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A.M. Links: Obama Approval Rating Highest in Year and a Half, Unemployment Down to 7.7 Percent, Snow May Be Delaying North Korea Missile Launch

Ed Krayewski | 12.7.2012 9:00 AM

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  • At 57 percent, President Obama is enjoying his highest approval ratings since Navy SEALs killed Osama bin Laden.

  • 146,000 new jobs were created in November, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, moving the unemployment rate down to 7.7 percent, the lowest it's been since 2008.
  • Much hullabaloo over the first medical marijuana dispensary to open in New Jersey, three years after a law allowing it was passed. "I've got joint pain!"
  • Egyptians are pouring in to Tahrir Square to protest Morsi, the Muslim Brotherhood, and the draft constitution that will be voted on next week.
  • The battle for Damascus has been taken to the international airport, where rebels warn civilians and airlines to enter only at their own risk.
  • North Korea's planned missile launch may be being delayed on account of snow.

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NEXT: Euro Continues to Slide

Ed Krayewski is a former associate editor at Reason.

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  1. Fist of Etiquette   12 years ago

    At 57 percent, President Obama is enjoying his highest approval ratings since Navy SEALs killed Osama bin Laden.

    Why would the delusions lift after the election?

    1. Whiterun Guard   12 years ago

      He wouldn't have gotten re-elected if he wasn't the right guy for the job.

      1. wareagle   12 years ago

        of course, this depends on what you think the job is. Is anyone still under the notion that Obama wants to improve anything as most folks define improvement?

      2. Jerryskids   12 years ago

        Because he's the hero we deserve, but not the one we need right now?

        1. Jerryskids   12 years ago

          (And fuck you, that's *not* a 'Darkie Knight' reference.)

    2. Lord Humungus   12 years ago

      peak something-or-another?

    3. Auric Demonocles   12 years ago

      Because now the media will be all tough, so he'll have to do all those things he's been putting off till term two?

  2. Lord Humungus   12 years ago

    about those unemployment numbers:
    http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2012-12.....e-lower-77

    Confused why the unemployment rate dropped? The same, favorite BLS adjustment - a drop in the labor force participation rate which declined by 0.2% to 63.6% once again, as the number of people out of the labor increased by over 540K to 88,883,000.

    1. Rich   12 years ago

      However, the adjustment is less than expected.

      /sarc

    2. gaijin   12 years ago

      yes, and don't you just love the prior month revisions...subtract 38K jobs from last month's headline number of 171K...can't wait to see how many they subtract from this month's "beat". The Recovery (TM) continues apace!

      1. Jerryskids   12 years ago

        Yes, I always like the "unexpectedly" high numbers coming out. Unexpected by who? Some of us fully expect the unexpected and we also fully expect the unexpected downward revision the next month.

        I am curious, however, about these 'experts' who were expecting lower numbers - were they predicting what the actual numbers would be or what the Labor Department was going to *say* the numbers would be?

    3. CampingInYourPark   12 years ago

      "Unemployment Plunges to 3.8% for Government Workers; Government Adds 35,000 Jobs in November, 544,000 Since July"

      http://cnsnews.com/news/articl.....ber-544000

      1. Brandon   12 years ago

        How can "government workers" be an employment class? If they're unemployed, they're not "government workers," are they?

  3. Bee Tagger   12 years ago

    North Korea's planned missile launch may be being delayed on account of snow.

    They have an informer problem? Who, from the 90s, doesn't?

    1. Ted S.   12 years ago

      A missile boom boom down.

      1. Bee Tagger   12 years ago

        Nicely done.

      2. Whiterun Guard   12 years ago

        +12 inches

      3. Rhywun   12 years ago

        He said informer, not informah.

    2. Ted S.   12 years ago

      Or, alternatively, 90s flowchart

      1. Enough About Palin   12 years ago

        I used to take calls from MC Hammer. He sounds exactly like his rapper voice.

  4. Fist of Etiquette   12 years ago

    The battle for Damascus has been taken to the international airport, where rebels warn civilians and airlines to enter only at their own risk.

    Sounds like rebels are auditioning for the TSA.

    1. LTC(ret) John   12 years ago

      Dammit Fist, isn't it a bit early to close the damn thread with a WIN?!

      1. hamilton   12 years ago

        He's really on a roll today. Must've used extra testosterone gel this morning.

  5. sarcasmic   12 years ago

    How do you maintain a consensus? Kick out anyone who disagrees!
    http://www.climatedepot.com/a/.....redentials

    1. LTC(ret) John   12 years ago

      The SCIENCE! is settled (by force).

    2. Ted S.   12 years ago

      Climate Despot might be a better name for the site.

      1. sarcasmic   12 years ago

        They are showing tolerance by not tolerating intolerance.

    3. Stormy Dragon   12 years ago

      Really? An univited audience member at a meeting sneaks up during a break and begins ranting over a microphone and we're supposed to be suprised they were told to leave?

      1. Heroic Mulatto   12 years ago

        Yes, because the United Nations is fair and impartial in selecting who is invited to speak.

        1. Stormy Dragon   12 years ago

          The Book of Mormon isn't fair and impartial in selecting who's invited to speak. If Bill Donohue jumps on stage during intermission to decry blasphemy, the fact he's gonna be thrown out isn't evidence of some conspiracy against Christians.

          1. Heroic Mulatto   12 years ago

            You're really comparing religious debate to scientific debate?

            Are you high?

            1. sarcasmic   12 years ago

              There's nothing scientific about global warming debate.
              Science is based upon skepticism.
              Global warming is based upon faith.

            2. Stormy Dragon   12 years ago

              No, I'm objecting to your assertion that public forums are required to be "fair and impartial". Even if you don't think they're being sufficiently so, you're not allowed to try and hijack the proceedings.

              1. Heroic Mulatto   12 years ago

                No, I'm objecting to your assertion that public forums are required to be "fair and impartial"

                Well, I would hope when the United Nations convenes to formulate treaties that will impact the global economy, they would at least present the 'illusion' of impartiality.

                Even if you don't think they're being sufficiently so, you're not allowed to try and hijack the proceedings.

                Not allowed by whom?

                I'm not 'surprised' we was escorted out, and I'm sure Lord Monckton wasn't either. He was engaging in principled civil disobedience. He was successful in exposing the UNcrats as the venal hypocrites they are.

                1. Stormy Dragon   12 years ago

                  As much as I think the UN is a waste of time and would like to see the US get out of it, that still doesn't make Mockton a hero for being an asshole.

                  1. Heroic Mulatto   12 years ago

                    An asshole?

                    Were protesters against Jim Crow laws "assholes" when they engaged in lunch counter sit-ins to protest immoral laws?

                    Only a spineless milquetoast would look down upon Mockton's actions as not following Robert's Rules of Order.

                    1. sloopyinca   12 years ago

                      Is Climate Change the new Jim Crow? I actually think it is in many ways.

                    2. Heroic Mulatto   12 years ago

                      You mean laws that segregate use of fossil fuels by perceived national prosperity, i.e. only cronies of shithole, eternally-aggrieved against Whitey, 3rd World countries can use them, are immoral?

                      That's unpossible!

                    3. Stormy Dragon   12 years ago

                      Hmmm, good point. I shall have to consider this further.

              2. Brandon   12 years ago

                The Mormon Church is not a "Public Forum."

                1. Stormy Dragon   12 years ago

                  I was referring to the Broadway musical, not the actual Mormon church.

  6. sarcasmic   12 years ago

    'No more bikinis!' Megan Fox reveals she plans to cover up in future to spare baby Noah's blushes

    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvs.....ushes.html

    Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!

    1. Rich   12 years ago

      Noah does seem rather embarrassed about those tats.

    2. Way Of The Crane   12 years ago

      Megan Fox reveals she plans to cover up in future to spare baby Noah's blushes

      What does she plan to do when baby Noah discovers the internet?

    3. Jordan   12 years ago

      Having children seems to turn most people into retards. Eff that.

      1. Ted S.   12 years ago

        In that case, I'm not looking forward to retard Banjos.

        (Sloopy, by virtue of rooting for An Ohio State University, is already a retard. :-p )

        1. EDG reppin' LBC   12 years ago

          ... by virtue of rooting for An Ohio State University, is already a retard.

          You sir, can go fuck yourself. And fuck Michigan!

          1. Citizen Nothing   12 years ago

            O-H...!

            1. Auscifer   12 years ago

              S-U!

          2. Ted S.   12 years ago

            Did I say I root for Michigan?

        2. Brandon   12 years ago

          Sure are a lot of 'tards in here.

    4. Whiterun Guard   12 years ago

      Bummer. Now I'll have to look at one of the thousands of other, equally hot girls in bikinis on the net.

      1. sarcasmic   12 years ago

        Yeah, but are they as deliciously trashy as Megan?

        1. Whiterun Guard   12 years ago

          Even better than that. Most of them don't have their tats removed.

    5. Redmanfms   12 years ago

      Is she going to start wearing gloves to spare the rest of the world the creeps her toe thumbs give us?

  7. Lord Humungus   12 years ago

    Beer is good for you: study finds anti-virus powers
    http://www.financialexpress.co.....rs/1041419

    Consuming large quantities of a key ingredient in beer can protect against winter sniffles and even some serious illnesses in small children, a Japanese brewery said citing a scientific study.

    A chemical compound in hops, the plant brewers use to give beer its bitter taste, provides an effective guard against a virus that can cause severe forms of pneumonia and bronchitis in youngsters, Sapporo Breweries said.

    1. Whiterun Guard   12 years ago

      Well if the brewers say it's good for you, it must be. Who would know more about beer?

      And do they actually put hops in anything Sapporo makes? As far as I can tell, all Japanese beer is as hops free as most American, European and African lagers.

      1. Restoras   12 years ago

        Hey, Guinness always said Guinness was good for you.

