A.M. Links: Corruption Up, Respect for Property Rights Down in the US; NSA Used Radio Waves to Plant Spy Software in Computers; LA City Council Considering $15/Hour Minimum Wage for Hotel Workers

• 

  MAD Magazine

  The U.S. has fallen out of the top ten countries for economic freedom in the Heritage Foundation's 20th anniversary edition of the Index of Economic Freedom.

• The NSA has reportedly planted spy software in more than 100,000 computers, often using radio waves. In the meantime, President Obama is expected to propose changing the way the NSA collects Americans' phone records.
• A federal district judge ruled Oklahoma's ban on gay marriage unconstitutional.
• The LA city council is considering raising the minimum wage for workers at large hotels to $15 an hour.
• A state judge ordered New Jersey officials to provide a "status report" on the opening of medical marijuana dispensaries, half of which remain closed.
• The retired Florida cop and SWAT chief who allegedly shot and killed a man for texting in a movie theater was denied bail.
• The White House's press secretary, Jay Carney, says President Obama plans to meet Pope Francis and is looking forward to it, but declined to detail when or where that might take place.

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Comments

[Evan from Evansville]

Not on my watch!

[Evan from Evansville]

Looks like that federal judge is....barking up the wrong Bush!

[Floridian]

That was a gamble. If FoE had beat you, the mocking would be severe.

[Evan from Evansville]

And I would have deserved it.

But as you can plainly see...I am first.

[Floridian]

You are technically correct. Which is the best kind of correct.

[Andrew S.]

Guards! Bring me the forms I need to have FoE taken away.

[Rufus J. Firefly]

Hello.

[Smilin' Joe Fission]

Monsieur Firefly.

[Fist of Etiquette]

The NSA has reportedly planted spy software in more than 100,000 computers, often using radio waves.

Be advised we got Cylons in the wire.

[Evan from Evansville]

Now look how pathetic you are.

/out of breath panting

[Fist of Etiquette]

Tomorrow do a comment on one of the links first. Then I'll hand you the keys to the Batcave.

[Lord Humungus]

and by "Batcave", he means Warty's sex dungeon. Many go on, but no one comes out.

[Lord Humungus]

*on = in

[Elspeth Flashman]

But does he play good music there?

[Marshall Gill]

Yes

[Marc F Cheney]

I believe the rule is "two men enter, one man leave".

That man being a detumescent Warty.

[Andrew S.]

Are we talking about the metallic ones, or are we talking about ones that look like #6 and #8 from the reimagined series?

[Austrian Anarchy]

The original metal ones are the only true Cylons.

[Auric Demonocles]

Why do you hate sexbots?

[Wandering Texan]

Are we really surprised by anything the NSA does/has done anymore?

[Rasilio]

I don't know, I'd be shocked to find out they had the capability to do something but refrained because they thought it would be an illegal or unconstitutional act.

[Lord Humungus]

Elderly Man Attacks Man With Shopping Cart Over Express Lane Dispute at Walmart: Deputies

An elderly man was arrested after attacking another elderly man with a shopping cart at a Walmart saying he had exceeded 20 items when buying his items in the express lane, authorities said.

[Floridian]

I can sympathize. Read the damn sign! 20! Can you count moron!

[Rich]

And put away that checkbook!

[Steve G]

Semi-permissible in the express lane...completely unsat in the self-checkout!!

[Steve G]

But we really don't have to worry about the elderly in the self-checkout...for now.

[Snark Plissken]

A six-pack counts as one item. Yes I've been questioned on this.

[Agammamon]

If its rung up as one item, then its one item.

A six-pack of soda, a bag of corn, etc.

[Ted S.]

Justifiable assault?

[Evan from Evansville]

Oh, how much I would have paid to witness that slow-motion cudgeling.

Seems like an affirmative defense, frankly.

[gaijin]

Gray and gray violence in America is at epidemic proportions! Won't someone think of the grannies?

[PM]

Won't someone think of the grannies?

Warty's got it covered.

[H. Rearden]

Elderly people should be banned from the express lane. What's their hurry? The express lane should be reserved for those whose opportunity cost of time spent in line is a little more than missing the start of 'Golden Girls' reruns.

[Fist of Etiquette]

No, they have the least amount of time left. Seinfeld was right. A person should be able to drive his age.

[Auric Demonocles]

Fuck, I'm not going anywhere.

[Enough About Palin]

So old men are gay then, right?

[Fist of Etiquette]

In the meantime, President Obama is expected to propose changing the way the NSA collects Americans' phone records.

Do we know? This isn't more of that 2007 blank slate, wishful thinking crap, is it?

[Bee Tagger]

Look, he doesn't want to marry us, but he also doesn't want to break up with us. What is he supposed to say?

[Andrew S.]

I'm assuming "changing the way the NSA collects American's phone records" actually means "We're going to do better about keeping it a secret".

[gaijin]

Definitely. Changing the way they will continue to do something usually means they're just sorry they got caught.

[Fist of Etiquette]

Unless a second Snowden comes forward we'll never know if any changes have actually been made.

[Austrian Anarchy]

Relabeling the Area Code field to NPA.

[wareagle]

and for some reason, folks take it for granted that these changes will somehow benefit us.

[DontShootMe]

Obama just wants a couple of columns added to the NSA database, so he can label phone records by things like, "Enemy (of mine)", "Friend", "Teathuglican", and "Hillary supporter"

[Bee Tagger]

The NSA has reportedly planted spy software in more than 100,000 computers, often using radio waves.

This is the exact reason why I never let my Sims listen to the radio.

[Fist of Etiquette]

The retired Florida cop and SWAT chief who allegedly shot and killed a man for texting in a movie theater was denied bail.

ONLY ONES TRAINED TO CARRY A GUN.

[Floridian]

Is it still alleged when the guy admits to the shooting?

[Rich]

Yes.

"An armed society is a polite society."

[carol]

This was the second time this guy went off on someone at that theather. The first time he got confrontational in the theater and then followed the young woman who had offended him out to the parking lot. This time he decided to do away with all the hoo-haw and just shoot the guy where he stood. What a nutter.

[gaijin]

Wasn't that part of the carve out in the New York gun laws? That retired cops got a special right to otherwise restricted arms?

[WTF]

He was probably acting according to his training. Any perceived threat or disobedience is to be met with deadly force.

[Ted S.]

He did get home safely that night, didn't he?

[Enough About Palin]

No. He's in the clink.

[DontShootMe]

but, but, the popcorn, it was life threatening!

[Dead or In Jail]

Here's an interesting thing from the article.

The shooter (and retired police chief) is listed as being 71. Let's assume he turned 71 in 2013.

The article states that he retired in 1993.

That's right: this guy retired at age 51.

Awesome.

[Fist of Etiquette]

Sounds like the shooter came from the days when SWAT were mostly called when violence was already afoot unlike today when SWAT regularly introduced violence into otherwise peaceful domestic lives, so maybe he wasn't the shoot the dog type. Maybe he actually saved lives in his day. Who knows; that might come out in the coming days. Having bail denied isn't a good sign for him.

And, of course, the texter is dead, and he had a family.

So this is pretty much a tragedy all around.

[alittlesense]

Not really. The old fool (and I mean that in the most pejorative sense possible) had a history of this kind of crap. His lawyer actaully had the brass to say he felt threatened by someone throwing popcorn at him.

It is a great shame that the electric chair is no longer used. This clown has long outlived his welcome on earth.

[Lord Humungus]

Cyclist had seven-week erection after injuring his penis on crossbar of his bike

A report in the Irish Medical Journal described how several treatments were attempted and the man's swelling finally subsided when doctors inserted gel foam and four tiny platinum coils at an abnormal connection between an artery and a vein that supplied blood to the man's penis.

Doctors who treated the man at Dublin's Tallaght Hospital said an examination 'revealed no signs of injury, but penis was erect'.

They added that intercourse would have been 'possible, but painful' for the man during his ordeal.

[waffles]

Without that last detail I would have been extremely unsatisfied, but not as much as this guy.

[gaijin]

Guessing he had to wear compression shorts when he went out in public.

[The Late P Brooks]

Did an outraged mob storm Fullerton PD headquarters and burn it to the ground, yet?

*sobs morosely*

[Andrew S.]

Nope. We're fucked. Personally, I just plan to drink enough to numb the pain and just watch it all go down.

[SugarFree]

No, no... It was jury nullification! You libertarians love that, right?

Herk-a-derp-a-derp. DERP DERP DERP Hurr-durr-a-yuk-yuk-nyuk. HERP HERP HERP D-D-D-DUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUURRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!

/Tulpa, hiding in the overnight threads like the coward he is.

[Andrew S.]

Trolls tend to come out only at night. The light scares them.

[VG Zaytsev]

The bastard was positively exuberant over the verdict.

Sick fuck.

[robc]

Tulpa doesnt know what the phrase means.

It isnt jury nullification when a jury lets someone off...its nullification when a jury judges the law invalid and thus lets someone off.

I dont think any members of the jury think that murder shouldnt be a crime.

[Pro Libertate]

Nullification is generally the jury making a decision based on its opinion about a law. Standard jury decision-making involves making decisions based on facts (within the framework of the law--in criminal cases, generally the elements of the crime). A way to look at it is that the jurors are legislating from the jury box.

[robc]

Right, and they werent doing it in this case. They just found the cops not guilty.

[Lord Humungus]

Novel way to get rid of icicles: Shoot them down

Suburban Chicago police say an elderly St. Charles Township man used his handgun to knock down icicles -- not with the gun stock, but with bullets.

Kane County Sheriff's spokesman Lt. Pat Gengler said the Friday incident involved an 80-year-old man who used a .22-caliber revolver to shoot at icicles hanging from the second floor of his home. Police were summoned by a neighbor.

[Swiss Servator, Befehl!]

How come the only time my neck of the woods gets mentioned it is for quasi-Florida Man stuff?

[gaijin]

Well it is St Charles 'township'...not exactly urban demographics 😉

[carol]

Eh, nobody does crazy like we Floridians.

[Fist of Etiquette]

The neighbor should be thankful he didn't opt for the flamethrower.

[Agammamon]

Well, at least no charges have been filed (yet).

It seems like an eminently practical idea - you're 80 and can't manhandle the ladder so well anymore, let alone the climbing up and down and breaking the icicles, and he chose a suitable firearm - powerful enough to do the job yet weak enough to not be much of a threat of collateral damage.

Plus I imagine its fun as hell.

[sarcasmic]

How sex can make you smarter: Scientists say it encourages the growth of brain cells and improves long-term memory
Study found rats developed a greater number of brain cells after mating
This increase in neurons can restore cognitive function, such as memory
After sexual activity was stopped, improvements in brain power were lost
A separate study suggests having sex can counteract the effects of stress

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sci.....emory.html
Maybe that's why Tulpa is so stupid.

