Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

You passed on an opportunity to be offended? What are you even doing here?

We are builders in a constant struggle with destroyers. keep building.

Some judge needs to shut this circus down soon.

Too often we hand the biggest microphones to the cynics and the critics who delight in declaring failure.

The “burn-it-down” people are good with that until they become part of the kindling.

Their freedom requires your slavery.

Why is it so hard for them to condemn hate?

This must be what justice looks like, not vengeful, just peaceful exuberance.

Teach a man to fish, and he’ll sit in a boat all day drinking beer.

Today’s gop: why go just far enough when too far is right there?

“The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits.”

Those who are easily outraged are easily manipulated.

GOP baffled that ‘we don’t care if you die’ is not a winning slogan.

It’s easy to sit in safety and prescribe what other people should be doing.

Let’s delete this post and never speak of this again.

You come for women, you’re gonna get your ass kicked.

“Everybody’s entitled to be an idiot.”

Trump’s cabinet: like a magic 8 ball that only gives wrong answers.

Sadly, there is no cure for stupid.

Everybody saw this coming.

They punch you in the face and then start crying because their fist hurts.

“Perhaps I should have considered other options.” (head-desk)

Rupert, come get your orange boy, you petrified old dinosaur turd.

One way or another, he’s a liar.

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277Comments

  2. 2.

    Genine

    That is hilarious. I hope that’s not the only way that cat drinks. And what’s up at 1:52? For a minute I thought s/he was trying to drink through her/his ear.

    Funny.

  3. 3.

    R-Jud

    Zifnab, I was thinking the same thing: if my cats see that, our last means of preventing them from sleeping on the baby is useless.

  4. 4.

    Demo Woman

    Suppose son wants to come over tomorrow and have short ribs and the short ribs are frozen and all the recipes that I have call for two days of prep, does anyone have quick recipes?
    It’s not punctuation day is it?

  5. 5.

    trollhattan

    Ohmagawsh that’s the goofiest thing I’ve ever seen a cat do, at least for two and a half minutes. Statistical outlier kitteh.

    Those folks had better hope he/she/it never figures out how to flip on the faucet on its own–they’ll never sleep or be able to leave home.

  8. 8.

    arguingwithsignposts

    @Demo Woman:

    Well, David Brooks might know a thing or two about that, since he’s apparently good at observing eating customs, from earlier threads.

    Seriously, I am no kinda cook, so I got nothing, but best of luck.

  10. 10.

    maya

    No wonder we’re running out of potable drinking water and drought is everywhere. It’s those damn cats.

  17. 17.

    Demo Woman

    @Crashman06: My normal recipe is to brown them the day before and cook in a slow over covered with onions and beer for a few hours. The next day you can put them on a grill with any type of barbecue sauce and warm them up. They are very tender. The son discovered recently that some high end restaurants are now serving them so he thought it would be cool for his new love to taste his moms recipe… yeah right..
    Being the good mom, I’ll figure out something. I’m thinking about putting them frozen in a brine over night.

  18. 18.

    Jon H

    FYI: Faiz Shakir at ThinkProgress had a great idea: MA governor Duval Patrick should appoint Dr. Atul Gawande as Teddy Kennedy’s temporary replacement.

    Gawande’s a Boston surgeon and teaches at Harvard Med, he has written extensively on medical costs, efficiencies, and reform. His article in the New Yorker brought to light the sky-high medical spending in McAllen, Texas, and explained the perverse incentives that cause it.

  22. 22.

    Kirk Spencer

    @Demo Woman: Let’s talk “how to thaw”.

    Put your short ribs in a container large enough to hold them. Fill the container with cold (yes, I said cold) water. Now set a trickle of water going into the container so it constantly overflows.

    Check the short ribs every hour or so. When they start thawing, go to half an hour.

    I freeze pork chops together – about a pound to a pound and a half per package. It takes me about one hour to thaw enough I can separate them and another half hour to be fully thawed.

    An approximately 5 pound turkey breast takes 2-3 hours till I can push a skewer all the way through. Again, I usually go another half hour or so to finish.

    NOTE: the water temperature is going to stay below 40 degrees F, which takes care of that little bacteria problem. If your water is getting above that temperature your meat thawed a long time ago and you weren’t paying attention.

  24. 24.

    zoe kentucky in pittsburgh

    I saw that clip the other day and laughed so hard that I cried.

    I’ve had cats my entire life, they all have liked to drink from a running tap in the sink or bathtub– but they all had the ability to turn their heads and drink from the side. What is wrong with that cat?

  26. 26.

    The Moar You Know

    The cat’s likely got ear mites, hence the “flushing” behavior about two minutes in. I’d take it to the vet if I were the owner.

  27. 27.

    Fern

    I was going to explain the thawing-meat-in-cold-water thingie, but someone got there first and did it better!

  32. 32.

    You Don't Say

    I hope the cat lives where water is plentiful. Here in the desert you could be shot for doing that.

    And the bulldog is sad. Help the poor fellow up ffs.

  34. 34.

    Kirk Spencer

    @Kirk Spencer: As to what to do with them, lots of choices that depend on your taste. If you’re wanting something filling, go with smothered short ribs.

    If you have a favorite smothered pork chop recipe just substitute the meat and go from there. Alternately, a LONG cook of well-rubbed short ribs in a crock pot works very, very well indeed. (The long cook-time will break down the collagens. yum.)

  35. 35.

