Obama Attempting to Reverse Insurance Cancellations, Student Debt Passes $1 Trillion, Another City Considers Bankruptcy: P.M. Links

• 

  Credit: 401(K) 2013 / Foter.com / CC BY-SA

  President Barack Obama's solution to the disaster of the rollout of his signature Affordable Care Act is to allow insurers to uncancel customers' policies for a year. Insurance industry representatives worry this will make the problem even worse.

• As of the third fiscal quarter, total student debt has surpassed $1 trillion. Good luck getting them to pay for your health care!
• Desert Hot Springs in California may be the next city to declare bankruptcy, though they're trying hard to resist it.
• School security spending is predicted to double to $5 billion by 2017 in response to the Sandy Hook Elementary shootings.
• Toronto Mayor Rob Ford is threatening legal action against aides who told police about his drug use and drunken-driving. Snitches get stiches, guys!
• Murderous Boston ganster Whitey Bulger has officially been sentenced to two life terms (plus five years).

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Comments

[Fist of Etiquette]

As of the third fiscal quarter, total student debt has surpassed $1 trillion.

That bubble is so close to popping you can feel it in the air.

[PD Scott]

Fall enrollment in the University System of Georgia is down compared to Fall 2012 but not by very much. (1.6%)

"As we have noted to the Board of Regents and the institutional presidents, this enrollment decline reflects a national trend in higher education that has a number of contributing factors, including demographics, the economy and, frankly some price sensitivity," said Chancellor Hank Huckaby.

[Lady Bertrum]

My guess is the less prestigious 4 year liberal arts colleges will see the biggest enrollment decline. State schools are somewhat more affordable and might attract students who would otherwise consider a private school.

[PD Scott]

I would guess that you are correct.

[John]

Yes. My neighbor's daughter goes to Gettysburg. That place costs $50K a year. I can't see how anyone would find that worth it.

[Restoras]

I went to a school like that 25 years ago that now costs that amount. I would never send my kids there.

[CE]

My neighbor's daughter's cousin works a few hours a week on the computer. And now she can afford college.

[DJF]

Hopefully there won't be another bailout, I missed out on getting a really cheap house at the end of the housing bubble, I still have hopes of getting a really cheap co-ed at the end of the education bubble.

[CE]

Not without the house you won't. They need someplace to stay.

[DJF]

Damm you Ben Bernanke !!!!!!!!

[Apatheist ?_??]

They won't but if they do just as I'm done responsibly paying my loans off I may go on a rampage.

[Ted S.]

Cheap at first means lots of alimony later.

[mr lizard]

They're already out there. Go search around the more commuter schools, lots of young chicks still stuck at their parent's house. All you need is a decent apartment, a decent car, a decent career, and a penchant for drinking. I recommend Tampa, although the native chicks average between kinda crazy, and Event Horizon crAzy.

[CE]

Ah, Tampa.... to be 23 again.

[hamilton]

There must be a way to make money from this inevitable collapse. The problem is I can't quite figure out what to invest in. Should I short basket-weaving robots?

[Redmanfms]

There must be a way to make money from this inevitable collapse. The problem is I can't quite figure out what to invest in. Should I short basket-weaving robots?

Go back to school and run up a shit-ton of student loan debt.

I'm considering going back, but I still have nearly ten years of eligibility left on my post-9/11 GI Bill so I wouldn't need loans anyway.

[playa manhattan]

Question: Under a student debt "forgiveness" scheme, who pays? Are the banks out money, or will it be covered by the taxpayer (or the taxpayer's great-grandchildren)?

[Ted S.]

Either the last one, or by another round of quantitative easing. (It really should be called qualitative easing, but that's another story.)

[Raven Nation]

I'm assuming there will be "forgiveness" or a bailout around August next year in time for the elections.

[The Rt. Hon. Serious Man, Visc]

School security spending is predicted to double to $5 billion by 2017 in response to the Sandy Hook Elementary shootings.

The children, it is for.

[db]

Well, the children of security gadget company executives, at least.

[Episiarch]

Insurance industry representatives worry this will make the problem even worse.

We can only hope so.

[Rich]

It's worse problems all the way down!

[Pro Libertate]

It really has to, doesn't it? I mean, the mandate is still there, but the insurance it's supposed to be forcing people who don't need insurance to buy won't be purchased. So what funds all the freebies?

I don't pretend to know jack about this law, nor do I want to, but these likely illegal pronouncements by his Deceptiveness aren't going to work.

[Episiarch]

We can only hope so.

[Pro Libertate]

Like I've been saying, Schadenfreudenalia is coming.

[Episiarch]

We can only hope so.

[Pro Libertate]

I dunno, didn't "hope" get this country into country recently?

[PD Scott]

It's because we didn't hope hard enough.

[Libertymike]

Don't forget change.

[Pro Libertate]

To be fair, things have changed. What Obama neglected to mention is that his change was change for the worse. Next time, maybe the media will ask about what kind of change is intended by the empty suit who runs on something like this next time.

[Pro Libertate]

Next next time.

[db]

When "hope" is your plan, "change" is inevitable.

[PD Scott]

"Maybe the media will ask..."

If the answer won't fit into a 10 second soundbite the media isn't really interested.

[Boisfeuras]

Next time, maybe the media will ask about what kind of change is intended by the empty suit who runs on something like this next time.

Like Terry McAuliffe? Maybe next next time.

[Lady Bertrum]

From hope and change to dope and mange.

[Ted S.]

I don't think hope got this country into country.

[Libertymike]

But the Mayflower did.

[Rich]

Well, change obviously didn't!

[SweatingGin]

The treasury? Until it becomes so hideously obvious that it has to be killed?

[gaijin]

It all just seems so arbitrary, ad hoc and day to day.

[Pro Libertate]

Rule by diktat often seems that way.

[db]

Sounds like a song.

[playa manhattan]

seems or is?

[Fist of Etiquette]

School security spending is predicted to double to $5 billion by 2017 in response to the Sandy Hook Elementary shootings.

And nothing fortifies schools like funding teacher pensions.

[The Rt. Hon. Serious Man, Visc]

Murderous Boston ganster Whitey Bulger has officially been sentenced to two life terms (plus five years).

Convicted of murder, extortion, robbery, tax evasion, and two moving violations.

[John]

True story. When the federal judge sentenced John Gotti he sentenced him to three life terms or something with no chance of parole and something called a "$50 special assessment fee". I have no idea what that is. But after the hearing as Gotti is talking to his lawyer he says something to the effect of "boy they really get you with that special assessment fee".

[Restoras]

True story. John Gotti's lawyer lived in the same building as I did when I lived in Manhattan. Nice guy. Scarey looking, but nice.

[playa manhattan]

Why are his kids such dickheads?

[Pro Libertate]

Sorry, Barry, you've got to suspend the mandate, too, or this won't work. If you were smart--which you aren't--you'd push for the repeal of the whole law, calling out the GOP to help fix the healthcare problems in the U.S.

[Tim]

He's washing his hands of this. Blame insurance companies, republicans, even other democrats.

[Pro Libertate]

Not going to work. He couldn't be more in the bulls-eye on this law. It's not called Pelosicare, fucker.

[Rich]

Are you serious?

[Palin's Buttplug]

The GOP to fix something? The gang who can't shoot straight? I know you are retarded now.

The Dems are stumbling bumbling clowns but they do eventually get some things right. But never does the GOP get anything right.