[Bam!]

Bet those scientists aren't getting any.

[Certified Public Asskicker]

Are pornstars really smart?

[sarcasmic]

Do you get paid to have sex? They do. Who's the smart one?

[Certified Public Asskicker]

I agree to an extent, but is that the only criteria we are using?

[waffles]

I don't know about pornstars, but plenty of working girls are just trying to get through law or medical school.

[Bam!]

Do you discuss their future before or after coitus?

[sarcasmic]

One of the local strip clubs sells a shirt advertising how they put girls through college.

[Ted S.]

Does masturbating have the same effects?

[Certified Public Asskicker]

That would explain the smart scientists.

[gaijin]

What does it mean if one is a smart ass?

[AlexInCT]

You're masturbating wrong?

[Restoras]

Based on my experience I am guessing no.

[Rich]

Perhaps you're not doing it correctly?

[some guy]

I see a re-branding in the future of some entrepreneurial working girls.

[Corning]

Isn't this a Seinfeld episode?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xfbweoXX4wI

[Fist of Etiquette]

The White House's press secretary, Jay Carney, says President Obama plans to meet Pope Francis and is looking forward to it...

They'll talk spreading the wealth, and maybe the things candidate Obama had in common with the Pope on gay marriage.

[gaijin]

But religious leaders wouldn't collude with political leaders to try and coordinate messaging about moral issues, right? They are above that, right?

[Lord Humungus]

Here's what it means to be Afghanistan's 'most honest man': Low pay and no promotion

The veteran traffic policeman walked to the stage, taking his place in front of a banner in Dari that said "CORRUPTION" with a red "X" through the word. After 24 years on the job, Abdul Saboor had been deemed the most honest man in Afghanistan.

He posed for photos with the interior minister. He gave interviews to local newspapers. Then he went back to the five-room home he shares with 28 people.

[gaijin]

Abdul Saboor had been deemed the most honest man in Afghanistan.

And for that he will probably soon be deemed the most recently deceased man in Afghanistan.

[Swiss Servator, Befehl!]

I knew two relatively honest Afghan officials - first one was fired by the central government, the second was killed by the Talib when he was cleaning up his second province...

I need a drink.

[VG Zaytsev]

After 24 years on the job, Abdul Saboor had been deemed the most honest man in Afghanistan.

His Swiss bank account balance is only 400,000 francs.

[sarcasmic]

World's fattest man to get married after U.S. woman who fell in love with him proposes on TV show
Rebecca Mountain proposed to Paul Mason as they appeared on The View
He immediately said 'yes', but a date for the wedding has not yet been set
First he must have surgery to remove excess skin left after 48st weigh loss
Show's hosts announce they will help fund expenses for the procedure
Pair first met online last year after she saw a documentary about his obesity

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/new.....-show.html
The female equivalent of John!

[waffles]

At the height of his food addiction, Mr Mason was eating an entire pack of bacon, four sausages and four eggs with bread and hash browns for breakfast

That doesn't seem too extreme.

[Lord Humungus]

dump the bread and hash browns and he would be good to go.

[RBS]

Yeah, but that's just First Breakfast.

[SugarFree]

Food addiction? Like how if I go without breathing for half-an-hour I start getting withdrawals from my crippling oxygen addiction?

[waffles]

I agree that it's beyond perverse that this man has become famous for being fat. Massive public resources have been spent to rescue this man from himself. I am no more sympathetic to this than I am to people who jump in front of trains or overdose on heroin. Maybe I am a cold-hearted bastard but I never understood why the public coffers should be opened to save people who clearly want to die.

[WTF]

That doesn't seem too extreme.

Not if you're physically active. But if you're just lying on your ass all day it would certainly add up.

[Fist of Etiquette]

I actually could probably do that easily and my BMI is around 21. Big breakfasts are easy. What's his lunch and dinner like?

[Clich? Bandit]

At his peak Ronnie Coleman at a pound of bacon and a dozen eggs every morning. His lunches and dinners were huge too. Of course he burns about 4500 calories just scratching his nuts but hey who's counting.

[Rich]

Rebecca Mountain

I suppose she'll keep her maiden name.

[gaijin]

+1 Mounting video for you

[Fist of Etiquette]

And what the hell is a stone? Use normal units of measure, England. You're already so close by not going metric.

[WTF]

One stone is about 14 pounds. So 48 stone is 672 pounds.

[Fist of Etiquette]

I was told there would be no math.

[Pro Libertate]

It's not about 14 pounds, right? It is 14 pounds.

[sarcasmic]

40 years of growing old disgracefully: As Kate Moss hits a landmark birthday, how decades of wild living have taken their toll

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/fem.....-toll.html
I've seen a lot worse.

[VG Zaytsev]

I hope she's save a lot of money over the years.

[sarcasmic]

Only a few hundred million.

[sarcasmic]

Keri Russell wears leather biker jacket and skintight white jeans for a panel discussion about The Americans Season 2

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvs.....son-2.html
Looking forward to the next season!

[Restoras]

Thanks for that, sarc. What a beautiful woman and she is rocking those jeans at the end of the spread. Love that.

[sarcasmic]

Aye.

[robc]

I was wondering about that show, I was hoping it hadnt been cancelled, I enjoyed it.

[Enough About Palin]

Denise, New York City, 1 hour ago
She doesn't look a day over 72

[Juice]

She's always looked like an alien.

[sarcasmic]

MIT Professor Urging Climate Change Activists To 'Slow Down'

http://boston.cbslocal.com/201.....slow-down/

"Global warming, climate change, all these things are just a dream come true for politicians. The opportunities for taxation, for policies, for control, for crony capitalism are just immense, you can see their eyes bulge," he says.

Paging Captain Obvious! Captain Obvious to the MIT lounge!

[Fist of Etiquette]

What's wrong with politicians wielding those powerful tools, the only tools that can stop the rise of the oceans and let the planet begin to heal?

[Snark Plissken]

Photographer sued over topless photo atop Empire State Building

The photo quickly went viral on the internet and angered the owners of the Empire State Building, one of the most popular tourist attractions in New York City, who said the observation deck was full of tourists, including children, at the time the photo was taken.

Think of the psychological damage those children suffered.

[Ted S.]

When I see stories like this, I imagine Laura Ingalls 140 or so years ago in that little one-room house on the prairie hearing the bumping and grinding of the sex Charles and Caroline had that produced Laura's three younger siblings. It's really not all that long ago.

[Snark Plissken]

Most Europeans would find it extremely laughable that TEH CHILRUNZ had their precious little brains exposed to a topless woman.

[Pro Libertate]

They hit on this truth in the first episode of Vikings.

[Agammamon]

Why do you think the west was such a lawless and anarchic place? Its because of the psychological damage these people received as children.

[Agammamon]

Plus, you know that Caroline just laid there, not making any noise as Charles grinded away - PATRIARCHY!

[Fist of Etiquette]

Henson began taking the series of photos after becoming aware of a May 2013, New York City memorandum that prevents police officers from arresting women who expose their breasts in public.

There's no memo that says coppers can't beat the fuck out of the photographer, though.

[Swiss Servator, Befehl!]

So, when did you get your copy of the NYPD SOP?!!!!

1a.) Photographers - any protected activity being photographed may result in a tune up of the photog. Be sure to follow 13f - "stop resisting" protocols.

[Rich]

Think of the psychological damage those children suffered.

"The view's out *there*, Mister!"

[Steve G]

I clicked for the topless photo. I am disappoint.

[robc]

No link to photo?

shame on you.

[Lord Humungus]

Touchdown, Iran!

Do you fist-pump or signal "touchdown" when you sign a deal with the Iranians? The White House Flickr feed just released this photo, taken back on November 23:

"Ben Rhodes and Tony Blinken both give thumbs up as the President talks on the phone with Secretary of State John Kerry in Geneva to discuss ongoing negotiations with Iran. The call was on a Saturday which accounts for the casual attire." (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

[Agammamon]

"Ben Rhodes and Tony Blinken both give thumbs up

Not really, one gives some sort of awkward gesture with both thumbs up that, I guess, could apply but the other just shoves his fist out like he has no idea what the photographer's instructions mean.

I mean this is obviously a staged photo (not necessarily a bad thing) but why is this administration so bad at doing them?

[Smilin' Joe Fission]

Man's Fear of Nuclear Technology is Mistaken (Quote below taken from reference article)

The rather small difference between the monthly dose to the tumour and to healthy tissue (factor 2) contrasts with the difference to the ALARA [As Low AS Reasonably Achievable] limit (factor 200,000). A conservative safety limit of 100 mSv per month is suggested. There is no established risk to health from such a dose rate, seen As High As Relatively Safe (AHARS). It is a conservative factor 200 less than the healthy tissue value frequently experienced by the patients in RT treatment and a 1000-fold relaxation of ALARA limit. It would reset safety levels to where they were in 1934 and suggest that up to ten full CT scans should be acceptable per month without concern. Such a new safety limit might be argued up or down by a factor of two or three but a value different by a factor of more than ten would be unreasanable.

[waffles]

Your persistent attempts to allay my fears of the coming radioactive apocalypse only makes me more certain that you are trying to poison my children and ruin the planet.

[Smilin' Joe Fission]

trying to poison my children and ruin the planet

I have been told more than a few times that this is apparently the ultimate goal of the nuclear industry. After being to a few industry conferences, I am still yet to meet this mysterious evil nuclear industry illuminate.

[Corning]

Whatever Mr Burns.

[Agammamon]

Well, duh. That's a cabal whose membership is reserved to the upper echelons of the nuclear industry. They're smart enough to know that some of you *may* have morals and would leak the truth if hoi polloi knew about it.

[Rufus J. Firefly]

Smilin', how much are the Koch brothers paying you to link to such articles?

[Smilin' Joe Fission]

Just knowing I am working to help the Kochtopus is all the payment I need!!!

[Agammamon]

Dude, you *would* say that - your livelihood depends on it. Your greed blinds you to the signs of the coming mutant apocalypse.

[sarcasmic]

If Carlsberg made hunters: Incredible DIY video shows Swedish man opening bottle of beer using a SHOTGUN
Swedish hunter blew the lid off his bottle of beer using his shotgun
After firing the gun he takes a swig from the undamaged glass bottle
Youtube users brand dangerous stunt 'stupid but mildly impressive'

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

[Wandering Texan]

Oooh, Taofledermaus made a comment on that new article. I hope he does a demonstration video soon.

[Snark Plissken]

Nice, but the cockheads don't link to the original video.

[Agammamon]

Youtube users brand dangerous stunt 'stupid but mildly impressive'

Really? Youtube users? The people who have these sorts of conversations?