    JK

    Chuck Grassley: “I’ll tell ya, there’s some things that the president has said since then, that I took very personally”
    h/t http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2009/09/17/grassley-i-kinda-resent-white-house-over-health-care-reform/

    Awww… Poor little Chuck Grassley. That mean Mr. Obama hurt poor Chuck’s feelings. Maybe if every Balloon Juice reader would send Grassley a Get Well card we could cheer him up and he’d agree to support a Democratic health care reform bill. I’m so glad this jackass is not my senator.

  37. 37.

    freelancer

    @burnspbesq:

    It really is. I mean, I don’t expect Bush to do anything. If he calls for an open inquiry, he’s putting his own head in the noose, but still, it was something that needed to be done.

  38. 38.

    smiley

    My cats do that all the time – though at a lower flow rate. First, one of them did it in the bathroom and I thought that maybe I wasn’t refreshing their waster bowl often enough. So I made sure that wasn’t the case. The the other cat started doing the same thing. I want to make sure they get the water they need so I’m not inclined to stop it. It’s annoying, though.

    BTW, the phrase/saying copy cat is quite accurate. Cats mimic what they see other cats doing. Allow me to be a psychology professor for a minute but, one of the most investigated questions in experimental animal psychology in the early days of psychology (i.e., 1900-1920) was whether animals could learn through observation. Some of the top scientists couldn’t show it for decages. Eventually, they did (in the 1940’s) with cats. And monkeys.

  39. 39.

    arguingwithsignposts

    sucky week has become sucky weekend. i can only pretend for so long that I’m ok. i laughed for the snl skit, and been watching the comedians of comedy, but after a while that all comes home. we’re here alone. damn depression gets it again.

    What pisses me off (if I may have an aside) is that none of these Goopers think those who have problems want to help things. Like we don’t live with the horror of our children not having health insurance every day. Seriously, fuck you. You don’t think we *wouldn’t* work? You are fucked. Even with health insurance, it effects us who have to pay for it (btw, I get pretty damned good health insurance)

  42. 42.

    linda

    kitty am a bit slow on getting a clue… lol.

    he can be insufferable, but i wish msnbc would shitcan hardball snd give lawrence odonnell that slot.

  43. 43.

    James K Polk, Esq.

    @Demo Woman: Adding onto the thawing of the short ribs in running cold water, make sure that you put the ribs in a plastic bag or something to that effect or they will get soggy.

    I always make braised short ribs with a mirepoix and red wine sauce. The holy trinity never lets me down (that would be carrots, onions, and celery for the uninitiated).

    6 flanken-style short ribs with bones, cut 2 inches thick (about 4 pounds)
    Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
    1 large onion, finely chopped
    2 carrots, cubed into small cubes
    3 celery ribs, same as carrots
    3 garlic cloves, thickly sliced
    One 750-milliliter bottle dry red wine, such as Cabernet Sauvignon (I always use the cheapest dry red I can find, Charles Shaw style)
    4 thyme sprigs (dried thyme works fine)
    3 bay leaves
    3 cups chicken stock

    In a large skillet, heat oil. It’s going to have to be big enough to hold all the chopped veggies, I usually use my dutch oven. Season ribs with salt and pepper. Add them to the skillet and cook over moderate heat, until browned and crusty (usually ten minutes). Pre heat oven to 325°F.

    Pull those suckers out and add the onion to the pan while it is still hot (keep the oil in the bottom). Saute on medium heat for about 5-7 minutes. Add the chopped garlic, carrots and celery and continue to saute over medium heat for another 7-10 mins. Deglaze pan with wine, dump the whole bugger in. Add thyme and bay leaves at this point. After about 3 mins, add the chicken stock and bring the whole thing to a boil.

    Put ribs in a deep casserole dish and pour the mixture over them. Cover the whole thing with tin foil and bake at 325°F for 3 hours. Take the foil off and viola, amazing short ribs!

    You can reduce the sauce if you want, but I likes it saucey. Serve with polenta for best effect. I like roasted veggies on the side, asparagus is my favorite for this one.

  48. 48.

    Max

    @JK: I forget who said it on the MSNBC shows last night, but the gist was that GRassley’s been in congress for 30 years and up until two months ago nobody outside of Iowa knew who he was. Now, he’s on the national stage and is not ready for primetime. He doesn’t really that every word he says will be reported on and that there is youtube, twitter, etal to confirm your dumb $hit statements. I thought it was a pretty astute observation. Wish I could remember who said it.

    On another topic… Looks like Dana Milbank the douche is going after Michelle and Farmers Markets. I loathe this guy.

    http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/17/AR2009091703679.html

  51. 51.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @Linda 8:17 pm

    I absolutely agree with you! O’D is a natural, super intelligent, hot, not at all arrogant, hot, asks probing yet respectful questions, doesn’t spit and spew, and is hot.

    Tweety is . . . none of those things. (Okay he’s probably intelligent enough but he has no sense. And he is NOT HOT.)

    Only problem is, I usually get home too late to watch the Tweetster. Which means if MSNBC subbed LO’D, I would also get home too late to watch him.

  52. 52.

    gyma

    Have you guys seen the NJ poll where a third of conservatives believe Obama could be the anti-Christ?!

    In addition, 14% of NJ Republicans believe Obama has the number 666 hidden under his hair!

    Egads. But I have a problem with Kleefeld comparing these nutjobs with Democrats who think Bush had advance knowledge of the 9/11 attacks. I don’t know how they asked that question, but if people believe the PDB claiming Osama was going to strike in the US is the equivalent of Bush having advance knowledge, then how can that be compared to believing Obama is the anti-Christ?

    Sheesh.

