COLLECTIVE MADNESS


“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."

Friday, July 16, 2010

Should we move the bar to World Press?





136 comments:

  1. The signs of a deep and sudden slowdown in the US are becoming ever clearer as the "sugar rush" from the Obama fiscal stimulus wears off and the inventory boost fades.

    California, Illinois and other states are cutting spending, tightening US fiscal policy by 0.8pc of GDP.

    Thursday's plunge in the Philadelphia Fed's July index of new manufacturing orders to –4.3 suggests that the economy may have buckled abruptly, as it did in mid-2008.

    The Economic Cycle Research Institute's ECRI leading indicator has tumbled, reaching –8.3pc last week. This points to a sharp slowdown or recession within three months.

    While US port data looked buoyant in June, the details were troubling. Outbound traffic from Long Beach fell from 139,000 containers in May to 116,000 in June. Shipments from Los Angeles fell from 161,000 to 155,000. This drop in exports is worsening the US trade deficit, eroding the dollar.

    The US workforce has shrunk by a 1m over the past two months as discouraged jobless give up the hunt.

    Retail sales have fallen for the past two months. New homes sales crashed to 300,000 in May after tax credits ran out, the lowest since records began in 1963.

    Mortgage applications have fallen by 42pc to 13-year low since April. Paul Dales at Capital Economics said the "shadow inventory" of unsold properties has risen to 7.8m. "The double dip in housing has begun," he said.

    Alcoa, CSX, Intel, and JP Morgan have reported good earnings, but they mostly did so in July 2008 just before their shares collapsed. Such earnings rarely catch turning points and can be a lagging indicator. Profits have been boosted in this cycle by cost-cutting, which is self-defeating for the economy as a whole.
    The minutes confirm the Fed is split down the middle over QE.

    Fed watchers say the Board in Washington wants to be ready to launch another round of bond purchases if necessary, pushing the banks balance sheet from $2.4 trillion towards $5 trillion, but hawks at the regional banks are highly sceptical.

    A study by the San Francisco Fed said the interest rates need to be –4.5pc to stabilise the economy under the Fed's "rule of thumb". Since this is impossible, massive QE needs to make up the difference.


    Ambrose Evans-Pritchard

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  2. On topic: Move from Blogger? I have not looked into it. I am creature of habit but adaptive. What would be the benefits? I am not sure.

    Open to comment.

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  3. I have no opinion but I do appreciate the show you've put on all these years.

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  4. Blogger's fine with me. Whatever's easier on the host. The changeover looks like it might be a chore.

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  5. Tim Congdon from International Monetary Research said the US authorities have botched policy response. "They are forcing banks to contract lending by raising their capital asset ratios. They have let M3 shrink by 1pc a month, as in the early 1930s. The solution is simple. The Fed must raise the level of deposits by purchasing bonds from the non-banking system as the Bank of England has done. They refuse to do it," he said.

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  6. I've been very distracted for several weeks now, trying to figure out this mess. I can come up with this:

    1) Jobs - there are none, and there are none on the horizon.

    2) We're sending too much money overseas. This happens when you've sent too many jobs overseas.

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  7. And, God help us all, Obumble has the right idea, "Right Now."

    We can put people to work building out Solar, Windpower, and Biofuels.

    It would help a little bit.

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  8. The Biofuels would help a lot.

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  9. I think we're as close to a "depression" as you can be w/o actually falling into one.

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  10. I'm pretty sure they're nontransferable and probably more difficult to change than not.

    As for the commenter's if you wanted a linkable name you would have to create an account but it's easier for those who have black names.

    As much as I like word press if you don't want any more headaches than you already do than stay put.

    If you want a change redecorate.

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  11. Actually the comment section is the same. You still have to type in your name and email, which no one sees but the admin, or you can type in your URL to show your website. The only reason you would need a word press account would be so you wouldn't have to type every time you made a comment. That's the problem I had with blogger until I created an account. The less work I have to do the better.

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  12. Funny how the same folks that think we're addicted to debt, and want to quit, "cold turkey" want to maintain our addiction to oil.

