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Thursday Morning Open Thread

By Big Tent Democrat, Section Blog Related
Posted on Thu Aug 13, 2009 at 08:56:02 AM EST
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Like Jeralyn, and unlike apparently most every other Democratic blogger, I am not in Pittsburgh. I would like to have seen how Bill Clinton and some of those bloggers get along tonight.

I may watch it here.

This is an Open Thread.

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    Thursday Morning Open Thread | 57 comments (57 topical)

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    happt birthday (yesterday) (5.00 / 1) (#2)
    by Capt Howdy on Thu Aug 13, 2009 at 09:04:31 AM EST
    to the Geneva Conventions.

    The Geneva Conventions are 60 years old on Wednesday, but the anniversary comes amid concern that respect for the rules of war is small.

    I regret little in my life (5.00 / 3) (#12)
    by Capt Howdy on Thu Aug 13, 2009 at 09:30:40 AM EST
    its a waste of time.

    but 40 years ago tomorrow I made what I have come to believe was one of the biggest mistakes of my life.

    I turned down an opportunity to go to Woodstock.
    because I had to work.

    Eh, feel free to lie and say you were there (none / 0) (#14)
    by andgarden on Thu Aug 13, 2009 at 09:35:12 AM EST
    Lots of other people do!

    Parent
    Ouch (none / 0) (#15)
    by ruffian on Thu Aug 13, 2009 at 09:36:57 AM EST
    And how painful to always be reminded of one of your biggest mistakes.

    Looking forward to the Ang Lee Woodstock movie that is coming out soon though. Looks good!

    Parent

    I also would enjoy (5.00 / 2) (#25)
    by Farmboy on Thu Aug 13, 2009 at 10:22:09 AM EST
    witnessing a face-to-face between Pres. Clinton and the bloggers who last year accused him of every racist act ever perpetrated since the days of Rosa Parks.

    My reason for wanting to see this is that I'm willing to bet Big Dog will smile politely, shake their hands - then apply a generous portion of Hibiclens.

    R.I.P. Les Paul (5.00 / 2) (#35)
    by nycstray on Thu Aug 13, 2009 at 11:20:34 AM EST
    Just reported on the news he has passed on

    1915-2009

    Too bad... (none / 0) (#39)
    by kdog on Thu Aug 13, 2009 at 12:55:19 PM EST
    rock-n-roll might not be what it is without the genius of old Les.

    Parent
    Les Paul... (none / 0) (#54)
    by desertswine on Thu Aug 13, 2009 at 02:16:09 PM EST
    Thanks for the music.

    Parent
    this is very cool (none / 0) (#1)
    by Capt Howdy on Thu Aug 13, 2009 at 09:02:26 AM EST
    The Hubble Ultra Deep Field in 3D

    Hey Capt (none / 0) (#3)
    by MO Blue on Thu Aug 13, 2009 at 09:06:53 AM EST
    Did you get another husky? Tell all.

    Parent
    yep (5.00 / 4) (#6)
    by Capt Howdy on Thu Aug 13, 2009 at 09:10:21 AM EST
    I think I pick her up tonight.  not sure if she is spayed or not yet.
    she looks exactly like Ghost, white with blue eyes, with slightly longer fur.  not sure if that means she might not be pure blood or not.
    but she is beautiful.

    but omg.  what a painful experience.  I HATE going to shelters.  I always want to leave with all the dogs.  and in fact I may still go back and get Daisy's (thats her name) father.  

    he is a more commonly colored light and dard Husky.

    pics to come.

    Parent

    Awwwww! (5.00 / 2) (#9)
    by Fabian on Thu Aug 13, 2009 at 09:21:42 AM EST
    We beginning to think seriously about getting another dog.  I have gotten the eight year old to agree that our next dog should be "like Cuchulainn" [ka-HOO-lin] instead of "a Chihuahua dog".

