home

Thursday Morning Open Thread

Open Thread.

< Portland Police Re-Open Al Gore Masseuse Investigation | Tax Cuts For The Rich, Nothing For The Jobless >
  • The Online Magazine with Liberal coverage of crime-related political and injustice news

  • Contribute To TalkLeft


  • Display: Sort:
    Moving right along. (5.00 / 1) (#27)
    by KeysDan on Thu Jul 01, 2010 at 12:10:03 PM EST
    In response to the April 20 BP Deep Horizon Blowout, President Obama, on May 22,  launched a Blue Ribbon Commission, naming former Senator Bob Graham and former EPA Director Wm. Reilly as co-chairs, with the statement: We can only pursue offshore oil drilling if we have assurances that a disaster like the BP oil spill will not happen again...The Commission will, I hope, help provide those assurances.." By the end of June, the seven-membered Commission had been appointed, and the first meeting is scheduled to take place in New Orleans, July12-13.  On June 23, the House voted (420 to l) to give the Commission subpoena power.  Senator DeMint, not acting for himself, but for anonymous members of the Republican conference, has objected and has placed a hold on the subpoena matter. Meanwhile, the State Department has announced that it has now approved several offers from foreign countries to assist in containment and clean-up of the still gushing blowout.

    Business as usual in the Senate (5.00 / 1) (#29)
    by ruffian on Thu Jul 01, 2010 at 12:40:32 PM EST
    I'll give DeMint credit for being clear from the start about his motivations. Block everything, no matter what the consequences for the country.

    What I fear will happen is that those who set the bar low enough as far as finding "assurances that a disaster like the BP oil spill will not happen again" will find them, no matter what happens with the commission. Many of the gulf state pols are already fine with it.

    Parent

    Yes, the Senate is (5.00 / 1) (#36)
    by KeysDan on Thu Jul 01, 2010 at 02:38:11 PM EST
    a new part of it, but it did not take long for the "moratorium" to morph into deep water only, with shallow water (less than 499 ft) permitted.  And, of course, then we have the "Oil Judge" who did not like the moratorium.  And, we have Salazar who seems stymied by the ruling and is now working on a better rationale for the moratorium, And, the DOJ or MMS (I know, I know) who might suspend all permits for drilling because of fraud and/or deception (for example, those cut and paste plans that included safety for all those Walruses in the Gulf)  in obtaining permits or, at least, suspension until such time as new plans are presented to deal with a spill.

    Parent
    If they suspend all permits (5.00 / 1) (#41)
    by ruffian on Thu Jul 01, 2010 at 03:04:52 PM EST
    I'll be surprised and happy. But they will never have the nerve to buck the oil companies and their pols.

    Parent
    fyi (5.00 / 1) (#75)
    by BackFromOhio on Thu Jul 01, 2010 at 09:00:02 PM EST
    See the Rolling Stone article on "BP's Next Disaster" --

    link

    Parent

    so (5.00 / 1) (#57)
    by Capt Howdy on Thu Jul 01, 2010 at 05:25:35 PM EST
    Lenny Kravitz was sitting on a terrace at Jax Brewery in the French
    Quarter, looking out over the Mississippi river.  While sitting there, he
    realized that a high school chorus on the boardwalk was performing Fly Away.
    So he went down and joined them.  Totally impromptu, unplanned.  This chorus
    is out there doing their high school chorus thing, and Lenny Kravitz walks
    up and joins them.  So this high school kid is playing lead guitar on Fly
    Away while Lenny Kravitz plays drums.  Is this the best thing that will
    happen to this kid like ever, or what?

    Video is 5m long.  Kravitz directs the choir, then takes over on drums, then
    sings lead.  Worth it to watch the whole 5 minutes.


    If LK walked up to me while I was playing (none / 0) (#70)
    by coast on Thu Jul 01, 2010 at 07:07:01 PM EST
    one of his songs, there is no way I won't stop playing.  That had to be staged.  Regardless, it was really cool and LK is one of the smoothest MF out there.  Thanks for video.

    Parent
    Remember Swine Flu? (1.00 / 1) (#1)
    by kdog on Thu Jul 01, 2010 at 10:42:11 AM EST
    40 million doses of the vaccine are about to get tossed in the incinerator...more money well spent by Uncle Sam...lol.

