Random Post - The Plot Thickens!

[Americano]

I dunno. I think that giving multi-million dollar paychecks to 22 year old half-educated guys who are celebrated for some physical prowess on the sports field is very likely to have some socially detrimental effect on their egos and maturity level. At least more than the run of the mill average 22 year old anyway.

The spotlight of publicity is certainly a bias, but big egos, big money and young aggressive males are an obviously bad combinaiton to begin with. ;)

I don't see any difference between jocks and some trust fund kids (male and female) other than the latter having better political connections to avoid the spotlights.

[evanescence]

In case anyone is curious, my Galaga game has been fixed. Apparently the power-supply voltage output needed to be reduced by a quarter of a volt!

Everything is right with the world once again! :)

This pic is absolutely identical to my machine...

http://www.freeplayamusements.com/galaga.JPG

My husband built an arcade machine. It looks like shit, but he keeps saying he's not done yet. Some tips on how to make it look better would be greatly appreciated.

[Americano]

My husband built an arcade machine. It looks like shit, but he keeps saying he's not done yet. Some tips on how to make it look better would be greatly appreciated.

Purchase a real one?

A friend who owns a service business with a waiting room has several in that room (picked them up for scrap price some years ago). It's the type of business where parents bring adolescent children with them on their errands and he was pleasantly surprised at the large number of quarters the machines collect every week. The receptionist always has change on hand. Babysitters that make money.

[evanescence]

Purchase a real one?

A friend who owns a service business with a waiting room has several in that room (picked them up for scrap price some years ago). It's the type of business where parents bring adolescent children with them on their errands and he was pleasantly surprised at the large number of quarters the machines collect every week. The receptionist always has change on hand. Babysitters that make money.

He looked at a few online and they were expensive; and he wanted an arcade machine with all of his favorite games and such.

[Americano]

He looked at a few online and they were expensive; and he wanted an arcade machine with all of his favorite games and such.

I can understand a lack of interest in visual appearance regarding a mechanic/electronic device functioning at a level meeting his personal requirements as image is a personal and cultural perception. I'm not allowed to bring hobbies in progress into our general living quarters.

[evanescence]

Luckily this horrible Thing is in one of the bedrooms for now. lol

[Michael]

My husband built an arcade machine. It looks like shit, but he keeps saying he's not done yet. Some tips on how to make it look better would be greatly appreciated.

He can do what I did - I just bought it in that condition after the work had already been done by an expert. :lol:

Purchasing brand new machines (they are available) is about $2500 to $3000 each (USD). Purchasing 'like-new' reconditioned machines is about $1000 (that's what I bought). Cheap but heavily used machines can usually be bought for a few hundred dollars.

I'll pm you some info when I get back to work on Tuesday. One of the guys at work is into this as a hobby (he does pinball machines) but he's well connected with the guys who do arcade machines. I can probably point your husband at an internet forum that is dedicated to people who restore these old arcade games - should be loaded with the kind of info one needs to restore these games to pristine perfection.

And yes, my Galaga machine sits in the living room! :)

[evanescence]

Thanks. He went to a couple of forums to get the info on the machine he built. He basically went to Lowes, got the materials, and made the Thing from scratch. Who knows how much has already been spent.

[Michael]

Thanks. He went to a couple of forums to get the info on the machine he built. He basically went to Lowes, got the materials, and made the Thing from scratch. Who knows how much has already been spent.

The forums I'm talking about are the kind of places one can find the name/location of a company that will make original graphic decals and/or sell original parts - or connections to other people heavily involved in refurbishing these things (there is quite the market for them as well as pinball machines).

[evanescence]

cool..sounds good.

[Americano]

cool..sounds good.

I feel many people underestimate the depth of Internet knowledge. I've never focused on any subject that didn't have an intensive following in forums and user groups, especially self-moderated user groups which in the '90s were called mailing lists.

On many user groups, regardless of subject, there are nationally and internationally recognized experts contributing as individuals in layman terms for the sake of discussion. While in many instances where I have no formal education or life experience with a subject and my lack of knowledge inhibits me from posting, the level of knowledge being expressed is exactly what I'm seeking.

[evanescence]

I feel many people underestimate the depth of Internet knowledge. I've never focused on any subject that didn't have an intensive following in forums and user groups, especially self-moderated user groups which in the '90s were called mailing lists.

On many user groups, regardless of subject, there are nationally and internationally recognized experts contributing as individuals in layman terms for the sake of discussion. While in many instances where I have no formal education or life experience with a subject and my lack of knowledge inhibits me from posting, the level of knowledge being expressed is exactly what I'm seeking.

I didn't even go to political forums until recently. Instead, I trolled non political forums posting about politics. It didn't occur to me that there were forums where people discussed politics. :lol: I know..crazy. So I continually got banned on non political forums for talking politics. And the other posters would ask me why I didn't just go to political forums. Finely, I did. PCF was my first political forum and I was surprised at how long I was tolerated there. It didn't last, tho..

[Americano]

I didn't even go to political forums until recently. Instead, I trolled non political forums posting about politics. It didn't occur to me that there were forums where people discussed politics. :lol: I know..crazy. So I continually got banned on non political forums for talking politics. And the other posters would ask me why I didn't just go to political forums. Finely, I did. PCF was my first political forum and I was surprised at how long I was tolerated there. It didn't last, tho..

As you're probably now aware, questioning the cast in stone values of regular participants in long established, high traffic political forums is a lesson in futility. PCF has (had) a predominance of younger posters firmly committed to libertarian principles and Christian dogma (I prefer describing them as bewildered and naive conservatives). If you want to really slam your head against an intellectual wall, try USPOL. Both do have some quality posters but they're definitely in the minority.

[evanescence]

As you're probably now aware, questioning the cast in stone values of regular participants in long established, high traffic political forums is a lesson in futility. PCF has (had) a predominance of younger posters firmly committed to libertarian principles and Christian dogma (I prefer describing them as bewildered and naive conservatives). If you want to really slam your head against an intellectual wall, try USPOL. Both do have some quality posters but they're definitely in the minority.

PCF served its purpose. If it got fixed by some unlikely set of circumstances, I would likely return. USPOL sounds a bit too retarded for me.

[Michael]

PCF served its purpose. If it got fixed by some unlikely set of circumstances, I would likely return. USPOL sounds a bit too retarded for me.

I always found PCF to be even more annoying than USPO (besides the server problems).

At least on USPO, the rightwingers had some variety (rednecks, gunfreaks, racists, pseudo-libertarians, theists and war-fetishers). PCF rightwingers all seem to spout the same lines. :shrug:

[Michael]

Btw, this is the beginning of a North American wide long weekend! :)

July 1st is Canada Day (and most of Canada will close on Friday to make a four day weekend).

July 4th is Independence Day, which means Monday is a US holiday.

So here's to summer long weekends! :cheers:

[Americano]

I always found PCF to be even more annoying than USPO (besides the server problems).

At least on USPO, the rightwingers had some variety (rednecks, gunfreaks, racists, pseudo-libertarians, theists and war-fetishers). PCF rightwingers all seem to spout the same lines. :shrug:

I agree. For someone who uses public forums as a means to provoke reactions, USPO would be the best shot. For libertarian opinions, PCF is the boring place. Plenty of students, recent grads and Southerners still clinging to idealism and the past.

[Margot]

Btw, this is the beginning of a North American wide long weekend! :)

July 1st is Canada Day (and most of Canada will close on Friday to make a four day weekend).

July 4th is Independence Day, which means Monday is a US holiday.

So here's to summer long weekends! :cheers:

How do French Canadians feel about Canada day? I've always been lead to believe that they're eternally right on the cusp of secession. Nationwide Canadian pride sounds like something that would go right up their noses.

[The Drunk Guy]

Btw, this is the beginning of a North American wide long weekend! :)

July 1st is Canada Day (and most of Canada will close on Friday to make a four day weekend).

July 4th is Independence Day, which means Monday is a US holiday.

So here's to summer long weekends! :cheers:
Poor Cinco de Mayo...you'll never fit in. :erm:

[evanescence]

I agree. For someone who uses public forums as a means to provoke reactions, USPO would be the best shot. For libertarian opinions, PCF is the boring place. Plenty of students, recent grads and Southerners still clinging to idealism and the past.

I may give USPO a try then. :lol:

[Michael]

How do French Canadians feel about Canada day? I've always been lead to believe that they're eternally right on the cusp of secession. Nationwide Canadian pride sounds like something that would go right up their noses.

Well, that whole topic is very complicated, but in general terms, Canada Day is indeed quite popular (who doesn't like holidays or summer long weekends?). Besides which, Canada Day represents Canada's independence from Britain and the Quebecois definitely appreciate that concept.

As for the 'separatists' (that's the word that is used up here for this because the word is essentially the same in English and French), it is a social class thing and has always been only a minority in Quebec. Separatism in Quebec is really only supported by uneducated working class proles (who are easily manipulated) and a small section of the elite class (union leaders, media, journalists). In Quebec, the middle class and the elite corporate class are all hardcore anti-separatists.

And as far as separatism goes, there has never been a viable plan put forward by the Quebec separatists, and the whole campaign is always based on dishonesty, propaganda and outright lies in order to keep the 'spirit' going. There has never been any real possibility of it actually happening and there never will be.

For example, the hardcore separatists have some serious delusions and the support for separatism is always conditional upon these delusions:

A) Quebecers believe that they 'own' the whole of the geography that is called Quebec on the map - this is a lie since the whole northern half of that territory is legally, federal property that is merely administered by the Province of Quebec on behalf of the federal government (given that the northern half of Quebec is populated with native indians who are under federal government jurisdiction). A test case in the Federal Court up here has already ruled that if Quebec chooses to separate, the whole northern half of the territory (and the whole 'native indian' population in Quebec) would remain federal territory and part of Canada. This is particularly important because the vast majority of any mineral wealth in Quebec is located in the northern (federally owned) half.

B) Quebecers believe that if they separate, they will start with a fiscal 'blank slate'. However, it is a firm position of the federal government (and heavily supported by most Canadians) that if Quebec separates, Quebec immediately owns a proportional piece of Canada's national debt equal to their proportion of the national population. Quebecers also have a weird notion that they can still use Canadian passports and Canadian dollars in their independent Quebec. As soon as 'separatism' is defined as forcing Quebecers to have their own Quebec passports and Quebec currency and having to pass through customs to enter the rest of Canada, support for the idea drops like a rock. Add in an automatic $100 billion in debt, and the idea drops even further.

C) Quebec separatism, at its core, is based on the fiction that taxes collected in Quebec are siphoned off and transferred to other parts of Canada. They believe that separatism would eliminate this and result in Quebec having more money (and lower taxes in Quebec). This is of course nonsense because Quebec is entirely addicted to federal tax subsidies and is the largest net tax sucker in Canada! (exactly the opposite to the common view in Quebec). Quebec is like one of those 'Red States' in the USA that endlessly whines about the horror of federal spending/waste, yet is the largest per capita recipient of that same federal spending/waste.

Every honest/independent study of the issue suggests that if Quebec were to actually separate, that would cause a substantial increase in tax levels in Quebec and a drop in Quebec's standard of living (roughly 15%). By the same token, tax levels in the rest of Canada (ROC) would actually drop and the standard of living would rise in the ROC. This is because Quebec is a massive federal subsidy case. If they lose those subsidies, Quebec becomes poor and the ROC benefits from not having to spend all that money.

One simple example: Canada has a Dairy Marketing Board that controls all dairy production in Canada (worth about $10 billion a year). By long tradition, Quebec "owns" 50% of that quota. That means Quebec dairy farmers get to supply 50% of all diary production in Canada. Quebec separatists assume that this policy will continue even after separation (they need this to support their economy). Fact is, this agreement will be torn up and become 'null and void' if Quebec separates. There are literally hundreds of such 'arrangements' up here that massively favor Quebec. If they are all eliminated, that will massively harm Quebec's economy as a separate state.

Indeed, Quebec separatists also believe that Quebec automatically becomes a member of NAFTA if they separate, which is not true either. They would have to negotiate entry to that trade agreement. Again, this is really significant for Quebec since 80% of their economic trade is with the USA.

The point here is that Quebec separatism is a mirage/delusion that has zero possibility of becoming a reality. It is just way too harmful for Quebec and Quebecers are unwilling to pay any price for it. They love the idea, as long as it means they get everything they get now, plus independence. Under those terms, they can get about 45% poll support. If truth is on the table, that number drops well under 25% support.

So that's the Quebec separatism issue in a nutshell. :)

[The Drunk Guy]

Well, that whole topic is very complicated, but in general terms, Canada Day is indeed quite popular (who doesn't like holidays or summer long weekends?). Besides which, Canada Day represents Canada's independence from Britain and the Quebecois definitely appreciate that concept.

