What makes you so mad that you want to squash somebody like a bug?
I will go with people who don’t use right turn signals. Yes, I bike to work.
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Come for the politics, stay for the snark.
Anyone who bans teaching American history has no right to shape America’s future.
And now I have baud making fun of me. this day can’t get worse.
Technically true, but collectively nonsense
Make the republican party small enough to drown in a bathtub.
We still have time to mess this up!
But frankly mr. cole, I’ll be happier when you get back to telling us to go fuck ourselves.
Historically it was a little unusual for the president to be an incoherent babbling moron.
The party of Reagan has become the party of Putin.
Teach a man to fish, and he’ll sit in a boat all day drinking beer.
This really is a full service blog.
American History and Black History Cannot Be Separated
Battle won, war still ongoing.
In short, I come down firmly on all sides of the issue.
Black Jesus loves a paper trail.
Seems like a complicated subject, have you tried yelling at it?
So it was an October Surprise A Day, like an Advent calendar but for crime.
Republicans in disarray!
T R E 4 5 O N
No offense, but this thread hasn’t been about you for quite a while.
Within six months Twitter will be fully self-driving.
I didn’t have alien invasion on my 2023 BINGO card.
Incompetence, fear, or corruption? why not all three?
I really should read my own blog.
Just because you believe it, that doesn’t make it true.
Rusty Shackleford
How Conservatives Have Become Authoritarians and What it Means
By John Dean
Discuss.
DJAnyReason
Bikers on Pittsburgh streets getting in my way when I’m driving to work… ;)
demimondian
Why no discussion of the White House’s jettisoning of the Yee doctrine of the Unitary Executive in regards to enemy combatants and the Geneva conventions?
Stormy70
Plame Flame thread.
Plame over. Who’s who now brown cow?
Eric Lindholm
People who use credit cards to pay for items less than $5.
John S.
Because there is nothing to discuss. Tony Snow already came out and stated that today’s announcement in no way is a refutation of the administration;s previous policies.
Now move along children…
Perry Como
Which was that Stormy? That Karl Rove confirmed her identity as a CIA agent? Or that a senior administration official gave him Plame’s name in the first place?
Whoops.
John S.
Oh good god…I haven’t seen a link to Drudge making such a big deal over nothing in quite some time.
Please, go back to watching whatever you have on Tivo.
Pooh
Uhm, because
A) It’s the Yoo doctrine
B) Any talk of ‘jettison’ is largely bullshit anyway.
Stormy70
Up on Tivo deck tonight is Broken Trail, 3 episodes of Deadwood (stupid c…suckers :), all of Season 1 of Project Runway, and Big Brother 6, and a Plame-tridge in a pear tree.
I am a very busy bee right now, but not too busy that I can’t begin some Plamiac shenanigans with my many loving and admiring peeps on this blog.
Steve
I don’t get it. Novak says:
1. I heard that Wilson’s wife worked for the CIA from a senior administration official that I still won’t name.
2. I then looked her name up in “Who’s Who.”
3. Karl Rove, among others, confirmed the information for me.
How is any of this new? Is there some new information you expect us to be interested in, Stormy?
Oh, I get it. You’re pointing out that it was already common knowledge, in books and everything, that Joe Wilson had a wife!
Haven’t we kind of been over this before?
Perry Como
Yes, but the mouthbreathers are going to try to make something out of it. Cue Tom Maguire in 3…2…1…
Steve
Tom Maguire does, in fact, have plenty to say.
It’s true. There was at least the possibility of some kind of conflict of interest, and it was wholly appropriate to have some sort of national debate over whether Joe Wilson was biased, even if the name of a CIA operative had to be released to do it. The same kind of national debate, of course, we totally shouldn’t have when the topic is Executive Branch surveillance programs that might or might not be legal. Because Joe Wilson’s conflicts of interest are much more important.
Here’s something I’ve never quite grasped, though. If Valerie Plame’s identity was so legitimately relevant to the public debate, if there was no harm to national security in revealing her job, if this was a fully appropriate disclosure for the Administration to make so the public would know that Joe Wilson shouldn’t be trusted – why all the secrecy?
Why does the original leaker, the senior administration official, insist on remaining anonymous to this day, if this was information that legitimately belonged in the public discourse?
Why did President Bush act so upset, promising to punish the leaker, if this was something the Administration was legitimately entitled to reveal?
I’m afraid I still don’t get it.
Jeff Miller
Tim, I’m sorry but buttholes who don’t put on their turn signal take second to idiots who scream out their window when they pass me on my way to work.
They never realize that whatever witty insult they’d concocted can’t possibly be heard because of the Doppler effect …
Had a great time this winter when a car load of kids pulled this on me on my way home one night. They stopped at a red light up ahead, so I pulled up next to them and towered over their car, my headlamp blinding them.
“Excuse me, what was that all about?”
Teenaged girl: “Umm, I wasn’t talking to you.” Pulls away.
Heh. I think she soiled her pants.
Krista
People who, while in a crowded grocery store, stop and gab with someone they know, both of them completely blocking the aisle with their carts. This isn’t a goddamn coffee date, and people are trying to get their groceries and get the hell home, so get out of the fucking way with your carts, you stupid cows.
Whew…that kind of felt good.
Nutcutter
The PT Cruiser.
Gadgets that don’t work.
People who start writing a check in the grocery line AFTER their stuff is scanned.
The dope at work who calls me on a sick day to fix something at the office.
Republicans and their lies about healthcare, taxes and the national debt, Social Security, the war, terrorism, values, marriage, the flag, stem cells, and pretty much everything.
Financial institutions who act like they are doing you a favor by letting you be their customer.
Clogged toilets.
Drunk drivers.
Drunk drivers who end up being president.
Computer viruses.
Car dealers.
Shoddy treatment of the mentally ill.
tBone
Obviously he’s a deranged member of the Angry Left, and he has a book to plug. Therefore everything he says can be safely disregarded. And I hear he may be a closet windsurfer.
Sherard
This blog so wholeheartedly embracing moonbattery.
Not surprising that these comments would IMMEDIATELY be hijacked by a dumbass moonbat. Shocker.
Sherard
Hey Jeff, if this is a common occurrence, my suggestion would be to get the car out of second gear and your head out of your ass.
srv
Public Television that just seems to think that Deepak Chopra, new age philosophers and infomercials are educational content.
Nutcutter
Let’s talk about what Scrutator is talking about tonight.
Seems 40% of Americans believe that we are in the first stages of the End Times, and some Americans are not just preparing for them, they are actively promoting their early arrival.
Forty percent of Americans is about 1.8% of the world’s population if the government’s census clock is to be trusted.
Can anyone explain to me how America now represents itself as waging a “war on terror” when almost half of its population are planning for the end of the world, and some are promoting it?
Can you explain to me how the 6.2 billion, or 98% of the world’s population who aren’t in that lunatic fringe, look at this country with its world’s-largest stockpile of nuclear weapons and its lunatic population, and doesn’t wonder if WE are the terrorists in the world now?
Why would they trust us? Why would they consider us to be a light to world now? Our light to the world is a vision of the apocalypse?
Explain to me how crafting a political movement and then a government around a political base that believes in this crazy shit is not, by definition, the end of the American Experiment?
