A.M. Links: Panetta Checks Out Afghanistan, Former CIA Bigwig Warns of Indiscriminate Drone Bombings, UN Warns Humanity
-
Defense Secretary Leon Panetta traveled to Afghanistan amid a wave of violence to hear an assessment of the military's "ability to confront" threats from terrorist groups in the country. "I think it's important to try to make sure we are aware of the kind of attacks they are going to engage in, particularly as we go through the rest of the summer and enter the latter part of this year," Panetta said.
- The CIA's former Pakistani desk chief and head of its counterterrorism center says the U.S. government's liberal use of drones is causing the kind of political instability that could be creating terrorist safe havens. "It needs to be targeted much more finely. We have been seduced by them and the unintended consequences of our actions are going to outweigh the intended consequences," Robert Grenier said.
- As the pre-trial hearing continues for Bradley Manning, the private accused of leaking documents to Wikileaks and "aiding the enemy," the judge ordered his defense team get more access to government documents being used to prosecute him. Defense attorneys say they've received 28 of 63 requested documents, and that they show the damage caused by the Wikileaks leaks was minimal. Government prosecutors admit they've only made 8,741 of more than 40,000 pages available to Manning's defense attorneys.
- The United Nations released a 500+ page report warning of doom and gloom for humanity and the environment, despite the international community's best efforts. "The world continues to speed down an unsustainable path despite over 500 internationally agreed goals and objectives to support the sustainable management of the environment and improve human wellbeing," a press release said.
- Apple may be dropping Google Maps from the iPad and iPhone, but Google says its planning to roll out off-line Google Maps and 3D images of big cities in a few weeks.
- Millions of passwords from the online services LinkedIn and eHarmony could be compromised after a security breach. LinkedIn has up to 160 million users, eHarmony 20 million.
- NBC Connecticut presents twenty five celebrities who got plastic surgery or look like it.
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Meanwhile in Greece: Far-Right Golden Dawn spokesman hits two female MPs on Greek talk show.
"This attack is an attack against every democratic citizen."
No, it's not. This is how dumb Greece is. It was a dispute between two citizens, not "War on Democracy."
Perhaps, but physical intimidation was highly effective for the National Socialist German Workers Party back in the day.
Fascists fighting communists. Things are looking up for Greece.
Didn't they do this once already in the 50s? Jeez, summer comes along and everything goes into reruns.
late 1940s bout was Commies vs Military/Rightists
I thought it spilled over into the early 50s. My post WWII history is pretty crappy, outside of Algeria.
OTOH, its unemployment rate is now 21.9 percent
http://www.news.com.au/busines.....6388060017
Why that's positively fantastic! They'll be back in shape in no time!
If only they'd spent more, they'd never have gotten in trouble in the first place!
From the article:
"Greeks reeling from two years of austerity amid their country's vicious financial crisis punished the two formerly main parties, the conservative New Democracy and socialist PASOK at the polls, turning instead to radical smaller parties to the right and left of the political spectrum.
Two years of austerity? That word does not mean what you think it means.
The report also stated between the lines that if the planet doesn't return to last decade's panic levels the UN is in grave danger of losing all relevance.
Fire and brimstone coming down from the skies! Rivers and seas boiling!
Forty years of darkness! Earthquakes, volcanoes!
The dead rising from the grave!
Human sacrifice, dogs and cats living together... mass hysteria!
"It needs to be targeted much more finely. We have been seduced by them and the unintended consequences of our actions are going to outweigh the intended consequences," Robert Grenier said.
You would have to be a robot not to succumb to the drone's seduction.
Wouldn't a robot be more likely to be seduced by a drone?
"Ooooh, nice missile rack you have there!"
"Is that a Hellfire on your wing, or are you just happy to see me?"
"The way the Waziristan sunlight glints off your camera dome...sigh."
"Hey sexy mama, want to kill all humans?"
Gloria Allred is representing the (now former) girlfriend of Rudy "The Cannibal" Eugene.
Gloria Allred would marry a cannibal if it got her five minutes in front of a TV camera.
No kidding, the divorce proceedings on that would be epic.
Gloria Allred would marry a cannibal if it got her five minutes in front of a TV camera.
Anything to help her save face . . .
I see what you did there...
I don't think there's any procedure that could save that face.
C'mon, what cannibal would have the ba taste to marry her?
Good SOD! Karl, you are the worst human being I have sever seen...:-D
Good SOD! Karl, you are the worst human being I have sever seen...:-D
The mental image that accompanied that was of a deranged Gloria Allred running down Ocean Drive in South Beach, naked, covered in blood, and clutching some homeless guy's eyes like a string of pearls. But upon further reflection, being that it's Gloria Allred, she'd probably opt for the balls instead.
Whatever sex drive I had, you have killed it. Fuck you, Karl.
Whatever sex drive I had, you have killed it. Fuck you, Karl.
"Margaret Thatcher naked on a cold day! Margaret Thatcher naked on a cold day!"
Jeebus, Karl. Now I'm not going to be able to sleep right for a week.
Gloria Allred would eat a cannibal if it got her five minutes in front of a TV camera.
President Of Estonia Slams Paul Krugman: 'Smug, Overbearing Patronizing'
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/.....75937.html
Im liking Estonia more and more every day.
I have to agree.
Seriously cool place in some ways - check out this example of transparent government
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/3690661.stm
More cultural goodness from the Estonians.
(H/T Dagny T. for the Google Tip)
My view of Estonia just went up about a 1000%.
Fuck Paul Krugman with one of his dead cats.
Estonia FTW!
Someone's been hittin' the bath salts...
I really like this guy.
But Twitter?
I hear the women there are spectacular as well. Estonia is looking better and better as a retirement home.
I wonder what the winters are like.
I can only speak from experience in the Baltic nation of Sweden, but it was pretty similar to Michigan there.
So...
Hell on earth?
There's a reason the Scandis are the masters of death metal.
A cousin of mine lives there; he set out after college to travel around the world heading west working odd jobs to pay his way.
He never finished his journey. He married a local girl there and runs a TV station.
His wife is quite a beauty, but his kids are spoiled little terrors who apparently have never been told "no" and had it stick.