[sarcasmic]

Fascinating moment a squid overpowers a fish twice its size by using its tentacles to suffocate and subdue
The small, red squid came out on top by using its sharp beak
Whole struggle captured by Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute
A mobile vehicle, called Doc Ricketts, spotted the pair at about 1,475 feet

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

[Smilin' Joe Fission]

This made me laugh:

Neville, Norwich, 21 minutes ago
I felt that way when I was courting my wife. At least she let me live.

[Swiss Servator, Befehl!]

That is gold.

[Rasilio]

Well for certain values of the term live anyway

[sarcasmic]

U.S. Medicare program wasted $172MILLION of your taxpayer dollars on penis pumps
The Medicare program spent the cash between 2006 and 2011
It paid for nearly 474,000 claims for vacuum erection systems
Yearly claims for devices nearly doubled from $20.6m in 2006
Government waste is major issue in budget talks in Washington

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

[Andrew S.]

Recipients were alleged to have said "It's not my bag, baby"

[Palin's Buttplug]

See? We do need that death panel! (IBAP)

[Rich]

'And to those seniors who really do want one,' added Domenech, 'just buy it yourself - you don't need to send the bill to your fellow Americans.'

What?! In the Wealthiest Country on the Planet??!

[Weigel's Cock Ring]

Which government agency do you contact to get your government-subsidized penis pump? Asking for, ummmm, a friend.

[Agammamon]

Is there some sort of, you know, actual *medical* use for these things? Beyond making your dick somewhat bigger for a short while I mean.

[Agammamon]

Dear lord - that's 362 dollars a pump.

[Fist of Etiquette]

The U.S. has fallen out of the top ten countries for economic freedom...

And Obama worked so hard to keep the Bush slide from getting to this.

[WTF]

Bush drove the economy onto a ditch.
Then Obama stuck a rag in the gas tank and set it on fire.

[Floridian]

Bush drove the economy onto a ditch.
Then Obama stuck a rag in the gas tank and set it on fire.

That made me laugh so hard I snorted.

[SugarFree]

Corning|1.14.14 @ 8:05PM|

Damnit I want to continue John's evolution discussion but Reason keeps adding stories!!!

SugarFree|1.14.14 @ 8:14PM|

The longer that thread goes, the longer the next evolution thread will be once it is posted.

1st evolution thread: 7,867 words

2nd evolution thread: 13,370 words

Neo-Lamarckianism FTW!

[Smilin' Joe Fission]

Please, no. No! NOOOO!!!

[Lord Humungus]

If only that power of typing could be harnessed. Why we could write a collective novel in less than four hours. A terrible, horrible book filled with deep dish pizza, Warty, Steve Smith, and anecdotes about bicycles.

[$park?]

I recall a time a couple years ago when we collectively came up with about the first chapter and a half of a new story just in an AM Links thread. It was pretty much what you described, I think there was some artisinal mayo involved too.

[SugarFree]

In case anyone is interested in what $park? is talking about...

Episiarch|5.4.09 @ 11:09PM|#|?|filternamelinkcustom

LONEWHACKO: THE NOVEL

It's 8PM in LA, and hard boiled private dick Lone "Retardo" Whacko, Jr. is hard at work on a case to expose the corrupt editors of a magazine headquartered 3000 miles east. As he peers thoughtfully into the distance, we see he looks like a cross between Humphrey Bogart and Clyde the orangutan from Every Which Way But Loose.

[Auric Demonocles]

Oh, the days Brooksie yearns for.

[robc]

I would prefer it to.

People properly quoted who they were responding to also, because you had to.

It was easy to find new posts, as they were at the bottom.

Etc, etc.

[Auric Demonocles]

People properly quoted who they were responding to also, because you had to.

The right wing wall really fucks this up.

It was easy to find new posts, as they were at the bottom.

I still don't understand why they added registration and threaded comments without highlighting new posts.

[robc]

I even suggested multiple systems to them that does that to look at.

They ignored my advice. I got an email back, so they didnt just shitcan it. Which is even worse. They put this system in place KNOWING that there were better ones out there.

Fortunately reasonable highlights new posts, but that isnt the same as building it in. I like the SBNation system with the z key to take you to next new post.

[Agammamon]

Or why they can't stop this 'post something and have the page refresh to a spot 20 comments from where you were'.

[Enough About Palin]

I miss Smacky (and Jennifer).

[Auric Demonocles]

I had totally forgotten about Jennifer.

[SugarFree]

We found out they were women, so they had to leave.

[Auric Demonocles]

I propose that the protagonist is either Kirk or a redheaded college girl.

[Rasilio]

Always pick the redheaded college girl

[Auric Demonocles]

That's my vote, but I'm trying to give the people options.

[$park?]

This is what happens when there's not as much time to hang around here, I end up missing all the really good stuff. Won't someone at least provide a link????

[SugarFree]

1st thread

2nd thread

Trigger warning

[Snark Plissken]

TL;DR Evolutionary psychology is BS because free will and a some woman killed her kids.

[PM]

Didn't read the thread, but most of the commenters here reject psychology entirely, so I'm not sure what the big hubbub was.

[John]

They don't if it has the magic word "evolution" in it. Then anyone who points out the complete lack of testable hypothesis is just a some fundie.

It is amazing how ordinarily smart people could believe such complete bullshit. Mostly, I think it is another sad effect of the culture war. They see defending anything involving "evolution" as their duty in the culture war, no matter how idiotic and unscientific that thing is.

[Irish]

John, not to kick this off again, but no one here was even talking about evolutionary psychology except you.

[John]

but no one here was even talking about evolutionary psychology except you.

If you agree it is complete crap, then we agree. What you were doing was fantasizing about what it might look like if it were real and pretending that means anything.

[$park?]

Ahhh, good ole John...

[Zeb]

Good God.

[John]

Yes, a "science" that offers no hypothesis of the physical cause of behavior and cannot point to any genetic property that causes behavior and can be passed on yet claims to explain said behavior via natural selection is just so valid.

Evolutionary psychology is complete junk science of the worst sort. The best part of both of those threads were the nitwits accusing me of being a dualist. Ah no. The problem is that the thread was populated by a bunch of monists who still want the comfort of dualistic concepts like free will and self determination.

Basically, a good number of people on here will believe anything if it is told to them by a guy in a lab coat and has the magic word "evolution" in it. It is just laughably pathetic. It is like these questions are just so obvious and people haven't been struggling with them for I don't know 10,000 years. Nope, we just needed the evolution fairy to come and clear things up.

[Irish]

We were talking about whether or not sentience could evolve, John, not evo psych. You kept bringing up evo psych as a bizarre ad hominem strawman to avoid meeting our actual arguments.

You either don't know what evolutionary psychology is or you are being mendacious.

[John]

We were talking about whether or not sentience could evolve, John, not evo psych.

Could it evolve? Maybe. You can fantasize that it will. Knock yourself out. But until it does, it is junk science. Who knows maybe some day phrenology will develop. Who is to say?

Further, even if it did evolve, it won't be psychology, it will be neurology. Will we develop a better physical understanding of how the brain functions and how our thoughts come about in the future? Sure. But that won't be evolutionary psychology.

[Marc F Cheney]

Has John ever just refrained from commenting on something that he doesn't know anything about?

[$park?]

Such a topic doesn't exist, therefore no. If you don't agree with him it's only because you're willfully misunderstanding his position. He can't help it if you're dumb.

[John]

No. Sometimes people have legitimate positions I disagree with. Warty is a determinist. I don't think that is true, but his position is reasonable and follows from his suppositions. SIV and the rest of the clowns on that thread don't understand the implications of what they are saying.

[sarcasmic]

'She told me to destroy my guns': Sean Penn hints Charlize Theron is the 'strong woman' who got him to gets rid of his 65 'cowardly killing machines'

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvs.....earms.html
Hollywood wisdom.

[Certified Public Asskicker]

South Africa born and raised Charlize was 17 when her mother allegedly shot and killed her father after he threatened to take the actress' life during an alcohol-influenced rant.

Conclusion, guns are bad?

[sarcasmic]

Hollywood wisdom.

[Smilin' Joe Fission]

If it wasn't for the guns she would have had a beautiful family life.. or she would be dead because her dad actually succeeded in murdering her.

[Certified Public Asskicker]

You think she still drinks alcohol?

[Smilin' Joe Fission]

Why would she stop drinking? It was TEH EVIL GUNZZ!!! that caused the problems. Alcohol had nothing to do with it!

[sarcasmic]

Ban alcohol!

[Fist of Etiquette]

Using guns makes you not so attractive.

[Rufus J. Firefly]

Jesus, she's dating that guy?

[Drake]

Sounds like they deserve each other.

[Swiss Servator, Befehl!]

'cowardly killing machines'

Yeah, kill people face to face with a sword or club! Bravery!

[Juice]

When I found out she was dating him I lost all respect for her. Now this thing makes me wonder why I ever had any respect for her.

[Agammamon]

Welp, the only respect I have for actors is their acting prowess.

Theron is a good actress, Baldwin is a good actor, even Penn is a good actor - their politics are all screwed up.

[Lord Humungus]

Doctors ignite patient during heart operation

After spraying the patient with surgical alcohol to disinfect an open would, they then began to use an electrical scalpel, which unfortunately ignited the fluid.

"We are talking about a rare but very unfortunate incident," said Dr Rolf Busund, clinical manager at the University Hospital of Northern Norway, where the operation took place. "This event is a clear reminder that although our procedures are very good, such things still happen."

[Ted S.]

Please tell me I'm not a bad person for laughing at this.

[Rich]

If you liked that, think about my friend-of-a-friend's parrot. The bird was taken to the vet to have a wart removed from its foot. The vet gave the bird ether to anesthetize it, then used an electric needle. "Unfortunately", the bird's hollow bones still contained ether vapor. You can imagine the rest.

[$park?]

Did it go anything like this?

[Agammamon]

Are you laughing at the imagined freakout of the surgery staff when the patient blew up in their faces? I am.

I can see one junior OR nurse running into the corridor and returning with a fire extinguisher and spraying widely all over the patient in a panicked attempt to control a fire that is already out.

[Floridian]

This should never happen. Surgical fires are one of the rarest claims, but has the highest pay out rates, because it should never happen. You are suppose to wait 3 minutes, by the clock, until using electro cautery when preping with an alcohol based solution. If you are in a rush, use betadine.

[Restoras]

Check out the big brain on Floridian!

[Rufus J. Firefly]

The commenters here never cease to amaze me.

[Rich]

using electro cautery when preping with an alcohol based solution. If you are in a rush, use betadine.

*** shakes head violently ***

Whew! For a second there I thought Groovus Maximus had returned!

[Rasilio]

Why would he do that when he is being "debriefed" by a hot Ukranian Dr?