        1. LTC(ret) John   12 years ago

          It Makes You Strong!

          1. Bobarian   12 years ago

            Brilliant!

    2. Pro Libertate   12 years ago

      Dr. Melik: This morning for breakfast he requested something called "wheat germ, organic honey and tiger's milk."
      Dr. Aragon: [chuckling] Oh, yes. Those are the charmed substances that some years ago were thought to contain life-preserving properties.
      Dr. Melik: You mean there was no deep fat? No steak or cream pies or... hot fudge?
      Dr. Aragon: Those were thought to be unhealthy... precisely the opposite of what we now know to be true.
      Dr. Melik: Incredible.

      1. Lord Humungus   12 years ago

        I love his early, funnier movies.

        1. Pro Libertate   12 years ago

          I use that line pretty much anytime his movies come up in conversation.

        2. tarran   12 years ago

          The Curse of the Jade Scorpion, a recent movie, is really good too.

          1. Pro Libertate   12 years ago

            I've liked some of his later films, but nowhere near as much as his earlier, funnier movies.

    3. Matrix   12 years ago

      Oh, beer... is there nothing that magical liquid can't do?

      1. mad libertarian guy   12 years ago

        Be palatable.

        1. robc   12 years ago

          You clearly need to try more beers.

          1. mad libertarian guy   12 years ago

            I don't like any alcohol except the occasional hard cider, few sips of mead, or moonshine.

            I drink less in a whole year than most might in a single night.

            1. hamilton   12 years ago

              I respect your crazy-ass lifestyle, mlg.

            2. Jordan   12 years ago

              We're kindred spirits (no pun intended). Never had a beer that didn't taste like pisswater, and never had wine/liquour that didn't taste like gasoline.

              When I was in Lexington, I went to a downtown bar and tried some bourbon sampler, because it's apparently the thing to do. They gave me 4 different shots and went through a laborious description of each. They all tasted the same (terrible).

              1. Kwanzaa Cake   12 years ago

                Keep trying. For years, I could not stand scotch. Don't know why. Then one day I gave it another try, and said, hey, this is pretty damn good. Now I am making up for lost time.

                1. Emmerson Biggins   12 years ago

                  Step #1 is to not think of it as a "shot", but a very small drink. You sip it. If your tongue is wet, you already had enough on that sip. It should take you just as long to drink as a beer.

        2. Lord Humungus   12 years ago

          As a young man, I hated beer until one hot summer day on a roadtrip with friends. That's all there was to drink in the cooler.

      2. LTC(ret) John   12 years ago

        I like beer because it's good
        I drink beer because I should
        If there was a song to sing
        I'd sing it and beer you bring

        I drink beer when I am sad
        'Cause the beer it makes me glad
        Now there's nothing left to sing
        So lets go drink beer

        Beer is good, beer is good, beer is good
        And stuff
        Beer is good, beer is good, beer is good

        Let's go drink some
        BEER, BEER, BEER, BEER, BEER, BEER!

        When it's warm, it tastes real crappy
        But cold beer will make me happy
        When I throw-up on the floor
        I get up and drink some more

        They say beer will make me dumb
        It are go good with pizza
        Now that we have drunk some beer
        Let's go drive a car

        Beer is good, beer is good, beer is good
        And stuff
        Beer is good, beer is good, beer is good

        Let's go drink some
        BEER, BEER, BEER, BEER, BEER, BEER!

        Dude, I think you've had enough
        NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

        Let's go drink some beer!

        I am drunk, drunk is me, I am drunk, WEE
        I am drunk, drunk is me, I am drunk, WEE
        I am drunk, drunk is me, I am drunk, *BURP*

      3. Brian D   12 years ago

        The cause of, and solution to, all the world's problems.

    4. robc   12 years ago

      A chemical compound in hops

      Avoid BMC beers, which barely have any hops.

  8. sarcasmic   12 years ago

    Woman 'sent home from waitress training because she is too fat'

    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/new.....heavy.html

    John would give her a "tip".

    1. Way Of The Crane   12 years ago

      John would give her a "tip".

      Is cow tipping still practiced in this country?

    2. Whiterun Guard   12 years ago

      Allegedly fired for being too fat.

      So she got fired. And she is fat, so she makes the conclusion that she got fired for being fat.

      More likely she was fired for being ugly, because I mean, come on.

      1. Certified Public Asskicker   12 years ago

        Let's just say it. Looking at her while eating is not very appetizing.

  9. sarcasmic   12 years ago

    Nick Nolte in pink pants.
    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvs.....users.html
    NTTAWWT

    1. LTC(ret) John   12 years ago

      Nice try - I shan't click THAT one.

      1. sarcasmic   12 years ago

        It's pretty funny. Your loss.

        1. Kaptious Kristen   12 years ago

          Nope. That's nothing compared to Ahnold's gump cut.

          1. sarcasmic   12 years ago

            That was good.

          2. sarcasmic   12 years ago

            Encore!
            http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvs.....ircut.html

          3. sarcasmic   12 years ago

            That was pretty funny. Let's see if I can post it again. Last three tries were marked as spam.
            http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvs.....ircut.html

            1. LTC(ret) John   12 years ago

              OK, that was good. I'll go look at Nolte...

              1. LTC(ret) John   12 years ago

                Be damned if that wasn't funny - half hobo, half...something pink.

                1. KMA Too   12 years ago

                  "Queer as hobo", maybe?

                  1. LTC(ret) John   12 years ago

                    BINGO! I look forward to the premier episode.

    2. mad libertarian guy   12 years ago

      There's nothing wrong with wearing pink pants. There is definitely something wrong with that.

    3. Way Of The Crane   12 years ago

      Did he have to wrestle a homeless guy for that hat?

    4. Whiterun Guard   12 years ago

      Does Tulpa know Nick Nolte is raiding his wardrobe?

    5. Killazontherun   12 years ago

      1982's Sexiest Man Alive!

  10. Lord Humungus   12 years ago

    Why Obama Can't Bring Back the 90s Economic Boom
    http://www.thefiscaltimes.com/.....aspx#page1

    These kinds of comparisons to the 1990s annoy economists like Douglas Holtz-Eakin, who has advised GOP presidential campaigns and now runs the American Action Forum. Affluence during the Clinton era derived in large part from forces that had little to do with changing taxes: demographic trends, the rise of the Internet, the tech stock bubble, and phenomena that are divorced from some of the dominant traits in the economy as it is now.

    "The free lunches on productivity from then are all gone now," Holtz-Eakin said. "I understand the politics of it, but it's shoddy empirical research. I would flunk a freshman who did that."

    1. gaijin   12 years ago

      "The free lunches on productivity from then are all gone now,"

      I think there are plenty of free lunches being consumed now.

    2. wareagle   12 years ago

      the title is an epic fail in itself. There is no evidence to show that BO is interested in bringing forth any sort of economic boom.

    3. R C Dean   12 years ago

      Just to break this down:

      demographic trends,

      What demo trends in the '90s that drove productivity are now absent? I'm really curious about that. The Boomers only just started aging out of the workforce, so that doesn't seem like enough of an explanation.

      the rise of the Internet,

      OK, I can sort of see this one. But why doesn't having a fully mature new infrastructure continue to drive productivity? Why is it only the installation of infrastructure that is good?

      the tech stock bubble,

      Since supplanted by the housing bubble in the 00s, so its not like we've lacked a credit-driven bubble until the last few years (leaving aside the argument that the stock market is now in a credit-driven bubble, or that the dollar and Treasuries are currently in a bubble).

      Plus, isn't a bubble when actual productivity doesn't justify high prices? Doesn't calling it a bubble mean it didn't drive that much productivity?

      and phenomena that are divorced from some of the dominant traits in the economy as it is now.

      Whatever the fuck that means.

      1. Tulpa Doom   12 years ago

        He may be referring to the fact that the boomers were in their most productive years, while the new senior citizens of that decade were born during the 1930s, when birthrates were at ultra-low levels.

        The internet productivity gains are priced in to the economy now, so they're not causing any growth on their own. The internet innovations we're seeing now are arguably productivity-decreasing crap like Facebook and Groupon.

  11. Fist of Etiquette   12 years ago

    Egyptians are pouring in to Tahrir Square to protest Morsi, the Muslim Brotherhood and the draft constitution that will be voted on next week.

    They're not booing, they're saying, "Moooooose-limb brotherhooooood."

    1. sarcasmic   12 years ago

      "I was saying Boo-urns"

  12. invisible furry hand   12 years ago

    when will a disappointed Nobel Peace prize nominee sue over Obama's prize?

    A stem cell research pioneer is suing the Swedish assembly that awards the Nobel medicine prize, in a first such lawsuit, over claims it made about this year's winners, a spokeswoman said Thursday.

    Rongxiang Xu, who describes himself as the founder of "human body regenerative restoration science" claims he made a key discovery credited to the Nobel winners a decade before they did.

    http://www.thelocal.se/44904/2.....MHW8uSR-So

    1. Rich   12 years ago

      That's *really* why they exhumed Arafat.

  13. invisible furry hand   12 years ago

    Polaks don't mess about:

    A professor at the Catholic University of Lublin (KUL), south east Poland, could face up to three years in prison after prosecutors launched an investigation into alleged plagiarism.

    http://www.thenews.pl/1/9/Arty.....plagiarism

  14. db   12 years ago

    Kim Jong-un must wait
    Snowflakes have postponed his test
    Winter drops the bomb

    1. invisible furry hand   12 years ago

      OK, now do one about Nick Nolte's pink pants

      1. db   12 years ago

        Rough Carhartt jacket
        Dainty pink below the hem
        Thank god not Brit "pants"

      2. LTC(ret) John   12 years ago

        Nick Nolte's pink pants
        Not That There Is Anything Wrong
        With Them. Except wearing

        1. KDN   12 years ago

          5-7-6? INVALID!

