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BP Loses Big in Court, McDonnell's Jurors Say Evidence Was 'Overwhelming,' Questions About de Blasio's Pre-K Program: A.M. Links

Robby Soave | 9.5.2014 9:00 AM

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Large image on homepages | Markus Koljonen / Wikimedia Commons
(Markus Koljonen / Wikimedia Commons)
  • Chicken
    Markus Koljonen / Wikimedia Commons

    A federal judge determined that BP was mostly responsible for the 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. The decision could force BP to pay out $20 billion in new damage claims.

  • Jurors in the corruption trial of former Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell said their decision wasn't particularly difficult—the evidence against McDonnell and his wife was "overwhelming."
  • A community came together to seek justice for a little boy whose pet chicken was beheaded by a police officer to defend a police officer who beheaded a little boy's pet chicken. The Minnesota boy was not allowed to keep chickens in his home per regulation.
  • For the first time ever, Cosmopolitan's editors will endorse candidates in the midterm elections. I can't think of anything less sexy than that.
  • Comedians pay tribute to comedy legend Joan Rivers, who passed away on Thursday at the age of 81.
  • Federal regulators are working hard to keep some fine cheeses off store shelves, and that stinks.
  • New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio is determined to enroll the city's young children in preschool programs, but the initiative is facing criticism.

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NEXT: One-Third of Americans Are Freelancers Now

Robby Soave is a senior editor at Reason.

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  1. Fist of Etiquette   11 years ago

    The decision could force BP to pay out $20 billion in new damage claims.

    So is the Gulf officially dead like predicted?

    1. Florida Man   11 years ago

      Wow, that takes me back. I did my bachelor trip to clear water to fish the gulf in 2010. The captain said he had so many cancelations and he tried telling people the spill was hundreds of miles a way, but it really hurt his business. I caught some nice king fish and grouper.

      1. Certified Public Asskicker   11 years ago

        And then you ate it and died, right?

        1. Florida Man   11 years ago

          Let me check..... (Checks pulse) nope I appear to be alive. Also I was a libertarian before the trip so you can't blame brain damage for my political beliefs.

          1. Doctor Whom   11 years ago

            This being the Internet, someone whom you've never met will shortly be along to tell you whether you're alive or dead.

            1. invisible furry hand   11 years ago

              Florida Man is both dead and alive

              1. Citizen Nothing   11 years ago

                Schrodinger's Florida Man!

                1. Bobarian (dinosaur hunter)   11 years ago

                  Schrodinger's Florida Man!

                  DO NOT OPEN THE BOX!

            2. Andrew S.   11 years ago

              He's mostly dead. Which is slightly alive.

              1. Florida Man   11 years ago

                Truuuuueeeee lloooovvvveeeee

                1. DontShootMe   11 years ago

                  LOL. I did NOT see that coming.

      2. Citizen Nothing   11 years ago

        The non-stop news coverage did far more to damage the Gulf Coast tourism industry than the oil ever did.

        1. Citizen Nothing   11 years ago

          Maybe somebody should sue CNN.

          1. Florida Man   11 years ago

            Oooohhh... I would love to see that.

          2. RBS   11 years ago

            That would be one hell of a large class.

            1. DontShootMe   11 years ago

              Not really, who watches CNN anymore?

      3. Atanarjuat   11 years ago

        it really hurt his business

        I'm sure there was a huge drop in business. But he probably got a check from BP for compensation already. Everyone even remotely related to tourism who can dubiously show harm already has, at least here in the panhandle. It was distributed from that multi-billion dollar fine they paid.

        Then there was actually a surge of people who started going to the beach in Panama City (east of the areas where any oil washed up) because they thought it was their opportunity to do so before the beach was ruined forever.

    2. Zeb   11 years ago

      A lot of people really don't get just how big the ocean is.

      1. Certified Public Asskicker   11 years ago

        It can't be that big, I mean, I am always on land.

        1. Snark Plissken   11 years ago

          Only because Dear Leader healed the oceans with his magic Nobel prize.

    3. Doctor Whom   11 years ago

      Bom dia.

      It's still dead, just like Lou Reed.

    4. Atanarjuat   11 years ago

      Remember, cleanup efforts involved using a dispersant which caused the oil to sink to depths of a few thousand feet. There were reports that the dispersant was pretty toxic. I'm not sure anyone knows what effect the oil or dispersant had on the life down there. Nor do I know if that life is really even part of the same food chain as fish, shrimp, etc., that live nearer the surface. For example, there are fish on the bottom of deep oceans that subsist only on scraps that drop down there, like dead whales. I don't know if any of that biomass ever makes it back up to the surface, because those fish are only adapted to live at those extreme depths, so if something toxic were introduced, it might never make it back into the normal food chain of things we humans eat.

      1. Emmerson Biggins   11 years ago

        So, no harm no foul?

    5. perlhaqr   11 years ago

      Stuff that bugs me about our justice system: BP has already pleaded guilty to manslaughter and other charges and agreed to pay $4 billion in federal criminal penalties.

      Which I suspect they paid to the Feds. Instead of to the families of the people they have been found guilty of, er, manslaughtering. Which would make sense, since those are the people who were actually affected by the deaths.

      1. Pro Libertate   11 years ago

        This smells a lot like the tobacco settlement, where attorneys and the states made a shitload of money. The alleged victims, not so much.

        Except for the tourism hit, I've heard virtually nothing about serious aftereffects.

  2. Fist of Etiquette   11 years ago

    A community came together to seek justice for a little boy whose pet chicken was beheaded by a police officer.

    1. Fist of Etiquette   11 years ago

      A community came together to seek justice for a little boy whose pet chicken was beheaded by a police officer.

      He can always get a job with ISIS.

      1. Drax the Destroyer   11 years ago

        American Journalists. Chickens.

        I see what you did there.

    2. Fist of Etiquette   11 years ago

      The wording of that link is misleading. The article talks of a town who backed the police chief - who "choked back tears" after receiving a complaint about lopping the head off a kid's pet and leaving said head behind in the yard.

      1. MWG   11 years ago

        This.

      2. Rich   11 years ago

        At least he didn't choke the chicken.

        1. Bobarian (dinosaur hunter)   11 years ago

          not until he got home.

      3. SweatingGin   11 years ago

        no one trained him that cutting off heads wasn't part of code enforcement.

        Mistakes were made, lessons were learned, training budgets need to be increases.

        HTH

      4. Cyto   11 years ago

        One concerned citizen even said the mother was bullying the police chief. Because she filed a complaint after he chopped the head off of her kid's chicken with a shovel. No kidding.

        1. Marty Feldman's Eyes   11 years ago

          This was utterly demoralizing. This is pretty much why libertarians will never win.

  3. Longtorso, Johnny   11 years ago

    Video: Dead American jihadi once worked at Minneapolis-St. Paul airport
    This exclusive last night from the local Fox affiliate in the Twin Cities certainly will shake up anyone who's flown through our international airport, which includes my whole family and all of my friends out here. One of the two Americans confirmed to have been killed while fighting for ISIS turns out to have had a pretty good job here in the US that he left behind ? cleaning commercial passenger jets at Minneapolis-St. Paul airport....

    1. Ted S.   11 years ago

      TSA-cleared?

      1. Rich   11 years ago

        Nothing happened at the airport, so the system worked!

      2. Bobarian (dinosaur hunter)   11 years ago

        TSA-inspired.

        That's why he joined ISI*.

        *=random character; since this seems to change with some regularity.

    2. Steve G   11 years ago

      Once again, proof background checks and clearances are next to useless

  4. Longtorso, Johnny   11 years ago

    NEW EMAILS: IRS Obtained Donor Lists For 'Secret Research Project'
    The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) improperly obtained donor lists from nonprofit groups as part of a "secret research project" being run by Lois Lerner and other officials.

    IRS official David Fish revealed the "secret research project" in a June 27, 2012 email to Lerner's direct subordinate Holly Paz, according to emails released Thursday by the nonprofit group Judicial Watch, which obtained the emails in a pending Freedom of Information Act lawsuit.

    "Joseph Urban [IRS Technical Advisor, Tax Exempt and Government Entities] had actually started a secret research project on whether we could, consistent with 6104, argue that [REDACTED]," Fish wrote.

    "Joe was quite agitated yesterday when I told him what we were doing. (He was involved when the initial question was raised, but we didn't continue reading him in)," Fish continued. "At one point he started saying that this was a decision for Steve Miller?I told him we were already doing it, and that I didn't know whether Lois had already talked to Nikole [Flax, former IRS Chief of Staff to IRS Commissioner Steve Miller] about this. Would not be surprised if he already started working on Lois."...

    1. Ted S.   11 years ago

      FAKE SCANDAL!!!111!!!

      1. Elspeth Flashman   11 years ago

        I saw a license plate that read "elevn11" yesterday. I lol'd a little.