    My son has never personally know a Chihuahua, he just thinks they are cute.  Cute is nice, but we really need more than that.  I'd hate to tell my son that a coyote ate our dog.

    Parent

    Chihuahuas are cute (5.00 / 2) (#24)
    by Capt Howdy on Thu Aug 13, 2009 at 10:20:39 AM EST
    but sometimes you need a high tolerance for yapping.
    which I do not have.

    Parent
    Our dog barked. (5.00 / 1) (#36)
    by Fabian on Thu Aug 13, 2009 at 12:46:23 PM EST
    but he never barked at nothing.

    Nothing will drive me up a wall like a dog thinks that everything deserves to be barked at - a falling leaf, a passing car, the shadow of a cloud.  Not useful.

    Parent

    my neighbor (none / 0) (#42)
    by Capt Howdy on Thu Aug 13, 2009 at 01:13:49 PM EST
    very nice lady, got a dog from the shelter a few months ago.  he is a yapper.  he is a terrier so he is a yapper.  the poor lady apologizes for the dog every time she sees me.  it doesnt really bother me.
    but the dog just goes ape sh!t every time he sees me (or anyone or anything else) like he as never seen me before.

    the other day she said "what can I do"

    I said theres nothing you can do.  he is a terrier that what he does.

    Parent

    There are things (5.00 / 1) (#44)
    by Fabian on Thu Aug 13, 2009 at 01:26:28 PM EST
    she can try.  Terriers tend to bark either as alerts (Hey! There's something here!) or to try to scare off intruders (Hey! Go AWAY!).  Dogs that are anxious frequently do the bark-while-backing-up routine.  

    You can work with dogs that do alert barks by acknowledging the alert - "Good job!  Now, leave it.".  Alert barks are for the human's benefit, generally once the human responds, the dog feels it has done its job and stands down.

    Anxious dogs generally need to feel more secure.  Rescue dogs may respond well to exercises designed to make them feel more in control of their environment.  

    Parent

    I will pass along (5.00 / 1) (#45)
    by Capt Howdy on Thu Aug 13, 2009 at 01:35:42 PM EST
    she doesnt seem very good at the whole thing.  one thing I know is you have to be consistent and she is not.

    she will just scream impotently at him and he ignores her.  honestly I prefer his barking to hers.


    Parent

    Poor her! Poor dog! (5.00 / 2) (#49)
    by Fabian on Thu Aug 13, 2009 at 01:57:46 PM EST
    She needs to listen to the dog.  Watch the dog.  Animals use a lot of body language and it's frequently easy to tell if they are happy or calm or anxious or excited.  

    In order for your dog to be calm, first you must be calm.

    Your dog needs to know what you want it to do.  Use positive commands whenever possible.  "Sit!" is the best all purpose command.  

    Yelling at a dog is unlikely to do anything but make it more anxious and confused.  

    Parent

    yeah (none / 0) (#52)
    by Capt Howdy on Thu Aug 13, 2009 at 02:08:06 PM EST
    I am pretty certain I could stop the dog from doing what he does.

    my sister is the same way.  they have two dogs that dependably go completely ape sh!t at anything and everything.  when they do she will sort of lackadaisically tell them to be quiet and they completely ignore her.

    I dont believe there was a dog ever born that I could not train to not do this.  

    Parent

    Are we going to read a future (none / 0) (#13)
    by MO Blue on Thu Aug 13, 2009 at 09:34:26 AM EST
    article about the man with a hundred dogs? :) Kind of the equivalent of a cat lady.

    All silliness aside, I can't wait to see your pictures of Daisy and possibly "Papa Husky" and hear how Ghost is reacting to his new family member(s).

    Parent

    its possible. (5.00 / 3) (#16)
    by Capt Howdy on Thu Aug 13, 2009 at 09:48:06 AM EST
    I figure Im already drowning in white hair so no big difference there.
    I think I may have one of my office mates who has been toying with the idea of getting a dog sold on the Papa.

    if not, I may indeed end up with three 60 pound hairballs.

    even better the new Ford Edge I just bought has a black interior.  I tried to find the one that would show the white dog hair the most.