    They do not see the connection, the cause and effect.

    They rail against the trade surplus that China has, in manufactured goods, but never breathe a word about the $Billion USD we spill into the Persian Gulf, each and every day.

    Folks that still think we're in the 20th century, not a new millennium.

    They must have missed that memo, some how.

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  13. Major trade surplus for Norway
    2010-02-03


    Only five nations of the world have a greater trade surplus than Norway. ...

    Saudi-Arabia tops the ranking with a trade surplus for goods of 1331 billon NOK. China is second on the list, with a trade surplus of 1232 billion NOK, followed by Germany, Russia, Ireland and then Norway, with a sixth with a trade surplus of 325 billion NOK and a population of only 4.8 million.

    This is shown by a survey made by the Economist's weekly magazine, quoted by Aftenposten.


    Saudi Arabia has maintained a trade surplus, since 1967.

    We sure have dug a deep hole, and we keep on a shovelin'!

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  14. I thought it was Word Press, but, as to the topic, do what is easiest and best for you guys.

    It is only a hobby.

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  15. This is the type of thing we need to be doing more of. Lemons to lemonade.

    Brownfields to Green Energy

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  16. AEHI Takes Steps to Uplist to Senior U.S. Stock Exchange


    Decision Fueled by Rapid Progress Towards Local Approval for Idaho Nuclear Reactor and Growing World-wide Interest in Green World Water™ Desalinization Reactor
    BOISE, IDAHO - July 15, 2010 - Alternate Energy Holdings, Inc. (OTCQB: AEHI) today announced the company is preparing for a move to a senior U.S. stock exchange in response to rapid progress towards local approval for the Company's planned nuclear reactor in Idaho, as well as growing global interest in the Company's Green World Water™ desalinization reactor. AEHI believes it substantially meets the requirements to uplist to a senior U.S. stock exchange.

    AEHI's Board of Directorsand the majority of stock holders approved a reverse stock splitthis year, if needed, to meet minimum stock price requirements of the senior U.S. stock exchangesand is establishing audit, compensation and nominating committees in advance of a planned uplisting.

    "Graduating to a senior U.S. exchange is a high priority for the company given the progress we have made in securing local approval for our nuclear reactor, as well as the growing global interest in our Green World Water nuclear desalinization reactor and the Hyperion modular reactor. Listing on a senior U.S. exchange will help increase visibility for the company and help to attract a broader class of institutional investors," said Don Gillispie, AEHI CEO.

    In May, AEHI signed a deal with CNNC in China that resulted in the creation of Green World Water, which is now the only company selling a large-scale nuclear desalination reactor. The design makes it possible to desalt seawater and purify brackish water, while co-producing electricity including the ability to pump clean water hundreds of miles inland, essentially eliminating the need for water in parts of the world devastated by intense drought conditions

    "We have already received significant interest in Green World Water from a number of countries spanning most of the continents. We have rapidly assembled a professional and seasoned sales force and are now positioned to sell one or more of these reactors by the end of this year. A single reactor sale could equate to many millions of dollars in both revenue and net income the first year alone," said Gillispie.


    Don't take my word for it but this might be a good company.

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  17. I thought they played the Elmore county commissioners just about right--the people were for it, the commissioners divided, so they called the bluff and went to Payette County, and now have or are getting approval in both places, I think. Thus they can negotiate around a bit, and take best advantage.

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  18. "The Fed is throwing in the towel," said Gabriel Stein, of Lombard Street Research. "They are preparing to start QE again. This was predictable because the M3 broad money supply has been contracting for months."
    ---
    Tim Congdon from International Monetary Research said the US authorities have botched policy response. "They are forcing banks to contract lending by raising their capital asset ratios. They have let M3 shrink by 1pc a month, as in the early 1930s.

    Morons.

    AND Ambrose doesn't even mention the growth destroying policies and uncertainties inflicted on the economy by The Won.

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  19. What does whit want to do that Blogger won't?