Perry Como
It looks like Iraq could use the RealID:
Jeff Miller
Sherard: Car? Second gear?
I’m on a bike. And if my head were in my ass, I couldn’t very well shine my headlamp directly in these little jerks’ faces, could I?
When I taught middle school, I found that Weekly Reader did wonders for my kids’ reading comprehension. You might want to pick up a subscription.
For what it’s worth, it’s not a common occurance. Most drivers are great. I obey all the traffic laws and stay as far to the side of the road as is safe, they calmly putter around me.
Tim asked what makes us want to squash people like a bug. Those rare automobilists who scream incomprehensible babble in my ear while I’m biking to and from work does that for me.
Matt
People who put on their turn signal as they’re turning. It’s worse than not using it at all.
Jon
I want to squash like a bug anyone who uses “Please advise” as an ENTIRE SENTENCE in their e-mail.
Actually, squash like a bug is too good. I want to beat them to death with a 2×4 wrapped in barb wire, cut their head off, and set the whole thing on fire. But maybe I just have too many substandard e-mail correspondents lately…
Nutcutter
I’m looking for advice.
Please advise.
Nutcutter
-DKos.
This is what Darrell describes as the “best healthcare system in the world.”
Ancient Purple
I know. But John lets Stormy post here anyway.
Mr Furious
My wife (pregnant) is currently taking an anti-nausea drug given to chemo patients to combat her severe morning sickness.
This drug costs over a hundred bucks a day. Now just to be clear, this is a pill is given to cancer paients—but it is not a cure for cancer! The goddamn nausea pill is $1,100 for a ten-day supply, simply because I’m sure the drug company and everyone else down the line can get away with charging that much for part of the cocktail that cancer patients have to take.
No wonder this shit is out of control.
Ancient Purple
For my humor contribution for the night I offer you this:
Pro-Lifer Takes Onion Article Seriously
The face of the Pro-Life movement: Dumber than a bucket of armpits.
Ryan S.
This kinda ticks me off
Ryan S.
This kinda ticks me off
Nutcutter
This is the situation that Darrell says is just the “long hard struggle” that our noble president says we have to go through to save Iraq
Does that piss me off? No, I’m way beyond being pissed off.
Tom in Texas
Mr. Furious;
Would your wife be taking Zofran by any chance?
Nutcutter
The White House acted today to place the detentions at Guantanamo under the protections of the Geneva Convention … after a long period of political criticism, and the rebuke of the US Supreme Court.
But wait, it gets worse …
–MSNBC
Now we have the spectacle of the detainees being used as props in a staged political display for the purpose of advancing the president’s political agenda.
And so the crass politicization of the phony “war on terror” actually deepens and gets more disgustingly ugly, as hard to believe as it may be. There it is.
Your government planning to make a political circus out of the detainees in time for the election. Just another political mindfuck alongside the marriage defense and the flag burning and the fetus anesthesia.
Does this piss me off?
Nah. Not at all.
eileen from OH
People who don’t get over into another lane when signs warn them for 5 bloody miles that the lane ends and then they expect others to let them in like they are so goddam important and busy that the rules don’t apply to them and they have a right to go to the head of the line.
Oh, and the people that let them in, like they’re being nice and charitable instead of being pathetic PATSIES.
Oh, and drivers who ride up your ass so close that they could do a colonoscopy even though there’s another fucking lane they could use to pass.
eileen from OH
The Other Steve
Steve,
It’s entirely possible. But I’ve always found the argument to be somewhat of a stretch coming from crony-capitalism Republicans. If the left complains about Bush hiring his daddies golf caddy to be Director of Meaningless Memos, we’re told we’re being silly of course he’s qualified.
And speaking of which…
Army is ending contracts with Halliburton
It’s kind of strange. They’ve discovered a new word. I’ve never heard Republicans talk about this word before, and it’s really quite staggering. The word is:
FREE MARKET COMPETITION
W00T! Even Republicans can learn, occasionally.
The Other Steve
This is what pisses me off
If you are going to declare a DOCTYPE of XHTML Strict, THEN BLOODY WRITE YOUR XHTML CORRECTLY!!!!!
Nutcutter
The formularies are full of examples of drugs costing a lot in the US and much less in other countries, like Canada.
Remember the presidential debates? Asked about the drug price gap, Bush said that it wasn’t right to buy pills in Canada … because they might not “be safe.”
If there was any doubt that this man was a pathological liar, that one answer should have settled the matter. This lying pig of man stood there and told a nation of old and sick people struggling to pay for their meds that the problem was “keeping them safe.”
The problem is that the government won’t lift a finger to prevent the situation that exists now, in which Americans are paying high prices for drugs that people in other countries can buy cheaper … from the same manufacturers. Your exorbitant costs, Furious, are subsidizing your friends in Canada.
That’s how your government looks out for you … by making it cheaper to buy medicine in Canada.
Think about it. Wouldn’t you rather have a government that care more about your ability to pay for your healthcare than it apparently cares about Canadians?
No offense is meant to Canadians, whatever. Or Eurpoeans who also get our pills for less money.
The offense is meant to the liars and cocksuckers in our government who tell you bullshit to your face while you choose between buying food and medicine.
Oh, and no, this does not piss me off, at all.
Perry Como
It’s obvious that she’s just a cut and run defeatist. When she stands up, we’ll stand down. We have to stay the course.
Perry Como
Stay the course!:
ImJohnGalt
I was going to type something that makes me mad, but it appears that NutCutter has pretty much everything covered. Keep up the good work, NutCutter! Getting ticked in Arizona so that we don’t have to get ticked off in Ontario.
stickler
Mr. Nutcutter is being particularly shrill tonight. Especially against the defenseless.
How could we possibly be the nation with the worst healthcare system in the industrialized world? We pay the most!
Think about that, Mr. HeartlessNeuterer person.
We pay more than anybody. USA! USA! USA!
Kit
My driving complaints, as I can think of them off the top of my head
People who pull all the way over the white line they’re supposed to stop at because they’re too stupid to hit the brake pedal sooner.
People who go 5 over the speedlimit in the fast lane on the highway, ESPECIALLY if they’re passing traffic that is going just slower than they are.
The guy who rides your bumper like he wants to pass you, but as soon as you get out of his way he falls in right behind you and continues sitting on your bumper.
As Eileen from OH said earlier, the jackasses who wait until the last minute to get out of an ending lane and the assclowns who let them in.
Being from Ohio, I’ll just say 93% of all of the drivers there.
And while I’m harping on Ohio, how about the ODOT geniuses who think you need to declare 60 miles of highway as construction zone when you’re only capable of working on 1 to 3 miles at a time.
People who can’t choose a freaking lane to stay in.
People who back into my car because they’re not paying attention, but don’t have to pay for repairs because the cops are too busy investigating the shooting that happened 3 buildings down.
People who wait for everyone approaching an intersection to come to a complete stop, as if they can’t see me decelerating.
Bicyclists who ride in the middle of the freaking lane. More power to you if I can pass you, but if you make me go 15 MPH in a 35+ MPH zone, you can bet your bottom dollar I’m looking for something to throw at you.
People who think that the light rain means that speeds over 20 MPH are insanely dangerous.
