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Tuesday Morning Open Thread

By Big Tent Democrat, Section Blog Related
Posted on Tue Jan 04, 2011 at 01:34:54 PM EST
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In the college bowl games, I won with Stanford last night and hope to win with Arkansas (+4) (4 units) over Ohio State tonight.

Open Thread.

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    Tuesday Morning Open Thread | 136 comments (136 topical)

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    New Year means... (5.00 / 1) (#13)
    by kdog on Tue Jan 04, 2011 at 04:45:26 PM EST
    new cases of police brutality...and we're out the 2011 gate with a doozy.

    A little advice...make sure you don't have a medical emergency while driving people, you may be assumed drunk and have your window smashed, get tased 7 times, and given the business. MADD must be lovin' it!

    And when your beating is over and they discover it's a case of diabetic shock, not drunk driving, they still lock ya up for resisting arrest.

    Damn, this one reads like an Onion piece on police brutality...open your wallet Cincinnati, this one'll cost ya.

    Good thing for him that trooper intervened (none / 0) (#33)
    by republicratitarian on Wed Jan 05, 2011 at 10:05:23 AM EST


    Parent
    Hell yeah... (none / 0) (#43)
    by kdog on Wed Jan 05, 2011 at 10:52:03 AM EST
    I'd imagine his name is Mudd around the station now....protecting and serving, guys in the wrong line of work for any of that.

    Parent
    Most likely (none / 0) (#44)
    by republicratitarian on Wed Jan 05, 2011 at 10:56:20 AM EST
    Of course he is a trooper and not one of the local yokels. May be an out for him. Still always nice to see.

    Parent
    Robert Gibbs announces he's (5.00 / 1) (#55)
    by jeffinalabama on Wed Jan 05, 2011 at 12:45:02 PM EST
    leaving.

    Hey, he's an Auburn fan, so I wish him good luck! It's kind of like Heny V's speech in Shakespeare,

    We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;
    For he January 10 that roots for the Auburn Tigers to win the National Championship with me
    Shall be my brother; be he ne'er so vile
    This day shall gentle his condition...

    In an unpublished find, he was gender neutral:

    We few, we happy few, we band of interconnected and related people;
    For s/he January 10 that roots for the Auburn Tigers to win the National Championship with me
    Shall be my relative; be s/he ne'er so vile
    This day shall gentle my kin's  condition...

    ;-) Or as BTD might say,

    "Heh."

    Gibbs is morphing into a "political (none / 0) (#56)
    by oculus on Wed Jan 05, 2011 at 12:47:40 PM EST
    consultant."  For whom?

    Parent
    Not for my hypothetical campaign... (5.00 / 1) (#64)
    by jeffinalabama on Wed Jan 05, 2011 at 01:12:50 PM EST
    If I decide to run, Kdog will be my consultant.

    Parent
    Not sure you'd have a prayer of a chance (none / 0) (#73)
    by oculus on Wed Jan 05, 2011 at 01:31:50 PM EST
    if kdog guides you re criminal justice/injustice!  But it would be a very interesting campaign.

    Parent
    Gibbs is going to work for Obama's (none / 0) (#98)
    by caseyOR on Wed Jan 05, 2011 at 03:42:59 PM EST
    reelection campaign. So, not that big a change.

    Parent
    Jeff, given our opposing views on the BCS (none / 0) (#97)
    by caseyOR on Wed Jan 05, 2011 at 03:41:42 PM EST
    Championship Game, I think it best that any meetings of the pirate crew take place after the game. Given that no meetings are scheduled, we should be just fine.

    GO, DUCKS!!!

    Parent

    Do check the link to the 250 (none / 0) (#104)
    by jeffinalabama on Wed Jan 05, 2011 at 04:16:14 PM EST
    mile per hour ship, though. We don't have to vote on it now.

    War Eagle!

    Parent

    Politico is funnin' us (none / 0) (#112)
    by jbindc on Wed Jan 05, 2011 at 05:49:48 PM EST
    I hope

    One of their picks as a possible replacement for Gibbs is....

    David Brooks:

    Unlikely, but not implausible - David Brooks is one of the few columnists Obama is known to read with respect, making him a rare media figure the White House likes. Before he was president, Obama called the New York Times writer "one of my favorite conservatives."

    Just as President George W. Bush plucked Fox News's Tony Snow out of the media world in 2006, a Brooks briefing isn't totally unimaginable. And it doesn't hurt that he works for the administration's most preferred periodical. After all, with a new Republican majority in the House, isn't Obama looking for an era of bipartisanship and compromise?



    Parent
    Just shoot me (none / 0) (#128)
    by ruffian on Thu Jan 06, 2011 at 08:31:50 AM EST


    Parent
    We could help the budget right here (5.00 / 1) (#90)
    by jbindc on Wed Jan 05, 2011 at 03:04:32 PM EST
    The IRS could actually crack down on false tax returns being filed by prisoners.