As for the 'separatists' (that's the word that is used up here for this because the word is essentially the same in English and French), it is a social class thing and has always been only a minority in Quebec. Separatism in Quebec is really only supported by uneducated working class proles (who are easily manipulated) and a small section of the elite class (union leaders, media, journalists). In Quebec, the middle class and the elite corporate class are all hardcore anti-separatists.

And as far as separatism goes, there has never been a viable plan put forward by the Quebec separatists, and the whole campaign is always based on dishonesty, propaganda and outright lies in order to keep the 'spirit' going. There has never been any real possibility of it actually happening and there never will be.

For example, the hardcore separatists have some serious delusions and the support for separatism is always conditional upon these delusions:

A) Quebecers believe that they 'own' the whole of the geography that is called Quebec on the map - this is a lie since the whole northern half of that territory is legally, federal property that is merely administered by the Province of Quebec on behalf of the federal government (given that the northern half of Quebec is populated with native indians who are under federal government jurisdiction). A test case in the Federal Court up here has already ruled that if Quebec chooses to separate, the whole northern half of the territory (and the whole 'native indian' population in Quebec) would remain federal territory and part of Canada. This is particularly important because the vast majority of any mineral wealth in Quebec is located in the northern (federally owned) half.

B) Quebecers believe that if they separate, they will start with a fiscal 'blank slate'. However, it is a firm position of the federal government (and heavily supported by most Canadians) that if Quebec separates, Quebec immediately owns a proportional piece of Canada's national debt equal to their proportion of the national population. Quebecers also have a weird notion that they can still use Canadian passports and Canadian dollars in their independent Quebec. As soon as 'separatism' is defined as forcing Quebecers to have their own Quebec passports and Quebec currency and having to pass through customs to enter the rest of Canada, support for the idea drops like a rock. Add in an automatic $100 billion in debt, and the idea drops even further.

C) Quebec separatism, at its core, is based on the fiction that taxes collected in Quebec are siphoned off and transferred to other parts of Canada. They believe that separatism would eliminate this and result in Quebec having more money (and lower taxes in Quebec). This is of course nonsense because Quebec is entirely addicted to federal tax subsidies and is the largest net tax sucker in Canada! (exactly the opposite to the common view in Quebec). Quebec is like one of those 'Red States' in the USA that endlessly whines about the horror of federal spending/waste, yet is the largest per capita recipient of that same federal spending/waste.

Every honest/independent study of the issue suggests that if Quebec were to actually separate, that would cause a substantial increase in tax levels in Quebec and a drop in Quebec's standard of living (roughly 15%). By the same token, tax levels in the rest of Canada (ROC) would actually drop and the standard of living would rise in the ROC. This is because Quebec is a massive federal subsidy case. If they lose those subsidies, Quebec becomes poor and the ROC benefits from not having to spend all that money.

One simple example: Canada has a Dairy Marketing Board that controls all dairy production in Canada (worth about $10 billion a year). By long tradition, Quebec "owns" 50% of that quota. That means Quebec dairy farmers get to supply 50% of all diary production in Canada. Quebec separatists assume that this policy will continue even after separation (they need this to support their economy). Fact is, this agreement will be torn up and become 'null and void' if Quebec separates. There are literally hundreds of such 'arrangements' up here that massively favor Quebec. If they are all eliminated, that will massively harm Quebec's economy as a separate state.

Indeed, Quebec separatists also believe that Quebec automatically becomes a member of NAFTA if they separate, which is not true either. They would have to negotiate entry to that trade agreement. Again, this is really significant for Quebec since 80% of their economic trade is with the USA.

The point here is that Quebec separatism is a mirage/delusion that has zero possibility of becoming a reality. It is just way too harmful for Quebec and Quebecers are unwilling to pay any price for it. They love the idea, as long as it means they get everything they get now, plus independence. Under those terms, they can get about 45% poll support. If truth is on the table, that number drops well under 25% support.

So that's the Quebec separatism issue in a nutshell. :)
Did you wake up early to write this?

[Michael]

Did you wake up early to write this?
:lol:

No, that took me only about ten-fifteen minutes. I'm quite familiar with that topic off the top of my head. I've spent far more time studying Canadian politics than US politics - I just don't talk about that topic very often in this forum. ;)

And yes, I do find it quite easy to whip off 3000-5000 word essays without much effort. :shrug:

I'm also a speed typist and never have to look at my keyboard while typing, so that helps. I also type ten times faster than I can possibly write by hand. And that post above had two more paragraphs deleted in the edit stage before posting!

[Zarquon]

So that's the Quebec separatism issue in a nutshell. :)
Very informative and well articulated post, Michael.:)
In other things, scientific studies(NYT write-up of said studies) reveal that a wandering mind (http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/29/science/29tier.html?ref=general&src=me&pagewanted=all) is not necessarily a liability.

[Michael]

Happy Canada Day!

Gotta head over to the park for some corndogs and beavertails! :lol:

[Greendruid]

How do French Canadians feel about Canada day? I've always been lead to believe that they're eternally right on the cusp of secession. Nationwide Canadian pride sounds like something that would go right up their noses.

Some French Canadians are federalists and believe strongly in a united Canada. However, in Montréal I know that July 1st is known as "moving day" - everyone finds this to be a convenient day on which to move house :shrug:

[Americano]

Happy Canada Day!

Gotta head over to the park for some corndogs and beavertails! :lol:

Can we watch your arteries harden?

[Americano]

I may give USPO a try then. :lol:

Plenty of former enlisted military who believe the military industrial complex can do no wrong, Israel is considered the only ME country that shouldn't be nuked to glass parking lots, immigration opinions that dovetail nicely with ww2 Dachau practices, people who wrap themselves in flags for any occasion, tea party members cursing universal health care, constant complaints about the lowest tax rates in decades being too high and on and on and on. A cut above Stormfront, but not by much.

[Zarquon]

Outrageous bullshit (http://www.thehastingscenter.org/Bioethicsforum/Post.aspx?id=4754&blogid=140)

[Margot]

Well, that whole topic is very complicated, but in general terms, Canada Day is indeed quite popular (who doesn't like holidays or summer long weekends?). Besides which, Canada Day represents Canada's independence from Britain and the Quebecois definitely appreciate that concept.

As for the 'separatists' (that's the word that is used up here for this because the word is essentially the same in English and French), it is a social class thing and has always been only a minority in Quebec. Separatism in Quebec is really only supported by uneducated working class proles (who are easily manipulated) and a small section of the elite class (union leaders, media, journalists). In Quebec, the middle class and the elite corporate class are all hardcore anti-separatists.

And as far as separatism goes, there has never been a viable plan put forward by the Quebec separatists, and the whole campaign is always based on dishonesty, propaganda and outright lies in order to keep the 'spirit' going. There has never been any real possibility of it actually happening and there never will be.

For example, the hardcore separatists have some serious delusions and the support for separatism is always conditional upon these delusions:

A) Quebecers believe that they 'own' the whole of the geography that is called Quebec on the map - this is a lie since the whole northern half of that territory is legally, federal property that is merely administered by the Province of Quebec on behalf of the federal government (given that the northern half of Quebec is populated with native indians who are under federal government jurisdiction). A test case in the Federal Court up here has already ruled that if Quebec chooses to separate, the whole northern half of the territory (and the whole 'native indian' population in Quebec) would remain federal territory and part of Canada. This is particularly important because the vast majority of any mineral wealth in Quebec is located in the northern (federally owned) half.

B) Quebecers believe that if they separate, they will start with a fiscal 'blank slate'. However, it is a firm position of the federal government (and heavily supported by most Canadians) that if Quebec separates, Quebec immediately owns a proportional piece of Canada's national debt equal to their proportion of the national population. Quebecers also have a weird notion that they can still use Canadian passports and Canadian dollars in their independent Quebec. As soon as 'separatism' is defined as forcing Quebecers to have their own Quebec passports and Quebec currency and having to pass through customs to enter the rest of Canada, support for the idea drops like a rock. Add in an automatic $100 billion in debt, and the idea drops even further.

C) Quebec separatism, at its core, is based on the fiction that taxes collected in Quebec are siphoned off and transferred to other parts of Canada. They believe that separatism would eliminate this and result in Quebec having more money (and lower taxes in Quebec). This is of course nonsense because Quebec is entirely addicted to federal tax subsidies and is the largest net tax sucker in Canada! (exactly the opposite to the common view in Quebec). Quebec is like one of those 'Red States' in the USA that endlessly whines about the horror of federal spending/waste, yet is the largest per capita recipient of that same federal spending/waste.

Every honest/independent study of the issue suggests that if Quebec were to actually separate, that would cause a substantial increase in tax levels in Quebec and a drop in Quebec's standard of living (roughly 15%). By the same token, tax levels in the rest of Canada (ROC) would actually drop and the standard of living would rise in the ROC. This is because Quebec is a massive federal subsidy case. If they lose those subsidies, Quebec becomes poor and the ROC benefits from not having to spend all that money.

One simple example: Canada has a Dairy Marketing Board that controls all dairy production in Canada (worth about $10 billion a year). By long tradition, Quebec "owns" 50% of that quota. That means Quebec dairy farmers get to supply 50% of all diary production in Canada. Quebec separatists assume that this policy will continue even after separation (they need this to support their economy). Fact is, this agreement will be torn up and become 'null and void' if Quebec separates. There are literally hundreds of such 'arrangements' up here that massively favor Quebec. If they are all eliminated, that will massively harm Quebec's economy as a separate state.

Indeed, Quebec separatists also believe that Quebec automatically becomes a member of NAFTA if they separate, which is not true either. They would have to negotiate entry to that trade agreement. Again, this is really significant for Quebec since 80% of their economic trade is with the USA.

The point here is that Quebec separatism is a mirage/delusion that has zero possibility of becoming a reality. It is just way too harmful for Quebec and Quebecers are unwilling to pay any price for it. They love the idea, as long as it means they get everything they get now, plus independence. Under those terms, they can get about 45% poll support. If truth is on the table, that number drops well under 25% support.

So that's the Quebec separatism issue in a nutshell. :)

Haha! Excellent! Thanks. This was one of those things where, in high school, my French teacher offhandedly said "yeah, and Quebec wants to secede" and I was all like, "what?" and she was all like "no, it's true. Trust me. They all want this," and I was all like "whatever, bro, I'm actually copying Kristen's homework now, so, like, go for it." Aaaaaand then I never looked it up.

[Michael]

Haha! Excellent! Thanks. This was one of those things where, in high school, my French teacher offhandedly said "yeah, and Quebec wants to secede" and I was all like, "what?" and she was all like "no, it's true. Trust me. They all want this," and I was all like "whatever, bro, I'm actually copying Kristen's homework now, so, like, go for it." Aaaaaand then I never looked it up.
Yeah well, the issue is dead up here and anyone who studies politics up here knows it.

It is now just a 'polite fiction' to refer to Quebec's aspirations for independence. One pays lip service to the idea (can't insult them) but for the most part, most people up here know that the idea is impractical and non-functional and can't win a referendum (even when the deck is stacked in its favor).

[evanescence]

Plenty of former enlisted military who believe the military industrial complex can do no wrong, Israel is considered the only ME country that shouldn't be nuked to glass parking lots, immigration opinions that dovetail nicely with ww2 Dachau practices, people who wrap themselves in flags for any occasion, tea party members cursing universal health care, constant complaints about the lowest tax rates in decades being too high and on and on and on. A cut above Stormfront, but not by much.

Sounds like fun. :lol: I'm going to join.

[evanescence]

What's the link?

[The Drunk Girl]

Abercrombie shuts NYC store due to bedbugs

Teen retailer hopes to reopen Hollister store in SoHo soon








NEW YORK — Teen apparel chain Abercrombie & Fitch Cohttp://images.intellitxt.com/ast/adTypes/2_bing.gif (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/38037505/ns/business-retail/#) has closed its Hollister store in New York City due to bedbug infestation.





The store, in Manhattan's SoHo neighborhood, was closed on Wednesday, the company said. It said it was in the process of removing the bedbugs and hoped to reopen the store soon.
Abercrombie & Fitchhttp://images.intellitxt.com/ast/adTypes/2_bing.gif (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/38037505/ns/business-retail/#) spokesman Eric Cerny had no comment on how the store closing could affect sales and profits.






Source (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/38037505/ns/business-retail/)

:rofl:

[Americano]

Abercrombie shuts NYC store due to bedbugs







Source (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/38037505/ns/business-retail/)

:rofl:

I'd think management is heavily into booze and other downers.

[Michael]

Abercrombie shuts NYC store due to bedbugs







Source (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/38037505/ns/business-retail/)

:rofl:

Good luck with that. I'm going to guess that Abercrombie closes that store. From what I've read on the topic, these infestations are rather difficult to eliminate. They tend to be epidemic and affect whole neighborhoods.

Toronto has issues with bed bug infestations - primarily in immigrant-heavy neighborhoods.

