Suz!

Floyd Rox!!!

not floyd… roger waters and friends doing floyd

Numb!

pups!

how’s everyone doing tonight? everyone got their speakers blaring and making the windows shake?

My Bad! ;-)

Digg ya Suz

On the headphones… the little lady is watching ER…. evening all how is everyone?

thanks nahant

you’re forgiven ct, i thought it was floyd at first and was wondering what the hell van morrison was doing there. that search lead me to the wiki page with all the details about the one time only show

Mr. Gorbachev, Tear down this Wall…! 8-)

back in the day when we celebrated tearing down walls – before we were in the wall building business

Yes, indeed!
Temps in the 60’s and windows open. Have Postal Service going…

down to 50 and supposed to get down to the 30’s tonight. i just closed the last open window

Boo,
Son Jack reports snow in Denver. Sigh, I did buy a new lawnmower!

I hear you Suz I took Tucker for last duty run and filled the wood burner for the evening… I really thought I would be done using the wood burner by now…. but there is no global weather changes going on…. right this is the latest I have ever had to run it… May 1st WTF??

perfect title! That’s what I still feel like after having had my spine worked on this morning.

i betcha ct is just sitting back with a big ole grin on his face and knowing better than to say one word (laughing)

That’s like washing and waxing the car…! ;-)

how ya feeling tex?

Oh, where are my manners? Good evening dear friends. Hi Suzanne.

Oh, you bet!

What, me? Glorious weather, I needed to turn on a fan or two…! ;-)

I really think this thing worked. But I have some sedation still with me and am still swollen so it’s hard to tell.

Hey all! Between the low-key return of the Hawaiian monarchy and the obvious murder (and where’s the dang strike-thru button when I finally really need it?!) suicide of the DC Madam, it’s been quite a day or two!

no strike through button.. ya gotta type the html out longhand

Heh, ya caught the Iolani palace lock down, eh?

I can see it there in the toolbar, even though it still doesn’t work.

just like the spellcheck :(

test seems to work for me!

Aloha CT! They seemed very restrained, I thought. Didja get a load of the hate-comments trail on the Advertiser website? Jeesh, can’t remember the last time I saw anybody go with “America, love it or leave it!”

Yay Betsy!

No strike-through button?

What is this?

[ABC button}

* Sigh. * It’s a Safari problem again, isn’t it?

head hanging in shame

Hi guys, I was too young and uptight to appreciate The Wall when it came out. I really love it now.

How come we keep trotting out Hagee to pick on? he’s just a donor…why don’t we go after McCain’s spiritual adviser, Rod Parsley? He thinks Islam should be wiped off the face of the earth…for starters.

The frickin’ rat website coding bastards, grrrr.

(Just kidding, Lurking Mod!)

Hey Neuro how are you doing this fine evening?
did ya digg it for Suz?

Hello Margot

Yay TexBetsy! Good outcomes on ya!

Here’s Kitv’s version…!

I missed the Hawaii story, sounds good! Are they seceding, too?

So sad about DC Madam. I was waiting to hear more details. I thought most women chose poison or OD drugs or car exhaust to do the deed. Sounds suspicious.

We don’t need no stinkin’ code!

Strikeout

Seems to work in Safari for me??

During several recent appearances on The Alex Jones Show, the most recent being in July last year, Palfrey conceded that she was at risk of being killed and that authorities would make it look like suicide. She made it clear that she was not suicidal and if she was found dead it would be murder.
…
“Blanche Palfrey had no sign that her daughter was suicidal, and there was no immediate indication that alcohol or drugs were involved, police Capt. Jeffrey Young said,” according to an AP report.

I ask ya.

Same here, nahant.
Big night tomorrow…

I made the same point, earlier, hanging is not a preferred method by ya’ll feminine types…! ;-)

Fine, nahant. How are you?

I dugg Suzanne as soon as I came on. Saw you already had everything arranged.

I had to leave [Late Nite???} earlier because it was thundering, but I couldn’t stay away very long.

Aw crapHuh, now it’s working. Oh well, blew that visual joke.

what’s tomorrow?

rare for a woman to hang herself… am trying to remember the statistics but most women don’t use methods that disfigure the face is all i’m remembering at the moment from the homicide investigation training.. and that info is from back in the early 90’s

Heh, admit it… the tbogg crowd seemed daunting…! ;-0

Has she been interviewed by others as well? anyone know? I’m curious, that’s all.

Thanks, CT. They’re going to the World Court, you know. Wonder just what they’re gonna ask for.

My son came over and the first thing he said was that she was murdered!! I agree these rethuglians will do anything to try and cover the shit up and she was naming some names with the threat for more… Maybe Dick was on the list…

Hi Chris! I’m having computer problems tonight. Every time I want to say something, browser locks up and says Script stopped or something. I have to do control, alt, delete and close firefox.
Repeat.
How are you?

right, that’s my fuzzy recollection of mystery writing books and watching detective shows up the ying yang.

rare for a woman to hang herself…

I was thinking the same thing.

And Betsy – it’s a Hockey game in San Jose.

margot, are you running the latest ff version: 2.0.0.14

“Existential blogwarp” is my new favorite phrase.

Historically hanging was the feminine way to go. At least for the Greeks. Was it in the Odyssey that Penelope’s maids hung themselves? Mind is a bit fuzzy.

They’ve already been there once before, ‘95, IIRC, right after the Congressional ‘apology’ under Clinton…!

I don’t know. How do I find out?

I dunno, I just googled “deborah palfrey murdered killed” and found that one right quick.

Wotta world.

Good to hear that Neuro and I am doing just fine… Managed to get the garden rototilled and made it to the nursery for some plants. Lots of tomatoes and peppers… Can’t wait till we start getting some to pick…. If you plant veggies you have to try sungold tomatoes… they never make it into the house :>)

time warp

toolbar in ff, click on help and about and it will tell you the version number

Time to do a hard reboot Margot.. ya gotta clear the computer of it’s clutter!