    According to the Treasury Department report:

    Refund fraud committed by prisoners is
    increasing at a significant rate. The number of
    fraudulent prisoner tax returns identified by the
    Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has more than
    doubled from 18,103 tax returns in Calendar
    Year 2004 to 44,944 tax returns in Calendar
    Year 2009. Fraudulent refunds claimed rose
    from $68.1 million to $295.1 million during the
    same period.

    And that number, according to the report, is highly underestimated.

    $295 million would pay for a few school teachers or veterans' benefits, I suspect.

    RIP Gerry Rafferty. (5.00 / 2) (#124)
    by MileHi Hawkeye on Wed Jan 05, 2011 at 10:38:15 PM EST
    A troubled soul to be sure but Baker Street, for unexplainable reasons, resonated with a certain 17 year old lying in a hospital bed facing yet another session with the knife.    

    And when you wake up it's a new mornin'
    The sun is shinin' it's a new morning
    You're goin'
    You're goin' home.
    His song 'Days Gone Down' (5.00 / 1) (#129)
    by ruffian on Thu Jan 06, 2011 at 08:36:24 AM EST
    is still a favorite of mine.

    You've still got that light in your eyes
    And our day is coming by and by
    I'm travelin' this long road here with you
    We've still got a long way, still got a long way to go.

    And of course with Steeler's Wheel he also gave us the lines that have practically become cliche - 'clowns to the left of me, jokers to the right, here I am stuck in the middle with you'.

    RIP Gerry.

    Parent

    J9nah Goldberg. Does he really (none / 0) (#1)
    by oculus on Tue Jan 04, 2011 at 01:59:38 PM EST
    make his living writing this stuff?  LAT

    wont' click - can't make me. (5.00 / 2) (#2)
    by ruffian on Tue Jan 04, 2011 at 02:01:56 PM EST


    Parent
    Ninth Circuit asks CA Supreme Court (none / 0) (#3)
    by oculus on Tue Jan 04, 2011 at 02:04:52 PM EST
    to determine standing issue re Prop 8. LAT

    Fits right in to a thread that begins (5.00 / 2) (#11)
    by Peter G on Tue Jan 04, 2011 at 03:13:07 PM EST
    with football.  This kind of maneuver is known in law as a "punt."

    Parent
    I think there's a fair case to be made (none / 0) (#16)
    by andgarden on Tue Jan 04, 2011 at 06:42:12 PM EST
    that the 9th Circuit should be cautious about standing. I don't think the California Supremes are likely to find that there is not standing, though.

    Parent
    Standing to sue, and standing to appeal (5.00 / 1) (#21)
    by Peter G on Tue Jan 04, 2011 at 08:23:31 PM EST
    (which are not always the same), are -- to the Ninth Circuit -- a matter of federal constitutional law under Article III.  Not seeing off the top (having not read their opinion) why the state law answer to the analogous question would or should matter to them.

    Parent
    The certification opinion (5.00 / 1) (#22)
    by andgarden on Tue Jan 04, 2011 at 08:26:54 PM EST
    is here. I agree that this seems like it ought to be a question of federal constitutional law, but the 9th Circuit has apparently been knocked down in the past for being too aggressive with that position. (Also, Judge Reinhardt's concurrence).

    Parent
    They just found today (none / 0) (#20)
    by MKS on Tue Jan 04, 2011 at 07:37:39 PM EST
    that the police can search your cell phone without a warrant......

    Parent
    More (none / 0) (#95)
    by jbindc on Wed Jan 05, 2011 at 03:35:06 PM EST
    Here

    The California Supreme Court ruled Monday that police do not need a warrant to search a cell phone carried by someone under arrest.

    The justices determined a Ventura County deputy had the right to conduct a warrantless search of the text messages of a man he had arrested on suspicion of participating in a drug deal.

    The state court ruled 5-2 that U.S. Supreme Court precedent affirms that police can search items found on defendants when they are arrested.

    SNIP

    The California Supreme Court decided the loss of privacy upon arrest extends beyond the arrestee's body to include personal property.

    Authorities can not only seize items but also can open and examine what they find, the ruling said.



    Parent
    I wonder if this will be applied to laptops soon (none / 0) (#99)
    by republicratitarian on Wed Jan 05, 2011 at 03:44:43 PM EST


    Parent
    Well (none / 0) (#100)
    by jbindc on Wed Jan 05, 2011 at 03:48:57 PM EST
    How far away is that?  I mean, some cell phones (like iPhones) really are mini computers, right?

    And DHS can already do that I believe, for anyone coming in the country.  Here is one of the policies enacted in 2008 (I can't download the other specifically regarding electronic media) - I don't know if they've been changed or overturned.

    Parent

    Looks like the circuit (none / 0) (#6)
    by andgarden on Tue Jan 04, 2011 at 02:30:03 PM EST
    was inclined to find standing. I would guess that the CASC will find it.

