Thursday Night Open Thread

By Jeralyn, Section Blog Related
Posted on Thu Apr 29, 2010 at 09:20:06 PM EST
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The Wall St. Journal (subscription only) is reporting the feds have opened a criminal investigation into Goldman Sachs.

Wired has outed the guy who sold the lost iPhone 4g prototype to Gizmodo. He says he regrets his mistake.

President Obama interviewed 9th Circuit Appeals Court Judge Sydney Thomas from Montana for the Supreme Court today. More names are now on the list, including:

Obama's list of potential nominees for the court includes Elena Kagan, the U.S. solicitor general; Diane Wood, a U.S. appeals court judge in Chicago and Merrick Garland, a U.S. appeals court judge in Washington, D.C.
Also on the list are: Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano; Martha Minow, the dean of Harvard Law School; Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm; Ann Claire Williams, a judge on the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals; and Leah Ward Sears, who retired last year as chief justice of the Supreme Court of Georgia.

Who's going home on Survivor? Right now it looks like Russell unless he pulls off a coup. Tribal council is just starting in this time zone.

This is an open thread, all topics welcome.

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Thursday Night Open Thread | 30 comments (30 topical)

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Since more than half of our citizens (5.00 / 1) (#7)
by hairspray on Thu Apr 29, 2010 at 11:58:47 PM EST

are women I feel compelled to ask "where is the parity?" The days of telling women that there are no qualified women are over. I believe Obama should appoint strong women for the next two appointments he is surely going to have (Stevens, and Ginsburg). Having said that there are a few women on the list that are purely political and I hope that he is too smart for that. Of course there are such men too, but when did that change?

The day dawns (5.00 / 5) (#15)
by Militarytracy on Fri Apr 30, 2010 at 05:25:15 AM EST

Feel really depressed about the gulf oil spill. The gulf coast was one of the things that made giving up my Rocky Mountains worth moving here. The fishing industry is going to be completely decimated along with all that wildlife. We really need a miracle.

Exactly right for me too (5.00 / 1) (#24)
by ruffian on Fri Apr 30, 2010 at 10:21:01 AM EST

It is possible I will be working in the Pensacola/Panama Beach area in the future, which might beat Orlando...but still not a total compensation for leaving Colorado. I am hoping this does not trash what I've heard are the nicest beaches left in the state.


deja vu . . . (5.00 / 3) (#25)
by nycstray on Fri Apr 30, 2010 at 11:05:39 AM EST

how soon until we see images of volunteers sitting on the beach bathing wildlife?

Perhaps the Obama's could join in for a hands on experience . . . .


: Yes, the spill could eclipse the Valdez, (5.00 / 2) (#29)
by KeysDan on Fri Apr 30, 2010 at 12:29:01 PM EST

a tanker with a finite load, as the worst spill in US history--eleven million gallons-- in the three months (@ 200,000 gallons a day) that it could take to drill relief wells and plug the gushing well 5,000 feet underwater on the sea floor. The spill was clearly "understated", only as big as Rhode Island, which, after all, is a small state. However, the magnitude of the disaster seems to be finally sinking in--at least with investors. BP' stock plunged like its Transocean leased rig, a pubic relations problem not seen by BP since its former CEO Lord Browne was forced out as a result of his tussle with a London tabloid over the truthfulness of the relationship with his male companion. The costs to BP will put a dent in their piggy bank, but the relief well permitted as a part of this emergency will eventually be used to produce profitable oil, and thereby, replenish the coffers.

It's a disaster.... (5.00 / 2) (#26)
by kdog on Fri Apr 30, 2010 at 11:09:02 AM EST

and as I filled the tank this morning the conscience triggered the guilt pangs...if you use oil, its your mess too.


: You (none / 0) (#31)
by CoralGables on Fri Apr 30, 2010 at 04:47:01 PM EST

just nailed it perfectly. Until we get onto renewable energy sources, these things will continue to happen and steadily get worse and we're all to blame.

Eight days after the oil spill (5.00 / 2) (#21)
by KeysDan on Fri Apr 30, 2010 at 08:36:44 AM EST

in the Gulf, the NYT reports that the "tenor" of the response team briefings changed abruptly. Why? Well, because it is shaping up to be something like the Valdez spill. British Petroleum has been in charge of the response with oversight by the Coast Guard. Admiral Landry did note a "dynamic tension" (i.e., fighting?) among participants in the spill response, but also commented that BP has attempted to be a "very responsible spiller." Things are so out of hand that BP is actually soliciting ideas and techniques from Exxon Mobil, Chevron and Shell, not to mention the Department of Defense. On Wednesday, April 28, the WH, on behalf of President Obama, issued a statement saying it was sticking with its drilling plan since its proposal was based on careful examination of risks and spill responses. However, the Obama administration now "clarified" its drill baby drill to mean that the president's offshore drilling plan was the beginning of a lengthy review process and did not mean that large new areas would see immediate oil and gas activity. They also said that they expected the Congress and the public to have questions (do you think?) about, apparently, just how careful those earlier risks and spill response studies were, and may rethink it commitment to offshore drilling in llight of the accident. So, the proposal should be looked at as beginning of a process,perhaps to be considered as a study, long enough so as to be out of sight and out of mind.