    2. Jordan   11 years ago

      Fish continued. "At one point he started saying that this was a decision for Steve Miller

      Don't bring the Midnight Toker into this.

      1. Swiss Servator, Bern baby Bern   11 years ago

        He works his scandals in the sun?

      2. Mike M.   11 years ago

        Abracadabra, there go the e-mails.

        1. Ted S.   11 years ago

          Go on, take the e-mails and run.

          1. Bobarian (dinosaur hunter)   11 years ago

            And fly like an eagle?

            or a Big ol jet airliner?

            Get some Jungle Love?

            1. Flatulent Monkey   11 years ago

              Although, he does have a whole crate of papayas, for some reason.

  5. Fist of Etiquette   11 years ago

    For the first time ever, Cosmopolitan's editors will endorse candidates in the midterm elections.

    Women don't need to be told to vote Democrat.

    1. Swiss Servator, Bern baby Bern   11 years ago

      20 toe curling ways to vote Donkey!!!!

      1. This Machine Kills 40s   11 years ago

        Ha ha, Donkey Punch...

  6. invisible furry hand   11 years ago

    Wherever did this guy get $20,000 from?

    The man who has been scammed THREE TIMES by 'lovers' he met online... and now he plans to propose to a woman he's only ever seen via Skype

    Ben Ivey, 32, has handed over more than $20,000 to online scammers

    He admits being duped that many times is 'crazy' and has now put his parents in control of his bank accounts

    1. Florida Man   11 years ago

      Student loans?

    2. The DerpRider   11 years ago

      He's 32 and needs his parents to handle his money? What do millennials thinks? Oh, and if he is Joe Average, we are fucked.

    3. SusanM   11 years ago

      I've got a feeling Princess S. Usan M'Binga should drop this guy a line...

  7. Fist of Etiquette   11 years ago

    Jurors in the corruption trial of former Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell said their decision wasn't particularly difficult...

    The lesson being don't treat your in house staff like shite.

    1. creech   11 years ago

      I guess McDonnell was a bit too transparent as what he was caught at seems to be s.o.p. in Washington, state capitals, mayor's offices, etc. Not really too much different than a president's child pulling down $600K a year is it?

      1. DJF   11 years ago

        His timing was wrong, first you make a deal, then you leave or change office and the deal makers pay you off.

        1. Idle Hands   11 years ago

          He never really did anything for the guy. In fact the prosecution was willing to plea down to bank fraud because he under-reported his assets on a loan application, he put the bare minimum he needed to get approval. The whole case was political to prevent him from running in the senate seat against Warner.

          1. Ptah-Hotep   11 years ago

            bank fraud because he under-reported his assets on a loan application, he put the bare minimum he needed to get approval.

            What?? Nothing says you have to state all your assets.

            1. Idle Hands   11 years ago

              Apparently it's enough to have a federal prosecutor come calling if your about to run for a senate seat against a Dem.

      2. Idle Hands   11 years ago

        That's the thing, If I was on the jury I would have convicted him on principle. But if a jury convicted him on this shit, McAulliffe's trial is going to be awesome and they should just wrap the capital in evidence tape.

        1. Ted S.   11 years ago

          But McAuliffe is TEAM BLUE.

          1. Idle Hands   11 years ago

            True but these people really shot their load. Their will be a Republican AG or Gov. again in this state. I don't think anyone really thought this would even go to trial. This type of shit is standard operating procedure for McAullife he just knows when to fold up shop and slink out before fed indictment comes along.

  8. Jordan   11 years ago

    A community came together to seek justice for a little boy whose pet chicken was beheaded by a police officer. The Minnesota boy was not allowed to keep chickens in his home per regulation.

    Um, that's the exact opposite of what happened. They rallied in support of the pig who killed the chicken. Disgusting.

    1. Bill Dalasio   11 years ago

      Yeah, I was going to make the same point. The morons in the town were more supportive of the petkilling than the petkiller was (the story says he at least apologized to the kid and has since begun to try to get the law changed to allow chickens as pets).

    2. Drake   11 years ago

      Was chicken served at the rally?

  9. Certified Public Asskicker   11 years ago

    Student Forced to Wear 'Shame Suit' for Dress Code Violation

    Oakleaf's dress code dictates that skirts must be knee-length or longer. Miranda's skirt was shorter than that, but she said the violation was unintentional. She was a new student to the school, having just moved to Florida from Seattle eight days before school started.

    That's fucking dumb, I...

    "My problem is not with the dress code itself," she [her mother] wrote. "I am actually a proponent of school uniforms (which trust me does NOT make my kids happy), and believe that if you break the rules of the school you should be punished regardless of your opinion of the rule itself. My problem is with the public shaming of kids."

    Nevermind, fuck you and your mom.

    1. Florida Man   11 years ago

      Requiring people to wear any extra clothing in Florida is a human rights violation. I would go naked if the state wasn't so prudish.

      1. Certified Public Asskicker   11 years ago

        If you see the girl, the skirt is maybe two inches from her knee, hardly a short skirt, so I want to sympathize.

        But if your whore mother supports school uniforms and punishments for breaking the rules (RULES ARE RULZ!) then I will save my sympathy for something else.

        1. Florida Man   11 years ago

          I feel bad for the girl for having dumb mother and being harassed by the state.

          1. pan fried wylie   11 years ago

            Learning early that life is the spot between a rock and a hard place.

      2. Ted S.   11 years ago

        I think your going naked would violate the NAP.

        1. Florida Man   11 years ago

          Stop freak-shaming me!!!
          /runs from internet sobbing

    2. Ted S.   11 years ago

      Why the fuck you to the girl? I don't see where she should lose our sympathy just because her mom is a bitch.

      1. Certified Public Asskicker   11 years ago

        I assume she hasn't really learned anything from this.

        1. Zeb   11 years ago

          Didn't anyone ever tell you that to assume makes an ass of you and me?

  10. Fist of Etiquette   11 years ago

    New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio is determined to enroll the city's young children in preschool programs...

    A jobs program for teachers?

    1. Jerryskids   11 years ago

      Not a jobs program for teachers - "enrolling" actually means "incarcerating" so the whole point of public education becomes brainwashing kids into uquestioningly doing as they're told. Think of it as a "pre-education camp" which prepares you for the education camp and the re-education camp that awaits you at Rikers if you don't get your mind right.

  11. invisible furry hand   11 years ago

    Don't call terrorists "terrorists", says Greens senator

    1. Rich   11 years ago

      "Bad guys", then?

      1. Swiss Servator, Bern baby Bern   11 years ago

        "Loppers"

        1. Mongo   11 years ago

          'Those people"

          1. Bobarian (dinosaur hunter)   11 years ago

            Social Conservatives?

    2. Ted S.   11 years ago

      Call them "greens" instead.

      1. ant1sthenes   11 years ago

        That... actually makes sense.

    3. Citizen Nothing   11 years ago

      "Criminally misguided."

    4. Rich   11 years ago

      "Zealots"?

    5. Gleep Glop   11 years ago

      Future Australian Citizens?

  12. Jordan   11 years ago

    Army can't track spending on $4.3b system to track spending, IG finds

    1. Rich   11 years ago

      Other improper accounting procedures might have made it difficult to spot abnormal balances.

      Ah, HA! So, you're saying everything might be OK!

      1. Ted S.   11 years ago

        If the private sector did this, the Fuck Schumers of the world would be holding grandstanding hearings.

        1. Andrew S.   11 years ago

          Most of what the government does financially would be the cause for massive SEC and PCAOB audits if the private sector did it.

  13. invisible furry hand   11 years ago

    Another Slenderman crime

    Everytime I hear Slenderman, I think of this. Is it just me?

    1. Ted S.   11 years ago

      My first thought was of this, but I can't blame an Antipodean for not thinking of it.

      1. invisible furry hand   11 years ago

        Are those old-timey Spanx?

        1. Ted S.   11 years ago

          Control-top pantyhose. I'm a man, so I don't know too much about the different types of hosiery.

          1. MegaloMonocle   11 years ago

            Well, Ted, it comes in two varieties:

            (1) In the way.

            (2) On the floor.

  14. sarcasmic   11 years ago

    Engaged mother-of-two tragically killed after being hit by a gargoyle head that fell three stories off historic church

    Sara Bean, 34, was walking to lunch with her fianc? when she was hit in the head by the falling stone
    The mother of two was rushed to the hospital where she was pronounced dead

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

    1. invisible furry hand   11 years ago

      when a stone piece fell off the Second Presbyterian Church's tower

      Well that explains it. She obviously was a Catholic or, even worse, a Wee Wee Free Presbyterian

      1. robc   11 years ago

        Or maybe a 1st pres member.