[$park?]

After spraying the patient with surgical alcohol to disinfect an open would, they then began to use an electrical scalpel, which unfortunately ignited the fluid.

"We are talking about a rare but very unfortunate incident," said Dr Rolf Busund, clinical manager at the University Hospital of Northern Norway, where the operation took place.

They keep using that word. I do not think it means what they think it means.

[Zeb]

I think an incident can be both a colossal fuckup and unfortunate. It was certainly unfortunate for the patient.

[$park?]

I'd say this goes a bit beyond "unfortunate."

This is the equivalent of the doctor saying "We fucked up but sometimes shit happens, amirite?"

[Zeb]

Well, I am fond of understatement.

[Brett L]

Alcohol was sprayed, patients were ignited, procedures may have been followed.

[VG Zaytsev]

"This event is a clear reminder that although our procedures are very good, such things still happen."

Um, No...

I think it's pretty clear evidence that your procedures suck.

[Bones]

Why does an electric scalpel exist? Is there an advantage to using one versus say a normal manual scalpel?

[Agammamon]

Its benefits include the ability to make precise cuts with limited blood loss

[Lord Humungus]

The top 100 owners of US land collectively have 33 million acres in their private holdings. This equates to about 1.5% of all USA land

Here, I've graphed the top 10 largest private landowners and included the areas of Puerto Rico, Delaware, Rhode Island, and Washington, D.C. for scale. As you can see, all of the top 10 own a piece of the USA that is bigger than Rhode Island, and five have a piece that is at least as big as Delaware. John Malone, who is the largest land owner in the country with 2.2 million acres, owns private property the size of Puerto Rico.

[gaijin]

They only own it if they have an army to defend it

[Auric Demonocles]

And how much of this land is empty except for useless frozen rocks in Alaska?

[Emmerson Biggins]

Seems like they are leaving off the Federal Government. It'd be a lot bigger than 1.5% if you included them, wouldn't it?

[Emmerson Biggins]

Oh. just saw keyword "private". Still weird that they wouldn't include the largest owner of land in their top 10 list of land owners.

[Agammamon]

'Cuz its alright if government owns land - they hold it in trust for the nation!

[Jordan]

The White House's press secretary, Jay Carney, says President Obama plans to meet Pope Francis and is looking forward to it, but declined to detail when or where that might take place.

Marxists gotta stick together, yo. Oh, and FUNDIE THEOCON BIBLE THUMPING CHRISTFAGS DERP!!1

[Austrian Anarchy]

A federal district judge ruled Oklahoma's ban on gay marriage unconstitutional.

Too bad he did not do the right thing and rule marriage licenses illegal.

[RBS]

So, RBSV had his first trip to the ER last night. Took a dive out of a swing and grandmas house and busted his chin.

[SugarFree]

Just explain to him that chicks dig scars.

[RBS]

He's only 18 months, so I spent 3 hours explaining that to his mom and grandma.

[SugarFree]

Get him a t-shirt that says "That which does not kill me makes me toddler."

[$park?]

HA! I wish I'd had something like that when my daughter was a baby.

[General Butt Naked]

Interesting advice coming from a childish extremist that could easily be killed with a doughnut.

[SugarFree]

What can a doughnut do that a bullet, a lake and an operating table cannot?

[General Butt Naked]

bullet, a lake and an operating table

Quick!

Murder, fuck, marry?

[SugarFree]

You fuck the lake, kill the bullet and marry the table. Duh.

[Fr?ulein Nikki]

Yeah that sounds like the right choice to me.

[General Butt Naked]

Nope.

Trick question.

You elope with the doughnut.

[Fr?ulein Nikki]

Get him a t-shirt that says "That which does not kill me makes me toddler."

Damn, SF, it is a crime I did not know you when I could have gotten this for my little bro.

[SugarFree]

To cafepress!

[Marc F Cheney]

I initially read that as "took a swing at grandma and busted her chin".

[RBS]

Also plausible.

[Brett L]

Kids get stitches for that stuff now? Huh. My folks just let me bleed on the theory I wouldn't bleed out. Turns out they were correct. (Clarification: When YMB gets to that age, we shall go to the urgent care and get stitches.)

[Lord Humungus]

Democrats Plan to Pressure TV Networks Into Covering Climate Change

Senate Democrats pledging to get more aggressive on climate change will soon pressure the major TV networks to give the topic far greater attention on the Sunday talking-head shows.

Sens. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, are gathering colleagues' signatures on a letter to the networks asserting that they're ignoring global warming.

"It is beyond my comprehension that you have ABC, CBS, NBC, and Fox, that their Sunday shows have discussed climate change in 2012, collectively, for all of eight minutes," Sanders said, citing analysis by the liberal watchdog group Media Matters for America.

[Ted S.]

"Mr. Sanders, why are you so desperate to use so-called climate change as an issue to try to control people?" Spend an entire show talking about this.

[gaijin]

Free press huh?

[Night Elf Mohawk]

It is beyond my comprehension...

That's going to be a helluva list, senator.

[VG Zaytsev]

...that their Sunday shows have discussed climate change in 2012, collectively, for all of eight minutes,...

What, all the episodes on the Super Storms and teh Coldest Winter Evah don't count?

[Red Rocks Rockin]

Well, shit, Bernie, maybe if the networks hadn't largely omitted that the people who were trapped in the ice in Antarctica were climate justice warriors, there might have been more than 8 minutes of coverage.

[Juice]

Remember when they brought up the position of "Science Laureate"? You KNOW that the main function of the position would be to spout whatever "scientific" propaganda the executive wants at the time. I guess they gave up on that and went with this idea.

[Rufus J. Firefly]

Canada more free than USA, eh? And without a Constitution?

Boy, this minimum wage thing won't go away. Scary.

[Rufus J. Firefly]

Make that: And without a Constitution!

[Palin's Buttplug]

Apparently, single-payer health makes them more free.

And Australia too with their single-payer and carbon taxes.

Lesson: Don't trust Heritage. Ever.

[Smilin' Joe Fission]

Great logic right there, Shreek!

[Palin's Buttplug]

I was being facetious. Single-payer and carbon taxes are supposed to be the spawn of Karl Marx.

I thought you would understand.

Heritage? No.

[Smilin' Joe Fission]

No, you tried to be facetious using failed logic. If the freedom index was based purely on health care and carbon taxes, then you would be right that I missed your humour. But, that is not what the freedom index is purely being based on.

[Palin's Buttplug]

My point is that single-payer and carbon taxes and gun bans don't merit low marks from Heritage.

Heritage is a lobbyist for the GOP. They should never be taken seriously.

[Smilin' Joe Fission]

My point is that single-payer and carbon taxes and gun bans don't merit low marks from Heritage.

Except Heritage does not base the entire index on those issues alone, there are other factors. Those issues will bring down a countries potential economic freedom index but they don't constitute the entire rating.

TL;DR: Your point is still idiotic.

[KDN]

My point is that single-payer and carbon taxes don't merit low marks from Heritage

Yes, they do. Gun bans (and all other contraband issues) should be included somewhere, but I doubt they are.

[Certified Public Asskicker]

And Australia too with their single-payer and carbon taxes.

Yes, they did not score 100. Good point.

[Rufus J. Firefly]

You're completely, without hyperbole, unequivocally idiotic to make that statement.

Single-payer makes us slaves to the state you fucking asshole.

[Restoras]

That is the point of progressivism/fascism. It is praying for it.

[Palin's Buttplug]

I was being facetious. Single-payer and carbon taxes are supposed to be the spawn of Karl Marx.

I thought you would understand.

Heritage? No.

[Rufus J. Firefly]

With you, we never know.

[Agammamon]

I'm pretty sure Australia has either or is in the process of scrapping the carbon tax now that Gillard got booted from office.

[Smilin' Joe Fission]

And with no written right to bear arms. Low population density and military/health care welfare from the US are our only saving graces I imagine.

[Jordan]

You also exported Nickelback and Justin Bieber. Well played.

[Palin's Buttplug]

You also exported Nickelback and Justin Bieber. Well played.

We also got Neil Young and Joni Mitchell to more than offset the above.

[Jordan]

As sarcasmic so eloquently put it: if I want to hear from you, I'll take a shit.

[Rasilio]

Yes but even if you throw in Gordon Lightfoot and some of the great celtic folk artists from the Maritimes you still are not making up for Celine Dion

[Agammamon]

And I raise you

Celine Dion
Bryan Adams
Keshia Chant

[Rufus J. Firefly]

How do we get health care welfare from the U.S.?

I see military but health in what sense?

[Smilin' Joe Fission]

Technological innovations that can only occur because of the US's health care system.

[Smilin' Joe Fission]

Or at least progress in health care technology innovation that we piggy back on.

[Rufus J. Firefly]

Ah. Thought so.

I agree. We rely on American technology.

My friend is a sales rep for pharma. In a conversation I mentioned we rely on American technology and pharma for medicine and got a look of 'not really' from him.

I just don't get how anyone could see it otherwise.

I had to point out - practically drawing pictures - all the innovation comes from there by simply pointing out the American big pharma companies and their branches in Canada.

Canada, in effect, is a branch plant economy and Canadians don't know it.

[Palin's Buttplug]

US Pharma is dependent on the NIH for innovation.

8 of the 10 biggest selling drugs of all time were discovered at the NIH. Pharma just went through clinical trials.

[Floridian]

US Pharma is dependent on the NIH for innovation.

Chimps have been shown to use medicine in the wild. I don't think you need a large government institution to develop medicine, just to grant monopolies.

[Jordan]

I don't think you need a large government institution to develop medicine, just to grant monopolies.

And to make it prohibitively expensive to develop a new drug.

[Swiss Servator, Befehl!]

Safety valve for unobtainable care too, yes?

Didn't one of your provincial ministers slip on down here recently? PEI?

[Rufus J. Firefly]

They all do.

[Juice]

How do we get health care welfare from the U.S.?

The US consumer indirectly subsidizes your low drug prices for one. The pharma companies need to make up the loss somewhere and American consumers are the suckers of the world.

[Agammamon]

How many of you come down here because its a sixth month waiting period to get your broken leg set?

[Ebriosa]

And no freedom of speech if you're mean.

[Smilin' Joe Fission]

These are a few of my favorite things reasons I dislike Canada...

[Lord Humungus]

Photographer sued over Empire State topless pics

The owners of New York's Empire State Building are suing a photographer who took pictures of a topless model at the top of the skyscraper.

The lawsuit, filed Monday in Manhattan Supreme Court, said commercial photographer Allen Henson held an "objectionable and inappropriate topless" photo shoot on the building's observation deck Aug. 9, 2013, as part of his "self-style 'boobs around town project,'" the New York Post reported Tuesday.