  53. 53.

    freelancer

    From Jamison Foer’s destruction of Time’s suck job on Glenn Beck:

    Look: The difference between 70,000 people on the National Mall for a protest and 2 million is huge. Seventy thousand people is a good-sized crowd. It’s nothing to be ashamed of. It’s almost as many as the 85,000 people who attended last Saturday’s college football game in Lincoln, Nebraska. But 2 million people? There probably weren’t 2 million people in the entire state of Nebraska (population: 1.8 million) last Saturday.

    299th Consecutive Sellout, bitchez!

  55. 55.

    gyma

    @freelancer: I guess all us DFH cancelled our Times subscriptions so they are now marketing this drivel to a bunch of meatheads who can’t spell and probably can’t read, either.

    Sounds like a brilliant marketing plan, no?

  56. 56.

    JK

    @Max:

    I don’t know why I even bother to follow mainstream news anymore. It only raises my blood pressure and pisses me off to no end.

  67. 67.

    BethanyAnne

    @arguingwithsignposts: Hon, it’s time to medicate. You wouldn’t expect your body to function without food for any length of time. You can’t expect your brain to function without the chemicals it needs. It’s not a character flaw. You can’t fix it by thinking about it. Medicate.

    It took me a forever of suffering to get over my own ego on this. Now I am grateful for the pills. I’d rather take them than suffer. It may take a while to find the right mix of drugs for you, but once you are in the depression valley, I think it’s the fastest way out.

    {hugs}
    Bethany

  72. 72.

    joes527

    @burnspbesq: Brilliant?

    Terriblestart: We were right even when we were wrong.

    Gut wrenching middle: We did some horrific stuff.

    Awful end: Bush should stand up and say “My bad” so that it will be all over.

    Fuck. That.

  77. 77.

    Mwangangi

    I had a cat that I grew up with. When it died I was heartbroken. I’ve never wanted another pet. I really don’t get into the pet culture here (I’m here for the profanity and anger [and a side of sociopolitics]).

    But this was the only pet related thing I’ve ever seen here that was worth my time. So refuckingdiculously funny.

  80. 80.

    TX Expat

    @AhabTRuler:

    Nice! There used to be some awesome graffiti art memorializing Andrew Wood in Belltown, but it was a casualty of the gentrification movement of the early ’00’s.

    So in return I give to you:

    1. From Seattle: Yep
    2. Sung by a dead guy: Nope
    3. Depressing: Umm, not really
    4. On the Singles soundtrack: No, but here’s the band that movie was memorializing: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bNj7ZyZy7cw

    Here’s another awesome song that *was* on the soundtrack though: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xAUUxx94ias

    Hard to believe that was more than 20 years ago!

  81. 81.

    Bill E Pilgrim

    OMG ….they’re waterboarding cats now?

    Or… somehow getting them to waterboard themselves?

    Is this that “learned helpnessness” thing again?

  82. 82.

    asiangrrlMN

    @arguingwithsignposts: I agree with BethanyAnne. I am on antidepressants, and while they are no miracle pills, they do even out my moods enough for me to function. A friend once told me that I was not meant to live that way. Neither are you. Since you have pretty good insurance, use it. Please.

  103. 103.

    TX Expat

    @AhabTRuler:

    Yeah, he had a bad heroin problem back then. I saw them sometime in the late ’90’s and he was either so smacked up or drunk (probably both) that he couldn’t remember the lyrics to that song. It was really sad.

  107. 107.

    srv

    I want to know what + means. While I know Tim F. is doing Blutarski impressions on Dogfish Head 90 minute, + for the rest of you may mean Bud light. That is just sockalist, and unamerikun.

    I’ve had 3 Maudite (yes, this keg came from Montreal) and 2 Blind Pig pints. And it’s not even 7 pm here yet. I’m now making a Caipirinha, which is 40% proof I think (I can’t read the label), and y’all are just in some youtube fapfest…

    It just doesn’t seem fair to us Real Americans.

  116. 116.

    Comrade Mary

    @freelancer: So cool! I guess Lady Gaga is the Madonna for this century.

    JK: marry me. I love everything you’ve linked tonight.

    Via Scalzi: the new Muse video, plus the distressing news that Glenn Beck thinks they’re awesome and that the song sums up his perspective on Obama pretty well. Sure, Matt Bellamy’s a truther and gives too much credence to David Icke and his lizard people, but even he doesn’t deserve this. The band has asked Beck to shut the fuck up, though.

    Oh, and this is brilliant mashup pop music from Mali: Sabali by Amadou and Marian. It’s my designated cheer-up music.

    We came to have fun with music

    The world is a place of amusement
    We have a good time doing that.
    Audience!
    Patience! Patience is worth everything!
    Patience! Patience is good.

    If you love someone, patience is worth everything
    If you love a man, patience is worth everything
    If you love a woman, patience is worth everything
    Patience, patience, patience is good.

  119. 119.

    Comrade Mary

    God DAMN! I can’t even get three links in a post any more? OK, this will look like a double.

    @freelancer: So cool! I guess Lady Gaga is the Madonna for this century.

    JK: marry me. I love everything you’ve linked tonight.

    Via Scalzi: the new Muse video, plus the distressing news that Glenn Beck thinks they’re awesome and that the song sums up his perspective on Obama pretty well. Sure, Matt Bellamy’s a truther and gives too much credence to David Icke and his lizard people, but even he doesn’t deserve this. The band has asked Beck to shut the fuck up, though.

  120. 120.

    srv

    And I can’t read all these and figure out what the themeflavouroftheday is, but I thought this was a great question.

    “What song do you want to be playing when you die?”

    http://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/9ljw8/what_song_do_you_want_to_be_playing_when_you_die/

    I thought this would be a settled matter for me, but reading this thread I am thus conflicted. Hence, I am wondering about a “resuscitate until X, Y and Z have been played” codicil.