          1. LTC(ret) John   12 years ago

            Gah, missed the last word. BZZZT!

        2. generic Brand   12 years ago

          Too many syllables on the last line. And needs to reference a season or time.

          Nick Nolte's pink pants
          What was he thinking today?
          Past Labor Day, though.

          1. LTC(ret) John   12 years ago

            Much better - you got the seasonal reference in.

    2. Fist of Etiquette   12 years ago

      There once was a boy from Pyongyang
      who needed to come in with a bang
      was kicked in his keister
      by a stray nor'easter
      so limp went his surrogate wang.

      1. Whiterun Guard   12 years ago

        alone.

        in this world
        with nothing but livejournal
        and the promise of a
        norko utopia
        to keep me
        alive.
        nick
        wears some beautiful pants.
        and i have hope.

        1. Generic Stranger   12 years ago

          I'm so ronery...

  15. Fist of Etiquette   12 years ago

    ...moving the unemployment rate down to 7.7 percent, the lowest it's been since 2008.

    Woo-hoo. Four years later we're at 7.7 percent unemployed. (These numbers are the final revisions, right?)

    1. db   12 years ago

      Labor force -= 540000

  16. Lord Humungus   12 years ago

    Why the Monopoly Player Pieces (Thimble, Top Hat, Etc.) are What They Are
    http://www.todayifoundout.com/.....ly-pieces/

    John even has a theory why the specific player tokens were chosen:

    I think they chose Cracker Jack prizes that symbolize wealth and poverty. The car, top hat, and dog (especially a little terrier like Asta, then famous from "The Thin Man" movie series) were all possessions of the wealthy. The thimble, wheelbarrow, old shoe, and iron were possessions or tools of the poor.

  17. invisible furry hand   12 years ago

    Not only were the gay incestuous twins real, says Prudie, but the lesbian incestuous twins are too (SFW)

    1. generic Brand   12 years ago

      Pics or it didn't happen, Prudence!

      1. Kaptious Kristen   12 years ago

        Here ya go, generic

        1. generic Brand   12 years ago

          Why? WHY do I bring such pain and misery upon myself?! Mine eyes cannot unsee that which has been seen!!!

          1. .Rob   12 years ago

            Cue Barfman in 3,2,1...

        2. Groovus Maximus   12 years ago

          Odd. I was expecting a photo of Jedward.

          1. LTC(ret) John   12 years ago

            Well played, doctor. Well played.

        3. mad libertarian guy   12 years ago

          Now that was just fucking mean. DC has warped you.

          1. Kaptious Kristen   12 years ago

            More than you know, dude.

    2. Whiterun Guard   12 years ago

      She didn't answer my question of who would win in a fight between Science Cat and season 3 of Northern Exposure.

  18. mad libertarian guy   12 years ago

    Is it bad that the only thing that I found noteworthy in this blog post about a guy who found a duffel bag full of weed stashed in his back yard is that I'm paying for his goddamn solar panels?

    I already did the full Tex-Avery-wolf AOOOOGAH! upon discovering the mammoth sackful of dope - estimated to be worth somewhere north of $175,000. My jaw already dropped. My eyes already bugged out. Now my heart is thumping my gullet. Breathing is getting iffy.

    I try to speak. I think my exact words to the solar-panel technician standing equally open-mouthed next to me are something to the effect of "Holy. Fucking. SHIT!"

    [. . .]

    But I'm getting ahead of myself ?

    Last June, we signed a contract to have solar panels installed on our house in the Silver Lake section of Los Angeles.

    We have a big, flat, south-facing roof, and we've been wanting to shrink our carbon load on the planet's fucked-up atmosphere, so we looked into and found a good deal:

    Thanks to federal and state rebates and a clever leasing scheme, Sungevity offered to install the system at a net cost to us of Absolutely Free.

    Yeah. "Free." That's it.

    Because if we didn't offer taxpayer funded incentives to guys who own their own home and want to make hugely expensive renovations, we'd be just like Somalia.

    Buy your own peace of fucking mind, asshole.

    1. JW   12 years ago

      I've told the story before, about one of my staffers and his solar installation, so I'll skip to the juicy bits.

      Household income = North of $350,000/year
      House = $1,000,000 (near-constant high-end renovating going on inside)
      Household = No kids
      Solar panel install value - $40,000
      Cost to homeowner = $0
      Benefit re electric bill = 99.99% to the homeowner

      And we get stuck with the bill.

    2. JW   12 years ago

      Buy your own peace of fucking mind, asshole.

      I use my Nelson laugh, every time I read a story about one of these monorail solar companies going tits up and the parasites waiting for their shiny new panels losing their deposits.

  19. Rich   12 years ago

    Artist uses ashes of Holocaust victims to make painting

    *** rising intonation ***

    Should have used elephant dung ....

    1. Way Of The Crane   12 years ago

      I'm so sick and tired of people painting squares and calling it art! Make a smiley face or something and show us you have some skill beyond drawing the same basic shapes you learned in preschool.

      1. Zeb   12 years ago

        Then don't look at it. Anyone can make a picture that looks like something. You are confusing art with craft.

        1. Way Of The Crane   12 years ago

          You are confusing art with craft.

          And you're confusing sarcasm with serious commentary. The story was a piece about using the ashes of Holocaust victims to make a painting and I chose to complain about the fact that he painted a square. Thanks for playing. Pick up your sense of humor at the door.

          1. Rich   12 years ago

            It's sarcasm all the way down.

            1. Whiterun Guard   12 years ago

              Please. I'm just so sure there's sarcasm below this level.

              1. Rich   12 years ago

                I never meta-sarcasm. I didn't like.

          2. Zeb   12 years ago

            Poe's law, or something. I've run into enough people who seriously make that argument that I can't be sure.

            1. Way Of The Crane   12 years ago

              I forgive you. As a Newbie to H + R I should probably point out that I should never be taken seriously.

            2. Way Of The Crane   12 years ago

              And sorry about the whole "sense of humor" crack ... I think I'm starting my period.

              1. Tonio   12 years ago

                Don't worry, Stork, you're showing great promise. Keep it up and I'll personally sponsor you.

              2. Kaptious Kristen   12 years ago

                Never apologize on HyR - it will be seen as weakness and STEVE SMITH will rape you and Warty will slowly devour you.

                1. LTC(ret) John   12 years ago

                  Slowly?

                2. hamilton   12 years ago

                  Though to be fair they are both likely to do that to you anyway.

                3. Way Of The Crane   12 years ago

                  Never apologize on HyR - it will be seen as weakness and STEVE SMITH will rape you and Warty will slowly devour you.

                  It will take some time before I learn what feathers deserve to be ruffled. Until then, I'll play nice.

              3. Zeb   12 years ago

                No worries.

    2. Hell's Librarian   12 years ago

      Gallery owner Martin Bryder told Swedish radio that he sees no "moral flaws" in displaying the piece.

      WTF

      1. LTC(ret) John   12 years ago

        When you have no morals, how could they be flawed?

  20. Lord Humungus   12 years ago

    The 23 Most Ridiculous Deaths of 2012
    http://www.ranker.com/list/the-27-mos.....dauenhauer

    Three People Fight to the Death in Karaoke Dispute

    Man Cooked to Death at Bumble Bee Tuna Factory

    Man Shot Dead Trying to Cure Hiccups

    etc etc...

    note: 5 pages, not a slideshow

    1. Ted S.   12 years ago

      note: 5 pages, not a slideshow

      Thank you, thank you, thank you!

  21. Fist of Etiquette   12 years ago

    Joint Pain would actually be a great name for a medical marijuana dispensary.

    1. Bee Tagger   12 years ago

      House of Joint Pain if it also rents out bouncy castles on the side.

      1. Fist of Etiquette   12 years ago

        Which enterprise would get them raided first?

        1. Tim   12 years ago

          NCC 1701 D

          1. Fist of Etiquette   12 years ago

            I knew I should have said venture or endavour. No one even knows those ships' registry numbers.

            1. Fist of Etiquette   12 years ago

              Endeavour, that is.

              1. db   12 years ago

                OV-105

      2. LTC(ret) John   12 years ago

        Got pain from using the bouncy castle? Ameliorate it with our medical MJ!

      3. Quetzalcoatl   12 years ago

        Their motto: "Jump around".

      4. fish   12 years ago

        Waffle Haus of Joint Pain

        (my kingdom for an umlaut)

        1. hamilton   12 years ago

          ..

        2. Rhywun   12 years ago

          Where would you put it? Unless you're an 80s metal band, none of those words takes one.

          1. Bobarian   12 years ago

            You'd obviously put it everywhere.

            1. Pi Guy   12 years ago

              Hell, even over the consonants

    2. R C Dean   12 years ago

      See, I would probably go with Joint Venture. Maybe Pot Holder, for a three-fer with bonus AG taunt.

  22. The Late P Brooks   12 years ago

    These kinds of comparisons to the 1990s annoy economists like Douglas Holtz-Eakin, who has advised GOP presidential campaigns and now runs the American Action Forum.

    How can anybody accept this idiocy at face value?

  23. Kaptious Kristen   12 years ago

    From today's Washington Post Express crossword - 46 Down: "Twirls, as one's hair".

    Anyone care to guess the answer? Six letters, begins with T, ends with S. Only super-smarty-pantsed people will get it.

    1. invisible furry hand   12 years ago

      Hmmm... tough... maybe you can help me with my crossword. I'm stuck on 10 down.

      "Young gay men, chained in Warty's basement. Six letters, begins with T, ends with S"

      1. Kaptious Kristen   12 years ago

        Better would be "Twinks chained in Warty's basement". Six letters, begins with T and ends with S.

    2. Bee Tagger   12 years ago

      Your last sentence makes me think you may be being sarcastic, but my ego requires me to venture a guess: teases

      1. Kaptious Kristen   12 years ago

        Incorrect. You are the weakest smarty pants. Goodbye.