    They'll say it was a reasonable precaution...I say it was just another reverse Robin Hood scam made possible by the ever popular "spread the fear!".

    Mixed bag for me (5.00 / 1) (#8)
    by Militarytracy on Thu Jul 01, 2010 at 11:05:25 AM EST
    The past H1N1 was pretty selective about who it took down.  I'm fairly certain that everyone in this house was exposed at some point and sick before they were vaccinated, but it was very mild.  I have had much worse flu.  My daughters new beau (she gets a few of those) got it though and he was hospitalized for three weeks.  The kid was a freshman and had a baseball scholorship, he pitches a 95 mph fastball and he is pretty good.  The illness really messed up his schooling, training, and scholorship though.  He's going into aviation mechanics and is in college for that and isn't sure about getting back into the baseball scene.  We haven't had any super athletes in this family, but I don't think he should give up on his baseball talents that easily and perhaps he won't.  The flu put his life in a blender and pulsed though.

    Parent
    I think you are both right (none / 0) (#4)
    by ruffian on Thu Jul 01, 2010 at 10:51:08 AM EST
    Once the 'spread the fear' gets going, the gov can't get caught unprepared. If there had not been enough vaccine, you can imagine the holy hell that would have been raised.

    Parent
    There wasn't enough vaccine... (none / 0) (#6)
    by kdog on Thu Jul 01, 2010 at 11:01:00 AM EST
    by the time they got it we learned the swine flu threat was waaaay overblown.

    I'm sure somebody's crony got paid...thats what counts:)

    Parent

    Sorry you don't believe in science much (5.00 / 2) (#14)
    by gyrfalcon on Thu Jul 01, 2010 at 11:24:26 AM EST
    kdog.  Really.  The behavior of new viruses in a population, like the paths of hurricanes, can't be precisely predicted.  If you wait until you're absolutely certain a major hurricane is going to hit your area before you evacuate (or build solid levees), you won't be able to do it in time.

    Parent
    Science I believe in... (none / 0) (#18)
    by kdog on Thu Jul 01, 2010 at 11:42:33 AM EST
    fearmongering posing as science, I do not.  

    Parent
    True (5.00 / 1) (#23)
    by squeaky on Thu Jul 01, 2010 at 11:56:00 AM EST
    Cry wolf... but with a potential epidemic it is good to temper the immunity to fearmongering with letting at least a small portion of your brain realize that it is super easy for masses of people to die from a microscopic warrior. That is something that cannot be undone and if it is easily prevented, even worse of a tragedy.

    What happened at the end of the cry wolf story? Yeah, an alternate moral is not to be trained by fearmongering (lies) in either direction. Danger does exist. Just because we have not seen a major epidemic where we see people falling on the street does not mean the real possibility is a fairy tale.

    Parent

    sometimes I think it will take (none / 0) (#24)
    by Capt Howdy on Thu Jul 01, 2010 at 11:58:33 AM EST
    a Stephen King/Stand kind of virus to make people believe that.

    Parent
    Dustin Hoffman as Eboli-buster. (none / 0) (#39)
    by oculus on Thu Jul 01, 2010 at 02:50:32 PM EST
    Of course it is possible... (none / 0) (#25)
    by kdog on Thu Jul 01, 2010 at 12:00:31 PM EST
    and I have a suspicion it will come one day in our anti-bacterial disenfenctant crazy world....the super bug.

    I just had a sneaking suspicion this swine flu stuff wasn't it, and my knuckleheaded arse was vindicated...this time...next time maybe not:)

    Parent

    Pat yourself on the back (5.00 / 1) (#31)
    by me only on Thu Jul 01, 2010 at 01:11:51 PM EST
    anti-bacterial disenfenctant crazy world....the super bug.

    Swine Flu was a virus.

    Parent

    Yeah (none / 0) (#28)
    by squeaky on Thu Jul 01, 2010 at 12:17:16 PM EST
    I did not get a vaccine either. But I did not believe that I was in a particularly vulnerable class of people, being healthy etc, not that I thought it was a hoax.

    My point is only that it hard to not be trained by liars to expect that everything they say is a lie and just go to sleep so to speak. It is very difficult, but worth the effort to keep alert, in the face of repeated lies.