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  20. Rat Boy Holder at Work, ...Again

    ...Justice deliberately withheld the testimony to ensure that Polanski would not be extradited, would not stand trial again for the brutal rape and for fleeing prosecution, and would not be punished.

    It is at the very least curious that Polanski hired a new attorney, Reid Weingarten, four days after his arrest in Zurich… an attorney who is a “close friend of Attorney General Eric Holder.

    The Weingarten angle is tantalizing; did Holder’s pal broker a Washington deal to keep Polanski free? Did Holder agree — he does have a history of killing prosecutions, doesn’t he? — in order to keep faith with Obama’s supporters and donors among the Hollywood Left?

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  21. "She just has a little exuberance, but I'll go back to being just bob, what G-d gives G-d can away."

    ---

    Let's all hope and pray.

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  22. Your prayers are answered Doug though I'll miss her.

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  23. I hated it when Wretchard moved from Blogger to Pajammie Whammie or whatever.

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  24. By the appearances of it the Bar sells bait and tackle and coveralls, too.

    Does the cashier sit in an old Lay-Z-Boy near the front door?

    I'm guessing the Elephant Think Tank's out back. Six mismatched lawn chairs and a tree stump.

    What's upstairs?

    Nobody actually knows.

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  25. Don't know if my Blogger rant last week triggered this discussion, but it was truly just that, a rant at Google for not making any, even minimal, improvements to Blogger.

    Having moved several sites from various platforms to various platforms, I would observe that moving from Blogger to Wordpress is one of the easiest moves to make. All historical posts and comments can be smoothly imported. The reverse, from elsewhere to Blogger, is not possible.

    Here is a HUGE difference between the two platforms (taken from this comparison of the two platforms):

    3) Copyrights and Ownership of Content

    I started with Blogger and I won’t say that it’s bad. But after a while I started to get frustrated with Blogger, and here’s why: Google Owns Your Content

    Google has the authority to shut down your account without warning if they don’t like what you’re blogging about. You don’t have absolute control over your own blog. With WordPress, you own the domain name and the blog is hosted on your own account. You have full control over your content.

    With the self-hosted version of WordPress (not WordPress.com), you’re free to write about anything you want, and use the software in any way you want. Yes, Blogger allows you to publish to your own domain, but they still own the database that holds your content! Don’t forget that!


    Given Google's known political bias and occasional predilection to take down sites that oppose it for "terms of use" violations, it's definitely a factor to consider, especially given that The Bar's authors and most commenters are generally articulating points of view that conflict with Google's. I have never heard of Wordpress.com shutting down a site for any reason, although surely it has happened.

    Here's another Blogger/Wordpress feature comparison that is nicely presented. [Note: these comparisons are between Google's Blogspot (Google's hosted version of Google's proprietary Blogger blogging software program) and Automattic's Wordpress.com (Automattic's hosted version of Automattic's open source Wordpress blogging software program). Anyone can download Wordpress and host it themselves, in which case there are literally no limits to what can be done with the platform. Additionally, there are thousands of plugins and probably tens of thousands of themes available to use with it. (I'm not advocating that for The Elephant Bar, just making sure the difference between the various platforms is understood; it can be quite confusing!)

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  26. Don't know if my Blogger rant last week triggered this discussion, but it was truly just that, a rant at Google for not making any, even minimal, improvements to Blogger.

    Having moved several sites from various platforms to various platforms, I would observe that moving from Blogger to Wordpress is one of the easiest moves to make. All historical posts and comments can be smoothly imported. The reverse, from elsewhere to Blogger, is not possible.

    Here is a HUGE difference between the two platforms (taken from this comparison of the two platforms):

    3) Copyrights and Ownership of Content

    I started with Blogger and I won’t say that it’s bad. But after a while I started to get frustrated with Blogger, and here’s why: Google Owns Your Content

    Google has the authority to shut down your account without warning if they don’t like what you’re blogging about. You don’t have absolute control over your own blog. With WordPress, you own the domain name and the blog is hosted on your own account. You have full control over your content.