[The Drunk Girl]

I just find it hilarious, because anyone I have seen that works in one of those stores is a major douchebag. In my opinion that is what they get for selling fucking white t-shirts for $50 each.

[Americano]

I just find it hilarious, because anyone I have seen that works in one of those stores is a major douchebag. In my opinion that is what they get for selling fucking white t-shirts for $50 each.

There are plenty of people who won't buy plain white t-shirts for under $50 without a desired label. They did an admirable job of capturing that high margin market.

I agree with Michael, that particular store should be abandoned. They'll never overcome the bedbug image. I'd make it a fire department training burn, complete with all fixtures and inventory.

On that subject, the sharply declining economy has provided many fire departments with overwhelming offers for training burns, including abandoned residences, closed offices, shopping centers and strip malls.

[Michael]

I just find it hilarious, because anyone I have seen that works in one of those stores is a major douchebag. In my opinion that is what they get for selling fucking white t-shirts for $50 each.

You ain't see nothing girl! We have stores on Queen Street West or in Yorkville that sell $100 white t-shirts!!! :rofl:

You can even buy $150 scarves there too! ;)

(those are the two trendiest and swanky shopping districts here)

[Americano]

You ain't see nothing girl! We have stores on Queen Street West or in Yorkville that sell $100 white t-shirts!!! :rofl:

You can even buy $150 scarves there too! ;)

(those are the two trendiest and swanky shopping districts here)

Hermes regular 36" x 36" scarves are $375.

[Michael]

Hermes regular 36" x 36" scarves are $375.

Yeah well, if we are talking Hermes products, the sky is the limit. They make fucking $3000 purses! :lol:

[Americano]

Yeah well, if we are talking Hermes products, the sky is the limit. They make fucking $3000 purses! :lol:

With people standing in line to buy them!

[Michael]

Btw, was driving out of town the other day and saw several farm fields growing something that was BRIGHT FUCKING YELLOW.

Curious what it was they were growing? Anyone have any idea?

(and it wasn't sunflowers!)

[Americano]

Btw, was driving out of town the other day and saw several farm fields growing something that was BRIGHT FUCKING YELLOW.

Curious what it was they were growing? Anyone have any idea?

(and it wasn't sunflowers!)

My guess would be clover or canola.

[Margot]

Btw, was driving out of town the other day and saw several farm fields growing something that was BRIGHT FUCKING YELLOW.

Curious what it was they were growing? Anyone have any idea?

(and it wasn't sunflowers!)

Well, er... Toronto is zone 6(ish) so, you saw something that is yellow and grows in zone 6! God. I am SO good.

How tall was it? Were there flowers, or are we talking yellow plants?

[Americano]

Yellow fields in Canada:

http://www.soyatech.com/canola_facts.htm

A member of the mustard family.

[Greendruid]

Yellow fields in Canada:

http://www.soyatech.com/canola_facts.htm

A member of the mustard family.

I prefer its ancient name - rapeseed.

[Margot]

I prefer its ancient name - rapeseed.

And where'd that come from?

[Americano]

And where'd that come from?

Rapeseed is pre-Monsanto canola. I'd think the marketing people decided 'Rapeseed offers lower trans fat content' might present a brand image problem.

[Americano]

I prefer its ancient name - rapeseed.

China doesn't have brand image problems and still calls it rapeseed. Does 'New and improved rapeseed oil' sound like something you'd hear in western advertising speak?

[Michael]

Yesterday was Gay Pride Day here in Toronto... here's a pic of the parade.

This event is absolutely MASSIVE, with crowd estimates ranging between 750,000 and 1 million. The parade is only the high point of the event which is a week long street party in the Church/Wellesley neighborhood.

The photo doesn't show it, but the rooftops of all those shops that line the street are also filled with people.

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/prettyh/random%20stuff/450_parade_080629.jpg

[Americano]

Bravo for Toronto.

I can't help but wonder how many redneck US cities politically dominated by religious leadership would deny a permit for a gay pride parade.

[Michael]

Bravo for Toronto.

I can't help but wonder how many redneck US cities politically dominated by religious leadership would deny a permit for a gay pride parade.

Even here it took the Pride Parade about ten years before the Mayor of Toronto would join the parade, let alone other politicians.

I think Sven Robinson (Canada's first openly gay member of Parliament) was the first politician to show up (they made him a parade marshal years ago).

Now the parade features a 'who's who' of ambitious politicians from all levels (municipal right up to federal cabinet ministers and opposition leaders). Surprise, surprise!

(btw, rumor has it that Toronto's Pride celebration is on its way to overtake NYC as the largest in North America - Toronto surpassed San Fran a few years ago)

[Americano]

I was living in San Francisco (1978, I had been back about a month after five years in Hawaii) when that city began its Gay Pride Parade. Which was also the debut of the rainbow flag. A rather distressful period for gays as AIDS was at the beginning of decimating that gay population.

The complexity of staging the SF Gay Pride Parade is interesting, and not cheap:

http://www.sfpride.org/parade/generalinfo.html

[Michael]

I was living in San Francisco (1978, I had been back about a month after five years in Hawaii) when that city began its Gay Pride Parade. Which was also the debut of the rainbow flag. A rather distressful period for gays as AIDS was at the beginning of decimating that gay population.

The complexity of staging the SF Gay Pride Parade is interesting, and not cheap:

http://www.sfpride.org/parade/generalinfo.html

WOW! There's some serious bureaucracy there! :lol:

Btw, in Toronto, there is a separate parade for "Lesbians" on the day before the Gay Pride Parade. They tend to participate at both of course, but demanded their own parade. :shrug:

And the infamous "Dykes on Bikes" are the traditional leading element for Toronto's parade as well. They've been there since the beginning.

Btw, the Toronto parade draws in blue-chip sponsors (Molsons, Labatts, major banks, VISA, Ikea and even the Canadian Armed Forces).

As previously, the Canadian Armed Forces are listed as an official sponsor of the event and gay soldiers are allowed to join the parade in uniform. The CAF also maintains a large recruiting pavilion as part of the week long Pride Event. I'll bet this would be a major 'culture shock' for most American visitors to Toronto's pride event. :lol:

[Americano]

WOW! There's some serious bureaucracy there! :lol:

Btw, in Toronto, there is a separate parade for "Lesbians" on the day before the Gay Pride Parade. They tend to participate at both of course, but demanded their own parade. :shrug:

And the infamous "Dykes on Bikes" are the traditional leading element for Toronto's parade as well. They've been there since the beginning.

Btw, the Toronto parade draws in blue-chip sponsors (Molsons, Labatts, major banks, VISA, Ikea and even the Canadian Armed Forces).

As previously, the Canadian Armed Forces are listed as an official sponsor of the event and gay soldiers are allowed to join the parade in uniform. The CAF also maintains a large recruiting pavilion as part of the week long Pride Event. I'll bet this would be a major 'culture shock' for most American visitors to Toronto's pride event. :lol:

With regards to gays and other policy decisions America's military is still firmly in the dark ages supported by some politicians and religious leaders who are as homophobic as it gets.

[evanescence]

Why be proud of one's sexuality? I could never understand that.

[Michael]

Why be proud of one's sexuality? I could never understand that.

Given the amount of abuse, violence and attacks that community has been subject to over the years from governments, police, corporations, religions and society in general, all designed to 'de-humanize' homosexuals, I think they have every right to celebrate the fact that they are people with rights now.

Indeed, the origin of Gay Pride parades is political activism designed to show the strength of the community and to agitate for equal rights. Over the years, these parades have slowly evolved from being political protests to a 'celebration' of victory in those same political fights.

It is also to be noted that the vast majority of attendees at these events are not homosexuals. Do you honestly think Toronto could have a million homos on the streets? There probably aren't that many homosexuals in all of Canada, let alone on Toronto streets.

And as many people have previously commented upon when faced with that very same critique - when everyday is heterosexual celebration day, one day to celebrate homosexuality isn't very radical, unusual or an unreasonable imposition.

[Michael]

Btw, I was rather surprised to find that this website was still live right now!

A major transformer blew up (mushroom cloud and a big fire) causing blackouts across the city - specifically focused on the south-end of downtown, but all around the city and suburbs.

The server that hosts this forum is right in the heart of the worst hit blackout zone, but apparently isn't affected! :banana:

As a sidenote to this episode, the Queen (along with the Prime Minister) are stuck inside a blacked out Royal York Hotel right now! :lol:

The Queen has been in Canada all week and today was supposed to attend some black-tie gala dinner at the Royal York Hotel this evening.

[Zarquon]

Why be proud of one's sexuality? I could never understand that.
Because it(being part of their identity) has been (and still is) ruthlessly suppressed for quite a long time and the insidious belief that homosexuality is immoral and/or abnormal been equally ruthlessly propagated along with it for as long, and the pride thing is their way of reclaiming it/their identity and declaring that they are not ashamed or abnormal.

[The Drunk Girl]

Why be proud of one's sexuality? I could never understand that.

Why be proud of anything?

[Americano]

Why be proud of one's sexuality? I could never understand that.

The prior US Marine commandant publicly stated he felt homosexuality was sinful, immoral and homosexuals should never be allowed in the Marines. If that was his public statement his personal views must have taken paint off of tanks. Scum he is.

I've had and have too many close gay friends who have faced lifetimes of acute discrimination. I support and applaud any stage for them to publicly express their sexuality without fear of intimidation or physical harm.

[Michael]

Why be proud of anything?

:thumbsup:

Damn good point. :)

[evanescence]

Given the amount of abuse, violence and attacks that community has been subject to over the years from governments, police, corporations, religions and society in general, all designed to 'de-humanize' homosexuals, I think they have every right to celebrate the fact that they are people with rights now.

Indeed, the origin of Gay Pride parades is political activism designed to show the strength of the community and to agitate for equal rights. Over the years, these parades have slowly evolved from being political protests to a 'celebration' of victory in those same political fights.

It is also to be noted that the vast majority of attendees at these events are not homosexuals. Do you honestly think Toronto could have a million homos on the streets? There probably aren't that many homosexuals in all of Canada, let alone on Toronto streets.

And as many people have previously commented upon when faced with that very same critique - when everyday is heterosexual celebration day, one day to celebrate homosexuality isn't very radical, unusual or an unreasonable imposition.

I see. Thanks for the explanation. I suppose i never considered celebrating something so basic as one's sexuality as necessary, but instead rather absurd. But what you've said here does make sence.

A lot of it does get very ridiculous, though. :shrug:

Btw, I was rather surprised to find that this website was still live right now!

A major transformer blew up (mushroom cloud and a big fire) causing blackouts across the city - specifically focused on the south-end of downtown, but all around the city and suburbs.

The server that hosts this forum is right in the heart of the worst hit blackout zone, but apparently isn't affected! :banana:

As a sidenote to this episode, the Queen (along with the Prime Minister) are stuck inside a blacked out Royal York Hotel right now! :lol:

The Queen has been in Canada all week and today was supposed to attend some black-tie gala dinner at the Royal York Hotel this evening.

That's too bad. Was anyone hurt?

Because it(being part of their identity) has been (and still is) ruthlessly suppressed for quite a long time and the insidious belief that homosexuality is immoral and/or abnormal been equally ruthlessly propagated along with it for as long, and the pride thing is their way of reclaiming it/their identity and declaring that they are not ashamed or abnormal.

And yet much of it is rather over the top.

[Michael]

I see. Thanks for the explanation. I suppose i never considered celebrating something so basic as one's sexuality as necessary, but instead rather absurd. But what you've said here does make sence.

A lot of it does get very ridiculous, though. :shrug:
No more ridiculous than Mardi Gras. :shrug:

Indeed, the Mardi Gras festival doesn't seem very religious at all.

That's too bad. Was anyone hurt?
Apparently none. Some big 'step-down' generator blew up.

(these are the generators that 'step-down' the high voltage transmission into a lower voltage for retail grid distribution - all power was restored within a couple of hours)

And yet much of it is rather over the top.
Compared to Mardi Gras or Super Bowl Sunday or St.Patrick's Parade?

[evanescence]

No more ridiculous than Mardi Gras. :shrug:

Indeed, the Mardi Gras festival doesn't seem very religious at all.


Apparently none. Some big 'step-down' generator blew up.

(these are the generators that 'step-down' the high voltage transmission into a lower voltage for retail grid distribution - all power was restored within a couple of hours)


Compared to Mardi Gras or Super Bowl Sunday or St.Patrick's Parade?

Maybe not Mardi Gras. :lol:

[Michael]

I just liked this picture. It is Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev having a bite together. It looks very informal, casual and normal - quite the opposite of what most political meetings are all about.

http://oilandglory.foreignpolicy.com/files/rayshellburger.jpg

[The Drunk Guy]

I just liked this picture. It is Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev having a bite together. It looks very informal, casual and normal - quite the opposite of what most political meetings are all about.
I thought the picture showed an innocence that should be regained by politicians. That is until I found this...