Good job Suzanne!
One of my all time favorite tunes and most certainly bmy all time favorite state of being, Comfortably Numb.

Oh yeah, The DC Madame thing?
Suicide, suuuuuuuure it was.
Murderous fucking assclowns.

hey busted – feeling better?

Didn’t realize they’d gone to the World Court before. Evidently the office is right across the street from the palace. And they have quite the snazzy website.

Oh, sorry, I should explain. I heard all this mentioned on the radio and someone was skeptical of anything they heard/read on the Alex Jones web site. So I was curious if Palfrey mentioned this to anyone else.

Seems weird to do this while staying with your mother…

Some, my finger still hurts too, damn varmint.

By crikey, we are all lucky, aren’t we!

pollyanna still says she was saving ya busted

$4.00 / Gallon is Critical Price Point.

According to a study done earlier this year by industry authority Edmunds, the critical price point is the $4.00 / gallon point. It’s like the redline for fuel prices, and when gas prices reach that level, and stay there for a sustained amount of time, the market will see some changes.

Specifically, we’re likely to see:

* A 35% decrease in mid-size SUV purchases
* A 34% decrease in large SUV purchases
* A 26% decrease in large truck purchases
* The luxury car and luxury SUV segments would show decreased interest as well, but less so, perhaps 15%.This is because the target customer in for these segments can generally easily absorb an extra dollar or so per gallon of gas.
* Brands that are perceived to be fuel efficient would show increased sales, even if their cars are not necessarily fuel efficient in reality.
* A 502% increase in interest, if not actual purchases of, hybrid vehicles.

The key, of course, isn’t just reaching that price point. The market has to stay there for several weeks, even months, before there’s a significant change in buyer behavior. This is because we humans are a fairly adaptable lot, and we’ve already become accustomed to gas prices that hovered around $2.00, $2.50, and $3.00 / gallon.

http://www.blog.automotiveaddi…..y-a-hybrid

I went looking for an old story about how the big three car companies did market research around the time hurricane Katrina hit and found that a large number of people will buy hybrid cars when Gas reaches $5 a gallon.
Edmunds has a newer story well its the same story only the trigger point for people buying Hybrids is Gas at $4 a gallon.
So the dollar has dropped then by 20% according to their reckoning, I think its lower now with the recent Federal Reserve cut.

Dick’s only response to being on the list would be – so?

But then again he is into torture.

OK Suz, it’s the .14 you mentioned.
And thanks Nahant, I’ll do that tonight.

you are gonna like the story that goes next into the news box – tis all about this issue

Well, that page I linked to says it has a recording of her saying those words on the radio show. So at least that would tend support that she did say that. I didn’t listen myself, so more than that, I could not vouch for.

You bet I got every finger and limb crossed for them!!

I guess you know that I have the copyright on that…

Pass it on!

Man, I just knew the Bush energy plan would pay off in the end!

Yep.
Go Patty!

where are you located nahant?

Right now the State, that is Lingle, is appealing the HI Supreme Court ruling, saying the State can’t negotiate the disputed Hawaiian Homelands with foreign or private entities, to SCOTUS, I’m extremely concerned about it with all the conservative idealogues on the bench…! Screw ‘em once again…!

fingers and toes dood

Stats from NIMH

Males
Firearms – 57%
Suffocation – 23
Poisoning – 13

Females
Poisoning 38
Firearms 32
Suffocation 20

I guess suffocation would include both hanging and the CO2 option. I’m surprised at the firearm stat for women. This is from National Institute of Mental Health.

So strange and sad. Sorry for the morbid statistics.

Darth, Condi and Powell did decide exactly what could be done and when to torture terrorist the White House says they were reviewing and approving certain techniques… Darth thought he was finally DIRECTING!

I’ll go check now!

you will find large differences in location of wound in males and females. again, its the disfigurement thang – is why poisoning (intentional overdose) is so high in women

“May I see your copyright registration papers, please?“

I have to at least try to get some sleep,I slept until one this afternoon.
I wanted to drop in and say howdy.
Gnite y’all.

g’nite busted.

OK, thanks!

nite busted

Aloha, BK!

Huh. What’s there to negotiate, CT? And why would anybody except the USG be involved in any negotiations?

just published so if its not there, do a hard refresh of the page

Sleep well busted

didn’t you know it did… just not for the rest of us… his buddies are laughing all the way to the bank!
Exxon’s earnings rise on record oil prices
Quarterly results fall short of oil giant’s record at close of 2007
Gee they only made $10.9 Billion for the quarter and Wall street was dissapointed they didn’t make more. Gee aren’t you so sad for them :>(

Yeh, he always wanted to direct…

… BA-DA-BOOM! ThankyouladiesandgermsI’mhereallweek…

i am out too. feeling good but don’t need to push it with sleep deprivation.

Yeah, sad. Better keep the subsidies going, then. It would be, well, it would just be mean-spirited not to.

pain free sleep wishes that you remain comfortably numb, tex

The five-f lands are very much up for grabs and the State is disenfranchising OHA amongst others…!

Wouldn’t it be funny if Darth turns out to be a submissive.

I love my little VW Golf TDI more every day. Diesel is more expensive in the winter, but less expensive than gas in the summer, when they change the grade mixture. Even at $4.08 – which is what I’m paying – I’m getting over 500 miles for every $50.00 of fuel. A 10-cylinder navigator gets 500 miles for $500.00.

What Suz said, TexBetsy! Dream sweetly.

Aloha, Tex!

darth? nope, bet he outsources that to private contractors

we don’t want any class warfare, now do we?