    Parent
    capthowdy beat: better to be right (none / 0) (#4)
    by oculus on Tue Jan 04, 2011 at 02:10:21 PM EST
    or dead?  Pedestrian shoots self in leg

    better than (5.00 / 1) (#58)
    by Capt Howdy on Wed Jan 05, 2011 at 12:50:55 PM EST
    shooting yourself in the foot I guess

    Parent
    Better than (none / 0) (#92)
    by Zorba on Wed Jan 05, 2011 at 03:09:26 PM EST
    shooting yourself right in the crotch, too.

    Parent
    He came awfully close (none / 0) (#5)
    by Zorba on Tue Jan 04, 2011 at 02:21:14 PM EST
    to becoming a Darwin Award nominee.

    Parent
    I'm afraid to click the link while at work (5.00 / 1) (#7)
    by republicratitarian on Tue Jan 04, 2011 at 02:37:41 PM EST
    I'll save this one for when I get home. :)

    Parent
    No video. Just text. (none / 0) (#8)
    by oculus on Tue Jan 04, 2011 at 02:41:20 PM EST


    Parent
    In my case (5.00 / 0) (#12)
    by sj on Tue Jan 04, 2011 at 04:40:12 PM EST
    I don't dare click it because I don't want to be smothering laughter at work.

    Parent
    Nice website, Darwinian indeed (none / 0) (#42)
    by republicratitarian on Wed Jan 05, 2011 at 10:47:14 AM EST
    Some so smart they could be politicians.

    Parent
    Yes, Mr. Z and I (none / 0) (#91)
    by Zorba on Wed Jan 05, 2011 at 03:08:12 PM EST
    laugh at these awards every year.  Really quite cruel, and I feel bad for their loved ones (I'm sure they must have some), but it's really Fate pointing a finger and saying: "You!  Out of the gene pool!"  And, indeed, you're right to compare them to some of our politicians.   ;-)

    Parent
    I ask you... (none / 0) (#9)
    by Dadler on Tue Jan 04, 2011 at 02:48:11 PM EST
    What is small, metal, and shaped like a BB that is NOT a BB?  Find out in the new and penultimate chapter in the memoir blog -- THE EARLY DAZE, PART 20. It's 5000 words of, cough cough, wheezdom.  Peace, y'all.
    Rich Rodriguez is toast: (none / 0) (#10)
    by oculus on Tue Jan 04, 2011 at 02:52:19 PM EST
    USA Today

    Not yet. Another mtg. sched. for today. (none / 0) (#53)
    by oculus on Wed Jan 05, 2011 at 12:24:41 PM EST
    NYT

    Parent
    Think their waiting till after (none / 0) (#54)
    by jeffinalabama on Wed Jan 05, 2011 at 12:33:12 PM EST
    LSU plays? I suspect Michigan would be happy with The Mad Hatter. But would he leave LSU? He didn't when RR was hired, and I heard from numerous sources he was the top choice.

    Parent
    Rodriguez (and apparently his (none / 0) (#59)
    by oculus on Wed Jan 05, 2011 at 12:51:53 PM EST
    coaching staff) is officially toast.  goblue.com

    Oh, and AD Brandon is launching a nationwide search!

    Parent

    He gets better teams at LSU (none / 0) (#60)
    by republicratitarian on Wed Jan 05, 2011 at 12:52:13 PM EST
    Why leave for more pressure and crappier teams. I love watching LSU play, you never know what's going to happen at the end of a game.

    Parent
    I think Miles is sitting pretty (none / 0) (#66)
    by jeffinalabama on Wed Jan 05, 2011 at 01:20:23 PM EST
    right now, but there was a lot of talk early in the year about whether he would survive the North Carolina game.

    Then the football gods smiled on him again, Tennessee and Carolina both helped him out!

    six straight winning seasons at LSU. 61-17 is his record there.

    College football isn't rocket surgery, but he's doing something right. His players seem to love him. Maybe he works a root on his opponents?

    10-2 so far this year... would he want to return to winters in Michigan, or stay around the Live Oak trees in Red Stick?  My choice would be LSU, but I'm not a Michigan alum.

    Parent

    Lawry's Beef Bowl? Seriously? (none / 0) (#61)
    by oculus on Wed Jan 05, 2011 at 12:53:58 PM EST


    Parent
    not as bad as the 'Beef O Brady Bowl' (none / 0) (#130)
    by ruffian on Thu Jan 06, 2011 at 08:37:39 AM EST


    Parent
    I read (none / 0) (#14)
    by lentinel on Tue Jan 04, 2011 at 05:27:17 PM EST
    in the NYTimes that former VP Cheney has a new pump in his chest that permits him to go about without a pulse.

    It should be so easy to come up with a punch line - but I can't think of any.