[Pro Libertate]

I'm not saying they would fix it. I meant that if he were even slightly politically astute, he's thrown out this law but put the GOP on the hook, too, for solving the problems with healthcare. Since the government largely is the problem, they'll all naturally fail.

[Restoras]

Spin faster, troll! HAHAHAHAA!!

[playa manhattan]

How was your meeting?

[Weigel's Cock Ring]

See my comment below.

[FYTW]

they do eventually get some things right.

Citation needed.

[Lord Peter Wimsey]

Hee, hee. The retarded guy called you retarded. Funny.

[Fist of Etiquette]

President Barack Obama's solution to the disaster of the rollout of his signature Affordable Care Act is to allow insurers to uncancel customers' policies for a year.

Just like he allowed you to use medical marijuana.

[Brett L]

Florida Man impersonates cop for donut discount.

[Mad Scientist]

He's certainly overweight enough to pass as a cop.

[Fist of Etiquette]

The donut clerk was suspicious because the man wasn't out of shape enough.

[The Rt. Hon. Serious Man, Visc]

He also walked past a dog without shooting it.

[jesse.in.mb]

That's the first reasonable thing Florida Man has ever done.

[BakedPenguin]

My brother (who was and is also Florida man) used to work the third shift at a 7-11 when he was younger. Bored beat cops would often stop in. He always comped their coffee & donuts, and shot the shit with them, because he knew the place wasn't going to get robbed.

[General Butt Naked]

because he knew the place wasn't going to get robbed.

What exactly did he think was happening?

[BakedPenguin]

He paid for the stuff. $1.89 is pretty cheap for an armed security guard hanging around for 30 or 45 minutes.

[BigT]

Comping the cops is a tried-and-true strategy going back at least 120 years. Even brothels have played that game.

[playa manhattan]

"managers became concerned that Barry was abusing the discount by stopping by the store on weekends with his family."

Police accepting a law enforcement discount at all IS abusing it.

[Rich]

Obama's solution to the disaster of the rollout of his signature Affordable Care Act is to allow insurers to uncancel customers' policies

"All the King's horses and all the King's men ...."

[Corning]

"I am allowing you to break the law...why are you evil shits not breaking the law to save my presidency?!?!"

[Swiss Servator, Original Gnome]

I swear I could actual see him saying that - oh for a "hot mic" if he did...

[Brett L]

Is Urban Meyer looking to hook up with his man crush in 2014?

A graduate assistant position at OSU could get Tebow's second career in football started, and the Buckeyes would be the perfect fit for him. OSU is coached by Urban Meyer, who was Tebow's head coach during his college days with the Florida Gators, and Meyer has always held Tebow in very high regard. Meyer would probably be on board with having the most successful signal-caller he's ever coached around to mentor Ohio State's quarterbacks.

[Ted S.]

Meyer's just setting somebody else up to take the fall when the inevitable NCAA sanctions are declared.

[CE]

Tim Tebow, quarterback coach? Somehow that sounds worse than Tim Tebow, quarterback. (And I think he could still be a top 25 QB in the NFL.)

[Caleb Turberville]

From what I understand, the word around the NFL is that no one on the Jets or the Patriots could put up with Tebow. Despite his competitive nature and his commitment to the game, he has zero amount of self-criticism and had know time for constructive criticism from his coaches.

[Caleb Turberville]

Oops, "had no time for constructive criticism from his coaches."

[John]

That makes sense. There are quarterbacks who are much worse than Tebow who have jobs. There has to be something about Tebow, beyond his fan base, that makes teams not want to sign him.

[Caleb Turberville]

Great. He could rise up in the ranks to become tOSU's QB coach, teaching the young signal-callers all they need to know about throwing mechanics and reading complex defensive coverages.

[Libertymike]

Coach Urban would be better off contacting Tom House, the ex-MLB pitcher and pitching guru who has made a name for himself working with NFL QBs, including the likes of Tom Brady.

[CE]

Exactly. At least as a QB, Tebow can overcome his throwing and coverage reading deficiencies by scrambling for tough yards and maybe inspiring his teammates. As a QB coach, what's he going to do?

[db]

The good news is that It's possible Andy Kaufman is still alive

[The Rt. Hon. Serious Man, Visc]

Of course he's alive. He's occupying the White House today and running the government with hilarious results!

[Episiarch]

I doubt it, but that would be amazing. However, it's most likely his brother pulling a prank, Andy-style. Maybe Andy even asked him to do it at some point after his death (it's been a while, though).

[db]

The brother explains away Andy's failure to appear in 1999 by saying Andy had a change.of heart and enjoyed living quietly with no public presence by then.

It would be so awesome.if.it's true. The purported daughter wouldn't give a stright answer when asked.if Andy planned to reveal himself at all.

[playa manhattan]

She could have offered a DNA sample; she was born after he "supposedly" died. I like the Epi explanation, it's probably in his will.

[Pro Libertate]

Of course he is. He's living in the White House under an assumed name.

[The Rt. Hon. Serious Man, Visc]

Too slow.

[Pro Libertate]

I've been saying this for quite some time, you know.

[Tim]

President Barack Obama's solution to the plague of rats is to import thousands of hungry tigers. Sources close to White House see no downsides.

[Ted S.]

The monkeys will freeze when winter comes.

[Fist of Etiquette]

It was gorillas.

[Ted S.]

They're all fucking primates.

[Hillary's Clitdong]

RACIST

[Redmanfms]

President Barack Obama's solution to the plague of rats is to import thousands of hungry tigers. Sources close to White House see no downsides.

Hey, I've got my rock, I'm not worried.

[playa manhattan]

I would like to buy your magic rock. How much?

[Brett L]

I can't wait until my kid is old enough to mess with like this.

Every year, my wife and I devote the month of November to convincing our children their plastic dinosaur figures come to life while they sleep.

[db]

I was a devotee of Dr. Suess when I started reading at the age of three. My parents took my love of "The Pale Green Pants" as an excuse to fuck with.me by having an actual pair of pale green pants follow me around the house. I can't believe they managed to keep straight faces for as long as they did when I would frequently discover that the.pants had relocated to a room nearby, only to strangely be.missing when I grabbed one of them to show them. They for some reason were always folded up.in.a drawer when I tried to show Mom or Dad that they had followed.me around.

[Brett L]

We have received 5 or 6 baby books so far. I had to laugh because my reaction to "Goodnight, Moon" was literally right out of "Despicable Me". "This is a children's book? This is terrible! I could write better than this."

[hamilton]

I recommend "Go the Fuck to Sleep". There was also a nice picture book identifying how to make classic cocktails. I'll see if I can find it.

[hamilton]

Here we go: Baby, Mix Me a Drink.

[SweatingGin]

holy crap, how did I never see that before? I've been wanting to teach the Ginlettes to mix cocktails.

[hamilton]

Awesome book. Illustrations are perfect; you can easily determine the brand of spirit from the picture (e.g. Makers' Mark bourbon on the Manhattan page).

On a related note, my (now)15-year old learned how to mix a martini at least 5 years ago and since then every now and then asks for permission to try to mix up something new he thinks I'd like.

[SweatingGin]

Use Good Night, Keith Moon instead.

[CE]

Or Good Night, Warren Moon:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QxNuAcL2H74

[Swiss Servator, Original Gnome]

Or Good Night Dune:

http://www.bspcn.com/2010/12/11/good-night-dune/

[Pro Libertate]

I very much enjoyed that scene from Despicable Me. A lot of books for children are great, but some are. . .less so.