Sadly a lot of countries that have beautiful women, those women are also princesses. I have heard any number of horror stories about Persian women. Sorry to hear that about Estonia. I would think they would be more like the Germans. No one produced kids you can stand to be around better than a good house frau.
Frau Blucher ROCKS
They know how to keep the little bastards in line.
Funny thing is it isn't that hard. All you have to be is not lazy.
People did it for thousands of years. Kids were generally tolerable until about thirty years ago.
I'm observing a fascinating phenomenon with my brother's wife (they just had their first child 7 months ago).
She is terrified of making a single mistake and is almost paralyzed. My brother is one of the most laid-back, reasonable, measured people I know, and she's got him sending her texts every time my brother changes a diaper or the kid wakes up or the kid goes down for a nap etc.
They won't come over to my house because they are afraid my dog will scratch the baby. My daughter thinks she is invincible, BTW, in part because from infancy that dog used to allow her to torture him without ever laying a nail or tooth on her and so she thinks there is no man or beast she can't defeat. It's so absurd I have trouble taking it seriously.
My brother says that all the mothers he knows engage in this groupthink enforcement, where any mother who expresses taking a hands-off or "unsafe" approach to their children is othered mercilessly.
I would be completely unsurprised to hear a kid suing his parents for support at age 40 as happened in Italy 10 years ago.
We really have gone nuts. And no offense Tarran, but I hope the dog gives your daughter a decent nip one day. Nothing to hurt her. But just enough to end her illusions of invincibility and to understand you don't torture animals.
My philosophy has been: Several billion people have come and gone; it can't be that hard.
Several billion people have come and gone; it can't be that hard.
Yeah, but then the womyn are left to raise the spawn.
When the news tells you day in and day out about everything you need to be afraid of that has a tendency to make people feel the need to be more protective.
This
Oh, *I* taught her that torturing the dog was not allowed by her third birthday. She's seven now, and it's all snuggling and taking him out for walks. That dog is living the life of Riley.
My daughter is going to be fine. She's a lot more prudent now. She just won't back down from a fight when pushed.
My friends' cat trained their little one the difference between good touch and bad touch by about 1.5. Thankfully, they are both of the "just keep him alive and more or less whole until he's 18" school of parenting.
my once (now divorced) sister-in-law was like this with her kids. Way to much protection. When my brother and I were walking with them, my nephew asked us if he could ride his bike down a steep hill(!). We looked at him and my brother said, "knock yourself out." If ya don't get hurt in life, you'll never learn what not to do.
Luckily the over-parenting doesn't seem to have hurt my nephew - he did two stints in Iraq and one in Afghanistan as an army medic.
If ya don't get hurt in life, you'll never learn what not to do.
I wouldn't go quite that far... people who take that attitude literally are the reason we have warning labels on lawnmowers and plastic bags.
Urban and suburban mothers are *generally* pretty fucking intolerable to be around when it comes to kids. They have truly lost their minds and see death and Chester the Molester around every corner and behind every bush.
I've met a couple who are sane and Zod love them, but the vast majority are bat-shit nuts about kids.
I have a friend who I adore (and is a raging MILF), but she's really jumpy about her kids "safety." We were at a party a couple weeks ago at a buddy's who has a modest above ground pool out back. There were about 2 dozen people on the deck and half a dozen kids in the pool. It was all I could do to get her to relax enough and leave their side for a couple minutes while I kept an eye on them. GO HAVE A FUCKING DRINK.
I'd be willing to bet that every generation has said this...
Ever think maybe it was you that changed and not the kids?
Perhaps they need a spreadsheet...
jus teasin.
+100
Once kids start spending out of the general fund, there is really no controlling them.
I don't know about retiring there but Estonia is a very nice place. Tallinn is one of the cooler cities in Europe.
That is what I hear. Since I don't speak the language, hard to get a job there. But retiring might be a real possibility.
I was working here in Prague long before I knew the language--computer consulting. In fact I'm still not that great at it.
I'm surprised they're keeping you on the job then.
Not really that surprising - there are different standards it seems for IT guys. Plenty stay employed despite not being great at language, even their own. My brother is in IT, and he claims his success is partly based on being able to string a sentence together when talking to norms
PS. I hate being a lawyer. I should GI bill and go into IT, but my wife would have a stroke. And I am not sure school is the way to go into it.
best programmer I know has a Masters in Neurology.
I should GI bill and go into IT, but my wife would have a stroke. And I am not sure school is the way to go into it.
John, the IT field doesn't need any more lawyers (even former ones).
Don't bother, John. Assuming that you correctly reported your age when they were doing that a while back, you'd never get a job. By the time you'd be finished, you'd be mid-forties with no (IT) experience. Nobody wants to hire that guy, sorry. (And this isn't a personal slam; just reporting the observed reality).
It does depend on the profession. I have to take my international exam in a little over a week to finalize my expy plans. I have to both display medical competency and language proficiency. I have a rudimentary working base with Ukrainian, but since Russk is so commonly spoken, it will suffice.
ECFMG
More on physician expatriation.
Groovus, that's got to be rough learning Russian, especially the written.
John, I think you'd be better off being a lawyer in Eastern Europe actually. The lawyers here suck ass, honestly, whereas there's tons of cheap, talented programmers and ITers. I've met several lawyers that were brought in on big cases, like the TV Nova case (which he lost).
Groovus, that's got to be rough learning Russian, especially the written.
Not really. Having the Cyrillic alphabet made it easier, since it is a phonetically based language and reading and writing it is not that difficult, though I have to concentrate on the transliterations some. The pronunciations, OTOH, can make an innocent remark, well, Joe Biden levels of gaffe-tasticness.
Mostly brushing up on the idiomatic expressions and the MAT at this point. The alphabet itself is not much of a problem. It's how me brain works and I also had a fluent speaker help me instruct me.
"Language Lessons!"
Inspired words from a man who knows how to ski.
I'm gonna activate your dental plan!
Not really. Having the Cyrillic alphabet made it easier, since it is a phonetically based language and reading and writing it is not that difficult, though I have to concentrate on the transliterations some. The pronunciations, OTOH, can make an innocent remark, well, Joe Biden levels of gaffe-tasticness.