    Parent

    Well if you are going to have (5.00 / 2) (#18)
    by MO Blue on Thu Aug 13, 2009 at 10:00:27 AM EST
    an abundance of white dog hair, you might as well flaunt it. LOL.

    Parent
    picking her up (none / 0) (#40)
    by Capt Howdy on Thu Aug 13, 2009 at 12:57:30 PM EST
    on Saturday.

    Parent
    Ultra Deep Galaxies distance from (none / 0) (#5)
    by easilydistracted on Thu Aug 13, 2009 at 09:09:26 AM EST
    earth: 47 billion light years. Incomprehensible to me.  

    Parent
    From the other open thread (none / 0) (#4)
    by CST on Thu Aug 13, 2009 at 09:07:48 AM EST
    Good economic news from across the pond.  Maybe the end really is in sight.  They were much better off than we were, still are, but this sure isn't bad news for us either.

    although (none / 0) (#7)
    by CST on Thu Aug 13, 2009 at 09:12:40 AM EST
    this article takes a less rosy view.

    Looks like the rest of Europe still has a ways to go.

    Parent

    Peep this... (none / 0) (#8)
    by kdog on Thu Aug 13, 2009 at 09:18:58 AM EST
    saw The Wailers last night (skankin' good time, btw:)...during an interlude Junior Marvin got to talking about the world's problems and dropped Obama's name...and got a scattering of boos.  He was obviously taken aback a little bit.

    I was sure surprised...if Obama is drawing boos at a reggae show in NYC of all places, his name is becoming Mudd.

    Who knows...but I think it was something more than just his pathetic drug war stance that drew the boos.

    Come on Kdog (none / 0) (#26)
    by Militarytracy on Thu Aug 13, 2009 at 10:23:51 AM EST
    Boos at a NYC reggae show are about his drug stance.  I watched him pass out 16 Presidential Medals of Freedom yesterday to Stephen Hawkings, Billie Jean King, Sidney Poitier, Desmond Tutu, Joseph Lowery, Harvey Milk, Ted Kennedy....just to name a few.

    Parent
    It's possible... (5.00 / 1) (#27)
    by kdog on Thu Aug 13, 2009 at 10:29:55 AM EST
    but ya had to hear the timing of it...Junior specifically mentioned healthcare as amongst the problems facing humanity, name drops Obama and the boo-birds came out..Junior didn't mention the crowd's sacrament.

    Parent
    The boo-birds....I love it (none / 0) (#28)
    by Militarytracy on Thu Aug 13, 2009 at 10:32:08 AM EST
    Could it be that reggae lovers are ready for some single payer NOW?

    Parent
    Could be... (none / 0) (#29)
    by kdog on Thu Aug 13, 2009 at 10:38:08 AM EST
    I don't think Junior has been following the policies of Obama and his party too closely...imo they are not allies to the positivity and evolution and hard work he was advocating for.

    Parent
    I confess to being a little concerned about the... (none / 0) (#10)
    by magster on Thu Aug 13, 2009 at 09:23:18 AM EST
    safety of our friends in Pittsburgh, given all the right wing overtures of violence the last couple of weeks.

    Union city (5.00 / 2) (#11)
    by andgarden on Thu Aug 13, 2009 at 09:25:09 AM EST
    I wouldn't worry too much.

    Parent
    Me either... (none / 0) (#20)
    by kdog on Thu Aug 13, 2009 at 10:06:28 AM EST
    its Pittsburgh, not Baghdad.

    I'm scared to think what kinda laws we'd have if we lived in a truly dangerous place...it don't get much safer than Main St. USA.  Granted its not as peaceful as Tokyo, but I think we're doing better than allright...I'll never get why we're so afraid of each other.