      2. mad libertarian guy   12 years ago

        Twirls

        1. Kaptious Kristen   12 years ago

          mlg got it

          1. db   12 years ago

            They used the actual word in the clue?

          2. Quetzalcoatl   12 years ago

            Well I guess that's why it's the Express crossword...

            1. Ska   12 years ago

              Nice 😀

          3. Randian   12 years ago

            Isn't it "twists"?

            1. Kaptious Kristen   12 years ago

              Nope - all the other answers around it spell "twirls"

              1. Randian   12 years ago

                Pfft. Isn't this the vaunted xword puzzle that my dreamy lover Rachel Maddow can finish in 14 minutes?

                1. Kaptious Kristen   12 years ago

                  I doubt Ms. Maddcow does the Express xword. It's for people who - *gasp* - take public transport.

                  1. Way Of The Crane   12 years ago

                    Isn't the WAPO xpress a free paper? Since when does Maddow not like handouts?

                2. WTF   12 years ago

                  Well, now we know why.

    3. generic Brand   12 years ago

      From today's Washington Post Express crossword - 46 Down: "Twirls, as one's hair".

      Anyone care to guess the answer? Six letters, begins with T, ends with S.

      Twirls? Or is the meta-answer an impossibility in crossword puzzles?

    4. Quetzalcoatl   12 years ago

      Maybe I'm missing something, but is it "twists"?

    5. Tonio   12 years ago

      Dammit, KK, you're such a tease.

  24. The Late P Brooks   12 years ago

    We have a big, flat, south-facing roof, and we've been wanting to shrink our carbon load on the planet's fucked-up atmosphere, so we looked into and found a good deal:

    Thanks to federal and state rebates and a clever leasing scheme, Sungevity offered to install the system at a net cost to us of Absolutely Free.

    I have a suggestion for how you can reduce your effect on the planet: hang yourself, you fucking parasite.

    1. mad libertarian guy   12 years ago

      How people can feel so fucking self righteous about retaining peace of mind via other people's money, I don't know.

      America used to be a land where getting government cash was shameful. I guess government schooling has beat that shame out of most.

      1. wareagle   12 years ago

        and thusly, mad guy, you have answered the question of how someone like Obama can win re-election.

    2. Zeb   12 years ago

      Or sell some of that fucking weed and pay for it yourself. Isn't there a dispensary nearby?

      1. mad libertarian guy   12 years ago

        That was EXACTLY my take on it yesterday when I blogged about it.

        It would have been more honest of him to sell the weed and buy his own peace of mind.

      2. Ted S.   12 years ago

        Stakeout on Dope Street

        (Unfortunately, not on DVD.)

  25. Lord Humungus   12 years ago

    Memo To Strikers: You Could Have Killed Your Own Job
    http://news.investors.com/ibd-.....abroad.htm

    The clerical workers unit of the longshoremen's union at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach went on strike for a week, shutting down 10 of the harbor's 14 container terminals, idling thousands of dockworkers and truckers and costing the local economy an estimated $1 billion a day in lost wages and sales. And for what? To protect jobs, the union said.

    In fact, the strike was more like a case of attempted job suicide. As of Tuesday, just before the strike was called off in a tentative deal, 17 giant container ships that would have unloaded at the harbor had been rerouted. Nine went to Oakland, which at least kept them in the state. But some left for foreign ports, including Ensenada and Manzanillo in Mexico.

    1. Don Mynack   12 years ago

      No worries. With the Panama Canal expansion, these ships will soon go directly to Houston or New Orleans and bypass the LA terminal chokepoint.

  26. NoVAHockey   12 years ago

    I've figured out why I arrive so pissed off at work everyday. WTOP is basically cycling Bob Schieffer , Candy Crowley, and David Gregory on to discuss the fiscal cliff crisis and how awful this is.

    1. Kaptious Kristen   12 years ago

      I only tune to WTOP on the 8s, 15s and 45s. It has kept me sane on many a drive.

    2. Ted S.   12 years ago

      I figured you're just pissed off by nature. 🙂

      1. NoVAHockey   12 years ago

        that too.

      2. EDG reppin' LBC   12 years ago

        Me too. I mean, you're handle indicates you're a hockey fan. We always thought you were just throwing off the gloves.

        1. Ted S.   12 years ago

          He is handle does indeed indicate he's a hockey fan, which, considering how Gary Bettman has fucked up hockey, is enough reason to be mad.

    3. JW   12 years ago

      You listen to TOP? Now, you're just being a glutton.

      I haven't really listened to terrestrial radio since 2007 and then usually only to WBAL's Ron Smith or WTMD on the web. After Ron died, I haven't bothered.

  27. Don Mynack   12 years ago

    "Willis and Vivian Bramstaedt planned to live out their days on a farm in rural Beecher, Illinois. But two years ago, they got a disturbing letter from the Illinois Department of Transportation: the state, using its eminent-domain powers, would seize their land to provide space for a brand-new airport?intended to relieve congestion at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport, some 60 miles north. Critics of the proposed new airport note that O'Hare is expanding, nationwide air traffic is flat, and Illinois is almost broke. Nonetheless, the state has spent about $33 million gobbling up land for the new airport, even though the project has yet to win approval from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The Bramstaedts have become resigned to losing their farm, they told the Chicago Tribune."

    http://www.city-journal.org/20.....ports.html

    Here's The One supporting this boondoggle in 2004 "State Senator Barack Obama's Springfield Report, Have it both ways: Expand O'hare, build Peotone"

    http://www.hydepark.org/transit/Peotone.htm#obama

    If only the journalists knew how to use google!

    1. LTC(ret) John   12 years ago

      Every dirt slurper politician (but I repeat myself) in IL somehow managed to get an interest in, or a piece of land outright in that area - And look, here comes the State to "seize" it and "pay fair market value"... to the politicos. The normal humans can just bend over and take it hard.

      I often want to vomit in rage, when I read the news of this state.

      1. tarran   12 years ago

        It's how they roll in Illionis.

        In the case of Abraham Lincoln it was land along the path of the railroads he planned on having the Fed Gov subsidize.

        1. R C Dean   12 years ago

          And now that the Illinois crony machine has captured DC, that's how they roll in DC, too.

        2. LTC(ret) John   12 years ago

          I'd rather the politicos here were just plain thieves and bribe takers -but nooooo, they have to crush the average Joe and Jane on their sleazy path to riches. #$%&*!

  28. sloopyinca   12 years ago

    Baby update (if anybody cares): they got her moved to Children's Hospital yesterday. Monday and Tuesday went really well, but Wednesday and yesterday were a lot rougher on her. She's not holding any food down at all (they have had her on an IV because they kinda expected this all along), which is causing her a lot of stomach pain and agitation, not to mention all the additional pressure being put on it to begin with. On the good news front, she's stable and we're meeting the surgeons this morning. Hopefully they'll tell us they want to go ahead with the surgery earlier since it's already receded more than they had initially planned.

    That will cause a dilemma, though: when they complete the surgery, they'll reconstruct her abdominal skin and give her a fake belly button and she'll barely have a noticeable scar when she starts growing. The dilemma is that I'd rather them not give her a fake belly button. That way, when she grows up, she'll always be "that girl without a belly button", and will always be mysterious and have a conversation starter. Kara thinks I'm an idiot.

    1. AuH2O   12 years ago

      Like Kyle XY?

    2. invisible furry hand   12 years ago

      Sorry to hear that, but I'm impressed she still managed to get herself a credit card and donate to Reason. That's a work ethic!

      Re your idiocy, I'm with Kara. She will be embarrassed by the lack of it, sick of hearing the question, or both. Poor little bugger is having a tough enough start without that. Let her mystery and conversation-starters come from her compelling personality, startling good looks, and shooting skills

      1. sarcasmic   12 years ago

        She will be embarrassed by the lack of it, sick of hearing the question, or both.

        Aye.

        1. sloopyinca   12 years ago

          See, I disagree. In this day and age, a compelling personality is frowned upon and one's acumen in social media is probably more important anyway.

          I'm for her creating some narrative that perhaps she was cloned and perhaps she was sent directly from God. Either way, she'll hold sway over every simple-minded peer of hers, of which I expect there to be many. And when she gets older and wears a bikini, everybody will be all "I am not going to try and go after that girl," which makes a dad feel a lot better.

          1. SugarFree   12 years ago

            "Where's your belly button? Ew."

            "It's on my fist." [sucker punch]

          2. sarcasmic   12 years ago

            Kids are cruel. Don't make it easier for them.

            1. sloopyinca   12 years ago

              The best way to make sure your kid isn't the target of the cruel kids is to make sure they are one of the cruel kids. (Just kidding)

              1. sarcasmic   12 years ago

                Just sayin. I remember back in middle school the grief that the uncircumcised kid got in the showers. I can only imagine the torture that would have been lobbed at a kid without a belly button.

                1. sloopyinca   12 years ago

                  First of all, they don't shower at schools anymore except maybe here. Second of all, uncircumcised penises are disgusting. No wonder they gave him shit.

                  1. EDG reppin' LBC   12 years ago

                    Second of all, uncircumcised penises are disgusting.

                    Oh dear Lord, here we go.

                  2. Ted S.   12 years ago

                    Just because your uncircumcised penis is disgusting doesn't mean all uncircumcised penises are disgusting.

              2. Heroic Mulatto   12 years ago

                The best way to make sure your kid isn't the target of the cruel kids is to make sure they are one of the cruel kids. (Just kidding)

                Actually, I kind of agree with that.

            2. JW   12 years ago

              How are you guys missing the obvious answer?

              Give her a double belly button. One inny, one outy.

          3. mad libertarian guy   12 years ago

            And when she gets older and wears a bikini, everybody will be all "I am not going to try and go after that girl,"

            Guys will say that, but not for the reasons you would hope for.