    With the self-hosted version of WordPress (not WordPress.com), you’re free to write about anything you want, and use the software in any way you want. Yes, Blogger allows you to publish to your own domain, but they still own the database that holds your content! Don’t forget that!


    Given Google's known political bias and occasional predilection to take down sites that oppose it for "terms of use" violations, it's definitely a factor to consider, especially given that The Bar's authors and most commenters are generally articulating points of view that conflict with Google's. I have never heard of Wordpress.com shutting down a site for any reason, although surely it has happened.

    ReplyDelete
  27. Here's another Blogger/Wordpress feature comparison that is nicely presented. [Note: these comparisons are between Google's Blogspot (Google's hosted version of Google's proprietary Blogger blogging software program) and Automattic's Wordpress.com (Automattic's hosted version of Automattic's open source Wordpress blogging software program). Anyone can download Wordpress and host it themselves, in which case there are literally no limits to what can be done with the platform. Additionally, there are thousands of plugins and probably tens of thousands of themes available to use with it. (I'm not advocating that for The Elephant Bar, just making sure the difference between the various platforms is understood; it can be quite confusing!)

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  28. In 1790, there were 650 census workers who counted an average of 6,000 Americans each, riding on horseback and using a pen and little scraps of paper. In 2010, with two-thirds of Americans reporting by mail, 650,000 census workers counted an average of 475 Americans each.

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  29. Now there is a perfect example of why Blogger can be so maddening!

    When I posted the longer version of the above posts, Blogger gave me an error message that the post was too large. An error message generally means that the attempted execution of program instructions failed. So I broke the post into two parts and reposted. And now I look to see if they both made it here and find that not only did they, but also did the original one! And Google is a world class software engineering firm?

    To be fair, though, almost all software will at some point frustrate a competent user.

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  30. Back to politics. From Drudge's link to Obesity Rating for Every American by 2014:

    The obesity-rating regulation states that every American's electronic health record must: “Calculate body mass index. Automatically calculate and display body mass index (BMI) based on a patient’s height and weight.”

    The law also requires that these electronic health records be available--with appropriate security measures--on a national exchange.


    Do you trust the govt to keep your health records secure? Why, exactly, does the government need to maintain a copy of anybody's health records (no cynical answers allowed)?

    Orwell was only off by 30 years.

    Also, note that the Chinese have already penetrated some of the DoD's "most secure" networks. So how safe are your health records in government databases (that are highly unlikely to be anywhere nearly as secure as DoD databases for the simple reason that it is very costly to create that level of information security?

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  31. Or a chubby chick named Cheri in halter top and short shorts - somebody's kid sister - who watches old Family Feud episodes on GSN and occasionally descends the stairs for a can of Squirt and bag of potato chips, only to be chatted up.

    "Ethanol, baby."

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  32. Meanwhile, over on that Harvard Square hangout known as the Belmont Club, Wretched writes:

    "So anyone really worried that Charles Krauthammer’s prediction will come true should be thinking in terms of contingent coalitions: a long-term plan to cripple the liberal agenda if it decides to permanently cripple the conservative one."

    So much more satisfying to sit back and watch you do it yourselves.



    They've got leather wing-backs over there at the Club.

    And air conditioning.

    And good booze.




    What a fucking waste.

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  33. "I would observe that moving from Blogger to Word press is one of the easiest moves to make."

    Alrighty then, I guess I don't know what I'm talking about. But then again I never had to move a blog, I just created a new one.

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  34. All that, and all they can think to talk about is Charles Crankhammer? That IS a fucking waste.

    I'll stick with the lawn chairs (mismatched, though, they be,) and and the tree stump.

    As long as the beer is reasonably cold, that is.

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  35. That's what the old ice box on the back porch is for.

    'Course, Rat keeps his own toad stash underneath.

    And he ain't sharin'.

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  36. "Or a chubby chick named Cheri in halter top and short shorts - somebody's kid sister - who watches old Family Feud episodes on GSN and occasionally descends the stairs for a can of Squirt and bag of potato chips, only to be chatted up."