Yeah, Czech has that also, except in an easier form, but that's the only positive aspect IMO. The grammar is pretty tortuous. And then there's the cases. But you seem to be handling it fine so best of luck. There's definitely is a bell curve on language acquisition and I'm on the mediocre part of the curve. Also age makes a big difference.
I'm 46 and the idea of moving to the Ukraine gives me the heebie-jeebies. I did the wild west thing back in '95 when I came here and while it can be a blast at times, it also takes a lot of stamina and flexibility (and motivation) that I no longer possess.
I didn't find cases a problem at all when I was learning Russian. It helped, though, that I had already studied German.
Verb aspect, on the other hand....
"I'm surprised they're keeping you on the job then."
Made my own job, punk. And most clients were foreign so the computers were usually running English OS.
I guess that would have worked out a little better if I had put this little snippet in ahead of my comment:
computer consulting. In fact I'm still not that great at it.
"I guess that would have worked out a little better if I had put this little snippet in ahead of my comment:
"computer consulting. In fact I'm still not that great at it.""
Okay, gotcha 😉
Well, now we know why Krugabe hates them.
I saw a commenter on another site say something to the effect of "Estonia proves the way to govern is to see what Krugman recommends and do the exact opposite".
roccoMolitov
16 Fans
20 minutes ago ( 8:34 AM)
No one seems aware that Krugman's comments aren't just about his opinion. Whenever a Phd Economist makes a comment about his opinion on a Eurozone country it's never without a broader intention. Maybe they feel that Estonia is doing a little too well with their progressive policies.
From the comments. It is not for little people to question the great and wise Krugabe. Even if that little person is the President.
What does that even mean? I honestly can't tell.
Estonia has a lot of low cost contract manufacturers making items for the Scandinavian electronics firms (Nokia, Ericson, ...). We used to farm stuff out to there from our Finnish division all the time.
And you'd think the last place you'd have to send anything was to the Finnish division...
I see what you did there.
*groan*
Back from meeting with customer, reads comment...., rolls eyes, snickers
To Sleep Better, Partner Up
Research says health benefits outweigh disruptions
http://www.newser.com/story/14.....er-up.html
What of cold feet on my legs and cover thieving?
Not too mention untrimmed toe nails - those things are daggers in the night!
I gotta tell ya, about the only thing approaching deal-breaker status in my marriage is the spousal unit's superpower ability to enroll himself in the covers while asleep, as if he were a moth in a chrysalis.
That's a guy thing, Hades Tomekeeper. I do the same thing. I can have the perfect bed made and in the morning I am a giant ball of comforter and sheets. This may be why I'm still a bachelor.
This all sounds very exhausting.
My son does this; some mornings, he's upside-down on the bed. I, myself, sleep like a well-honed rock.
My wife does this. We bought an 8-foot wide quilt to ameliorate the problem. Now I only end up uncovered about every 3rd night.
Two sets of quilts are a must. Also, my wife is petite and likes a really thick quilt. I'm tall and have a much higher tolerance for cold so I have an extra large thin cover.
This stupidity again. Saying it doesn't make you sound witty or clever, it makes you sound like a pathetic loser who is trying way too hard to be witty and clever.
You sound like somebody peed in your cornflakes.
Awwwwww. Does ooo-ums need a nap? A binkie, maybe?
Still mad, Mary?
Plus, the cats get to wake up two people instead of one when they tear ass across the bed playing tag in the middle of the night.
Oh gosh, this. My ex was so pissed the first few nights he spent at my place.
Or sit on your head at 3AM and purr loudly...
Yes. This is mine. Little fucker comes home from a night of fighting and/or fucking in the neighborhood and wants to wake me up so I'll know he's home. Bonus points if its been raining so he can rub his wet head under my chin.
One of ours always want to get under the blankets and warm up for 20 minutes before they resume tag. The other one wraps herself around one of our heads to wait for the first one.
I'm sure this is what Bubba would say too...
Apple Inc. is planning to use that forum to announce that it is dropping Google's maps as a built-in option on its mobile platform and switching to its own, internally developed navigation service.
CNET is going to have their reviewer commit a crime and see who the police say they heard from first regarding the perp's location to compare Google vs Apple maps.
Walker Files Appeal in Kimberlin Case;
Ali Akbar Says: 'We're Not Stopping.'
http://theothermccain.com/2012.....-stopping/
related:
Sen. Chambliss Presses Holder For "SWAT-ing," Harassment Inquiry
http://www.riehlworldview.com/.....quiry.html
I don't have a link, but the South Beach Cannibal is now being blamed ... on pot.
I'm never surprised at the tenuous claims the government will make to support its agenda in the never ending war on drugz.
I'm sure this one will stick. Can't have people thinking that icky pot is benign or anything.
I don't have a link, but the South Beach Cannibal is now being blamed ... on pot.
So this was a case of a really bad case of the munchies?
Dammit.
Yesss, but I mangled the hell out of that sentence.
Dunno, it read pretty good for describing those face-chewing munchies.
Encyclopedia Brown and the Case of the Really Bad Case of the Munchies
*throws Highlights in the trash can*
Is there a Choose Your Adventure book covering this plot somewhere?
He definitely had the munchies.
You could look at yesterday's posts for a link...
"Some people might think I'm a scrounger but I don't think me or my children should miss out on nice things just because I have never worked."
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/new.....z1x6yPpOFB
I can understand how depressing or infuriating it could be for someone to live in Western society, realizing that they may die without enjoying some of the luxury items or comforts that many Westerners do.
But that sounds like a pretty lame, entitled statement.
'All mums should be able to have cosmetic surgery. I don't care that it's at taxpayers' expense.'
In the lower animal kingdom, this is why there is cockroach bait.
Dude. That's how it fucking works. No worky, no nicey.
Are you fucking kidding me?
If she was going to have plastic surgery, a boob job really should've been further down on the list.
England is mine, it owes me everything
and if you ask me why I'll spit in your eye
Millions of passwords from the online services LinkedIn and eHarmony could be compromised after a security breach. LinkedIn has up to 160 million users, eHarmony 20 million.
Hey hypothetical wife, see that? Apparently, I'm not the only one "married to my job!"
Why is this on morning links? It was news 24 hours ago
Frankly, I'm shocked that me and this supposed wife of mine fighting is news at all.