            1. Zeb   12 years ago

              Yeah, dad will be standing there with a giant knife and a shotgun.

          4. Zeb   12 years ago

            Stick to your guns Sloopy. Having awseome hardcore individualist parents, and being home-schooled, she'll be a fine and confident person, I am sure. And will always be a weirdo anyway, so fuck it.

            Kids are only as horrible as everyone thinks if you let them get to you. If you are confident and don't care what they say, they will soon tire of commenting on one, really minor, physical abnormality.

          5. gaijin   12 years ago

            She can always choose to remove it herself later in life...much harder on her to have to get it 're-installed' I'd say.

          6. Night Elf Mohawk   12 years ago

            You can disagree all you want, but you'll be fucking her over in favor of your own warped view of the world. Granted, that's a parent's prerogative, but this would be an epic mistake.

            1. sloopyinca   12 years ago

              What does putting or not putting a fake belly button on a child after major abdominal surgery have to do with a warped worldview? Seriously?

              1. Night Elf Mohawk   12 years ago

                What premises lead you to consider the possibility of not giving your daughter the chance to avoid stares, comments, and derision when doing so is apparently well within your ability?

                Look, it's your (y'all's) decision but I wouldn't want to be in the position of explaining to my daughter that I made the decision that led to every-fucking-body at the water park staring and pointing when she wears a bikini.

                It seems like there's plenty of downside and no real upside and I'd definitely have gone the fake belly button route with my daughters, but I've already imposed the freakishly tall genes on them so maybe that colors my view.

                1. sloopyinca   12 years ago

                  I just disagree. And I'm sure we'll do the button. I just wanted to have a little fun on here and also at home messing with the wife. But really, we're talking something smaller than a dime that is visible to others maybe 2% of her life. Do you really see how I might view it as absurd that people would judge her in any way because of it? Not to mention it will be fake...created solely for cosmetic purposes because people are shallow idiots by nature.

                  What if she had a misshapen nose? Should I have it "fixed" to avoid her getting shit down the road?

                  1. Groovus Maximus   12 years ago

                    What if she had a misshapen nose? Should I have it "fixed" to avoid her getting shit down the road?

                    16 year old girls the world over say, "YES!", "DA!", "YA!", "SI!", "OUI!" and every other affirmative.

                    Like or not, sloop: Appearance matters.

          7. R C Dean   12 years ago

            I'm with sloop on this one.

            Not having a bellybutton will draw out the scum who will self-identify by giving her shit. The kids who think its cool are the ones she will want to chill with, anyway.

            You'd be giving her a huge leg up on sorting through the scrum to discard the morons and identify the good ones.

            1. Groovus Maximus   12 years ago

              As I have found, much to my chagrin in my fortyish years of confirmed bachelorhood, RC, all the good ones are taken. Or they live too far away, like AUS, for example.

              Call it an Iron Law...

      2. mad libertarian guy   12 years ago

        Agreed.

        In school, she'll be known as the freak with no belly button. Don't hang that anchor on her neck.

        1. SugarFree   12 years ago

          Well, she is already going to be the girl with the really old dad... maybe a state of bellybuttonlessness would be welcome distraction.

        2. sloopyinca   12 years ago

          School? Sorry, but I'm not going to abuse my child and send them to a public school.

          1. mad libertarian guy   12 years ago

            Revision: In school everything in life she ever does, she'll be known as the freak with no belly button. Don't hang that anchor on her neck.

            Also, all public government schools are (technically) schools, but not all schools are public.

        3. Auric Demonocles   12 years ago

          They're planning on homeschooling...

          1. sarcasmic   12 years ago

            "Everything I know, I learned from my mom!"

            1. invisible furry hand   12 years ago

              cue the male commentaters around here pointing out that they learnt a lot from your mom too

              1. robc   12 years ago

                Not just the male commentators.

                1. sarcasmic   12 years ago

                  Some days I feel like I'm trapped inside an episode of The Regular Show.

                  1. LTC(ret) John   12 years ago

                    You know who else feels trapped?

                    My Mom!

                    1. Auric Demonocles   12 years ago

                      Then maybe you should get off of her.

                    2. Ted S.   12 years ago

                      You know who else feels trapped?

                      R. Kelly?

    3. generic Brand   12 years ago

      they'll reconstruct her abdominal skin and give her a fake belly button and she'll barely have a noticeable scar when she starts growing.

      Like Friday Jones? She can have a smuggling flap where her belly button should be!

      1. generic Brand   12 years ago

        Fuck! Friday Baldwin, although I could've swore she used the surname Jones as an alias at some point in the book.

        1. Ted S.   12 years ago

          Better than confusing it with Rebecca Black's "Friday".

          1. invisible furry hand   12 years ago

            you evil bastard. Now the brain infection is flaring up again. "Gotta get down on Friday..."

            1. Groovus Maximus   12 years ago

              The Groovy One to the Rescue!

              1. invisible furry hand   12 years ago

                smooooooth

              2. JW   12 years ago

                I always hated that video, but I didn't mind looking at Lady Miss Kier bust her moves.

                1. SugarFree   12 years ago

                  "Time, time, time,
                  See what's become of me."

                  1. invisible furry hand   12 years ago

                    sweet Jesus. If only that were decently obscured by a hazy shade of winter

                  2. Heroic Mulatto   12 years ago

                    Wow, she shouldn't have stopped dancing/snorting coke.

                  3. JW   12 years ago

                    Yeah, I didn't say now.

              3. Ted S.   12 years ago

                Groovus may be the doctor, but I'm the one with the cure.

      2. Tonio   12 years ago

        Thanks, gB, I was wondering when someone would get to that.

    4. LTC(ret) John   12 years ago

      Idiocy judgment aside (leaving that to banjos) I think that is kind of cool. At least worth contemplating. Might be a bit of a problem as a little kid, however.

    5. Kaptious Kristen   12 years ago

      I'd go with fake button.

      Much love & luck to all of you.

    6. alittlesense   12 years ago

      And she'll be able to mess with her friends' heads by letting it slip that she might not be from this planet....

      1. Zeb   12 years ago

        Or she hatched from an egg. Or grew fully formed from her father's forehead. But the latter would sell Banjos' contribution rather short, I guess.

    7. Fist of Etiquette   12 years ago

      Where would she store her lint?

      1. Ska   12 years ago

        Meh, pockets are still the best for that.

    8. Pro Libertate   12 years ago

      Hadn't heard about this, Ken--hope everything goes well.

      I'd allow the belly button. She's already named Reason and is being raised by militia members or something.

      1. JW   12 years ago

        I'd allow the belly button. She's already named Reason and is being raised by militia members or something.

        No, no, they're an artisanal organic collective or some such.

        I knew, but can never remember what exactly the disorder is hat lil' Reason has. Best of luck, you three.

    9. SugarFree   12 years ago

      Belly buttons are over-rated. They are little more than cycloptic lint-trapping reverse-nipples.

      Tell Banjos that belly-buttons are for the weak!

      So glad to hear that things are going as well as they are.

      1. Pro Libertate   12 years ago

        Come now, admit that you use yours for storage.

        1. SugarFree   12 years ago

          My high school girlfriend was a squirter. I had to clean my belly button out a lot.

          1. Pro Libertate   12 years ago

            They should sell belly button plugs. With customizable designs.

            1. SugarFree   12 years ago

              Flaming tiger skulls, just like my jimmie hats.

            2. Tonio   12 years ago

              They do, sorta. Belly dancers have long placed jewels in their navels. (OK, more often it's colored glass, but still.)

          2. gaijin   12 years ago

            a squirter?

            1. SugarFree   12 years ago

              http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Female_ejaculation

            2. SugarFree   12 years ago

              Female ejaculation

              Female ejaculation (also known colloquially as gushing or squirting,[1] although these are considered different phenomena in some research publications[2]) refers to the expulsion of fluid by human females from the paraurethral ducts through and around the urethra during or before an orgasm. The exact source and nature of the fluid continues to be a topic of debate among medical professionals and is related to doubts over the existence of the G-Spot.

            3. SugarFree   12 years ago

              Female ejaculation (also known colloquially as gushing or squirting,[1] although these are considered different phenomena in some research publications[2]) refers to the expulsion of fluid by human females from the paraurethral ducts through and around the urethra during or before an orgasm. The exact source and nature of the fluid continues to be a topic of debate among medical professionals and is related to doubts over the existence of the G-Spot.

              Spam filter won't let me post the wiki-link.

              1. sloopyinca   12 years ago

                Spam filter won't let me post the wiki-link.

                I bet he'll get the point if he does a google image search with SafeSearch Off.

              2. gaijin   12 years ago

                ok, so having read your post and looked about, it seems you're saying your gf peed on you. Makes sense 😉

                1. SugarFree   12 years ago

                  No, no. It was clearly not pee-like in consistency. And it wasn't some firehouse of goo. Maybe a half-teaspoon.

                  1. Heroic Mulatto   12 years ago

                    Are you sure "she" just wasn't a hermaphrodite giving you the money shot with "her" ciltorial-looking micropenis?

                    1. SugarFree   12 years ago

                      No, that was a girl my friend Chris dated. It's a quite sordid story.

                    2. Bobarian   12 years ago

                      What do you mean 'micropenis'?

                      Her 'clit' was 9 inches long.

            4. KMA Too   12 years ago

              C'mon...certainly someone else was intrigued when they read that.

              Right?

              1. SugarFree   12 years ago

                I have desensentized them.

              2. Jordan   12 years ago

                I think most of us have already done, uh, extensive research on the subject.

                1. Big 'Orra   12 years ago

                  I think most of us have already done, uh, extensive research on the subject.

                  Blessed with a wife with this ... um ... skill -- LOVE it!

      2. invisible furry hand   12 years ago

        They are for the strong! Only a true man can deal with an itty-bitty tummy vajajay.