    Oh, wait.

    That's bob.

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  37. Desert Rat: Folks that still think we're in the 20th century, not a new millennium.

    Heh.

    "There are 100,000 total marijuana smokers in the US, and most are Negroes, Hispanics, Filipinos and entertainers. Their Satanic music, jazz and swing, result from marijuana usage. This marijuana causes white women to seek sexual relations with Negroes, entertainers and any others." -- Harry J. Anslinger (1892-1975) Assistant Prohibition Commissioner in the Bureau of Prohibition.

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  38. I cannot shake the relatives.

    They seem to be multiplying.

    They follow you everyfuckingwhere but the bathroom.

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  39. Trish, that's why I went away alone. Just keep drinking.

    How many are there?

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  40. Go to the bathroom and climb out the window and run down the nearest path.

    Or simply tell them to go away you need some "me time" it always works for me.

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  41. Oh my...That's a lot of people for one week. I'm having anxiety just thinking about it.

    Keep pounding those Yuenglings or better yet move onto something a little stronger, say like...tequila.

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  42. Ever since the eight year law suit I 'haven't had any relative problem.

    Form a family corporation, that will the end the comity. Everyone will end up hating and mistrusting everyone else. Sure as shootin' if their are younger marrieds involved.

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  43. Too early for tequila.

    Aunt Pat does not want to be drunk at dinner.

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  44. Actually, there are probably about five of us who secretly long to be drunk at dinner.

    Too bad for us.

    We have to wait.

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  45. Unless you're cooking, Aunt Pat, sometimes it's inevitable.

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  46. Last night was my night to cook.

    Best and most convivial meal of the week.

    I ran everyone out of the kitchen but my son.

    We fended off every well-meaning helper.

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  47. Is it time for the silent scream?




    Why, yes.

    I do believe it is.

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  48. Ahh yes...the silent scream followed by that alcoholic beverage you so desperately can't have until after dinner. Enjoy.

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  49. Krauthammer, in my view, is singularly consistent in the brilliant incisiveness of his analysis. You may not like what he says, but you aren't likely to find any logic errors in how he arrived at it. About as close to a living Vulcan as there is!

    On a different note, if you want to experience the emotional exuberance of a rousing stump speech by a BLACK Tea Partier, given down here in Atlanta, GA, I highly recommend this YouTube clip.

    Excerpt: “You can call us Tea Party nuts, astroturfers, Nazi’s, Republicans, Democrats, conservatives, independents, whatever, whatever. It does not matter what you call us, it only matters what we answer to! We prefer to be called citizens and patriots of these here United States! We are legal and we will be voting in droves in 2010, 2012, 2014, 2016 – until the White House is white and lily clean of corruption.”

    Preach it Sister, preach it!!!

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  50. 73,000 Blogs
    How many TOTAL blogs does Wordpress host?

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  51. 73,000 blogs taken offline. ISP remains silent.

    Looking for a new host to provide your website with hosting service?

    BurstNet is the hosting company that hosts did host Blogetery. Blogetery was a collection of WordPress sites, covering some 73,000+ separate entities.

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  52. Today....

    The best of 276,331 bloggers, 373,413 new posts, 344,106 comments, & 77,595,425 words today on WordPress.com

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  53. MLD
    you remind me of a sad incident in a small texas town:

    Female Mayor shot her 19 year old daughter and then herself.

    Hubby died a couple of years ago of cancer in his 50's.

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  54. I would never kill myself, I love me too much and I love my daughter even more.

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  55. Another Foreclosure Victim.
    Lucky she didn't bomb Dallas.

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  56. 20 Anonymous said...

    We need to find a way to make P2P hosts for blogs, so there’s not a central server that they can shut down.

    ---

    @20 Anonymous:

    That solution does exist! It’s Osiris. Since it’s an italian software, I think it’s mainly used in Italy at the moment. It’s a CMS which lets you easily create serverless portals (like blogs, forums, generic sites…) which spread and duplicate thorugh p2p. No central server needed. Indestructible if a portal has several members/readers, because it duplicates in its integrity on every and each node.