Fucking fascists and their brown mustard. :pullhair:

[Americano]

I thought the picture showed an innocence that should be regained by politicians. That is until I found this...

Fucking fascists and their brown mustard. :pullhair:

I don't get it. What's wrong with brown mustard?

That looks like Gulden's Spicy Brown Mustard, my favorite on split, grilled German sausages with sauerkraut. I can't stand that bright yellow crap.

[Margot]

I just liked this picture. It is Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev having a bite together. It looks very informal, casual and normal - quite the opposite of what most political meetings are all about.

http://oilandglory.foreignpolicy.com/files/rayshellburger.jpg

Yeah, but he's not holding his champagne flute right!

[Michael]

Yeah, but he's not holding his champagne flute right!

Speaking of which, 90% of the people I've seen holding champagne flutes hold them incorrectly! :lol:

(for anyone curious, you are supposed to hold the stem)

[Michael]

I thought the picture showed an innocence that should be regained by politicians. That is until I found this...

Fucking fascists and their brown mustard. :pullhair:

Fucking Americans with their watered down wimpy mild mustards! :lol:

Can't get decent mustard anywhere in the USA it seems.

[Americano]

Fucking Americans with their watered down wimpy mild mustards! :lol:

Can't get decent mustard anywhere in the USA it seems.

Oil imports make our credit shaky, which leads to market specific distribution of certain foodstuffs and other such frivolous imported consumables. Even the burg city nearest me has a specialty food store, it's also organic, and prices that would shock those favoring Real American food and mostly imported to really offend them, or we can order using the net. Not much demand here for anything beyond lowest cost food supplements (chemical construction encouraged) due to cost.

Anology would be someone operating a food booth at our county fair; using anything to dress sandwiches with mustard other than the bright yellow swill would invite consistent 'what the fuck is that shit' comments and probably make the local rag for a violence incident in their police report.

[Margot]

Speaking of which, 90% of the people I've seen holding champagne flutes hold them incorrectly! :lol:

(for anyone curious, you are supposed to hold the stem)

But my hands are so sweaty! I need to cool them off!

[Michael]

But my hands are so sweaty! I need to cool them off!
That's what the punch bowl is for!

[The Drunk Girl]

I don't get it. What's wrong with brown mustard?

That looks like Gulden's Spicy Brown Mustard, my favorite on split, grilled German sausages with sauerkraut. I can't stand that bright yellow crap.

I have asked him the same thing. Gulden's is the best in my opinion, but one can't just put it on plain ol white bread. If it is going to be used it has to go on some pumpernickle or rye bread with fresh deli meat and cheese(s), lettuce, tomato...That's a sandwich I can hang with:lol:

[Michael]

I have asked him the same thing. Gulden's is the best in my opinion, but one can't just put it on plain ol white bread. If it is going to be used it has to go on some pumpernickle or rye bread with fresh deli meat and cheese(s), lettuce, tomato...That's a sandwich I can hang with:lol:
Yes, that sounds good, but I'd complain about that wimpy Gulden's mustard stuff! :lol:

Keen's English Hot Mustard please - the kind that comes as a powder! Now THAT's serious mustard (for beef). For sandwiches, I'd go with a dijon style mustard.

http://www.mccormick.com.au/uploads/McCORMICK_Brands/keens-mustard-reflection2.jpg

[Americano]

I have asked him the same thing. Gulden's is the best in my opinion, but one can't just put it on plain ol white bread. If it is going to be used it has to go on some pumpernickle or rye bread with fresh deli meat and cheese(s), lettuce, tomato...That's a sandwich I can hang with:lol:

Is plain ol white bread still being sold? Maybe that's the bread section I can never see because its surrounded by grotesquely fat people on electric shopping carts.

[The Drunk Girl]

Is plain ol white bread still being sold? Maybe that's the bread section I can never see because its surrounded by grotesquely fat people on electric shopping carts.

Yes, plain ol white bread is still being sold. We buy Butternut (or some shit like that) for slapping together simple sandwiches, but we always buy Nature's Pride Country White for the "good" ones. The bread is thick and has a slight sweet taste to it. It's the closest thing we can find to "real" bread around here.
http://www.commonsensewithmoney.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/natures-pride-country_white.jpg

[Americano]

Dill rye for me. I don't eat many sandwiches after discovering

[Michael]

Dill rye for me. I don't eat many sandwiches after discovering
I like rye with caraway seeds. Or regular rye. Definitely the best tasting bread.

[Americano]

I like rye with caraway seeds. Or regular rye. Definitely the best tasting bread.

Try it will dill seeds (dill rye). You'll never go back to caraway seeds.

[Michael]

I don't know about any recession in the USA, but up here things are going crazy. Don't these people realize it is summer/vacation time?

All our customers are desperate to get their orders completed - before THEY go on vacation!

Suffice it to say we are overloaded and can't offload work because all our subcontractors are overloaded right now.

[Margot]

I don't know about any recession in the USA, but up here things are going crazy. Don't these people realize it is summer/vacation time?

All our customers are desperate to get their orders completed - before THEY go on vacation!

Suffice it to say we are overloaded and can't offload work because all our subcontractors are overloaded right now.

Would you like to outsource to a plucky young English major in Florida?

I'm very good at strongly worded letters and data entry.

[Michael]

Would you like to outsource to a plucky young English major in Florida?

I'm very good at strongly worded letters and data entry.

How many printing presses do you have?

Btw, the of the top four people in our company, one has a BA in Music, one has a BA in Marketing, one has a BA in History and there is me. :)

And we are a manufacturing company!

Don't let anyone tell you that liberal arts degrees are a dead end. They still quite useful in the marketplace.

[Americano]

I don't know about any recession in the USA, but up here things are going crazy. Don't these people realize it is summer/vacation time?

All our customers are desperate to get their orders completed - before THEY go on vacation!

Suffice it to say we are overloaded and can't offload work because all our subcontractors are overloaded right now.

Glad to hear it. I'm in a lower to middle-class vacation destination area and seasonal employment (June-September) for that industry is down by 25% from ten year averages. That's right about where our unofficial unemployment is lodged.

Our newest industry, collections of past-due and defaulted student loans, has released a PR blurb that they will be adding more $9/hr jobs as early as this fall.

[Americano]

How many printing presses do you have?

Btw, the of the top four people in our company, one has a BA in Music, one has a BA in Marketing, one has a BA in History and there is me. :)

And we are a manufacturing company!

Don't let anyone tell you that liberal arts degrees are a dead end. They still quite useful in the marketplace.

What's the average tenure of those people?

[Michael]

Glad to hear it. I'm in a lower to middle-class vacation destination area and seasonal employment (June-September) for that industry is down by 25% from ten year averages. That's right about where our unofficial unemployment is lodged.

Our newest industry, collections of past-due and defaulted student loans, has released a PR blurb that they will be adding more $9/hr jobs as early as this fall.

Average hourly wage in our industry is $20 per hour, with the top end around $35 per hour. That excludes management.

[Americano]

Average hourly wage in our industry is $20 per hour, with the top end around $35 per hour. That excludes management.

We Americans will do our best to consume more of your oil and other natural resources in order to provide demand for our consumer oriented printing requirements. Though I do hear rumors of US Southern States switching back to parchment to reflect their 18th century mentality and educational philosophy.

[Margot]

Glad to hear it. I'm in a lower to middle-class vacation destination area and seasonal employment (June-September) for that industry is down by 25% from ten year averages. That's right about where our unofficial unemployment is lodged.

Our newest industry, collections of past-due and defaulted student loans, has released a PR blurb that they will be adding more $9/hr jobs as early as this fall.

"Margot! What the fuck are you doing? I never thought you'd be a debt collector!"
"Sorry pal, but I gotta pay my loans."

Brilliant. I'm in.

[Michael]

We're used to it, no big deal.

It has just been fixed. And now we will see the time-shuffle problem with all posts made in the last six-eight hours. :mad:

Notice how this post is out of order now?

All posts in the last 6-8 hours were posted under the wrong timestamp, and now new posts will be posted under the correct timestamp which causes these post time-warps! :lol:

[Americano]

It has just been fixed. And now we will see the time-shuffle problem with all posts made in the last six-eight hours. :mad:

Notice how this post is out of order now?

AND the server just crashed for about five minutes. Interesting. I wonder if training is going on at the host.

[Michael]

AND the server just crashed for about five minutes. Interesting. I wonder if training is going on at the host.

Yes, I reported that too. They deny that the system was down at all. :shrug:

Though, I just checked and the server log doesn't record that 'crash' so apparently they didn't lie. The server log doesn't lie - it is automatic.

[Americano]

Yes, I reported that too. They deny that the system was down at all. :shrug:

Though, I just checked and the server log doesn't record that 'crash' so apparently they didn't lie. The server log doesn't lie - it is automatic.

The automatic server log may not lie, but this site was off the web at my ISP. No big deal.

[Michael]

The automatic server log may not lie, but this site was off the web at my ISP. No big deal.

I agree. That's what I saw too. And it seems like the forum was down again just now.

Second time tonight - this site appears to go offline, but when I check the forum and server logs after I get it back, it shows that it was here all along. :ummm:

Something weird is going on - maybe some massive 'denial of service' attack is going on somewhere causing such net service oddities. :shrug:

[Michael]

I'm soooooooooo disappointed with the forum software and this post timewarp thing!

The forum clock had kicked over midnight and it was showing July 9 date/time for an hour or so just before the server time setting was corrected, setting the time at 9pm July 8th as it should be.

Well, the forum software displays today's posts under the label "today" and yesterday's posts as "yesterday". So I was figuring that those handful of posts that got timestamped for July 9th, 2010 ought to display as "tomorrow" in the posting list after the server time was corrected!

Alas I was soooooooooo disappointed. :rofl:

(For those curious, those particular posts are displayed with the timestamped date in US regular date format: month, day, year)

[evanescence]

Glad to hear it. I'm in a lower to middle-class vacation destination area and seasonal employment (June-September) for that industry is down by 25% from ten year averages. That's right about where our unofficial unemployment is lodged.

Our newest industry, collections of past-due and defaulted student loans, has released a PR blurb that they will be adding more $9/hr jobs as early as this fall.

Sounds promising. :lol:

[Michael]

The blasted server host has fucked up the time AGAIN.

I have notified the host. In the meantime, please be advised that some recent posts may get fucked up out of time sequence because of this.

[Americano]

The blasted server host has fucked up the time AGAIN.

I have notified the host. In the meantime, please be advised that some recent posts may get fucked up out of time sequence because of this.

We're used to it, no big deal.

[Americano]

Sounds promising. :lol:

A sign of the times. The collection agency branch here uses employees from a local temporary agency to avoid paying benefits and maintaining more than a token HR staff. That's very common in my high unemployment area where $9/hr jobs are important.

Don't like an employee? Call the agency and tell them you want to change that robot for a different one. No problem and instant replacement.

[The Drunk Girl]

Cleveland fans reacting to LeBron leaving (http://tribeca.vidavee.com/advance/doc/EC39B21DD384FB6E0669A32820F53AD5?AF_deliveryChanne l=play)

Cleveland owner's response to LeBron (http://www.cleveland.com/cavs/index.ssf/2010/07/gilberts_letter_to_fans_james.html)

[Americano]

Cleveland fans reacting to LeBron leaving (http://tribeca.vidavee.com/advance/doc/EC39B21DD384FB6E0669A32820F53AD5?AF_deliveryChanne l=play)

Cleveland owner's response to LeBron (http://www.cleveland.com/cavs/index.ssf/2010/07/gilberts_letter_to_fans_james.html)

I had to look it up, sounds like the norm for spectator sports. Those fans need to get a real life.

[evanescence]

Am I the only one who hates sports..i mean overall? I like sports that require actual talent (Olympic sports, for example).

[Margot]

Am I the only one who hates sports..i mean overall? I like sports that require actual talent (Olympic sports, for example).

Naw, you're not the only one. I hate sports, too. Except that I just learned that the Spanish World Cup team is a super good-looking group of men. I could probably watch them all day.

[Americano]

Am I the only one who hates sports..i mean overall? I like sports that require actual talent (Olympic sports, for example).

I don't hate spectator sports, I just have absolutely no interest in them. Many people seem to have a need for (team) heroes and find it difficult to function in their peer groups without a team(s) loyalty factor. I personally can't think of anything more boring than being subjected to watching the repetition in an entire baseball, basketball, football or soccer game. Well, watching paint dry comes close but it is faster and there's no screaming involved.

[evanescence]

Naw, you're not the only one. I hate sports, too. Except that I just learned that the Spanish World Cup team is a super good-looking group of men. I could probably watch them all day.

:lol:

I don't hate spectator sports, I just have absolutely no interest in them. Many people seem to have a need for (team) heroes and find it difficult to function in their peer groups without a team(s) loyalty factor. I personally can't think of anything more boring than being subjected to watching the repetition in an entire baseball, basketball, football or soccer game. Well, watching paint dry comes close but it is faster and there's no screaming involved.