98% of people who talk on their cell phones while driving.
The section of US Route 30 where there are some 40-60 stoplights placed every mile, and especially when you catch them all as they turn red.
Every one of my family members who constantly complains about what an awful driver I am, and then when we have to go anywhere that involves a long drive or city traffic immediately throws me the keys and throws a snit fit about it when I throw them back or bring up this very issue.
It’s possible that I might be a touch of an angry driver. In defense of the shouters mentioned above, that’s my way of burning off a little steam without needing shallow graves by the side of the road.
Pb
What annoys me? Idiots who attempt to participate in an argument or a debate, yet somehow lack any actual reasoning or reading comprehension skills whatsoever, and are impervious to facts, evidence, rational argument, etc., etc., preferring instead the comforts of their individual predujices and bigotry to even the simplest of truths.
Incidentally, if anyone actually is interested in this latest Novak development, emptywheel is already all over it…
dlw
Here’s what’s currently the number 1 issue pissing me off…
The SciFi Channel is not re-running the 2005 Season of Doctor Who (which was fantastic!) nor are they bringing us the 2006 season nor even any of the 3 decades of old seasons. Instead they’re airing Wrestling.
Okay, even if I liked Wrestling, what the hell is it doing on SciFi!!!!
They must be stopped.
Krista
That’s right, because we all know what a jerked-off, unsanitary, flea-infested nation Canada is.
What I can’t believe is that people didn’t immediately start heckling him when he uttered that.
Congrats on the impending offspring, Mr. Furious. Give my sympathies to your wife regarding her morning sickness, and make sure you’re extra-nice to her.
Jim Allen
People that post the same message twice because they’re too impatient to wait to see that it posted the first time.
Jim Allen
People that post the same message twice because they’re too impatient to wait to see that it posted the first time
Rusty Shackleford
I’ve read the Riverbend blog since she started it. If you ever have some time and can’t decide what to do with it, go back through the archives and read what the young woman has written.
JSmith
“What makes you so mad that you want to squash somebody like a bug?”
SUV drivers who don’t know where the side of the god damn truck is, and consequently drive with 1/3 of the vehicle slopped over into the next lane.
SmilingPolitely
Israel invading Lebanon.
Mark
Bicycles should follow the rules of the road just like cars.
They do not get to be pedestrians and ride on the sidewalk.
The do not get to choose which set of rules is most convenient for them at the moment (car or ped) and switch between them. This makes them unpredictable and is extremely dangerous.
Bob In Pacifica
I find bicyclists out here in Cali take self-righteousness to new levels. They pass on the right, run stop signs and generally feel free to do whatever they like because to actually follow the rules of the road would cause them to interrupt their endorphin-producing ride, stop and put their feet on the ground.
I remember one particularly harrowing experience where a bicyclist zoomed through a stop sign in front of me. After slamming on our brakes, we got into a little discussion as to who had the right of way. I pointed to the stop sign. “If I run a stop sign I get a ticket. If you run a stop sign you end up under the wheels of a car.”
Just about every time I’ve had a car/bicycle interface it has been due to the bicyclist not obeying traffic rules.
Mark
This is called “lane stealing” by bicyclist I know and is legitimate when there is not enough room for bike and car to safely coexist.
Cyclists that do it out of ignorance or malice can be ridiculed, but many of them are using this for their own safety.
Jim Allen
I haven’t had many problems with the cyclists in my town — but I have had some pretty frightening encounters with runners. Two in particular: the guy out running in the early morning in early November (when it’s still dark), in the rain, and wearing a navy blue track suit and no reflector vest; and the guy running in the early morning in January, in a snowstorm, wearing (wait for it) a white track suit.
Cyrus
Yeah, I loved that. And he has two posts up defending it. The first of them claims even if the Onion thing is satire, it was a natural mistake to make because he harangued this stranger on the street once and she gave him answers sorta like what was in the Onion piece. To about a dozen commenters it was obvious from his own account that the woman was giving unserious answers in an attempt to get rid of the annoying busybody, but apparently that never occurred to him. The second post complains about the grammar and profanity used by the people mocking him.
In all that, he never gave any sign that he knows the Onion article is meant to mock pro-lifers who are dumb enough to believe there are people out there who think abortions are fun.
At first I was torn about picking on this guy, because it’s like putting your hand on the forehead of a smaller kid and knowing that he’ll still comically flail away. But then a commenter at his new blog pointed out that his exchange with the onlooker in the first defensive post, which I had only skimmed over because of his really weird punctuation, was not just annoying to her but probably really scary. So fuck this guy. If he and people like him are going to be perpetually angry, borderline dangerous sociopaths whether they get needled online or not, then we might as well have our fun and shine a spotlight on him.
ET
Well I walk to work and my big pet peeve are those who roll though stop signs when they see someone almost to the corner and don’t want to wait for the person to cross and red light runners. I have come within inches (and that is no exaggeration) of dying because of the red light runners who speed though the red light going 20 mph.
Par R
Here’s another puff piece on every loony tune’s favorite whack job attorney, Glenn Greenwald.
Punchy
Hey Nutty–
What the hell is going on down there in ‘Fo’nix? Just saw CNN’s Rick “Dirty” Sanchez give a 10-minute diddy on not one, but TWO serial murderers and/or rapists running loose in Sun Sity. Not only is it too damn hot to be killing and/or raping, but isn’t the mean age like 74.9 years old? Don’t they die fast enough on their own, that murdering is quite unnecessary?
AZ’s got some weird peeps…
The Other Steve
Well, it’s like a lot of things this President says…
We were so stunned, we were trying to pull our jaws up off the ground and didn’t get a chance to say something.
You can’t understand the feeling unless you’ve been an American dealing with Republicans.
The Other Steve
Actually there is a stop light out in front of where I work, that if you don’t pull your car across not just the white line, but the crossing zone the light won’t change.
Decelerate sooner. The people who wait til the last minute to slam on their brakes… they don’t look like they are stopping.
I used to be more angry, then I realized it doesn’t matter what time you get there.
Now my friends complain about me being too slow.
Too slow… the guy who has had 12 speeding tickets since 1986. :-)
The Other Steve
All the more important to sound like an Onion piece when conservatives talk to you about abortion. :-)
Punchy
I looked up the definition of “going overboard”, and sure enough, you’re last statement was in there.
As for this:
I LOVE biking in traffic. Gives me a rush. Used to bike 20+ miles each way to school when I lived in Ft. Lauderdale. Cars clicking by at 60+ mph. Basically, your life is dependant on the driver NOT getting the hand-job of his life while passing 6 inches from your handlebars…
Nutcutter
Eh? I’m sorry, did you miss the twelve hundred serial killers in other parts of the country? I don’t think we invented them here. You might want to start watching more A&E to catch up.
Phoenix has one of the more robust economies in the country, and the metro area is approaching four million people. Your information is a little off. The median age in Phoenix proper is 30.7 (2000 census).
Punchy
I was engaging in a little hyperbole. Just shocked me that such a cool town would be plagued by such a mess. Four mill? Had no idea.
Nutcutter
From DKos. A 6th grader wrote that in an essay competition.
I can’t write anything better than she did.
Nutcutter
A couple Republicans have gone off the deep end.