    2. Matrix   11 years ago

      That's really horrible. 🙁

  15. Mongo   11 years ago

    Libertarian Dilemma time:

    http://www.startribune.com/loc.....57441.html

    Man takes pics of dressed children in public and posts them online for sexual commentary.

    1. Jordan   11 years ago

      You have no expectation of privacy in public. Dude's still a creep, though.

      1. Citizen Nothing   11 years ago

        Yeah. Easy call.

    2. Scruffy Nerfherder   11 years ago

      A non-governmental beatdown is in order

  16. sarcasmic   11 years ago

    Professor shoots himself in foot during class with a handgun he was carrying in his pocket...and now faces charges for firing within the city limits

    Professor Byron Bennett was treated and released from hospital on Wednesday

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

    1. Idle Hands   11 years ago

      I asked this during the Plaxico Burress trial and will ask it now isn't shooting yourself punishment enough?

      1. sarcasmic   11 years ago

        The people who opposed the "enhanced" carry permit must charge him with something.

    2. Scruffy Nerfherder   11 years ago

      Probably a chambered Glock like Plaxico. Idiot.

      1. Ptah-Hotep   11 years ago

        Probably a chambered Glock like Plaxico. Idiot.

        Glocks are perfectly safe as long as you do not pull the trigger.

        1. Scruffy Nerfherder   11 years ago

          I wouldn't carry a chambered one in anything other than a holster. But that's just me.

          1. Ptah-Hotep   11 years ago

            I wouldn't carry a chambered one in anything other than a holster.

            I agree with you there. But the guy had to have hit the trigger for it to have fired, unless it was defective.

          2. Clich? Bandit   11 years ago

            revolvers are always chambered...

            1. sarcasmic   11 years ago

              revolvers are always chambered...

              And unless the hammer is cocked, it takes a fairly significant pull on the trigger to fire it. I'd carry my revolver in my pocket without any fear of accidentally firing it.

            2. Almanian!   11 years ago

              And this is why the smart cowboy leaves one empty when carrying a Colt Single Action.

              Not sure if DA's have the same issue. I have an oollllllllldd Colt Double action - model 18** Navy I think. .38 Special. Sumbitch still shoots pretty good, but I never carry it in a holster - just in a bag for the odd range shoot to confirm function.

              Anyhoo....

  17. sarcasmic   11 years ago

    Missing U.S. bomber loaned to Stalin that was lost over Siberia en route from Alaska during Second World War is found after 70 years

    Douglas A-20 Havoc (DB-7) crashed in 1943 en route to the eastern front
    The plane was one of 3,400 aircraft supplied by the US to the Soviet air force
    Crew of four perished in the crash and have not yet been identified

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

    1. db   11 years ago

      Interesting, but the image they show of " a large piece of the wreckage from the air" is a picture of a radio tower or something that is not an aircraft.

  18. sarcasmic   11 years ago

    Cyclist died after 'he was hit by police car which then reversed over him before officer tried to ARREST him'

    Quebec City police officers under investigation for incident on Wednesday
    Guy Blouin , 48, died after being struck by police car in broad daylight

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

    1. Swiss Servator, Bern baby Bern   11 years ago

      Et rien d'autre s'est pass

    2. Andrew S.   11 years ago

      He was biking right at him. The officer was in fear for his life.

  19. Jordan   11 years ago

    Police telling victims to solve crimes by themselves

    Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary says that for some high-volume types of offences, such as car crime, criminal damage and non-residential burglaries, this "DIY" approach to tackling crime is an "emerging trend" among some forces. They warn that in areas where the police have given up investigating these offences, they are "on the verge of being decriminalised".

    [...]

    he report concludes that police desk-based investigations of crime are failing to serve the public and mean "little or nothing more than recording a crime without taking further action. The HMIC investigation found that it is still policy to send an officer to attend all reports of crime in only six of the 43 police forces in England and Wales. In the other 37 forces a call-handler uses set criteria to assess whether somebody should be sent.

    Too busy investigating racist Tweets and arresting assault victims for defending themselves, no doubt.

    1. PowerBottom   11 years ago

      "Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary..."

      What a name.

      1. Rich   11 years ago

        "Her Majesty's Royal Ass Whoretillery"

      2. invisible furry hand   11 years ago

        Here are some splendid job titles, also from the UK. I've got first dibs on being the Rouge Dragon Pursuivant

    2. Ted S.   11 years ago

      Is anybody really surprised?

    3. robc   11 years ago

      Return to thief-takers?

      1. Swiss Servator, Bern baby Bern   11 years ago

        +1 set of manacles

      2. Ptah-Hotep   11 years ago

        Return to thief-takers?

        Insurance companies would probably go for that.

    4. Bill Dalasio   11 years ago

      Of course, I have no doubt that the police would react quite vigorously to anyone actually acting on those investigations.

      At this point, I really wonder if the Brits wouldn't be better off just disbanding their police forces.

      1. Cyto   11 years ago

        We have the same situation over here. My father got scammed by a "tree cutting service" who tricked my mother into paying him before he finished the job. And paying more than was agreed. Not surprisingly, he promptly disappeared without finishing the work.

        The police didn't do anything so he investigated himself. It turned out the guy was wanted in two other counties for similar scams. The police still were not interested, so my dad drove around to various small engine repair shops until he found the guy's equipment being worked on.

        The shop was across the street from the police station. The shop owner told him the criminal was coming in about two hours to pick up his equipment. So he called the sheriff's office. They were not interested.

        So my dad waited in the police station parking lot until the guy showed up, and then walked over to the two deputies who were parked door to door and chatting in front of the station and handed them the information on the wanted man and pointed him out as he entered the shop.

        Surprisingly, they drove the 80 feet to the shop and arrested him. The thief, not my dad.

    5. All-Seeing Monocle   11 years ago

      "little or nothing more than recording a crime without taking further action."

      Which is also exactly what they do if you actually send them out to the scene. Unless, of course, they take the opportunity to bust the victim of the crime because they smelled weed coming from his apartment. Having them do their "investigation" from their desk is probably an improvement.

      1. sarcasmic   11 years ago

        Yep. One time I made the mistake of calling the cops after my apartment had been broken into. The cops came and asked if they could look around for drugs. They didn't look at the broken window or ask what was missing, they wanted to look for drugs. And when I declined, they left.

        1. All-Seeing Monocle   11 years ago

          Justice!

          What else do people think they're doing to do? "Dust for prints" ?

          1. sarcasmic   11 years ago

            Take a report?

            1. All-Seeing Monocle   11 years ago

              I think that's the "recording a crime without taking further action" part.

              1. sarcasmic   11 years ago

                In my case they didn't record anything. They just left when I wouldn't let them look for drugs.

                1. All-Seeing Monocle   11 years ago

                  Jeez. At least filling out the damn paperwork would help with the insurance claim, I thought that was the only actual value they provided.

                  I had my car stolen from the parking lot at work a few years ago. The city sent out one of their finest, who asked me super-smart questions that they only teach you in police school like, "did you try pressing the alarm button on the keyfob?" Mind you, it was 7:00pm and we're standing on a huge parking deck which was vacant except for maybe 3 other cars. I guess Dudley Dooright thought maybe one of those three cars was mine and I just didn't notice it.

                  But, neither of us got shot so...hooray, I guess.

          2. invisible furry hand   11 years ago

            Could they dust for vomit?

          3. MegaloMonocle   11 years ago

            When one of our cars was stolen (and found, one day before we could write it off), the cops actually did take the car and dust it for prints.

            When we got it back, we found a school picture under one of the seats. There was actually a photo of one of the perps (or their friends) left in the car. We took it to the cops.

            AND NOTHING ELSE HAPPENED.

            Fuckin' useless.

        2. Mokers   11 years ago

          Did they take the Creedence?

          1. gimmeasammich   11 years ago

            Don't forget about all of the business papers.

  20. sarcasmic   11 years ago

    Newly discovered dinosaur, Dreadnoughtus, takes title of largest terrestrial animal

    http://www.washingtonpost.com/.....hollywood/

    1. Citizen Nothing   11 years ago

      "It would have been a catastrophic event in the life of a Dreadnoughtus if it fell over."

      Nature is funny.

      1. Apatheist ?_??   11 years ago

        Wonder if T-Rex adolescents went out Dreadnought tipping.

        1. DontShootMe   11 years ago

          How many T-Rexes does it take to tip over a Dreadnoghtus?

    2. RBS   11 years ago

      As my son would shout "Biiig Dido!!!!!"

      1. DontShootMe   11 years ago

        sadly, my mind inserted an extra letter L in there...

  21. Rich   11 years ago

    School bans 'unsupervised cartwheels' on playground

    ifh, do you have anything to do with this?