Wow, CT. Are you seriously asserting anybody besides the Hawaiian separatists want to live on depleted uranium lands?

i usually read or hear about complaints about how much more expensive diesel is over gasoline. glad to hear that is changing

You know, if you came to my house and told me you just lost your own home and your job, etc., wouldn’t you feel a little insulted if I handed you thirty dollars?

Or if I told you you were going to get a thirty dollar coupon in the mail for your next purchase of gas?

Well, gtg pups. manana.

PS Suzanne, are/were you a detective? Forensic science is sure growing in the local curriculum due to the CSI factor.

Are the big three automakers still saying that they can’t make a profit off of small cars?

Summer is prime car buying time Highschool and College kids are getting cars for Graduation.

24 years working for a city police force – 6 years in detectives, crimes against persons

I would pay to see that… ol’e dickey all tied up oh oh oh more more more… yes mistress…. what else can dickey do for you… on my knees oh yes yes

You must be thinking of PTA and Makua valley…! ;-)

Thanks Suz and Hmmm.

Aloha, dosido!

Boy that came out really badly, sorry sorry sorry! I would never impugn you, CT. I’m just surprised at the information is all.

Good training for an FDL enforcer!

ciao.

Da Gnome is coming tomorrow to visit and help out! Yay!

bleak.

Guess I have Saddle Road on my mind. And that I didn’t understand “5-F lands”. What’s that?

yeah!

Wonderful!
I will go bug you to play some more Scramble. Have a good sleep.;)

Hello Hello Hello. Is there anybody in there?

no. we’re all asleep.

Just nod if you can hear me.

just us chickens

In the Hawaii State Constitution it set aside certain lands to the Hawaiians, it happens to be that specific clause in the Const., basically it’s the least prime land, like PTA and saddle road…!

That’s a pity. I brought shredded pork.

Dam is someone hear??

Gotcha. I was thinking of the discarded military lands. So somebody else wants to get them? Somebody… …foreign?

Nice shootin’ Tex.

Diesels need oil changes less frequently and have less maintenance costs plus their engines last a lot longer than gas engines. For long trips they get better mileage than gas hybrids. Hybrids get better mileage in stop and go city driving.
Diesel plug in hybrids are the next step then Fuel cell cars that run on water with solar panels on the roof.

Is there anyone at home?

i can’t hear you

fork

home alone

Knock a little louder, sugar,

Several airports to include Kailua-Kona and Hilo, along with several others are on that land, and OHA/the Hawaiians have been screwed out of all the landing fees residuals amongst numerous other annual income…!

No. Pork.

tin roof, rusted!

this former pig knows pork (laughing)

You’re what?

Somebody ought to remind the state that A Deal Is A Deal, eh?

Wasn’t there some very slightly good resolution to some Native North American tribes’ stolen gas or mineral royalties a couple years ago? Maybe that could help the Native Hawaiians there.

how’s your life treating ya p4/4

IOKIYNB

Coachella floating mystery landing reward pig pork. To bring it back around to Rog.

“He’s not a very nice pig. But he’s a Big Pig!“

I saw PF do Animals and Wish You Were Here at the Oakland Coliseum Arena back around the late Pleistocene.

Uhm… Not Bathing? Nerdy Boys? Nationally Banned? Help me out here…

same place i saw jimi in 69 – iirc, back when it was new (iirc). last show i saw there was fleetwood mac in 2003 and it was showing its age.

The rub is that the Federales have never recognised them as Native Americans/Aboriginal… They very loosely fall under the federal BIA guidelines, not even under the normal conditions as the Navajo’s or Lakota tribes…!

no body?

If you’re saying the Native Hawaiians don’t even have it as good as the Native North Americans, well then, I’m officially depressed. And I hope they frickin’ win at the World Court. (Even though bmaz says they have no jurisdiction.)

Ah, It’s OK If You’re NoBody. Got it.

Uh… What does that mean again?

that was only a guess

(looking to newton the usr to give us the official answer)

Not to mention Yes, ELP, Genesis, and The Who, IIRC.

Kids these days with their music. Music they call it, to me it’s noise….

They actually won at the World Court, the WC decreed that the US illegally overthrew a soveriegn nation and continue to occupy it illegally… Ya see how far that got ‘em…! 8-(

It’s
OK
If
You’re
Not
Brown

I thought you knew everything.

(smacks non-brown forehead!)

D’Accord!

Lovely. Though I’m starting to focus on how we pay for college for abright boy who can go anywhere if we can figure out how to afford it (I say this knowing full well that my wife and I make more than a shocking percentage of the U.S. population).

I live in one of the most expensive cities in the U.S. (L.A.) and net an amount that would make my mother blush, when she provided for five children. yet, i face a real wall of expense preparing for my son’s college. I heard an NPR report on how the housing bubble and credit crunch are putting the squeeze on college loans and forcing highly qualified students to go to community college instead of elite schools they have qualified for. I know how tough it will be for me, in a fairly privileged position to make it work for my son, and I can’t imagine how hard it is for people at lower income levels.

TMI, I guess, but we have got to turn this country around with a true democrat in th White House.

And don’t forget the glory and the majesty that is Public Law 103-150.

BTW, we just can’t stop our imperialistic ways, eh?

Dr. Dean is great on TDS, and he looks great.

shhhhh don’t tell my girls.. i’ve got them totally faked out

i forgot to think like a republican

Oh before it slips away today is Ta da “Mission Accomplished” day. The only thing accomplished is the rich are still getting richer and the poor are getting poorer… And oh the middle class is shrinking as they fall onto the poor class. And the rethuglians there is no class WARFARE in this country!

F Exxon my sister bought Danish Vestas Wind Systems at $19 a few years ago, less than 5 years ago (but google has no chart for this stock”:() today it is at $110.20 The GOP likes to brag that we do not understand money I wish I had bought at that price.

http://finance.google.com/finance?q=PINK:VWSYF

Exxon on the other hand where Bush and the other oil patch GOPers have been putting their money was at $37.93 a share on June 13, 2003 according to the 5 year google chart today its at $89.70 a share

My sister hears GOPers bragging about being invested in oil and she has to stop herself from laughing.