[playa manhattan]

Good night moon isn't really a baby book, it's more of an infant book. My kids just pointed at the pictures.

One thing that bothers me is that in toddler age + books, that dad is always portrayed as a Homer Simpson like idiot. I get accused of stealing cookies from the cookie jar all the time, and it's bullshit.

[The Rt. Hon. Serious Man, Visc]

Dear Prudence

My husband achieved professional success and wealth early in life. His work involved lots of stress, and by his 30s he decided that he wanted out. His accumulated wealth could easily support our lifestyle indefinitely, so he retired about 18 months ago, shortly after the birth of our first child. He has not found anything to do in that time! We have an excellent nanny 40 hours a week, and outside those hours my husband is an extremely involved father. We split the domestic duties roughly 50?50, as before, but now I am the only one working and he says he shouldn't be "penalized" by having extra domestic responsibilities. So he spends the week dicking around (gym, squash, books, movies, etc.). It's making me crazy with resentment, especially when I come home from a hard day at work. He tells me I should just quit if I don't like it. But I also think it sets a bad example for our son to see a father who doesn't have some productive purpose in life. My husband disagrees and says he will be "an excellent corrective to the productionist propaganda schools inflict on kids to make them the unquestioning worker bees the economy demands." He says he doesn't care if our son grows up to work hard and that work is a lamentable necessity and it is only "false consciousness" to think otherwise. How can we resolve this?

[Ted S.]

Fire the nanny.

[Bobarian]

Fire the wife and bang the Nanny?

[Restoras]

^Yeah, this. Stupid bitch is set for life and is STILL not satisfied?? This is why I am not going to get married again.

[Libertymike]

Pardon my intrusiveness, but, was your former wife as bad as this ungrateful bitch?

[Restoras]

No, but she was most definately never satisfied with anything and my (still) married friends complain about the same thing. There is a strong sense of entitlement these days, and God help you if you can't navigate it.

[Sudden]

This.

Happily a member of the divorced club as of (officially) one month ago

[Mad Scientist]

How can we resolve this?

I just love it when one person considers their personal problem to be everyone's problem.

[Metazoan]

I think the "we" means she and her husband, and if they have this disagreement, that would be correct.

[Mad Scientist]

I get that "we" refers to her and her husband, but she's the only one who's irritated. "We" don't have a problem, she has a problem.

[Brett L]

"He's right, you're stupid. Fire the nanny and get a housekeeper."

[Fist of Etiquette]

Is the nanny hot?

[hamilton]

By definition no, since the guy is independently wealthy, retired, and yet still married.

[gaijin]

By definition no, since the guy is independently wealthy, retired, and yet still married.

Exhibit 1-Arnold Schwarzenegger's Nanny

[Fist of Etiquette]

Now, to be fair, do we know what she looked like back when Arnold was getting her to the chopper?

[playa manhattan]

Probably worse than all of Bill Clinton's indiscretions (some of which were pretty bad).

[John]

I was with the husband right up until he said "false consciousness".

[Brett L]

He was just using words she could understand.

[The Rt. Hon. Serious Man, Visc]

If there's no pre-nup she needs to do us all a favor and divorce him and take half of his wealth.

The husband's wealth combined with his boredom could lead him to decide he's just the kind of man to run for office and lord over other people, ie Michael Bloomberg.

[Metazoan]

Yep, me too, John. Work per se isn't worth much of anything--the creation of value is. It's obviously great when you're doing something you love, and I'm not sure I could ever just pass all of my days doing nothing creative, but he had that point. Until the "false consciousness." Wtf...

[Corning]

Why the fuck do the left have to ruin everything?!?!

He worked he earned he did his time...but noooooo...he has to use left wing moon bat crap to justify it.

[Redmanfms]

How can we resolve this?

Go back in time and marry a guy who isn't retarded.

[Certified Public Asskicker]

Why is it retarded to stop working if you can live off your accumulated wealth?

I do think it is retarded to have a nanny though.

[paranoid android]

Well, not retarded from his personal standpoint, however I do think it raises the odds that his kids will grow up to be total assholes to something like 95%.

[Certified Public Asskicker]

Eh, or the kid learns to find meaningful work instead of chasing the money.

[CE]

So why keep working?

[Damned Fool]

Get rid of the nanny, get him to raise the child, and soon he'll go back to work.

[db]

Have the nanny read Atlas Shrugged and realize it's time she went Galt instead of working for these assholez.

[Rich]

Annual spending on school security systems is projected to jump to $4.9 billion in 2017 from $2.7 billion last year, in part because of mass killings like the one in Newtown

Does this "security spending" include demolishing and reconstructing perfectly good buildings?

[The Rt. Hon. Serious Man, Visc]

Toronto man busted for running worldwide child pornography ring

It was an extensive investigation that spanned the globe and resulted in charges against a Toronto man who detectives allege was at the centre of one of the largest child pornography rings they say they have ever seen.
Hundreds of thousand of the images found featured "horrific acts of sexual abuse ? some of the worst (officers) have seen," said Inspector Joanna Beaven-Desjardins, who heads the Toronto police's sex crimes unit.
Those images ? filling 45 terabytes or a stack of paper reaching as tall as 1,500 CN Towers ? have, to date, triggered 341 arrests across the globe and led to the rescue of 386 children, police allege.
Officers from around the word involved in the case call it one of the largest and most geographically vast child pornography investigations in the world. About 30 of them from police forces across Ontario, Canada, the U.S., Spain, Mexico and Australia were at Toronto police headquarters for the announcement Thursday morning.

Toronto Police Chief Bill Blair called its investigation ? named Project Spade ? an "extraordinary example of international cooperation from law enforcement."

[Bobarian]

Was he the mayor?

[Hillary's Clitdong]

I'm trying to get my head around the concept of having 45 Terabytes of porn.

[Matrix]

well, it involves kids, so don't get your mind too worked up on it.

[Ted S.]

GIFs substituting for video.

[SweatingGin]

"...And in here, is my porn SAN. It's five 3U, 12 drive units. 60 Drives in all, RAID6. Takes up almost half a cabinet, with another 4U for a UPS (need porn even if the power is out). 1TB drives to keep the spindle count up, always low latency. I'm thinking about adding a tray of SSD to really speed it up."

[jesse.in.mb]

Especially since the subjects are so small!

[playa manhattan]

BOOOO! BOOOOOO!

[jesse.in.mb]

Look, if I can't make heinous, utterly distasteful jokes here, where can I make them?

Answer me that, playa.

[playa manhattan]

Well......

*crickets*

[Juice]

45 terabytes

Holy shit!

[playa manhattan]

If it really led to the recuse of 386 children, then job well done. I'm pretty skeptical though, given the way that law enforcement likes to exaggerate child porn busts. They called operation candy and the biggest bust in history, and it turned out to be a single yahoo! group...

[jesse.in.mb]

US Staging Ivory Crush to Battle Illegal Trade

Today near Denver, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will do something it says it has never done before: destroy six tons of ivory to highlight a booming illegal trade contributing to the slaughter of tens of thousands of elephants every year.

"We're trying to tell organized syndicates and cartels who are now involved in the illegal ivory trade that we're going to do whatever we can to take the value out of ivory and do whatever we can to put them in jail," said Edward Grace, deputy chief with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Office of Law Enforcement.

I'm not economist, just a simple office drone, but destroying tons of a product seems counter productive to "take the value out of" something.

"Ivory crush" band name, drug name, or blacks-seeking-whites dating website name?