    1. invisible furry hand   11 years ago

      It's Queensland, which is just a bit braindead. Check other bits from the article:

      Others, like parent Melissa Forrester, contend that the cartwheel ban is simply the latest in a line of other no fun policies in the school district.

      Her children were banned from playing with their friends immediately before or after class.

      "They have to sit quietly and wait in designated areas or in their classrooms for school to begin," she said...

      At least one former school principal, however, believes the cartwheel ban is more about protecting school employees than students.

      "Having sat in a principal's chair and having had to deal with the fallout from unrealistic parents wanting to sue the teacher on playground duty when kids will be kids doing what kids should do, and break an arm or leg, I can understand the decision, as much as it saddens me."

      1. Drax the Destroyer   11 years ago

        It's nice to know they are beginning to stop pretending these schools are essentially prisons. I predict a ban on going to the restroom soon.

  22. Jordan   11 years ago

    Man admits to ejaculating into coworker's coffee to get her attention

    MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. (PIX11) ? A Minnesota hardware-store employee with a crush on a female co-worker repeatedly ejaculated into her coffee and onto her desk in an attempt to attract her attention, police said.

    John R. Lind, 34, admitted to ejaculating into the woman's coffee at least twice in six months and on her desk four times, according to a criminal complaint. Lind also said he wiped the evidence with her hair scrunchy, according to CBS Minnesota. The incidents allegedly began in February. The woman told police she had noticed repeatedly that her coffee tasted weird, and concluded the milk had gone sour.

    Went with the Male Glaze when he should have gone with the Male Gaze. Rookie mistake.

    1. Certified Public Asskicker   11 years ago

      According to the criminal complaint, the woman called police Aug. 26 after she caught Lind at her desk with his hands on his crotch and a "deer in the headlights" expression.

      I laughed.

      After he left the room, the complaint said, the woman found bodily fluids on her desk, dripping onto the floor and soaked up in her scrunchy.

      I threw up.

    2. Rich   11 years ago

      Sheesh, Jordan, don't leave us in suspense!

      *Did* he get her attention?

      1. Jordan   11 years ago

        Oh, he certainly did.

        1. Elspeth Flashman   11 years ago

          It would have gotten my attention too.

          1. Bobarian (dinosaur hunter)   11 years ago

            Good to know, for future reference.

    3. Mongo   11 years ago

      What the fuck is this -- Minnesota Day??

      1. Bobarian (dinosaur hunter)   11 years ago

        It's late summer, when the ice is finally off the lake, and Minnesota Man's thoughts turn to fancy.

        1. creech   11 years ago

          And to returning Sen. Al to Washington.

    4. This Machine Kills 40s   11 years ago

      Man admits to ejaculating into coworker's coffee to get her attention

      Well, uh, that's one way to do it, I guess.

    5. invisible furry hand   11 years ago

      Just confirming the stories down under that all American coffee is awful

      1. Jordan   11 years ago

        Probably why so many Americans drink the coffee equivalent of a milk shake.

        1. Ptah-Hotep   11 years ago

          Probably why so many Americans drink the coffee equivalent of a milk shake.

          I like my coffee like I like my women; hot and black.

          **disclaimer - I am happily married, so only one woman**

          1. Bobarian (dinosaur hunter)   11 years ago

            I usually drink my coffee, like I have my women...

            Old and bitter.

            1. gimmeasammich   11 years ago

              "Cold, dark and bitter" was what my grand-pappy would always say. To the waitress. Everywhere we went. It was quite entertaining.

              1. db   11 years ago

                I was out with Dr. Girlfriend's grandparents once,when the waitress asked her granddad if he wanted more bread.

                His response? "No thanks, I get bred enough at home."

      2. Florida Man   11 years ago

        I'm going to start roasting my own next week. I've got an 8 lb green coffee sampler coming in Wednesday.

        1. RBS   11 years ago

          Cool, that's something I've been wanting to get into.

          1. Florida Man   11 years ago

            I got most of my info from sweet maria's. They have roasting guides and methods, all free online. There are a lot of different ways to roast. I'm starting simple. A camp stove and a stove top popcorn popper. I'll let you know how it goes.

      3. Zeb   11 years ago

        There is plenty of excellent coffee in America, thank you. There is still plenty of awful coffee as well.

    6. Rich   11 years ago

      "Cream in your coffee?"

      "Not lately."

    7. Pope Jimbo   11 years ago

      Did seem like there was a bit of wang to her coffee

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EMiPjnNF7Dc

    8. Idle Hands   11 years ago

      Sour milk?

    9. John   11 years ago

      That guy needs to stop getting his dating tips from Matthew Yglesias.

    10. Scruffy Nerfherder   11 years ago

      What kind of a brainless moron do you have to be?

  23. Rich   11 years ago

    Benghazi heating up in time for the midterms

    "We were told to wait, stand-- and stand down. We were delayed three times."

    "Says *you*!"

    1. Ted S.   11 years ago

      FAKE SCANDAL!!111!!!

  24. Bill Dalasio   11 years ago

    Federal regulators are working hard to keep some fine cheeses off store shelves,

    First it was mimolette. Now they're adding a host of other cheeses that people have been eating for centuries. And yet these are the same charletans who pat themselves on the back about how oh-so-much-more sophisticated their tastes are than those rubes in flyover country.

  25. Rich   11 years ago

    World's oldest pyramid 'ruined' by restorers

    "Ruined", get it?

    1. Swiss Servator, Bern baby Bern   11 years ago

      SF'd the link.

    2. Rich   11 years ago

      Unruined link

      *** gets coffee ***

    3. Drax the Destroyer   11 years ago

      Your joke is bad, and you should feel bad.

      1. Rich   11 years ago

        Hey, it's not *my* joke.

        My conscience is clear!

    4. Zeb   11 years ago

      I don't get it.

  26. sarcasmic   11 years ago

    Kiss and sell! Banking heir pays ?50,000 to lock lips with Elizabeth Hurley during charity auction at Elton John's extravagant summer ball

    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvs.....-ball.html

    1. Citizen Nothing   11 years ago

      Cash is wasted on the rich.

  27. sarcasmic   11 years ago

    Albino cobra on the loose is finally captured in Southern California two days after attacking a dog

    A deadly albino cobra that ran loose for days in a Southern California neighborhood was captured on Thursday
    It attacked a dog nearby on Monday
    Officers used a long-handled tong-like grabber to haul the snake from a pile of scrap lumber in a backyard and put it in a long wooden box
    A popular mock twitter account AlbinoMonocledCobra tweeted: 'It's over, folks. #SendBail$$$' after the capture
    The cobra was taken to an animal shelter

    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/wir.....ornia.html
    My wife, who follows this stuff on Facederp, says the owner had posted pictures of himself and his pet on his Facederp account, so people know who he is. But he's gone into hiding. Who posts pictures of illegal activity on Facederp? That's just fucking moronic.

    1. Rich   11 years ago

      Who posts pictures of illegal activity on Facederp?

      Apparently this is fairly common.

      Must be their little way of "sticking it to The Man".

      1. Andrew S.   11 years ago

        Many, many people do that. And usually they're dumb enough that everything on their account is set to public.

    2. invisible furry hand   11 years ago

      ahem...

      Detective Superintendent Peter Schiller said it was unusual to see someone selling cannabis on Facebook.

      "I think there is a village out there missing its idiot," he said.

    3. Ted S.   11 years ago

      Yeah, Facebook should be for middle-aged yentas to talk about how they're doing in Farmville and Candy Crush Saga.

      1. Andrew S.   11 years ago

        Like my mother.

        Only reason I use FB nowadays is for MyVegas, because I want to earn free stuff to go there.

    4. Scruffy Nerfherder   11 years ago

      Who posts pictures of illegal activity on Facederp?

      The same kind of idiot who buys and cares for a deadly cobra in his home.

    5. Tonio   11 years ago

      Snakes do not run, loose or otherwise. No legs, y'know.

      1. pan fried wylie   11 years ago

        You could dump a bucket of snakes down a slide. Does that count as Running Snakes?

  28. Obama's Buttplug   11 years ago

    Top CIA officer in Benghazi delayed response to terrorist attack, US security team members claim

  29. sarcasmic   11 years ago

    The suicide map of the world: Korea, Russia and India see the most citizens kill themselves - while America is 'average'

    Poor and middle-income countries rank the worst in the study
    But some developed nations are worse than others--rates in Britain and Germany worse than much of Europe, US and Australia
    Guyana has the highest rate of suicide, at 44.2 out of every 100,000, with North and South Korea the second and third worst

    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/new.....-year.html

    1. Jordan   11 years ago

      But GUNS!!11

      Derp.

    2. Jordan   11 years ago

      Surprisingly good comments.

    3. Drax the Destroyer   11 years ago

      Makes me wonder if Germans are sick of floating a continent of permanent students, government employees, and perpetual vacationers.