Happens ;-)
Andrew
Too bad all of those illegal immigrants are holding you guys back from success.
VidaLoca
“Honey, do we need lettuce?” “Honey, should I get the soup in the 12-oz. or 20-oz. cans?” These people are mostly of the male persuasion. Here’s a revolutionary new idea guys: shopping lists.
OK, I haven’t seen it done quite this way yet, but to a person somewhere else in the same store? Yes.
Word.
That is all…
Nutcutter
But then you have female grocery shoppers with enormous butts that can block the aisle all by themselves.
I have sympathy for these ladies, but can’t the store make the aisle just a little wider? My supermarket makes about $10m profit a day. Okay, maybe not that much, but it’s hugely profitable. The Orowheat rep says that it’s one of the biggest dollar stores in the county, and this is a very robust county. Think Scottsdale.
Pb
dlw,
Probably the same thing that Star Trek episodes are doing on Spike TV…
Steve
Thanks for the link, Par. I think it’s fantastic to see a right-winger who says he won’t condemn the statement “Five ropes, five robes, five trees. Some assembly required.” in reference to the liberal Supreme Court Justices. I wouldn’t have gotten this insight into the Right’s concept of decency if not for you.
mrmobi
Nutcutter:
I know. I’ve always thought these quasi-retro things would die a quick death, but I still see a lot of them.
This year, when the wonderful but gas-guzzling Olds 98 I inherited from my father died…I got a Scion xB. Don’t hate me Nutcutter. Anyway aerodynamics are greatly overrated.
One other thing. I hate people who take the position that nuclear weapons are “just another tool” in the military arsenal. There’s an excellent post on Glenn Greenwald called “The paramountcy of neoconservatism and Joe Lieberman” in which he discusses the definition of neoconservatism and the “scorched earth” policies we’ve been witnessing over the past five years.
Here’s the money quote:
No doubt, Gruppenfuhrer Darrell would agree with the above. For myself, it makes me mad as hell, and I’m not going to take it anymore.
fwiffo
Along those same lines, people with tinted front windows. Really freaking dangerous. And people who don’t turn on their headlights on gray days or in the rain.
DougJ
People who write checks or use coupons in supermarkets would top my list, followed by people who refuse to get out into the intersectin when they’re making lefts, and people who order complex cofee drinks (frappuccinos, etc.) when there’s a long line behind them at Starbucks.
SeesThroughIt
God, I can’t fucking stand those people. They’re right up there with people who take up two parking spaces.
Ancient Purple
Yup. And growing leaps and bounds. Phoenix is now the fifth largest city in America and is going to become number four in about 3-5 years surpassing Houston. Since Phoenix is my hometown, it will be odd to see a list that says:
Largest cities in America:
New York City
Los Angeles
Chicago
Phoenix
Houston
Zoiks.
Nutcutter
Maricopa County is about the 3rd largest county population already, AP. I think. Only Cook and LA Counties have more people. Our court system here is in the top five for case load.
Pb
Wow, seems like the rabid Right really has it out for Glenn Greenwald. I guess that’s what happens when you’re reasonable, prolific, popular, and aren’t at all afraid to tell them when they’re full of it (which is all the time…), not to mention his posts on such taboo subjects like the condemnation of those who push for the assassination and torture of liberal Supreme Court justices (heresy!)
Pb
DougJ,
Checks I can see, I guess, but what’s wrong with coupons? Or do you mean, like, zillions of coupons that may or may not be valid or applicable, and then fighting/whining about it…
Punchy
But please stop counting the Steve Nash Canadians as full residents. They’re only like 80% human (the other 20%? Hair), so one needs to multiply all the Canucks living in The Arizona Oven by 4/5ths…
BTW…where’s the Easter Bunny been?
Steve
Dude, I go to Starbucks for the froofy drinks. I’m not going to turn around, see a long line, and decide to order something I don’t want just so I don’t keep those nice people waiting.
When you’re eating dinner in a busy restaurant, do you make a point of looking for something on the menu that will be easy for the chef to prepare?
Mr Furious
Sounds familiar, but I can’t be sure off the top of my head.
Mr Furious
Thanks Krista, and don’t worry, I am.
Andrew
No, but I don’t look for things hat make me less of a man, either. Frappuccino? Ha!
BTW, the Aeropress is an insanely good espresso maker, not even considering that it only costs $25.
P.S. Writing checks at the grocery store is at the top of my list too.
Rusty Shackleford
This is what John Dean’s new book is about – the Authoritarianism rising in the Republican Party.
Greenwald is just one of the current people targeted for “Two Minutes Hate.”
Mr Furious
Back to the crazy-ass drug prices…
If the pill my wife was taking was actually a new pill that was the cure for cancer, I could almost see paying a hundred bucks a day for it. But this is simply industrial strength Dramamine to relieve nausea. It doesn’t “cure” anything.
Plus, the fact that it is so expensive requires a 10-day limit, then a new prescription and another trip back to the pharmacy…
As for the other things that piss me off, there’s a reason I chose this handle…
DougJ
I hate people like you. Be a fucking man and order a regular coffee.
DougJ
Yes, that’s what I mean.
Rusty Shackleford
Amen.
DougJ
That new John Dean article would make for a good BJ thread. I think that the reason people like John are leaving the Republican party is that, deep down, they realize that Republican party is being taken over by proto-fascists.
On second thought, maybe I shouldn’t add the qualifier “deep down”, I think maybe John has said almost exactly that in a few posts.
JSmith
Bob In Pacifica noted that “I remember one particularly harrowing experience where a bicyclist zoomed through a stop sign in front of me.”
I nearly saw an excellent accident the other day. Guy yakking on a cell ran a red and nearly got t-boned by an oncoming vehicle. The guy yakking on his cell as he ran the light was riding a bicycle.
Mr Furious
Yeah, that shit is obsolete now. It’s called a check/debit card people. Look into it.
Sticking with the grocery store theme…
I hate the lazy asses who leave the cart in the middle of the lot to careen into my car. It’s not like any stores make you wheel the thing all the back anymore. They all have those spots in the parking lot that make you think there’s a spot open… come to think of it, getting faked out by the cart return spot is always annoying too…
A few extra items in the express line is okay by me. I’ll even grant you that if it fits in the hand basket, you probably qualify. But there needs to be some kind of Walk of Shame for the assclown who thinks twenty different produce items are cool.
Self Check-out. Great idea. There is no excuse for all of these to be open at all times. My local store has half of them roped off and big lines half the time.
Steve
Don’t fucking go to Starbucks for your regular coffee, ass. Somewhere down the street there’s an illegal immigrant who depends on liberals like you to keep him in business.
Mr Furious
damn straight
Mr Furious
LOL! Good point! Starbucks is never actually my first choice.
The Other Steve
Whoa. Don’t ask me why, I can’t explain it. But the Scion xB is like my new dream car. I want one, I want one bad.
But then I also want a Mazda Miata, a RX-8, a Vespa motor scooter, a new BMW 3 series, and probably about a dozen other cars. But I only have room in my garage for one car, unless I get rid of the girlfriend. :-)
Anyway, how do you like it? Is it a good city car? good cargo space for bringing things home from the store?