  122. 122.

    Comrade Mary

    Oh, and this is brilliant mashup pop music from Mali: Sabali by Amadou and Marian. It’s my designated cheer-up music.

    We came to have fun with music

    The world is a place of amusement
    We have a good time doing that.
    Audience!
    Patience! Patience is worth everything!
    Patience! Patience is good.

    If you love someone, patience is worth everything
    If you love a man, patience is worth everything
    If you love a woman, patience is worth everything
    Patience, patience, patience is good.

  127. 127.

    burnspbesq

    Can’t find videos on the iPhone, but I would recommend the following as “chipper” songs:

    “Cynical Girl,” Marshall Crenshaw
    “Evangeline,” Los Lobos
    “Let Her Dance” I prefer the Phil Seymour cover, but the original by the Bobby Fuller Four is also bitchin
    and of course …
    “You’re All I Need to Get By,” Marvin and Tammi

  129. 129.

    Wile E. Quixote

    So I went and got new tires put on my ride today and had the shop look at the brakes. I need new front brakes and they quoted me a price of about $300 for the job using remanufactured calipers from Raybestos that carry a 25,000 mile/3 year warranty. If I have the dealer do it the parts are new (presumably) but it costs about $700. Are there any disadvantages to using remanufactured calipers? It seems that with the new ones I get from the dealer I get approximately 30 to 35 thousand miles, only twenty to forty percent more life than the remanufactured calipers are warranted for, for over 200 percent of the cost.

  132. 132.

    General Winfield Stuck

    you tube has let me in with some computer dial tinkering, Still can;t actually play most of songs, but can link.

  142. 142.

    General Winfield Stuck

    @JK:

    I had hoped my K.D. Lang choices would sway her from you and she’d marry me instead. You music hound.

  145. 145.

    JK

    @Laura W:

    WOW. You’re someone after my own heart. On the same day, you posted links to Beatles songs and dialogue from Annie Hall. You’re on a hot streak

  147. 147.

    JK

    @srv:

    Prince is a great singer, songwriter, and musician. I just wish he wasn’t such an asshole when it came to his manic obsession with removing all of his music from YouTube.

  148. 148.

    Comrade Mary

    Paul Heaton gets a little sweeter and less corrosive: Prettiest Eyes.

    Now you’re older and I look at your face
    Every wrinkle is so easy to place
    And I only write them down just in case
    That you die

    And a little Dean Martin – Sway

  149. 149.

    freelancer

    @JK:

    (sorry for the length of the post)

    Yeah, your posts combined with Anne Laurie’s frontpager got it pretty good.

    Breitbart is capital S scum. I did like how Juan Williams pwnd Hannity on the subject of Acorn.

    WILLIAMS: … you would think that this is the basis of all corruption, going to take apart our great country. And you know what? This is miniscule. And most of what ACORN does is help poor people.

    HANNITY: Getting tens of millions, getting $8 billion.

    WILLIAMS: Forget that. They got about $5 million.

    STEWART: The thing is, when you receive that amount of federal dollars or any amount, you should be held accountable. And the face is, whenever the layers are peeled back, the spotlight is put on them. In this case, when it comes to voter fraud, when it comes to using taxpayer money to support campaigns, which they did with the Obama campaign, they should all federal funds…

    WILLIAMS: That’s not proven. That’s not proven.

    HANNITY: Obama was a lawyer.

    WILLIAMS: That’s not — that’s a charge. That’s not a fact.
    […]

    WILLIAMS: But it’s not happening. Did you see the vote the other day? It was 80 — OK, 80…

    HANNITY: Because of these two little kids.

    WILLIAMS: Eighty-three to seven. So that’s Republicans and Democrats. The Census Bureau pulling out.

    But I will say something to you. You’re a big guy. How come you’re not going after people who take billions of dollars? Why don’t you go after Blackwater? Why don’t you go after the defense industry that rips off our country? You know, these are people…

    HANNITY: The industry that keeps us safe.

    WILLIAMS: Why don’t you go after Wall Street?

    HANNITY: Look, how about we go after the corrupt radicals in the Obama administration?

    CIANCI: ACORN — ACORN is an organization that maybe should stay in existence, but not the way it is right now. They shouldn’t get a dime.

    HANNITY: We only have 30 seconds.

    STEWART: They should have zero to do with the census. They should not receive any more funds and have nothing to do with the senses.

    WILLIAMS: What about Bernie Madoff and the Wall Street people that do our people…?

    (CROSSTALK)

    HANNITY: How about we go after the government that bankrupted Social Security and Medicare? How about we go after the government that bankrupt Social Security and Medicare, and Obama that gave us a promise that we’d have 8 percent unemployment?

    WILLIAMS: Why don’t we go after George Bush, who gives us prescription drug benefits without paying for it?

    HANNITY: I’m against it. I’m against it.

  151. 151.

    Left Coast Tom

    @Wile E. Quixote:
    You didn’t mention how many miles your ride has, or how many you need to get out of it before replacing it.

    I’ve driven two of my cars from brand new to 120K+miles, and am at 67K on another. I’ve lost exactly one brake caliper, and while it was outside warranty I don’t think it should have failed. I’d consider it defective. I often drive in mountains, though I use the transmission rather than the brakes to control speed.

    I wouldn’t personally spend an extra $400 for an extra 10K miles on such a part. YMMV, of course, since my datum point is so sparse. In my case the replacement was new…the car was 35 miles from the nearest dealership, and the dealership delivered the wrong part causing additional delay.