    Parent

    James Carville (none / 0) (#21)
    by CST on Thu Aug 13, 2009 at 10:09:28 AM EST
    was hired to work on a campaign in Afghanistan because he is familiar with New Orleans.

    Pittsburgh is not New Orleans by any stretch of the imagination, but we've got our own Baghdads on this side of the pond too.

    Parent

    This guy (none / 0) (#31)
    by eric on Thu Aug 13, 2009 at 11:02:48 AM EST
    wasn't in the Union.

    LINK

    Parent

    I realize that I often need the concerned (5.00 / 1) (#30)
    by Militarytracy on Thu Aug 13, 2009 at 10:50:04 AM EST
    to remind me to check my concern level because I wasn't born with an automatic concern checker....but I can't worry about this.  I refuse to be this frightened in the environments I live in.  I refuse to allow myself to be terrorized.  The evil is just going to have to look me in the eye.

    Parent
    Amen sister... (none / 0) (#33)
    by kdog on Thu Aug 13, 2009 at 11:08:54 AM EST
    a lady after me own heart:)

    And I pity the evil that stares down M.T....I know I don't have the stones to pull a stunt like that:)

    Parent

    Just wait till I get a hold of Penn Jillette (5.00 / 2) (#34)
    by Militarytracy on Thu Aug 13, 2009 at 11:15:51 AM EST
    I'm only 5'7" but I'm much meaner than Hillary.  Hopefully he can run faster than I can.  I still can't believe that dude claiming he was soooo afraid of an angry Hillary Clinton.  I guess the only woman Penn respects is one he can pay money to to have her run around naked on his cable show.  I have news for him though, women are obviously just as complex as men whether he likes us that way or not.  What a jerk though!  I have never really cared for his show because everyone is always so naked, but I will go to great lengths now to make sure he never makes a nickel off of anything to do with me.

    Parent
    Pittsburgh Resident (none / 0) (#17)
    by WillieB on Thu Aug 13, 2009 at 09:55:27 AM EST
    As a resident of Pittsburgh I don't think there is anything to worry about. As andgarden said Pittsburgh is a union town (although the power of the unions have declined as the manufacturing jobs moved overseas)and the Democrats have a large majority in registrations.

    I don't think we have had a "R" mayor in over 60+ years.

    also very cool (none / 0) (#19)
    by Capt Howdy on Thu Aug 13, 2009 at 10:04:57 AM EST
    Orange County Choppers Builds an EV. Seriously

    Will Booman bring tea bags? (none / 0) (#22)
    by Militarytracy on Thu Aug 13, 2009 at 10:09:39 AM EST


    In other news (none / 0) (#23)
    by lilburro on Thu Aug 13, 2009 at 10:10:06 AM EST
    where is Bo?  I need more pictures of this creature.  I'm sure he has grown.

    I'm putting the birthers on this one.  Is Bo really alive?  Is Bo really a ruse for a secret pack of Siberian Huskies being trained to help Obama's socialist takeover of the former slave owning South?  Please, someone, find out.  

    The Birthers got Punked (none / 0) (#32)
    by Militarytracy on Thu Aug 13, 2009 at 11:07:59 AM EST
    Josh makes me watch Ashton Kutcher punk people on television.  I wonder if Ashton did this?

    The Globe (none / 0) (#38)
    by Fabian on Thu Aug 13, 2009 at 12:55:19 PM EST
    headline: Birth Certificate A Fake!

    I'm not sure what that says about birthers....


    Parent

    In the Globe (none / 0) (#56)
    by Militarytracy on Thu Aug 13, 2009 at 02:28:50 PM EST
    Which birth cert are they saying is fake...the one from Hawaii or the one from Kenya?

    Parent
    I didn't crack it open. (none / 0) (#57)
    by Fabian on Thu Aug 13, 2009 at 03:58:02 PM EST
    Just checking the tabloids while school shopping today.