The Other Steve
Writing checks at the grocery store for $109 worth of food, I have no problem with.
Writing a check at Starbucks for a $4 frappucino latte, hold the whip cream, extra sprinkles. WAKE UP AND MOVE INTO THE 21ST CENTURY!
Greatest invention of last 10 years: Credit card things on gas pumps
My father still refuses to use them. He goes into the store and writes a check. But he’s 70 years old, so you have to forgive him for not being in the 21st century.
DougJ
You’ve hit the nail on the head, that’s exactly what I try to do. But they don’t have a lot of those in the service stations off the New York Thruway, do they?
I’m thinking of writing my congressman to suggest a new H1-C visa for skilled coffee-makers. If you can make a capuccino in under 45 seconds, you should be at the top of the list to get into the country. We’re facing a national shortage.
But frappucinos, dude? Even illegal immigrants can’t make those in under 3 minutes. And unless you’re cute 22 year-old girl, you’ve got no business ordering them without getting your ass kicked.
Punchy
You just described my–and probably many others’ here–parents. I’ve tried the conversion, but realized when my Mom couldn’t figure out how to burn a CD, the debit card wasn’t gunna take root.
VidaLoca
Slightly off topic, but if your rage is getting the better of you may I recommend
UFOs and the Gospel of Christ (Part 1 of 2) by one Ralph C. Barker.
Mr. Barker begins:
With definitions in place, he goes on:
A thorough critique and discussion of this seminal work is underway at Sadly, No…
Steve
Fuck you. Being able to order a frappucino is what makes America great. Why do you hate my freedoms? I’m going to order the fucking CARAMEL one just to piss you off.
The Other Steve
I refuse to have a debit card. Those things are a recipe for fucking up your bank account.
If you lose it and someone else gets hold of it, they start draining money out of your account. Yeah, sure, you’re only responsible for $50.
But in the meantime you’re sending checks to the mortgage company and so on, and those are bouncing because of NSF, and the bank is socking you fees.
You spend a month or two fighting the bank to get your money back into your account, getting off the hook on all the fees, getting the mortgage company to not charge you extra, etc. etc.
Think it won’t happen? It did to one of the guys I work with. He didn’t realize it was missing from his wallet for 3 days, and that’s all it took to screw up his life for months.
The Other Steve
Don’t forget the sprinkles, Steve!
Nutcutter
Well, heh, easy to explain. You have no taste whatsoever.
Not that there’s anything wrong with that. But, the xB is not really ugly, IMV. More “funky” than ugly. But certainly practical. However, for more utility, better mileage, and just an all around better car, see the Honda Fit. It’s the class of its class, which includes the xB and some other odd looking cars.
I do really like the Scion tC. It’s quite a good looking vehicle. It competes well with the car I drive (see my url for more information about me, and a chance to win One Million Dollars). The whole Scion line is just uber cutesy, of course, starting with the lower-upper case model designators. xB, for crissake. Why not just xb? Or XB? Or Xb? Because, you know, the teeny bopper focus group said it liked “xB” the best. Hee hee.
You have to look really hard for the One Million Dollar thing.
Really, really hard.
DougJ
I’ve heard that in Gitmo they now let the detainees wash down their hummus and honey-roasted chicken with venti frappucinos. It’s part of the Geneva convention.
Krista
I don’t think I’ve ever ordered a regular coffee at Starbucks in my life. If I’m going to pay Starbucks prices, I’m going to get something special. In summer, that would be the vanila bean frappucino, and in winter, it’d be the chai tea latte.
Shit, now I’m craving those, and I live an hour and three-quarters from a Starbucks.
And Punchy? The “cart rage” wasn’t just on my behalf. I tend to have all the time in the world when grocery shopping, but my sister has two kids, and very little time to grocery shop (plus, grocery stores here are closed on Sundays), so it almost reduces her to tears when she’s just trying to get to the goddamn Raisin Bran already, but is blocked by two people oblivious to anything other than what each others’ grandkids have been doing for the last 10 years.
Nutcutter
If a manly man can’t order a frappucino without being scoffed at, then the terrorists have won.
I don’t know if this applies to you or not, but I’m just saying ……
Nutcutter
Hey! I’ll have you know that doting grandparents are what make the world go around, young lady.
tBone
I’ve never understood this. If you’re so worried about your precious vehicle, why make it such an attractive target? I know I’m always consumed by the desire to key the shit out of any car I see parked diagonally across two spaces.
Life’s dangerous. Sack up and move into the 21st century, my friend.
Krista
Hey, I have no problem with doting grandparents. Dote away, darling. You’ve earned it.
Just please…look around periodically to make sure you’re not blocking others.
And it’s not just grandparents…you see the same thing at any airport or train station. A happy family reunion with everybody talking and laughing, and in the meantime, people are crashing into each other trying to divert the flow around Happy Family Island.
Nutcutter
Well, there are exceptions to the rule. My spouse will park like that but it’s just because she is so terribly bad at parking. She is just awful. If you give her four tries she might get it in between the lines once.
Please don’t key cars because they are being parked by people who aren’t very good at parking.
No, she doesn’t drive the Honda. She drives an SUV. She likes a lot of sheet metal, and once you have seen her drive, you will understand why that’s a good idea.
The SUV I got her has electronic stability control. I assume it was invented just for her. I drove a CJ-5 for ten years and never needed any damned stability control.
Nutcutter
Well, I do. I put my cart to the side and stand behind it so that there is a lane past me. I always do this and I can’t understand why other people don’t do it.
Then I realize … they’re Republicans.
Krista
Don’t they require a PIN, though? Mine does — it’s just my ATM card, which can be used at ATM machines or debit machines, using the same PIN. Or are ATM cards and debit cards two separate animals for you guys?
Ancient Purple
Indeed. Here is something scary for you, NC: In 1972, Shea Blvd and Scottsdale Roads were a dirt road crossing. I remember that very well because going to Pinnacle Peak Patio or Reata Pass for dinner was a literal day trip.
Par R
Here’s another take on every loon’s favorite whack job attorney by my alter ego.
Nutcutter
Yes, Shea was dirt all the way out to Taliesen, from 32nd street. Used to hunt rabbits out there around 40th street and Shea. Landed an airplane often at a dirt strip just north of there. Those roads would wash out during the monsoon, too. Tatum was dirt. Lincoln was dirt.
I once saw a car hit a washout on McDonald Drive when it was dirt …. so hard that it ripped the driveshaft and rear end right out of the car and left them at the side of the road.
Phoenix in the Fifties. Quite different.
tBone
No, I’m talking about the blatantly obvious cases, where they’re parked at a 45 degree angle to the lines. I hate the asscraters who do that.
You can use them as ATM or debit, but some stores process them like a credit card (no PIN required, just a signature).
Krista
Wacky. We always require a PIN when paying debit. I now have a bad habit of rarely carrying cash
Steve
You heard it here first. DougJ wants semi-honest, taxpaying citizens like myself to have fewer rights than the murderers, rapists and Islamofascists lawfully incarcerated at Guantanamo Bay. If you still have any doubt about the depravity of the whackjob left, just re-read this thread
Nutcutter
I have no problem with good honest depravity. The honest depraved are the salt of the earth.