[Mad Scientist]

"Oh, please," begged Briar Rabbit, "please don't throw me in the briar patch!"

[Redmanfms]

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Elephant poaching is a problem these guys have to deal with???

[paranoid android]

And in Denver! We should see a resurgance of that Rocky Mountain Elephant population in no time.

[PD Scott]

In our glorious genetically engineered future to come, if we can make lab grown meat, why not flood the market with lab grown ivory and rhino horn?

As for the latter, I've wondered if a viral ad campaign in China depicting young women giggling at and mocking men who use rhino horn might be an effective way to aid conservation efforts.

[BakedPenguin]

REM second-choice song name.

[Alton Knutson]

While listening to Obama's noon speech today I am pretty sure I could hear faintly from Hayek's grave "The curious task of economics is to demonstrate to men how little they really know about what they imagine they can design."

[Ted S.]

While listening to Obama's noon speech today

Why subject yourself to such torture?

[The Rt. Hon. Serious Man, Visc]

MLB owners unanimously approve instant replay for next season

Major League Baseball's proposed expanded instant replay challenge system still needs to be approved by the MLB Players Association and the World Umpires Association, but the 30 club owners unanimously approved the proposal at the GM meetings in Orlando, Fla., MLB announced Thursday.

The original plan was for each manager to have one challenge in the first six innings of each game with two more available per team from the seventh inning until the end of the game. That has been tweaked, though, because now the system calls for two challenges per team, per game with no regulations on when the challenges are used.

This could be negotiated down to one challenge per team, per game in order to get this measure approved by either the players or umpires.

Also, if a manager wins his challenge, he'll get to retain it. From that light, there's really no limit on challenges, so long as they are used to correct incorrect calls. And, really, there wouldn't be much harm in limiting managers to one challenge. If he wins, he'd get to keep it.

Great, now those Yankee-Red Sox games will take 5 hours instead of 4 and a half.

[Ted S.]

And how dare you complain about it!

[The Rt. Hon. Serious Man, Visc]

I only complain that every Red Sox-Yankee game gets nationally televised, implying that the rest of the country should give a shit about New York and Boston sports.

[Restoras]

Well there are a lot of people that care and you never know when there will be a Varitek/A-Rod moment, and no one is going to watch Royals/Astros...

[Apatheist ?_??]

The royals had a winning season. Our Lastros are not in the same league of suckiness.

On top of that they entirely fucked up their new channel and couldn't get any of the big providers to carry the channel. They had one game with a Nielsen rating of 0.

[BigT]

A Pedro Martinez - Don Zimmer moment. THAT was priceless.

[Ted S.]

They should have approved instant replay instead.

[Bobarian]

-1

That was inhumane.

[Ted S.]

Then let's do it again. 😉

[Bobarian]

+1 Much better music!

[paranoid android]

The resulting increase in the number of commercial breaks during a game was totally not a factor in this decision, I'm sure.

[CE]

MLB had the best officials of any sports league in the world. Baseball games already take too long. They didn't need replay. No sport does. It's okay in football, because they have 15 minutes of action spread out over 4 hours.

[Pro Libertate]

Lasers. Thousands of lasers. That's the solution.

[PD Scott]

Giant disco balls in domed stadiums would make the game harder and therefore more interesting.

[Ted S.]

Play under strobe lights.

[PD Scott]

Exactly! Midnight bowling is awesome, why not try midnight baseball? Especially if you have a crappy team and need to fill seats.

[Certified Public Asskicker]

This would make the game more interesting.

162 5 hour games? People want to watch this?

[Pro Libertate]

Why would lasers add to the length of the game? They'd instantly provide information to the central intelligence calling the game, which would instantly issue a ruling. And robots would eject players and otherwise handle all on-field problems.

[Certified Public Asskicker]

No, I agree with you. I support the laser idea, not the current format.

[fish]

And robots would eject players...

Physically? If a robot umpire chucks Yasiel Puig over a fence and out of the game....well that's must see TV!

[Pro Libertate]

Of course physically. With robot catapults. I predict brawls would end abruptly after the first such ejection.

[CE]

You wouldn't even need a robot. Just crank up the wattage on the laser, and redirect its aim.

[Apatheist ?_??]

It's not lasers but the goal line technology that they've implemented in the Premier League this year is entirely automated and signals almost instantly to the ref without wasting time. There is no reason for every league that can afford it not to implement that system. That includes you FIFA you corrupt fucks.

[DJF]

MLB has 14 minutes of action in four hours. Action being defined as something other then baseball players scratching themselves and spitting.

[John]

Now we can stop a 10-2 game in the middle of August between two also ran teams for ten minutes trying to figure out if the second baseman really touched the bag on that double play.

Yeah, that will help the game so much.

[Restoras]

No one is making you watch the Red Sox/Skankee games...

[Winston]

Don't you mean Red Sux?

[BakedPenguin]

Too bad for you they don't suck.

GO SAHX!

[Restoras]

Well to be fair they might suck now but we won't know until after...the Red Sox get their 2013 World Series rings!!! That season will keep me me warm all winter.

[Eduard van Haalen]

Guess what the Norwegian government will try to regulate?

Remember - I'm not foreskin you to click this link. So before you get angry, here's a tip: don't get all snippy with me, or make cutting remarks. I'm just trying to pour some mohel on troubled waters.

http://www.jpost.com/Jewish-Wo.....ion-331634

[Archduke von Pantsfan]

it's about deep dish pizza, isn't it?

[hamilton]

Government is always looking to take its cut.

[Certified Public Asskicker]

It's worth clicking on the link just to see the baby with his hands up by his head in a "oh fuck, this is gonna suck" pose.

[Certified Public Asskicker]

Or after further thought, I feel bad for the kid.

[Juice]

Good on them.

[Archduke von Pantsfan]

and my axe!

[jesse.in.mb]

Jean-Claude Van Damme proves that if you're ever going to perform an epic split between two Volvo trucks you should do it to an Enya anthem.

[Fist of Etiquette]

YouTube tells me Chuck Norris was driving.

Both trucks.

[The Late P Brooks]

HOPE-A-DOPE IS ON THE ROPES.

[Eduard van Haalen]

A bill in the Scottish parliament would allow supposedly terminally ill patients to off themselves with a physician-prescribed poison, and finish themselves off with the aid of "licensed facilitators." The British Medical Association opposes the bill, which would put doctors in the role of killers.

http://www.pulsetoday.co.uk/ne.....oU5tCf9ypo

[Apatheist ?_??]

You should stick to the child euthanasia stuff which at least brings up the issue of consent.

[Eduard van Haalen]

The issue of professional ethics is another issue. It's one thing to leave suicide to the adults concerned, and their "facilitators," but it's another thing to grant a role in the killing process to physicians. There should be a firewall between these two functions.

Most physicians already have that rule re executions. Even if you're fan of the death penalty, that doesn't mean Dr. Welby should be doing it.

[Apatheist ?_??]

That's for individual doctors not me to decide.

[Eduard van Haalen]

Would you want to have a doctor who is accustomed to killing people?

[PD Scott]

Like this guy?

[playa manhattan]

If I were terminally ill and wanted to die, then yes, that is exactly the kind of doctor I would want to have.

[Boisfeuras]

I think granting the power to kill to doctors in a socialist healthcare system is a pretty obvious and huge moral hazard, regardless of one's position on euthanasia.