    4. Rich   11 years ago

      Guyana has the highest rate of suicide

      Jonestown?

      1. Swiss Servator, Bern baby Bern   11 years ago

        *narrows gaze*

  30. sarcasmic   11 years ago

    Get ready fur a fright! Dog dressed up as huge spider makes unsuspecting victims flee in hilarious video

    Video shows passersby coming face-to-face with Chica the DogSpider
    Fear not - it's simply the work of Polish prankster Sylwester Wardega

    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/new.....prank.html
    Too funny.

  31. John   11 years ago

    A very good explaination of why people become jihadists. The biggest blind spot Libertarians have is that they often fail to realize not everyone is homo economicus. For some people a quiet, responsible, comfortable, productive life just doesn't do it. This is why some people can't be reasoned with or negotiated with. They don't want what you have to give. People join fascist movements because they want meaning and to feel a part of an inevitable world changing movement. The only way to get them to stop is to make it clear the movement is a loser and won't change anything, in other words, defeat them.

    http://pjmedia.com/michaellede.....the-jihad/

    1. tarran   11 years ago

      The biggest blind spot Libertarians have is that they often fail to realize not everyone is homo economicus

      I am continually amazed that non-Libertarians assume that Libertarians believe that everyone is a homo-economicus. Like the myth that jews use the blood of gentile babies for their passover feast, it has no basis in reality, yet it just won't go away!

      1. John   11 years ago

        Why does it have no basis in reality? Libertarians can't account for people who don't respond to market incentives. For example, the Libertarian response to discrimination is to let the market sort things out since eventually racists will get tired of losing out to the despised ethnic group's business and won't be able to compete with businesses that hire based on merit rather than tribe.

        That is true, provided the business owner cares that he is losing money. If he doesn't, then he won't respond to the market incentives. And if you have a society or a critical mass of people who don't care, then the market incentive isn't going to work.

        That is just one small example but there are many others. 90% of the time people respond to market incentives and things sort themselves out. But sometimes people don't. Libertarians have a very hard time accounting for that.

        1. Idle Hands   11 years ago

          Libertarians aren't anarchists.

          1. John   11 years ago

            I never said they were. But they totally believe in the sanctity of the private transaction and contract. And there is a long history of Libertarians arguing that things like discrimination will sort themselves out in the market. See for example Sowell's views on Jim Crow and the CRA. And for the most part Sowell is right. But he is not right about every situation. Sometimes people really do hate each other more than they like to do well.

            1. Idle Hands   11 years ago

              Sure, noone not even Sowell would debate that. It's just for the majority these solutions will work best. I don't think anyone thinks there is a magical system that will erase and solve all the worlds problems and be perfect everytime. But it will be a hell of alot better than the outcomes we have now. I don't think libertarians believe in a utopians all were saying is the solutions we have will produce a better outcome.

              1. John   11 years ago

                And I generally agree with you that it is mostly better. The debate of course is when is it not. The moment you admit that sometimes it is not, you are admitting that Libertarianism does have its limits and cannot account for every situation. And that is my point.

                1. Idle Hands   11 years ago

                  What are you even talking about? Libertarians believe in limited gov. and negative externalities. I am not an anarchist John and I don't think the majority on this board are.

                  1. John   11 years ago

                    You can be a strict Libertarian without being an anarchist. And yes most people are not strict Libertarians. And the reason for that is that every set of beliefs has its limits.

                    1. Idle Hands   11 years ago

                      As I understand it even being a strict libertarian means you believe that a gov. is needed because of externalities the market won't solve. I am not a libertarian because I really don't like speaking for any political viewpoint because I don't want to be labelled or vilified and I like to pretend I have some what of an open mind, but I think you have gotten a false impression of many people's view points because we've gotten so far removed from when gov. action is needed to now its interjected in every aspect of are lives so its incredibly easy to point out how terrible it is.

                    2. Citizen Nothing   11 years ago

                      because I don't want to be labelled or vilified
                      So a "squish" then. Got it.

                    3. Idle Hands   11 years ago

                      "squish"? If that means I'm a people pleasing pussy than yes you nailed me.

                    4. Citizen Nothing   11 years ago

                      A P.P.P.! I like it! Can I join?

                    5. Idle Hands   11 years ago

                      Fuck labels I am now a societal loving sodomite. You have to keep up ppp was so 10:40.

            2. Zeb   11 years ago

              John, I think that most libertarians are quite aware that markets will not solve every problem. Not every problem can be solved in a way that doesn't cause worse problems. If guns are allowed, some people will do bad things with them. And as long as people are some what free to speak and move, some people will become violent radicals.

        2. sarcasmic   11 years ago

          It's also a moral issue. Yes a business owner is an asshole for refusing to serve someone, but is that worthy of government violence?

          Without exception, breaking any law can lead to death. Cops comes to take you to court, you refuse, he initiates violence, you escalate, he kills you.

          That's the story for every single law. That's why libertarians are hesitant to use government to solve problems. Because the problem better be worth killing people if government is going to get involved.

          1. John   11 years ago

            It's also a moral issue. Yes a business owner is an asshole for refusing to serve someone, but is that worthy of government violence?

            That is the question. Most of the time no. But what if you have a small despised minority that is just squashed by a hateful majority. Is the answer to do nothing and let it happen since the government violence is worse or is the answer to use government violence to step in and stop it? That is a tough question.

            1. sarcasmic   11 years ago

              And libertarians understand this. Please quit flogging the straw man that says markets solve everything. It's just a straw man. A more accurate representation of the libertarian point of view is that markets solve most things, and when they don't solve something one must ask if the problem is worthy of violence. Most of the time libertarians will say no. But that's not the same as saying we believe markets solve everything.

            2. Citizen Nothing   11 years ago

              Really, what you need to do is to have a vote, and then when the hateful majority squashes the despised minority, it's okey-dokey!

              1. John   11 years ago

                That would be the Tony solution. I am not really fond of that solution though.

                1. Citizen Nothing   11 years ago

                  I was thinking more Joe in re Venezuela,

                  1. John   11 years ago

                    That too. And I am pretty sure Tony is down with Venezuela as well.

            3. creech   11 years ago

              More likely the government will step in to send the hated minority to the ovens. In this case, the hated minority better get out of town or learn to fight back.

        3. Ptah-Hotep   11 years ago

          That is true, provided the business owner cares that he is losing money. If he doesn't, then he won't respond to the market incentives.

          Until he goes out of business. Or maybe his clientele is large enough that he will stay in business. The libertarian position is you should not use force to make him cater to people he does not want to do business with.

          People respond to incentives, market based or not. People are getting something they value or they would not do it.

          1. John   11 years ago

            What if he doesn't go out of business and is just poorer? There are lots of his tribe he can sell to. And even if he does go out of business, who says he cares?

            You are doing exactly what I am talking about and assuming that "no one would want to go out of business". No, some people would. People are happily willing to blow themselves up or fall on grenades if they think doing so furthers a greater cause. And yes, they will go out of business out of spite.

            1. sarcasmic   11 years ago

              So they go out of business. So fucking what? Are you saying it would have been better if the government threatened him with violence if he didn't serve people he hates, keeping the asshole in business?

              1. John   11 years ago

                The market will adjust with fewer businesses and everyone being poorer but the discrimination continuing. That is the so what.

                Without question, ending discrimination would make everyone richer. But some people don't care. That is the point. So the market will never solve it.

                1. sarcasmic   11 years ago

                  But some people don't care. That is the point. So the market will never solve it.

                  And violence will?

                  1. John   11 years ago

                    And violence will?

                    Sometimes, yes. Generally violence is the only thing that ever solves fascism because it is the only thing fascists care about and thus the only incentive they will respond to.

                    1. sarcasmic   11 years ago

                      But is saying "No, I will not serve you" a use of force deserving government violence?

            2. Ptah-Hotep   11 years ago

              What if he doesn't go out of business and is just poorer? There are lots of his tribe he can sell to. And even if he does go out of business, who says he cares?

              Covered that in my second sentence. People do not start a business to waste money, time and effort. They just do not do that and if you have a counter argument from the business world I would love to see it.

              People are happily willing to blow themselves up or fall on grenades if they think doing so furthers a greater cause.

              They most certainly will, and the incentive for them is that their action will further the cause. Benefit is greater than cost. You know, economics.

              1. tarran   11 years ago

                People do not start a business to waste money, time and effort.

                Spending a great deal of time with entrepreneurs I have to say that this assertion is not factual.

                I meet a lot of guys chasing a dream. A significant number of them are trying to fill a psychic need and have no chance of ever making any money but .... just.... can't.... stop.

                1. John   11 years ago

                  Taran,

                  There is a great section in Tony Bordaine's book about various kinds of failed restaurants. One of his favorites is the "people chasing a dream". The rich people who have always dreamed about having that supper club that only played Gershwin and such.

