beat a path to the door unless someone tells them your mousetrap is there.

re: #177 Decatur Deb

They actually calculated the fuel penalty for loading up on peanuts, one reason you don't get any.

I thought they stopped giving out peanuts because of legal action by some people with peanut allergy.

re: #176 Petero1818

The thing is, it provides a counterbalancing force, which is why I mentioned it. He can't bloat the workforce too much, or the company becomes inefficient/unprofitable and they risk getting canned. It does provide a good reason to raise wages for the workforce as much as is practical.

re: #179 Alouette

I thought they stopped giving out peanuts because of legal action by some people with peanut allergy.

That, and all of the elephants trying to get into coach.

re: #179 Alouette

I thought they stopped giving out peanuts because of legal action by some people with peanut allergy.

There were several elements in the decision. We know these things in The Peanut Capital of the Nation.

The single biggest fuel penalty was for flying fuel around. Planes no longer get a fill-up for short flights.

re: #173 iossarian

I don't disagree with much of your post. I too find it interesting how many turnip hunters are quick to defend the lord. I myself tend to speak more from self interest.
AS for business cycles, The airline industry is brutal, and continuously evolving. Trends, fuel prices, labour, all play a role in this. Companies try to react, but large corps are not so nimble. I think it takes time and to a certain extent they must go through this ebb and flow.

re: #180 thedopefishlives

The thing is, it provides a counterbalancing force, which is why I mentioned it. He can't bloat the workforce too much, or the company becomes inefficient/unprofitable and they risk getting canned. It does provide a good reason to raise wages for the workforce as much as is practical.

All true.

re: #181 Fat Bastard Vegetarian

That, and all of the elephants trying to get into coach.

Which explains the explosion of overhead bin filling carry-on luggage. Elephants smuggling themselves aboard.

(An interesting push-push with airlines restricting carry-ons and also increasing/implementing checked bag fees. Pay, pack light, or ship your extra stuff to the destination via a different method.)

re: #185 oaktree

Which explains the explosion of overhead bin filling carry-on luggage. Elephants smuggling themselves aboard.

(An interesting push-push with airlines restricting carry-ons and also increasing/implementing checked bag fees. Pay, pack light, or ship your extra stuff to the destination via a different method.)

Years ago an Army employee was severely injured when some dolt put an unsecured bowling ball in the overhead. Flight hit bad weather.

re: #185 oaktree

Which explains the explosion of overhead bin filling carry-on luggage. Elephants smuggling themselves aboard.

(An interesting push-push with airlines restricting carry-ons and also increasing/implementing checked bag fees. Pay, pack light, or ship your extra stuff to the destination via a different method.)

I actually prefer driving. Airline travel utterly sucks. However driving is not an option if you're going overseas, or to California.

re: #182 Decatur Deb

There were several elements in the decision. We know these things in The Peanut Capital of the Nation.

The single biggest fuel penalty was for flying fuel around. Planes no longer get a fill-up for short flights.

Anecdotal story that I think I remember.

Some baggage handler type guy at an airline had the idea of moving the planes on the tarmac around on one engine (all you really need); the airline had a 10% bonus on money saving ideas for employees. Made this guy rich.

re: #180 thedopefishlives

The thing is, it provides a counterbalancing force, which is why I mentioned it. He can't bloat the workforce too much, or the company becomes inefficient/unprofitable and they risk getting canned. It does provide a good reason to raise wages for the workforce as much as is practical.

While I agree, I will add that the risk of getting canned at that level is not that significant. Particularly depending on one's age within the cycle. The Golden Parachutes that CEOs have are so punitive that 1) The cost of dismissal is so high it is often avoided 2) CEO's are happy to leave, take years of compensation with them, while they look for the next gig.

re: #189 Petero1818

While I agree, I will add that the risk of getting canned at that level is not that significant. Particularly depending on one's age within the cycle. The Golden Parachutes that CEOs have are so punitive that 1) The cost of dismissal is so high it is often avoided 2) CEO's are happy to leave, take years of compensation with them, while they look for the next gig.