    Staying awake is tough. Had it been easy, 9/11 may not have happened, Iraq war definitely would not have happened...

    Parent

    Good advice... (none / 0) (#34)
    by kdog on Thu Jul 01, 2010 at 01:17:21 PM EST
    I don't doubt my over-jadedness will bite me in the arse one day:)

    Parent
    Good for you. (none / 0) (#42)
    by gyrfalcon on Thu Jul 01, 2010 at 03:05:47 PM EST
    However, that's not what was going on here.  Weren't you paying attention?  Media does not equal scientists.  The fact that media was doing its usual thing of fear-mongering does not negate the solid science of the virologists and epidemiologists who were studying this thing.

    And yes, your head-in-the-sand dismissiveness is likely going to come back and bite you in the butt one day.

    Parent

    If it will make you all (5.00 / 1) (#44)
    by Zorba on Thu Jul 01, 2010 at 03:56:54 PM EST
    feel any better (or maybe not), Mr. Zorba, who is a virologist (maybe I should be referring to him as Dr. Zorba), says that, while swine flu (which he thought was way over-hyped by the media, although not in any way a benign disease, especially for some) was not the huge, deadly pandemic everyone feared, there will be a huge, deadly pandemic at some point in the future, most likely in our lifetime.

    Parent
    When you say "our lifetime", (none / 0) (#46)
    by coast on Thu Jul 01, 2010 at 04:00:29 PM EST
    some of "our" lives are a little further along than others around here.  Care to through out a number?

    Parent
    Say within (none / 0) (#49)
    by Zorba on Thu Jul 01, 2010 at 04:25:55 PM EST
    the next 20-30 years.

    Parent
    Rats (none / 0) (#50)
    by coast on Thu Jul 01, 2010 at 04:29:06 PM EST
    I was hoping you were talking to the really young posters.  Oh well.  Thanks Doc.

    Parent
    Not me, (5.00 / 2) (#54)
    by Zorba on Thu Jul 01, 2010 at 05:02:14 PM EST
    My husband is "the doctor" (PhD, not MD).  Bear in mind, when he says "our lifetime" or, maybe, "20-30 years" as a projection for a possible epidemic, it could be as little as five, it could be up to 50 years.  Again, if that will make you feel better.  Or not.  Also bear in mind, he's a molecular virologist, not an epidemiologist, but he probably knows more about the structure, replication, and mutation of viruses than most epidemiologists, who are mostly concerned with tracking the numbers and locations of diseases than with the molecular biology of the pathogens themselves.  Let us all just hope that, when it comes, we will have a large number of effective antivirals available to which the infectious agent has not developed resistance, and that we have the manufacturing capability and the ability to get them out to everyone in a timely, efficient manner.  Swine flu has already shown resistance to Tamiflu in some patients, under certain conditions.  So we need several antivirals, and we need the ability to get them out to everyone quickly.

    Parent
    That I buy... (none / 0) (#58)
    by kdog on Thu Jul 01, 2010 at 05:29:02 PM EST
    we've been overpopulating this planet for sometime now, it's only a matter of time till mother nature does her thing to thin us out...she always does.

    Parent
    Think of it this way, Dog (5.00 / 2) (#62)
    by Zorba on Thu Jul 01, 2010 at 06:02:29 PM EST
    If the diseases don't get us, the way we cr@p up our environment (see: Gulf Oil Spill, among others) will.  Or wars.  Think of retaliation and "weapons of mass destruction" in malevolent hands.  I'm not just talking nukes, I'm also talking biological weapons.  Not to mention mass starvation.  You think that happens only in Third World countries because of droughts and civil wars and such?  Just imagine what will happen as mono-culture becomes more and more common.  By that I mean, the same exact varieties of certain crops are being grown all over, some because of genetic engineering, and some because of regular cross-breeding.  Strains that are prolific and popular (and therefore more profitable) tend to replace all other varieties.  You get something that infects that particular strain- a fungus or whatever, and poof!  all those plants or whatever die out.  That already happened to bananas earlier in the 20th Century (replaced by the bananas we now eat), and honey-bee colonies are going belly-up (not just a danger to our supplies of honey, because bees are vital in pollinating a whole lot of commercial crops).  Then we have the effects of climate change, and how that will effect the weather, and eventually our food plants, and coastal cities with massive dislocations of people.  And on and on.  Sorry to be Debbie Downer today.  Maybe I need to make myself a stiff drink.