  153. 153.

    Comrade Mary

    Ah, the kd lang works for me, too, Stuck. I think she has one of the best ever versions of Hallelujah, but I also adore her old cowpunk days with the Reclines. (The Balloon Juice theme song.)

    I did have a wee crush on kd once, but I also have a thing for JD Samson of Le Tigre. It was a TKO, cleanly scored.

  156. 156.

    Fulcanelli

    @freelancer: Yeah, that was the felonious former mayor of Providence “Buddy” Cianci. I rarely listen to AM talk, but I had it on (and his show) today for about 1/2 hour and he was talking about going to New York to be on Hannity’s show. He was going on about the ACORN stuff and dumping on Jimmy Carter’s recent remarks about tea bagger racism. They should have kept him in prison a few more years. Yawn…

  158. 158.

    JK

    @freelancer:

    Good. Glad to hear that the links were helpful.
    Man, outside of Olbermann, Maddow, and Schultz, the MSM is bumming me out more and more each day.

    If only God existed,

    Bin Laden and Zawahiri would be captured during Obama’s first term

    Glenn Beck would be arrested for downloading child pornography

    Glenn Reynolds would be fired for plagarism

    Rush Limbaugh would get permanent laryngitis

    Michelle Malkin would be emptying wastebaskets for a living

    Fox News Channel would file for bankruptcy

    The NY Yankees wouldn’t win another World Series title for 25 more years

  160. 160.

    Comrade Mary

    Oh My God — The Kleptones have stitched together a huge mashup of many very, very disparate covers of Bohemian Rhapsody. Not all of them are, well, accomplished. You can download it from here.

    The real thing.

  161. 161.

    freelancer

    @JK:

    Osama may yet be captured or killed.

    As far as Beck is concerned, for a self-proclaimed rodeo clown, his crazy is pretty convincing. It reminded me of this quote from Hawthorne:

    “No man, for any considerable period, can wear one face to himself and another to the multitude, without finally getting bewildered as to which one is true.”

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

    I can’t remember where, but amidst the galleries of teabagger photos, there was a shot of one individual with tinfoil on their head.

    Don’t get depressed. It’ll get funnier before it gets worse.

  165. 165.

    Wile E. Quixote

    @JK

    If only God existed,
    Bin Laden and Zawahiri would be captured during Obama’s first term
    Glenn Beck would be arrested for downloading child pornography a snuff film starring Michelle Malkin.
    Glenn Reynolds would be fired for plagiarism after it was revealed that his snuff film script was stolen from Bill O’Reilly. The smoking gun: repeated mentions of falafel.
    Rush Limbaugh would get permanent laryngitis arrested for producing a snuff film starring Michelle Malkin.
    Michelle Malkin would be emptying wastebaskets for a living star in a snuff film. Ann Coulter and Sarah Palin would be rumored to be in talks with Joe Scarborough about their own potential snuff film roles.
    Fox News Channel would file for bankruptcy after attempting to stanch a severe slide in their ratings by putting all of their resources into a snuff film produced by Rush Limbaugh, directed by Jon Voight and starring Michelle Malkin.
    The NY Yankees wouldn’t win another World Series title for 25 more years…but the Chicago Cubs would finally win one.

    Fix’t

  166. 166.

    Fulcanelli

    @JK: The louder and more twisted the right wing propaganda squad gets, the better it is for the Dems and progressive Independents in future elections. They’re good at ramping up the stupid, but they’re shrinking the base at the same time too. They are demonstrating daily that they are unstable and unfit to govern the US as a political party. Give ’em enough rope…

    The pep squad never coaches the team, does it?

    Watch Obama-san’s calm closely and learn, grasshopper. But… we must hold his feet to the fire at the same time to make him keep his promises as the dark side is strong in DC.

  168. 168.

    Anne Laurie

    @zoe kentucky in pittsburgh:

    What is wrong with that cat?

    Nuthin’. He just likes the shower-massage effect… notice how he turns his head under the flow the same way a cat butts his head under your hand (or another cat’s head) for petting. Remember the Cat Spanking video a couple weekends back? I suspect this guy was drinking from the faucet, the way cats will, and accidentally discovered the pressure of the water felt good on his face & ears. (Firm, wet pressure = memories of mamma cat’s tongue?)

    Probably still hates getting surprise-spritzed by the godbottle, though… the fact that one enjoys french kisses from a lover doesn’t mean one feels the same way about some random attacker.

  175. 175.

    General Winfield Stuck

    @freelancer:

    Osama may yet be captured or killed.

    Osama is likely kicked back with his buds in Tehran, sucking on Pina Coladas, thinking about his next video on how to give Dick Cheney his next 3 day hardon.

    Sunni/Shia the enemy of my enemy and all that.

  181. 181.

    MikeJ

    WATCH THIS VIDEO ASAP BEFORE PRINCE FINDS IT AND DELETES IT

    Goddamn. I saw him back when I could pick up a phone and tell Warner Bros I wanted tickets and Alejandro Escovedo’s niece was playing drums. To this day one of the best fuckin shows EVAR.

  183. 183.

    freelancer

    @General Winfield Stuck:

    Not possible. That may work for gangsters, but the Wahabist Sunnis of Al Qaeda and the shi’ites of Iran are the Hatfields and the McCoys of the Muslim World. The only way Bin Laden could see himself in Iran is if he were conquering it in a scorched earth campaign.

  185. 185.