        BTW, where is the fevered discussion on inny vs outty bellybuttons?

        1. SugarFree   12 years ago

          It's either a useless faux-gina or a miniature replic-nis. Either way: not interested.

        2. sloopyinca   12 years ago

          Only a true man can deal with an itty-bitty tummy vajajay.

          You must date a lot of Asians.

        3. Groovus Maximus   12 years ago

          What did the blonde girl say when she had sex with the blonde guy?

          "OW! My belly button hurts!"

          1. sarcasmic   12 years ago

            Q: How did the blonde get pregnant?

            A: And you say we're stupid?

      3. Charlotte Sometimes   12 years ago

        Back when we were dating, I remarked to my then-boyfriend/now-husband that I thought my his belly-button lint was really weird (girls do not accumulate a lint ball throughout the day). Ever since then, he has intermittently left that stupid fuzz in places I am sure to find it. Like on the steering wheel of my car, on my toothbrush, on the conditioner in the shower, on my PS3 controller, on my lipstick, etc. Good times.

        1. Charlotte Sometimes   12 years ago

          Oops. Just pretend that second "my" is not in the first sentence.

        2. SugarFree   12 years ago

          Excellent. Tell me someone on the internet he's never heard of approves.

          1. Charlotte Sometimes   12 years ago

            It always makes me smirk. And he's heard of you. Who do you think he curses (in jest) when I play my latest music downloads?

            1. SugarFree   12 years ago

              My work here is complete.

    10. Quetzalcoatl   12 years ago

      Glad to hear she's stable and doing well.

      I fully support the button-less cause. That would be awesome.

    11. Ken Shultz   12 years ago

      "That way, when she grows up, she'll always be "that girl without a belly button", and will always be mysterious and have a conversation starter."

      She could really freak the creationists out. Claim she was created and start a new religion. Tell them God wants them to start thinking for themselves.

      Call it Reasonism.

      1. Quetzalcoatl   12 years ago

        Centered around the teachings of the Prophet Postrelus?

        1. LTC(ret) John   12 years ago

          Today's reading, from the Book of Lucy.

          1. sloopyinca   12 years ago

            Will there be typos?

            1. LTC(ret) John   12 years ago

              "Will there be typos?"

              If I am involved at all...many!

            2. Generic Stranger   12 years ago

              Many, and they will all be treated as the Word of Ogd.

          2. Quetzalcoatl   12 years ago

            "And then the Apostle Balko kissed The Jacket on it's holy lapel, and left to work for Huffington Pilate."

    12. Zeb   12 years ago

      I say no belly button. That would be awesome.

      Interesting that women seem to favor the fake button and men are neutral or like the no button. Personally I think it would be great to have some odd physical trait like that. With the parents she has, I can only imagine that she will have the confidence to deal with it. Would little kids even notice anyway? Or care?

      1. Hell's Librarian   12 years ago

        Would little kids even notice anyway? Or care?

        Yes.

        1. Zeb   12 years ago

          I don't buy it. And I bet they would think it was cool if they even did notice.

        2. wareagle   12 years ago

          and being little kids, they will likely notice in a way that paints the girl as a freak. Do the belly button.

          1. Hell's Librarian   12 years ago

            ^^ This.

            1. SugarFree   12 years ago

              Someone is getting paid off by Big Belly Button.

              1. Hell's Librarian   12 years ago

                Innies 4 LYF!!!!

    13. Hell's Librarian   12 years ago

      Glad to hear the little one is recouping, and I hope her surgery goes well.

      Re the bellybutton: Other kids are malicious little shits who latch onto something and ding it to death. I wouldn't subject her to that.

    14. Groovus Maximus   12 years ago

      1) Thank you for the update, and yes I do care. I told you this is why when omphaloceles are present, surgery is delayed in favour of a "wait and see" approach (barring extreme cases where the intestines are affected d/t the likelihood of stricture and strangulation). I will be surprised if they go ahead now, instead of opting for delaying the surgery for another week. As far as the feeding goes, she will be in IV until then, most likely, or possibly an NG tube.

      2) Banjos is absolutely correct. If Baby Reason had a tail, would you keep it for msytery, creepy conversation starters, and general shits n' giggles?

      1. Pro Libertate   12 years ago

        I have to admit that I am surprised that they tested her with the gom jabbar this early.

        Ken, when lawyers and doctors agree, take their advice. It only happens like once a decade.

      2. Zeb   12 years ago

        I don't know. I think that no belly button would be a whole different category from extra appendages. The latter look weird and generally get in the way. Something subtle like no belly button would be interesting, but not uncomfortable or limiting in any way.

        But maybe I'm weird. I've never really been terribly concerned with body image or what other people think. And I never felt like kids were as horrible as everyone else seems to think they are.

      3. Ted S.   12 years ago

        If Baby Reason had a tail, would you keep it for msytery, creepy conversation starters, and general shits n' giggles?

        Sloopy probably would.

      4. sloopyinca   12 years ago

        1. I may have misled you the way I wrote that. It looks like they may now do it within the next few weeks, when the original plan was to wrap it in a fake skin-like membrane which the skin would gradually grow over and then they'd do the surgery...probably in 6 months or so. The first doc said they do that for giant Omphaloceles and ones that are generally large. With small ones, they play wait and see, allowing the membrane to shrink on its own and go in and perform the surgery after a couple of weeks. The size of hers is borderline where the doc might go either way.

        2. That's not really the same, is it? I'd have to buy her all special pants with a tail. With no belly button, she'll still dress normally, except of course I'll have all her t-shirts custom made with the words, "I have no belly button" embroidered on them.

        1. Pro Libertate   12 years ago

          Do the belly button but reserve the right to have it removed later.

        2. Groovus Maximus   12 years ago

          1) Told ya so! Since I didn't have a photo of 3D ultrasound or relevant radiology, I only had to go on your second-hand account and dispense opinion accordingly.

          2) Yes, when dealing with the possibly of altered or distorted body image, especially with women, it is totally congruent. Never underestimate the value of appearing "normal" and Demonica Archiva hits the nail on the head. Women who have radical mastectomies, burn patients, and others who have open procedures performed, even women who have C-Secs (which is why women who have C-Secs opt for a Pfannenstiel incision over a medial, the Pfan heals much better with little complication, and much less noticeable) all can and do suffer from distorted body image at various levels. Men do as well, but not quite as common.

          Trust me on this one, sloop. Majority of my female patients were more concerned about post-op scarring than the actual procedure itself. I can't tell you how many times I have heard "You are a great doctor! There's hardly any scar!", nevermind that I did the equivalent of playing MIS Rock 'Em, Sock 'Em Robots in their viscerae.

          (I was dragged into court once over a complaint about post-op scarring. Won the case with flying colours and it was dismissed without prejudice.)

          1. sloopyinca   12 years ago

            flying colours

            You've really gone over to the dark side, haven't you?

            1. Pro Libertate   12 years ago

              He's been spelling that way all along. That's why he's a secret Canadian.

            2. Kaptious Kristen   12 years ago

              He's always used those goddamn British U's. It's why I've frequently accused him of being a Canuckistanian.

              J'accue, docteur!

              1. SugarFree   12 years ago

                Maybe the Doc is just all class, unlike you inbred hillbillies.

                1. Pro Libertate   12 years ago

                  Class increases geometrically the further you get away from French. Which is why the Germans fight them so much--to protect the sanctity of their language.

                  1. invisible furry hand   12 years ago

                    so i spell funny and i'm a braindead marsupial. Groovus does it and he's all classy. There truly are different spanks for different ranks

                    1. Pro Libertate   12 years ago

                      Exactly. Ostracize all aliens or none at all.

                    2. Groovus Maximus   12 years ago

                      so i spell funny

                      You spell your posts correctly, lass. It makes you incredibly spunky! Oxford Dictionary FTW!

                      There's not too many people on this big blue marble deserving of Russian furs. -D (Here, you need them. It's fucking COLD!)

                      Also, the fastest way to tell if Eastern Euros (or non-English speaking Euros who have learnt English as a second language) is by their spelling. Most signs here in English opt for Commonwealth spellings, but American English is gaining popularity. I do say "queue" now with regularity, and "cheque" has slipped in as well.

                      I still haven't adopted "Zed", but I am starting say "Null" for "Zero", since the Russian word for counting "zero" is "Nul'" (Pronounced "Null".)

                    3. invisible furry hand   12 years ago

                      how's your Ukrainian/Russian? Do you pun in it?

                    4. Groovus Maximus   12 years ago

                      Russian accent is improving and I am becoming much more relaxed with it (particularly when I get angry), though I still make occasional gaffes and mistakes, but my accent is very rapidly improving, especially with palatised consonants. Ukrainian is passable, and the language snobbery is pretty...blatant.

                      Russian humour depends highly on puns and rhymes that make sense, since the languange and Russian culture is pretty literal. Also, some old-timey Russian words are now used as colloquial slang and led to a Joe Biden level gaffe the last time I was here.

                    5. R C Dean   12 years ago

                      Russian accent is improving and I am becoming much more relaxed with it (particularly when I get angry),

                      I've always thought Russian sounded like a good language for dishing an ass-chewing.

                    6. Groovus Maximus   12 years ago

                      I've always thought Russian sounded like a good language for dishing an ass-chewing.

                      It is. -)))) Part of the culture also depends on profanity, and one MUST have a working fluency with MAT. It's not uncommon to have one's masculinity challenged by the level profanity fluency.

                      Kind of like, well, H&R.

                    7. Heroic Mulatto   12 years ago

                      t's not uncommon to have one's masculinity challenged by the level profanity fluency.

                      The correct term is mu'qaD veS

                    8. Ted S.   12 years ago

                      Surely you realize the palatalized L isn't pronounced like anything we've got in English.