"At the time that [Henson] and the model entered the observatory, it was crowded with visitors, including children," the lawsuit states.

[Bam!]

Word of warning: Photo isn't in the link.

[Lord Humungus]

Damn you, Snake!

[Ted S.]

Two different photographers came up with the idea of photographing topless models at the Empire State Building? 😉

[Lord Humungus]

How Democrats Kill Jobs

It is just fantasy to think that the addition of any new constraint to labor markets will make matters better than they are. Efforts to make workers better off by making employers worse off will not have their desired effect. It is of course easy to take employers down a notch. But the second half of the program is far harder to implement, given that employers have incentives to minimize their losses from regulation, and will do what it takes to avert the adverse effect of new external constraints.

Labor markets are no different from other markets. They work because they create win/win relationships. In contrast, the government's regulatory efforts to create win/lose relations will not work. What those efforts will get are the lose/lose scenarios that have been the bitter fruit of recent labor market regulations.

[sarcasmic]

Efforts to make workers better off by making employers worse off will not have their desired effect.

But, but, but those employers have unlimited profits! They're rich! All these wise Democrats are trying to do is divert those profits to the workers from the rich! Power to the people!

[Jordan]

The only reason McDonalds doesn't pay burger flippers $20.00 per hour is because they aren't required to!

[John]

If you can't afford to pay your workers $15 an hour with full heath benefits, you shouldn't be in business. Your business is just a junk business.

[Jordan]

I know you're joking, but shriek has made basically that exact same argument in defense of the employer mandate.

[John]

They make it all of the time. Shreek sometimes gets his talking points right.

[Palin's Buttplug]

Liar.

I have said that if you have over 50 employees and you don't offer a group plan for employees to purchase into you are a scumbag company.

[PM]

What a magic number that morality itself rests upon it.

[Smilin' Joe Fission]

Didn't you hear John, poverty in children now is affecting the ability for their brains to fully develop! We need to raise the minimum wage so that (in Ontario) the 3.5% of people who are 25 and over who work minimum wage (and who knows the percentage of that that have kids and aren't married to someone who makes more than minimum wage) aren't in poverty any longer!!

[John]

This is classic

"It does not take very long before newcomers begin to experience mental and physical health deterioration," she said. "A disturbingly high percentage of our newcomer clients are suffering from serious, chronic health issues."

Just ignore that elephant sitting over there known as disability and welfare. There is no such thing as a moral hazard or perverse incentive.

[sarcasmic]

But John! Their intentions are pure! How can that be the result if their intentions are pure?

[Smilin' Joe Fission]

It escapes this person that through most of human history, what they consider poverty now, was an unthinkable level of luxurious living for people even 100 years ago. Yet, somehow we were not all walking chronic health issues with debilitating mental problems.

[John]

And they had none of these problems living in countries that are by any objective measure much poorer than Canada. But they come to Canada and get all of these things. Clearly the problem is we just don't pay them enough.

[Rasilio]

It was a hell of a lot less than 100 years ago.

The poorest people today in the US or Canada life lives that are effectively indistinguishable from those of solidly middle class Americans in the 60's and they do it with access to much cooler toys

[VG Zaytsev]

Didn't you hear John, poverty in children now is affecting the ability for their brains to fully develop!

What??

You mean childhood obesity stunts brain development?

[Smilin' Joe Fission]

FOOD DESERT!

[waffles]

You mean dessert. I have a severe caramel deficiency.

[Rufus J. Firefly]

As I mentioned last night, in Canada, everything ultimately becomes a health issue since the government owns our asses.

"But Block says he wants to shine a light on the fact most minimum wage workers in Canada are employed by large, multi-national corporations. "

Besides needing a citation, the sentence is misleading. What percentage of the labour force earns minimum wage? I'm guessing a small percentage like in the USA.

[Smilin' Joe Fission]

9 percent of Ontario workers make minimum wage. 40% of those are 25 and up. So 60% are young people probably with little to no skill. That means 3.5% of workers in Ontario over 25 make minimum wage. And this doesn't factor in that the percentage of these workers who support children solely on this wage.

And I mean, the whole premise is a fucking lie. Raising the minimum wage won't save any of these people from *poverty*. Only them acquiring skills that warrant a pay increase will take them out of that hole.

[Longtorso, Johnny]

Within Minutes of Benghazi Attack, Barack Obama Was Informed By Top Military Men It Was a "Terrorist Attack" and not a Spontaneous Protest or Exercise in Freeform Film Criticism

Creepy: Germany Seeks to Take Away Family's Well-Educated, Socially Well-Adjusted Children for Crime of Homeschooling Them;
Obama Administration Sues to Help Germany Do So

[gaijin]

Within Minutes of Benghazi Attack, Barack Obama Was Informed ...

Does it say where Obama was when they told him this?

[Agammamon]

Wacking it in the john.

[Longtorso, Johnny]

Child support and the threat point.
...It is important to remember that the premise that threats of wife-initiated divorce and taking children away from their fathers makes intact families better isn't limited to academics and policy makers, or even just to feminists. The idea that wives threatening divorce makes marriages better and is good for society is all but universal. This is why if you ask your Christian friends to recommend a movie about marriage, they are all but guaranteed to enthusiastically suggest a movie not about biblical marriage, but a celebration of the awesome power of the threatpoint.

All of this is essential to understand when considering calls to reform the family court. The vast majority of people not only see no fault divorce and child support as beneficial because they allow women to leave if they are unhappy honoring their vows, the vast majority of people also are deeply invested in the idea that women threatening divorce makes marriage much better...

[Eduard van Haalen]

Divorce saved my marriage!

Eating those three baconburgers with fries at one sitting really helped me with my diet!

[tarran]

Divorce saved my marriage!

It's not the divorce, it's the threat of divorce.

The easier it is for a person to exit a relationship, the more effort the counterparty will put into keeping them happy.

Eating those three baconburgers with fries at one sitting really helped me with my diet!

I know you think you are being witty, but that is a Shrike level of non-sequitur.

[John]

It is pretty epic. Also, I guess they look fondly at societies where divorced women are considered to have disgraced their families and men have the threat of leaving their wives in total poverty. I mean it keeps the families together right/

[Eduard van Haalen]

Numero uno, if threatening divorce is such a good marriage-booster, why can't husbands do it? Ah, because if they went through with the threat they'd probably lose their kids.*

Numero two-o, the threat is often actually carried out, so the marriage isn't saved anyway.

Numero three-o, even if they stay married there's going to be a certain resentment at the constant threats of abandonment and loss of children.

Numero four-o, this is the reason many men don't want to get married in the first place.

*subject to visitation rights of course

[John]

Numero uno, if threatening divorce is such a good marriage-booster, why can't husbands do it?

Because husbands are always wrong and wives are always right. That is the assumption behind the whole argument. If you view women as innately superior to men and men as nothing but sperm providers who need to be kept in line, the argument makes sense.

[VG Zaytsev]

Men do threaten and initiate divorces.

[tarran]

Numero uno, if threatening divorce is such a good marriage-booster, why can't husbands do it? Ah, because if they went through with the threat they'd probably lose their kids.*

Yet more false dichotomies.

If both parties can leave a relationship more easily

1) The relationships that survive will be the ones that satisfy both parties

2) Those who want to preserve the relationship will have an incentive to be better actors.

Having tried unsuccessfully to save a bad marriage, at great financial and emotional cost, I've seen the hell that is a bad marriage. So the notion that people should shut up and endure a lifetime of misery for the sake of some societal ideal like 'marriage is forever' strikes me as inhumane and barbaric.

[BakedPenguin]

This is analogous to idea that ease of hiring and firing for employers (as well as the right of employees to quit) makes for better work relationships.

[Eduard van Haalen]

I am really sorry to hear about your marriage. I wasn't trying to idealize all marriages.

[Red Rocks Rockin]

The easier it is for a person to exit a relationship, the more effort the counterparty will put into keeping them happy.

I guess that would work for most people. However, if my wife told me she was thinking about divorce, my response would probably be, "Well, if you're thinking about it, that means you actually want to do it but are trying to figure out how without looking like a bad person."

[John]

There is a flip side to that. Allowing women to have such a threat enables their worst and most destructive behaviors. The entire argument is premised upon the assumption that the woman is always acting in the best interests of the family and using the threat to keep the man from doing bad things.

That is just complete fantasy. Just as often as the woman using the threat to keep the man in line the woman is using the threat to enable herself to engage in abusive and destructive behaviors. If a woman can just threaten to take a man's children and leave him in poverty, there really isn't much incentive for her to not be abusive and awful, if she is that sort of person.

The other issue is that unless you plan to force men to marry, making marriage a totally one sided affair will just cause men to quit getting married. Perhaps this system would have had a positive effect on the formation of families before birth control and antibiotics and the sexual revolution. If marriage is the only safe way for a man to get sex, he will put up with it being one way. But since men are able to get plenty of sex without getting married, making marriage totally one sided just means they won't do it and fewer families will be formed in the first place.

[tarran]

That is just complete fantasy. Just as often as the woman using the threat to keep the man in line the woman is using the threat to enable herself to engage in abusive and destructive behaviors. If a woman can just threaten to take a man's children and leave him in poverty, there really isn't much incentive for her to not be abusive and awful, if she is that sort of person.

This phenomenon happened in my marriage. My ex became particularly abusive and destructive after her parents' priest told her that she was eligible to have our marriage annulled.

The problem is that a divorce is not a complete separation. Rather that there is an unwanted continuing relationship (child support, co-parenting, alimony etc). And the reasons for breakdowns in the voluntary relationship are so manifold that there is no way to craft a system for handling the dissolution that doesn't screw over a significant number or people.

[John]

Talk to any divorce attorney and they will debase you of any faith you might have had in humanity. People are awful and generally use their kids as clubs for revenge against their ex.

I know several divorce attorneys. And all of them will tell you that women are generally much more horrible and willing to harm their children as a way of getting back at their ex than men are. If men are the bad actor, they usually do so by being philandering deadbeats who want deadbeats who want nothing to do with their kids. If women are the bad actor, they are emotionally abusive and manipulative to the point of pretty much destroying everyone involved.

[Rufus J. Firefly]

Yup. Seeing that at the moment. The wife is using the kids as pawns.

Evil.

[tarran]

You have my sympathies. It sucks, I know.

[Restoras]

Yes, my sympathies as well and I also speak from knowledge, going through it myself right now.

[Rufus J. Firefly]

Not me.

Someone I know.

Sorry!

[Tonio]

"Biblical marriage" as in one man and one or more women as is often described in the Old Testament?

[robc]

Probably biblical as in New Testament and Paul's letters.

Ask your Jewish friends for the old testament polygamy.

