“Soft despotism is a term coined by Alexis de Tocqueville describing the state into which a country overrun by "a network of small complicated rules" might degrade. Soft despotism is different from despotism (also called 'hard despotism') in the sense that it is not obvious to the people."
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Tupac Returns from the Dead
This is recent stage production with Tuapc as a hologram. Tupac was shot and killed 16 years ago. Tupac's Sunday night appearance at the Coachella music festival was a mind bender. Can Elvis be far behind?
President Cristina Kirchner's government on Monday proposed effectively nationalizing Argentina's largest oil-and-gas company, YPF YPF -11.16% SA. She proposed taking 51% of YPF from Spain's Repsol YPF SA REP.MC -6.06% at a price that is yet to be determined, leaving the Spanish firm with a 6% stake.
...
David Gualtieri, director of equity sales at Intermoney brokerage in Madrid, said uncertainty over the level of compensation and the effect on Repsol's credit rating and dividend payout will likely continue to weigh on the company's shares.
Compensation, to be determined by an Argentine tribunal, could take months or years to reach Repsol coffers, and in any case is likely to be far less than the company's preferred value.
In times past, government "service" was the career choice for people who didn't really believe in fun. Or had never had much practice at it, anyway.
...
Yesterday, Jeff Neely, who was the official in charge of the Las Vegas event, answered questions of a congressional committee investigating his agency's excesses by citing his Fifth Amendment right not to incriminate himself. In this case, by admitting that he may now be, or once have been, employed by the federal government.
Neely's former boss, Martha Johnson, has resigned from her job as head of the GSA. She was mortified, she says, to discover that her subordinates had been less than frugal in spending public funds:
"I deeply regret that the exceedingly good work of GSA has been besmirched," Ms. Johnson said. "I will mourn for the rest of my life the loss of my appointment and its role in leading a vital and important part of the government of the United States of America."
What all of these people have in common, apart from their hate, is a view of the world that divides it into good and evil. They like things to be simple.
...
Countries do this, too. They think evil is something you can vanquish by throwing bombs and waving guns.
...
Norway, thank God, doesn't. Norway knows that there have always been young men who have felt powerless, and full of rage, and who have gone to extreme lengths to vent that rage.
"With the law books filled with a great assortment of crimes," then-Attorney General Robert Jackson told an assembly of U.S. attorneys in 1940, "the most dangerous power of the prosecutor [is] that he will pick people that he thinks he should get, rather than pick cases that need to be prosecuted." The explosion of federal criminal law since 1940 has increased that danger radically.
In Robert Bolt's play, "A Man for All Seasons," when young William Roper tells Sir Thomas More that he'd "cut down every law in England" to pursue the Devil, More famously replies, "And when the last law was down, and the Devil turned round on you, where would you hide, Roper, the laws all being flat? ... I'd give the Devil benefit of law, for my own safety's sake."
John Edwards isn't the devil; he's a garden-variety creep. But we should always give creeps the benefit of the law—for our own sake.
A married couple were on holiday in Jamaica . They were touring around the market-place looking at the goods and such, when they passed a small sandal shop.
From inside they heard the shopkeeper with a Jamaican accent say, 'You foreigners! Come in. Come into my humble shop.'
So the married couple walked in.
The Jamaican said to them, 'I 'ave some special sandals I tink you would be interested in. Dey makes you wild at sex.'
Well, the wife was really interested in buying the sandals
after what the man claimed, but her husband felt he really
didn't need them, being the Sex God that he was.
The husband asked the man,
'How could sandals make you a sex freak?'
The Jamaican replied, 'Just try dem on, Mon.'
Well, the husband, after some badgering from his wife, finally gave in and tried them on.
As soon as he slipped them onto his feet, he got this wild look in his eyes, something his wife hadn't seen before!!
In the blink of an eye, the husband grabbed the Jamaican, bent him over the table, yanked down his pants, ripped down his own pants, and grabbed a firm hold of the Jamaican's thighs.
The Jamaican began screaming: 'You got dem on de wrong feet!'
Someone needs to bury Tupac. That boy just won't go away.
ReplyDeleteThat is pretty amazing technology. I'd like to know how it works.
ReplyDeletehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Biggie_and_Tupac_still.jpg
ReplyDeleteIf he could be back with a change of attitude it might be worth it. But I doubt it.
He looks to be a fine young man, a fit member for anyone's 16 unelected member quality of life death panel.
ReplyDeleteWhat was that from 'Hamlet'.
I can call spirits from the vasty deep.
Yes, but do they do answer when you do call them?
Which might bring up the question, what would be the criteria for membership on a death panel?
ReplyDeleteThere would be thousands of them all around the country, no?
One for each county?
One for each hospital perhaps?
What are the racial criteria?
Is affirmative action considered?
Inquiring voters should want to know.