    Snark? (none / 0) (#15)
    by MKS on Tue Jan 04, 2011 at 05:47:18 PM EST


    Parent
    @SpeakerPelosi is now (none / 0) (#17)
    by andgarden on Tue Jan 04, 2011 at 06:47:10 PM EST
    @NancyPelosi.

    Ugh.

    Is @JohnBoehner (none / 0) (#18)
    by Raskolnikov on Tue Jan 04, 2011 at 07:02:35 PM EST
    now @SpeakerBoehner ?  A depressing day tomorrow is.

    Parent
    I suspect that's coming (none / 0) (#19)
    by andgarden on Tue Jan 04, 2011 at 07:10:49 PM EST
    UGH. Out of the frying pan and into the fire we go. . .

    Parent
    Does it matter? (none / 0) (#101)
    by jbindc on Wed Jan 05, 2011 at 03:49:59 PM EST
    In the new House, Republicans sound like Democrats - and vice versa.

    Parent
    Best line from that article (5.00 / 1) (#103)
    by republicratitarian on Wed Jan 05, 2011 at 04:00:59 PM EST
    There were no rambling school tours, just a small group of Chinese tourists (presumably checking on their investment)


    Parent
    And now, Speaker.gov is controlled (none / 0) (#24)
    by andgarden on Tue Jan 04, 2011 at 09:45:36 PM EST
    by you know who. . .

    Parent
    Nancy Pelosi is still calling her blog (none / 0) (#25)
    by andgarden on Tue Jan 04, 2011 at 09:47:30 PM EST
    The Gavel.

    Parent
    Beneath the yelps about how much (none / 0) (#23)
    by andgarden on Tue Jan 04, 2011 at 08:56:21 PM EST
    they hate it, Republicans in the states are implementing the ACA. Why? If they don't do it, Uncle Sam will do it for them. . .

    Oops. OSU wins. (none / 0) (#26)
    by oculus on Tue Jan 04, 2011 at 10:42:56 PM EST


    no need to shop for my next gift (none / 0) (#27)
    by Capt Howdy on Wed Jan 05, 2011 at 09:26:57 AM EST
    Xmas, birthday, Chanukkah, whatever.  I will take one of these:

    The Auto Lovers Superyacht Gets Updated. The Strand Craft 166 By Gray Design

    The Strand Craft 166 is an uncompromising superyacht that is as outrageous as it is daring. Designed entirely around an automotive theme, this yacht is ideal for owners who are addicted to that new leather smell. Her low stance, enormous length and curled haunches give this vessel a dynamic aesthetic that is guaranteed to turn heads in the most well appointed marinas.

    Following Strand Craft's automotive tradition, the SC166 comes equipped with it's own custom supercar tender. Created in the same design language as it's carrier, the tender ensures you can roll out at your favorite port in ultimate style. With a V8 engine producing 620 horsepower and a top speed of 305 kph, the tender is an accessory that will certainly put a smile on your face.

    seriously
    need any more evidence of a two tier society?

       

    Paging Capt. Casey... (none / 0) (#30)
    by kdog on Wed Jan 05, 2011 at 09:54:23 AM EST
    and all pirate crew, I think we found our vessel.

    305 kph can do some damage on the high seas!

    Capt Casey...saw your comment awhile back, and you got Shantaram next...just gimme time to finish.

    Parent

    I think (none / 0) (#31)
    by Capt Howdy on Wed Jan 05, 2011 at 10:01:03 AM EST
    the 305 kph is for the custom car included.  but I could be wrong.

    Parent
    confused (none / 0) (#34)
    by Capt Howdy on Wed Jan 05, 2011 at 10:06:22 AM EST
    did I forget something.  not sure what this is about.

    I mean, I know thats a book but did I ask for it?

    Parent

    Captain Casey... (none / 0) (#35)
    by kdog on Wed Jan 05, 2011 at 10:17:29 AM EST
    is my nickname for caseyor...she is the captain of our fantasy pirate ship, jeff and I are crew members...she called next on the community copy of "Shantaram", given to me by oculus.

    And know you're all caught up my brother, we just gotta kind out if kph is kilometers per hour for the sportscar or knots per hour for the yacht...and if we can rig a sail on that puppy:)

    Parent

    Err.. (none / 0) (#36)
    by kdog on Wed Jan 05, 2011 at 10:18:44 AM EST
    now, not know...find, not kind...good thing I dream of being a pirate and not a typist:)

    Parent
    ah (none / 0) (#37)
    by Capt Howdy on Wed Jan 05, 2011 at 10:20:19 AM EST


    Parent
    not sure if you know this (none / 0) (#38)
    by Capt Howdy on Wed Jan 05, 2011 at 10:20:39 AM EST
    but that is also my name.

    Parent
    you know (none / 0) (#39)
    by Capt Howdy on Wed Jan 05, 2011 at 10:21:07 AM EST
    my "other" name.