    Parent
    Make it two! (none / 0) (#63)
    by kdog on Thu Jul 01, 2010 at 06:22:15 PM EST
    I hear ya sister...why ya think I wasn't touchin' the swine flu vaccine with a ten foot pole?

    We're too smart for our own good.

    Parent

    Come on over, Dog (none / 0) (#68)
    by Zorba on Thu Jul 01, 2010 at 07:02:30 PM EST
    I've got Tito's Handmade Vodka on the rocks with a twist of lemon.  ;-)

    Parent
    Will it become a deadly pandemic (none / 0) (#53)
    by Untold Story on Thu Jul 01, 2010 at 04:50:56 PM EST
    because we are overly vaccinated and thus our immune systems become intolerable of additional vaccines and antibiotics known today?

    Parent
    Not according (5.00 / 2) (#56)
    by Zorba on Thu Jul 01, 2010 at 05:21:08 PM EST
    to my husband.  It will become a deadly pandemic because flu viruses mutate quite readily, and in today's world, with everyone traveling all over and inter-mingling all the time, it will spread rapidly.  The fact that in some countries, people are still living practically on top of their animals (particularly domestic fowl and pigs), and the fact that some of these animal flus can become zoonotic (spread from animals to humans) does not help.  The more people there are, the more food animals they live with intimately, the more travel there is, the more flu there is.

    Parent
    The question, kdog, (none / 0) (#59)
    by christinep on Thu Jul 01, 2010 at 05:30:04 PM EST
    Who did the fearmongering? I remember wondering, when the virus was first reported, whether it was the media's usual overstatement. Remember all those top-of-the-news stories of the worst-flu-ever variety emanating from Mexico City (and all the masks to go with it?) The media runs with it. Then, we all do. The government has to respond quickly, then, for a number of reasons...not the least of which is failing to act when citizens face a health scare the size of Katrina.

    So, what do you think would have been the better approach...to wait it out (or otherwise try to talk through the risk) OR to err on the side of health caution (as the government seemed to do) OR ???

    And, since you mention potential profiteers from this scare, who do you believe they were? (It is important to push back here, don't you think? Else might we not all grow reflexively cynical?)

    Parent

    It can't be denied... (none / 0) (#60)
    by kdog on Thu Jul 01, 2010 at 05:51:06 PM EST
    outfits like Johnson & Johnson, Merck, GlaxoSmithKline made a pretty penny on the "scare", and got immunity from lawsuits outta the deal.

    And it wasn't just the media overblowing it, the WHO and the CDC did their part.

    What I would have done if it were my call?  Probably tell people to isolate themselves if they felt ill, and those with immune system problems to consult their doctor about the vaccine.  

    Not a good vaccine marketing strategy, I know:)

    Parent

    Lenny Kravitz fan, no? (none / 0) (#61)
    by Capt Howdy on Thu Jul 01, 2010 at 05:54:41 PM EST
    did you see the link at the bottom?

    Parent
    Just peeped it... (none / 0) (#64)
    by kdog on Thu Jul 01, 2010 at 06:29:22 PM EST
    that was crazy.

    Parent
    Hey, kdog, did you hear about the (none / 0) (#66)
    by caseyOR on Thu Jul 01, 2010 at 06:39:13 PM EST
    Spaghetti-Os recall? I remember that your emergency preparedness kit for future disasters is stocked with canned noodle foodstuffs, but I couldn't remember if it is Spaghetti-Os or Chef Boy-R-Dee. If it is the former, toss 'em. They be poison.

    Wouldn't want you to survive the initial apocalypse only to be brought down by your food stash. :)

    Parent

    Close call... (none / 0) (#81)
    by kdog on Fri Jul 02, 2010 at 07:45:23 AM EST
    but I've got crates of the Boyardee...which is surely poison too, just more benign than that Franco-American brand:)

    Parent
    Not a good marketing strategy, yes (none / 0) (#69)
    by christinep on Thu Jul 01, 2010 at 07:03:08 PM EST
    But, some sensible comments about pharmacy companies.

    Parent
    Don't think virus entirely new (none / 0) (#73)
    by BackFromOhio on Thu Jul 01, 2010 at 08:50:41 PM EST
    That's why the elderly were affected less than others -- because some version of this virus was here in the 1950s -- I think 1957.