                  Yeah, this is what makes Virginia Postrel probably the smartest Libertarian thinker out there. She is the only one I know of who understands the importance of aesthetics. Many times people would rather look good and feel good than do good.

                2. Ptah-Hotep   11 years ago

                  Spending a great deal of time with entrepreneurs I have to say that this assertion is not factual.

                  Do they think they will make money from their dream? Most entrepreneurs I have ever met think that they will. I have never met one that just wanted to go out of business. I am sure they exist, but they are outliers.

                3. VG Zaytsev   11 years ago

                  Spending a great deal of time with entrepreneurs I have to say that this assertion is not factual.

                  Yep, I've know a number of small business people over the years that refused to adjust a clearly failing business strategy.

                  Ultimately preferring to go out of business and usually bankrupt to adjusting their business to selling what people actually want to buy.

                  Which is John's point.

                  The part that John misses is that those businesses do fail and are (eventually) replaced by ones that do provide what people want.

                  In the case of hard core discrimination, free market interaction would end it over time (in fact, Jim Crow laws were fundamentally anti-market) although that might take decades to fully play out.

                  1. John   11 years ago

                    VG,

                    I think you underestimate how great American society is. The market would have eventually ended Jim Crow. That I have no doubt. But that just says America is different than a lot of the world. It doesn't say that the rest of the world would be the same. Most of the world thinks tribally and will happily live in shit in order to stick it to the other tribe.

              2. John   11 years ago

                They most certainly will, and the incentive for them is that their action will further the cause.

                Yes. And that is why they don't respond to market incentives. Their goal is not to get rich or better off. Their goal is to further the cause. And if discriminating against the nasty other is what furthers the cause, that is what they will do no matter how poor doing so will make them.

                1. sarcasmic   11 years ago

                  And if discriminating against the nasty other is what furthers the cause, that is what they will do no matter how poor doing so will make them.

                  The funny thing about markets is that voids tend to be filled. That's why Jim Crow had to be codified into law. If it wasn't the law, then the people who voluntarily discriminated would create a void that would be filled by people wanting the business of those who were being discriminated against.

                  And it only takes one. Just one.

                  I don't think what you are describing is realistic.

                  1. John   11 years ago

                    They did in that case sarcasmic. But they don't always. India for example had the "untouchables" for centuries. The market never solved that because the society was just that committed. The market wouldn't save a Jewish business if the society is really anti-Semitic and the Jews are anything but a really big minority.

                    1. Citizen Nothing   11 years ago

                      What's your better solution, then? Top men? Benevolent dictator? I'll gladly volunteer for Benevolent Dictator.

                    2. sarcasmic   11 years ago

                      India for example had the "untouchables" for centuries. The market never solved that because the society was just that committed.

                      So what's the problem? If they didn't think it was a problem, why should you?

                      The market wouldn't save a Jewish business if the society is really anti-Semitic and the Jews are anything but a really big minority.

                      That's a different issue. You were talking about businesses refusing to serve people. Now you're talking about people refusing to go to a business. That happens every day.

                      We're talking about businesses refusing customers. That creates a market, and unless there's some law saying you can't cater to that market, someone will. It only takes one. Just one. To say that no one person will attempt to tap into that market is unrealistic.

                2. Ptah-Hotep   11 years ago

                  heir goal is not to get rich or better off. Their goal is to further the cause. And if discriminating against the nasty other is what furthers the cause, that is what they will do no matter how poor doing so will make them.

                  John, it seems you are conflating a racist business owner with a jihadist. The business man will want to make money so he can continue furthering the cause, while the jihadist will gladly blow himself and others up if that works. Can they be the same person, yes, but for the most part you have on group of people finance the other.

                  1. John   11 years ago

                    Ptah,

                    For some people all of life is politics. So they may run a business but the purpose of that business is to further whatever cause they are following. Yes, they make money but that is a lower value than furthering the cause. If the business can't be run in such a way that furthers the cause, they don't run the business. For a benign example of this, see how modern progs spend their lives obsessing over the political actions of their own and other businesses.

                    1. Ptah-Hotep   11 years ago

                      Yes, they make money but that is a lower value than furthering the cause. If the business can't be run in such a way that furthers the cause, they don't run the business.

                      That is what I have been trying to tell you, it seems we are arguing past each other.

                3. creech   11 years ago

                  And a damn good reason not to be involved in feuds between irrational people and tribes.

            3. Bill Dalasio   11 years ago

              What if he doesn't go out of business and is just poorer? There are lots of his tribe he can sell to.

              Yes, but that other guy in his tribe that does care about making himself better off now has a systematic advantage. And every year he'll be in an increasingly better position to compete against him.

              1. John   11 years ago

                Yes, but that other guy in his tribe that does care about making himself better off now has a systematic advantage.

                Not if everyone in the big tribe refuses to do business with him because he won't follow the tribal line he doesn't. Bill you are assuming that all of the customers will go with best deal. That is not true.

                We see that today. Look at all of the nitwit Progs, who are nothing but fascists, who refuse do business with any firm whose politics they don't like. The don't care about the market. They care about the cause. Now imagine a society where the majority of the people were like that.

                1. Citizen Nothing   11 years ago

                  If you have a truly racist society, though, where the vast majority of citizens are willing to stick it to the minority no matter the cost, how is politics going to fix the problem?

                  1. sarcasmic   11 years ago

                    If you have a truly racist society, though, where the vast majority of citizens are willing to stick it to the minority no matter the cost

                    A vast majority means someone will buck the trend. What John is describing is when everyone refuses to serve those people they don't like. No exceptions at all. And I don't think that is realistic because it only takes one to ruin it. That's why it has to be put into law and enforced with violence, like Jim Crow.

                  2. John   11 years ago

                    That is a fair point CN. And maybe it wouldn't. I am inclined to agree with you that it wouldn't. That, I think, points to the importance of culture. If you don't have a culture that values freedom and throws off the yoke of tribalism, you are going to have a shitty country no matter what. So, you better worry a lot about what the culture of your country is.

                  3. sarcasmic   11 years ago

                    I was just thinking that in an ironic way, allowing racist business owners to refuse service might actually be a good thing.

                    Think about it this way. You've got minorities who are refused service at many places, so you start a shop that caters specifically to them, like Asian markets. You win because you get their business, and they win because you cater to their specific needs.

                    1. John   11 years ago

                      And that is kind of what happened sarcasmic. There were a whole lot of very successful black owned businesses in the Jim Crow South. They had a captive market.

                2. sarcasmic   11 years ago

                  Not if everyone in the big tribe refuses to do business with him because he won't follow the tribal line he doesn't.

                  If the shunned minority he's catering to is big enough, then it won't matter.

                  Bill you are assuming that all of the customers will go with best deal. That is not true.

                  Everyone goes with the best deal for their individual tastes and needs.

        4. Mongo   11 years ago

          I'm a long time libertarian with a near zero-interest in economics and markets.

        5. tarran   11 years ago

          Libertarians can't account for people who don't respond to market incentives.

          Which is why libertarians are quiet about the right to self defense, oh wait, they say people have a right to defend themselves!

          For example, the Libertarian response to discrimination is to let the market sort things out since eventually racists will get tired of losing out to the despised ethnic group's business and won't be able to compete with businesses that hire based on merit rather than tribe.

          No. We think people should be free to associate with whomever they want to, and that it's none of our business how they exercise that right. We do point out that people who make bad decisions, like refusing to hire someone who is a very capable doctor for a stupid reason (he isn't Jewish!) pay a price - which is why they turn to the state to socialize the costs of their racism - hence Jim Crow laws. However, who you have sex with, who you eat with, who you live with, who you do business with is your own call.

          But sometimes people don't. Libertarians have a very hard time accounting for that.

          Because we aren't trying to engineer society, John. We aren't fans of the fuhrer-princip. Your complaint makes about as much sense as bitching that Libertarianism doesn't have a solution to the problems caused by religious heresies such as Arianism.

          1. John   11 years ago

            First, Taran, last I looked Sowell was a Libertarian thinker. And his argument against the CRA is exactly what I am making. Unless you want to repudiate Sowell, don't tell me that is not what Libertarians believe.

            Because we aren't trying to engineer society,

            Exactly. But the assumption behind that is that society will eventually engineer itself to the best state. And that is mostly true but not always true. That is my entire point. You are not trying to engineer society. In fact you are saying you should never engineer society. And that is a great answer right up until you have to deal with fascists. Fascists don't want a richer or freer society. They want personal meaning. They want war and transformation. And standing aside and doing nothing will not produce a better or anything but a nightmare when your society has a decent mass of fascists.

            1. sarcasmic   11 years ago

              Libertarians are cool with government violence in response to the initiation of violence.

              Saying "No, I will not serve you" is not an act of violence.