Vestas 110.20/19 = 5.8 Compare that to Exxon 89.70/37.93= 2.364

All this talk about the GOP making a war for oil is true and they are making a Buck off of human misery. Our misery and the Iraqi’s while Ossama still walks free in Pakistan!
But the GOP is not smart about making money there are better deals to be made by investing Left and Green.

the economy being forked up by boosh is impacting everyone, not just the poor and middle class. only the super super rich are not impacted and that is a teeny tiny percentage

These are the 5-f lands…

Whereas, the Republic of Hawaii also ceded 1,800,000 acres of crown, government and public lands of the Kingdom of Hawaii, without the consent of or compensation to the Native Hawaiian people of Hawaii or their sovereign government;

Ya think they picked May Day for it just as a great big fuck-you to the workers of the world?

Hey Patrick have your son look at both Stanford and Harvard. They have some really great programs for those who make too much to qualify for scholarships…

i’m sure it was in the back of some neocon mind that it would be a big fu to the commies… remember those may day parades in moscow back before the bust up of the ussr

uncomfortably glum.

Happy Anniversary!

Here’s a sweet song that will ease you into sleep, anyone who’s thinking about settling in for the night
You Don’t Know Me

This I think is the smoking-gun/genius part:

“I Liliuokalani, by the Grace of God and under the Constitution of the Hawaiian Kingdom, Queen, do hereby solemnly protest against any and all acts done against myself and the Constitutional Government of the Hawaiian Kingdom by certain persons claiming to have established a Provisional Government of and for this Kingdom.

“That I yield to the superior force of the United States of America whose Minister Plenipotentiary, His Excellency John L. Stevens, has caused United States troops to be landed a Honolulu and declared that he would support the Provisional Government.

“Now to avoid any collision of armed forces, and perhaps the loss of life, I do this under protest and impelled by said force yield my authority until such time as the Government of the United States shall, upon facts being presented to it, undo the action of its representatives and reinstate me in the authority which I claim as the Constitutional Sovereign of the Hawaiian Islands.”.

She yielded to the USG, not the splinter goons who busted the place up. And only as temporary caretakers. So now they’re asking for it back. What could be simpler?

love me some AAW.. thanks margot

Thanks CT for reminding me you have updated M&C I will read it later.

That’s right. Incredibly low tuition for kids who were low income and qualified.

You’re welcome, Suz. Doesn’t he have a mellow voice?

I gotta cut out for about 20 minutes to pick up some food. Hope to be back then, but if not: Thank you all for your company tonight, my friends. You truly do shine out like a shaft of gold when all around is dark.

(Oh wait…)

Grover Cleveland actually ordered the return of Lilioukalani, but, McKinley reversed it just before he was assassinated…!

oh yeah, very smooth and comforting

fires are always on here at the lake, see ya in a bit

P.S. Existential blogwarp.

Tornado warning just over. Up from the basement. Winds over 70 mph here in Lawrence, KS. Batten down the hatches, Kansas City. It is coming your way.

you think it was related?

yikes

Those are two we are looking at. Yale also is llokingat making it easier for middle income (defined broadly) family;s needs and offering fully paid or loaned tuition and hosing. What we have been trying to inpress upon our dreamy, sweet and undecided son, is the idea of cost/benefit ratios. What does he want to do, and how constrained will he be by college debt in his choices of life and career.

It isn’t something 16 year olds are equipped to consider.

I want him to approach college as an opportunity to broaden his mind and his sense of what the world offers and what he offers to the world. The elite universities offer entree into career possibilities, but not necessarily into a complete and happy life.

radar for kansas looks ugly

Not at all… But, there might be a karmic link…! ;-)

My son was adamant about not applying to one of the top schools. He is bright enough, but is turned off by academic competition. He also figured that if he went to a decent school, but not one of the most sought after, he would be in the top tier for money. He got what we consider decent scholarships for one with a transient high school career (partly overseas). U of Pittsburgh and Drake and some of those schools even offer full rides to some of the brightest. They have honors programs also. My son says it is what he does with what he is given (the son of a woman who wasn’t given a choice of colleges – I went to a Mennonite college of 400 and held my own without problem in grad school).

heavy decisions to be made at an age when ya don’t really know what ya wanna be or do

I used to be a college counselor. I kind of wanted him to shoot a bit higher, but he was clear on what he wanted – a journalism program in a midsize city with a lot of internship possibilities and a decent political science program. He’ll be in place in Iowa for the next caucuses during his senior year at college. He got admitted into three journalism programs and chose the one at Drake University.

One side of the family is MIT all the way (his grandmother graduated from MIT in the 1930’s) but he didn’t want that pathway….and he didn’t want debt.

I agree with your son, it’s what he does with it…! I only regret that I pursued a double major of Poly Sci and Hist… Nothing readily marketable….! ;-)

That’s a smart boy.

My son desperately wants to escape L.A. Natural enough – young people always want to be where they aren’t. I wanted to skip college and go to New York and act. One of the wonders of California is the great stae schools – not as affordable as they once were, but a relative bargain. UC Berkeley is amazing, UCLA is very good. We tell our boy that if he goes to UCLA that when we come to visit him we go back home. If he goes, as he says “any where but here” that if we come to visit, we’re staying for a while. We may be able to keep him close.

I figure that nothing is going to be marketable soon enough. I tremble at Journalism….who knows what it will become, but it isn’t pretty now. We sure talk about ethics a lot.