    Parent
    I did not... (none / 0) (#40)
    by kdog on Wed Jan 05, 2011 at 10:22:11 AM EST
    hence the confusion...:)

    Parent
    Here's the 'ship' we need, (none / 0) (#45)
    by jeffinalabama on Wed Jan 05, 2011 at 11:10:34 AM EST
    fellow pirates, the Ecranoplan. 250 milse an hour, or so... (400 kph, for metric-minded folk)

    Parent
    dunno (none / 0) (#47)
    by Capt Howdy on Wed Jan 05, 2011 at 11:12:57 AM EST
    a pirate flag is all that black beauty needs.


    Parent
    to may to (none / 0) (#49)
    by jeffinalabama on Wed Jan 05, 2011 at 11:19:20 AM EST
    to mah to... Kdog was looking for speed.

    I like the lines on that black beauty, also. Looks like a trimeran (?) design like the boat used on that anti-whale hunters show, doesn't it? Except much larger.

    Parent

    It certainly looks aggressive, jeff. (none / 0) (#96)
    by caseyOR on Wed Jan 05, 2011 at 03:35:20 PM EST
    Do you think it would attract too much attention? I mean, fierce is great, but being able to slip away undetected is even better in the pirate game.

    Parent
    you're the strategist (none / 0) (#105)
    by jeffinalabama on Wed Jan 05, 2011 at 04:18:33 PM EST
    or the stategerist, Casey, that's why you're the
    captain!

    Parent
    i read the specs on the yacht. (none / 0) (#94)
    by caseyOR on Wed Jan 05, 2011 at 03:33:02 PM EST
    It tops out at 40 knots. Cruising speed of 30 knots. Not bad. And it certainly is sleek. Also, great radar system.

    And it is chock full of amenities with which to amuse ourselves when not pirating. An altogether pleasant way to cruise the Seven seas.

    Do you think we'd lose our edge, though, pirating is such luxury?

    Oh, and just let me know when you're ready to send Shantaram on, kdog. Thanks.

    Parent

    7 billion (none / 0) (#28)
    by Capt Howdy on Wed Jan 05, 2011 at 09:32:38 AM EST
    Sometime this year, the world's population will pass the 7 billion mark. By 2045, that figure is expected to be 9 billion.

    Birth rates worldwide have declined (none / 0) (#29)
    by jeffinalabama on Wed Jan 05, 2011 at 09:39:04 AM EST
    during the past 20-30 years. Malthusians are furious.

    Parent
    if thats true (none / 0) (#32)
    by Capt Howdy on Wed Jan 05, 2011 at 10:03:02 AM EST
    why are they expecting 2 billion more in the next 30 years.


    Parent
    Rate of increase has dropped tremendously. (none / 0) (#48)
    by jeffinalabama on Wed Jan 05, 2011 at 11:17:07 AM EST
    Population momentum is still leading the increase though. Here's a good website on demographics-- population momentum is about halfway down.

    I'm changing up one of my approaches this year in my courses, I'm starting with demography since it's 'real,' not 'theoretical,' and with numbers and people and straightforward formulas to look at, I might actually trick students into thinking!

    Parent

    pathetic PC crap (none / 0) (#41)
    by Capt Howdy on Wed Jan 05, 2011 at 10:23:01 AM EST
    Upcoming NewSouth 'Huck Finn' Eliminates the 'N' Word

    Twain is spinning in his grave.

    That is just wrong... (none / 0) (#65)
    by kdog on Wed Jan 05, 2011 at 01:19:01 PM EST
    on so many levels.  Wanna ban the book and play the arsehole, fine...but how dare anybody change it?  

    Don't know if Twain is spinning or laughing his arse off at our pc stupidity.  What's next, removing any reference of Huck smoking a pipe from the classic?

    Parent

    No, but any images of him with pipe in his mouth (none / 0) (#68)
    by republicratitarian on Wed Jan 05, 2011 at 01:22:10 PM EST
    will show bubbles coming out instead and the surgeon generals warning on one of the pages.

    Parent
    well (none / 0) (#69)
    by Capt Howdy on Wed Jan 05, 2011 at 01:22:52 PM EST
    he would probably see the humor but I dont think he would find changing his masterpiece funny in the end.

    this is like the idiots who offer edited versions of R ranted movies.  it should be illegal.
    you dont want to read/see it?  dont.

    but you cant change it and then sell it.

    Parent

    It's worse than I thought... (none / 0) (#81)
    by kdog on Wed Jan 05, 2011 at 02:17:38 PM EST
    what's up with American poster companies airbrushing the cigarette out of Paul's hand on the classic Abbey Road album cover?...political correctness sh*tting on history is an epidemic!