                      I presume you enjoy the Russian R as well. 🙂

                    9. Groovus Maximus   12 years ago

                      Surely you realize the palatalized L isn't pronounced like anything we've got in English.

                      Konechno, moi drug! I can finally (after quite a few years of practice) properly ask for salt. -D I rely on the akanie and ikanija rules of pronunciation. UKR's do not sound like Muskovites.

                      I presume you enjoy the Russian R as well. 🙂

                      It's my FAVOURITE! Especially words with "Er", "Oo", "Sh", or "Shh" in succession, such as "IGRRRUSHKA".

                      I can trill the fuck out of my R's, and have received compliments for it. -)))

      5. Heroic Mulatto   12 years ago

        If Baby Reason had a tail, would you keep it for msytery, creepy conversation starters, and general shits n' giggles?

        Are you kidding? YES!

    15. Ted S.   12 years ago

      Isn't she a little young for food?

      Oh, and you are an idiot, but not because of your thoughts about your daughter's ersatz navel. :-p

      (Get well soon, Little Miss Reason!)

      1. sloopyinca   12 years ago

        Food = breast milk

    16. db   12 years ago

      What would the Jezzies say, with you starting your daughter off with plastic surgery and body image issues so early?

      1. sloopyinca   12 years ago

        ^^Threadwinner^^

        That's my first real belly laugh in a while...and I needed one. Thank you.

        1. sloopyinca   12 years ago

          belly laugh

          No pun intended.

          OK, I'll probably succumb to the pressure being exerted by the Big Belly Button shills on here. But can I at least get some support for having them put it a couple of inches off-center and/or really high up like maybe 6 inches below her sternum when she's grown?

          1. SugarFree   12 years ago

            If you going to give in, have them make it in the normal place, but you make sure those doctors give that baby girl the most beautiful goddamn belly button anyone's ever seen.

            1. R C Dean   12 years ago

              Since they're sculpting it anyway, have 'em make it look like a smiley face or a yin-yang or something.

          2. Randian   12 years ago

            Count me on Team No Button!

          3. Ted S.   12 years ago

            Tell them to make it look like a third nipple.

    17. hamilton   12 years ago

      Thinking of the baby and you both; stay stong. I'd be a total wreck if it were one of my kids.

      (And banjos is right about your being an idiot, although I do think you have a point on the coolness factor. Say she's just like Eve).

      1. hamilton   12 years ago

        Stay strong, too. Can I send you guys a present of some kind? I bought some condiments recently during a trip to NYC...

        1. sloopyinca   12 years ago

          [spit take]

        2. Kaptious Kristen   12 years ago

          Babies can't have honey, and nobody should ever have rooftop garbage-scavenger-bee honey from Brooklyn*

          *(I know you're talking about the mayo, but the NYC hipsters make honey, too)

        3. EDG reppin' LBC   12 years ago

          Awwww snap!

    18. Trespassers W   12 years ago

      I knew I should have bid on "Eve".

    19. Enough About Palin   12 years ago

      WHERE WILL SHE ATTACH HER BELLY-BUTTON RINGS????!!!!????

  29. invisible furry hand   12 years ago

    A robber in Texas hid in a car and called the police when a home owner confronted him before coming after him with a gun.

    more

    1. .Rob   12 years ago

      It's just one more place for TSA to search. No belly button.

    2. Matrix   12 years ago

      I posted this yesterday.

      1. invisible furry hand   12 years ago

        Matrix FTW 🙂

  30. Lord Humungus   12 years ago

    George Will: Bewitched by Obama
    http://www.washingtonpost.com/.....story.html

    What is to blame for today's huge imbalance? The George W. Bush tax cuts? The recession? Obama's spending? Dorfman answers yes, yes and yes ? but that "spending is the main culprit" because: Today federal revenue is $2.67 trillion (slightly less than "the Clinton equivalent") and spending is $3.76 trillion, so we are spending $987 billion more than we would be if we had just increased Bill Clinton's last budget for inflation and population growth.

    1. mad libertarian guy   12 years ago

      But if only we got rid of the BOOOOOOOOOSH Tax Cuts? to enable us to bring in an extra $70B over the next 10 years, we would have no . . .
      Uh, nevermind.

  31. AuH2O   12 years ago

    So, ladies... did you enjoy your taste of Duke Silver last night on parks and rec?

    1. Kaptious Kristen   12 years ago

      Last night's ep was awesome, as was 30 Rock (which I know you all hate).

      But I'm not liking the Lucy Lawless thing. I don't like Ron in a relationship. I do like when he goes to war with his exes, though.

      1. invisible furry hand   12 years ago

        as was 30 Rock (which I know you all hate).

        You and me against the world, mate. Still guffawing over Black Dennis?

        1. SugarFree   12 years ago

          "Black Dennis, start the car!"

        2. Kaptious Kristen   12 years ago

          I love that the whole Colleen dying thing was treated the same way as when Colleen was alive - bitterness, recrimination, guilt, with just a pinch of grudging love.

      2. generic Brand   12 years ago

        Lucy Lawless is only good for being naked in Spartacus, now, it seems. I watched the first four episodes last night after picking up Season 1 on Black Friday. That show is pretty awesome.

        1. Kaptious Kristen   12 years ago

          I've laughed more at Parks & Rec than any other sitcom ever, so it's way up there on my list. Season 1 was a bit rough. It actually got better after introducing Rob Lowe and Adam Scott, which almost never happens in TV land. Usually bringing in a big name shows desperation and ruins a show, but it's been solid since they came on board.

          1. Quetzalcoatl   12 years ago

            I think it found itself even before Lowe & Scott showed up. And as funny as Adam Scott is on that show, it was a crime for him to (effectively) kill Pary Down.

            1. Kaptious Kristen   12 years ago

              It also has the advantage of Chris Pratt, who only gets funnier, IMO. And Aubrey Plaza. And Retta.

              Damn, it's just a fantastic cast.

              1. KMA Too   12 years ago

                Hell, I had to record the episode just so I could watch Ron run like a little boy at the awards ceremony.

                It's not a great shot, but I wonder if anyone will be able to gif it.

                1. Kaptious Kristen   12 years ago

                  How about this Swanson classic?

      3. Zeb   12 years ago

        I like 30 Rock too, for what it's worth.

      4. robc   12 years ago

        I dont regularly watch 30 Rock, but, at least the earlier episodes, are really only funny if you know enough about insider GE culture.

        And I do, so they are.

        How many vections does it have?

        1. Kaptious Kristen   12 years ago

          I got the "vections" joke, and I don't know nothin' 'bout GE corporate culture (trivection oven, annat).

          1. robc   12 years ago

            Well yeah, that one. But there was something about it that was so GE thats hard to explain if you havent interacted with them.

            Back in the 90s, I worked for a company that was originally a part of GE appliances, but the whole group got laid off. They formed a company, and then did the same service for GE that they were doing before, only for more money and could also grow and do the same for others. I got to interact with GE people (and this company had a bit of GE culture too). I have a number of friends who work for them also.

            Every big company does stupid things, but I get to hear about all the GE ones, and they keep popping up in the show.

            Some of them, like 6 sigma, arent just GE, but its obvious the writers are GE employees.

  32. Lord Humungus   12 years ago

    China bids today on yet another failed Obama energy loan recipient
    http://news.investors.com/poli.....-loans.htm

    But wait! There's more! A leading suitor for A123's remaining assets is Wanxiang Group Corp., a $13 billion firm that's China's largest automotive components maker.

    So, let's get this straight: Obama bashes Romney for being a successful (and, whispering, wealthy) venture capitalist so successfully picking so many corporate winners. But Obama gives away money to an American company to develop American battery technology and manufacturing on American soil for American workers. A123 flops financially, as have almost three dozen other hand-picked Obama greenies receiving financial food-stamps from that wheeling-dealing Chicago crowd.

    And a private Chinese company comes along to buy up the pieces.

  33. Ken Shultz   12 years ago

    A few quick points about the unemployment rate:

    1) The lower unemployment rate is also about people permanently exiting the workforce.

    2) If unemployment is improving so dramatically, then the Fed must be abandoning its monetary stimulus program, right?

    http://professional.wsj.com/ar.....38694.html

    3) If unemployment is improving so dramatically, then there's no need for the additional stimulus program that Obama asked for as part of his fiscal cliff avoiding budget proposal, is there?

    1. Pro Libertate   12 years ago

      On the positive side, all of these dropouts should mean the return of the hobo.

      1. Lord Humungus   12 years ago

        more fodder for the Hobo Boxing franchise.

      2. Ken Shultz   12 years ago

        My grandmother explained to me the difference between a hobo and a bum, once. But she was old enough to remember the Golden Age of Hobos.

        Apparently, hobos wanted to work for a living. They'd come up to your house and ask you for work, like chopping wood or something. And, in return, they got something to eat for dinner and they could sleep in your barn for the night.

        So, when my 90-something year old grandmother would see someone on the side of the street holding a sign that said "Will work for food", she always assumed they really meant it! She was driving well into her 90s, too. She'd pull over and do her Christian duty to offer to feed them in exchange for yard work. ...a suggestion which was often only met with...profanity.

        She'd tell them they really shouldn't hold signs like that if they didn't mean it, and I had to agree. It was false advertising. Gave real hobos a bad name.

        So, I got nothin' against real hobos. I'd like to see the 90s Hobo Chic thing come back, too. It saved a lot of hipsters money on clothes.

        1. db   12 years ago

          Heinlein made the clear distinction in Sixth Column?

        2. R C Dean   12 years ago

          Well, its not like the sign said "Will do hard work for food."

          1. Citizen Nothing   12 years ago

            A hobo travels around looking for work, a tramp travels around not looking for work, and a bum doesn't travel and doesn't look for work.

            1. EDG reppin' LBC   12 years ago

              Thank you Citizen Nil. But by these definitions, wouldn't you be classified as a hobo?