Survivor's 1st Season I was working at microsoft (none / 0) (#1)
by seabos84 on Thu Apr 29, 2010 at 10:11:54 PM EST

in redmond and I kept hearing about this stupid idiotic t.v. show ...

and then I watched it and I watched how all the slimeballs would gang up on someone who was good at what s/he did so they could get rid of the stronger player ... just like work.

I was hooked.

rmm.

Same story here too. (5.00 / 1) (#3)
by christinep on Thu Apr 29, 2010 at 10:56:09 PM EST

Yup (5.00 / 1) (#8)
by Spamlet on Fri Apr 30, 2010 at 12:01:33 AM EST

I was at MSFT too. Probably not as bad an experience as yours but only because my post was so lowly.


Lol-me too (none / 0) (#16)
by ruffian on Fri Apr 30, 2010 at 06:35:46 AM EST

I wasn't watching it, and a married couple I worked with at the time and am close friends wih surprised me by telling me they were hooked on it for that very reason, and that was all I needed to hear. i watched the last couple of weeks of that first season and was hooked too.

I think the group dynamics are fascinating, as well as the logic employed in the various strategies.

I think Sandra might take it all. She seems like the clearest thinker at this point.


: To clarify (5.00 / 2) (#17)
by ruffian on Fri Apr 30, 2010 at 06:58:32 AM EST

I was not at Microsoft. From what vie read though the companies vie worked for were similar, adjusted for scale.

Does anybody know whether the (none / 0) (#2)
by FoxholeAtheist on Thu Apr 29, 2010 at 10:34:41 PM EST

current HCR bill has any impact on the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act (EMTALA), of 1986? Here's a LINK to the text of the act.

And here's an excerpt from Wikipedia's Cliff Notes on EMTALA:

It requires hospitals and ambulance services to provide care to anyone needing emergency healthcare treatment regardless of citizenship, legal status or ability to pay. There are no reimbursement provisions. As a result of the act, patients needing emergency treatment can be discharged only under their own informed consent or when their condition requires transfer to a hospital better equipped to administer the treatment...
More than half of all emergency room care in the U.S. now goes uncompensated. Hospitals write off such care as charity or bad debt for tax purposes...
The most significant effect is that, regardless of insurance status, everyone in need of urgent medical assistance is now legally guaranteed to receive it. Currently EMTALA only requires that hospitals stabilize the emergency. According to some analyses of the U.S. health care safety net, EMTALA is an incomplete and strained program.

Unless there's been some back room bargaining, it would appear that EMTALA still stands - for better or worse.

Thanks for this link n/t (none / 0) (#9)
by Spamlet on Fri Apr 30, 2010 at 12:02:22 AM EST

: Update - this post from a health provider (none / 0) (#10)
by FoxholeAtheist on Fri Apr 30, 2010 at 12:18:40 AM EST

attorney indicates that, under the "Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act" (of March 23, 2010), hospitals will no longer 'absorb' the costs of uncompensated emergency room care: Relief for hospitals - Insurance must pay for EMTALA care.
Evidently health care providers/hospitals will stand to profit. But who knows whether this will also benefit health insurers more than health care consumers.

Gizmodo guy (none / 0) (#4)
by ricosuave on Thu Apr 29, 2010 at 11:31:53 PM EST

Has talkleft really not commented on the Gizmodo guy until now? I would have expected some mention of the cops (literally) busting his door down and confiscating all of his electronic gizmos, not to mention Apple representatives showing up at the door of the guy who found the phone asking to question him. Or are we just chalking all of this up to the ordinary craziness that is life in California?

I haven't been reading all of the comments recently, so apologies if I missed some conversations already had on this topic.

Here's a recent thread (none / 0) (#5)
by Raskolnikov on Thu Apr 29, 2010 at 11:37:19 PM EST

Lost Protoype iPhone Seller ID'd, Gizmodo Journo's Home Searched

Thread might have got a bit more action but the Arizona and Oklahoma debacles have distracted our collective attention.