[Coeus]

Marcotte rides again:

In a sense, it's just another example of the hard right tendency to assume that you're not a real American if you don't belong to the 30-ish percent that holds, as Rick Perlstein puts it, the belief that liberalism is "the ideology that steals from hard-working, taxpaying whites and gives the spoils to indolent, grasping blacks" and that they're here to save America from the supposed dangers of, to be blunt, democracy.

Not that you need to bother, since Rafael Cruz is pretty blunt about his racism:

Evangelical pastor Rafael Cruz, father of tea party star Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), called black and Hispanic voters "uninformed" and "deceived" during a speech to conservative activists in February.
After attending a panel on minority outreach at the FreedomWorks grassroots summit, Cruz, a Cuban-American, born-again Christian, spoke at the conference. He noted that a previous speaker "mentioned something about Hispanics being uninformed or deceived."
"Well, the same thing is true of the black population," Cruz said.

I'm wondering how she manages to reconcile those two thoughts.

[Fatty Bolger]

Must be one of those white Hispanics.

[John]

And I wonder if she realizes that the idea of people being deceived and voting against their real interests is pretty much one of the left's most sacred ideas.

[PD Scott]

That's only if they vote differently than what the Left thinks is the correct way. The Left believes they never deceive anyone and their motives are pure as the driven snow.

[Coeus]

exactly. That's what the first example is about.

[Fatty Bolger]

EU Regulations: "Dictatorship of the Bureaucrats"?

The European Union has quietly approved a ban on large vacuum cleaners in an effort to "re-educate" spendthrift citizens who consume too much energy.

European bureaucrats have also imposed bans or restrictions on thousands of other consumer products, including bananas, clothes dryers, cosmetics, cucumbers, fruit jam, laptop computers, laundry detergents, light bulbs, olive oil, plastic bags, refrigerators, showerheads, television sets, tobacco, toilets, toys, urinals and wine cooling cabinets.

The most recent ban?approved by the European Parliament on October 8?involves chocolate candy cigarettes because they "appeal to minors and consequently form a potential gateway to using tobacco products."

The European Union and its supporters say the bans are necessary to improve the energy efficiency, environmental friendliness and health standards of the 28-member bloc.

But critics say the seemingly endless number of bans, prohibitions, restrictions, regulations and edicts being enacted by unelected bureaucrats in Brussels?many of which are being justified by eco-related concerns?smacks of paternalism. They claim it is over-regulation, and an unacceptable intrusion into the private lives of 500 million EU citizens, who should be allowed to make their own decisions.

[Hillary's Clitdong]

The E.U. government is going to be like the U.S. federal government, only this time every constituent state is already further to the left than California.

[paranoid android]

But critics say the seemingly endless number of bans, prohibitions, restrictions, regulations and edicts being enacted by unelected bureaucrats in Brussels?many of which are being justified by eco-related concerns?smacks of paternalism.

You don't fucking say.

[Bobarian]

" bananas, cucumbers, laptop computers, showerheads, toys, olive oil, television sets, fruit jam, urinals and wine cooling cabinets..."

THINGS PEOPLE USE TO MASTURBATE!!?!

[Mad Scientist]

You left out clothes dryers, and those are definitely masturbatory aids for the gals.

[Bobarian]

Now that I'm reviewing, I also left out plastic bags to go with the olive oil.

Oh, and never forget large vacuums...

Mom started hiding the vacuum after she came home early once.

[playa manhattan]

What about sheep?

[jesse.in.mb]

I don't think the Scots are beholden to EU regulatory bans are they?

[playa manhattan]

*raises hand*

Can someone explain the fruit jam and wine cabinet to me? It's, uh, for a friend...

[LynchPin1477]

Urinals? Really?

[OldMexican]

But critics say the seemingly endless number of bans, prohibitions, restrictions, regulations and edicts being enacted by unelected bureaucrats in Brussels ? many of which are being justified by eco-related concerns ? smacks of paternalism.

Oh, those European critics are always so proper and polite. I would have said that the endless number of prohibitions, regulations and rules by unelected bureaucrats smacks of fucking fascism.

[The Late P Brooks]

Today near Denver, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will do something it says it has never done before: destroy six tons of ivory to highlight a booming illegal trade contributing to the slaughter of tens of thousands of elephants every year.

By reducing the supply of ivory, they will render all remaining ivory valueless!

[db]

It's not libertarians' fault that we are so often reduced to the caricature of the Libertarian Econ 101 Facepalm.

[Eduard van Haalen]

Washington State Insurance Commissioner: "In the interest of keeping the consumer protections we have enacted and ensuring that we keep health insurance costs down for all consumers, we are staying the course...We will not be allowing insurance companies to extend their policies. I believe this is in the best interest of the health insurance market in Washington."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/.....y-started/

[Coeus]

The mask continues to slip:

Lots of proggies in the comments talking about how great McCain is. Can we just split into statist and freedom parties already and get this over with?

[Winston]

I didn't know McCain ran Reason.

[Somalian Road Corporation]

One of the worst aspects of McCain's senatorial career (for me, at least) is listening to all the fucking party-line Republicans around here defend his worthless Vietnamese ace ass. I try pointing out that change his party affiliation and state of residence and nobody would blink, but, nooooo...

Sometimes I get a laugh when I say that Barry Goldwater's corpse would do a far better job than McCain could ever dream of, though.

[Corning]

That is not fair. McCain's corpse could do a far better job then McCain can.

[SweatingGin]

"Can we just split into statist and freedom parties already and get this over with?"

I used to be all about that... but there'd be like 5% in the Freedom Party. They'd have us into camps about 10 minutes later.

[Coeus]

More like 30 percent. With most of the guns.

[The Rt. Hon. Serious Man, Visc]

Miss Universe says transgender women shouldn't be allowed to compete with natural women

The newly crowned Miss Universe seems to think transgender beauty queens don't have a rightful place in the Miss Universe pageant.
[...]
"Do you think that transgender people should be able to compete in international pageants?" HuffPost Live host Ahmed Shihab-Eldin asked.

"They should have their own pageant, I think, and maybe they can realize in this pageant, Miss Universe, or the other pageants [were] made for women," she said. "They are... they have the opportunity, but I think that they have to compete with the same... the same team. Right?"

So, she thinks transgender beauty queens should be able to compete, but only in certain pageants.

When further pressed about whether a transgender participant should be disqualified, Isler joked: "It's not my decision. I would like to have the power to make all of the decisions. But, as a human being, you have to [have the opportunity] to realize... to make your dreams come true."

What's the word? Cis-privilege?

[paranoid android]

Better question: do the transgender girls really want to compete with the naturals? I can't see that ending in a self-esteem boost for the Ts in the vast majority of cases.

[Damned Fool]

That was my first thought.

"Wow, what a firm jaw she has."

[BakedPenguin]

I'll just leave this here.

[jesse.in.mb]

Appropriate

[Corning]

Why is this show less then the sum of its parts?

So many good jokes and skits yet as a whole is just kind of bleh.

[Apatheist ?_??]

And if one does legitimately win (with no pc bonus) then more power to her.

[paranoid android]

Oh, for sure. Maybe one already has won and we just don't know!

Though I wonder, do any of these pageants have rules about how much plastic surgery a contestant can have?

[Apatheist ?_??]

That would be a legitimate reason to say no. Still, it's not like these women are presenting their "natural" selves whether they've had plastic surgery or not.

[Apatheist ?_??]

Some quick googling shows that there are no restrictions on cosmetic surgery. I don't really understand what would be "unfair" about it considering a transgender woman would almost certainly be starting at a disadvantage.