I can't even begin to imagine the law suits possible.
Are they to be immune from legal action?
How does this compute with the pursuit of life, liberty and freedom?
It wasn't Hamlet it was Henry IV
ReplyDeleteGlendower. I can call spirits from the vasty deep. Hotspur. Why, so can I, or so can any man; But will they come when you do call for them?
Give me a Jimi hologram.
ReplyDeletePresident Cristina Kirchner's government on Monday proposed effectively nationalizing Argentina's largest oil-and-gas company, YPF YPF -11.16% SA. She proposed taking 51% of YPF from Spain's Repsol YPF SA REP.MC -6.06% at a price that is yet to be determined, leaving the Spanish firm with a 6% stake.
ReplyDelete...
David Gualtieri, director of equity sales at Intermoney brokerage in Madrid, said uncertainty over the level of compensation and the effect on Repsol's credit rating and dividend payout will likely continue to weigh on the company's shares.
Compensation, to be determined by an Argentine tribunal, could take months or years to reach Repsol coffers, and in any case is likely to be far less than the company's preferred value.
In times past, government "service" was the career choice for people who didn't really believe in fun. Or had never had much practice at it, anyway.
ReplyDelete...
Yesterday, Jeff Neely, who was the official in charge of the Las Vegas event, answered questions of a congressional committee investigating his agency's excesses by citing his Fifth Amendment right not to incriminate himself. In this case, by admitting that he may now be, or once have been, employed by the federal government.
Neely's former boss, Martha Johnson, has resigned from her job as head of the GSA. She was mortified, she says, to discover that her subordinates had been less than frugal in spending public funds:
"I deeply regret that the exceedingly good work of GSA has been besmirched," Ms. Johnson said. "I will mourn for the rest of my life the loss of my appointment and its role in leading a vital and important part of the government of the United States of America."
What all of these people have in common, apart from their hate, is a view of the world that divides it into good and evil. They like things to be simple.
ReplyDelete...
Countries do this, too. They think evil is something you can vanquish by throwing bombs and waving guns.
...
Norway, thank God, doesn't. Norway knows that there have always been young men who have felt powerless, and full of rage, and who have gone to extreme lengths to vent that rage.
"With the law books filled with a great assortment of crimes," then-Attorney General Robert Jackson told an assembly of U.S. attorneys in 1940, "the most dangerous power of the prosecutor [is] that he will pick people that he thinks he should get, rather than pick cases that need to be prosecuted." The explosion of federal criminal law since 1940 has increased that danger radically.
ReplyDeleteIn Robert Bolt's play, "A Man for All Seasons," when young William Roper tells Sir Thomas More that he'd "cut down every law in England" to pursue the Devil, More famously replies, "And when the last law was down, and the Devil turned round on you, where would you hide, Roper, the laws all being flat? ... I'd give the Devil benefit of law, for my own safety's sake."
John Edwards isn't the devil; he's a garden-variety creep. But we should always give creeps the benefit of the law—for our own sake.
On this day in 1951, Yankee legend and Hall-of-Fame baseball player Mickey Mantle made his major league debut.
ReplyDeleteMagic Sandals
ReplyDeleteA married couple were on holiday in Jamaica . They were touring around the market-place looking at the goods and such, when they passed a small sandal shop.
From inside they heard the shopkeeper with a Jamaican accent say, 'You foreigners! Come in. Come into my humble shop.'
So the married couple walked in.
The Jamaican said to them, 'I 'ave some special sandals I tink you would be interested in. Dey makes you wild at sex.'
Well, the wife was really interested in buying the sandals
after what the man claimed, but her husband felt he really
didn't need them, being the Sex God that he was.
The husband asked the man,
'How could sandals make you a sex freak?'
The Jamaican replied, 'Just try dem on, Mon.'
Well, the husband, after some badgering from his wife, finally gave in and tried them on.
As soon as he slipped them onto his feet, he got this wild look in his eyes, something his wife hadn't seen before!!
In the blink of an eye, the husband grabbed the Jamaican, bent him over the table, yanked down his pants, ripped down his own pants, and grabbed a firm hold of the Jamaican's thighs.
The Jamaican began screaming: 'You got dem on de wrong feet!'
Men are from Mars.
ReplyDeleteWomen are from Venus.
Ex's are from Uranus.
What is next? Hitler?
ReplyDeleteLet the dead criminals stay dead....
Wife texts husband on a cold winters morning
ReplyDelete"Windows frozen" ...........
Husband texts back,
"Pour some luke warm water over it"......................
Wife texts back
"Computer completely fucked now"
I was thinking along the same lines as WiO.
ReplyDeleteDoes this mean we will be graced by the musings of Farrakhn, and the speeches of Castro?
On the brighter side there is the speech of Sarah Palin to the Republican conference.