    JK

    @MikeJ:

    Congrats, I wish I had seen Prince in concert.
    I wish Prince would come to his senses regarding YouTube and stop treating it as if it were the enemy. I wish the music industry would also come to its senses regarding YouTube. I’d like to be able to type Broken Arrow, And It Stoned Me, Stolen Moments, and Love Me I’m a Liberal and get the original versions of these songs by the Buffalo Springfield, Van Morrison, Oliver Nelson, and Phil Ochs instead of these putrid, disgusting, worthless, goddamn cover versions.

  186. 186.

    MikeJ

    That may work for gangsters, but the Wahabist Sunnis of Al Qaeda and the shi’ites of Iran are the Hatfields and the McCoys of the Muslim World.

    Hatfields? Like Juliana (who shares my bday) Hatfield?

  187. 187.

    General Winfield Stuck

    @freelancer:

    Unlikely maybe. But everything is possible in that part of the world. Enemies, friends, they all side with and against each other given different situations. I would say the white hot hatred of the Mullah’s and Bin Laden for America makes it at least possible.

    And for someone of OBL’s almost mythical stature, especially in the Pashtun world of western Pakistan would make it hard to keep him hidden there for this long imho. But who knows where the rascal is .

  188. 188.

    Corner Stone

    @srv: I’ve been there many times. Once when I was young and didn’t know any better, later when I was less young and still didn’t know anything, and then many times when I was older and foolish in a different way.
    We’ll probably never agree on this one.

  189. 189.

    Spork

    I hope this is an open thread, because if it’s not, this is way OT.
    Anyway, I’m off in about 10 hours to fly from Seattle to SF to watch the Seahawks at an away game. It’s gonna be awesome, 8 of us with decent seats and bad attitudes. I”ve never seen an away game, haven’t left the state since I got out of the Army 11 years ago, I’m stoked. Go 12th Man!

  191. 191.

    MikeJ

    Anyway, I’m off in about 10 hours to fly from Seattle to SF to watch the Seahawks at an away game.

    Joe Montana’s kid’s high school was supposed to play Snoqualmie? Snohomish? Somebody local tonight.

    Go fighting first nation guys!

  193. 193.

    JK

    @asiangrrlMN:

    I think too much is preferable to too little.

    If you were a miner panning for gold during the California Goldrush, you’d want to pan thru as wide an area as possible to make sure that you retrieved as many gold nuggets as possible.

  196. 196.

    Alan

    Daniel Larison has commented on the Spectator’s response (RW response) to Obama scraping missile defense in Poland and the Czech Republic. I heard a little bit of the same trope from the RW columnist who was on Bill Maher this evening near the end of the show.

  198. 198.

    Anne Laurie

    @Laura W: Ha! Nope, you just gotta remember that cats understand that what feels good, feels good — no bright lines drawn, they don’t need our stinkin’ CATegories…

  199. 199.

    asiangrrlMN

    @Fulcanelli: That’s really cute! (Phantom Limb).

    @JK: Yes, but I am overwhelmed by too many choices. That’s why I have a standard order if I ever go to a Starbucks (which is rarely) and to any other chain. Still, I will try to plow through these tomorrow. I’m actually going to bed pretty soon because I’ve had an exceptionally active week.

  204. 204.

    Comrade Mary

    Girl Talk, DJ Earworm — this is all too good. People, I’m entirely losing track of who I should marry now.

    (OK, can someone find for me a Robbie Williams/REM mashup of Losing my Advertising Space? I thought I had it, but I can’t find it now.)

  208. 208.

    asiangrrlMN

    @JK: Is it better than his book? Because I couldn’t get through the first chapter. I am paralyzed by too many choices (partly because I’m always afraid I’m going to miss out on something), so I really try to KISS.

  209. 209.

    Steeplejack

    @Shell:

    And what’s that jazzy music in the background?

    It sounds like the Modern Jazz Quartet to me, but I have a low percentage of certainty.

    Funny, when I first saw this video, I thought the cat was dunking his head in time to some cool drumbeats; didn’t realize it was the sound of the water hitting the metal sink.

  211. 211.

    srv

    @Comrade Mary: I am so glad I didn’t do band.

    I would have had to be so stoned immaculate to have worked that hard to get that performance right.

    It’s like imagining the Bang on the Trash Can Allstars and Philip Glass sitting down and jamming (they did). You can’t imagine that working, and it ends up a sublimely surreal performance that plays in a loop in your dreams.

  214. 214.

    Lesley

    I like how the cat keeps looking behind him to make sure no one is looking just before he dunks his head.

    Hilarious.

  215. 215.

    srv

    @Corner Stone: I didn’t get high art until I could project myself on a canvas without having to think about it. Or being crazy drunk.

    I think of Rothko as the inverse of being 8 years old and staring at bright, white clouds and letting my mind go.

    Suffice it to say, I could do a thousand shades of black at 18. Rothko Rocks.

  217. 217.

    burnspbesq

    My wife treats me better than I even remotely deserve.

    There was a cartoon in the New Yorker not too long ago that really cracked me up.

    She bought the original for me to hang in my home office.

    Damn. I am speechless.

  219. 219.

    MikeJ

    Now I just need to find some friends who can dance, or who can dance badly and not care.

    In college girls always said I danced well, but I was pretty cute, so they might have just been trying to get in my pants. But that’s a bear I have to cross.

  220. 220.

    Mike in NC

    Daniel Larison has commented on the Spectator’s response (RW response) to Obama scraping missile defense in Poland and the Czech Republic.

    Larison always comes across as some lone voice crying out in the pseudo-conservative wilderness, doesn’t he? Such a shame.