: What!?!?!? (none / 0) (#11)
by ricosuave on Fri Apr 30, 2010 at 01:17:48 AM EST

The Arizona legislature's minor demand that all brown people carry papers or risk imprisoment and deportation is somehow more important than Gizmodo detailing the H.264 compatibility of Apple's next phone? I am shocked at your skewed priorities!

It does appear (none / 0) (#12)
by CoralGables on Fri Apr 30, 2010 at 01:25:04 AM EST

that someone should have called for a boycott of Apple. (Not the Granny Smith variety of course)


We had a couple of threads (none / 0) (#18)
by ruffian on Fri Apr 30, 2010 at 07:11:44 AM EST

But flailed around in the fact free zone a little bit.

I'm assuming the police had a warrant, so if there is an issue it would be with the judge. I'd like to know a little more about what convinced the judge a warrant should be issued. It does seem way over the top.

It also seems, in this and the number of patent cases and other legal proceedings Apple is involved in these days, they have spent a lot of their extra cash on their legal department.

I love their products to the point of distraction. I know a big part of their marketing strategy is to keep things secret until they are ready to announce. There are solid technical reasons for that too, which i'm in favor of. I don't want to see inferior products rushed to market because they were leaked early and a competitor is rushing something out there in advance.

That said, sometimes you have to accept that your employee made a mistake and just deal with the consequences without going ballistic.


: Any word on the employee do you know? (none / 0) (#32)
by Raskolnikov on Fri Apr 30, 2010 at 09:05:03 PM EST

Curious is he was fired over this. He did after all leave a prototype at a bar.

Ho hum... (none / 0) (#19)
by kdog on Fri Apr 30, 2010 at 08:09:21 AM EST

cops bust down doors and steal sh*t everyday...apparently the majority of people approve of this all too common criminal behavior.


Final decision on Rubashkin sentencing (none / 0) (#6)
by Peter G on Thu Apr 29, 2010 at 11:45:49 PM EST

in Iowa postponed to May 27. Further arguments held Thursday, however. AP says Government modified its "life sentence" recommendation to 25 years.

I need some cheese recipes (none / 0) (#20)
by Militarytracy on Fri Apr 30, 2010 at 08:32:05 AM EST

If it involves a lot of cheese, that is a good thing. My husbands friend retired yesterday and sent us home from the party with a 10 lb cheese tray. It's primarily cheddar and muenster. I figure I can get rid of about three lbs with a cheese fondue, but I still have a lot of cheese left even after that :)

You can freeze it (none / 0) (#23)
by jbindc on Fri Apr 30, 2010 at 09:48:55 AM EST

From cheesefacts.org

"Many books say if you freeze cheese, it will not taste right after you thaw it out later. While in some cases this is certainly true, it can't be said for all cheeses. The biggest complaint some people have when they freeze cheese is that it changes the texture of the cheese. Cheese is naturally moist, and when you freeze it, all the moisture freezes into tiny ice particles, which break up the perfect texture of the cheese.

Not all cheeses are created equally, especially when you're talking about freezing them. Hard cheeses like cheddar or parmesan are less affected by the texture differences that happen while they're frozen, although you can also safely freeze cheese that is fresh and soft. Fresh mozzarella or goat cheese can easily be saved for longer periods of time by freezing them. To freeze this kind of cheese, just wrap it tightly in its original packaging. If the original packaging is too damaged to cover the cheese properly, use plastic wrap instead. Some people would be shocked at the thought of trying to freeze cheese that came home fresh from the farmer's market, but it's much better to freeze it rather than let it go bad, right? Many people don't even notice the texture difference in the cheese when they thaw it out.

Most kinds of block cheese can easily be frozen also, especially if you bought the cheap kind from a bulk food store like Sam's Club or Costco. Just slice it into good portion sizes for your family and wrap it up tightly to freeze it. If you have a vacuum sealer in your kitchen, this is one of those times when you will really find it to be useful. Just be sure you don't buy so much bulk cheese that you can't use it up in a couple of months. Cheese generally only stays good in the freezer for about two months at a time."


I always have the dogs after two months :) (none / 0) (#27)
by Militarytracy on Fri Apr 30, 2010 at 11:14:00 AM EST

they never met a cheese they didn't adore.


lol!~ (none / 0) (#28)
by nycstray on Fri Apr 30, 2010 at 11:17:03 AM EST

The Dot just walked out the door and is heading your way :)


: Hey, nycstray, welcome back. (none / 0) (#30)
by caseyOR on Fri Apr 30, 2010 at 04:22:04 PM EST

How are you settling in to your west coast life?

excellent (none / 0) (#22)
by Capt Howdy on Fri Apr 30, 2010 at 09:46:50 AM EST

if gay "marriage" is allowed maybe the republicans will admit that Obama is from Hawaii.