[robc]

This is why if you ask your Christian friends to recommend a movie about marriage, they are all but guaranteed to enthusiastically suggest a movie not about biblical marriage, but a celebration of the awesome power of the threatpoint.

Any idea what is being talked about here?

I must be getting the wrong Christian talking points, because I have no fucking clue.

[Swiss Servator, Befehl!]

Obviously not my congregation either. Of course us Methodists are always the last to know 🙁

[lap83]

It's bullshit.

[lap83]

"The idea that wives threatening divorce makes marriages better and is good for society is all but universal."

I'm pretty sure he made this up. The idea is that it's good for women because they sacrificed more in bearing children than the husband did.

Unfortunately, it is terrible for marriage. I agree with the writer there. It has also been abused heavily. But is there anyone who would deny that? I think he's got some serious strawmen in that article.

[Doctor Whom]

Since all of America's problems come from too much economic freedom -- I know this because random Internet arguers keep telling me so -- our lives are improving, right?

[Eduard van Haalen]

Jonah Goldberg - sure, Christie's aides were wrong to close the GW bridge for political reasons, but let's focus on the media's overreaction, and anyway, Obama!

http://www.nationalreview.com/.....h-goldberg

[Bo Cara Esq.]

This fellow wrote a book on fascism, correct? How interesting of him to hand wave a tactic that would have made Il Duce proud.

[Eduard van Haalen]

Mussolini didn't want to block the highways - he needed to keep them clear for his army - either to advance or retreat.

[KDN]

An Italian army hasn't advanced since the mid-19th century. and then it only happened because it was fighting itself.

[Swiss Servator, Befehl!]

+1 Garabaldi's Beard

[Restoras]

Not too mention it would have gotten in the way of everything running on time, something the American progressives at the time were in thrall to Mussolini, as well as Hitler and Stalin.

[Tonio]

Interesting factoid - the trains did not run on time any better under Mussolini than they had previously; but the claim that they did was taken at face value.

And I find that disappointing because the example of making the trains run on time is a good illustration that otherwise-reprehensible regimes occasionally do something good or right.

[robc]

Actually, according to the definition of factoid that we all learned yesterday, the factoid is that "the trains ran on time".

The fact is that they didnt.

[Palin's Buttplug]

Jonah thinks that secularism is the same as fascism. THEM DAMN LIBERALS ARE FORCING THEIR SECULARISM ON US!

Real fascism is fine with him when the GOP does it.

[John]

BUSHPIG!! CHRISTFAG!!!

The first rule of being a fascist is claiming that your enemies are. You are a fascist shreek. Own it.

[Restoras]

Own it? It is proud of it!

[General Butt Naked]

The first rule of being a fascist is claiming that your enemies are. You are a fascist shreek. Own it.

Wait...

Aren't you the fascist for calling cumburger a fascist?

Oh shit! I'm the fascist for calling you a fascist for calling poopstain a fascist.

It's the Mussolini Paradox!

[Swiss Servator, Befehl!]

It's fascists all the way down!

[KDN]

Jonah thinks that secularism is the same as fascism.

This is completely false. You have once again demonstrated that you have the reading comprehension of a 5 year old.

[Palin's Buttplug]

Wrong. JG attacks the very heart of liberalism per John Locke. Liberalism rejected the notions, common at the time, of hereditary privilege, state religion, absolute monarchy, and the Divine Right of Kings. (Wikipedia)

If he attacked Progressivism he would have a point. But conservatives like JG and Buckley have no issue with the above list.

[KDN]

Way to completely not address anything that was actually written and instead pull something completely from your ass to rail against. You clearly have no idea what you're talking about as per usual.

[VG Zaytsev]

No, thinks that fascism was derivative of early 20th century progressivism and that late 20th century progressivism has many shared features of 'classic' fascism.

And he's absolutely correct about that.

[Rufus J. Firefly]

I agree. In my view, fascism/nazism arose because the fall of classical liberalism left a vacuum leaving an opening for such ideologies to arise. Progressivism was just a conduit in the meantime. So, yeah, they do share a lot.

Palin, you can't even see Media Matters for being a progressive rag yet here you are making this claim.

[Lord Humungus]

Like Miami Heat, Obama says he's fighting for 'respect'

President Obama said he could relate to the National Basketball Association Champion Miami Heat, as the squad visited the White House Tuesday.

"Sometimes, it feels like they're still fighting for a little respect ? I can relate to that," Obama said.

LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and company made the trip to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. for the second straight year, an annual pilgrImage for the NBA champions.

[RBS]

Of course, it's always about him.

[Rufus J. Firefly]

How much 'respect' is he looking for exactly? Does he want to be inserted in every Manning-Brady debate?

[Rufus J. Firefly]

His job is not to 'fight for respect.' His job is to be President of the United States.

[BakedPenguin]

The Heat deserve respect. They accomplished something.

[BiMonSciFiCon]

The Heat are not fighting for respect anymore. They're coasting through the regular season because they know they can get away with it.

[Jordan]

Revealed: Moment Asiana crash firefighters ignored victim, 16, as she lay ALIVE on ground... minutes before they fatally ran her over

Never-before-seen footage from the frantic aftermath of Asiana Airlines Flight 214 runway crash in July reveals that firefighters tragically did not realize that a 16-year-old victim was still alive - only to run her over twice 15 minutes later.

Video from a camera mounted on a San Francisco firetruck shows at least two emergency workers alerting vehicles to go around Chinese student Ye Meng Yuan as she lay on the ground by the stricken aircraft. The first responders believed she was dead and did not check her vital signs.

One lieutenant told crash investigators that she made 'a three second' visual assessment of Miss Yuan and automatically assumed 'that's our first casualty' - without putting a finger to her pulse or checking if she was still breathing.

Less than 15 minutes after the first driver had seen Miss Yuan, they drove over the teen who was now covered in the foam being used to douse the burning plane. Moments later, a second fire truck rode over the student's body.

Unbelievably fucked up. But they totally deserve their gold-plated pensions.

[Wandering Texan]

Piss-poor work with the AFFF, and bad body management, but I have to agree with the triage assessment. A non-moving, non-vocalizing body should be ignored if you can see others still performing one or both of those activities.

[Eduard van Haalen]

It says they warned the drivers not to run over the girl.

[Wandering Texan]

At first, yes, but the person ended up covered in AFFF.

A reference on what that looks like.

While the on-site deployment was likely of a much lower volume, covering a prone human would happen very quickly. The fault here lies on the FF crew, for not getting what they thought was a body out of the way, or not having medical personnel recover it before dousing the area.

Further, AFFF is a spread-prevention tool, it would have been helpful on the parts of the plane that had not yet caught fire, and on any spilt fuel but slightly less effective than water on the burning bits, and a waste of critical time, effort and materials on the ground.

[Agammamon]

I don't know about that - we (the navy) use AFFF *specifically* to deal with the burning bits (of fuel) as its *just* as effective as water and once the fire is out the foam will cover the surface and help prevent re-ignition.

I don't know *their* exact mixture but for us its 95% water/5% foaming agent (basically a really foamy soap - you can actually use it to wash your arse).

[John]

Even if you thought she was dead, you still shouldn't run over the body. That is just criminal negligence. Those people need to go to jail.

[Agammamon]

I don't think it rises to the level of *criminal* negligence, but it does highlight deficiencies in the training plan.

It looks like these guys don't practice often or comprehensively.

[RBS]

NFL Hipsters...

[Certified Public Asskicker]

Ha, nice. Much better than the soccer as football thing or whatever it was called that was floating around.

[The Late P Brooks]

"It is beyond my comprehension that you have ABC, CBS, NBC, and Fox, that their Sunday shows have discussed climate change in 2012, collectively, for all of eight minutes," Sanders said, citing analysis by the liberal watchdog group Media Matters for America.

Bernie's just pissed Peter King gets all the face time.

"Nobody wants to hear what makes ME angry and afraid."

[PM]

Dog driving car causes predictable results

Yet another proud moment for my old hometown.

[Ted S.]

The dog was safer than the po-pos?

[PM]

Dramatically. Actually, I guess it was a happy ending in that the cops didn't arrive and shoot the dog, the owner, or the victim.

[Swiss Servator, Befehl!]

"or"?

[PM]

A Glock 17 doesn't hold nearly enough bullets for a cop to hit all 3.

[Swiss Servator, Befehl!]

NEEDZ BACKUP!

[The Late P Brooks]

South Africa born and raised Charlize was 17 when her mother allegedly shot and killed her father after he threatened to take the actress' life during an alcohol-influenced rant.

Apparently, she was rooting for her dad.

[Cdr Lytton]

I think they can drop the alleged.

According to Wikipedia the shooting was ruled justified and was after he physically assaulted the mom, then threatened both the mom and Charlize.

[Agammamon]

But if she didn't have the gun then she wouldn't have jumped right to violence. They would have talked and talked and talked and worked out their differences.

[Rich]

"America is one big pothole, Neil. If we don't come up with the money, we're in no way, shape or form going to have the money to fix up the potholes."

This is why cabinet officials get paid the big bucks.

[PM]

"We built the interstate with the Highway Trust Fund," LaHood said on Monday. "We built the Hoover Dam. We built the Golden Gate Bridge.

Well, there's your problem, asshole. Maybe spend the money on the FUCKING HIGHWAYS that the federal government built instead of public works projects and state roads and you'll have enough skrilla to fill in the pot holes.

[tarran]

IIRC, The Golden Gate Bridge was funded largely by private donations.

[Bo Cara Esq.]

Do not tell Elizabeth Warren, but it appears that the BoA had a big hand.

"The Golden Gate Bridge and Highway District, authorized by an act of the California Legislature, was incorporated in 1928 as the official entity to design, construct, and finance the Golden Gate Bridge.[13] However, after the Wall Street Crash of 1929, the District was unable to raise the construction funds, so it lobbied for a $30 million bond measure. The bonds were approved in November 1930,[16] by votes in the counties affected by the bridge.[27] The construction budget at the time of approval was $27 million. However, the District was unable to sell the bonds until 1932, when Amadeo Giannini, the founder of San Francisco?based Bank of America, agreed on behalf of his bank to buy the entire issue in order to help the local economy.[9]"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G.....ge#Finance

[Smilin' Joe Fission]

Good.

Germany's No.2 utility RWE is preparing to sue for millions of euros of damages after a federal court confirmed that a state's decision to shut down the company's Biblis nuclear plant for three months in 2011 was illegal.

[Smilin' Joe Fission]

I continue to wonder why the people who made this decision are not up for criminal charges. Would I not be up for criminal charges if I deliberately caused the illegal shuttering of a power plant?

[Swiss Servator, Befehl!]