    Parent
    As comparted to what AGW (none / 0) (#32)
    by jimakaPPJ on Thu Jul 01, 2010 at 01:14:28 PM EST
    would cost us that is not a drop in the bucket.

    The alarmists are always with us.

    Parent

    As are ... (none / 0) (#67)
    by Yman on Thu Jul 01, 2010 at 07:02:20 PM EST
    ... the ostriches.

    Parent
    It was a reasonable precaution (none / 0) (#72)
    by Cream City on Thu Jul 01, 2010 at 08:28:53 PM EST
    and the publicity worked well to protect those of us who work and live with the most prone publics.

    I suspect that those who dismiss the government's actions do not work and live among thousands of, for example, people in their late teens and early '20s.  So the dismissers did not see how the flu swept through that group last fall, felling them all around us.

    And for those of us who have health conditions that could be seriously compromised by coming down with that flu, who are prone to serious problems from its complications, well, I was not the only one who was very grateful for the major effort to get the vaccines to us and to the youngsters, although too many of them dismissed it as well.  So they were the ones who were most likely to fall so far behind in classes that they flunked, to lose jobs so they could not return to school, etc. . . . no matter how much we tried, and we did across the country, to help them.

    It was a h*llish fall for that reason for teachers, essentially having to teach dozens and even hundreds of students one by one to catch them up.  It would have been far worse without the warnings and the extent of vaccination that did occur.  And what we learned, what the leftover supply tells us, is what we saw with the delays in getting the supply out there (as some of you apparently do not recall):  The government needed to act even sooner.

    So it was a useful test run for the even bigger one that seems bound to come our way. . . .

    Parent

    Apple and AT&T sued over iPhone 4 (none / 0) (#2)
    by ruffian on Thu Jul 01, 2010 at 10:44:32 AM EST
    antenna issues

    Interesting legal issues...if you know your product is not perfect, are you allowed to sell it? If the problem is only on some phones, and not others, why doesn't Apple just give replacement phones? I've tried two different phones that co-workers just bought, using my left-handed death grip, and have had no problem. Seems like really bad handling of this by Apple. I guess Jobs won't be sending out pithy emails to strangers anymore. That's too bad.

    Oh, dear (none / 0) (#5)
    by Zorba on Thu Jul 01, 2010 at 10:56:54 AM EST
    Are you still having problems with your own iPhone, ruffian?  We have a friend who has a Droid, and swears by it- says it's better than the iPhone.  But then, he's a real nerd, and probably spends much more time surfing the web and using the other apps, than he does actually talking on it.  So I guess it depends on what you want it for.

    Parent
    We are not AT&T (none / 0) (#10)
    by Militarytracy on Thu Jul 01, 2010 at 11:12:35 AM EST
    They don't have the best coverage for this divot we live in.  I can't even operate the palm I have in a predictable manner, but that droid sure looks good.  It looks so pretty and I bet it can eventually make me cry on a stress filled day :)  I did get a Roomba for my bday, and I love that.  We get along well, but still a learning experience.  Every part of it comes off to be cleaned.

    Parent
    Verizon to offer iPhone (none / 0) (#65)
    by caseyOR on Thu Jul 01, 2010 at 06:32:15 PM EST
    starting in January 2011. So, if you don't use AT&T, this may be your chance to jump on the iPhone bandwagon. Verizon is currently building its G4 network and is supposed to release a number of G4 devices after the first of the year.

    Verizon is my carrier, but I have an old fashioned cell phone, the kind that makes and receives calls and that's about it. I love my Mac laptop, but I am resistant to gadgets that require batteries, but do not allow for the batteries to be replaced. Hence, no iPhone in the offing for me.

    Parent

    To my knowledge (none / 0) (#78)
    by jimakaPPJ on Thu Jul 01, 2010 at 09:53:28 PM EST
    all lap tops and cell phones have replaceable batteries... In fact, I use to carry a fully charged spare that I could swap out,

    Parent
    iPhone body is completely sealed. (none / 0) (#79)
    by caseyOR on Thu Jul 01, 2010 at 11:22:29 PM EST
    The back cannot be opened. The battery cannot be removed and replaced.

    iPod is the same. No way to change and/or remove the battery.