He went to hear a speech by John Roberts the other night and came home very disappointed. Then he read the paper and said, How could they be so adoring? Is it the position he holds? It certainly wasn’t what he said.

hahahaha i like the way you handled that

Good luck to you at convincing him of that… but it is very good advice, he can make up his mind later as to what career to pursue. But by all means make sure he does go to college and sticks to it.
My middle son was in state college when the IT world shit the bed and I lost my job. He decided to stop going :>( Now at 26 he has decided to go back and finish. I think his girl friend has a lot to do with it. She is graduating from Menlo College on the 10th with a Business Major. I hope her and my oldest son’s example ( he became a nurse in ICU at 35) will prod him to finish up and find what ever career suits him best

I have an uncle whose family was Mennonite, and I think some of his cousins went to Bethel.

I’ve seen him do laundry. Come over the hill every weekend. We’ll take care of it.

as opposed to mom and dad hanging out in his dorm room

sounds like a winning trade off to me

Smallville was great today an evil Lex Luthor was President and about to Nuke a country that didn’t have Nukes. It reminded me of Bush and Iran with Brainiac playing the role of Cheney.
ER had a hostage situation a couple got shot while robbing a store so they could make the house payment after the teaser rates went out and the house payment went up.
I expect Fox to start complaining about Liberal bias.
Its sad when our TV shows are asking more questions and exploring more of the real issues than our REV Wright, Elitist Obama, Bitter comment obsessed NEWS PROGRAMS.
KO was great today though he compared Bush’s “Mission Accomplished ” sign to Neville Chamberlain’s “Peace within our Time” deal with Hitler.
I want to see the media look at a poll of the biggest issues that Americans want to know about and or are concerned about and report on it.
The war, the economy, gas prices, no more Rev Wright, elite, bitter.
I just talked to a minimum wage worker at Jamba Juice he is paying $80 to fill up his folks VAN to get to work.
Guess what kind of car he wants to buy as soon as he has saved enough money?

There used to be a solid living withou going to college, but with manufacturing gone (or gone high tech) that option is over.

I would add, though, that my BS in Theatre (don’t ask) has never been much of a factor in job searches.

Bethel made a real last minute run on my son. Besides a great academic scholarship, they offered him money to play soccer and tennis. He was tempted by that and by the fact that he has friends there, guys of good caliber. But, in the end, they didn’t have the program that he wanted. If he decides it is a wrong choice, then he thought it would be easier to transfer into Bethel than into Drake.

He’s got a good head on his shoulders. He came back to the States well before I did and lived with various friends, but still was mostly responsible for himself. Between the growing up he was forced to do by moving abroad and then coming back alone, he’s a steady mature kid. I’ll miss him a lot, as I will be moving away and will likely only see him twice a year after this summer.

You bet. I went to school on the opposite side of Chicago from my family home. An hour and a half by train when I needed it, a world away when I didn’t

Still a lot of crashing thunder but the winds have subsided. I think I’ll try to go back and pick up that dream strand I was on before all the weather hit.

Good luck, Patrick and best wishes to your son. I bet he will be fine wherever.

It breaks my heart sometimes to think of the wrenching change we put our parents through without knowing it. Kids shouldn’t know it, but when you have your own, it suddenly hits you.

The IT world sucks these days also.. I manage to help ends meet by advertising on Craig’s list and by my repeat clients. Never went to college learned my skill set from the military training and by the seat of my pants… Still have to keep learning though to keep my skill set up to date . (computers)

g’nite adastra and i hope the rest of your dream is uninterrupted

Aloha, Ad!

The Huff Post had a story about Nelson Mandela still being on a terror watch list? I find it hard to believe that Bill Clinton had left him on the list.
That would be a good question to ask Hilary though. If she answers yes she has lost the African American vote in November.
Or she could say no Bill took him off the list (which to be honest is what I expect) but that leaves us the question who in the Bush Administration put Nelson Mandela back on the terror watch list?
Condi will have a lot of explaining to do!

A never-ending learning curve to stay ahead of, eh? ;-)

KO featured that too… in his boooshed scandals du jour

Well, I shall bid ya’ll a fond adieu! Aloha Oe!!!

aloha ct

I’ve been through the same. Studying acting doesn’t prepare you in any way for anything practical. I’ve been with the same organization for ten years, but I’ve had to teach myself new skills constantly – I started as a writer, shifted to IT (while still writing), learned web design and am now managing and doing PR (and web design). This is not something that college prpares you for.

I treasure the old idea of college as a place that gives you the tools and background to think, not as a pre- this-or-that or any other vocational skill. If you can think, and are open, you can learn the specific skill set by doing.

hey P4/4, I’m in a very similar boat, college-wi$e.

Pun jr. started at UCSC this year, seems to be thriving. he finds his way to Berkeley every month or so.

Hey I resemble that! I am on the list and every time I am on my first leg of my trip I have to see an agent who verifies it is really little ol’e me… WTF I am just as normal as any one else and do not do a lot of flying… and I always have a round trip ticket and pay well in advance,,, Thank you Homeland Insecurity!

Thank you much. And best wishes to yours.

My boy has several friends at Santa Cruz. Go Banana Slugs!

Never stops… I subscribe to Microsoft’s Technet plus…. it gets me access to all of their software and I install what I need to learn before I take care of my clients… tis a time consuming venture and I have more computers than Carter has those little liver pills!
speaking of Livers I need to have another CT Scan in the morning so I will bid all you fine firepups good night and thanks for great late late night fun. discussion and of course the music… boy does youtube bring all that great music to life again… See you all tomorrow evening.