    2. Mike M.   12 years ago

      It's Christmas, unemployment always goes down in November and December, and then goes back up again in January.

      Let's see what happens early next year when these loons raise taxes in the middle of a global depression.

      1. Ken Shultz   12 years ago

        The last two reports on job gains were revised down, too.

        I have no doubt that things will improve eventually. Even when they do really improve to normal, though, I'll still be asking why it took so long. We should already be much further out of this than we are.

    3. Don Mynack   12 years ago

      Yes, according to Lord Keynes, we should be cutting gov't spending now, since we are in a prosperous time. Unless the Dems are now classical economists. Not sure what philosophy they are following, really.

      1. Ken Shultz   12 years ago

        It's a philosophy of "Let's do whatever Obama says".

        And Obama's philosophy doesn't have anything to do with any philosophy, really.

        It's a philosophy of grand gestures without any understanding of or consideration for the consequences.

      2. R C Dean   12 years ago

        I think their philosophy is: How do we cook the numbers so they support whatever crony/redistributionist scheme we want to implement now?

  34. SugarFree   12 years ago

    Was that the last great episodes of The Simpsons?

    1. NoVAHockey   12 years ago

      "You Only Move Twice" -- season 8, and is featured in the picture above.

      full list http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L.....s_episodes

      there are good episodes beyond that, but great?

      1. SugarFree   12 years ago

        *last great episode*

        I really wish I could type and proofread.

        1. NoVAHockey   12 years ago

          i misread what you wrote. I think it is the last great episode. in scrolling through the list, it was the first one that i can quote in everyday conversation. regularly

    2. AuH2O   12 years ago

      No one ever says Italy

      1. robc   12 years ago

        There were great ones after that.

        I agree above that Season 8 might be the point for the last great one. I have up to season 10 on DVD and Ive stopped buying them.

        Season 4-5 is the clear peak. Jam packed with great episodes.

  35. Lord Humungus   12 years ago

    and Right-to-work bills pass in Lansing
    http://www.detroitnews.com/art.....ss-Lansing

    The birthplace of the nation's modern-day labor movement moved closer to becoming the nation's 24th right-to-work state after bills Gov. Rick Snyder vowed to sign into law passed their first hurdles in the Republican-controlled Legislature on Thursday.

    The House and Senate each passed bills on the same day they were introduced that give private and public sector workers the right to avoid paying union dues in an organized workplace. Only police officers and firefighters would be exempt.

    1. Lord Humungus   12 years ago

      related: Michigan GOP approves right to work amid union protests
      http://www.chicagotribune.com/.....1751.story

      Lt. Gov. Brian Calley repeatedly gaveled for order during the Senate debate as Democrats attacked the legislation to applause from protesters in the galley. At one point, a man shouted, "Heil Hitler! Heil Hitler! That's what you people are." He was quickly escorted out. Another later yelled, "We will remember in November."

      Eight people were arrested for resisting and obstructing when they tried to push past two troopers guarding the Senate door, state police Inspector Gene Adamczyk said.

      1. .Rob   12 years ago

        Parasates are always happy until they become the host.

      2. mad libertarian guy   12 years ago

        The frame of thought that would lead one to believe that not being forced to ay union dues if you don't want to be part of a union is somehow nazi-esque is fucking baffling.

        1. Quetzalcoatl   12 years ago

          It's the Hitler Quoque fallacy. i.e. Hitler hated unions, therefore anyone who doesn't love unions is Hitler.

  36. The Late P Brooks   12 years ago

    A leading suitor for A123's remaining assets is Wanxiang Group Corp., a $13 billion firm that's China's largest automotive components maker.

    Chinese vulture capitalists!

    1. Tim   12 years ago

      Headed by Mitt Lomney?

  37. The Late P Brooks   12 years ago

    all of these dropouts should mean the return of the hobo.

    Just don't get caught hiring one to do odd jobs around the yard.

    1. Pro Libertate   12 years ago

      No, that's right out.

    2. Tim   12 years ago

      Just don't get caught burying one in the back yard. AKA "The Warty option".

      1. SugarFree   12 years ago

        Bah. Warty uses every part of the hobo.

        1. Tim   12 years ago

          Even the head cheese?

          1. SugarFree   12 years ago

            Especially the head cheese. It's the perfect bait to attract more hobo. For fuck's sake, Tim... it's like you know nothing about hobo harvesting.

            1. LTC(ret) John   12 years ago

              "hobo harvesting"

              That is a great name for...something.

            2. Auric Demonocles   12 years ago

              Neither do I. I've got a hobo harvesting guy for that.

      2. Brett L   12 years ago

        When they're dead, they're just bums.

    3. Tulpa Doom   12 years ago

      NO HOBO

  38. The Late P Brooks   12 years ago

    Headed by Mitt Lomney?

    That would be fucking awesome.

  39. Kaptious Kristen   12 years ago

    So my colleague that was given the lead developer job says he's thinking of talking to our project manager about going back to being a regular ol' in-the-trenches-grunt. Now that he says that, I'm worried they might actually give it to me. That's because there are a couple of clusterfucky hot potato projects going on right now that I'd rather avoid heading up.

    1. LTC(ret) John   12 years ago

      Still better than your original thought that this was your replacement in waiting, yes?

      1. Kaptious Kristen   12 years ago

        Oh, that's a totally different situation that still sucks, and will continue to suck for the life of that person's contract (another 10 months). The shit is just raining down at my job the last couple months, I tells ya.

        1. LTC(ret) John   12 years ago

          Ouch, best buy an umbrella.

    2. Brett L   12 years ago

      Sounds about right. "Here, the ship's breaking up. Take the wheel."

  40. SugarFree   12 years ago

    You can literally go fuck yourself.

    1. invisible furry hand   12 years ago

      while singing this

    2. Brett L   12 years ago

      I see 3D printing is bringing Rule 34 into the physical world. So, is this for the narcissists who always wanted to fuck themselves, or can I be just self-absorbed enough to think my girlfriend my want an plastic me for the nights I'm not there?

      1. SugarFree   12 years ago

        Why not both. You could make a Fleshlight of your own asshole, as well. See what it's like to live as Keith Olbermann.

    3. fish   12 years ago

      Wasn't that done already by the "Plaster Casters"? Really derivative work....pffff!

    4. db   12 years ago

      Clone-a-Willy is fun to do. But they need to find a way to make it out of a slightly more flexible material. Or so I'm told.

  41. The Late P Brooks   12 years ago

    there are a couple of clusterfucky hot potato projects going on right now that I'd rather avoid heading up.

    Dive on the grenade, Kristen!

  42. Tonio   12 years ago

    Sloopy, glad to hear the good news about little Sophia. Wishing the best for you, Banjos and the baby. (repost due to squirrel issues)

  43. Kaptious Kristen   12 years ago

    Tell me about in-car satellite radio. I don't drive that much during the week (about an hour's total driving on Saturdays, and maybe another hour total on Sundays and weekdays), but I do take road trips 2-3 times a year. Should I get a sat radio + subscription for $18/month? I gotta say, it could be interesting listening to porn on the radio (I assume the Spice channel is at least somewhat pornish). Then I could switch to Martha Stewart. Then Howard Stern. It would make the 10 hour drive to Vermont go by in a flash!

    1. R C Dean   12 years ago

      Probably not worth it, for just a few long drives a year. I have both, but I live in a radio desert and drive at least an hour a day.

      For long drives, I do books on tape. Audible.com lets you download it onto your music player of choice, so you have it permanently and don't have to fuss with discs or tapes.

      1. R C Dean   12 years ago

        Oops. "Both" being satellite radio and an Audible.com subscription.

        1. Kaptious Kristen   12 years ago

          Gotchya. I like books on tape, but I find I get bored with them after about 30 minutes. Talk radio is what makes a drive go by really quickly for me (especially Car Talk).

          BTW, is Dean really your last name? I have Deans in my family tree - originally from Dorchester County, MD, then on to Kentucky and Indiana (we're talking 18th and 19th centuries)

          1. R C Dean   12 years ago

            is Dean really your last name

            No, my nom du comment is taken from the protagonists name in Enemy of the State.

            I'm not really related to anybody. You can tell, because I don't have a belly button.

            1. Kaptious Kristen   12 years ago

              No belly button? Where does Warty stick it, then?

              1. Heroic Mulatto   12 years ago

                The pooper.

                And yes, Warty insists that "you gotta lick it, before you stick it."

    2. edcoast   12 years ago

      Dunno if you'll check back this late, Kaptious, but I'm like you and figured it wouldn't be worth it. When we bought our new car, though, it came with a three month free subscription. That hooked me and I've kept it. Even driving a few times a week to the store and back, I like to get a good dose of Rawdog Comedy. I figure I spend $18 a week at Starbucks for less return.

  44. Heroic Mulatto   12 years ago

    The chair of University of Notre Dame's Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies advocates bombing the fuck out of Syria, in the name of peace, of course.

    1. Redmanfms   12 years ago

      One wonders if the same recommendation would have been made during the tenure of anyone other than the One?

      Quickly goes and checks the interwebs......

      1. Redmanfms   12 years ago

        And the answer is:

        Nope.

  45. sloopyinca   12 years ago

    Well, looks like we're heading out the door to see our little baby and the surgeon. I suppose we'll stop by the belly-button emporium on the way home.

    By the way, Victoria's Secret supermodel Karolina Kurkova has no belly button. I wonder how many kids make fun of her?

    1. Kaptious Kristen   12 years ago

      If most models are to be believed, their childhoods consisted of daily beatings and insults from their classmates because most of them were gawky, tall, angular and zit-faced.

  46. Archduke Pantsfan   12 years ago

    Jacintha Saldanha, a nurse at the hospital which treated the Duchess of Cambridge, has been found dead in a suspected suicide after she was duped by a hoax caller from an Australian radio station.

  47. ??? ??????   12 years ago

    thank you

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