No company should EVER EVER EVER store passwords in plain, or even encrypted text.
EVER.
It's amazing how fucking stupid some IT shops are.
Uh, if you don't store passwords at all, what are you supposed to compare the user's submitted password with?
The Curious Case of Internet Privacy
Free services in exchange for personal information. That's the "privacy bargain" we all strike on the Web. It could be the worst deal ever.
http://www.technologyreview.co.....acy/?p1=A1
What's the over/under on a John v sloopy smackfest over the drone stuff today?
It's zero. One of us is too busy today. (Hint: it's not the one whose salary you're all paying)
LOL
Why must you poke the bears?
Plastic surgery. Just say no.
You'd think one look at Nancy Pelosi would be all it takes to scare the hell out of anyone contemplating it.
Most of them of course look ridiculous but, OK, Lil' Kim needed her some plastic surgery, bad.
From Slate's wonderfully shocked and outraged revelation that nanny politicians censor or allow things based only on "like it" or "dislike it", we have a wonderfully bald statement from Bloomberg:
I really think that says it all.
Obama's Debt Boom
The most predictable crisis in history.
http://online.wsj.com/article/.....oveLEFTTop
"The problem is that the way Bush has done it in the last eight years is to take out a credit card from the Bank of China in the name of our children, driving up our national debt from $5 trillion from the first 42 presidents. No. 43 added $4 trillion by his lonesome. So we now have over $9 trillion of debt that we are going to have to pay back. $30,000 for every man, woman, and child. That's irresponsible, that's unpatriotic."
- Barack Obama, 3 July 2008
Never forget!
Wait, is that really all it is? $30,000 per person? That actually seems a lot more manageable than I thought. Balance the budget, put us on a payment plan.
Oh wait, that number is from BEFORE Obamacare. It's probably a lot higher now...
Wait, is that really all it is? $30,000 per person? That actually seems a lot more manageable than I thought. Balance the budget, put us on a payment plan.
That's per person, not per household or even per taxpayer. No thank you on a payment plan.
Our total debt is like 15 Trillion now right?
As of June 5th:
15,733,409,283,200.18
[SLD]
I have suggested replacing the current death tax with one in which the estate pays the dead guys share of the national debt off the top. Everything beyond that is tax free. Its highly regressive, but so fucking what?
I like this. As long as said death tax is not paid into the General Revenue fund and is only available for retiring debt.
That would be a tough nut to crack, as I can see such a tax being as fungible as Social Security. I like robc's idea, but I don't trust these weasels on the follow through. There are too many idiots with pet cause program ideas.
Well sure. But since it ain't gonna happen, I might aw well dream big.
Also, a forseeable consequence is that the bond markets would love it, as it would be revenue dedicated to paying the bonds. Which means easier borrowing. Not something I'm sure I support.
When Clinton was president there was a concern about what to do with future budget surpluses. Since 2001 that has changed. So whose fault is it?
Of the $10 trillion debt since then Obama bills are responsible for $800 billion of it - Bush signed bills for the rest. Over 90% that is.
You can blame Obama for not reducing the deficit but not for causing it.
Nearly 4 years later everything is still Bush's fault, right. Also, needs more christfag.
Notice shrike never blames Obama. Some "Goldwater fan" he is.
Of the $10 trillion debt since then Obama bills are responsible for $800 billion of it - Bush signed bills for the rest. Over 90% that is.
Actually, Obama's responsible for $5.107 trillion, according to the Treasury's website. You moron.
But aren't all these stats basically not accounting for any of 2009, blaming Bush for that, and then picking up "Obama's budget" in October or November of that year? In 2009 spending shot up something like 25% because of TARP and the bailouts.
That's the debt accumulation from January 20th, 2009 to the present. I'd be willing to cut Obama some slack if he hadn't passed Bush's FY 2009 budget plus an additional $400 billion in March of 09, but he did.
And the bottom line is, the President has the veto pen. Obama could have vetoed any bill that came across his desk that hiked government spending past 2007 or 2008 levels. Instead, he's allowed Congress to keep roughly the same overblown spending levels in place through continuing resolutions.
This is a guy who spent his time in the Senate and his 2008 campaign bitching about how much debt Dubya was leaving behind and how much they had to raise the debt ceiling.
I was just thinking to myself "shrike will be along any minute to tell us we're wrong about something and then suck on Obama's cock a little bit while making a retarded, possibly fallacious claim.
Looks like I was right.
You guys have lots of cocksucking fantasies. Almost as many of those as fantasies about how fiscally responsible Bush was.
Please feel fee to point to all of the times any of us has ever said that Bush was fiscally responsible.
Nobody here has and nobody here has ever said that Obama created the deficit out of thin air. But that doesn't stop you from spouting off inane bullshit.
If you were really a libertarian you wouldn't be so busy defending Obama. But your constant need to bend over backwards for any Team Blue hack tells me you get some kind of sexual satisfaction or high off of it.
And don't worry, if Romney is president I will be saying the same thing to anyone that comes here doing the same thing for Team Red.
Needs more "Christfag". You're off your game lately, shrike.
But your constant need to bend over backwards for any Team Blue hack tells me you get some kind of sexual satisfaction or high off of it.
Considering he took on the name of an anal-stuffing device, you're not far off the mark. His Grindr account must be overflowing.
too bad you don't get $$$ for such predictions. 🙁
Ilya Shapiro: Why Obama Strikes Out In Court
Three unanimous Supreme Court decisions against the government suggest that the administration has a faulty view of federal power.
http://online.wsj.com/article/.....on_LEADTop
As I mentioned yesterday, if Noted Constitutional Law Scholar Barack Obama were arguing these cases in person there would be no contest.
1. Do not confess until after you're acquitted
2. Do not insult the judge until after you're acquitted
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/new.....z1x6zhn0rD
Wisconsin exit poll: What happened?
http://www.washingtonpost.com/....._blog.html
Have these people never watched a single episode of House? People lie all the time. Especially to people who they feel might make social judgements of them.
Uh, there is significant damage to the Pentagon's self esteem. Everyone now knows how terrible their data controls are.
They weren't prepared for his Gaga Mixtape Swap maneuver.
They don't teach you that in Basic!