GO SHARKS

g’nite nahant

The latest egregious spectacle: At Washington Mutual (WM), chairman and CEO Kerry Killinger tried unsuccessfully to exclude mortgage-related losses from 2008 bonus calculations. Of course, those same mortgage-related losses have contributed to Washington Mutual’s 70% stock price decline since last summer and now threaten its future as an independent entity.

http://www.businessweek.com/ma…..501360.htm

I heard a rumor at my yoga class 40 guys went to Washington Mutual to look at their books for a buyout. Whatever they found could not be good the deal is dead.
Savings & Loans deposits are not insured at all are they? So if the Prime/subprime crises keeps going on then people remembering what happened the last time a Bush was in the White House and John “Keating 5″ McCain was making the news might make a run on all the Savings @ Loans before they lose their money.
Bank deposits below a certain amount are FDIC insured so just open a bunch of accounts below that number at different banks to be safe.

I’ve been moved out from my parents house a solid 6 years almost. It looks like i’m likely moving back in, unless someone actually calls me for an interview for a better pay in another company.

but my lease fell through and i’m now pretty much month to month until they decide to kick me out(i figure i have 3 months, max). I really love this economy. I can’t rent another place because this apartment would BE my only reference, and i got screwed all the way over by last year’s crazy times with surgery and a car mishap. The car turned out to be a lemon, almost 1200 in repairs in 6 months. Every 6 weeks it’d break down and i’d have to pay for a rental to get to work. Of course i had issues getting rent on time with that. But it doesn’t matter and i’m likely headed back to my parents house in the east side of michigan.

Yeah. Thanks for nothing Shrub and Darth Cheney. I may have an honest trade, but i can’t get a job in this country or rent an apartment because my credit’s been destroyed by an employer that only pays me $8.90 an hour. Wouldn’t believe how much i’d love to be numb right now. Yes, they DO check your credit record when you apply at places nowadays. If you’re credit is shot all to hell, no matter the circumstances they’re going to ‘play it safe’ and not hire you anyway. No matter that you’re certified, experienced and fully capable of doing the job. Feh…

nite nahant
good CT scan to’ya

(((alias)))

KO made the connection between Bill probably not having Nelson Mandela on the watch list and that means Bush put Nelson there? Damm I knew I should have watched all of KO!

Semi apologies for diverting the thread to college worries, but sometimes I fear we are eating our seed corn, leaving nothing for planting for the future.

Having two little seed pods (one is not so little – he’ll be taller than me in a year or two) a thome, I truly worry that this war and this roulette-wheel economy are condemning them to a lesser future than what we have.

I should either go to bed or pay bills. I’m leaning toward bed.

You think it might be something that you said on the Lake?

Thanks suz. Sorry to be so gloomy but i got a very nasty shock at about 9am eastern thursday morning. The post office happened to have lost the notice they gave me to leave by the first. I got the extension–on the condition that i pay ‘on time’ within the grace period.(and because i didn’t get the damned notice in the first place) Then they might decide to let me sign another lease. I tend to err on the side of complete pessimism when i end up in crap l like this, because i never win. The powers that be want me to east again? So i’ll go. Maybe it’ll get me over to canada that much quicker too. (about the only silver lining i’m feeling in all this.)

p4/4 off topic IS the topic on late late nite – there was nothing to divert from

no, just that mandela was still on the list because back in teh day, his organization was considered a terrorist group – iirc, he said the 70’s or 80’s?

That is horrible. Employers think they own every bit of you while you’re at work. Piss in a cup, tell us if you smoke, did you pay your bills late?

Here;s hoping you find an employer with humanity, that understands that employment is reciprocal, and not a boon they grant to grateful peasants.

canada is certainly an option for you – what would you have to do to transfer your skills up there? i would assume you would have to take a certification test but that’s just an assumption and you know what those are worth :)

The sirens went off in Topeka, AdAstra, but it turned out the storm had already passed to the east. Wasn’t sure for a while there what was going on. Are you and your property all OK? The guys weather guys on TV didn’t seem to know whether there had been an actual funnel sighting or not…

John McCain is now claiming that the GOP lost the House and the Senate because the GOP was spending to much money. The Republicans did not loose because the country opposed the war!
I would love to see a single preelection poll of GOP voters backing up that statement.
I think House Rep Foley, Senator Larry Craig and Vitter probably demoralized GOP voters as much as Ending the War energized us.
But lets humor McCain for a minute if Washington spending being out of control is the issue that caused the GOP to lose in November then McCain’s budget busting tax cuts and continued war spending should cause the GOP an even bigger defeat this November because McCain wants to spend more money than Bush.
Does anyone vet McCain’s statements to the press to see if he contradicts himself logically?

Well i still likely have to be certified over there to work. I had been planning on calling the local trade college over in Sarnia, Ontario to get some idea of what i need to do. I’m pretty sure i’m only a class or two away from passing their test. The fun part is getting up the 350$ fee to pay to TAKE it, and the usual hoopjumping and yet more fees to make my dual citizenship official over there. Canada allows it and my mom IS a canadian, so i shouldn’t have any issues. I’d have an easier time getting citizenship through that, then applying as a skilled worker in my chosen trade.

I got what i was after on this side of the state. A piece of paper and a career i can live with until i go after the music again one day. For now? My goal is pretty much to make reality what i’ve always believed. That i have two homes, the US and Canada. I’m a border girl to my fingertips and i’m tired of being mistreated by this particular employer. My immediate supervisor is fine, i adore her. But the corporation is greedy as hell. The head technician? Hasn’t had a raise other than the union required ones in 10 years. 10 YEARS without a merit raise, and learning every skill thrown at her from every corner and then some. We’re lucky if the raises we DO get? Are over 30 cents too. It’s nothing but greed, and we don’t get a lick of the profits. Their so called ‘bonus program’ they just started up cheated us out of extra money because we’re so habitually high volume–that we get absolutely NOTHING of the profits. But all the slower stores in the disctrict are gonna get bonus checks…

not in the mainstream media that’s for dayam sure

Sleep well doggies.

g’nite p4/4

well the storm kept me up this late just to make sure it was all pretty much over…we are still in a tornado watch til 8 a.m. local but all seems to be well. guess I will sign off now (again). Nite, all.