  225. 225.

    burnspbesq

    @srv:

    My all-time favorite New Yorker cartoon is still the one with two lawyerly-looking guys standing together, looking out the window of an empty office on a high floor in an office building, and one says to the other, “I’ve spent so much time with friends and family that I lost track of what’s important.”

    The one I now own is a close second.

    http://www.cartoonbank.com/product_details.asp?mscssid=T6CD3SL1SJSP8NCNP5DXWQA4ABM47QC7&sitetype=1&did=4&sid=131149&pid=&keyword=overruled&section=all&title=undefined&whichpage=3&sortBy=popular

  226. 226.

    BethanyAnne

    @JK: Hehe, that’s cute. As it turns out, I just watched 2001 last night. Beginning to really like Netflix on demand.

  227. 227.

    MikeJ

    A strawberry mind, a body that’s built 4 2
    A kiss on the spine, we do things we never do
    Come swallow the pride and joy of the ivory tower
    We’ll dance on the roof, make love on a bed of flowers

  229. 229.

    JK

    @BethanyAnne:

    Goodfellas and 2001: A Space Odyssey are 2 of my favorite movies and I was very impressed by this particular mashup.

    These 2 films never get stale for me.

  231. 231.

    Comrade Mary

    @freelancer: Yes, I caught this when it was aired, but thanks for the link and the refresher. Have you seen Scotch Mist?

    @JK: Ha! Baby-faced Keir Dullea versus Joe Pesci. Brilliant.

    Man, I have a long bike ride tomorrow and should have been in bed an hour ago. Night, guys!

  232. 232.

    JK

    @Steeplejack:

    Apart from the brilliance of most of their songs, one thing that always impressed me about The Beatles is that they are the only band I can think of that had 3 great vocalists. Most bands are lucky if they have 1 good vocalist.

    The only other bands I can think of that had more than 1 strong vocalist are The Grateful Dead – Jerry Garcia and Bob Weir; Chicago – Robert Lamm and Peter Cetera; and The Who – Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend.

  233. 233.

    JK

    @Laura W: @Steeplejack:

    For Clarification Purposes,

    When I wrote that the Beatles are the only rock band I know of that had 3 great vocalists, I obviously meant George Harrison as the 3rd great vocalist and not Ringo Starr.

  235. 235.

    freelancer

    @BethanyAnne:

    Just a few things on Netflix-oD that everyone needs to see:

    Frontline: Black Money
    Frontline: The Spy Factory
    Frontline: Inside the Meltdown
    This American Life – Both Seasons
    District B13
    Hell House
    Half Nelson
    Primer
    Dear Zachary
    Serenity

    Plus it has 5 of my top 6 or so favorite movies
    Network
    Blade Runner
    2001
    Redbelt
    Miller’s Crossing

    The only thing its missing is Mann’s The Insider, YMMV
    Oh and HBO, could use a cross-promotion with HBO.

  238. 238.

    General Winfield Stuck

    @freelancer: Redbelt — I just queued that one up and just watched Miller’s Crossing for the first time. Can’t believe I skipped over such a good movie for so long. Some of the crispest smartest dialogue of any movie ever.

    I’m watching a documentary about Goebbel’s right now. Evil, but fascinating.

  239. 239.

    burnspbesq

    @JK:

    How quickly they forget.

    The Byrds had four good singers: McGuinn, Crosby, Hillman, and Gene Clark. The Buffalo Springfield had three: Stills, Young, and Furay. CSNY. Poco had three: Furay, Tim Schmitt, and George Grantham. For several years, Emmylou Harris had both Rodney Crowell and Ricky Skaggs in her band. The Eagles have Frey, Henley, and Schmitt, and in an early version had four (delete Schmitt, add Bernie Leadon and Randy Meisner). Remember Bryndle (Andrew Gold, Karla Bonoff, Wendy Waldman, and Kenny Edwards)? The Desert Rose Band (Hillman, Herb Pedersen, and John Jorgensen)?

    More recently, three of these guys can sing a little.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yp1ZGW9MdbI

  240. 240.

    JK

    @AhabTRuler:

    I wouldn’t say Ringo Starr had nothing as a vocalist. I think Ringo was a good, above average singer, George Harrison was a great singer, and John Lennon and Paul McCartney were extraordinary singers who were in a class all by themselves.

  241. 241.

    BethanyAnne

    @freelancer: I’ve seen about half of those, with Serenity probably being my favorite. I wish Contact was available on demand. Prolly time for me to reread the book for it, too. One of the few book/movie pairs where I ended up really liking both.

    Stuck: watching 2010 now :-)

  244. 244.

    JK

    @burnspbesq:

    Thanks for that post. I could slap myself for forgetting about Crosby, Still, and Nash, the Buffalo Springfield, and the Eagles.

    I’m not an expert on the Byrds. I thought the overwhelming majority of songs by the Byrds had Roger McGuinn doing the lead vocals.

    Of the bands you cited, would you rank any of them higher than John Lennon, Paul McCartney, and George Harrison in terms of vocal talent?

  245. 245.

    MikeJ

    The Monkees are a really, really underrated band. Really. No shit. They could all sing, and Nesmith was a great writer. And when Nesmith didn’t write, who did they have? Carol King. John Stewart (of Kingston Trio). Niel Diamond. Boyce and Hart.

    Listen to anything from Headquarters on. It’s all them. And even earlier, it was them on vocals. Four great singers.

    (And Stepping Stone, no matter who covers it, is still possibly the greatest rock song of all time.)

  246. 246.

    freelancer

    @General Winfield Stuck:

    Re: Miller’s Crossing
    The opening scene is kind of an off-kilter homage to The Godfather, but for me, I find the whole movie way more enjoyable than The Godfather.