    Parent
    how about (none / 0) (#84)
    by Capt Howdy on Wed Jan 05, 2011 at 02:29:48 PM EST
    an airbrushed Winston Churchill

    Parent
    I have a large print of that album cover (none / 0) (#85)
    by republicratitarian on Wed Jan 05, 2011 at 02:37:15 PM EST
    hanging in my music/computer/guitar room. Now I have to check it when I got home and see if I got "pc'd"

    Parent
    Heaven Forbid! (none / 0) (#86)
    by kdog on Wed Jan 05, 2011 at 02:46:57 PM EST
    If you were pc'd r-crat, you need to contact the manufacturer and demand a defective replacement:)

    Parent
    According to the 2005 bio of Mark Twain, (none / 0) (#82)
    by oculus on Wed Jan 05, 2011 at 02:20:39 PM EST
    there was lots of furor even prior to publication about using the "n" word. And pressure to change the manuscript.  But Twain sd., no.  

    Parent
    one word (none / 0) (#83)
    by Capt Howdy on Wed Jan 05, 2011 at 02:28:22 PM EST
    CONTEXT

    Parent
    The pc crowd... (none / 0) (#87)
    by kdog on Wed Jan 05, 2011 at 02:49:15 PM EST
    airbrushed that word outta Webster's already dude.

    Parent
    this is stupid (none / 0) (#46)
    by Capt Howdy on Wed Jan 05, 2011 at 11:11:41 AM EST
    SUVs from Ford and GM lose key Consumer Reports rating

    DETROIT (Reuters) - Ford Motor Co midsized SUVs Ford Edge and Lincoln MKX have lost a "recommended" rating from Consumer Reports, in part because of a complex audio and interior controls system, the influential magazine said on Tuesday.

    Consumer Reports said reviewers found the MyFord Touch and MyLincoln Touch systems that allow drivers to operate audio, climate control and navigation systems using a touchscreen or voice commands to be "a complicated distraction while driving."

    ok
    first, I have one of these and I love it.
    second, I dont use the voice system except the hands free phone which is great.
    third, does anyone really buy the car for this??

    granted it is complicated and confusing but "a complicated distraction while driving."??

    the whole idea is to remove distractions while driving.  fer gods sake you are not supposed to figure it out while driving.

    this is stupid.

    I bought a Mustang GT a few months ago (none / 0) (#52)
    by republicratitarian on Wed Jan 05, 2011 at 12:19:24 PM EST
    and it has the Microsoft Sync system, I love it. It is a little complicated, but it's great once you figure it out, preferably not while driving. The fact that only "80 percent of customers who have MyFord Touch or MyLincoln Touch like it and would recommend it" is kind of telling. I'd bet that a large part of that other 20 percent hadn't spent much time with the instructions.

    I was in the gym working out one day and an older gentleman saw me fooling with my iPhone and walked up to me and told me he had a new GPS in his truck and somehow had put in in Spanish mode, lol. He asked if could look at it for him. I haven't tried to read Spanish since high school, but the icons on those devices are all normal enough. I figured it out for him and then went back to my workout. Instructions people! :)

    Parent

    thats what I have (none / 0) (#57)
    by Capt Howdy on Wed Jan 05, 2011 at 12:49:04 PM EST
    sync.
    its more or less the same thing right?

    I looked through the manual and it looked hard.
    but the truth is I have no desire to command the cd player by talking to it.  none.

    it is funny though that the sync manual is a thick as the manual for the car.


    Parent

    No kidding (none / 0) (#62)
    by republicratitarian on Wed Jan 05, 2011 at 12:54:28 PM EST
    I use the voice option for phone calls, nothing else. I love being able to play my music through the Bluetooth. That's a great feature all by itself.

    Parent
    yep (none / 0) (#63)
    by Capt Howdy on Wed Jan 05, 2011 at 12:57:17 PM EST
    and I like having a usb port for pod music

    Parent
    um (none / 0) (#50)
    by Capt Howdy on Wed Jan 05, 2011 at 11:21:26 AM EST
    WTF

    Congressman Robert Ingersol (R-SC) reads detailed report in the House of Representatives on his recent killing of a hobo.

    It took me two views (none / 0) (#51)
    by jeffinalabama on Wed Jan 05, 2011 at 11:32:30 AM EST
    to see the network... this one got me.

    Parent
    The orange jerk was just sworn in (none / 0) (#67)
    by andgarden on Wed Jan 05, 2011 at 01:21:49 PM EST
    Ugh.

    also (5.00 / 1) (#71)
    by Capt Howdy on Wed Jan 05, 2011 at 01:27:13 PM EST
    henceforth to be know as Agent Orange

    Parent
    Look up "annoying orange" on youtube (none / 0) (#75)
    by republicratitarian on Wed Jan 05, 2011 at 01:34:49 PM EST


    Parent
    was there (none / 0) (#70)
    by Capt Howdy on Wed Jan 05, 2011 at 01:23:48 PM EST
    tears?

    Parent
    How's come Boehner gets to cry (5.00 / 1) (#74)
    by oculus on Wed Jan 05, 2011 at 01:33:35 PM EST
    and Hillary Clinton doesn't?  Pisses me off.