All good points. It's just a back-of-the-napkin idea I tossed out there. Although I would say that part of rebalancing upper management compensation is getting rid of those damn golden parachutes. Do you REALLY need to be set for life because you tanked a company so hard you got fired?

re: #183 Petero1818

I don't disagree with much of your post. I too find it interesting how many turnip hunters are quick to defend the lord. I myself tend to speak more from self interest.
AS for business cycles, The airline industry is brutal, and continuously evolving. Trends, fuel prices, labour, all play a role in this. Companies try to react, but large corps are not so nimble. I think it takes time and to a certain extent they must go through this ebb and flow.

Note how this move (bankruptcy) is going to let them dump their pension funding shortfall on the rest of the business community.

[Link: www.washingtonpost.com...]

CEOs and boards are supposed to act in the company and shareholder interests to earn their big bucks. If your labor negotiations include making promises regarding pensions (and the funding their of) I have trouble believing in the executives when they fail to keep their promises. That's not leadership and effective running of a company (which includes treating your employees as more than a widget.)

re: #186 Decatur Deb

Years ago an Army employee was severely injured when some dolt put an unsecured bowling ball in the overhead. Flight hit bad weather.

OUCH. Was it 2nd Lt Pulver by any chance?

re: #187 Alouette

I actually prefer driving. Airline travel utterly sucks. However driving is not an option if you're going overseas, or to California.

These days, even with the price of gas, it's often cheaper to drive 2+ people than to fly them. This is certainly true for trips back to fish country, for which the Mrs. Fish and I are exploring the option of getting a more fuel-efficient car via rental. The math actually works out such that it costs about the same; however, there are creature comforts to be had with the rental that would probably make it worth the price.

re: #190 thedopefishlives

All good points. It's just a back-of-the-napkin idea I tossed out there. Although I would say that part of rebalancing upper management compensation is getting rid of those damn golden parachutes. Do you REALLY need to be set for life because you tanked a company so hard you got fired?

For better and worse, its a market.....

re: #194 Petero1818

For better and worse, its a market...

A market in sore need of some oversight. I used to be a hard-core believer in free-market capitalism, but age and experience have tempered my views quite a bit.

re: #193 thedopefishlives

These days, even with the price of gas, it's often cheaper to drive 2+ people than to fly them. This is certainly true for trips back to fish country, for which the Mrs. Fish and I are exploring the option of getting a more fuel-efficient car via rental. The math actually works out such that it costs about the same; however, there are creature comforts to be had with the rental that would probably make it worth the price.

Pittsburgh - Philadelphia hops by co-workers for project work is shifting back towards driving if it's 2+ people. Since Southwest abandoned service to Philadelphia and effectively reinstated US(eless) Air's monopoly of flights the price of a round-trip non-stop flight has tripled.

re: #189 Petero1818

While I agree, I will add that the risk of getting canned at that level is not that significant. Particularly depending on one's age within the cycle. The Golden Parachutes that CEOs have are so punitive that 1) The cost of dismissal is so high it is often avoided 2) CEO's are happy to leave, take years of compensation with them, while they look for the next gig.

Anecdote from experience. The Golden Parachutes for a former employer that had been part of a *friendly* by-out were based solely on the company bottom-line four years after the purchase. So I saw what was essentially willful mismanagement of the corporation for that period of time by 5-10 individuals so that they could maximize their dismissal compensation. (spit)

I used to fly often (if more than a 12 hour drive, and less than a three state run). On many occasions, I showed up at airport security wearing flip flops, running shorts and a t shirt. Ticket and ID in my hand... everything else in my small (tiny) carry on.

Lizard survives 3,000 miles in suitcase and 30 minutes in washing machine

Lizard that stowed away in tourist's luggage survived flight from Cape Verde then endured full cycle in washing machine

[Link: www.guardian.co.uk...]

re: #199 wozzablog

His name is Bubbles Stowaway.

re: #199 wozzablog

Lizard survives 3,000 miles in suitcase and 30 minutes in washing machine

[Link: www.guardian.co.uk...]

Anyone we know?

Gingrich not a fan of Grindcore

[Link: universenumberfive.wordpress.com...]

re: #150 iossarian

The top 1% of earners in the US have seen their share of the take-home skyrocket in the past 20 years.