"under color of law"

Unter Amtsmissbrauch

[Jordan]

A group of US senators is taking the Golden Globes to task for showing celebrities puffing on electronic cigarettes at this year's awards show, complaining such depictions glamorise smoking.
"The Golden Globes celebrates entertainers who are an influence on young fans," the four Democratic senators wrote on Tuesday. "We ask the Hollywood Foreign Press Association and NBC Universal to take actions to ensure that future broadcasts of the Golden Globes do not intentionally feature images of e-cigarettes."
"Such action would help to avoid the glamorization of smoking and protect the health of young fans," said the letter signed by Dick Durbin of Illinois, Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, Sherrod Brown of Ohio and Edward Markey of Massachusetts."

The Neo Puritan Party.

[Bo Cara Esq.]

It is not smoking.

There is no smoke involved.

Sheesh.

Neo-Puritan is correct, but in an interesting way. When we think of Puritans we think of their suppression of sex and vice and then of witchcraft. The first is bad enough, but at least sex and vice were happening, the second, like 'smoking' from e-cigarettes, was not. So these neo-Puritans are like the ones who persecuted witches in that way.

[Jordan]

Excellent point.

[Bo Cara Esq.]

The other thing that burns me up about the moral panic over e-cigarettes is that everyone I know who uses them is using them as part of a strategy to stop or lessen smoking actual cigarettes. So for symbolism's sake these nannies must attack something that is actually accomplishing the good they say they ultimately want to achieve.

[sarcasmic]

All solutions must be centrally planned. Since e-cigarettes as a means of smoking cessation was not a centrally planned solution, it must be stopped. Otherwise people might get the impression that they can do things on their own without the aid of the central planners.

[Bo Cara Esq.]

So the way to get these nannies to stop hunting e-cigarettes is for the government to create a program distributing them to people at taxpayer expense? Makes sense. And then a program to monitor progress and make reports, and then a program to mandate them to smokers. And then...

[PM]

They also need to be taxed aggressively, but I guess that goes without saying.

[Tonio]

Inanimate objects such as e-cigs don't have needs, PMS. Sorry, pet peeve.

[PM]

Tell that to the regulators.

Also, learn to spell, or otherwise learn how to be confrontational instead of a passive aggressive cunt. Sorry, pet peeve.

[Tonio]

Tell that to the regulators.

Animistic beliefs of that sort are regularly taken to task here by both the staff and the commentariat. Also, words, like, mean things and stuff. Kiss =/= Kick; Five =/= Ten, etc.

If you can't take a bit of ribbing, I suggest you find a more friendly place. Jezebel is big on policing language; try over there.

[sarcasmic]

I bet they'll make it so they require a prescription, and then quadruple the price.

[Tonio]

And that will lead to...

[Jordan]

Just roll it up into the War on Drugs.

[VG Zaytsev]

Young people are using e-cigs nowadays recreationaly but so the fuck what?

[Tonio]

But the actual historical Puritans loved them some Rum, which incidentally pumped up the infamous Triangle Trade (Slaves/Sugar/Rum).

I don't know their position on Tobacco, but suspect they were fer it based on their stance on rum.

I prefer Neo-Prohibitionist, or just plain prohibitionist, or nanny.

[Red Rocks Rockin]

Molasses to rum to slaves, oh what a beautiful waltz
You dance with us, we dance with you
Molasses and rum and slaves

[robc]

+1776

[robc]

Also beer.

A community brewery was one of the first permanent buildings the Pilgrims built.

[Rasilio]

true but in a world without refrigeration or water filtration Beer was one of the few liquids it was actually safe to drink on a regular basis

[PM]

In wine there is wisdom, in beer there is freedom, in water there is bacteria.

[Ted S.]

I'm astonished *uck Schumer didn't sign it.

[Rufus J. Firefly]

Laugh but I see all these things as examples of why the West is falling.

[Snark Plissken]

"Such action would help to avoid the glamorization of smoking and protect the health of young fans,"

Like baseball and chewing tobacco.

[DontShootMe]

Next, Ed Markey's nightmare, Amazon drones delivering cartons of e-cigarettes.

[Bo Cara Esq.]

"Homosexual sex is illegal in Nigeria, where in some states ruled by Islamic law gay people can be legally stoned to death...News of the country's strict new antigay law, called the Same Sex Marriage Prohibition Act, was reported on Monday by The Associated Press, which said that its passage had been "shrouded in secrecy." A copy of the law obtained by The A.P. was signed and dated by President Goodluck Jonathan on Jan. 7 and had been signed and dated by lawmakers nearly a month earlier, on Dec. 17. Neither the president's office nor the National Assembly was known to be considering the measure, and neither made an announcement to mark its passage.

On Tuesday, The Associated Press reported that the police in the northern state of Bauchi had arrested 38 suspected gay men since Dec. 25. The report said the police appeared to be working from a list of 168 suspects whose names they obtained after they reportedly entrapped and arrested four gay men several weeks earlier and tortured them into naming other gay people they knew in the area."

http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.c.....down/?_r=0

[Jordan]

On Tuesday, The Associated Press reported that the police in the northern state of Bauchi had arrested 38 suspected gay men since Dec. 25.

"The majority has spoken. If these guys don't like it, they can leave."

/Tony

President Goodluck Jonathan

Hey, I think I got an e-mail from him a while back.

[Bo Cara Esq.]

"A community has the right to organize itself how the voters want."

/Restoras

[Floridian]

Leave me alone
/me

[Restoras]

Yeah, democratic principles really suck. You have cured me of my evil ways, Bo. I thank you, the Arbiter!

[Bo Cara Esq.]

Tony seems to agree with your brand of libertarianism, so there is that.

[Restoras]

How is that?

[Bo Cara Esq.]

You both seem to believe that when the majority of voters have spoken, they have a right to organize the community how they see fit, since people can just leave if they do not like it.

[Restoras]

Except that, as I recall, I also argued that a certain set of previously agreed upon principles and rights had to be respected first?

[Bo Cara Esq.]

Oh, I bet Tony would give you that as well.

[Restoras]

You don't know Tony very well, Bo. Maybe you should go back to lurking in the shadows and get to know the commenters here a bit more, whilst occasionally dropping your SoCon Bombs.

[Bo Cara Esq.]

I have argued with Tony dozens of times. Like you, he invokes the BoR at times, but like you he also believes that if a majority of voters has decided to suppress a basic liberty, such as the right to engage in voluntary business transactions that do no harm to others, then the majority has a right to do that.

[Restoras]

So, with the exception that I don't think the BoR can be selectively applied, I am just like Tony? Wow, that is some fantastic derp, Bo.

Yep, me and Tony are best buds.

[Bo Cara Esq.]

You both agree that majorities can suppress basic liberties such as the right to engage in operating or patronizing a business that operates voluntarily and with no harm to others, and if people there do not like such suppression, well, they are free to go elsewhere. Yes.

[Bo Cara Esq.]

With Tony my arguments with him have been about the minimum wage. Tony believes that if you want to work for me under a wage the majority of voters deems acceptable, and I want to employ you as such, the majority of voters should have the right to prevent that.
Your announced principle about the majority being able to suppress the opening and operation of a casino would cover that as well.

I asked Tony during one of those exchanges, what it a majority of people vote to enact mandatory school prayers, and he said "oh, they can not violate the BoR."

Sound familiar?

[Restoras]

Yes Bo, you got me. I am not a libertarian. You win.

[robc]

I have argued with Tony

There is your first mistake.

[Azathoth!!]

I have agreed with Tony dozens of times

FTFY

[Rufus J. Firefly]

In Quebec, the xenophobic, nationalist party Parti Quebecois and its merry band of assholes are often fond of telling 'les autres' to leave if they don't like it here. Most recently a piece of shit politician told us to leave if we don't like their piece of shit Charter (comparing it to the spirit of Thomas Jefferson) and its attack on civil liberties and human rights.

Tony thinks like them.

[Bo Cara Esq.]

I sincerely doubt Tony actually thinks this way when it comes to rights he values. Would he tell a person denied gay marriage recognition, or an abortion, by a state, to just 'leave and find another one?' I doubt it.

[Smilin' Joe Fission]

Did anyone make that argument Bo?

[Bo Cara Esq.]

I think you might be missing my point. I have debated with Tony, and while at times he will disturbingly say he does not believe there are things called rights that can be used as trumps against majority rule, when it comes to things he values being run roughshod over by a state he has invoked the BoR.

[Restoras]

Bo is the Arbiter of All Things Libertarian, Smilin' Joe. How dare you challenge his authoritay!

[Bo Cara Esq.]

Restoras is just sore because one day when he criticized a post of mine about Socons passing resolutions to bar the opening and operating of casinos in their localities, he let slip his mask and literally said he agreed the localities should be able to bar them, saying "A community has the right to organize itself how the voters want."

I pointed out that such a view is hardly compatible with any libertarianism I have ever seen, and since he has been on this 'Bo is the Arbiter' routine.

[Restoras]

Let me be honestly with you Bo. You made several good points during that dialogue that I thought seriously about and am still considering. Having never had a formal education in libertarianism I am continually challenging my own assumptions that may not square with the pure libertariansim you advocate for. Clearly you are more of a purist than I am, and that's fine with me. Though I still wonder at your obsession with SoCons - it isn't like they represent any threat to real liberty or libertarian pricniples since they don't have any real power. The only other people who are so obsessed with the SoCons are the hard core lefties. Maybe you used to be a hard core lefty yourself but became disillusioned with their statist, fascist leanings? Just wondering. All that said, sometimes you really come off as an insufferable know-it-all, a disingenous little twit that gives no consideration for viewpoints other than your own. So while I acknowledge your superior knowledge of all things libertarian and look forward to learning from you and challenging my own assumptions, you really can be a dick as you showed up above by saying me and Tony, whose hard-left views I abhor, are really the same kind of people.

[Rufus J. Firefly]

Bo, "Tony actually thinks this way when it comes to rights he values."

He values.

Much like the 'values' the PQ are hideously pushing through with a 'majority.' And that majority, by the way, is made complicated in that the majority of Francophones support the Charter; not the rest of us.

So I stand by my initial assertion. Tony's thinking allies well with the PQ with little regard to the 'tyranny of the majority.'

[Jordan]

Well, Tony has argued that Democracy is the highest good and you're still free as long as you are still able to vote and able to leave.

[Marc F Cheney]

That's because Tony is a hack.

All his democracy talk is a rationalization and a fig leaf.

[Tonio]

And don't forget that American Evangelicals are behind this as petulant revenge for losing so bad on marriage here at home.

[Rich]

Obama: 'I've Got A Pen'

"And I can use that pen to sign executive orders and take executive actions and administrative actions that move the ball forward in helping to make sure our kids are getting the best education possible, making sure that our businesses are getting the kind of support and help they need to grow and advance, to make sure that people are getting the skills that they need to get those jobs that our businesses are creating."