    Parent
    forget Hillary (5.00 / 2) (#77)
    by Capt Howdy on Wed Jan 05, 2011 at 01:36:29 PM EST
    try to imagine what they would have done to Nancy if she had cried three times in one interview.  they would have had her institutionalized for being unstable.

    Parent
    Weird how that's flipped... (none / 0) (#88)
    by kdog on Wed Jan 05, 2011 at 02:51:11 PM EST
    used to be ok for women to cry, taboo for men...now it's the opposite, or at least in political circles.

    Parent
    Not so weird when (none / 0) (#93)
    by brodie on Wed Jan 05, 2011 at 03:28:19 PM EST
    you consider the long tradition in this country of the MSM applying the IOKIYAR rule in a given context.

    Parent
    blogville reaction: (none / 0) (#72)
    by Capt Howdy on Wed Jan 05, 2011 at 01:29:05 PM EST
    Oh Please Please Please Please Please Please Please Please Please Please Please...

    my reaction, be careful what you wish for.


    ABC News has learned that Bachmann, R-Minn., also is seriously weighing whether to seek the Republican nomination for president in 2012.


    Officially TV cable-less as of this a.m. (none / 0) (#76)
    by oculus on Wed Jan 05, 2011 at 01:36:00 PM EST
    Let me know if anything important happens.  (Will Oculus make it through baseball season?)

    I'll post some play by play, unless my (5.00 / 1) (#106)
    by jeffinalabama on Wed Jan 05, 2011 at 04:21:50 PM EST
    cable takes a hiatus.

    Do you have internet at home, oculus? check mlb.com for prices. Maybe a better deal than cable, YMMV. I don't have it, I listen to an AM station nearby that carries the games.

    Talk about back to childhood... it's pleasant!

    Parent

    I usually have the game on my tiny, wireless (none / 0) (#119)
    by oculus on Wed Jan 05, 2011 at 08:55:13 PM EST
    TV but sans sound, as I prefer the radio am announcers.  

    Parent
    oculus, there are internet sites that (none / 0) (#107)
    by caseyOR on Wed Jan 05, 2011 at 04:41:17 PM EST
    live stream various sporting events, including baseball. That's how I watched the Rose Bowl on Saturday.

    I've never had cable or satellite TV. Usually, I don't care, but with the bowl games almost all on ESPN this year, well, I had a brief moment of reconsideration. And every spring I give a moment's thought to buying cable so that I can get WGN and, thus, Cubs' games. And then I look at the always increasing cost, and opt for other media.

    Like Jeff with baseball, this past football season I started listening to Oregon and Oregon State games on AM radio. It was a nostalgic return to my childhood, and I found it an enjoyable way to follow the games. Too bad no Chicago radio stations reach the Pac NW.

    Parent

    here's a link to the site I watched the Rose (none / 0) (#108)
    by caseyOR on Wed Jan 05, 2011 at 04:45:11 PM EST
    Bowl game on. They offer a vast array of sporting events.

    Parent
    Casey, check the web address for, (none / 0) (#109)
    by jeffinalabama on Wed Jan 05, 2011 at 05:25:01 PM EST
    oh what is it? WGN Radio that broadcasts the Cubs and/or White Sox? I listen to a lot of free streeaming on the computer, sports, news, music.

    I might be a 'leech,' but I pay the folks in the neighborhood a few bucks a month to be able to log in on their wifi.

    Parent

    Thanks, Jeff. (none / 0) (#110)
    by caseyOR on Wed Jan 05, 2011 at 05:35:42 PM EST
    I'll check it out.

    GO, DUCKS!!!

    Parent

    Grrrrrrrr. (none / 0) (#111)
    by jeffinalabama on Wed Jan 05, 2011 at 05:48:25 PM EST
    might be a mutiny a'brewin'! Time to give Captain Casey the Black Spot card!

    Parent
    Hey, remember, no pirate business will be (none / 0) (#113)
    by caseyOR on Wed Jan 05, 2011 at 05:55:45 PM EST
    conducted until after the BCS Championship game has been played, and enough time has passed that feelings have cooled.

    Parent
    I can't change my mind? (none / 0) (#115)
    by jeffinalabama on Wed Jan 05, 2011 at 05:59:20 PM EST
    Heh/.

    Parent
    Paid a visit to the WGN website and (none / 0) (#114)
    by caseyOR on Wed Jan 05, 2011 at 05:58:02 PM EST
    learned that MLB does not allow radio stations to live stream baseball games over the internet. One must purchase MLB's own audio package to get the games via the toobz.

    Bah, humbug.

    Parent

    Sorry bout that, but (none / 0) (#116)
    by jeffinalabama on Wed Jan 05, 2011 at 06:00:29 PM EST
    I don't think it's too high. I don't know if there's a team-specific price, though. I might need to find out for summers.