    My MAC laptop, on the other hand, does have a removable and replaceable battery.

    Parent

    Interesting (none / 0) (#80)
    by jimakaPPJ on Fri Jul 02, 2010 at 07:20:43 AM EST
    Then Apple is selling an expensive item that can't be repaired.

    I wonder where all my environmentalist friends are on this.

    Parent

    Your environmentalist "friends" ... (none / 0) (#82)
    by Yman on Fri Jul 02, 2010 at 12:30:47 PM EST
    ... know basic facts before they comment, such as the fact that the Iphone can be repaired, and while Iphone battery cannot be replaced by the user, it can be replaced by Apple (or a third party service) after their batteries are unable to hold a charge.

    Parent
    So I was correct in my comment #78 (none / 0) (#83)
    by jimakaPPJ on Sat Jul 03, 2010 at 08:32:19 AM EST
    in that the battery can be replaced but only by a "third party" with the proper tools."

    Seems rather typical for Apple.

    So beloved by so many of my environmentalist friends.

    Parent

    No, you were incorrect (none / 0) (#84)
    by Yman on Mon Jul 05, 2010 at 05:35:03 PM EST
    To my knowledge all lap tops and cell phones have replaceable batteries... In fact, I use to carry a fully charged spare that I could swap out

    You suggested the battery in the IPhone could not be replaced, and said nothing about "only by a a third party with the proper tools".  You then suggested your "environmentalist friends" were being hypocritical in supporting Apple products, since they were "an expensive item that cannot be repaired".

    Neither of which is true.

    The problem, as usual, was the first three words qualifying your claim.

    Parent

    Correction (none / 0) (#85)
    by Yman on Mon Jul 05, 2010 at 05:45:14 PM EST
    You initially claimed that all lap tops and cell phones have batteries that could be replaced by the user (as you did), then backtracked, suggesting that your "environmentalist friends" were being hypocritical for supporting products with batteries that were not repairable.

    Parent
    Nope, no problems myself (none / 0) (#21)
    by ruffian on Thu Jul 01, 2010 at 11:50:14 AM EST
    with my 3GS. I was considering upgrading to the new phone, but definitely will wait until they fix this- without the use of a rubber bumper!

    Parent
    Supreme court hearings (none / 0) (#3)
    by CST on Thu Jul 01, 2010 at 10:45:44 AM EST
    has anyone else noticed that republicans in congress seem much nicer and more respectfull of Kagan than Sotomayor.  I mean there were some downright nasty moments during that hearing.  This time they seem to be taking on Thurgood Marshall more than Kagan herself.

    agree (none / 0) (#12)
    by Militarytracy on Thu Jul 01, 2010 at 11:20:57 AM EST
    Kagan managed (none / 0) (#40)
    by Natal on Thu Jul 01, 2010 at 03:04:44 PM EST
    to get them laughing with her humor.  See here for some nice gems.

    Parent
    So what's with this (none / 0) (#7)
    by Zorba on Thu Jul 01, 2010 at 11:04:10 AM EST
    so-called Russian spy ring?  They were here ten years and didn't manage to do any actual spying- to the extent that they are not being charged with "espionage," but with "conspiracy to act as unregistered agents of a foreign government."  I realize that it's an old practice of many spy agencies to "embed" spies into another country, sometimes for years, in hopes that they can eventually worm their way into some agency or other and find out secrets, but this bunch does not seem to have found out anything that a reasonably bright, computer-literate (and aren't they all?) ten-year-old couldn't have discovered surfing the web.  Seems like the gang who couldn't shoot straight.  

    That's what I said... (none / 0) (#9)
    by kdog on Thu Jul 01, 2010 at 11:09:51 AM EST
    the smart play was to leave them alone and let them keep pumping those Russian dollars into the local economies.

    But far be it from the FBI to make a smart play...get the bust, get that promotion.

    Parent

    Sounds to me, (none / 0) (#11)
    by Zorba on Thu Jul 01, 2010 at 11:19:52 AM EST
    with the timing of this and all, more like someone at the FBI wanted to embarrass Obama after his meeting with Medvedev.

    Parent
    I read somewhere.... (none / 0) (#13)
    by kdog on Thu Jul 01, 2010 at 11:23:16 AM EST
    that Big O knew about the spy ring bust coming down the pike before the meeting, but who knows in the spook game...anything is possible.