    At the moment Osiris is being used for torrent indexers, but of course it can be used especially whenever freedom of expression is at stake.

    http://osiris.kodeware.net

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  57. bob said...

    "Ever since the eight year law suit I 'haven't had any relative problem."

    ---
    Followed by the Aina Raping Legal Affairs.

    Trish,

    If posing as Slutvana would keep Bob out of court, might it not be worth it?

    A small sacrifice by us for the common good.
    Redistribute the pain.

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  58. Sorry, MLD:
    I mistook T's post as yours.

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  59. I was thinking the same thing as j. willie. Blogger sucks! I don't think Google has put a dime into it since acquisition.

    Re: They follow you everyfuckingwhere but the bathroom.
    I was going to make a smart remark but discretion is the better part of valor and I don't think our favorite redhead is in a mood to suffer fools. Sounds like a week might be a bit too long....

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  60. I watched the Upchuck video on Youtube. My heart swells when I see a conservative black person...It's amazing when the Tea Party or the Republican party is labeled as racist when, the fact is, a black conservative can just about write his or own ticket in either party.

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  61. "a black conservative can just about write his or own ticket in either party."

    Clue me in with a list of Black Consevative Democrats!

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  62. That would be Tea Party or Republican Party, Doug.

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  63. There are five of us.

    We are all Virgos.

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  64. And is that the coolest Presidential picture ever?

    Yes it is.

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  65. Five redheads? All female?

    Green eyes?

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  66. My photo went from Messiah to Matisse, poof!, jes lack that!

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  67. Five Virgos...did anyone ever look at the event dates occurring around inception...

    I have two brothers born on the same date, five years apart. I looked back on the calendar to see what the folks may have been up to (other than the obvious).

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  68. T,
    If they could have done 100 a day, 6,000 would take 60 days.
    How long did they have?
    Link?

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  69. Crap.
    Radio says well not holding pressure.
    No such report yet @ NY Times.

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  70. The Virgo woman

    If you're looking for the perfect secretary/housekeeper, you should probably go and find yourself some other sign. The main gift of the Virgo woman is her intelligence, not her tidiness. If you find the compulsive housebound type of Virgo who dusts three times a day, then you're courting trouble, because you've got yourself a Virgo who uses rituals to hide from some pretty explosive emotions.

    There are plenty of Virgo women about who take an interest in their homes and like a beautiful, orderly environment. But what really matters to her is good taste, subtlety and understanding, and she has a keen wit about people and life. There are catches, of course. The Virgo woman can be terrifyingly self-contained, and it's often difficult for her to be "married" in the deeper sense of the word. There's a quality about the Virgo woman which is psychologically untouchable, and if you try to invade that private, secret self you're likely to get the same reaction as if you tried physical assault.

    Virgo women aren't the clinging, needy type. More often they're Amazons who show a frightening degree of capability and efficiency, either on a physical level or a mental one - and sometimes on both. Bad luck if you want to be the Sun around whom a happily reflecting Moon-partner orbits.

    The Virgo woman has her own ideas and opinions, and a profound need to communicate them. Some Virgo women talk so much that it can make you cover your ears and begin screaming just to make the sound stop. It may not be the famous Virgo criticism, either. It may be all about the latest book she's read, or the problem she had to solve in her programming work, or the person she's lately been taking apart and analysing psychologically.

    If you're after the beautiful, silent type, forget it. Virgo women also have an infuriating propensity to question your knowledge. Tell her something and she'll ask for the source, complete with footnotes. Virgos don't really believe anyone else until the definitive reference work becomes available. It's hard to be more knowledgeable than a Virgo, because they soak up knowledge like a sponge soaks up water. This can do wonders for your intellectual scope and horrors for your ego.

    Some Virgo women are Earth-mothers, and the sign's sensitivity expresses itself through a love of nature and a healing and skilful touch with all crafts. And that need to be useful attracts many Virgos into the helping professions, from nursing to dietetics to psychology and psychiatry to alternative healing of all kinds.