People in the bottom half have received nothing, and in terms of net wealth have gone backwards.

You've got plenty of time to figure it out. Global warming won't really kick in for at least a decade.

I'm getting about the same money temping now as I did when I was temping 20 years ago.

re: #201 oaktree

Anyone we know?

Wasn't me, I'm deathly allergic to washing machines.

re: #202 SpaceJesus

” Police showed up and pulled the plug on the youthful thugs after about 5 minutes (the equivalent of 20 songs, according to estimates from our grindcore research staff).

:D

re: #198 Fat Bastard Vegetarian

I used to fly often (if more than a 12 hour drive, and less than a three state run). On many occasions, I showed up at airport security wearing flip flops, running shorts and a t shirt. Ticket and ID in my hand... everything else in my small (tiny) carry on.

My standard load-out at this point is a small duffel bag for clothes and kit which is soft-sided and can be squeezed into overhead bins, plus a messenger bag or backpack for laptop, book, snacks, and miscellaneous stuff. Since I don't fit well into coach seating I'm going to be uncomfortable regardless.

For the overseas flight I did last year my SIL got us business-class seats for the trans-Pacific hops. More expensive, but a place where you definitely need the extra room due to the duration in the air.

Breaking: Komen for the Cure VP Karen Handel has resigned.

re: #207 Gus 802

Breaking: Komen for the Cure VP Karen Handel has resigned.

About freakin' time.

re: #208 thedopefishlives

About freakin' time.

A stitch in time...

re: #123 Petero1818

Look, they are bankrupt. They need to reorganize. To think that they are going to do that without mass layoffs and a reorg of benefits is unrealistic. Bain likely is good at this. And that is not a bad thing. Taking companies that are not competitive and bringing them out of bankruptcy able to compete effectively is in effect job preservation for the 85% of the workforce that didn't lose its job.

I agree with that except for the golden parachutes and non-performance-related bonuses they pay out.

re: #207 Gus 802

Breaking: Komen for the Cure VP Karen Handel has resigned.

@LOLGOP
Karen Handel done the equivalent of winning the Iowa GOP caucus. She may now collect her Fox News show.

[Hands out party favors.]

re: #206 oaktree

Oh yeah... you're like 8'9"?

re: #211 publicityStunted

@LOLGOP
Karen Handel done the equivalent of winning the Iowa GOP caucus. She may now collect her Fox News show.

Wingnuts. Always going from victimizers to victims in 30 seconds.

re: #207 Gus 802

Breaking: Komen for the Cure VP Karen Handel has resigned.

That's a good start.

re: #211 publicityStunted

@LOLGOP
Karen Handel done the equivalent of winning the Iowa GOP caucus. She may now collect her Fox News show.

Suggested title for said show:

"Handel Without Care."

re: #215 Lidane

That's a good start.

The whole board needs to step down.

re: #214 Gus 802

Cue the lynching comparisons.

re: #193 thedopefishlives

These days, even with the price of gas, it's often cheaper to drive 2+ people than to fly them. This is certainly true for trips back to fish country, for which the Mrs. Fish and I are exploring the option of getting a more fuel-efficient car via rental. The math actually works out such that it costs about the same; however, there are creature comforts to be had with the rental that would probably make it worth the price.

It's been true for a long time that it's cheaper for a family to drive than it is for them to fly. You flew when cost balanced inconvenience (time, limits on luggage, etc).

These days I drive if I can get there in less than 10 hours. I'll drive further in some circumstances, but less than 10 and I don't even bother to look for a flight. If it's less than four hours drive I can probably be there sooner than I could using a flight (measuring door to door, not city to city). Six hours depends on just where the destination might be. The extra four are my protest against dealing with additional air travel inconveniences (cough-security-cough).

re: #213 Fat Bastard Vegetarian

Oh yeah... you're like 8'9"?

Business class room is overkill I agree. But I couldn't hack a 9-12 hour flight in the space US airlines uses for coach. Especially once the person in front of me reclines their seat the whole way and dislocates my knees.

re: #217 Gus 802

The whole board needs to step down.