Obviously we need a government program to combat this:
http://news.yahoo.com/way-worl.....-tech.html
I'm sure human activity will be blamed for this. We killed the dinosaurs too, ya know.
The judge in the Walker case making a run for world's dumbest judge.
THE COURT: You've decided to battle, and he comes back. And see, you're you you're the kind of guy, you don't want to get into this to settle this, mano y mano. You want to get all these friends who got nothing else to do with their time, in this judge's opinion, because my God, I'm a little bit older than you are, and I haven't got enough time in the day to do all the things I want to do. And I thought by retirement, I would have less to do.
I got more! Because everybody knows I'm free! So they all come to me. But you, you are starting a a conflagration, for lack of a better word, and you're just letting the thing go recklessly no matter where it goes. I mean, you get some and I'm going to use word I (ph) ? freak somewhere up Oklahoma, got nothing better to do with his time, so he does the nastiest things in the world he can do to this poor gentleman. What right has that guy got to do it?
It gets better
Very quickly. And I'm not going to talk about those ways, but boy, it ended fast. I even can tell you, when I grew up in my community, you wanted to date an Italian girl, you had to get the Italian boy's permission. But that was the old neighborhoods back in the city. And it was really fair. When someone did something up there to you, your sister, your girlfriend, you got some friends to take them for a ride in the back of the truck.
WTF???
WTF? What's the Walker case?
Yeah, I have no context for these quotations.
see my Kimberlin post above.
That is the case where Brett Kimberlain, the convicted terrorist had the blogger in Maryland arrested for breaking a peace order.
Sorry, the spam filter wouldn't take the link. This is the judge in the hearing that sent the blogger to jail.
Talk about bad luck! There is no person more frightening to me than a deranged judge. Not even crucifiers or stabbers scare me as much as judges do.
He is senile or something. The transcript is just him rambling. What a disgrace.
Oh, so that's what those are from. Holy crap that judge is senile.
I kept expecting him to talk about wearing an onion on his belt. Because that was the style.
It is like a real life scene from Naked Gun or Airplane.
Eugene Volokh is representing him now, which is very cool. Hopefully this gets straightened around soon. I am embarrassed for Maryland's judiciary.
Once again, embarrassed to disclose that I'm a MDer.
No shit? I was really hoping that Mark Randazza would take the case.
It would be like watching a lion take out a gazelle.
It's too bad Leslie Nielsen is no longer with us. Can you imagine giving him a script with those words on them?
Foreign Policy photo essay on the wages paid by a failed socialist economy based on debt financing. Evidently all that is needed to fix it is "leadership."
the link... it no work
Foreign Policyphoto essay on the wages paid by a failed socialist economy based on debt financing.
DUI on stolen electric chair.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/new.....icers.html
Fair warning: sarcasmic meant to say electric wheelchair.
I was dissapoint.
DUI is overkill, and a big overkill. The guy should be busted for stealing the chair, and he probably should be fined for being drunk in public... but a DUI? I highly doubt that thing would be a dangerous threat to anyone but himself.
I think we've all seen the Scrubs where JD gets a DUI for walking his scooter home with the key in the ignition so he can listen to the radio.
Oh, uh, spoiler alert.
Cops will give a DUI for operating anything with wheels after drinking.
They gave one to me after getting hit by a car that ran a red light while riding a bicycle (and neglected to give the kid who hit me a ticket, nor was the running of the red light mentioned in the report. Did I mention that I despise cops?).
In MT (?) they gave one to somebody riding a horse. I'm still fuzzy as to how that works, exactly, but apparently it was how state law works.
A drunk person on a horse is some dangerous shit. Those laws have been on the books since colonial times.
On the other hand, in my youth I listened to a guy in his 80's whose dad had been a doctor rhapsodize about how his dad could depend on his horse to get the cart home.
The good doctor apparently would sleep if he was out on a late night call or had tied one on. The horse would pull the cart into the barn and wait patiently until the good doctor woke up and unhitched him.
Set aside their pooping and peeing, their easily broken legs, lack of power, and low top speed, and inability to shield people from lightning strikes, horses do have some advantages to cars.
Isn't the horse going to balk at anything too stupid? I was always under that impression, anyway.
Not always. If you can train them to charge formations of soldiers while under fire, you should be able to train them to get you hame after a bender.
I've heard the case law on that is interesting, because a horse can have agency. In some states it depends on whether or not you are actively "operating" the horse. If you have the reins tied around the saddle horn and are simply sitting in the saddle whilst it walks where it will, you may not be guilty.
So... I guess handicapped (er, sorry... 'handicapable') people are not allowed to drink at all if they must use a wheel chair to get a round or some other device.
It's stupid.
Through a loophole, you cannot be given an OVI in Ohio for being in a vehicle with just one wheel. So wheelbarrows and unicycles are still safe to use after drinking (for a given value of safe).
No kidding? Know any good unicycle stores in C'bus?
I keep this as one of my lessons learned from a forced weekend retreat many years ago. As for stores in Cowtown... I've got nothing.
What about those bizarre things that have one big wheel you sit inside? Would that qualify?
A couple of years back, I was in traffic school with a dude who got a DUI while riding a skateboard.
On June 14th I'll be seeing Destroyer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJSjspGcmMU
kind of a Roxy Music / Brian Ferry vibe.
Awesome.
I routinely think his songs on New Pornographers albums are the best, but yet I've never really gotten into his solo work much.
Kathy Griffin in bikini!
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvs.....ocean.html
John would... well, you know.
She is skinny. I don't like skinny women. She can't be more than a size 4. And she is a red head. She looks like your dream women to me.
How did they get that horse in a bikini?
You can't trick me again, sarc! Demonica Archiva saved My Grooviness last time, but I am not tempting fate again. I remember the lesson of the hot stove.
You are a wise man; those pics are not sessy. The boytoy isn't bad, though.
Pretty good for 51.
Yeah, I was thinking the same. For 51, she's looking pretty fucking nice.
Daily Mail's obligatory Christina Hendricks spread.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvs.....posal.html
Isn't she a bit fat for you? They have her poured into those dresses. It is amazing she can breath. She didn't get those boobs because she has a fast metabolism.
Firefly
She was under 30 then.