It’s the lying, dissembling and manipulating on the right that I hate.
tBone
The kooks can’t help it, Steve. It’s just who they are
Nutcutter
That is the Visa Debit Card, which is a different animal. It can be handled by either system, the cash system or the Visa clearing house. If it goes through Visa it is treated exactly like any credit card transaction. The only difference is that at settlement, the funds are taken from your account immediately just like a debit.
Merchants are supposed to check with you when you present a Visa Debit card and find out if you want to treat it as a debit or credit. Most card readers will ask you to make that distinction too.
The Visa Debit card has the same logo and holographic embossed thing as a regular Visa and you can use them anywhere a regular Visa can be used.
Krista
Ah, okay. I now understand.
And Steve? Don’t knock depravity. It can actually be a lot of fun.
ImJohnGalt
Funny, this was timely for you coffee drinkers:
Latte?
tBone
Right, but even if you specify debit, the equipment some stores use still doesn’t ask for a PIN – instead you get a receipt to sign. This is another pet peeve of mine. Update your damn terminals so I can just punch in my PIN, you mooks.
demimondian
I damned near hit a bicylsit this morning — and it was his fault. Coming up to a stop light, I turned on my blinker to signal a right turn. The light was green, so I started my turn. He tried to pass me on the right, going straight, from behind, at an intersection. Where I was signalling a right hand turn. If I hadn’t been a good driver, he’d have wound up pasted to the passenger side of my car.
The only satisfaction I got out of it was listening to the cop tearing him a new one, reminding him that *when you are on the pavement, you are a vehicle for the purposes of traffic laws*.
Jeff Miller
Demimondian:
Yep. When I bike, I’m always amazed at how many other bicyclists I see taking really dumb risks: biking the wrong way at night wearing dark clothes and no helmet; running red lights; running stop signs; coming off and on the sidewalk.
Gives the rest of us a bad name.
Stormy70
This is the all time hating of hate here:
Walking up to a counter where there are three employees yakking, and all are ignoring the customer. Pay attention, dillweed. No way I want to look at your pimply face longer than I have to.
Unless the terrorists are being dunked in the hot cappucinnos (sp is for sissies), then I don’t want my tax dollars supporting their caffeine habit.
Oh and Starbucks sucks. Just dunk your tongue into some used coffee grounds for the same taste effect as their coffee. No wonder they had to disguise it with whipped cream and caramel. Yes, I am a coffee snob, why do you ask?
Anyone at all here watching Big Brother 7? Pooh, anyone?
Hello?
Mmmmmmm. Caramel.
Jim Allen
Krista
Half the fun of going into a Starbucks is looking the “barrista” straight in the eye and ordering a “large coffee, black no sugar”. I refuse to get into that “venti/grande”, low-fat double-decaf crap with some goth dude with a pierced lip and an attitude.
Fortunately, my little town is blessed with a great coffee shop, run by a Sherpa and his Greek wife (no kidding), with some amazing coffees from all over the world (all Fair Trade), and you can order them in large, medium or small. They’ll make a froofy drink if you want, but you might have to wait while they serve the rest of the line. Best part is, they also sell the coffee in bulk so I can stay home on Saturday morning.
mrmobi
TOS:
The Scion is very nice indeed. I thought that the change from a full-sized car to this sub-micro-van would be strange, but it’s a fun ride, gets good mileage (28mpg), has a phenomenal stereo, has lots of interior space and, my favorite, is strange looking (and bright green).
Once we eliminated the hybrids (too expensive and un-available) the choice was easy.
Nutcutter:
You are so full of it. Where’s the million dollar thing? You’re just showing off your granddaughter, aren’t you? Very cute. Come to think of it, she’s probably worth a million to you and yours.
capelza
Syd Barrett died. I hate that. Digs out ancient Pink Floyd albums.
I like writing checks, btw. I can do it as fast as they can run my debit card.
Steve
Ok, so they always say to me, “Credit or debit?” Obviously, if I say one I have to sign my name, if I say the other I have to punch in my PIN. Does it make any other difference whatsoever? Because, you know, they ask it like it’s such a critical decision.
And by the way, am I the only one who finds it ridiculous that they have tip jars in Starbucks and similar places? If a waiter comes to my table and serves me, sure, he gets a tip. But if I go to the counter and wait in line I totally don’t get why they hit me up for a tip. Do you tip the cashier in McDonald’s?
Ryan S.
Off topic, but I gotta get peoples opinion of this. I find it amazing and at the same time a little creepy, specially the last part.
Ryan S.
It redefines the term, “Big Brother is Watching”.
DougJ
Look, you cheap bastard, those kids deserve a nice tip for making your goddamn frappucino.
Krista
Fair trade coffee is awesome. We have a little shop here that serves it, but only in one size, and it’s pretty pricey, so it’s my Friday treat. The rest of the week, I just make it at home.
With you re; caramel, Stormy. Mmm…caramel. Anybody tried the new Reese’s peanut butter cup with caramel yet? It looks yummy!
Have never watched Big Brother. However, isn’t America’s Got Talent on tonight? That’s some good television!
mrmobi
By the way, Tim F.
I like this thread. It’s good to see we all have gripes and lives beyond the sometimes rancorous head-butting that goes on here.
It’s like putting a face with a name, without actually seeing a face, if you know what I mean.
jg
The Scion is Toyota marketing to the alternative lifestyle crowd. Doesn’t mean everyone driving one is… but people will think they are. I’m with ya on the new 3 series. I want a 335i coupe, twin turbo inline 6 with 306hp. :)
When I moved to Phoenix in ’95, Beardsly was barely paved, now its frontage road for a freeway. Fast growing city.
jg
To paraphrase Mr Pink, “I don’t tip” (for takeout).
Andrew
Merchants prefer debit because costs are lower than with a credit card, which has a percentage and per transaction minimum.
Because liberals feel guillty about exploiting the service industry.
Punchy
Argh. Dumbasses, the lot of ’em. Those bikers give us all bad names. When I see the blinker, I pass that car on the left side, so they can turn right. However, it ususally so freaks out the driver to have some punk buzz his left elbow that they stop their turn anyways, scared…THEN show me their middle digit.
A great trick I’ve learned for cars that cut me off on right turns (no blinker, or the quick pass-turn-cut off combo) is to slap their trunk with a flat hand as I pass. It’s loud as fuck (to them inside), it scares the beejesus out of ’em, and they realize that they’ve fucked up. A good loogie on the back window is a close second.
Nutcutter
Busted!
I don’t have a million dollars. But I feel like I do when she’s around.
RSA
When I was taking driver’s ed (in MD), we were taught to move over to the right when taking a right turn, and part of the reason was to make sure that there wasn’t lots of room for bicyclists to try to squeeze by. Once when I did this and got stopped in traffic, a bicyclist did squeeze by, saying something about the inconvenience I’d posed for him through my open window. I don’t know what the best thing to do is. Now I pretty much just try to be aware of anyone around me.
Punchy
What you described is about the meanest thing one can do. I’ve removed (accidently, but without remorse) someone’s rear view mirror with my handlebars once this way. Being in a college town now, most drivers are very cognizant of cyclists. In other towns, however, drivers are openly hostile to us.
mrmobi
Krista, I love the idea of Fair Trade Coffee. I just heard about it on NPR a few weeks ago. I like the idea that my purchases result in a manufacturer or grower getting a fair share of the proceeds. I’m going to have to investigate where (and if) such products are sold in Illinois.