              Killing someone is.

              Do you see the difference?

            2. tarran   11 years ago

              First, Taran, last I looked Sowell was a Libertarian thinker. And his argument against the CRA is exactly what I am making. Unless you want to repudiate Sowell, don't tell me that is not what Libertarians believe.

              No, I am making a different point. I am pointing that we aren't trying to solve racism. Observing that racism comes at a cost and that most people will abandon it is a descriptive statement, and one I happen to share.

              Sticking beans up your nose is painful and a bad idea. Libertarian philosophies all are silent on the question of whether one should stick beans up their nose. This isn't a blind spot. It's because actions that harm oneself and no one else are not considered withing the scope of political problems.

              But the assumption behind that is that society will eventually engineer itself to the best state.

              Anybody who assumes that does not understand politics. We are arguing that there is no objectively determinable 'best' state. Every person will have their own notion as to what is the 'best' state, and if we allow them to run their affairs, what we get, on the whole won't be too bad.

              1. sarcasmic   11 years ago

                It's because actions that harm oneself and no one else are not considered withing the scope of political problems.

                Well said.

                Every person will have their own notion as to what is the 'best' state, and if we allow them to run their affairs, what we get, on the whole won't be too bad.

                Emergent/Spontaneous order.

              2. John   11 years ago

                Observing that racism comes at a cost and that most people will abandon it is a descriptive statement, and one I happen to share.

                Most people in America will abandon. That is because we have a really special society that is one of the few that really did throw off the yoke of collectivism and tribalism in ways few others have. But that is my whole point, Libertarians have a bad habit of thinking every other society is like America. And that is why they really can't account for something like a Jihadist. If Jim Crow had been administered by radical Muslims rather than idiot Southerners, it would have never ended on its own.

                It's because actions that harm oneself and no one else are not considered withing the scope of political problems.

                And that is a profoundly unrealistic assumption. Societies and nations and groups quite often act collectively to harm themselves. Good lord, it is pretty much taken as a given that people will mindlessly vote socialism to get free shit even if it is blindly obvious that doing so is harmful. You think that is bad, go someplace will people start really voting and acting on a particularly violent sect of religion. Yes, people will happily burn down their own country in the name of progress. Self harm can most certainly be a political problem.

              3. tarran   11 years ago

                And that is a great answer right up until you have to deal with fascists. Fascists don't want a richer or freer society. They want personal meaning. They want war and transformation. And standing aside and doing nothing will not produce a better or anything but a nightmare when your society has a decent mass of fascists.

                This is a great point, and one I agree with. A free society requires the culture to have certain properties. And if enough people want a robust state, or a fascist society or a commie society, then the incentives that promote freedom can be disrupted to the point where the society will evolve in a more totalitarian direction.

                Some libertarians philosophers claim that this is why a monarchy is superior to a democracy - because monarchies are more resistant to this sort of madness.

                I submit to you that *all* political systems suffer from this flaw. The U.S. went fascist in the 30's under Roosevelt. It went fascist in England under the rule of the House of Windsor.

                The superiority of libertarian political orders is that many of the people who embrace fascism do so because the society they live in denies their lives meaning, and the less free a society is, the larger the pool of people who are feeling so disaffected.

                1. John   11 years ago

                  Yes, Taran, you have to have a society that values freedom. The problem is that the very people who often are the least likely to value freedom are the ones who have the most of it.

                  A large number of the worst Jihadists are from rich or upper middle class families. You I am sure are well aware of the propensity of trust fund babies to become the worst sorts of totalitarian leftist.

                  The reason why it is so hard to keep a society free is that to be free you have to value freedom but the more freedom you have the less people are going to value it and the more tempted they will find fascism. It is a terrible catch 22.

                  This is why I think Libertarians are foolish not to be more tolerant of post enlightenment Western Christianity. Love it or hate it, it gives people who want more meaning in their lives an alternative to fascism.

            3. Citizen Nothing   11 years ago

              So you're arguing that politics or top men sometimes can be better at "social engineering" than markets? I'd dispute that point.

        6. Bill Dalasio   11 years ago

          If he doesn't [care about losing money], then he won't respond to the market incentives. And if you have a society or a critical mass of people who don't care, then the market incentive isn't going to work."

          Actually, you're wrong on that one. What you'd need is a universiality of people who don't care that they are losing money, a much stricter standard. If you get one non-cooperator, one person who cares that he's losing money, then he gains a systematic advantage over his competitors and, other things being equal (granted they're not), he'll become increasingly dominant in the system.

          1. John   11 years ago

            It doesn't take a majority Bill. It just takes a committed minority willing to do violence. The rest will fall in line out of fear even if they would prefer not to follow.

            Most people in Nazi Germany were not Anti-Semitic or they were, were very mildly so. But that didn't matter, because there was a fanatical minority that was and was willing to do violence to see that they got what they want. The rest of them fell in out of fear.

            1. Whahappan?   11 years ago

              John, you're conflating two different things. Libertarianism isn't silent on the issue of people using violence to further racism. It is perfectly fine, indeed I would argue mandatory, for a libertarian government to respond to violence committed in the name of racism. Some jerk putting a sign up saying "Niggers not allowed" isn't violence. As long as nobody is using violence, even threats, I would say libertarianism says the law should leave him alone. Voluntary boycotts, pickets, public condemnation are fine, even laudable. Sending the po-po to shut him down or change his policy is not.

    2. sarcasmic   11 years ago

      I think most libertarians understand this.

      Butting into their affairs, occupying their land, and dropping Hellfire missiles onto wedding parties doesn't make things any better. That's the part you cannot comprehend.

    3. Idle Hands   11 years ago

      So your saying they thought it was good sport? Because some Muslims aren't looking for anything logical, like money. They can't be bought, bullied, reasoned or negotiated with. Some Muslims just want to watch the world burn.

      1. John   11 years ago

        It is not Muslims, it is people. Why do people join cults or the French Foreign Legion or volunteer for multiple tours in Afghanistan when they don't have to and they have nothing more to prove? Because the quiet life isn't good enough for some people. Some people want meaning and excitement and to feel important.

        One of the biggest lies we tell ourselves is that people always go to war unwillingly and always view it as a horrible experience. That old statement by McArthur that the soldier most of all fears war because he knows its effects, is bullshit. And the guy who made it knew it. He was a guy who went over the top in the trenches of World War one wearing a West Point Sweeter and carrying a baton. Yeah, some people really do go to war because they like it.

        1. Idle Hands   11 years ago

          I don't think anyone doubts that Man is inherently a violent animal, if he wasn't we wouldn't be shitting out animals and picking are teeth with their bones. I think we have always needed people who excel at violence we are pack animals, primal instincts don't go away overnight not after several hundred thousand years of evolution has refined those traits.

          1. VG Zaytsev   11 years ago

            Yep, and that's the flaw in libertarianism, failing to realize that humans are violent pack animals akin to a nasty troop of baboons.

            1. Idle Hands   11 years ago

              Umm no.

          2. John   11 years ago

            In some ways I get the jihadists. I don't lie to myself, I am a restless person who doesn't find a lot of meaning in the material world. I have always had a bit too much fondness for violence. I liked getting in fist fights as a kid. And I don't view any of that as a positive. I deal with my restlessness with my imagination and by riding a motorcycle or driving a fast car. I loath and despise the jihadists. But I understand how someone could fall under the spell of that kind of nihilism.

    4. Gleep Glop   11 years ago

      Actually, I think these people are homo economicus. They weight the (subjective) cost and benefits and take the action if BC.

      1. Citizen Nothing   11 years ago

        So John believes economics is only about money? Ok.

        1. John   11 years ago

          If it is not about money, what is it about? The laws of the "market" assume that people respond to incentives and that those incentives are driven by money and material well being. Yeah, you can apply the laws of the market to values other than money but they don't work as well since those things are hard to quantify the way money is.

          Can economics describe and predict the behavior of people who don't care about their own material well being? Sure. But that doesn't disprove my point. My point is that some people can't be negotiated with or bought off because they are not interested in being bought off. They are interested in meaning.

          1. Citizen Nothing   11 years ago

            I think you risk making the mistake of those who deify or demonize money as money. Money is just a tool. (A really, really cool tool.)

          2. Sevo   11 years ago

            John|9.5.14 @ 10:13AM|#
            "If it is not about money, what is it about?"

            Well, "My point is that some people can't be negotiated with or bought off because they are not interested in being bought off. They are interested in meaning."
            And your point is wrong; they can be 'bought' if you have the proper currency.

            1. John   11 years ago

              And your point is wrong; they can be 'bought' if you have the proper currency.

              Sure. But the currency is your total submission to their cause. Yes, you can always surrender.

      2. John   11 years ago

        They are rational, in the sense that they are acting based on what they value. But they don't value money and the things that the market assumes they will.