[Winston]

Where's Scott Shackford on Beauty Pageant Equality?

[Eduard van Haalen]

The question is whether a trans guy feels like a natural woman.

[Eduard van Haalen]

President of National Association of Insurance Commissioners:

"[We] ware concerned by the President's announcement today that the federal government would use its "enforcement discretion" to delay enforcement of the ACA's market reforms in 2014 for plans that are currently in effect. This decision continues different rules for different policies and threatens to undermine the new market, and may lead to higher premiums and market disruptions in 2014 and beyond.

"In addition, it is unclear how, as a practical matter, the changes proposed today by the President can be put into effect. In many states, cancellation notices have already gone out to policyholders and rates and plans have already been approved for 2014. Changing the rules through administrative action at this late date creates uncertainty and may not address the underlying issues. We look forward to learning more details of this policy change and about how the administration proposes that regulators and insurers make this work for all consumers."

[Eduard van Haalen]

http://washingtonexaminer.com/.....le/2539180

[The Rt. Hon. Serious Man, Visc]

Introducing the Wine Bra: Smuggle booze and get bigger boobs!

Drinks at shows are super overpriced. And most venues don't bother to stock the good stuff -- they rarely have that lovely Argentine Malbec we're craving. What to do?
Enter the Wine Rack. It's basically like a flask mixed with a Wonderbra. It holds a full bottle of wine -- or the equivalent of two bottles of beer or twenty shots. It comes with a straw and it's supposedly very discreet, even as it increases your chest by two cup sizes.

Something to get the wife or girlfriend for Christmas.

[Damned Fool]

So I was on the Order of the Stick forums following the latest update (yeah, I know, Internet forums, but I don't play D&D so I need other people's rules knowledge for insight). Anyway, I found this little gem in someone's signature. Apparently classical liberalism is chaotic neutral and we here are straight up chaotic evil but socialists are lawful good and our commie friends come in at a respectable lawful neutral.

[John]

Leftists will pretty much ruin anything.

[hamilton]

Well, fuck, now I have to switch over to worshiping Demogorgon and get rid of my +5 Holy Avenger.

[Killazontherun]

Worshiping Lloth is more my style, but if we are fighting against the lawful good Angels of Socialism, no matter our chaote nature, the alliance will be strong, as it is built of Hate itself.

Yeah, the system with the highest body count is merely lawful neutral. That's some great historical perspective you got their kid.

[jesse.in.mb]

If I remember correctly from The Fifth Element, supporting Broken Windows policies makes one chaotic evil, no?

[Somalian Road Corporation]

That reminds me of another stupid snarky image that was all over Facebook and whatnot during the 2012 election. Eventually it got reposted by somebody that I knew should know better and I responded: "Robb Stark doesn't torture people. Obama does."

Unfortunately it profited nobody because enlightened self-described progressives only care about such things when they can be used as a wedge issue against their enemies, and the Right People are in charge now.

[Gray Ghost]

"Robb Stark doesn't torture people. Obama does."

Awesome. I never think of comebacks like that when I need to.

[Andrew S.]

Wait, Nazis are lawful evil and we're chaotic evil?

I mean, at worst we're lawful evil. I'd probably go with chaotic neutral.

[paranoid android]

Aren't chaotic neutrals capricious jerks who will backstab anyone and everyone for the hell of it? I think Chaotic Good fits the best by far. Neutrals tend to be more ends-justify-the-means-y.

[Damned Fool]

CN means indifference to rules and group opinion, and that you do what you want within whatever limited moral code you possess. Think Jack Sparrow: dishonest as fuck, but doesn't kill if he thinks he can avoid it and likes to talk his way out of situations rather than fight. Also, in a deleted scene explaining his origin in the third Pirates movie, he apparently started his career by freeing some slaves he was supposed to transport. CNs may have moral constraints but they're not likely to go out of their way to help you out like a CG would.

[John]

Pirates could be either CN or CE depending on how nasty they actually are.

[Damned Fool]

I'd say the ancaps are CN and the minarchists and constitutionalists are TN. The stronger constitutionalists (follow for its own sake) may be LN.

BTW, can anyone read the ones with the American flag or the rose? I can't make it out.

[John]

I would say

Lawful Good - Theocrats
Lawful Neutral - Some form of Pagans
Lawful Evil - Communists

Neutral Good - Classical Liberals
Neutral - Objectivists
Neutral Evil - Nazis

Chaotic Good - Libertarians
Chaotic Neutral - Ancaps
Chaotic Evil - Cult leaders or smaller Pagan sexts?

[Irish]

Lawful Good - Theocrats

Uh...I think the "witches" that got burned at Salem and the people currently living in Saudi Arabia might disagree with you here, John.

[Corning]

Actually witches are chaotic evil. It is ok for lawful good people to burn chaotic evil witches.

Saudi Arabia is a weird one. In the Forgotten Realms packs Zakhara, which most resemble Arabia, the theocracy worship Demons which are Chaotic Evil. No idea why.

[Andrew S.]

Or maybe chaotic good.

[Corning]

Classical liberalism would be Chaotic good.

Libertarians are also chaotic good.

Epi is chaotic evil.

Socialists and communists can be as individuals lawful good lawful evil and lawful neutral.

All socialist and communist governments are lawful evil.

His big mistake is that if classical liberals and libertarians are not good then who the fuck can be chaotic good?

Also obviously the Joker would be chaotic evil...the joker is no libertarian.

Anyway the alignment system in D&D is fucked anyway. Great white sharks are Chaotic evil when they should just be neutral just like any natural non-sentient creature.

The main point of all this is that epi is evil and everyone should know that.

[hamilton]

Epi is an Otyugh.

[Gray Ghost]

You're shitting me. I love that comic and read the forum for it from time to time. Which clown there thought that ridiculous .gif was worth immortalizing?

[Coeus]

I would consider myself chaotic good, but I'm consciously trying for chaotic neutral. No good deed goes unpunished, in my experience.

[waffles]

Looks like Mister Harding doesn't give a fuck.

[The Rt. Hon. Serious Man, Visc]

Female flash mob descends on Katz's Deli to recreate orgasm scene

I'll have what they're having.

[jesse.in.mb]

Teacher suggests threesome with students

A female teacher, who suggested a threesome with two gay male students, has been charged with serious misconduct.[...]

The teacher, whose name was suppressed, invited a family friend's son to board with her, after she split from her husband.

The boarder, who she knew was going to be a year 13 student at the school where she taught, moved in with her in 2010 before the school year started.

They communicated over Skype and text messaging, when she said things such as: "Oh I love you and care about you, and I'll see you after school".

After he moved in, she said she hugged and kissed him frequently.[...]

Because the only television in the house was in her room, the whole family would often watch from her bed.

On one occasion, her boarder and his boyfriend were watching television, and she made a comment about the three of them engaging in a threesome.

Again, she said this was a result of her was treating him as her own child, and there was nothing romantic or sexual involved.[...]

"I would like to continue teaching," she said.

"My CV, ERO reports and appraisals show that I am a highly-effective classroom practitioner."

She said she had a great depth of knowledge and skill to contribute to the education sector.

Somebody tell me this is satire...

[Damned Fool]

On one occasion, her boarder and his boyfriend were watching television, and she made a comment about the three of them engaging in a threesome.

Again, she said this was a result of her was treating him as her own child

Um...
Yeah...
About that...