My wife likes “America’s Got Talent.” Personally, I would rather be water-boarded.
Pb
Ugh. No! Add Big Brother to my list of things to hate. The only thing worse than that horrible poser-filled show (and its daddy, MTV’s hilariously titled ‘The Real World’) is the fact that they’ve had *SEVEN* of them…
Pb
I liked it better when it was called “Star Search”. Just kidding, I haven’t really watched either one. American Inventor looked cool though (except that they got that idiot from Animal Planet to host it, although he didn’t do too badly, considering).
demimondian
Crowding right can be deadly. Remember that children who don’t have licenses also ride, and that they may not understand what you’re doing, or why, and they may not realize that they’re in danger. The guy who almost hit me had a license, and should have known better.
You have to watch for cyclists all the time; you’re driving something which weighs as much as a rhino but runs as fast as a cheetah. I don’t mind that part — I mind the dirty looks when somebody else does something stupid.
The Other Steve
Multiple comments…
Bicyclists – the bus drivers in college used to pull right to prevent the bicyclists from sneaking past.
As a cyclist I ride DEFENSIVELY. I don’t trust anyone or anybody. I will walk my bike across the road, like they taught us as a kid, if I don’t feel safe. I will take sidewalks if there is no shoulder. Around here we don’t call them sidewalks, we call them paths.
Sorry if that annoys you, but my life is more important than your sense of decency.
Debit cards – I think of Debit as a Visa Debit card. I think of ATM as a cash card. You don’t need a signature now if it’s under $25. But the Visa card takes the money out of your account, and you have to fight to get it back if it’s stolen.
Fair Trade Coffee – It sounds like a good idea, as long as it’s better implemented than Rainforest crunch.
The Other Steve
Scion xB rocks!
What I should have bought was a Saab 92-X when GM was giving them away. Our employee discount was like $5k off, on top of the $5k in Saab rebates. I could get an Aero for like $14k.
Then I could have gotten me a Vespa for the summer.
tzs
Pet peeve: bicyclists who ride without lights or reflective stuff on them in bad weather or after dark. Yeah, and the bicyclists who blithely do whatever they want so you can never predict where they are going.
Used to work at 3M–had a great demonstration of how NON-visible a white shirt is after dark.
Get reflective stuff and light yourself up like a Xmas tree, dammit.
Other pet peeve: idiots who drive along in the far-left lane on a highway going slightly under the speed limit, totally ignorant of the speeds of everyone else around them.
Stormy70
Fair Trade Coffee sounds slightly scammish to me. Have you actually been to the rain forest to check up on this? I just get my beans from Costco, and grind them myself. $3.00+ for coffee is a brilliant free market type scam. I wish I had thought of it first.
I don’t watch America has Talent, but I watch So You Think You can Dance? Well, do ya? Punk.
Tonight is the season 3 premiere of Project Runway. Make it work, people.
Three great summer shows are: The Closer. Saved. and Psych, which follows Monk on Friday nights.
I miss you Naveen. Le Sigh.
Bikers here in Texas are already baking in 100 degree heat, so I try to keep my distance. I figured they are not right in the head.
Mr Furious
My bank (TCF) gives us a VISA check card tied to the checking account. It also serves as the ATM card. They specifically told me (the nice rep that is) that when asked “credit or debit?” choose credit. Otherwise the bank socks you with a charge for using as an ATM card at a non-TCF Bank source.
So I always chose credit. the merchant eats a percentage, but I don’t care.
—
FWIW, I don’t even carry that card anymore for the reasons Steve mentioned upthread. TCF will let you continue to use the card even if you inadvertantly go into a negative balance, then they absolutely slaughter you with fees. $33 a transaction. So that $5 lunch just cost $38.
Ouch.
My wife and I charge everything with a uPromise card that earns points towards my daughter’s college, and pay the balance every month in full. We have another Discover card for gas that pays us back 5%.
I never thought I could do it, and without her in charge I probably couldn’t, but it’s working so far. By never using the checking account except to write checks, somehow just enough money seems to be there at the end of the month to pay the bill. Novel.
Stormy70
Ok, if you are merging onto the freeway, MERGE, don’t putter along and make me either shoot past whilst you almost sideswipe me, or hit my brakes and get rear ended by the idiot on my rear bumper.
I hate mini-vans.
I hate teenage girls who are like, unable to like clearly enunciate their like insipid words, ya know?
I hate The Pussycat Dolls. Whisky Tango Foxtrot?!
I hate Pink and her creepified abs.
I hate George Lucas.
I am beginning to hate Spielberg. War of the Worlds without the actual WAR of the Worlds. Just Tom running around trying to heal his family. UGH!
I hate the Real World to the nth degree.
I hate todays pop radio, except for the Fray.
I hate you promiscuous Nelly Frutatta. Yes, I know that is not her last name, but I don’t care because
I hate looking up the correct way to spell words. Bad spelling gets a free pass from me.
I hate people who correct your grammar. Pretentious bastards.
I hate Fox for cancelling Firefly. I will not forgive you.
I love cats and mexican food. I will end on a positive note.
Mac Buckets
My pet peeve is Kitlers: Cats that look like Hitler.
Steve
Well, it is a scam, like organic food is a scam, but it’s a decent kind of scam. Starbucks is about the hugest scam there is. But society benefits when yuppies get scammed. Got to keep the economy humming.
In the investing world, you can put your money in “socially responsible” hedge funds that promise not to put your money in tobacco, big oil, companies that run sweatshops, etc. It’s so liberals can invest and still sleep at night and actually, a lot of these funds do very well. Free enterprise being what it is, someone came up with a “socially irresponsible” hedge fund where they only put their money into stuff that would piss liberals off, obviously appealing to the Stormy demographic. Tragically, this fund has done very poorly and may go under. I actually find that very surprising, but they found an awesome niche market to cash into!
Steve
I bank with Commerce Bank, which may or may not exist outside of New York. When you get charged that annoying $1.50 fee (or whatever) for using an ATM outside your network, they actually pay it for you, so it’s like free ATM even at machines that charge you. I don’t know how much this costs them but I’m sure it gets them a ton of business. What’s amazing is that most of us have a visceral reaction to that annoying $1.50 fee that far exceeds the actual cost of a buck and a half.
Pb
No, I know I can’t. So I’ve been watching House instead–no dancing involved whatsoever!
Stormy70
I shop at Central Market, so I don’t get the whole Stormy demographic thing you are going on about Steve. Who cares what people do with their own money? I think it is great if someone wants to pay for free trade coffee. Hell, I only buy free range chicken, but I could be getting scammed. I buy it at Costco, too.
mrmobi
Stormy, I am so with you on Firefly! I somehow missed the original (very short) run, but my daughter got the DVDs as a gift, and I’ve got to say, it’s great Sci-Fi.
I also will never forgive them for cancelling such a good show.
Punchy
Wow. Phrase #163 that I thought a few of us had invented, only to find out they’re using it in Walla Walla as wella.