        1. Ptah-Hotep   11 years ago

          They are rational, in the sense that they are acting based on what they value.

          Exactly John, and value is subjective. I think some economist stated such in the 1800's.

          1. John   11 years ago

            Yes, you can change what the x and y axis on the supply and demand curve mean and explain about any rational behavior.

            1. Ptah-Hotep   11 years ago

              Yes, you can change what the x and y axis on the supply and demand curve mean and explain about any rational behavior.

              Not sure what you mean by that. What I am saying is two people can look at the same object and have different values for that object. This is where Marx went wrong, thinking that value was intrinsic rather than extrinsic.

              Take your Porsche, you value it higher than I do as I am not a fan of Porsches, so you would be more willing to pay more for it than I would. You place a higher subjective value on it than I do. It really has nothing to do with x or y axis.

    5. VG Zaytsev   11 years ago

      Fight Club.

      Explains why middle class people become jihadis.

  32. sarcasmic   11 years ago

    Top of the crops! Joanna Krupa shows off her model figure in soaking wet see-through jersey and bikini bottoms

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

    1. John   11 years ago

      She is very hot and I have seen her before. But I still can't figure out what she does. Is she an actress? Fashion model? I have never seen her anywhere but the Daily Fail and they always assume everyone knows who she is.

      1. sarcasmic   11 years ago

        Real Housewives or something. I think she's famous for being famous. Saw her on Ridiculousness one time and she's got the most annoying voice. Not that I'd be interested in conversation.

    2. Idle Hands   11 years ago

      I have to say as a Redskins fan, I think the Jets are their AFC mirror team.

  33. The Late P Brooks   11 years ago

    The biggest blind spot Libertarians have is that they often fail to realize not everyone is homo economicus.

    I thought it was that we're not a bunch of bloodthirsty tribalist morons.

    Huh. My mistake.

  34. Gleep Glop   11 years ago

    OT: Has anyone seen this?

    http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-29068391

    I haven't seen any US media coverage of this. Even though the story seems legit, the silence is kinda weird...

    1. invisible furry hand   11 years ago

      Got a reasonable bit of coverage in Australia. Probably not interesting enough for the US - you have so many entertaining crimes

      1. Gleep Glop   11 years ago

        It's strange because I get more in depth coverage about happenings in the US from UK and Australian media (e.g. The West) than I do from domestic sources.

        1. Citizen Nothing   11 years ago

          Officers found her collapsed in the back garden and she was pronounced dead at the scene.

          Sorta goes without sayin', don't it?

        2. BigT   11 years ago

          Lots of ahmeds and Muhammeds in that neighborhood, but

          "Whilst it is too early to speculate on what the motive behind this attack was I am confident, based on the information currently available to me, that it is not terrorist related."

    2. widget   11 years ago

      I'm 3/4 of the way through Cormac McCarthy's "Blood Meridian". When it comes to death, I'd rather be beheaded than slow roasted upside-down on an Apache campfire.

      1. Mongo   11 years ago

        He likes to roast a lot of characters in his books.

    3. Azathoth!!   11 years ago

      I wonder if the attacker was 'Asian'?

      But don't worry--the police say this had nothing to do with terrorism.

  35. widget   11 years ago

    New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio is determined to enroll the city's young children in preschool programs, but the initiative is facing criticism.

    That east asians are naturally better at math than whites, blacks, and mexicans and that no amount of ejucatin' will narrow the gap by much. I'm sorry, that's not the criticism, the real problem is that NYC government is corrupt. Both are true.

  36. Raston Bot   11 years ago

    Ridley in WSJ on the pause.

    http://online.wsj.com/articles.....1409872855

    Describes himself as a "lukewarmer" which sounds like Ron Bailey.

    At the end is mention of a paper from a couple chinamen showing an ocean current responsible for half the warming in the 60s-90s.

    1. Citizen Nothing   11 years ago

      Also, dude, "Chinaman" is not the preferred nomenclature.

    2. OldMexican   11 years ago

      Re: Raston Bot,

      Describes himself as a "lukewarmer" which sounds like Ron Bailey.

      Well, a "lukewarmer" is still a heretic! Either he submits and repents, or he will be chastised! The Science is Settled ?!

  37. Sevo   11 years ago

    SF pushes the envelop on destroying jobs; writer finds business owner more than happy to keep competitors out:

    "'Retail Workers Bill of Rights' gains traction in S.F."
    [...]
    "Jen Piallat, owner of the successful Cole Valley restaurant Zazie, offers her employees full benefits, a matching 401(k) retirement account, and maternity and paternity leave."
    http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/.....734849.php

    1. EdWuncler   11 years ago

      The had some protests in the Chicago area about the 15 dollar an hour wages and for the most part had a low turn out. If you talk to anyone in the fast food industry, while they would like to be paid more, most will privately admit that even their jobs don't justify 15 dollars an hour.

    2. OldMexican   11 years ago

      In an industry with high turnover, she hasn't had to hire a kitchen worker in more than three years - four have been there for well over a decade - and more than half of her wait staff have been there for more than seven years. That experience makes her workers more efficient, she said, lowering her costs and increasing her revenue - and their tips.

      Either she's lying or she doesn't know what she's talking about. She didn't hire engineers or accountants, or even plumbers. She hired waitresses and kitchen helpers. Anybody can wait a table with a little training. How does she know that she has the best people working for her? Who wants to be a kitchen helper all of his life? She's paying WAY TOO MUCH for that staff. I don't believe her when it says it helps her bottom line.

      1. Citizen Nothing   11 years ago

        Thus proving John's point about economics?

        1. OldMexican   11 years ago

          Re: Citizen Nothing,

          Thus proving John's point about economics?

          John forgets that economics is not about money but about increasing one's lot. All of our decisions are economic - meaning, when we act, we decide how to allocate our limited time. People do not think of their well-being as material well-being only. There are those that will trade their time for thrills or an experience, otherwise there would be no Schlitterbahm parks. It's the same with Jihadists and other fools. They want to experience the thrill of fighting for some cause, and are willing to trade their time and body for that. That's an economic decision, whether people want to believe it or not.

          1. OldMexican   11 years ago

            Re: Citizen Nothing,

            With regards to the restaurant owner in the article, I think the woman is just lazy. She doesn't want to go through the experience of breaking a new employee every year or so and thus pays a premium to avoid it. That can't help her bottom line, that's a lie, but it does help her well-being as she can go on being a lazy businesswoman. It is a perfectly rational decision, just not one I agree with. That doesn't mean that raising the cost of hiring across the board by fiat is a good idea, since it deprives the industry of new workers.

      2. EdWuncler   11 years ago

        I absolutely hate the mind frame, "I pay my workers a high wage so everyone else should and damn it if they don't then we need the government to step in." It's great that you pay your workers well. It's your money but don't force others to have to pay what you think is a "livable" wage for their workers.

        1. Rhywun   11 years ago

          She probably doesn't have a fucking Dollar Menu either. God damn these people are stupid.

  38. OldMexican   11 years ago

    For the first time ever, Cosmopolitan's editors will endorse candidates in the midterm elections. I can't think of anything less sexy than that.

    I can - those same candidates posing provocatively for the cover of Cosmopolitan.

  39. BigT   11 years ago

    Another perspective on Ukraine vs Russia

    Yes, there clearly are Russian soldiers operating in eastern Ukraine (reports estimate 1,000). And, yes, the pro-Russian separatists in places like Donetsk will have had support from Russia. But none of this is the result of Putin's 'dream of imperial restoration', or his 'hypernationalist, conspiratorial madness'. Russia is not realising any sort of pre-meditated plan at all. In fact, it is not determining events; it is responding to them. It saw anti-Russian protesters in Kiev violently replace Ukraine's democratically elected leader, Yanukovych, with a pro-Western government complete with a faction of bona fide neo-fascists in February. And it watched on as Western leaders serenaded Ukraine's new government with songs of approval. And seeing what happened, seeing Ukraine transformed into a strategic threat right on its own borders, Russia responded by swiftly taking back Crimea, and then attempted to shore up other parts of eastern Ukraine. Russia's intervention in Ukraine isn't madness; it's a rational, realist response to what it correctly perceives as a geopolitical threat right there in its own backyard.

    http://www.spiked-online.com/n.....AnjSNm9Kc0

    1. Rhywun   11 years ago

      I can see why Russia would feel threatened with neighbors living under the yoke of capitalism and free speech.

      1. BigT   11 years ago

        How do you think we would respond if the elected Pres of our neighbor were removed in a pro-Russian coup? I think McCain et al would be 'going nucular.'

        1. Rhywun   11 years ago

          Sanctions?

  40. NiceDay   11 years ago

    Husker who? How 'bout some GWAR?

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sWRKlNlRsgI

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