g’nite neuro

They are unqualified to fact check anybody. Have you ever noticed that the only time the MSM gets a story right is if the news is breaking or if the News Story was already covered by a Lefty Blog.
On the other hand if the MSM is covering a story and they are getting their information from the Government the story is Wrong.
It does not matter what the story is about Judy Miller *cough* reports on WMD or Helicopter Ben saying that the economy is fine.
The Bushies always lie, because they are always wrong, the Bushies have not accomplished anything during their Reign because of Terror.
Worse President than Herbert Hoover is quite a negative accomplishment.

they don’t fact check – the just repeat the talking points with no regard for the truth – just gotta keep it fair and balanced yanno.

ok, pups, that’s about it for me – there are dishes to wash and floors to clean. thanks for hanging with me tonight. g’nite all. attaturk will be along with a fresh post for ya soon.

nite suz
great and weird thread

Earlier this week, Poindexter again came under fire for the IAO’s latest proposal to predict terrorist events through the online selling of “futures” in terrorist attacks. The Senate again intervened to block the program.

The Policy Analysis Market (PAM), the first phase of the project, was already online with funding from a federal grant and was scheduled to begin a beta testing on today. The Defense Department had also requested $8 million for its “Futures Markets Applied to Prediction” (FutureMAP) initiative, which would expand on the Policy Analysis Market’s terror-wagering scheme.

But late on Monday afternoon, Senators Ron Wyden (D.-Ore.) and Byron Dorgan (D-N.D.) held a press conference to denounce the program. By Tuesday, Sen. John Warner (R.-Va.), the powerful chairman of the Senate Armed Forces Committee, announced he had contacted the IAO and had been assured the program would be discontinued. By Tuesday afternoon, the site had been pulled off the Internet.

PAM was a joint venture between DARPA; the Economist Intelligence Unit, the business information arm of The Economist Group, publisher of The Economist; and Net Exchange, which was responsible for design, development and operation of the PAM trading system.

PAM was designed to much like other financial markets, with investors buying “futures” in events they think are likely to happen, and selling off futures as they believe events become less likely to happen. Some of the possibilities the PAM website offered for sale were the overthrow of the King of Jordan, the assassination of Yasser Arafat, and a missile attack by North Korea.

Bidders would profit if the events for which they hold futures — including government coups, assassinations and missile attacks — occur.

“Spending taxpayer dollars to create terrorism betting parlors is as wasteful as it is repugnant. The American people want the Federal government to use its resources enhancing our security, not gambling on it,” Wyden and Dorgan wrote in a letter to Poindexter.

http://dc.internet.com/news/article.php/2243331

Admiral Poindexter was rightly condemned for making bets and I’m sure a cut for himself on human misery. Sill informed people making bets could harness the wisdom of crowds as a predictive tool.
Provided the terrorist were completely convinced that the terror futures exchange was completely anonymous.

Good nite Suz!

We Lefty blogs that allow comments seem to harness the wisdom of crowds in a better way, a more Socratic way we put forth our ideas argue, compromise, adjust our ideas after getting others input.
Unlike a futures exchange we have no reason to cause a panic with false rumors to make a buck.
Not that we don’t have rumors flying around here but they are random or troll generated which the future exchanges also have however since we don’t have money motivated rumors we have one less cause for things going potentially wrong.
We really don’t predict the future much as a group sure we all throw out our ideas about what will happen but I think our main strength is to analyze news issues and make them understandable and interesting to people by taking questions from people and answering them.
I wonder how Lefty political blog readers would score on knowledge of the issues test compared to rightwing blog readers, or just the average voter?
I think we are a tool that helps make people more informed and aware since we take questions and answer them than the news media, even if they were not biased.
I think people like being listened to and having their opinion respected again something else the MSM does not give you.

I wonder how Lefty political blog readers would score on knowledge of the issues test compared to rightwing blog readers, or just the average voter?

I know there are studies that favorably support this obviously rhetorical question. But it’s one-thirty here and I’m falling over – I’ll leave teh Googling to you, things.
Love this comment, btw.
nite pups

Good Nite NewTonusr !

Hey, Attaturk is upstairs, waiting for his first commenter of the night -

I was telling stories about this show to other volunteers just last night as we were phone banking for a State Assy. candidate here in San Jose.

My younger sister won 2 tickets from local radio. She decided to take ME as payback for all the shows I had taken HER to(Bowie, the Who, Stones, etc).

Our spouses were PISSED about it, but hey-it was once in a lifetime. Sister Tonya had never before even left the West Coast; I’d seen a great deal of the world during my time in the Navy.

It was one full week in Berlin of virtually sleepless non-stop partying, music, and touring.

Set up by RPM, all 80 winners from the U.S. stayed at the Hotel Inter-Continental-along with many stars from the show-which, appropriately enough for a bunch of yahoos like us, was right across the street from the zoo!

Speaking of “the zoo”, it seems anywhere we went the Scorpions were already there.
I guess they’d never done the Berlin tourist gig before either.

Fans were pouring in from all over the world, and when Bruno, the concierge(a real “Sgt. Schultz” type, bless his heart), busted up our Pink Floyd guitar sing along in the outdoor portion of the hotel bar at closing time, we moved it to the fountain in front of the zoo, under the American flag-BUT NOT UNTIL WE GOT SOME MORE BEER!

There were no 7-11’s around, so we ended up cleaning out a local deli’s cooler of AT LEAST 10 CASES of Schultheiss. It was quite a march back to the fountain, picking up a ton of stragglers along the way.

Many shouts of “Skål!” came from Danish revellers. And a good time was had by all.

Got stranded in a dark, dank, bullet-riddled hash bar in East Berlin with no money one night. Kinda scary. Barkeep and taxi driver were hella cool though. They got me safely back to the hotel, where I found my sister partying in a room with a foot and a half of beer cans on the floor. Grabbed some cash, and paid the driver. Bruno was greatly relieved.