That's why I said it's a start.

None of this would make me support Komen again, but they need to clean house. The entire board has lost sight of what they were supposed to be doing, which is finding a cure for breast cancer. It wasn't supposed to be about pink handguns, chicken buckets, batteries, and cat food.

Friday, February 3, 2012
The Liberal Lynching of Karen Handel is in Full Swing

re: #207 Gus 802

Breaking: Komen for the Cure VP Karen Handel has resigned.

Her work there is done. Off to destroy something else in the name of political and moral purity.

re: #222 Sergey Romanov

#tcot #tcot #tcot #tcot #tcot #tcot

//

So why the very public lynching of a private charitable foundation by a federally funded organization? I disagree with PP's words and support Komen's right to donate to whomever it wants. A right we should all have without penalty.

Andre February 3, 2012 at 9:06 am

Glad to see some conservative push back against this liberal lynching of Karen Handel.

re: #224 Gus 802

#tcot #tcot #tcot #tcot #tcot #tcot

//

Not to be a total Twitter noob, but what does that mean?

re: #212 Gus 802

[Hands out party favors.]

*heads to kitchen to bake up a batch of martyr cookies*

re: #227 thedopefishlives

Not to be a total Twitter noob, but what does that mean?

"Top conservatives on Twitter."

HALP! WE'RE BEING OPPRESSED LYNCHED!

re: #228 CuriousLurker

*heads to kitchen to bake up a batch of martyr cookies*

Fire up the Little Green Gargoyles BBQ!

//

Huh.

Just read a story on CNN that said that in 2008, American Airlines was losing $3.3 million every day.

...and another story on MSNBC that said that CEO Gerald Arpey made $5.2 million in 2010, an 11% increase over 2009.

How many lizards here would be disappointed with an 11% raise?

re: #231 Gus 802

Fire up the Little Green Gargoyles BBQ!

//

The troll barbecue is pre-heated for your convenience. Pick a flavor from the spice cabinet on the left; you've earned it.

re: #225 Sergey Romanov

Man. It's just so goddamn tone-deaf to use 'lynch' as a synonym for 'get fired after fucking up'.

re: #232 BongCrodny

Huh.

Just read a story on CNN that said that in 2008, American Airlines was losing $3.3 million every day.

...and another story on MSNBC that said that CEO Gerald Arpey made $5.2 million in 2010, an 11% increase over 2009.

How many lizards here would be disappointed with an 11% raise?

I have yet to get a raise at my current company. 11%? I'd be floored. Honestly.

re: #234 Obdicut

Man. It's just so goddamn tone-deaf to use 'lynch' as a synonym for 'get fired after fucking up'.

WHY ARE YOU APOPLEGIZING FOR TEH LEFT? ARE YOU MR.LYNCH HIMSELF?!?!

re: #229 Gus 802

"Top conservatives on Twitter."

Another one is #ocra.

Organized Conservative Resistance Alliance

That one can be really strange.

re: #236 Sergey Romanov

[wignut]WHY ARE YOU APOPLEGIZING FOR TEH LEFT? ARE YOU MR.LYNCH HIMSELF?!?![/wingnut]

Wignut? Has Ru Paul gone wingnut?

//

As opposed to the conservative lynching of PP? I get the alliterative use of liberal and lynching, but there was no lynching here of any kind. Handel purposefully sought to change SGK policy, did so in an underhanded manner, and undermined the SGK policy of fighting breast cancer by eliminating fund to one of the groups that deals with underprivileged women who can't necessarily find alternative means of care. All in the name of fighting PP on its provision of a legal abortion, by which it is separately funded and routinely investigated by politicians eager to defund the group entirely.

This is part of a concerted effort to kill PP by thousands of papercuts (limiting funding and donations by pass-through charities like SGK). All the while, women who need medical care and could be saved by early intervention are hit with delayed care that could adversely affect their health.

That's why SGK was wrong - for all the talk about health care and women's health, they put politics ahead of the health of women that they claim to support.

re: #232 BongCrodny

Huh.

Just read a story on CNN that said that in 2008, American Airlines was losing $3.3 million every day.