    Virgo's real warmth and sparkle take time to emerge from behind the apparent coolness and detachment. It's hard for the Virgo woman to be spontaneous. Often she can only show love by doing practical things for her loved ones. Intense emotions are frightening, and can only be expressed in an atmosphere of trust. Break that trust and you'll get the sarcastic, cutting edge of the Virgo tongue, which can be lethal because she's been observing with minute care all the weaknesses that you were certain no one noticed. Virgo women have a disconcerting habit of spotting the carefully hidden frayed cuff and the nervous twitch you thought you were controlling. They observe minutiae because the vast spectrum of life is best reflected in the small. Virgos take pride in their skills and want respect for their accomplishments.

    This woman radiates a mysterious aloofness which may sound like, "Keep Out!" but really means, "Welcome, but respect my separateness." The Virgo woman makes an art of being her own person. She won't adore you blindly. More likely she'll love you for your imperfections, because she's a compassionate realist and likes feeling useful and needed. This can terrify you into running very quickly in the opposite direction (if your vanity matters that much to you). Or it can be a wonderfully cooling and inspiring experience to actually be your ordinary human self.

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  71. Digital Diplomacy

    Jared Cohen and Alec Ross, two young members of the State Department, are hoping to nudge diplomacy into the 21st century, one Twitter post at a time.

    ---
    God help us all.

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  72. Brother, can you lend me a slime...

    One Bride for 2 Brothers: A Custom Fades

    MALANG, India — The practice of polyandry in the Himalayas is rapidly disappearing. Buddhi Devi had a polyandrous marriage, but her children have had monogamous marriages.

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  73. LeVar is the Reading Rainbro...

    Took 20 years and the Miller Show to coin that one.

    Best kid's TV show ever.

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  74. No problem there, Dougy. I'm always mistaken for someone or another.

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  75. Pardon my Porn, Rufus:

    "The problem with socialism is that eventually you run out of other people's money." ..."

    - Thatcher

    ---

    "...by that standard, capitalism isn't some far-off theory about the allocation of capital; it is a commonsense description of what motivates pretty much all human beings everywhere.

    That is why devoted socialists worked the bureaucracy to get the best homes, get their kids into the best schools, and provide their families with the best food, clothes and amenities they could. Just like people in capitalist countries.

    It's why labor unions demanded exemptions and "carve-outs" for their own health care plans from ObamaCare. And why very rich liberals still try their best to minimize their taxes.

    The problem with socialism is socialism, because there are no socialists.

    Socialism is a system based upon an assumption about human nature that simply isn't true.
    "

    - Goldberg

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  76. Hey, Mel, what happened to Mel said:?

    Here we go, get ready for a little austerity. Steny Hoyer and John Boehner do a little bipartisan dance around raising SS retirement age to 70, cutting defense spending and means testing.

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  77. Ah, I don't know, Doug. The earliest archeological records show people living in villages, engaging in "socialist" behavior.

    If I was going to pick an "ism" to live by it would be Capitalism, but I can't imagine how you could have a lasting, and/or worthwhile, culture without elements of socialism.

    Deemocracee is Hard.

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  78. They're mushrooms, trish, not toad stools.

    Growin' on cow paddies.


    All over the Americas.

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  79. That, Whit, is why all "SS will bankrupt the country" stories are silly. They can, and will, change SS any time they damned well please.

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  80. Mel said what?

    Mel says it's time for another glass of wine and back to the hot tub.

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  81. Oh and Whit, excellent choice of music.

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  82. Around 5:00, you were posting as Mel, not Melody.

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  83. Apparently I now come with something akin to handling instructions.

    (Husband: "Could've used those years ago, guy.")



    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1oixRtues5c

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  84. My son made an outstanding dinner.

    And it's everyone's last night.

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  85. This was Natalie Merchant at her zenith. Before he married that jackass, Simon.

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  86. I had Chicken Schwarma, what did he make?