Had some beautiful VIP tickets to the show-grandstand seating, just to the right of the monstrous stage. It was a 12 hour affair with about 180k in attendance by mid-day. I Made my way toward the hopitality tents for refreshments, but was instead herded out to the general admission area by this gruff Australian event staffer. I hadn’t crossed 2 continents to risk being thrown out and missing the show, so I steeled myself instead for the long hot slog to the nearest refreshment stand a half-mile away. Seemed like a 3 hour trip fighting my way through sweaty bodies, skin heads, and a perpetual 10 foot swirling dust cloud. I made it back with only half the beers and sausages (the extent of their menu) I originally purchased.

And there was Tonya, tittering away with others from our group, sparkling wine in one hand, chocolate covered strawberry in the other.

The laughter stopped and her jaw dropped when she saw me. “Mark, where have you been??!!”

“Uh, tryin’ ta make sure my little sister had enough food and drink to get her through the show?”

“Oh. Well, why didn’t ya just go down to the hospitality tents right there? They got all KINDS of stuff-smoked salmon and capers, sushi, shrimp cocktail, fresh squeezed orange juice, iced tea, you name it…” she trailed off, as she apparently noticed the smoke coming out of my ears when I told her of my good bouncer friend down at the gate.[funny thing about that guy? Ran into him at a hash bar in town they called “The Hard Rock”. HE RECOGNIZED ME. “You’re the bloke I stopped at the gate? HA! Sorry about that mate-just havin a little fun wit’ cha’! Let me make it up-what’ll ya have?” He covered our tab as he cracked himself up about it the rest of that night.]

Personal favorite highlights and observations of the show:

The Scorpions arrived on stage in a full on police motorcycle escorted limo for “In the Flesh”.

There was a live helicopter fly-over for “Another Brick in the Wall pt.1.” Wasn’t expecting THAT.

Sinead O’Connors’ sweet and sorrowful rendition of “Mother” made me openly weep. [Unfortunately her performance was cut short due to technicalities.]

Joni Mitchell’s “Good-bye Blue Sky” made me cry too.

The Rundfunk Orchestra & Choir & the Military Orchestra of the Soviet Army were incredible.

That fully furnished hotel room chunked outta the left side way up on The Wall just kinda appeared outta NOWHERE. AND THERE’S WATERS. INSIDE IT. Cool.

The massive nightmarish Gerald Scarfe balloons puppets had searchlights for eyes.

Thomas Dolby was FUCKin’ creepy.

So was the sight of everyone waving those souless pink “student” masks in unison.

Tim Curry was excellent.

The explosions when the wall came down were DEAFENING.

And the hope expressed in the lyrics as all the major players did “The Tide Is Turning” were exhilarating, especially after the dark insanity of “The Wall”.

(excerpts)

Satellite buzzing through the endless night
Exclusive to moonshots and world title fights
Jesus Christ imagine what it must be earning
Who is the strongest, who is the best
Who holds the aces, the East or the West
This is the crap our children are learning
But oh, oh, oh, the tide is turning
The tide is turning
Oh, oh, oh, the tide is turning

I’m not saying that the battle is won
But on Saturday night all those kids in the sun
Wrested technology’s sword from the hand of the
War Lords
Oh, oh, oh, the tide is turning

(FUCK yeah.)

My sister had left with our group, but I couldn’t.I had to absorb the moment.

The backstage aftermath was conflicted chaos. Gangs of drunk skin heads led an assault on the Hard Rock Cafe trailer to protest the fact that they were out of beer, I guess. The polizei were called in to usher them out. Meanwhile, there I was, with rock fans and students from all over the world, with the locals and the polizei, and all of US, TOGETHER, were dismantling the last remaing piece of the wall left in Potsdamer Platz. And it wasn’t just a DFH kumbayah moment.

The parallels and contrasts were striking.

Pink Floyd, formed in the 60’s. The Berlin Wall, built in the 60’s.

Waters performs a magnum opus that symbolically tears down the walls that isolate us individually; we were tearing down a wall that oppressed a nation.

Proceeds from the concert that night established the World War Memorial Fund for Disaster Relief, as I was swinging hammers hand in hand with many whose grandparents and great-grand parents had helped to inflict those wars upon the world.

Spectacular theatre of the scope and magnitude of the Berlin show is a rare treat to witness in person, and rarer still to capture completely the full bombast and nuance on audio or video.

And yet one simple image broadcast to the world, of a hug, say, shared between loved ones separated under threat of death for decades, speaks directly and instantaneously to the strength of the triumph of the human spirit. As did the tinking of hammers against the wall at Checkpoint Charlie, which was quite literally the only sound heard there above all else.

That night, at that historic moment in time, was a celebration of the spirit of true liberation.

We danced on Hitler’s grave.

All the U.S.prize winners went home on the same plane except for me and my sister. I heard it was quite a flight!

I had one last burst of energy left when we landed at O’Hare and had to run from one end of the airport to the other to catch our connecting flight to San Jose. Seconds after take-off, I collapsed from exhaustion into a stone-cold dead comatose slumber. Tonya told the flight attendants to just ram the refreshment cart past my arm, leg and head, ‘cuz I wasn’t gonna wake-up, I wasn’t gonna feel it, and I wasn’t gonna care anyway. So they did. And she was right!

I left the United States with $1,000.00 bucks I borrowed from Mom.

I returned with one slim quarter.

I bonded strongly with my sister in ways I never had before. Those bonds are still strong today, 18 years later.

It was worth every penny. It was worth every mark.

It was one of the greatest experiences of my lifetime.

Thank you for reminding me of it, and I hope this post wasn’t too long and boring.

wow. just forking wow. that is an awesome once in a lifetime experience. thank you for sharing it with us.

wow!