Under 30 what? Stone?
Years old. Face it, you only like women who look like teenage boys. Hendrix is going to gain weight and go over a size six. If she isn't already there, she will be soon. And that takes her off your menu. Face it, she is way too feminine for you.
Um, OK. Sure. Whatever.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvs.....ikini.html
If McPhee gained five pounds you would tell her she is fat. And Hendrix is a cow compared to McPhee.
If McPhee gained five pounds you would tell her she is fat.
No I wouldn't! I would never say that to her face! That's mean!
And as we all know, you're never, ever mean.
your counterproof was to link to a 26-year-old with bulimia?
That is a terrible rebuttal.
She has a bit in the movie "Drive". I hardly recognized her.
I will never tire of seeing those tig ole' bitties.
She needs to stop wearing dresses that bunch up her boobs. The pics where the bust of that black is pulled up where it is supposed to be, she looks pretty good.
I think her boobs are too big. She would look better if she got them reduced a bit. Sadly, they are now like Streisand's nose and have become her trademark. But she would be more attractive if she would let a surgeon make a perfect set of Ds out of those things. I can't see them looking so good once she goes over 40. Gravity is a harsh mistress.
SHUT YOUR MOUTH!
I second HM.
I will respectfully disagree with you John.
When she is 45 and she is tucking those things into her belt, you might change your mind.
I live in the present.
Carpe mammae!
I agree; we'll cross that road when we get there. In the meantime, keep on posting those pictures, Daily Mail.
Exactly. She's a bit bigger than me in the chest region and if you wear things that fit properly (bras included), you actually look like you can breathe.
I'm still amazed she married the snozberries guy from Super Troopers.
There but for the grace of God...
Zombies? We've got two more.
I see they cite the "bath salts" as a causative factor, too.
I like the miami one. They found a blood alcohol of .29(!), Xanax, and pot in his system, but they're still blaming bath salts. Fucking shit. You get my blood alcohol level up to .29 and drop a Xanax on top of it, and I promise you that if I'm still walking and talking, I will be a raving, nonsensical lunatic. I mean, I can't testify to the exact blood alcohol, but based on some of the stories related to me of my behavior the year my friend decided to fund his vacation by making quarterly trips to Mexican pharmacies, this doesn't sound outlandish to me.
You know, this really disgusts me. This is almost as bad a ClimateGate. I'll bet my left testicle all these cases of "BATH SALTZ!!one!1!!" will be ruled to caused by something else. By the time that happens, then this lunacy will have permeated the local and national psyche with this unscientific tripe. Never mind trying to identify the root cause as opposed to applying some bogus rationale in place of real forensic science.
I so, so hate the WoD.
Janice Dickinson is not aging well.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvs.....flops.html
Isn't she the one who prides herself on endless amounts of plastic surgery? She looks like a monster.
That's the thing about plastic surgery: there is both a limit and a patient expiration date on those procedures. I'm libertarian and freedom first in most of my medical views, but I do question the ethics of the surgeons who enable these plastic sugery fiascos. It's botox and scalpels, not youth elixirs and magic wands.
SLD applies here of course.
Groovus,
When I was in law school I was a clerk at a firm that was handling a bunch of the breast implant lawsuits. I got the job of interviewing potential plaintiffs. And none of the 30 or more women I interviewed had just had breast implants. They had all had numerous surgeries. I really think it was some kind of an addiction or mental problem with these women. They all started out as attractive young women. But they kept having surgeries until whatever looks they had were gone.
I agree with you about the ethics of doing these procedures. Dickinson is free to be sick. But I really think she has some major body image issues.
You hit the nail on the head, John. I'm not going to craft a new DX out of whole cloth, but the quest for the "perfect" form that's marred by a distorted body self-image leads to the most horrific stuff. If a woman has an A cup and a C cup on the same body, yeah, I can see that as medically necessary. No one wants to look like a freak.
But these ladies (and men) who take it to extremes do qualify for a sickness I think. I love natural boobs on a woman, and I think it's a cop out for exercise and a good diet, not to mention massive doses of unrealistic expectations. Grow old gracefully. Sheesh, Janice, you're not getting it back. The most beautiful woman I have ever seen has never been touched by the surgeon's scalpel and does good old fashioned exercise and eats a good diet.
The most beautiful woman I have ever seen has never been touched by the surgeon's scalpel and does good old fashioned exercise and eats a good diet.
This cannot be repeated enough. Sing it from the rooftops Doc.
Just attended my 25th college reunion. The women that looked the best watch what they eat and exercise. Soemtimes it is just that simple.
Oh, I forgot to mention keeping your intellectual curiosity current and strong also really helps.
^THIS^
this applies to men to, you know
this applies to men to, you know
Of course! One of the many reasons I quit smoking, too. Fortunately, I haven't any moobage.
moobage: had to look it up. I was expecting it to be some sort of medical term.
That's the thing about plastic surgery: there is both a limit and a patient expiration date on those procedures.
Daily Mail had a pictorial of Linda Thompson (Bruce Jenner's ex) the other day and she looked horrible, like that Cat Lady chick. It's amazing how far people will go to deny that entropy is a fact of life.
This one's for sarcasmic.
This one's for John.
I like them thin, not dead.
lol, I admit it was tongue-in-cheek. I knew she was so not your type.
From "The Walking Dead" auditions, obviously.
There is a fine line between lithe and bobblehead.
Sweden considers importing trash
http://www.thelocal.se/41284/20120607/
They should harvest the Atlantic Trash Supercontinent.
It's better to burn trash in tree-rich Sweden than in the metro areas of London, Paris or Milan, I guess.
Finally, a place that rubbishy Ke$ha can go and feel at home with her kind. She may even be able to find a loo.
Stop that. Just stop it right now. You leave my beloved Ke$ha alone you monster.
She r what she r?
I recorded a World Stage concert of her to see what all the hype was about.
Only a half hour program and I couldn't watch it all.
She can't sing, she can't dance, she can't even dress herself.
Don't feel bad Mo. I like Ke$ha too. She's pretty hot, you know, for a homeless chick.
Are the Kardashians moving there? The case from Jersey Shore? Simon Crowell?
Policeman tazes pregnant woman over parking ticket.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/new.....space.html
All class.