...and another story on MSNBC that said that CEO Gerald Arpey made $5.2 million in 2010, an 11% increase over 2009.

How many lizards here would be disappointed with an 11% raise?

Cutting employee costs is sound business practice. Cutting executive bonuses is un-American.

/

re: #238 Gus 802

Wignut? Has Ru Paul gone wingnut?

//

YOU!

Tonight, you.

//

re: #238 Gus 802

Wignut? Has Ru Paul gone wingnut?

//

I kinda like wignut.

As in "wigging out."

Dunno if this has been posted:

[Link: www.huffingtonpost.com...]

But a Komen insider told HuffPost on Sunday that Karen Handel, Komen's staunchly anti-abortion vice president for public policy, was the main force behind the decision to defund Planned Parenthood and the attempt to make that decision look nonpolitical.

"Karen Handel was the prime instigator of this effort, and she herself personally came up with investigation criteria," the source, who requested anonymity for professional reasons, told HuffPost. "She said, 'If we just say it's about investigations, we can defund Planned Parenthood and no one can blame us for being political.'"

Emails between Komen leadership on the day the Planned Parenthood decision was announced, which were reviewed by HuffPost under the condition they not be published, confirm the source's description of Handel's sole "authority" in crafting and implementing the Planned Parenthood policy

re: #242 BongCrodny

I kinda like wignut.

As in "wigging out."

Natural selection of good mutations in action.

LOL@ The Onion:

In The Know Panel Analyzes Obama's Furious, Profanity-Filled Rant At Nation

Great reporting on who Handel is/was.

[Link: latimesblogs.latimes.com...]

From Handels blog as a Gubernatorial candidate
[Link: web.archive.org...]

First, let me be clear, since I am pro-life, I do not support the mission of Planned Parenthood. During my time as Chairman of Fulton County, there were federal and state pass-through grants that were awarded to Planned Parenthood for breast and cervical cancer screening, as well as a “Healthy Babies Initiative.” The grant was authorized, regulated, administered and distributed through the State of Georgia. Because of the criteria, regulations and parameters of the grant, Planned Parenthood was the only eligible vendor approved to meet the state criteria. Additionally, none of the services in any way involved abortions or abortion-related services. In fact, state and federal law prohibits the use of taxpayer funds for abortions or abortion related services and I strongly support those laws. Since grants like these are from the state I’ll eliminate them as your next Governor.

and her twitter showing an anti Planned Parenthood slam
[Link: yfrog.com...]

re: #245 Lidane

LOL@ The Onion:

In The Know Panel Analyzes Obama's Furious, Profanity-Filled Rant At Nation

I almost posted that on my facebook 20 seconds ago.....

:p

re: #243 Sergey Romanov

Dunno if this has been posted:

[Link: www.huffingtonpost.com...]

"main force behind the decision to defund Planned Parenthood"

Somebody hired her.

re: #246 wozzablog

Almost makes you think someone higher up in Komen knowingly brought her in as the "hatchet person" to take out the PP funding with the expectation that she'd leave soon after the task was done.

Good morning lizards!

Dial-up internet is keeping my kids off the computer. They may actually have to play or read. Maybe this is a blessing in disguise.

re: #249 oaktree

Almost makes you think someone higher up in Komen knowingly brought her in as the "hatchet person" to take out the PP funding with the expectation that she'd leave soon after the task was done.

They can't have appointed her and not known who she was. Her blogpost quoted above shows precisely her personal agenda to disenfranchise women of care.

re: #243 Sergey Romanov

Dunno if this has been posted:

[Link: www.huffingtonpost.com...]

But it's just an anonymous source. So I still don't know. Maybe it's just inside politicking. Probably they just wanted to do the right thing.

//

re: #252 Sergey Romanov

But it's just an anonymous source. So I still don't know. Maybe it's just inside politicking. Probably they just wanted to do the right thing.

//

From the article

Emails between Komen leadership on the day the Planned Parenthood decision was announced, which were reviewed by HuffPost under the condition they not be published, confirm the source's description of Handel's sole "authority" in crafting and implementing the Planned Parenthood policy.

There is a paper trail, and Huffpo has it.