It’s here in the Midwest, and it truly is the best bank I’ve ever had (and I’ve had a few). Hottest bank tellers this side of Hooters, to boot.
Steve
I was just using you as an example of someone who might consider doing something just for the satisfaction of knowing it might annoy self-righteous liberals. If you wouldn’t, well then, you disappoint me.
I wasn’t trying to suggest you live your whole life around the principle.
Stormy70
Well, I love to annoy my liberal brothers with all manner of verbal derring do, but I usually only talk politics around the blogs.
I do like to ride up on the puttering, smoking POS car that has the Kerry/Edwards sticker on it with my SUV. And since they are going about 15 mph under the speed limit, it is like killing two birds with one stone.
Oh and anyone preaching to me about global warming while flying all over the world on their private jets make me want to go out and drill for oil personally.
Kimmitt
You know what occasionally throws me into a rage? The fact that Andrew Sullivan does not know that the only reason he ever had a job was that he was a gay conservative, and that no sensible person has ever been persuaded or informed by his crap.
That is, and pardon the pun, “The important thing is not how well the bear dances, it is that the bear dances at all.”
Tim F.
Sounds like you should have no problem if I preach to you. I bike to work (see above) and haven’t flown since December.
Now clean up your life! (winking smiley)
Tim F.
We can start with the SUV – dump it for a Honda Civic, and take the bus during the week. Whenever a politician tells you that global warming hasn’t been proved yet, vote for whoever is running against him. He’s an idiot and assumes that you are same. Let’s see, what else…do you have any south-facing windows? Put a wall there. If you want windows put them on the north face where direct sun won’t rack up your cooling bill. I could go on for hours.
ImJohnGalt
Hey, CostCo is one of the most progressive big-box corporations there is. Stormy can piss me off as much as she wants with what she buys there, as long as it’s there that she buys.
HyperIon
Regarding Fair Trade coffee, check out Camano Island Coffee Roasters in WA.
Not only is all their coffee “grade one, organic, fairly traded and shade grown”, they send it out within 24 hours of roasting. $25 for 2.5 pounds delivered.
The main problem with grocery store coffee (including Costco) is that you never know the roast date. You can start with great beans and roast them perfectly but it’s all for naught if the roasted beans are old or have been improperly stored….like in a hot warehouse. Oily beans are one way to infer freshness. Check out your beans. If they aren’t shiny, they are probably old.
The main problem with Starbucks beans is that they are over-roasted, some would say burnt.
Once I tasted the Camano Island product, I was hooked.
AND it makes a great gift–says my sister “Thanks for a gift I don’t have to dust.”
Krista
Scam or not, it’s damn good coffee. It’s dark and flavourful and smooth. It’s the Naveen of coffees.
I’m watching that right now. What was that show last season with the celebs dancing? The one that Drew Lachey won? That was a fun show, if only to marvel at Stacy Keibler’s 42-inch long legs.
Haven’t gotten into that yet. Will keep you posted if that changes.
Duly noted. Haven’t seen any of them.
Le ditto.
I’ve never understood people who exercise in extreme weather conditions, like the asshat mentioned upthread who was jogging in a snowstorm in a white jogging suit. Idiotic choice of apparel aside, who the hell goes jogging in a snowstorm?
Stormy70
I love Costco and I really don’t boycott crap for politics. This is America, which is founded on the freedom to be as politically diverse as we choose. Why am I going to punish the store where I get my coffee and my glasses? Plus, they carry the Stacy’s pita chips. Oh, and they now have the cutest little tiny bell peppers and cucumbers. They are so cute, I could just eat them up, and I do.
Tim, I already own energy efficient appliances, and I just purchased a home surrounded by tall shade trees. Plus, my SUV is only driven once or twice a week, and usually no more than five miles away. So, it was a good choice for us and the high price of gas is not hurting us there. It is too hot to bike anywhere here. It is 102 today, and there is no way I am going to go out and sweat all my makeup off to save some idiotic toad who should learn to become fit enough to survive. I think global warming is not caused by man’s actions, but is part of a solar cycle. We’ll see, won’t we.
Krista – the Naveen coffee comment was well played. The dance contest is for real dancers who audition similar to American Idol, then compete in pairs. They draw a style of dance out of a hat, like the tango or hip hop, then each pair does a choreagraphed dance. It is fun to watch and reminds me of my dancer days.
demimondian
Yo, Tim, for those of us who don’t have a cooling bill, care to lecture us on how we should live our lives? When I drive a Ford Escape Hybrid, getting 40+ mpg in the city, should I get rid of the SUV?
OTOH, Stormy, you can certainly go chase the scientific literature on global climate change. You’re certainly smart enough. I think you’ll find that it’s pretty compelling at this point; the folks which are talking about the solar cycle are wilfully decieving you.
the friendly grizzly
Bicycle riders who believe that things like stopsigns and red lights mean “ride on through after taking a cursory non-look both ways.
Bicycle riders who will cut in front of a car purposely to “teach the car driver a lesson” about his polution-spewing vehidle, then whine when they almost get hit.
Groups of bicycle riders who, even with a bike lane, insist on riding 3 and 4 abreast, blocking traffic.
For the record: I ride 5 to 10 miles per day on a bicycle. I do none of the above. My biking is for health, not a fashion statement or a social comment.
Hyperion
Ok, now you’ve reminded me of something that really DOES piss me off (but for seom string reason i have no buttons to click for quoting the friendly grizzly). he said:
For the record: I ride 5 to 10 miles per day on a bicycle. I do none of the above. My biking is for health, not a fashion statement or a social comment.
i bike during then summer on a paved trail so that i don’t have to risk my life getting exercise while traveling to work. i am constantly passed by cretinous guys on bikes with skinny tires. they are *always* dressed like Lance Armstrong. they cannot be bothered to announce themselves before they wisk past about 3 inches from me at 20 mph. i fantasize about having a water gun full of dilute sulfuric acid and squirting them in the back. then when they washed their extremely ugly clothes, a hole would appear.
jg
No one is saying we are the cause of global warming. The problem is that we are making the natural cycle worse this time around because of what we’ve done in terms of pollution in the last 100 years.
Nutcutter
Not the only cause, you mean. And not the only factor, as there are other cycles that involve warming and cooling.
The problem is that we’re an unnatural factor, with an effect that acts in just one direction. Over time, this will move the big thermometer in one general direction, with not entirely predictable results.
We know two things with relative certainty: Continued CO2 emissions on the scale we have seen in the last 75 years or so will move the needle up over time, and probably in less time rather than more. And, many of the likely effects of that will be bad. Some might not be. But by the time we are able to really assess the damage, we might be really sorry we didn’t do something to abate it earlier.
RSA
I wish I could bike to work; it’s only about six miles. But a good bit of it is on a country road with only a tiny shoulder, posted at 45 mph, and on which the usual mix of SUVs and pick-up trucks try to hit 60.
I find people like that annoying but not pretentious (though my own grammar is unexceptionable). They’d only be pretentious if they were correcting you but were wrong.
Krista
I plead guity to that one. However, I do only say something if it’s someone that I know well, and they’ve repeatedly made the same error in a public setting. I’ll let them know in private, “By the way, you might want to be careful to say ‘I saw’ and not “I seen” in front of Mr. So-and so.”