It is boring. I will say that going to the games is much more interesting than watching on tv.

[Michael]

Went up to a friend's cottage in the Muskoka Lakes district north of the city on Saturday, spent Sunday watching the game on a patio overlooking the beach.

It is so beautiful up there.

http://www.muskokalakesrealestate.com/photos/muskoka_view.jpg

[Americano]

I just looked at my spam folders and was amazed to find so many offers for enlarging my penis to where I could copulate with elephants and, at the same time, achieve great wealth by answering emails with a few of my personal details. It also seems that the economy is expanding so rapidly that $100/hr jobs working part-time at home with no skills required are going unfilled.

[Americano]

Went up to a friend's cottage in the Muskoka Lakes district north of the city on Saturday, spent Sunday watching the game on a patio overlooking the beach.

It is so beautiful up there.

http://www.muskokalakesrealestate.com/photos/muskoka_view.jpg


Beautiful setting, are the bugs gone?

[evanescence]

I just looked at my spam folders and was amazed to find so many offers for enlarging my penis to where I could copulate with elephants and, at the same time, achieve great wealth by answering emails with a few of my personal details. It also seems that the economy is expanding so rapidly that $100/hr jobs working part-time at home with no skills required are going unfilled.

:lol::lol:

[Lily]

I don't hate spectator sports, I just have absolutely no interest in them. Many people seem to have a need for (team) heroes and find it difficult to function in their peer groups without a team(s) loyalty factor. I personally can't think of anything more boring than being subjected to watching the repetition in an entire baseball, basketball, football or soccer game. Well, watching paint dry comes close but it is faster and there's no screaming involved.

Are we siblings separated at birth? My friend, Andy, has tried to interest me in baseball for years. I keep using the baseball = watching paint dry, but he still asks if I want to watch a game every once in a while. And is it just me, or does baseball season seem to last all year?

And don't get him started on basketball...

[Non Sequitur]

Are we siblings separated at birth? My friend, Andy, has tried to interest me in baseball for years. I keep using the baseball = watching paint dry, but he still asks if I want to watch a game every once in a while. And is it just me, or does baseball season seem to last all year?



well, it's 162 games april to october so half the year...

But it is the greatest sport in human history :D

[dilettante]

Speaking of sports, while looking for the world cup on TV yesterday, my wife and I came across a very odd sport. At first I thought it was some other soccer game based on how they were dressed, but then they picked up the ball and ran with it and there was a tackle (or sorts), which made me think it was rugby, but then someone kicked the ball through goals posts like those used for field goals in American football, and I realized that I didn't have a clue what the heck was going on. Subsequent investigation had taught me that what I was seeing is Gaelic Football (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaelic_football), one of the (if not the) most popular sports in Ireland.
Has anyone seen one these games before? It was rather...different.

[The Drunk Girl]

Are we siblings separated at birth? My friend, Andy, has tried to interest me in baseball for years. I keep using the baseball = watching paint dry, but he still asks if I want to watch a game every once in a while. And is it just me, or does baseball season seem to last all year?

And don't get him started on basketball...

I have said the same thing about baseball. It seems as soon as the Series is over, a month passes and a new season has begun. I feel the same way about Nascar, too

[The Drunk Girl]

Speaking of sports, while looking for the world cup on TV yesterday, my wife and I came across a very odd sport. At first I thought it was some other soccer game based on how they were dressed, but then they picked up the ball and ran with it and there was a tackle (or sorts), which made me think it was rugby, but then someone kicked the ball through goals posts like those used for field goals in American football, and I realized that I didn't have a clue what the heck was going on. Subsequent investigation had taught me that what I was seeing is Gaelic Football (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaelic_football), one of the (if not the) most popular sports in Ireland.
Has anyone seen one these games before? It was rather...different.

I have came across it before and just thought it was rugby :lol:

[Michael]

I'm certainly no fan of any professional sport at all and never have been.

Indeed, my mild interest in soccer is quite unlikely to survive that final World Cup game which was by far the worst game I've ever watched.

I just don't have any interest in pro-sports, and if I do, you can be damn sure I will not be a fan of any given team. I'm just not inclined to be a partisan of any variety.

(I suspect that there is a high level of crossover from hard-core sports partisanship to political partisanship on the theory that a partisan is a partisan is a partisan).

[Michael]

I have said the same thing about baseball. It seems as soon as the Series is over, a month passes and a new season has begun. I feel the same way about Nascar, too

Hockey is the most outrageous. Pre-season training and exhibition games begin in September. The Stanley Cup final is around the middle of June. That's ten months. Fucking insane.

[Non Sequitur]

I'm certainly no fan of any professional sport at all and never have been.

Indeed, my mild interest in soccer is quite unlikely to survive that final World Cup game which was by far the worst game I've ever watched.

I just don't have any interest in pro-sports, and if I do, you can be damn sure I will not be a fan of any given team. I'm just not inclined to be a partisan of any variety.

(I suspect that there is a high level of crossover from hard-core sports partisanship to political partisanship on the theory that a partisan is a partisan is a partisan).

I object to that theory. I am by no means partisan in politics, but am a partisan in my sports. :)

[Michael]

I object to that theory. I am by no means partisan in politics, but am a partisan in my sports. :)
Fair enough. It was just speculation on my part.

Btw, if you are a registered Republican, you are by definition partisan in your politics. You may be a 'moderate' partisan rather than an 'extreme' one, but a partisan you must be.

(Though, that US system that FORCES people to declare party affiliation to the government is one of the most bizarre customs I've ever encountered in any nation - it serves no good purpose at all other than forcing people to support the institutional duopoly that rules in Washington).

[Zarquon]

a couple of good articles in the times, this (http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/13/health/13mind.html?src=me&ref=general) and that (http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/12/opinion/12douthat.html).

[Americano]

a couple of good articles in the times, this (http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/13/health/13mind.html?src=me&ref=general) and that (http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/12/opinion/12douthat.html).

From what I've seen there are, regardless of parenting practices, a lot of bad seeds out there.

[The Drunk Girl]

Today's rain has kept the folks inside. I, however am stuck in a 10x6 building working for another four hours. It is definitely going to be a long ass day :(

[Americano]

Today's rain has kept the folks inside. I, however am stuck in a 10x6 building working for another four hours. It is definitely going to be a long ass day :(

Aside from you and obviously a PC, what's in the 10x6 building?

[Michael]

Aside from you and obviously a PC, what's in the 10x6 building?

10x6 is smaller than my office! :eek:

[The Drunk Girl]

Aside from you and obviously a PC, what's in the 10x6 building?
Well I have been using my cell phone to get on here for most of the day.

Lets see...there are scratchoffs, a lotto machine, racks of cigarettes, a safe, a small computer table and computer, shit hanging on the walls, a fan, more shit hanging on the wall. The whole back wall is cartons of cigarrettes
10x6 is smaller than my office! :eek:

I am just guessing these are the dimensions. i just imagined myself lying down and went from there haha...it is a confined area though

[Michael]

Well I have been using my cell phone to get on here for most of the day.

Lets see...there are scratchoffs, a lotto machine, racks of cigarettes, a safe, a small computer table and computer, shit hanging on the walls, a fan, more shit hanging on the wall. The whole back wall is cartons of cigarrettes


I am just guessing these are the dimensions. i just imagined myself lying down and went from there haha...it is a confined area though

I think what you are describing is called a "kiosk". ;)

You confused us by speaking about "the residents" made us think you were at the old folks home when you are (obviously) at the gas station job! :lol:

[Americano]

I think what you are describing is called a "kiosk". ;)

You confused us by speaking about "the residents" made us think you were at the old folks home when you are (obviously) at the gas station job! :lol:

Or, maybe the old folks and staff smoke a lot of cigarettes.

[Lily]

When did it become okay again to just spew racist hatred with impunity? Did it start happening during the presidential campaign? I hear it and see it so much these days and people don't even try to hide it. They don't care. I've heard more racial "jokes" in the past year than I've heard in the last ten years. This from people, well, from everyone from the woman at the local convenience store to the guy who runs the carwash. And the comment section in our local newspaper is just filled with vile racial slurs.
What the heck is happening in this country?

[The Drunk Guy]

When did it become okay again to just spew racist hatred with impunity? Did it start happening during the presidential campaign? I hear it and see it so much these days and people don't even try to hide it. They don't care. I've heard more racial "jokes" in the past year than I've heard in the last ten years. This from people, well, from everyone from the woman at the local convenience store to the guy who runs the carwash. And the comment section in our local newspaper is just filled with vile racial slurs.
What the heck is happening in this country?
Haven't you heard to the Good News?

http://cts.hss.uts.edu.au/students08/Final_Website/images/foxnews.jpg

[Michael]

When did it become okay again to just spew racist hatred with impunity? Did it start happening during the presidential campaign? I hear it and see it so much these days and people don't even try to hide it. They don't care. I've heard more racial "jokes" in the past year than I've heard in the last ten years. This from people, well, from everyone from the woman at the local convenience store to the guy who runs the carwash. And the comment section in our local newspaper is just filled with vile racial slurs.
What the heck is happening in this country?

From my perspective (primarily news and blog sources), it does appear that this has come about with the election of Obama to the Presidency. It seems to have really kicked into gear after the election. Why or how, I don't know. Might be a very good topic for a PhD study in sociology.

Nothing comparable up here at all. Living in Toronto, you just don't hear 'racial slurs' or 'ugly' racist jokes. You do hear good ones though! (as in the Paki taxi driver telling you an actually funny Paki-joke). Newfies are famous for doing this (they always have the best Newfie jokes!) - this just might be a bit of classic Canadian humor culture infecting the newbies as well. But Toronto is ground zero for multiculture on the planet - no city in the world comes close (we have 50% non white and 50% non Canadian born) included in Toronto's metropolitan population of roughly 3 million (2001).

[The Drunk Girl]

Some young ass (dumb motherfucker) came by the store last week, bought a pack of cigarettes, and said, "What is Obama going to do to us next?"

I might have had some sympathy for the dude, but half of his teeth were rotted out of his head.

[Lily]

From my perspective (primarily news and blog sources), it does appear that this has come about with the election of Obama to the Presidency. It seems to have really kicked into gear after the election. Why or how, I don't know. Might be a very good topic for a PhD study in sociology.

I think it started before the election, during the campaign. I vividly remember watching a McCain/Palin rally where some of the crowd got really ugly, yelling stuff like "Lynch him!" about then-Sen. Obama. I was stunned. It didn't seem like Palin, in particular, did anything to quell those kinds of outbursts; in fact, the atmosphere at those rallies seemed to get uglier as time went on.

These days, even though I hear all these pundits say it's about policy and economics, not racism, I just don't believe it. It is absolutely about racism. Some of the comments I'm hearing and reading are downright hateful and, they are directed specifically at certain groups of people.


Nothing comparable up here at all. Living in Toronto, you just don't hear 'racial slurs' or 'ugly' racist jokes. You do hear good ones though! (as in the Paki taxi driver telling you an actually funny Paki-joke). Newfies are famous for doing this (they always have the best Newfie jokes!) - this just might be a bit of classic Canadian humor culture infecting the newbies as well. But Toronto is ground zero for multiculture on the planet - no city in the world comes close (we have 50% non white and 50% non Canadian born) included in Toronto's metropolitan population of roughly 3 million (2001).

[evanescence]

From my perspective (primarily news and blog sources), it does appear that this has come about with the election of Obama to the Presidency. It seems to have really kicked into gear after the election. Why or how, I don't know. Might be a very good topic for a PhD study in sociology.

Nothing comparable up here at all. Living in Toronto, you just don't hear 'racial slurs' or 'ugly' racist jokes. You do hear good ones though! (as in the Paki taxi driver telling you an actually funny Paki-joke). Newfies are famous for doing this (they always have the best Newfie jokes!) - this just might be a bit of classic Canadian humor culture infecting the newbies as well. But Toronto is ground zero for multiculture on the planet - no city in the world comes close (we have 50% non white and 50% non Canadian born) included in Toronto's metropolitan population of roughly 3 million (2001).

Could you tell us some funny racist jokes? :D

[Michael]

Could you tell us some funny racist jokes? :D

Like I said, those kind of jokes are really only funny when a member of that particular ethnicity is the one delivering the joke. Otherwise it just doesn't seem to work or be as funny. :shrug:

[The Drunk Girl]

Like I said, those kind of jokes are really only funny when a member of that particular ethnicity is the one delivering the joke. Otherwise it just doesn't seem to work or be as funny. :shrug:

Please, please :(



:lol:

[Michael]

For anyone interested, today is...

Bastille Day

Which marks the unofficial beginning of the French Revolution.

[evanescence]

Please, please :(



:lol:

I like when Carlos Mencia makes racist jokes.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sj2MQqN5of4

:lol: Although, his mannerisms are annoying.

[Non Sequitur]

For anyone interested, today is...