    Parent
    From the "protect & serve" beat.... (none / 0) (#37)
    by kdog on Thu Aug 13, 2009 at 12:54:33 PM EST
    I guess there is no time or will to help this guy, or this gal...too many tickets to write and people to harass I guess, only so many hours in the day.

    Though in the case of the subway perv, the officer might have just assumed the perv was one of their own.

    I don't know if this artist... (none / 0) (#41)
    by kdog on Thu Aug 13, 2009 at 01:10:27 PM EST
    is going for political theater or just some unique performance art...I say brilliant on both counts.  

    Of course the up-tight brigade has their collective knickers in a bunch, kudos to the fuzz for letting him be depite the calls for chains.

    I try not to be uptight (none / 0) (#43)
    by Capt Howdy on Thu Aug 13, 2009 at 01:15:51 PM EST
    but it does seem a little misguided to me.


    Parent
    I think it is brilliant... (none / 0) (#46)
    by kdog on Thu Aug 13, 2009 at 01:36:30 PM EST
    political theater...I don't know if he was going for that or just shock value, either way though I say rock-on Sugarman!

    Parent
    Nice (none / 0) (#48)
    by squeaky on Thu Aug 13, 2009 at 01:52:15 PM EST
    Sounds like a good artist, imo. Hope that some wackjob cop does not bust him though. I believe it is just as illegal to sell fake drugs as real drugs, go figure.

    Parent
    Yeah... (none / 0) (#50)
    by kdog on Thu Aug 13, 2009 at 02:02:42 PM EST
    but only if you're trying to pass the fake stuff off as the real thing (I believe), this guy is selling sugar as sugar, only in a packaging usually reserved for crack....not to really confuse us:)

    Tyranny sure is a tangled web.

    Parent

    Fine Line (none / 0) (#55)
    by squeaky on Thu Aug 13, 2009 at 02:25:17 PM EST
    Personally, I think that the artist has a lot of guts, and is putting his a$$ on the line. The cops and prosecutor do not really give a sh*t about intent, imo, if they decide it is in their interest to make a bust of this sort.

    Not so sure that Farris thought he was selling real drugs:

    The drugs turned out to be fake. Whether Farris viewed the sale of bogus meth as another technique for preventing drug abuse is unclear, but since it is just as illegal to sell counterfeit controlled substances as it is to peddle the genuine merchandise, Farris will be explaining how to survive our drug obsessed culture to his fellow inmates until he's able to post bail.


    Parent
    U, V, or W shape recovery? (none / 0) (#47)
    by Jlvngstn on Thu Aug 13, 2009 at 01:46:47 PM EST
    I say it will look the the southern border of the US from CA to NJ.  We are in New Mexico now and the visit to Texas is going to be awful.  On our way to Louisiana we are going to feel like it is finally over and spend a little more than we have.  Soon after that we will have to go through Florida and jobs will take another beating.

    Suddenly in 5 or 6 years some green technology (due to investment by the US gov't) will take off and our climb through the carolinas will feel wonderful, VA & PA will restore us close to normal and we will flatten out to 99 levels somewhere around 2015.  

    I guess that is a "u" but a very wide one indeed....

    Green (none / 0) (#51)
    by Inspector Gadget on Thu Aug 13, 2009 at 02:02:53 PM EST
    I saw an interview this morning with Brad Pitt. He was giving a short tour of the area of NOLA where his charitable organization is rebuilding homes that are very, very green in their design. One point he made was worth note: 15 houses exist now in that town and they have the distinctive honor of being the greenest town in America.

    worst/best baseball fight ever (none / 0) (#53)
    by Dadler on Thu Aug 13, 2009 at 02:14:31 PM EST
    25 years ago, the Padres and Braves gave basebrawl and entirely new meaning.  Me and my college buddies are emailing today about our memories of watching this on TBS.  Good times, good times.

    Thursday Morning Open Thread | 57 comments (57 topical)

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