He then paused and drank an entire glass of water.

[Rufus J. Firefly]

'I've got a pen in one hand and my dick in the other.'

[VG Zaytsev]

"Ones for rulin', ones for fun".

[Jordan]

Francois Hollande said the same thing recently. Like I said: Marxists gotta stick together.

[Rufus J. Firefly]

Interesting that their sexual activities are 'private matters' (which they are) but that they represent a political ideology that doesn't respect privacy in socialism.

Funny that.

[Ted S.]

"And I can use that pen to sign executive orders and take executive actions and administrative actions that move the ball forward in helping to make sure our kids are getting the best education possible,"

So he's going to sign an executive order getting rid of public schools?

[WTF]

make sure our kids are getting the best education possible, making sure that our businesses are getting the kind of support and help they need to grow and advance, to make sure that people are getting the skills that they need

And the part of the Constitution that gives the federal government the power to do any of these things is located where?

[Juice]

I've got a pen and my pen is huge.

[sarcasmic]

So I'm reading out of a book of rhymes from 1935 to my four year old girl last night, and I stumbled across this gem:

They that wash on Monday
Have all the week to dry;
They that wash on Tuesday
Are not so much awry;
They that wash on Wednesday
Are not so much to blame;
They that wash on Thursday
Wash for shame;
They that wash on Friday
Wash in need;
And they that wash on Saturday,
Oh! they are sluts indeed.

I wasn't thinking when I read it, but immediately afterwards I had to scramble to keep her from repeating that certain word that I didn't expect to see in a children's book.

[Marc F Cheney]

So what you're saying is: go to the laundromat on Saturday and bring beer.

[tarran]

Ha!

My favorite shocker was Taffy was a Welshman in my Richard Scarry's Book of Illustrated Nursery Rhymes.

[Tonio]

"shame"?

[Isaac Bartram]

IIANM, the original meaning of slut was "a dirty, untidy, or slovenly woman". I'm pretty sure that that is what they mean in the poem.

However, according to the wiki, 'The modern sense of "a sexually promiscuous woman" dates to at least 1450.'

[Eduard van Haalen]

Archbishop of Canterbury on religious persecution in the modern world:

"You have demonstrated over the centuries the martyrdom to which we are called in scripture, the call to witness in word and life, a call more important than life itself.

"The cost of that martyrdom is seen in so many places today."

http://www.virtueonline.org/po.....taefrRurdg

[PM]

Fairly ironic considering Rowan Williams' opinions on middle east affairs. Of course Anglicanism doesn't observe infallibility of its leader.

[Eduard van Haalen]

It's Justin Welby now.

[Agammamon]

It should be Rowan Atkinson.

[Enough About Palin]

Barack "Eric Cartman" Obama

Obama On Executive Actions: 'I've Got A Pen And I've Got A Phone'

"We're not just going to be waiting for legislation in order to make sure that we're providing Americans the kind of help they need. I've got a pen and I've got a phone," Obama said Tuesday as he convened his first Cabinet meeting of the year.

[Bo Cara Esq.]

"And I have your phone (records)!"

[Ken Shultz]

"President Obama is expected to propose changing the way the NSA collects Americans' phone records."

Yeah, 'cause the problem is the WAY they keep screwing us in the ass.

Obama's gonna fuck us gently.

http://www.artistdirect.com/vi.....ntly/16339

Totally NSFW.

[Snark Plissken]

Zoo bans monkeys eating bananas.

The zoo says the high calorie and sugar content of bananas grown for human consumption -- which are sweeter than those found in the wild -- are bad for the monkeys' health and can rot their teeth.

[...]

"Sweet and juicy bananas are good for humans but not for monkeys," Knowling said. "Animal nutrition has become a problem. Bananas and monkeys is a bit of a cliche, but they're not a good combination."

News flash: banana cultivars high in sugar content are lousy for humans also.

[sarcasmic]

The last time I went to a zoo with monkeys, they were all masturbating themselves raw.

[Snark Plissken]

Until you put your shirt back on?

[sarcasmic]

I think I was like twelve at the time.

[Snark Plissken]

That's plenty old in monkey years.

[General Butt Naked]

Dang, no wonder you're so messed up.

[Ken Shultz]

"The last time I went to a zoo with monkeys, they were all masturbating themselves raw."

For goodness' sake, somebody give them a banana!

At San Diego Zoo, Wild Animal Park, you can only see the bonobos from a blurry distance. Supposed to be a family environment, I guess.

[Bo Cara Esq.]

I think in the NYC zoo they can have bananas, but they must be less than 12 ounces.

[The Late P Brooks]

If His Zeroificness says he can impose dictatorial rule by fiat, we're just going to have to believe him. He's a Constitutional Scholar, you know.

[WTF]

Sadly, Congress will do nothing to slap him down.

[Swiss Servator, Befehl!]

Harry Reid wouldn't even allow a vote to come up...

[John]

Special Ed Schultz just can't understand why Democratic Congressman don't want to go home and talk about how wonderful Obamacare is.

I was visiting with some lawmakers last night in Washington. We talked a lot about health care when I was visiting them. I asked them, did they have a problem running on it? There does seem to be, for some reason, a reluctance by Democrats to run home and talk about how positive this health care law is. And I find that very interesting. The moral aspect of this, the moral component to this ? and when you talk to them about voting to take something away from another American, it does resonate with people. If you're doing statistics, you know, you're not going to win that battle, but if you talk about people's lives and the moral component, who can argue with it? It's almost like there's a lack of confidence, like they're not sure this is the right thing to do in front of constituents."

http://newsbusters.org/blogs/m.....-obamacare

[Bo Cara Esq.]

What is hilarious is that he is standing on the moral principle of it being wrong to "take something away from another American" as one that cuts FOR the ACA.

[Agammamon]

I don't think so - I read that as, within the space of two sentences, he says talking about how taking things away from other people (tax money to fund this abomination) is wrong and then turns right around and says that because its for a good cause its all right and they should focus on the 'benefits' individuals get instead of the 'we must all contribute for the greater good moral imperative' part.

[Ken Shultz]

He's one of those "Shultzs" with a "c"?

They can all go fuck themselves.

[Snark Plissken]

"I zee nothing!"

[General Butt Naked]

Maybe it's because of numbers like these:

According to the federal data, nearly three-quarters of Pennsylvanians who have signed up received some sort of financial assistance to pay for monthly premiums.

The data also show that about 24 percent of Pennsylvanians who signed up were in the coveted 18-34 age range, which is consistent with the numbers nationwide.

The federal government and policy experts have said that about 40 percent of those covered under the insurance marketplace need to be in that younger age range in order for the marketplaces to really work.

Holy shit batman, you mean that people that have no use for a product won't buy it and people that really need it will buy it if you give them cash to do so?!? I'm fucking shocked at this

[General Butt Naked]

Oh and, I heard this on public radio today as a story touting the positive impact of the law.

The free shit/dearth of yougin's was hand waved away in 10 seconds at the end.

The story was all sunshine and unicorn farts as they happily exclaimed that the ACA is getting its legs after a bumpy start. Just like Dear Leader said it would.

[Agammamon]

So, why are they coveted IF THEY NEED FUCKING SUBSIDIES?!

How does that shit work?

[PM]

If you're doing statistics, you know, you're not going to win that battle, but if you talk about people's lives and the moral component, who can argue with it?

Just because it doesn't work doesn't mean the intentions weren't swell, so what the hell is the problem?!

(nevermind that the moral component of stealing from one group to give to another is actually worse than the practical atrocity)

[Auric Demonocles]

Some perspective on when current drinkers were born: last night I was at trivia with a girl I'm dating and 5 of her friends from grad school. For one question about a 80s sitcom they had no idea and turned to me and said "You're the only one who was alive during the 80s!"

[Tonio]

You dirty old man! Claps Auric on the shoulder.

[Brett L]

Yes. I noticed that "if you were born before this date in 1993" is on the wall at the liquor store the other day. I was buying cigarettes out of vending machines and smoking then before this date in 1993.

[Agammamon]

Mein Gott - I had joined the Navy, got kicked out of school and finished up a war by that point.

[Matrix]

These are pictures of carved wood

Impressive.

[PM]

Very cool. Doesn't say if it's all hand done though. If it's CNC'd that takes some of the magic out of it.

[Bam!]

Each piece of art is hand carved from one block of wood and then hand painted.

Gizmodo "reporting" so take it with a grain of salt.

[Sevo]

Boxer tries to divert attention from O-care, fluffs it on worn-out issue:
"Boxer task force's 1st goal to change political climate"
[...]
"How about we get five Republicans from coastal states whose states are already suffering from sea-level rise, droughts, floods and all the rest of it?"
Yeah, well, good luck with that. There's only one Christy and it looks like no one's carrying his water any more.
http://www.sfgate.com/default/.....143686.php

[PM]

"How about we get five Republicans from coastal states whose states are already suffering from sea-level rise, droughts, floods and all the rest of it?"

Implying there are at least 5 Republicans in any coastal state...

She's got a point though. Look at the tragedy in Oregon, Washington and California due to ClimateChangeTM. Practically wastelands.

[Sevo]

Portland?
9/10 underwater, didn't you hear?

[$park?]

Here's something that's been really pissing me off for the last few months.

The agreements with Agawam and Chicopee call for each municipality to receive $125,000 up front with annual payments of $150,000. Ludlow, East Longmeadow and Wilbraham are set to receive $50,000 up front with annual payments of $100,000.

Holyoke became the only non-abutting community to be voluntarily named a surrounding community in MGM's amended RFA 2 application to the gaming commission, according to a statement released by Mayor Alex Morse's office.

The agreement calls for $50,000 up front and an additional $1,275,000 direct mitigation funds over 15 years, after the casino opens in Springfield. This will bring $85,000 annually into the city. The agreement also includes a provision for look-back studies, which will allow MGM and Holyoke to revisit the agreement after the first and fifth year of the casino's operation and, where appropriate, negotiate further compensation.

[WTF]

Well, I guess bribes and shakedown money are a form of compensation.

[Restoras]

To state the obvious it's just all about money for the pols. More money allows them to dish out more to favored groups and use as a lever to remain in power. Considering that western MA is a shadow of its former self and likely declining further, resulting in less full coffers for the pols to use to remain in power, they will do anything to get their hands on more lucre. And all of that is, I presume, on top of what the governments take right off the top?

[Agammamon]

You know, if your business did that in another country we'd arrest you for it.

[Agammamon]

'I paid nothing... It was amazing': Shameless actress Emmy Rossum boasts on U.S. television how she got ill in Britain and was given free healthcare

Of course you paid nothing you clueless . . .

The British taxpayers paid for you treatment.