Bastille Day

Which marks the unofficial beginning of the French Revolution.

:eek:

[The Drunk Girl]

I like when Carlos Mencia makes racist jokes.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sj2MQqN5of4

:lol: Although, his mannerisms are annoying.

Don't Serve Them...
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8rChLGkUcPw)

What made this clip even better (and I couldn't find it) was the fact that the black guy had asked Ken Marino earlier what they were catering. Marino answered fried chicken along with some other stereotypical black foods.

White Friends (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pbHj7UfZzuM&feature=related)

[Zarquon]

For anyone interested, today is...

Bastille Day

Which marks the unofficial beginning of the French Revolution.
Let impure blood water our furrows?:erm:

[Lily]

For anyone interested, today is...

Bastille Day

Which marks the unofficial beginning of the French Revolution.

Let's have some cake! :D

[Michael]

Let's have some cake! :D

Btw, that has got to be one of the most famous examples of history being butchered.

Poor Marie Antionette, she gets a bad rap. Fact is, when the Queen inquired why there was an unseemly rabble of peasants at the gates to her palace, she was informed that "the peasants have no bread to eat".

To her credit, Marie Antionette replied, "then let them eat cake" - to which the palace kitchen stores were opened and huge quantities of cake were given to the starving peasants.

But somehow, this episode has been translated in pop-culture into Marie Antionette being the very definition of a haughty bitch of an aristocrat who couldn't care less about starving peasants. Seems rather odd. :shrug:

[Michael]

Btw, today is a great day at my house... I just came from my local butcher shop (that sells "free-from" meat - free from antibiotics, BGH and all additives) has now introduced a line of "free-from" sausages that come from the same 'organic' production operation where the beef and pork comes from that I buy.

Btw if you think filet mignon is expensive, you haven't seen the price on 'organic' filet mignon! :lol:

Anyway, I've always been a huge fan of big fat sausages of the German or Italian variety and haven't bought any for years due to the fact that sausages are only one step above hot dogs in the meat processing industry and that's very ugly.

So now I can buy sausages again! :banana:

[Americano]

Let impure blood water our furrows?:erm:

That better describes US efforts of building fledgling democracies with military intervention.

[Michael]

Today on the 6 o'clock news they showed a clip from a Finnish tv news station that showed a (smallish female) moose that had walked into the open doors of a Finnish supermarket and was wandering around the inside of the store. :lol:

Being Canadian, I have a softspot for these huge majestic animals - the are really quite remarkable (and impressively large motherfuckers!). If you are unfortunate enough to hit one with a car on the highway - 50/50 says all the occupants of the car will be dead from the encounter. In some cases, the moose survives and leaves the scene. :eek:

(apparently some mooses jump up at the last second and then land on top of the car's roof crushing it and those inside, and then walk away)

[Americano]

Btw, today is a great day at my house... I just came from my local butcher shop (that sells "free-from" meat - free from antibiotics, BGH and all additives) has now introduced a line of "free-from" sausages that come from the same 'organic' production operation where the beef and pork comes from that I buy.

Btw if you think filet mignon is expensive, you haven't seen the price on 'organic' filet mignon! :lol:

Anyway, I've always been a huge fan of big fat sausages of the German or Italian variety and haven't bought any for years due to the fact that sausages are only one step above hot dogs in the meat processing industry and that's very ugly.

So now I can buy sausages again! :banana:
We actually have two organic sausage processors. Not cheap by any stretch of the imagination even at the source.

Bone-in premium or choice rib eyes marbled to a point that when grilled three minutes on each side the smoke covers the valley are my favorite cut of beef.

[Michael]

Let impure blood water our furrows?:erm:

:ummm: I haven't a clue what you are referencing here.

I happen to think that Bastille Day is worthy of immortal reference for the symbolic beginning of the French Revolution and all that represents.

Although England's revolution was far earlier and more ground-breaking, and the American one preceded the French one as well, it does seem as if the French Revolution is the most famous of revolutions, and probably the more far-reaching too, with respect to the larger world. US culture may be dominant in the 20th and 21st century, but back in the 17-19th centuries, French culture was dominant in Europe and thus the French Declaration of The Rights of Man probably was better known and more widely disseminated at the time.

[evanescence]

Don't Serve Them...
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8rChLGkUcPw)

What made this clip even better (and I couldn't find it) was the fact that the black guy had asked Ken Marino earlier what they were catering. Marino answered fried chicken along with some other stereotypical black foods.

White Friends (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pbHj7UfZzuM&feature=related)

:lol:

[dilettante]

Although England's revolution was far earlier and more ground-breaking, and the American one preceded the French one as well, it does seem as if the French Revolution is the most famous of revolutions, and probably the more far-reaching too, with respect to the larger world. US culture may be dominant in the 20th and 21st century, but back in the 17-19th centuries, French culture was dominant in Europe and thus the French Declaration of The Rights of Man probably was better known and more widely disseminated at the time.

The French were so much more "vigorous" when it came to exporting their politics at the time. :)

[Zarquon]

:ummm: I haven't a clue what you are referencing here.

Its one of the lines (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Marseillaise#Lyrics) of the chorus to La Marseillaise (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Marseillaise) (its actually "May an impure blood Water our furrows!"), the French National Anthem.

[Michael]

The hot political issue in Canada right now is the attempt of the Prime Minister to locate the "new" national Canadian securities regulator in his own district in Calgary. Basically the PM is just treating this regulatory institution as just another piece of pork to be distributed.

There is strong political opposition to putting this regulatory office anywhere but in Toronto because that's where Canada's financial markets are concentrated.

But the PM hates Toronto and wants to shovel pork to Calgary.

This is like moving the US Securities and Exchange Commission office from NY to Phoenix. Such a plan might be popular in Arizona, but it is just plain stupid politics and bad policy.

[Non Sequitur]

The hot political issue in Canada right now is the attempt of the Prime Minister to locate the "new" national Canadian securities regulator in his own district in Calgary. Basically the PM is just treating this regulatory institution as just another piece of pork to be distributed.

There is strong political opposition to putting this regulatory office anywhere but in Toronto because that's where Canada's financial markets are concentrated.

But the PM hates Toronto and wants to shovel pork to Calgary.

This is like moving the US Securities and Exchange Commission office from NY to Phoenix. Such a plan might be popular in Arizona, but it is just plain stupid politics and bad policy.

what is his justification for such a move?

[Michael]

what is his justification for such a move?

Canada used to have a regulator based in each Province. As a cost saving move and to streamline the efficiency, it was decided that we should have just one regulator to cover the whole country (covering securities, exchanges and non-charter banks and all kinds of various financial services).

The bottom line is that the Toronto office traditionally has been the lead agency as over 85% of all such companies are located in Toronto (including the Toronto Stock Exchange). In most cases, the Toronto office has been running the show for decades, with most of the smaller offices just following the Toronto office's lead on most issues since the Toronto office is staffed with lots of high end lawyers and accountants, not so much for the smaller provincial regulators.

Btw, we have a separate regulator to look after the Big Five chartered banks, so they aren't included here. This is essentially the same agency as the US Securities and Exchange Commission - primarily concerned with stock exchanges and financial trading companies (which is why the Toronto office has always been bigger than all the rest of the offices added together).

[The Drunk Girl]

Toothless redneck, with titties sagging to her feet that just left the store: "Obama got us in this damn war. He's already got all our boys kilt and he's just gunna git more of them kilt. I dunno how he got into office after gittin us in this war."

[evanescence]

Toothless redneck, with titties sagging to her feet that just left the store: "Obama got us in this damn war. He's already got all our boys kilt and he's just gunna git more of them kilt. I dunno how he got into office after gittin us in this war."

wtf? :lol: Seriously?

[Michael]

Toothless redneck, with titties sagging to her feet that just left the store: "Obama got us in this damn war. He's already got all our boys kilt and he's just gunna git more of them kilt. I dunno how he got into office after gittin us in this war."

You live in such a colorful neighborhood! :lol:

[Americano]

Toothless redneck, with titties sagging to her feet that just left the store: "Obama got us in this damn war. He's already got all our boys kilt and he's just gunna git more of them kilt. I dunno how he got into office after gittin us in this war."

Confederate flag bumper sticker or window decal?

[The Drunk Girl]

Confederate flag bumper sticker or window decal?

Couldn't tell. I was safely in my 10x6 room with a window just big enough to handle money ;)

Honestly I was stunned at the sheer stupidity (don't rag on me too bad Americano) of her comment and actually did stop to think of where the fuck she has been over the past decade

[Americano]

Couldn't tell. I was safely in my 10x6 room with a window just big enough to handle money ;)

Honestly I was stunned at the sheer stupidity (don't rag on me too bad Americano) of her comment and actually did stop to think of where the fuck she has been over the past decade

My high level of cynicism is going to rag on you being stunned by sheer stupidity? Don't be silly. Consider it a valuable lesson in conditioning your mental reaction for future encounters. Keep in mind many women of all ages with perfect teeth and impressive racks are at that level of stupid. They, including their male counterparts, simply have people who are more informed telling them what to say and do.

[The Drunk Girl]

My high level of cynicism is going to rag on you being stunned by sheer stupidity? Don't be silly. Consider it a valuable lesson in conditioning your mental reaction for future encounters. Keep in mind many women of all ages with perfect teeth and impressive racks are at that level of stupid. They, including their male counterparts, simply have people who are more informed telling them what to say and do.

As I have said before, if only you were my daddy the world would be a better place.:angel:

If TDG and I are fortunate to have children in the future I am 100% sure that their first word(s) will be an explicit

[Lily]

Toothless redneck, with titties sagging to her feet that just left the store: "Obama got us in this damn war. He's already got all our boys kilt and he's just gunna git more of them kilt. I dunno how he got into office after gittin us in this war."

Hey, I know her! Stringy hair, flip-flops?:rofl:

[The Drunk Girl]

My high level of cynicism is going to rag on you being stunned by sheer stupidity? Don't be silly. Consider it a valuable lesson in conditioning your mental reaction for future encounters. Keep in mind many women of all ages with perfect teeth and impressive racks are at that level of stupid. They, including their male counterparts, simply have people who are more informed telling them what to say and do.

Sorry I misread the last part of your post. I read it as, stupid people end up having children who are more informed about what is going on than their parents. Whoops

[The Drunk Girl]

Hey, I know her! Stringy hair, flip-flops?:rofl:

Not sure if she had any shoes, but the stingy hair fits the description. I think she might like to come through the ERs looking for pain pills. :lol:

[evanescence]

Watching sitcoms has more appeal than being informed, apparently.

[Michael]

I just went to IKEA this morning. Took me about 10-15 minutes to walk through the store and pickup 5 items totaling $250.

I then spent ten minutes as the 10th person in line at a cashier. After ten minutes, I was 9th. The store was mostly empty (10am on weekday morning). Just two cashier lines open, both with long lines (10 plus people in each line).

When the store manager walked by, I (very loudly) said "fuck this shit", dropped all that nice merchandise onto the floor (also loudly) and just walked out of the fucking store.

This is the SECOND time this has happened at IKEA. Last time I had the problem at IKEA, I left about $1000 worth of merchandise sitting on the floor by the checkout.

I'm quite unlikely to let that happen a third time. I will do that by just not going to IKEA ever again. Their loss, not mine.

[Americano]

I just went to IKEA this morning. Took me about 10-15 minutes to walk through the store and pickup 5 items totaling $250.

I then spent ten minutes as the 10th person in line at a cashier. After ten minutes, I was 9th. The store was mostly empty (10am on weekday morning). Just two cashier lines open, both with long lines (10 plus people in each line).

When the store manager walked by, I (very loudly) said "fuck this shit", dropped all that nice merchandise onto the floor (also loudly) and just walked out of the fucking store.

This is the SECOND time this has happened at IKEA. Last time I had the problem at IKEA, I left about $1000 worth of merchandise sitting on the floor by the checkout.

I'm quite unlikely to let that happen a third time. I will do that by just not going to IKEA ever again. Their loss, not mine.

The very reason I attempt to avoid brick and mortar retail establishments with team members.

http://www.ikea.com/

[Michael]

The very reason I attempt to avoid brick and mortar retail establishments with team members.

http://www.ikea.com/

I can't even be bothered to go inside a retail book store anymore and I'm a book junkie! :lol:

I only shop for books at used book stores now. So much less bullshit and annoyances and the staff is usually quite knowledgeable and helpful. And no stink of fucking coffee - or pretentious conversations between college student staff discussing their pathetic social lives while ignoring the customers. :lol:

I recall the last time I walked out of such a store (empty handed) and told the manager on my way out, "if I walk out of a bookstore without spending at least $100, your store sucks real bad because I'm a compulsive book buyer and I got a fat fucking wallet!" :lol:

[The Drunk Girl]

There is a store here in town called Hastings. It is a book store/movie store rental/video game type place. Really cool actually, but all of their staff are just the same...IDIOTS! They have no personality and act like being there is sucking the life out of them. I have actually seen them turn out their cashier's light when a customer walks up.