Ouch.
Wow. Aren't cops supposed to be "observant?"
Procedures followed...continuum of force...officer safety...suspect safety...New Professionalism...also, fried chicken.
I am starting to seriously loathe police officers to the point of outright hatred. Oh yes, Bigorati. Feh.
Your boner tells you, "Use the taser. You know you want to, bro. Use the taser."
Preventing escape? Come on.
Exactly - his inner Neanderthal said "Ride the Lightning!" Garry McCarthy should have had a press conference to announce the officer's firing or suspension...
Hillary Clinton is fat. At least that's what Ed Klein says.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/new.....House.html
Oh, and she might run for president in 2016.
I will defend Hillary Clinton on that one. The things people say about her looks and clothes and such is gross and legitimately misogynistic. Men in politics are allowed to be fat, bald or amazing dorks and no one cares. But a 65 year old women is supposed to look like Bar Rafeli.
Shorter John: "I'd fuck her"
No I wouldn't. But unlike you, there are women in the world I would sleep with.
Yes you would. But unlike you, there are women in this world I wouldn't sleep with.
Standards. Some of us got 'em. You ain't "us".
Just give it a while. As you age, the bar gets lower.
As you age, the bar gets lower.
You're saying John is old?
What anon says. What are you going to do when your wife is 65 there sarcasmic? Trade her in for a newer model? Give up sex? People get old.
hell, my wife looks better at age 40 than 30. But I thank Taubes and Ripptoe (plus her hard work) for that.
Some women age well. My wife is better looking in her 30s than she was in her 20s I think. But even that has a limit. Everyone gets old.
The only thing scarier than becoming a grandfather is knowing that you're sleeping with a grandmother.
GILF
Sure you would, John. She'd promise you you could personally fire a drone at some towelheads and you'd cream in your jeans before you got your pants off.
Because actually understanding the legality of something is the same as loving it. It is a shame there are some subjects that Libertarians cannot think rationally about, as least the guilt ridden peacenik variety.
BTW, I still question your assertion the drone strikes are legal, John. But it's been twenty years since I had to pay attention to the Conventions, and I've been too lazy to do the research.
I'll give you the short version, though. We still have an affirmative duty to protect civilians, and generally, can't fire upon them unless there is a clear and present danger from active combatants. Some guy in a hut in Pakistan is not an active combatant in any meaningful sense.
Well, T, you don't understand legal reasoning. If some prick is one of those black dresses says something, that makes it so. Doesn't have to necessarily comport with reality. Just the mere fact that the prick in the black dress said so.
can't fire upon them unless there is a clear and present danger from active combatants.
That is completely false. A combatant is a lawful target. That means you can kill a combatant on site. You don't have to wait for him to be a danger. If he is sleeping, you can shoot him, run him over with a tank, whatever.
You can never target civilians. But you can target combatants even if that targeting results in civilian deaths. The issue is does the military value of the target outweigh the civilian deaths that will result.
The drone strikes from what I have seen look to be legal. But neither I nor anyone on here knows the whole story. Some people claim they are indiscriminately targeting civilians or considering any person over the age of 18 to be a combatant. If that is true, then they are illegal. It is a factual question that we don't have the facts to fully answer. Where I take issue with people like sloopy on here is the assertion that because civilians die they must be illegal. And that is just not true.
That is completely false. A combatant is a lawful target. That means you can kill a combatant on site. You don't have to wait for him to be a danger. If he is sleeping, you can shoot him, run him over with a tank, whatever.
If he's a traditional combatant subject to the conventions, yes. But the irregular nature of the opposing forces in current conflict complicates this analysis. The rules for dealing with 'unlawful combatants' are either non-existent or were made up by the previous administration. The quality of their legal analysis is suspect on a host of issues. A lot of very good lawyers think Yoo, et al, were completely full of shit. I see some of the same shit continuing under the Obama admin. The legal analysis being done by both admins is of poor quality designed to get the result they want, not a reading of the actual law.
I also question how the drone strikes are being conducted. As an example. If somebody runs into a hospital or other protected location during combat, I can continue the fight and blow the hell out of that protected structure. But I can't receive information that OPFOR was in a protected structure at some point and decide to blow the fuck out of it just because.
If I, sitting in my airbase in Bagram controlling a drone, receive information about a guy in a hut in Pakistan, I need to make sure he's still there before blowing the fuck out it.
The rules for dealing with 'unlawful combatants' are either non-existent or were made up by the previous administration.
That is just not true. Armies have been dealing with illegal combatants for centuries. The rule as always been they are lawful targets.
That changed a bit after world war II. The first Protocol says that you can hide among the civilian population and remain a lawful combatant as long as you carry your arms openly and distinguish yourself when you attack. But it doesn't say they are not still lawful targets. Afghanistan and NW Pakistan is a traditional guerrilla war. These guys are lawful targets even when they are hiding in Pakistan.
IN Yemen they are unlawful combatants. But I think in Pakistan they are just ordinary guerrilla fighters. And that makes the drone program lawful.
I disagree with Yoo. I think Yoo was dead wrong. Yoo thought the conventions didn't cover this. They do. We didn't need to go outside of the conventions to handle these fighters. So don't lump me in with Yoo. And there is nothing suspect about my legal analysis. I am doing the same legal analysis that has been done for a century.
If I, sitting in my airbase in Bagram controlling a drone, receive information about a guy in a hut in Pakistan, I need to make sure he's still there before blowing the fuck out it.
No you don't. You need to know he is there with some reasonable certainty. You don't have to have eyes on and know he is there to a certainty. And moreover, we generally have that. You are watching the drone feed and IDing him as he goes into the building.
Oh, your so brilliant John. How did this republic ever make it without your perspicacious analysis?
I find it curious that John will excuse anything that the military does on grounds that it's "legal", yet he protests the actions of the police despite the wizards in black robes declaring such actions to be "legal".
War is not law enforcement sarcasmic. The police's job is to arrest people. The military's job is to kill people and break things. That is a big difference. If you don't want the military to kill people, don't send them there.