    For all we know the CIA is dosing the suspects with LSD prior to interogation as we type:)

    Parent

    I bet they are using the (none / 0) (#16)
    by coast on Thu Jul 01, 2010 at 11:32:16 AM EST
    brown acid.  That was(is) some nasty stuff.

    Parent
    LOL... (none / 0) (#20)
    by kdog on Thu Jul 01, 2010 at 11:47:45 AM EST
    that comment hits home coast...my fungi experience took a very wrong turn last Saturday at the Further show for a couple hours...luckily my fellow travelers were there ( and sweet sweet sounds) to bring me back from the depths of a bad journey.  

    Never happened to me before in my dozens of prior experiences...respect the fungus!

    Parent

    Glad to hear you where able to turn it (none / 0) (#26)
    by coast on Thu Jul 01, 2010 at 12:02:31 PM EST
    around.  Its been many years since I walked that road.  Never really had a bad experience myself, except for the time when my "friends" acted like they were calling my parents.  That turned some good stuff bad pretty quick.  They were never really calling, but how the h#%$ was I suppose to know that.  I sat up in my friend's room for an hour or so trying to figure out if I could talk to my parents when they came.  They finally came up and told me thy were messing with me.  What aholes!  But good times nonetheless.

    Parent
    Not cool... (none / 0) (#33)
    by kdog on Thu Jul 01, 2010 at 01:16:04 PM EST
    of your buddies to play mind games in that fragile state...bad form!

    What sent me on a wrong turn was some serious dehydration combined with naseau, that lead to some vomiting before I could find a proper place to get sick (middle of a parking lot surrounded by hundreds of people not being a proper place), which lead to insane paranoia that everybody on a cell phone was calling the police...but once I got outta the parking lot and back to the beach I settled down after some hugs and kind words from friends...then we hit the show.

    I learned a lesson...avoid mid-day journeys in stoopid heat & humidity, at least in very crowded places covered in asphalt and crawling with cops:)  

    Parent

    This wasn't their first meeting (none / 0) (#15)
    by coast on Thu Jul 01, 2010 at 11:29:18 AM EST
    and the investigation has been going on for some time, so I don't think that was it but who knows.

    Parent
    I was being (none / 0) (#19)
    by Zorba on Thu Jul 01, 2010 at 11:44:12 AM EST
    a bit snarky with that suggestion.  ;-)  But it does seem to me that, since they knew who the people were and were following them (wiretaps, computer taps, etc, I assume) that they either could have waited until one or more of them started to do some actual spying and then arrested them for espionage, or better, surrounded them with counter-espionage operatives who were feeding them false information all along, to confuse and hinder the Russians.  This way, the Russians know their guys have been caught, and can try to get more capable operatives here.  Although, they may well have more capable people here already, and these clowns were meant to be caught, in order to make us complacent.........Oh, never mind, I've been reading too much Robert Ludlum.

    Parent
    Love Ludlum as well. (none / 0) (#22)
    by coast on Thu Jul 01, 2010 at 11:52:02 AM EST
    n/t

    Parent
    Their jobs were not (none / 0) (#71)
    by ruffian on Thu Jul 01, 2010 at 07:40:37 PM EST
    so much to find the secrets themselves, but rather to spot people who knew information, and pass the contact data  over to the 'spymasters', presumably for them to make approaches to the people. The agents in this ring had social jobs, like real estate agents, bankers,  business consultants, etc. For example, one might meet Joe the shuttle engineer that is over-extending himself buying a house. Maybe years later Joe gets befriended and might be approached to sell information. That is how technical secrets espionage works these days- mostly persuading Americans to sell information, not as much an agent finding it himself.

    Parent
    GOP candidates shooting machine guns (none / 0) (#17)
    by Capt Howdy on Thu Jul 01, 2010 at 11:32:34 AM EST
    for IE users (none / 0) (#30)
    by Jeralyn on Thu Jul 01, 2010 at 12:52:40 PM EST
    The home page got skewed this morning in IE (not firefox) and we figured out it was missing bracket in one of our entries. It's fixed now. Apologies to those of you who had trouble loading the site in your IE browsers this morning.