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  87. That's because I wasn't signed in and it was easier to write Mel than Melody. I'm not really the type to shorten names but some or worthwhile. Of course you all know that's not my real name but it was given to me by someone special and it kinda stuck. I actually have a cousin named Melody and I like the nick name Mel.

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  88. rufus said...
    "Ah, I don't know, Doug. The earliest archeological records show people living in villages, engaging in "socialist" behavior."

    ---

    Well, it sounds kinda original, if not very compelling.

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  89. Echt pasta Alfredo, white-wine marinaded chicken, and salad.

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  90. In Garret Hardin's Evolution class, I responded to some english gal with a stick up her ass with:

    "That may be so,
    but cats take more baths than people."

    Forget what her "point" was.

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  91. Miller says Miracle Whip has become

    "MW"

    ...following The Colonel.

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  92. Some amusing posts here. I had a good chuckle.

    It seems as if the bias is that we stay.

    I have actually posted some strong posts opposed to Google.

    She who must be obeyed is the first one in four years to catch the irony of the Belmont Club / Elephant Bar name.

    We originally opened the Bar because Wretchard was taking himself far too seriously and in fits and starts was opening and closing comments, counting comments like a strict aunt counting how many candies you took.

    W never shut down the comments again after we opened the Bar.

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  93. You opened your bar I took my candy...end of story. I'm still here. You guys are great.

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  94. That's not saying that if certain others had guns that I myself would not be dead by now.

    Just sayin'.

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  95. Driving up here, 2164th, I suddenly remembered that time, years ago, when you said to me at Belmont, "Don't mistake a lack of response for a lack of interest."

    Or something to that effect.

    The subject was Iran.

    Anyway, it was very kind.

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  96. One more nasally wingnut skirt.

    What's the harm?

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  97. You don't want to be the only quest with out one, Trish, not when the Vodka flies.

    I spent a good part of the day listening to Dr Hoffnmann explain the use off coffee ground filled suppositories in anal caner treatment. Seems he found the idea back in some 20-'as mainstream media. Prognosis:poor , I'd assume.

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  98. I still can't get over that Al Greene in S Carolina, won the party nomination of the Office of Senator and never campaigned at all, never left his house where he was living with his dad, spent no money at all. A remarkable achievement even given the racial makeup of the area. One stop away from democracy by lottery.

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  99. "I still can't get over that..."

    ...we are all flesh and blood human beings.

    Me either.

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  100. I can't get over that I've turned lights on that I can't figure out how to turn off.

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  101. You know. It's that switch on the wall.

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  102. Tris I swear I turned the porch lights on and I can't find how to turn them off. There's not that many to get so confused about.

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  103. I mean two bottles of wine may confuse you but come now...

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  104. that one switch on the wall doesn't work. I forget which one I used.

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  105. Um. I am confused in a *sober* state.

    Two bottles of wine and I...Well, yes.

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  106. Leave it the fuck on and figure it out in the morning.

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  107. I have no idea how I turned the back porch light on and I have no to how to turn them off. Oh well bubba is ready for bed so I guess they will have to sty on

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  108. but the llghts on the pordh are really bright

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  109. You should try that string, hanging from the ceiling Meloldy that often works, or just shut your eyes really right. Or just unscrew the bulbs.

    Good night to all the girls, brightly lit or in the dark.

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  110. Maybe should just burn the old house, after all it looks to be at the end of its age. Probably dry as a bone and would go wooff! !! We burned a couple of them on the farms out Herr and it was some fun.

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  111. Or you could take a shot gun to it.

    Watch out there might be snakes in the wine cellar.

    I walked into a true snake pit dove hunting one time---zz,rattlerattle,zzzZZZZZZ I sent Svet and the dog on in the check it out:) They refused to go, subordination, of the worst kind.

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  112. bubba-your're sleeping with a Buddha? that's interesting as my daughter is taking that this summer, and no I hear I might have to warn her off. At the lower reaches trey got all sort of esotric sexual paractices, which are said to wear the man raw in a very very years.

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