[Greendruid]

I just ate a cardamom pod in my Indian food! While I love the taste that particular spice adds to Indian food (locally prepared by my wife for our personal consumption) I cannot stand the sensation of biting down into a somewhat unexpected leathery seed pod that I consider to be ... inedible in that form. Kashmiri tofu is overall one of my favourite dishes that my wife makes. It is leftover today - yesterday it was followed by crème brulée made by one of our French farm volunteers. A lovely complement to the spicy meal.

[Michael]

... yesterday it was followed by crème brulée made by one of our French farm volunteers. A lovely complement to the spicy meal.

You have volunteers on your French farm? :D

Are you growing a batch for export to the Quebec market? ;)

[The Drunk Girl]

Here are 2 of 4 kittens that have been living under and on our back deck. The white one is the runt of the litter and (obviously) my favorite. One of his siblings is a little bastard that hisses and tries to claw you if you get near it. We brought the white one in a few nights ago to try to feed it and he wouldn't. Last night we got him to eat but had to use a syringe for him to suck on. The other one (pictured here) had no problem eating out of a bowl.

We kept the white one in last night and I woke up at 5am to feed him. TDG fed him this morning before he left. I am afraid to put him back outside...

[Greendruid]

You have volunteers on your French farm? :D

Are you growing a batch for export to the Quebec market? ;)

We were thinking about it but they keep demanding 30-hour work weeks and 8 weeks vacation to start! Very difficult to grow them under those conditions. I have a guillotine on order from Bed, Bath and Beyond. It's from the Beyond department.

[Michael]

Here are 2 of 4 kittens that have been living under and on our back deck. The white one is the runt of the litter and (obviously) my favorite. One of his siblings is a little bastard that hisses and tries to claw you if you get near it. We brought the white one in a few nights ago to try to feed it and he wouldn't. Last night we got him to eat but had to use a syringe for him to suck on. The other one (pictured here) had no problem eating out of a bowl.

We kept the white one in last night and I woke up at 5am to feed him. TDG fed him this morning before he left. I am afraid to put him back outside...

Cute kitties!

Btw, my sister brought home the 'runt' of a litter from some stray cat. He was a marmalade. Turned into the biggest toughest tom in the neighborhood, tipping the scales at 24 pounds and no fat at all. I think that he thought he was actually a dog since he acted like one.

[Lily]

Here are 2 of 4 kittens that have been living under and on our back deck. The white one is the runt of the litter and (obviously) my favorite. One of his siblings is a little bastard that hisses and tries to claw you if you get near it. We brought the white one in a few nights ago to try to feed it and he wouldn't. Last night we got him to eat but had to use a syringe for him to suck on. The other one (pictured here) had no problem eating out of a bowl.

We kept the white one in last night and I woke up at 5am to feed him. TDG fed him this morning before he left. I am afraid to put him back outside...

Adorable! It looks like that larger kitty may be a Turkish Van. They have white bodies with color just on the head and tail. A very old breed. I can't really see the little kitty.

[Michael]

Adorable! It looks like that larger kitty may be a Turkish Van. They have white bodies with color just on the head and tail. A very old breed. I can't really see the little kitty.

A kitty expert are you? Btw, that little kitty looks white! :D

I've always found the 'marmalade' cats to have the most 'personality' of the various cats. I don't know what that breed is called - I've just known them by that name.

They usually have 'tiger-stripe' banding and some white (and are bigger than average cats). Like the famous Morris the Cat. Do you know the name of that breed?

http://blogs.catster.com/the-cats-meow-a-cat-and-kitten-blog/files/2010/06/Morris_the_Cat.jpg

[Michael]

We have surpassed the 30,000 post mark! :banana:

And in honor of the occasion, I will give out custom user title to the poster...

Using our arcane method of calculation due to a number of deleted posts, the winning post is...

Pre existing is an oxymoron.

Congrats! You may pm me with your custom title request. :)

[Americano]

A kitty expert are you? Btw, that little kitty looks white! :D

I've always found the 'marmalade' cats to have the most 'personality' of the various cats. I don't know what that breed is called - I've just known them by that name.

They usually have 'tiger-stripe' banding and some white (and are bigger than average cats). Like the famous Morris the Cat. Do you know the name of that breed?

http://blogs.catster.com/the-cats-meow-a-cat-and-kitten-blog/files/2010/06/Morris_the_Cat.jpg

We have one of those. Domestic short-haired orange tabby, no specific breed and quite common.

[Zarquon]

Income Inequality in America at 20's levels (http://www.businessinsider.com/us-wealth-inequality-2010-7)

[Lily]

A kitty expert are you? Btw, that little kitty looks white! :D

I've always found the 'marmalade' cats to have the most 'personality' of the various cats. I don't know what that breed is called - I've just known them by that name.

They usually have 'tiger-stripe' banding and some white (and are bigger than average cats). Like the famous Morris the Cat. Do you know the name of that breed?



I think Morris is a domestic shorthair, known as an "orange tabby." Pretty common. (Ooops. I see Americano has already answered.)

I'm no expert, but my friend breeds cats and he is. Some of it has rubbed off through the years, I guess. I've learned that all calico kitties are females and that munchkin kitties are actually a mutation and can be born to normal long-legged mothers and munchkins fathers. This I know from experience because I kept one of his mama cats that gave birth to nine kittens, four of which were munchkins. Strange cats.

[Michael]

Here's an article that I'm reading right now that might become a thread soon...

A Critical Pragmatism:
Marcuse, Adorno, and Peirce on the Artificial Stagnation of Individual and Social Development in Advanced Industrial Societies.

http://www.kritike.org/journal/issue_6/smith_december2009.pdf

[Michael]

And if anyone is still wondering why newspapers are in a tailspin... this article from the NY Times seems to personify the irrelevance and malignancy that newspaper journalism brings to the table.

NYTimes Drivel (http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/18/opinion/18obama.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1)

The article is about what Obama might need to do to win a second term. In the interests of non-existent balance, the editors invited an equal number of Democratic and Republican party hacks to offer opinions on the matter. None of them offer anything but their own pet issue in highly predictable ways, packaged to sound like a 'policy'.

Nothing there but predictable drivel. If this is what the NY Times calls "commentary" and a product they want to sell, they've got big problems. This article is just self-referential navel-gazing bullshit - a circle jerk for political insiders (the very people who have done the most to make US politics as dysfunctional as it is).

Opinions drawn from random people on the street are unlikey to provide worse advice to Obama - though they are far less likely to give self-serving nonsense as seems to be the rule here.

Seriously, who would ask David Frum for an intelligent opinion on what Obama needs to do to get elected for a second term? In case you don't recognize that name, David Frum is a hardcore Republican neoconservative and a former political speechwriter for GW Bush (author of the infamous "axis of evil" nonsense). Predictably, Frum says Obama needs to dump all of his favored policies and adopt Republican policy ideas. Go figure.

Elizabeth Edwards, chiming in for the Democrats argues that Obama needs to make "curing cancer" his signature policy and that this will ensure his re-election. For the record, Elizabeth Edwards just happens to have cancer... (i.e. her input here is pure self-serving drivel with no relation to the topic at hand, just an issue that is very near and dear to Elizabeth Edwards for obvious reasons).

Did the NYTimes actually pay these people for this useless and predictable drivel?

It really is amazing that the NY Times believes that this article either adds to the political debate in the country, or that it is something someone might pay to want to read. :lol:

[evanescence]

If it's drivel, it will earn ratings or sell newspapers. People quit caring about the news a long time ago. They want info-tainment.

[Michael]

If it's drivel, it will earn ratings or sell newspapers. People quit caring about the news a long time ago. They want info-tainment.

A knowledgeable citizen is the bedrock of our democracy. An ignorant citizenry means 'goodbye democracy'. :shrug:

[Lily]

A knowledgeable citizen is the bedrock of our democracy. An ignorant citizenry means 'goodbye democracy'. :shrug:


Perhaps we should return to the days when one had to meet certain eligibility requirements, e.g., property ownership and literacy. I suggest we also add a passing grade on a basic civics exam.

Barring that, I'm afraid you can't fix stupid.

[Non Sequitur]

For some reason I have a good enough faith in the system that it will survive stupid. It's not like it's a new development.

[The Drunk Guy]

A knowledgeable citizen is the bedrock of our democracy. An ignorant citizenry means 'goodbye democracy'. :shrug:
Them good ol' boys were drinking whiskey and rye
Singing, "This will be the day that I die."

[Americano]

Perhaps we should return to the days when one had to meet certain eligibility requirements, e.g., property ownership and literacy. I suggest we also add a passing grade on a basic civics exam.

Barring that, I'm afraid you can't fix stupid.

Government likes stupid as they're far easier to lead. Just give them something to hate and they'll run in any circle desired.

[evanescence]

A knowledgeable citizen is the bedrock of our democracy. An ignorant citizenry means 'goodbye democracy'. :shrug:

We're fucked then.

[The Drunk Girl]

Anyone been to see Inception (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inception_%28film%29) yet?

[Non Sequitur]

Anyone been to see Inception (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inception_%28film%29) yet?

yes, it's AMAZING!

[The Drunk Girl]

yes, it's AMAZING!

Agreed. We saw it on Sunday...When Cobb and Ellen Page's character first got to Paris I saw a name built in with the architecture. I have looked all over the internet for it, but I guess my eyes were playing tricks on me haha

[Zarquon]

Father's Day (http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/10/world/europe/10iht-sweden.html?ref=general&src=me&pagewanted=all)

[Non Sequitur]

Agreed. We saw it on Sunday...When Cobb and Ellen Page's character first got to Paris I saw a name built in with the architecture. I have looked all over the internet for it, but I guess my eyes were playing tricks on me haha

the fight scene in the hotel was incredible

[The Drunk Guy]

the fight scene in the hotel was incredible
I agree. They probably spent more time flying those zero-G jets for Inception than they did for Apollo 13. And the whole film felt dream-like, even to the point that I don't think the story mattered in the way you expected it to. Very well done.

[Zarquon]

check this out (http://projects.washingtonpost.com/top-secret-america/)

[Michael]

check this out (http://projects.washingtonpost.com/top-secret-america/)

That deserves a thread of its own.

[Lily]

Government likes stupid as they're far easier to lead. Just give them something to hate and they'll run in any circle desired.

A cynic after my own heart. Still, it would be fun to ask potential voters to explain the functions of the three branches of government or how many states existed in 1958. :rules:

[Michael]

I just got back from the market. I bought blueberries the size of grapes. The grapes and raspberries are the size of strawberries and the strawberries are the size of plums!

And these bloody fruits grow mold within a matter of a few days. Very annoying.

[The Drunk Girl]

I just got back from the market. I bought blueberries the size of grapes. The grapes and raspberries are the size of strawberries and the strawberries are the size of plums!

And these bloody fruits grow mold within a matter of a few days. Very annoying.

...and do the snozeberries taste like snozberries? :lol:

[Michael]

...and do the snozeberries taste like snozberries? :lol:

What is a snozeberry? :ummm:

(I think you've been into the elderberries!)

[The Drunk Guy]

What is a snozeberry? :ummm:

(I think you've been into the elderberries!)
And we are the dreamers of a dream. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3pwvB4_Te8A)

[Americano]

And we are the dreamers of a dream. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3pwvB4_Te8A)

I remember hearing about it when it was released, but never mentally engaged. To me, Gene Wilder's film efforts, though brilliant and profitable, had predictably limited shelf life. Contemporary entertainment guaranteed to make anyone who appreciates good but twisted humor laugh and continues to attract interest.

I apologize in advance for my ruthless assessment if you or the other TDG are Gene Wilder fans.

[The Drunk Girl]

And we are the dreamers of a dream. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3pwvB4_Te8A)

Damnit! You're such and asshole, knowing I was at work and couldn't post a link :spank:

I remember hearing about it when it was released, but never mentally engaged. To me, Gene Wilder's film efforts, though brilliant and profitable, had predictably limited shelf life. Contemporary entertainment guaranteed to make anyone who appreciates good but twisted humor laugh and continues to attract interest.

I apologize in advance for my ruthless assessment if you or the other TDG are Gene Wilder fans.

Not a "fan" of Gene Wilder. Actually, I would say the only film I have truly seen with him in it is Willy Wonka. That line is pretty fucking sweet though :lol:

[Zarquon]

Westboro Baptist Church FAIL @ComicCon :rofl:
(http://www.comicsalliance.com/2010/07/22/super-heroes-vs-the-westboro-baptist-church/)

[dilettante]

Westboro Baptist Church FAIL @ComicCon :rofl:
(http://www.comicsalliance.com/2010/07/22/super-heroes-vs-the-westboro-baptist-church/)

:lol: That pleases me.