[paranoid android]

On one occasion, her boarder and his boyfriend were watching television, and she made a comment about the three of them engaging in a threesome.

Again, she said this was a result of her was treating him as her own child, and there was nothing romantic or sexual involved.

Yeah, you know, something about the juxtaposition of these two sentences strikes me as a bit off...

[Killazontherun]

I am stymied for something half clever and full witted to say. Thought up several approaches, they all fell short. Good job, Jesse, because in the immortal words of Nikki, I just can't even . . .

[Ted S.]

Sounds more like frivolous misconduct to me.

[Killazontherun]

I think you're right. As bizarre as that situation and her rationale is, I wouldn't throw the book at her without other extenuating circumstances.

[Eduard van Haalen]

NPR says the Republicans are relieved to have this health-care rollout disaster to take the public's attention away from the horror of the Shutdownpocalypse.

Hopefully, the public will take another look at this shutdown - maybe delaying Ocare wasn't such a bad idea after all.

[John]

In other news, Admiral Nimitz relieved to have Midway take the public's attention off of Pearle Harbor.

[Bobarian]

I think it's more like members of the 101st being happy to see lead elements of the 4th AD at Bastogne.

[Restoras]

I think the 101st was just wondering what took those fuckers so long to show up...

[John]

http://www.sfgate.com/business.....977288.php

The insanity of the ethanol mandate.

[Winston]

Tom Friedman will be happy.

[Winston]

Isn't a prog environmentalist a contradiction in terms? Of course considering their idea of "progress"...

[John]

They are just insane.

[BigT]

More where that came from.

The failure so far of cellulosic fuel is central to the debate over corn-based ethanol, a centerpiece of America's green-energy strategy. Ethanol from corn has proven far more damaging to the environment than the government predicted, and cellulosic fuel hasn't emerged as a replacement.

"A lot of people were willing to go with corn ethanol because it's a bridge product," said Silvia Secchi, an agricultural economist at Southern Illinois University.

But until significant cellulosic fuel materializes, she said, "It's a bridge to nowhere."

[Eduard van Haalen]

Even NPR is covering the way insurance companies were whipsawed and how doing a 180 is not necessarily feasible.

[John]

Again, the simple story wins. The simple story is the law still makes those things illegal. The complex story is "yeah but Obama really won't enforce that law, for now".

I think this actually will make things worse for Congressional Dems.

[Eduard van Haalen]

Debbie Whatshername Schlitz says it was always the Dems' intention to let people keep their policies.

[Eduard van Haalen]

Whoa, the NPR interviewer is really pressing DWS on this.

[BiMonSciFiCon]

So Obama myzled us when he said what he really meant was "if I like your policy, you can keep it"?

[#]

How so?

[Eduard van Haalen]

Like, are democrats still going to run on ocare?

[John]

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

Have some Jennifer Lawrence side boob. I hate the bob hair cut. But man does she have a rack.

[The Rt. Hon. Serious Man, Visc]

She's pretty and has a nice body, I don't know why some people give her shit for it.

I like short hair on girls but I'mm not sure if the bob works for her.

[John]

I like short hair too. But it doesn't work. And she is adorable and has a great body. I don't get the hate directed at her. She is five times as hot as Emma Watson.

[OldMexican]

Re: The Rt. Hob.Serious Man, Visc.

I like short hair on girls but I'mm not sure if the bob works for her.

No, it doesn't. She looks like a soccer mom. She looks old. Her long locks is what made me feel like a dirty old man when looking at her, but now I just feel like I'm at the park with my kids looking at some other kid's mom.

[John]

but now I just feel like I'm at the park with my kids looking at some other kid's mom

You say that like it is a bad thing.

[Killazontherun]

How does the saying go? 8 to 80, blind, crippled, or crazy . . .

Not all that picky, I like the milfs strolling the park every bit as much as the homecoming queen.

[Corning]

I don't know why some people give her shit for it.

Ren?e Zellweger is getting old and Hollywood needed a replacement.

[Palin's Buttplug]

The bob cut reminds you of your pedo-boy fixation.

[John]

yeah sure it does. God you are a weirdo.

[Weigel's Cock Ring]

It was a long, long day for us on JournoList Junior trying to stratege around our Obamessiah's freefall from grace with our buddies Krugie, Ezra, and Sadbeard.

As you can tell, we haven't come up with anything intelligent to say yet.

[Killazontherun]

Still cute, but why do women do that?!?! Most men have no love for short hair as only exceptionally symmetrical beauties like Morena Baccarin can really pull it off but merely politely tolerate it.

[Killazontherun]

From the comments:

saddenedbytheworld, Sidmouth, 1 hour ago

Definitely NOT flattering - side boobs always look droopy.

What's wrong with people? Rejecting the wonder of side boob is just fucking un-American.

[Killazontherun]

When he hears the joyful chirp of baby chicks he would rather hear the crunch of their bones when he smashes them.

[John]

Even a monster like Warty wouldn't reject side boob.

[The Rt. Hon. Serious Man, Visc]

It's a UK paper, so...

[Killazontherun]

Un-American in the universal sense. Sheesh, I thought you guys were too smart to need something so obvious explained to you.

[Warty]

Are women ever able to tell what looks good? Sideboob not flattering. Hah.

[Corning]

What's wrong with people?

There is no filter on the comments, Women and gay men comment as well...

Nothing wrong with them...they just do see with the same eyes straight men do.

[Killazontherun]

Gay guys I know find women attractive, as do other women, given they are called the fairer sex for a good reason, gays and straight women just don't want to fuck them.

[Killazontherun]

Like the co-worker who was stuck being my chaperone at a titty bar one evening when I asked him, 'you liked that?'

'I'm Gay, I'm not dead.'

[Corning]

gays and straight women just don't want to fuck them.

I contend that there is a vast chasm between finding someone platonicly attractive and wanting to fuck them.

It is more then a "just" difference.

[Killazontherun]

You are looking for something carved in stone. Humans aren't that deep, 'just' is the tenuous situation of all flesh.

[The Rt. Hon. Serious Man, Visc]

Capitalism: Spirit Airlines offers low-fare to Toronto and no they aren't smoking crack to offer such a bargain!

For many of us, this is an outlandish story. (Though as Clinton Yates pointed out, news of a crack-smoking mayor doesn't entertain everyone.) But for Spirit Airlines, this news is a chance to offer a topical promotion for cheap flights.
Visitors to the airline's Web site Thursday were greeted with a short animated video displaying the words "WE'RE NOT SMOKING CRACK" alongside a promotion offering discounted flights to the Toronto area*. (The video also included the words "THIS FARE SALE IS REAL.")

Update: As my colleague Caitlin Dewey points out, the promotion says flights are "to the Toronto area (Niagara Falls Airport)" and other spots. But the Niagara Falls Airport is actually near Buffalo, N.Y., about 88 miles from downtown Toronto. So while the deals may be using Toronto as the hook to get attention (which clearly worked, as this post exists), these flights won't actually deliver you to Toronto.

The same airline also had an Incognito joke in an advertisement.

[Eduard van Haalen]

"Our marketing dept doesn't smoke crack...only our pilots do that"

[Coeus]

Feminist once again takes men's money for granted.

Too long to summarize, but amazingly, there are dissenters in the comments.

[Eduard van Haalen]

Prudence lives up to her name.

If I was ingo divorce, id tell the silly eoman to leave her husband for a hard working landscaper and find true happiness, while her former husband has to settle for some young coed. That should teach him!

[OldMexican]

he spends the week dicking around (gym, squash, books, movies, etc.). It's making me crazy with resentment, especially when I come home from a hard day at work. He tells me I should just quit if I don't like it, and that I shouldn't worry about being dependent because he's set up a trust fund for me and our son.

Oh, great. Besides being a bum, he's a rich bum who keeps himself fit for his woman. Double whammy. Awful.

[Thane is a cosmotarian!]

This doesn't change even if the spouse working 60 hours doesn't necessarily have to but is doing it because ze is trying to get promoted or is working on a work assignment ze really loves.

[OldMexican]

From the 24/7 News links, so no hat tip:

"Colorado Regulators Trying to Determine Marijuana Prices"

Colorado regulators have begun surveying marijuana businesses about the price of pot, in an effort to implement a new excise tax that voters passed earlier this month.

The tax places a 15 percent levy on the wholesale price of recreational marijuana when it moves between the grower and the seller.

The challenge, though, is that Colorado's forthcoming recreational marijuana industry won't have a true wholesale market for at least the first nine months. Instead, marijuana businesses must initially grow almost everything they sell ? meaning the wholesale transactions that will be subject to the excise tax are really just pot transfers between two parts of the same business in which no money is exchanged.

The fact that both Coloradoans and the regulators they enable are CLUELESS about markets makes for some very entertaining comedy. So they want to tax a wholesale market that doesn't exist yet because there's still very little capital investment, with no concern for the negative incentive for investment that such a tax creates. Talk about killing the goose that hasn't even laid a single golden egg YET.

[Sevo]

I'm pretty sure the black market is not about to disappear where weed is 'legalized'.

[Restoras]

Colorado is a good example of what happens when progtards leave a place they've ruined and start to ruin another place. Same can probably be said of New Hampshire.

[Eduard van Haalen]

CBS didn't invite Dan Rather to its JFK assassination 50th anniversary memorial. I don't understand - Rather was famous for covering that story. It's almost as if CBS is embarrassed by him for some reason and wants to avoid associating with him!

http://www.nationalreview.com/.....ling-beard

[paranoid android]

I've always found it so bizarre that in contrast to virtually all other famous leaders, who are typically honored on their respective birthdays (at least in America, I imagine it is also the case most other places), JFK only gets talked about on the anniversary of his death.

[Restoras]

It lets the traumatized boomers relive the tragedy and their loss of innocence. Yes, they are that dickish.

[Coeus]

Black face paint. A poll:

What do Americans think about dressing in blackface or as a racial stereotype for halloween? A YouGov survey shows that a plurality of Americans narrowly believe it's acceptable to dress in blackface by a 43-37 margin, and are split on dressing as a racial stereotype. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the racial and partisan divides are stark.

[db]

The Obamacare "fix" is going to fail. It basically consists of the Administration saying it will withhold prosecution of anyone selling a plan that is illegal under tge new law if it was legal under the old law. "Just trust us." Any lawyer for an insurance company who doesn't advise his client to run screaming for the exits at that prospect needs to have his head examined.

I'm sure "the President said we could do it" is an affirmative defense nowadays. /eyeroll

[Restoras]

Given the capricious and arbitrary nature of this particular King's reign, you'd be crazy to beleive him. Best to wait it out.

Also, didn't we kick the Brits out in part because of arbitrary and capricious authoritarian rule?

[Coeus]

The rending of garments and the knashing of teeth in the fark comments about Obama's announcement is epic. Go forth, and find your favorite.

[Coeus]

skozlaw
2013-11-14 01:32:31 PM
This is so farking stupid. A couple million people, some unknown number of whom are getting better deals now anyway and won't keep their shiatty plan even if they can, couldn't be assed in three and a half years to make any attempt to understand the basics of the law or even call their insurer to check on their plan's status to make it sure it qualifies... so now we have to kowtow to them with bullshiat exceptions.

Farkin' A....

sabreWulf07
2013-11-14 01:32:51 PM
dead: You mean people actually making decisions for themselves? We can't have that!

It's 1955 and you're headed to the grocery store, you get to make a decision for yourself: apples or oranges?

Which one did you go with? Apples? Good for you! You made your own choice as an informed consumer and engaged in private commerce without government getting between you, the grocer and the orchard owner.

The apples are dripping in DDT of course, but you made that decision all by yourself, didn't you? You don't need government for anything!

[Coeus]

SpectroBoy
2013-11-14 01:39:30 PM

That is in fact the decision here.

Under insured people who are "making decisions for themselves" are basically making the decision that they will simply freeload from the rest of us if they get seriously ill.

I suppose a burglar who break in to your house is also someone "making a decision for himself", but it is illegal.

[Killazontherun]

dj_bigbird: How can he do this? I thought the ACA was passed by Congress and signed into law by him. How can the President arbitrarily change a law because he doesn't like it?

Depending on who you listen to, Obama did it all himself and it a complete dictator

you know, on the days he's not a stuffed-suit know-nothing.

Idiot thinks there is a contradiction between someone being a stuff suit know nothing and a dictator. Did a decade of Hugo Chavez teach these people anything?

[Coeus]

whidbey: Listen, assholes. Drop this farking attack on the President. He is not God, and it's not going to kill you to get a plan that's in like with the ACA. God this farking country is full of petty whiners.

sabreWulf07: 1derful: Requiring a woman who are post-menopausal to pay for maternity coverage was a shiatty idea.

I feel the exact same way about having a policy that covers insulin. I don't need that shiat and frankly diabetes is a lifestyle choice that I don't approve of.

And my favorite so far:

asquian [TotalFark]
2013-11-14 02:06:10 PM
Wow. A politician admitting responsibility, and negotiating to fix a problem. I can see why so many people are losing their minds, after years of publicized GOP and TP instanity, no one knows how to cope with someone who's willing to actually take responsibility.

[Killazontherun]

Wait, wait, I got one better --

Chewb1zz
2013-11-14 01:22:23 PM

cameroncrazy1984: My only question is how can this be possible? The insurance companies already dropped the noncompliant policies.

Like I mentioned in a previous thread, this now puts it on the insurance companies. They can reinstate the plans, which will cost them money. Or they can keep them in the canceled pile, admitting that they canceled the plans not because of ACA but because they wanted more money. Can't have it both ways cause it's now definitely not ACA's fault they were canceled.

Not Obama's fault people look after their own interest first. They had three years to reform themselves and learn to the serve the public instead of seeking profits. Now Obama has put the onerous of burden on them to live up to his high standards, and if they don't the people will see right through them.

Where is the central casting these people come out of?

[Irish]

Now Obama has put the onerous of burden on them to live up to his high standards, and if they don't the people will see right through them.

'Onerous of burden' is a phrase that makes no sense. 'Onerous' means overly burdensome. So he's basically saying 'Obama has put the overly burdensome of burden on them.'

If he replaced the entire three word phrase with 'onus' it would make sense. As it stands now, I'm not entirely sure what he's trying to say.

People should really learn the words they're trying to use before they show off and end up looking like pretentious assholes.

[Killazontherun]

Agreed. It's a redundant phrase that bugs the crap out of me too.

[Killazontherun]

And, why are those people having a problem spelling 'shit'? It's not 'shiat' or, even 'shite' which is alright in context, but 'shit'.

[Coeus]

fark auto-filter

[Killazontherun]

They ban 'shit'? Holy crap, what kind of pussy would post at a site that bans the most representational word of the English language?

[JidaKida]

Rol lthat beautiful bean footage dude.

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