    A little money trouble... (none / 0) (#35)
    by kdog on Thu Jul 01, 2010 at 01:58:38 PM EST
    is all it takes to turn the dry and godly into wet sinners.

    A silver lining to every cloud...if the economy stays sh*tty and governments stay broke for much longer, it'll be a regular Sodom around here:)

    Weed can't be far behind:) (none / 0) (#37)
    by coast on Thu Jul 01, 2010 at 02:46:36 PM EST
    n/t

    Parent
    It's one of the last things... (none / 0) (#38)
    by kdog on Thu Jul 01, 2010 at 02:49:47 PM EST
    we manufacture/grow within our borders, and we do it as well as anybody.

    We're fools not to have done it already...but that tyranny sector have them some fine lobbyists, and the fearmongering workin' against us.  NY State will start selling 100 dollar scratch-offs first:)

    Parent

    just saw The Last Airbender (none / 0) (#43)
    by Capt Howdy on Thu Jul 01, 2010 at 03:16:21 PM EST
    pfft

    if you are not into effects and older than 8 dont bother.


    Son and daughter are (none / 0) (#45)
    by coast on Thu Jul 01, 2010 at 03:58:12 PM EST
    itching to see it.  Disappointing review.  I can take a good nap though.

    Parent
    they may love it (5.00 / 1) (#47)
    by Capt Howdy on Thu Jul 01, 2010 at 04:02:47 PM EST
    but one of the people I went with was a huge fan of the cartoon and the mumbled and grumbled the whole time.

    I actually liked it more than I expected to.  I usually like my dates pretty and dumb.  not my movies.

    Parent

    My kids are huge fans of the cartoon and (none / 0) (#48)
    by coast on Thu Jul 01, 2010 at 04:07:49 PM EST
    they are not too particular about their movies (as evidenced by the fact that they liked "Shark Boy and Lava Girl").

    Love your line "I usually like my dates pretty and dumb.  not my movies."

    Thanks for the heads-up on the movie.

    Parent

    More reviews (none / 0) (#51)
    by waldenpond on Thu Jul 01, 2010 at 04:46:50 PM EST
    Not too positive are they?

    Fans Unleash

    Parent

    someone just directed me to (none / 0) (#52)
    by Capt Howdy on Thu Jul 01, 2010 at 04:50:37 PM EST
    Rotten Tomatoes.  it has a "6".  thats six.
    I dont think I have ever seen a six.
    I cant wait to read some of the reviews when I have the time.

    I actually thought it would make lots of money.  and I suspect it might.

    the last tranformers movie wasnt rated much higher and it raked it in.

    it would not make me unhappy if it bombed.

    Parent

    this is interesting (none / 0) (#55)
    by Capt Howdy on Thu Jul 01, 2010 at 05:02:56 PM EST
    GOP warned on immigration

    Obama's allies have been blasting the GOP's blockade of immigration-reform legislation, making the case that Republicans will alienate a core constituency - conservative Christians - unless they get on board.

    Republicans have brushed off that warning

    Support for reform is growing among evangelicals like the Southern Baptist Convention's Richard Land and other conservatives including News Corp. chief Rupert Murdoch, said Ali Noorani, who heads immigrant advocacy group National Immigration Forum.

    So if Republicans continue to thwart reform efforts, Noorani and others say, they risk losing support among what perhaps is their largest constituency.

    "Right now, the ball is in the Republican court," said The Rev. Samuel Rodriguez, president of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference, a coalition of evangelical churches.




    Cat Food Commission Wins (none / 0) (#74)
    by waldenpond on Thu Jul 01, 2010 at 08:59:11 PM EST
    Thanks to Nancy Pelosi, [Embedded in the rule is the requirement that the House will vote on the deficit commission's recommendations in the lame duck session if they pass the Senate]  Snuck it into the war funding.   Sweeeeet!

    Firedoglake.

    IF they pass the Senate (5.00 / 1) (#77)
    by ruffian on Thu Jul 01, 2010 at 09:18:06 PM EST
    Seems like a fairly safe bet for Pelosi. We don't know what they are yet, but anything passing the Senate seems like a long shot to me these days.

    Parent
    Bittersweet (none / 0) (#76)
    by BackFromOhio on Thu Jul 01, 2010 at 09:09:34 PM EST
    at best

    Parent