[Michael]

Westboro Baptist Church FAIL @ComicCon :rofl:
(http://www.comicsalliance.com/2010/07/22/super-heroes-vs-the-westboro-baptist-church/)

That's sweet! :thumbsup:

I'm surprised the Phelps-droids haven't been counter-protested more often with such humor.

[Americano]

Testing 1 2 3

[Michael]

Testing 1 2 3

Did your test work?

[Michael]

Speaking of work... been very busy this week at work with people off on vacation. :erm:

[Americano]

Did your test work?

Yes. My email has been dumping the responses from this forum (no others) in my spam folder.

[The Drunk Guy]

Speaking of work... been very busy this week at work with people off on vacation. :erm:
We just had about a two month stint of people taking vacation constantly, but that's now lengthened with having several people on sick leave. Add to that the introduction of our new areas of coverage and you have a lot of exhausted people. Next up? Seven weeks of intensive training on our new computer system creating nearly 50 hours of overtime for each of us. :pullhair:

My vacation times adds up right in the middle of that training, so I'll definitely be taking a week off and finding a nice place to hole up in time to watch the leaves change.

[Americano]

We just had about a two month stint of people taking vacation constantly, but that's now lengthened with having several people on sick leave. Add to that the introduction of our new areas of coverage and you have a lot of exhausted people. Next up? Seven weeks of intensive training on our new computer system creating nearly 50 hours of overtime for each of us. :pullhair:

My vacation times adds up right in the middle of that training, so I'll definitely be taking a week off and finding a nice place to hole up in time to watch the leaves change.

That's a wise holiday. Experiencing nature change seasons while enjoying leisure time, especially fall (my favorite) is a tough combination to beat for mental rejuvenation.

[Michael]

I find the fall the most melancholy time of the year. The 'death' of summer is not pleasant to witness. :shrug:

[Americano]

I find the fall the most melancholy time of the year. The 'death' of summer is not pleasant to witness. :shrug:

If I was facing a Toronto winter I'd probably feel the same way.

[Michael]

If I was facing a Toronto winter I'd probably feel the same way.

Indeed. Which is probably why spring is way more popular around here than fall. Sure the fall has some nice pretty trees, but that's just the colors of death consuming them and then it is just a big mess to clean up.

Spring brings excitement and mating rituals! :banana:

[Americano]

Indeed. Which is probably why spring is way more popular around here than fall. Sure the fall has some nice pretty trees, but that's just the colors of death consuming them and then it is just a big mess to clean up.

Spring brings excitement and mating rituals! :banana:
Other than the mating part that sounds almost to the word (they'd never use the word death) like a US low end suburbia residential property developer marketing technique. That demographic simply can't afford trees or their maintenance.

[Michael]

Boy, weekends sure are dead around here... :erm:

[The Drunk Girl]

I have noticed that Sundays are REALLY dead around here

[Non Sequitur]

thou shalt not post on the sabbath :lol:

[Americano]

I have noticed that Sundays are REALLY dead around here

It isn't like we have a large number of churchgoing members.

[Zarquon]

been reading this (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ottoman_Empire) and allied material for the last hour.

[The Drunk Girl]

It isn't like we have a large number of churchgoing members.

Well, that is what has kind of surprised me. I guess Sunday is the day that the forum members take a day off

[Americano]

Well, that is what has kind of surprised me. I guess Sunday is the day that the forum members take a day off

Could be. Doesn't surprise me as most members are employed or attending school. We take Sunday off, to the point of people knowing to not call us on that day. It's our weekly escape from the real world, regardless of season. We both still check our electronic mail.

[Michael]

I tend to spend a lot of time with 'the other half' on the weekends so I'm here usually fairly early in the morning and then that's it for the day.

Have to balance life's demands somehow. :shrug:

[evanescence]

My computer crashed on Friday, actually. :lol:

[Michael]

Apparently Mick Jagger is 67 years old today! :bdaycake:

This creates a whole new stereotype for "senior citizens" :lol:

[Michael]

My computer crashed on Friday, actually. :lol:

Ouch!

Was it a laptop? Those things have very limited lifespans and they all seem to have catastrophic disk failure eventually. :shrug:

Serious crashes from desktop machines seem to be far less common (I've never heard of one in actual experience of people whom I know - I hear of dozens of critical laptop crashes).

[Americano]

Ouch!

Was it a laptop? Those things have very limited lifespans and they all seem to have catastrophic disk failure eventually. :shrug:

Serious crashes from desktop machines seem to be far less common (I've never heard of one in actual experience of people whom I know - I hear of dozens of critical laptop crashes).

There's a local one-man computer shop in town where I occasionally pick up PC bits and pieces. The owner/operator told me 90% of his repair work is on failed laptops and most are, his words, junk.

[Americano]

Apparently Mick Jagger is 67 years old today! :bdaycake:

This creates a whole new stereotype for "senior citizens" :lol:

That his body is still intact after a lifetime of extreme abuse is amazing.

[Michael]

That his body is still intact after a lifetime of extreme abuse is amazing.

Yes, truly amazing by all accounts.

[Michael]

I just stumbled upon this quote in the comments section of some news article I was reading...

Christianity is the belief that some cosmic Jewish Zombie can make you live forever if you symbolically eat his flesh and telepathically tell him that you accept him as your master, so he can remove an evil force from your soul that is present in humanity because a rib woman was convinced by a talking snake to eat from a magical tree.

That pretty much sums up Christian theology in plain English! :lol:

Just thought I'd share it for a laugh!

[Americano]

I just stumbled upon this quote in the comments section of some news article I was reading...



That pretty much sums up Christian theology in plain English! :lol:

Just thought I'd share it for a laugh!

Funny, funny. Wish I could post that in religion on a couple of forums I'm thinking of.

[evanescence]

Funny, funny. Wish I could post that in religion on a couple of forums I'm thinking of.

I'm thinking of making that my signature over at politicalpanic. :lol:

[Americano]

I'm thinking of making that my signature over at politicalpanic. :lol:

Be interesting to see how long the large number of devout Christians there would put up with it. Do they still filter out all swear words?

[Non Sequitur]

I just stumbled upon this quote in the comments section of some news article I was reading...



That pretty much sums up Christian theology in plain English! :lol:

Just thought I'd share it for a laugh!

If I'm going to be picky, I would have to take issue with "zombie" and "symbolically." He is actually alive and it's not just a symbol. Other than that, it's alright.

[Michael]

If I'm going to be picky, I would have to take issue with "zombie" and "symbolically." He is actually alive and it's not just a symbol. Other than that, it's alright.
Well, given that Jesus was killed by crucifixion and that it is Christian doctrine that he rose again (walking around a bit before disappearing), I think the "zombie" label is reasonably applicable for this purpose. ;)

As for the "symbolically", you can't be serious here are you? Are you asserting that the eucharist is "defacto" cannibalism? :eek:

I should think "symbolically" is the preferred route there! :shrug:

[Non Sequitur]

Well, given that Jesus was killed by crucifixion and that it is Christian doctrine that he rose again (walking around a bit before disappearing), I think the "zombie" label is reasonably applicable for this purpose. ;)
:lol: Well, as I said, if I am going to be picky I have to assert that he is not the "living dead", aka zombie, but actually living almost like you and I are (there are differences of course).

As for the "symbolically", you can't be serious here are you? Are you asserting that the eucharist is "defacto" cannibalism? :eek:

I should think "symbolically" is the preferred route there! :shrug:

the question of "what happens during communion" is one of the most technical debates in all of Christianity therefore the terminology is very precise. If you say symbolically or symbol you are invoking a whole school of thought that Huldrych Zwingli came up with. Without going into the longest post ever on communion theology, I don't like the Zwingli school (despite how cool the name is :lol:). The answer from a Lutheran perspective is that there is nothing symbolic here. Through the bread and the wine the grace of God is bestowed on us by Christ being with us.

by the way, if you are Catholic, the answer is yes, The substance of the bread and wine does turn into Jesus' body. So again, no symbolism.

[evanescence]

Be interesting to see how long the large number of devout Christians there would put up with it. Do they still filter out all swear words?

Yes. PG13. :lol:

[Michael]

:lol: Well, as I said, if I am going to be picky I have to assert that he is not the "living dead", aka zombie, but actually living almost like you and I are (there are differences of course).
The 'descriptive passage' only has to be logically correct, it doesn't have to pander to Christian's own theological rationales. On this basis, I think the "zombie" term is reasonable given that Christianity speaks of one who "rose from the dead" - which is the basic definition of a zombie. :)

the question of "what happens during communion" is one of the most technical debates in all of Christianity therefore the terminology is very precise. If you say symbolically or symbol you are invoking a whole school of thought that Huldrych Zwingli came up with. Without going into the longest post ever on communion theology, I don't like the Zwingli school (despite how cool the name is :lol:). The answer from a Lutheran perspective is that there is nothing symbolic here. Through the bread and the wine the grace of God is bestowed on us by Christ being with us.

by the way, if you are Catholic, the answer is yes, The substance of the bread and wine does turn into Jesus' body. So again, no symbolism.

Yes, I well understand the technical debate. Which is why I'm so freaked out that you would take that line - since if you reject the symbolism, you are left with cannibalism and magic. :shrug:

I should think that cannibalism would be something that Christianity ought to abjure rather than celebrate. But hey, I'm not a Christian so what do I know?

[The Drunk Girl]

Speaking of zombies, the word is actually in my nursing dictionary. I have no idea why it would be. Words such as vampire, werewolf, etc. are not included.

[Americano]

Yes. PG13. :lol:

When I was posting there I don't recall anyone younger than probably 18 posting.

[evanescence]

When I was posting there I don't recall anyone younger than probably 18 posting.

Some were in highschool.

[Margot]

So, perhaps it's just me, but I saw the most offensive thing I've ever seen today on the Food Network.

It was a cooking show hosted by a black family. They made fried chicken, potato chips, and had watermelon for dessert. All four members were overweight and the closed captioning kept phonetically passing along their messages: "gonna," "wanna," etc... (That didn't happen with the subsequent Paula Deen)

That was one mask of blackface away from being my home town 40 years ago--only it was on national TV and everyone seemed OK with it.

[The Drunk Girl]

So, perhaps it's just me, but I saw the most offensive thing I've ever seen today on the Food Network.

It was a cooking show hosted by a black family. They made fried chicken, potato chips, and had watermelon for dessert. All four members were overweight and the closed captioning kept phonetically passing along their messages: "gonna," "wanna," etc... (That didn't happen with the subsequent Paula Deen)

That was one mask of blackface away from being my home town 40 years ago--only it was on national TV and everyone seemed OK with it.

:rofl::rofl::rofl: "Down Home with the Neelys"?

[Margot]

:rofl::rofl::rofl: "down home with the neelys"?

that's the one.

[Americano]

So, perhaps it's just me, but I saw the most offensive thing I've ever seen today on the Food Network.

It was a cooking show hosted by a black family. They made fried chicken, potato chips, and had watermelon for dessert. All four members were overweight and the closed captioning kept phonetically passing along their messages: "gonna," "wanna," etc... (That didn't happen with the subsequent Paula Deen)

That was one mask of blackface away from being my home town 40 years ago--only it was on national TV and everyone seemed OK with it.

People making money by targeting specific demographics seeking entertainment with knowledge and identification. The Food Network is a very successful endeavor due to its professional abilities. They provide those services for every socioeconomic demographic.

If your hometown was that racially divided 40 years ago, you must know why Paula Deen, not a slender person, doesn't use closed captioning; her audience share doesn't eat potato chips with fried chicken as they prefer root vegetables without the thin slicing before they smother them with gravy and for some dishes sugar. Tradition is everything to many people.

[Americano]

:rofl::rofl::rofl: "Down Home with the Neelys"?

Good for them. I hope the Neelys also get the road trips for appearances, cookbook royalties and residual rights for their show. If they encourage people to cook rather than hit the fast food joints, they've benefited society.

[The Drunk Girl]

Good for them. I hope the Neelys also get the road trips for appearances, cookbook royalties and residual rights for their show. If they encourage people to cook rather than hit the fast food joints, they've benefited society.

I like their show alright (the husband can be somewhat annoying at times. He likes to repeat the word "y'all as every other word). I have watched their show enough times to count on one hand, but the food that they cook does look mighty tasty.

Margot's description of their show just struck a funny bone in me.

[Margot]

Bill Murray is the root of all evil. (http://christwire.org/2010/07/boycott-bill-murray-for-a-better-america/)

Part if me wants that to be total straight-faced honesty, and part of me is screaming "DEAR GOD, NO!"

[Michael]

Bill Murray is the root of all evil. (http://christwire.org/2010/07/boycott-bill-murray-for-a-better-america/)

Part if me wants that to be total straight-faced honesty, and part of me is screaming "DEAR GOD, NO!"

That's quite a website there! The article on the "Golden Girls" or "Glee" are hilarious! :rofl:

I didn't read the one about "do gay pets go to heaven?" :lol: