Sorry for the lack of posts, and there is a ton going on, including the updates on the wiretapping stuff, the reform of the Rockefeller laws in NY (I forget who I was reading that was talking about that), and a whole host more, but I woke up this morning with a sinus headache that has, through the course of the day, gotten progressively worse. I am now starting to feel serious flu related stuff as well.
Oh wells.
Comrade Stuck
That’s Ok. I’m about sick of politics anyway. About all we have are wingnut Clown Cars running amock. You see one crash and the rest just keep piling up behind it. It’s getting embarrassing to tell the truth. Meanwhile. Obama keeps plugging along passing his bills.
MikeJ
Tomorrow is the anniversary of the one day presidency of David Rice Atchison. HE never claimed he was president, but it’s a fun little bit of trivia.
hana
So sorry you’re sick. Hope you feel better soon.
Jay
I’m beginning to think that we are going to legalize marijuana very soon. I just heard some Mexican official say that the cartels are getting 60% of their revenue from it. Obama couldn’t care less about enforcement. California is screaming for it. CNBC is turning into the Pot Channel at night.
Anybody else feelin’ it?
demkat620
@Jay: I think its long overdue. Decriminalize it and leave it alone.
Nicole
It sounds like you’re getting what I had. Three days of misery (day 1 is the worst) and it’s over. And you’re not hungry, so it’s totally awesome once it’s over because you lose weight. Always a pony somewhere.
Studly Pantload, Would Be Minion of John Cole
They say that insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result, but the state says I have a weekly quota of jobs to apply for to keep receiving unemployment bennies. Maybe this upcoming fourth month will be a charm. That, or I need to find my big Napoleon hat.
bootlegger
@Jay: Yay Jay! But it will be hemp first at the national level for interstate commerce and then the states will be allowed to decide their own smoking laws.
bootlegger
@Nicole: Go to the pharmacy counter and get the good stuff with ephedrine in it. If you’re going to be sick you may as well catch a buzz. Also, the whole "Meth Watch" paperwork is a circus to behold.
Paul L.
Our Lady of Perpetual Outrage supports blasphemy.
Another example of Malkin will never say anything bad about rich white people in positions of authority, she worships them.
Unless you count Joe Biden.
syl
Did anyone hear anything about the Senate debate on the Omnibus Appropriations Bill today? I’m hoping the relative silence means there were only limited porkulus-style theatrics, but I’m having trouble believing that.
AhabTRuler
Yes, but rarely at the bottom of a shitpile.
passerby
I hate headaches of any sort. Hope it goes away soon. For those of the sinus type, I’ll have some pineapple or pineapple juice or some bromelin capsules and it breaks right up. I used to live on daily Claritin D before I quit using pharmaceuticals.
OT:
Tavis Smiley’s State of The Black Union (10th Year) was held in LA this past Saturday. I watched the 6 and 1/2 hour broadcast on CSpan last night. As usual, Smiley assembled 2 of the most outstanding panels of philosophers, academics, businessmen, politicians and the like.
Cornell West, Sharpton, JJackson, Les Brown, Maxine Waters, Michael Steele (!!), and others held forth on a variety of topics with wisdom, candor, passion, and humor.
The best insight, IMO, was from Tricia Rose (on the a.m. panel) who explained why the whole Hip Hop culture of "ganstas, pimps, and hos" was not a net positive for the black community but has been made into a commodity (a money maker) and therefore (erroneously) embraced as "black culture". I was astounded by her reasoning.
The program was intelligent and thought provoking. I look forward to it every year. I think this year Tavis outdid himself. Bravo.
Tim in SF
Hi John,
Since this is an open thread, I thought I’d point out the strange way Google Reader treats your blog.
Here’s a post. See the how the block quote ends early?
http://hisnameistimmy.com/temp/google-reader.png
Here’s the real post by way of comparison:
http://hisnameistimmy.com/temp/b-j.png
I looked at the source code and there is no reason I can figure out that this should be happening. The /blockquote tag just doesn’t appear where the blockquote is ending. It’s boggling my mind. The only thing I can think of as a possible cause is the blockquote is being placed inside the paragraph tag, instead of outside of the paragraph, which I think is more browser friendly.
[p] [blockquote] text (on Balloon juice)
versus
[blockquote] [p] text (elsewhere)
Tim in SF
…
The Grand Panjandrum
Turn on Shuster! He’s got a Republican congressman on right now and the guy won’t denounce Rush. PWNED!
Studly Pantload, Would Be Minion of John Cole
Shuster’s twisting some GOPer congresscritter’s balls on Rush’s "Obama must fail" stance. ‘Tis quite entertaining.
JL
OT According to Barry at The Big Picture, playboy pulled the Santelli article. How many of CNBC’s lawyers pounced on them?
Brick Oven Bill
My open thread contribution regards Germany and mechanical bottling lines. When travelling in Latin America, it is a common occurrence to encounter German tourists. My impression is almost always that the individual is very disciplined, perhaps this is a stereotype, but it is also my impression. There was a guy I hung out with who called an ex-girlfriend ‘rubbish’, in a way which really impressed me.
I was involved in a brewery project once, and interacted with a German company named Krones. Did you know it costs $10 million+ to set up a basic Krones carbonated bottling line? In any case, I signed up for the Krones magazine, which has become my favorite periodical. Today, I opened up the 1/2009 issue and it does not disappoint.
Laura W Darling
Ah man…here I thought the lack of posts was a deliberate, charitable action on your part so the Lend a Hand post could sit at the top of the front page for 5 hours with no competition from clowns or Rush (redundancy alert.)
Worked out nicely for Svensker’s friend anyhow. Maybe all the good karma accrued will lessen the pain of your symptoms.
Oh Bill…you are so incorrigible.
Betsy
It’s gross, but since I started using a neti pot early this winter I haven’t had a single sinus headache. Sinus infections and the accompanying headaches are usually a regular feature of winter for me, so I am totally impressed with how well it’s worked. (Sorry for the overshare.)
Comrade Dread
I love greater wingnutosphere.
Apparently when the Dow drops during a Democratic presidency, it’s because no one believes in him. But when it drops during a Republican presidency, it’s because of market fundamentals and corrections.
And yes, legalize marijuana now. I don’t smoke it, but Prohibition of any sort was extremely stupid and of dubious constitutionality (considering the temperance brigades had to get an amendment for it the first time around).
JL
@The Grand Panjandrum: I missed it. Did he admit that he wanted the Administration to fail? I have two sons that enjoy working. If the administration fails, their jobs as well as the jobs of lots of others are in jeopardy.
Studly Pantload, Would Be Minion of John Cole
JL@23: The rep did state he didn’t want Obama – or any – president to fail, but wouldn’t say Rush was wrong on this, and just kept heaping platitudes his way. One wonders where Rush stashes all those elected Republicans’ testicles.
[Edit: Just backed up the Tivo to re-watch. The rep is John Barrasso out of Wyoming. And, yes, his inability to say, “on this one issue, Rush is wrong” is just — veritably stupefying.]
Comrade Stuck
@Brick Oven Bill:
Was that before or after you flew Mars on an eclectic training mission with the Chinese waitress?
Just Some Fuckhead
@Betsy: You’re right, that’s gross.
gbear
The conservative movement walks in to L’Atelier De Rahm.
(John, if you’re feeling flu symptoms, don’t watch this)
JL
@Studly Pantload, Would Be Minion of John Cole: Rush has put on a few pounds lately. I wondered if he fried them?
AhabTRuler, Minions' Local #45, Amalgamated Federation of Underlings
Yay! Cheap snow day. Here’s a photo from a walkies.
Josh Hueco
@JL:
This is exactly why Obama was so shrewd in tying Rush around the GOPs neck. Many Americans now consider their individual fates tied to the success of the Obama’s legislative program, especially as regards job creation, health care, and so on. When they hear Rush openly wish for Obama to fail, they take that to mean that he and the GOP both are wanting their lives to go down the drain with Obama. No wonder the the GOP and the Fat Man are polling at around 20%.
demkat620
Can somebody answer a question for me, cause my winger friend won’t?
If a business is losing money because people aren’t buying what they produce, how does a tax cut help them to hire more people?
Comrade Stuck
@JL:
He kissed Limbaugh’s ass boil with a nervous declaration he was on the same wingnut page as Rush. Said he didn’t want Obama to fail but wouldn’t say Limbaugh was wrong, or even that he disagreed with him. I am soooo thankful I’m not a republican.
AhabTRuler, Minions' Local #45, Amalgamated Federation of Underlings
Yay! Cheap snow day. Photo From walkies.
AhabTRuler, Minions' Local #45, Amalgamated Federation of Underlings
WTF!?
demkat620
@Comrade Stuck: Yes. Senator Barrasso of Wyoming, you can smell the fear thru the TV.
Snark Based Reality
"Steele to Rush: I’m sorry"
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0309/19517.html
I didn’t think I could possibly rub another one out on this topic but I’m willing to give it another go. It’s the least I can do for my country.
AhabTRuler, Union Minion
Photo here of snow day. It was cheap, it didn’t snow that much, but I’ll take it.
-AhabTRuler, Minions’ Local #45, Amalgamated Federation of Underlings.
I did not now that there was a limit on handle length, but when I tried to post the above, it broke. Learn something new…
Union First.
Martin
Shut up, that’s why!
Studly Pantload, Would Be Minion of John Cole
Snark Based @ 33:
Ha! Shorter Steele: "All my lunch monies are belong to Rush."
Incertus
Plus, Prop 8 is in court this week–that’ll help stoke the wingnut fires too.
Krista
You must have missed it when we actually had an entire thread devoted to the neti pot. Needless to say, we’re not an easily grossed-out lot.
The Moar You Know
@Snark Based Reality: Wow. I thought Steele would hang in there for at least 24 hours. Looks like Rush Limpdick really is in charge of the Republican party.
argh
Sorry you are feeling poorly, John. Hope it gets better quick.
This Umcka stuff works great.
JL
@Snark Based Reality:
Gosh, Rush really does control the Republican Party. Republicans must be so proud.
Studly Pantload, Would Be Minion of John Cole
Now Michelle Bernard is on Shuster’s show, and boy-howdy, is she concerned! Since that’s pretty rare coming from her, I better sit up and listen! /cold-induced snark
Comrade Dread
In the middle of a recessionary cycle, it won’t. A rational actor will take the extra money and likely put it into a bank as a personal safety net against worse times.
Banks, in all likelihood, will probably keep most of that on hand to pad their own cash reserves, because there is still the matter of a lot of phantom toxic assets hovering around out there on their balance sheets.
Best case scenario, by cutting taxes, we allow some businesses to have a buffer which they can use to pay their fixed costs and stay in business if it gets really bad for them. But most of that money will not be out circulating in the economy, and it sure as hell won’t be used to expand a business to meet a non-existent demand.
The exception to this would be if your company produced an inferior good (a good whose demand increases when personal income falls, think Spam or Campbell’s Soup), in which case, you might very likely use a cash infusion to boost production.
But for the rest of the businesses out there, a tax cut might prompt expansion or new enterprises, if we were already on our way out of the recession, but it won’t work when we’re riding the Dow coaster down to hell.
TenguPhule
Hookers and booze. You can’t go wrong with hookers and booze.
Svensker
If you’re getting an upper respiratory/schnozz type flu, John, then definitely go for the Zicam and the Sambucol. They really do help reduce the effects and duration.
Incertus
@TenguPhule: And blackjack. /Bender
Numberwang
I think Obama’s following through on Bush’s policies in order to get the court to strike it down at the root after he gets some picks for the Supreme Court. You need that if you’re going to do a halfway decent job with investigation of the previous administration.
Just Some Fuckhead
@demkat620:
1. Tax Cuts
2. ???
3. Prosperity!
Hope that helps.
Just Some Fuckhead
@Snark Based Reality: Rush doesn’t have a lot of truck with uppity black folks. This was prolly a learning experience for both of them.
Brick Oven Bill
This Krones issue highlights Spain, and I have found it online and will share when I have it downloaded. The writing in this magazine is disciplined and fact-based, I personally enjoy it very much.
Here is one fact: Spain has 46 million residents, but 60 million tourists. Per capita beer consumption among the residents is going down while beer consumption among the tourists is going up. The overall rate of beer consumption has gone from 67 liters per head to 83 liters per head each year.
Krones does not speculate as to why, but I have a theory. Spain is poorer than Germany. The Spanish decrease is thus budget-based (beer is expensive in Europe); while the German tourist increase is a situational awareness-based coping mechanism.
I believe the European Union to be falling apart and that the German people, who have funded most of the effort, are going to pull in their horns. In other news, the Pizza Price Index has fallen again, to $1.45. It was the cheese again.
-AhabTRuler, Minions’ Local #45, Amalgamated Federation of Underlings
Dear god that was a train wreck. Those posts literally disappeared for, like, several refreshes, and then, boom, I’m dropping posts left and right. I second (or third or fourth) the garage-sale quality of this damn comments section. Soc ialism, my ass!
[/rant]
Anyway, I’m taking back the long-form handle and sorry about the duplicate posts.
Comrade Mary, Would-Be Minion Of Bad Horse
If you don’t have a neti pot, a syringe like the one used to remove ear wax also works. Push GENTLY on the syringe, though.
Studly Pantload, Would Be Minion of John Cole
Numberwang @ 50 (well, for now it’s comment #50):
Interesting theory. And not too dissimilar from my theory that Obama’s insistence that we can’t nationalize (establish receivership for, or what have you) the Big Banks is so that when we finally do, he can claim he got dragged into it kicking and screaming. I’m not convinced we actually have a President Rope-a-Dope on our hands, but it just might be…
Comrade Mary, Would-Be Minion Of Bad Horse
@Studly Pantload, Would Be Minion of John Cole: What is Michelle Bernard concerned about?
hana
So I’m at home feeling a bit poorly today myself, and have been looking at various links John has up. Just clicked over to Calvinists for Conservatism and OH MY GOD that can’t possibly for real, can it? Seriously now. This can’t be true? (Sorry for the long cut-and-paste)
"Real Americans and Christians salute this fine couple!
BOY dad Alfie Patten yesterday admitted he does not know how much nappies cost — but said: “I think it’s a lot.”
Baby-faced Alfie, who is 13 but looks more like eight, became a father four days ago when his girlfriend Chantelle Steadman gave birth to 7lb 3oz Maisie Roxanne.
He told how he and Chantelle, 15, decided against an abortion after discovering she was pregnant.
While these children may be on grounds for execution because of their selfish, sinful desires to fornicate, one has to admire their stance towards the sanctity of life. I am hardly the only one who expresses such viewpoints, however:
Last night Michaela Aston, of the anti-abortion Christian charity LIFE, said: “We commend these teenagers for their courage in bringing their child into the world.
“At the same time this is symptomatic of the over-sexualisation of our youngsters and shows the policy of value-free sex education just isn’t working.”
We should be thankful that these children did not attempt to use a condom while fornicating, and we should also be thankful that they knew of no such thing before fornicating. (Hopefully, they are still unaware that condoms exist, which is an excellent preemptive strategy to keep teenagers from fornicating.) When one wears a condom, the desire to fornicate increases quite rapidly; furthermore, the 99% failure rate of condoms is not something we should take lightly." "
hana
Also, their "Enemies List" is awesome!
Edited to add: Sweet Jesus, the Presbyterian Church is on their Enemies List! I hate to think what they’d make of, say, CuteOverload.
Studly Pantload, Would Be Minion of John Cole
@Comrade Mary, Would-Be Minion Of Bad Horse:
Well, today, Ms. Bernard was concerned that the left using Rush as a 300-lb wedge and the right using Pelosi as a wedge were harmful to a substantive debate about how conservative values and policies would save the day, blah blah. Did I mention that she said this in a very concerned way?
Laura W Darling
@AhabTRuler, Minions’ Local #45, Amalgamated Federation of Underlings: I am totally enamored with your new long-form handle. I was just about to ditch my Darling, but seeing the minion masses rise up and boldly claim their status, wearing it on their posts so proudly….Darling I shall remain.
Edit: Hey! Did you see what happened? That dash – in front of your handle causes it to strike through all the way on my reply instead of turn blue and link back to your comment. I took out the – and magic!
Martin
I should give a real answer….
Credit has always been the resource for expansion – not cash on hand. You hire people because a challenge has arisen – more customers, new market you can capture, loss of a competitor, etc. – that you think will allow you to bring in more revenue. No self respecting CEO looks at the books and says ‘Hey, we’ve got all this money, go hire some people!’.
You hire because an opportunity is there and you take out credit to do it. Normally, if you can’t get credit, that’s a pretty good measure from the marketplace that you shouldn’t be doing it at all. But the credit situation is a bit different now, so the tax cut argument actually carries a little more weight than usual – very little, but a little.
Any successful company would ignore the tax cut altogether wrt expansion. If they needed to expand they would have even without the tax cut and if they didn’t need to expand, they’d bank the tax cut and either turn it back toward investors, use it to acquire someone, or save it for a rainy day. They certainly wouldn’t use it to hire people.
Max
The story about the 13-year-old father may be a hoax.
http://tinyurl.com/awgnvs
Brick Oven Bill
Here is another fact from this industry publication. One page 110, this magazine describes how in only one liter of soil, there are on average ONE BILLION living creatures, broken down as follows:
One billion ciliates, flagellates, and amoebas;
One thousand springtails;
Five hundred rotifers and tardigrades (isopods);
Two thousand mites and ticks;
Two earthworms;
One hundred insects, centipedes, and small spiders;
Thirty thousand nermatode worms; and
Fifty small bristle worms.
Then check out the fannie on page ten. All of this from a beer equipment supplier. This may be one reason why German equipment costs triple what Chinese equipment costs.
AhabTRuler, Minions’ Local #45, Amalgamated Federation of Underlings
@Laura W Darling: I have stopped trying to figure out this page, I think it runs on surplus Soviet-era equipment in some shack in Irkutsk.
Ever since Rome changed her link to the blockquote instructions, I religious use [p] & [/p] in all my blockquotes. Does it always work as advertised? OTOH, edit is the best thing since sliced bread, and it makes up for many galls, unless you go into mod.
I also think it is interesting that the word "blockquote" is not in the dictionary.
hana
@Max
But the site itself–?
AhabTRuler, Minions’ Local #45, AFU
Is it cos I’s an anagram of Soc ialism?
Max
With posts like "The Loch Ness Monster Disproves Darwinism," Calvinists for Conservatism is very probably a hoax also.
http://tinyurl.com/asybd3
AhabTRuler
I give up, rassin frassin sacka am-spay.
Local
Izzit?
AhabTRuler, Minions' #45, Amalgamated Federation of Underlings
Really, I didn’t set out to spend the evening baiting the am-spay ilter-fay, but its cramping my creative style, man!
hana
I thought it must be at first, and I think I have a pretty good BS detector, but especially in the comments section he sounds like your garden variety crazy guy, not a satirist. Anyway, then I followed the link to the Flat Earth Society, where they have a part saying, "Oh yeah, well if the earth is round, I get it why people don’t fall off the North Pole, but what force keeps people on the South Pole from falling off? If you’re so smart?"
That’s when I suddenly saw the light, locked my chastity belt on, and started baptizing all my stuffed animals. Full immersion, mo-fo!
Reality-based
3 things:
1. I would like to be a minion-of-John-Cole, too – but are these positions hereditary, or can anyone apply? Also, are our current appearances acceptable, or must we look like Glory’s Minions on BTVS, Season 5? If so, do we also have to get our brains sucked out and eaten by John whenever he is feeling under the weather?
2. John, if you’ve got/are getting the flu, and don’t have any minions around for a recharging brain feast – then go get yourself some Airborne (at any drug or grocery store) . Fizzy stuff, orange flavored, drop it into a cup of water and chug it 4 or 5 times a day. This stuff really speeds recovery.
(I learned about it from friends who work in pediatric oncology and really don’t want to pass infections on to their young immuno-compromised patients – they all swear by the stuff. )
3. If you get sinus infections a lot – I used to, a doctor in a Tel Aviv hotel once prescribed plain old Bactrim (sulfa drug from the 50s) – said it works great on sinuses, and he was right. (Unless you’re allergic, of course. )
4. Would the BJ-ers on this thread please settle a scrabble argument? If playing with other non-doctrinaire types (which I was) – can the words "bible" and "koran" be used (or "quran", the alternative spelling I really wanted to use ) or are they ALWAYS proper (capitalized) nouns, and as such, verboten. Opinions, lease.
handy
@Reality-based:
Re: #4 I think "bible" is acceptable because it has reached a common usage even outside its use as a proper noun, e.g. "The mechanic’s bible," "The Dog Bible," etc. Kuran is a little harder case to make, not only cuz it’s furrin but also because it’s use is nearly always specifically about the Muslim holy book. HTH.
Tattoosydney
@hana:
I know the thread is dead, but this:
Must be responded to with this:
HRA
I have to repeat my warning of the sinus condition that sends out flu signals. Do not hesitate to go to the doctor.
I have a medicine cabinet full of over the counter remedies I took from mid December till late January. None of them cured me. I took one antibiotic for 10 days. Two days later I was sick again. The antibacterial 5 pills for 4 days cured me.
You do not want to go through my misery. Make an appointment with the doctor, John.