    “Take yea flunkie ‘n dangle.”

    Just brilliant dialogue, and the plotting inspired me to pick up a couple of Hammett novels recently. (It’s loosely based on The Glass Key, Red Harvest and the real life Chicago Gang war between Capone and the Irish Mob.)

  247. 247.

    Steeplejack

    @AhabTRuler:

    Hey, Ringo was a great drummer, and I have this confirmed on good authority. See my Beatles remasters rant from last week.

    Great vocalist, though? Er, no.

  251. 251.

    srv

    @freelancer: Seen all that except Dear Zach.

    Instants many haven’t seen:

    OSS 117, Cairo Nest of Spies
    Vanishing Point
    Zero Effect
    Kontroll
    Exiled
    Lone Star
    Boondocks Saints
    Noise
    13 Tzameti
    BBC House of Cards
    The Sand Pebbels

    New, non IW:

    3:10 to Yuma
    The Spanish Prisoner
    Joint Security Area

  252. 252.

    Steeplejack

    I have opened so many tabs with YouTube clips from this thread that the tabs are almost too thin to click. And my computer has visibly slowed down (which it never does). Eek. Mayday.

  254. 254.

    Steeplejack

    @srv:

    Zero Effect was on one of the Encore cable channels this week, and I was glad to watch it again. I love that movie. It is very funny, in a weird, hard-to-explain-and-get-anyone-to-watch way.

    “What is wrong with these people?”

  256. 256.

    JK

    @srv:

    Lone Star and The Sand Pebbles are great.

    The Spanish Prisoner is a criminally underrated masterpiece.

    You should also check out The Daytrippers, Henry Fool, Primer, Safe, Sammy and Rosie Get Laid, and The Buddha of Suburbia.

    Documentaries – A Deacde Under the Influence, Visions of Light, and Sonic Outlaws.

  257. 257.

    MikeJ

    @JK: Better? I dunno. Probably as good as though when it comes to just technical skill at hitting the notes. And it’s four v three since Dolenz, Tork, Jones and Nesmith all sang, and all did pretty darn well. OK, Nesmith wasn’t the singer the others were, but imagine if Ringo had written all of John’s songs and was about seventeen times better as a singer.

    And have you ever seen Television Parts?

  258. 258.

    burnspbesq

    @JK:

    Man, that’s a tough call. Listen to “Nowhere Man,” “Turn Turn Turn,” and “Guinivere” back to back. Not much to choose from.

    And speaking of great voices, how about this? Cheesy video, but Kathy Mattea and Tim O’Brien sing the heck out of a song that will be played at weddings from now until the end of time.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JIjj1mLa_38

  261. 261.

    JK

    @MikeJ:

    I’ve never seen Television Parts.

    @burnspbesq:

    Like I said before, CSNY, Buffalo Springfield, and the Eagles are worthy choices for bands with 3 talented vocalists. MikeJ also suggested the Beach Boys.

    The Beatles have been my favorite band all my life. In the final analysis, I’ll take Lennon, McCartney, and Harrison.

  262. 262.

    srv

    @JK: Will check out Henry Fool, Safe and Buddha.

    As for Primer, maybe 4 or 5 times. I could explain it to you, but then I’d have to kill you.

  263. 263.

    JK

    @srv:

    You should also see Save the Tiger, The heart is Lonely Hunter, Elmer Gantry, A Face in the Crowd, You Can’t Take it With You, and Grand Hotel.

  264. 264.

    srv

    @JK: Heart: Alan Arkin is god. If I ran Hollywood, it would have been Alan and Albert Brooks in every movie.

    Save the Tiger: Have not seen that in decades, added.

    Face in the Crowd: The touchstone. If Kazan and Peckinpah had made a movie together, the universe would have blinked out.

    Grand Hotel: pretty old.

    And Winfield’s Ronin, another fave.

  265. 265.

    Anne Laurie

    @General Winfield Stuck: Yah, drummers never get no respeck. But, hey — as Mama Thornton would say, Mr. Starr is still around to enjoy his fifty dollars. And he hasn’t had to face the kharmic shame of foisting Linda, Heather, and Stella upon the suffering human race, even if one is willing to forgive ‘Ebony & Ivory’…

  267. 267.

    JK

    @srv:

    Great idea about Arkin and Brooks in every movie.

    Grand Hotel and You Can’t Take It With You are very, very old. I’ve seen both of them on Turner Classic Movies recently and I think they easily stand the test of time.
    Another old movie that easily stands the test of time is All About Eve.

    Don’t forget Elmer Gantry. Burt Lancaster is outstanding and there are great supporting performances.

    Sammy and Rosie Get Laid, despite the shock value of its title, is definitely worth your time.

    Just thought of another movie – Some Came Running with Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, and Shirley MacLaine.

    A Personal Journey Through American Movies with Martin Scorcese – great documentray where Scorcese discusses his favorite movies.

  274. 274.

    wasabi gasp

    Proof (with Hugo Weaving, not Gwyneth Paltrow) is a really good flick. I don’t how much good the YouTube clip will do in conveying that, since it has music running over most of it, but I guess it’s better than nothing.

  276. 276.

    asiangrrlMN

    Clarification: Alan Rickman in the movie and cello music in the background, though, Truly, Madly, Deeply did, indeed, have Alan Rickman “playing” the cello.

  277. 277.

    pcbedamned

    Late to this, but that is exactly how our cat Spider drinks!!! And my mom said he was very strange. Obviously not…
    Mind you, when the water gets in his ears and I have to clean all the crap out of them, I wonder if he knows it’s not worth it.

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