Your beef is with the fact there is a war, not with how the military is conducting it. Those are separate questions.
as least the guilt ridden peacenik variety
So, if I punch you in your punchable face, can we get rid of the peacenik ad homimem? Apparently there is a new logical fallicy: Argumentum ad diagreeum withum John Douchem
Troy,
I will stop calling you a peacenik when you stop calling me a war monger and understand legality and probity are two different issues.
Legality, probity - those are big words, John. Please don't task the commentariat.
I think argumentum ad discrepationem cum Iohannem Canales would be closer.
^HA!^
I think the complaint is about politics making people uglier. Clinton would have looked much better if she had quit politics 15 years ago.
I think it makes people uglier in more than one way. And the stress ages people. You have to be a little nuts to want that. Rumor was Hillary was bedding Anthony Weiner's wife. Why not retire and count Bill's millions with 20 something Arab girlfriend and call it a day? She would be a lot better for it.
in college, I had a friend who worked the Clinton campaign in '92. I asked him how Hillary looked close up. He shook his head, made a disgusted face, and said, "lots and lots of lines."
Barry looks just awful compared to 2008.
I don't think he looks that bad, but it's definitely aged him. This is the first time he's ever had to focus on one job for more than a couple years, after all.
It didn't age him. All candidates dye their hair, so they look youthful and vigorous. Once in office, they let the grey grow in so they look wise and distinguished.
I totally agree. Chris Christie and Barney Frank come to mind.
You have to wonder though, if she had an R after her name instead of a D, would they stick with the old/fat thing or constantly try to demean her with sex stuff.
Pron 4 John
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/fem.....g-day.html
Thank God you posted that. I am so curious to know if you and John have different views on the female form, but you are so reticent, so bashful. This is a safe space - please open up and tell us your opinions on this most vital issue
Talk about an indictment against fat acceptance. That woman is insane.
Okay, seriously? That thing can get married I can't even find a decent human being to spend time with?
Decent human beings are hard to find.
No, they're not. Finding them unattached or committed to someone else, then a conundrum one has found.
I want to live where you do, then. I can't even have a conversation with people here and not want to blow my brains out.
I can't even have a conversation with people here and not want to blow my brains out.
That's odd. I usually want to blow their brains out, not mine.
Okay, that's a good point. I clearly need to rethink this whole thing.
Why settle for human?
"The CIA's former Pakistani desk chief and head of its counterterrorism center says the U.S. government's liberal use of drones is causing the kind of political instability that could be creating terrorist safe havens."
Creating?! Dude, they are already there. Killing Talib and Haqqani who hang out in the Tribal Area/Frontier does not "create" a safe haven - it takes one away. No wonder people hear the CIA (or ex-CIA) say something and start rolling their eyes...
In order for it to be a "creating a safe haven", it would have had to previously not been a safe area but is now because of the strikes. IF it wasn't a safe area, why did they run there?
John, I think you just said the same thing LTCJohn said. He is saying the CIA spokesman is a moron.
I was just agreeing.
He means "save or create" and he is correct. We're preventing any stabilization from occuring.
"save or create" Like a O! Stimulus job?
I'd really rather not have the parts of Pakistan that Pakistan does not control "stabilize" under the Talib or Haqqanis...
Looks like Leo's got a new squeeze.
A "teenage boy" by John's standards.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvs.....leans.html
I gotta say, Leo D is one of those guys you couldn't pay me to do. Not to put too fine a point on it. The gf is pretty cute, though.
Yeah, too childlike
What is the attraction with him? He looked like a teenager until he was 30. And now he just looks creepy. The facial hair is a really bad idea.
The facial hair is bad but that stupid hat is worse.
Amazing he can get work with his cherubic appearance, yet when was the last time Ralph Macchio got work? That guy still looks like he's twelve.
As much as I love to hate Leo, the guy is a talented actor.
Ralphy? Not so much.
Oh, no question on Leo's thespian talents. Ralph always was kind of relegated to typecast hell and, acting wise, a one trick pony.
He is in a movie called Hitchcock that is in post-production with a 2013 release date.
So, "now", is apparently the answer to your question.
I love H n'R. I can sucker you guys into doing my Googling for me! 🙂
It was once stated the best way to find things out on the internet is not to ask questions but to post outrageous false assertions and wait to be corrected. YMMV, of course.
She's alright. I think there are cuter Victoria's Secret models but not bad.
Eh, I prefer my women to possess secondary sex characteristics, but that's just me.
"I! Like! Big! Butts and I cannot lie!"
Even White boys gotta shout, Baby Got Back!
Link fail 😉
In more ways than one, I'm sure. 😉
Trying again, as I don't wish to deprive.
Yep, have to say she looks perfect. Good to be Leo. I wonder how nuts she is.
I wonder how nuts she is.
Who cares?
The star, 37, and his 23-year-old Victoria's Secret girlfriend Erin Heatherton were snapped hanging out in New Orleans on some bicycles.
I can't see this lasting more than a couple years, max. That's a pretty significant age spread--most 23-year-olds barely know who they are, while guys Leo's age are pretty much set in their ways. If they actually have a lot in common personality-wise they have a shot, but if not she's going to get bored really quick unless his money can keep her amused.
Couple of years, Leo exchanges his smokeshows for a noone all the time.
I can't believe no one posted the Daily Fail's comparative pics of Tanning Mom
She looks like an original series Star Trek Klingon woman.
LOL. That's actually one of my favorite OS episodes.
It kind of reminds me of this, too: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3hNMwxY4-Vk
Hmmm... Some women have multiple plastic surgeries, she tans until she looks like a lovingly burnished turd. Still a lot of self-loathing there
she tans until she looks like a lovingly burnished turd
That is the funny. That's how you do it people!
Yuri Gagarin Rules!
Yuri Gagarin Rules!
Yuri Gagarin Rules!
I threw a Yuri's night party in '11 for the 50th anniversary. Too busy this year, but I may try to get something going again next year.
I mean, he's no Neil Fucking Armstrong, but he's at least a demigod in the Pantheon.
Fucking Neil Armstrong. He and I share a birthday (along with such notables as Patrick Ewing, Tawny Kitaen and Andrei Zaitzev)
I mean, we've only had boots on the ground in Afghanistan for a decade.
Who cares about those leaked documents, they only got dumb ragheads killed. Long live the cult of Assange (PBUH.)