    Parent
    It's like NFL.com (none / 0) (#117)
    by jbindc on Wed Jan 05, 2011 at 06:09:26 PM EST
    I do pay the $30 or $40 every year so I can listen to the broadcast of the Lions' games (yes, I know I probably need some time in a quiet room with padding on the walls).  But the local station is blocked from streaming the live broadcasts of the games without the subscription.

    Anywhere there is a dollar to be made....

    Parent

    A dollar to be made out of our loyalty (none / 0) (#125)
    by jeffinalabama on Wed Jan 05, 2011 at 11:08:13 PM EST
    to a logo. I'm in the same boat. I'm glad the 101st Airborne Division Association only charges dues once a year, too. If I had to decide between cable television and the Association, well I'd do without cable.

    Baseball's important to me, Lions football to jb. Padres to oculus. But I'd have to give up baseball for my comrades.

    That logo has meaning. Mine to me, yours to you. I can't make fun of yours without denigrating my own.

    YMMV.

    Parent

    Check out investigation re the former (none / 0) (#126)
    by oculus on Wed Jan 05, 2011 at 11:32:20 PM EST
    Pentagon official [Wheeler] whose body was found being dumped from a garbage truck at a landfill in NJ.  He is revered by Vietnam Vets.  

    Parent
    Some of NYC's Strongest... (none / 0) (#78)
    by kdog on Wed Jan 05, 2011 at 01:37:18 PM EST
    respond to the slowdown rumors, and say how Snow-gate really went down in a NY Daily News exclusive.

    In a nutshell...short-staffed, shoddy equipment, and no quality leadership.  The now infamous photo of the sleeping garbage truck driver?  They say he just finished working a 15 hour shift...totally exhausted. And you guys should see the photo of the makeshift outhouse these poor guys were forced to use in the print edition...bad scene.

    Meanwhile, city hall is stonewalling on who was in fact at the helm of the Apple during the blizzard.  I know government loves their secrets, but this is getting ridiculous.  Bloomberg won't say where he was...that probably means he was on one of his Bermuda jaunts...and two deputy mayors were outta town as well.  Lovely.

    Oops... (none / 0) (#79)
    by kdog on Wed Jan 05, 2011 at 01:38:25 PM EST
    NYC's Strongest take here, forgot linkage.

    Parent
    Surely some enterprising reporter and/ (none / 0) (#80)
    by oculus on Wed Jan 05, 2011 at 01:46:57 PM EST
    or citizen will make a public records act request.  Whose on first.

    Parent
    This isn't... (5.00 / 1) (#89)
    by kdog on Wed Jan 05, 2011 at 02:52:45 PM EST
    the MTA's second set of books were talking about here Oc...a public records act request to find out who the acting mayor was?  God help us...

    Parent
    anyone for a game of (none / 0) (#102)
    by Capt Howdy on Wed Jan 05, 2011 at 03:57:44 PM EST
    catball?

    I SO agree with this! (none / 0) (#118)
    by jbindc on Wed Jan 05, 2011 at 06:39:37 PM EST
    The Rules for wearing flip-flops

    Stop the presses!!! (5.00 / 1) (#121)
    by caseyOR on Wed Jan 05, 2011 at 09:28:20 PM EST
    How did I miss this recent flip-flop flap? Obama wore flip-flops on vacation in, of all places, Hawaii. What is the world coming to? Baring the presidential toes like that.

    Read all about it.

    Parent

    Somehow I don't think Southern Californians (none / 0) (#122)
    by oculus on Wed Jan 05, 2011 at 09:32:28 PM EST
    agree with this fashion empress.

    Parent
    I must confess that I (none / 0) (#123)
    by caseyOR on Wed Jan 05, 2011 at 09:50:35 PM EST
    have always hated flip-flops. Anytime, anywhere, I think they are awful.

    I do agree that what one wears in the privacy of one's own home is no one else's business.

    Parent

    They look too small . . . :) (none / 0) (#127)
    by nycstray on Thu Jan 06, 2011 at 12:29:58 AM EST


    Parent
    Thank the goddess it is always (none / 0) (#120)
    by oculus on Wed Jan 05, 2011 at 09:00:42 PM EST
    permissible to wear flip flops at home.

    P.S.  Photos of a wedding my niece attended in North Carolina this summer:  all the 30ish women were wearing flip flops and sun dresses.  Why?  Probably due to heat/humidity/and uneven lawn.

    Parent

    hahaha (none / 0) (#134)
    by CST on Thu Jan 06, 2011 at 09:19:45 AM EST
    I like flip flops - but I agree with this:

    "Crocs are basically everything that's wrong with America: they're bright, garish, intrusive, and smug in their comfort."

    Parent

    hey (none / 0) (#135)
    by Capt Howdy on Thu Jan 06, 2011 at 09:29:04 AM EST
    reading this I was reminded of our conversation on how wingnuts were dying off and all you have to do is wait a generation:

    Wily old Dems take on whippersnapper Republicans

    Parent

    interesting (none / 0) (#136)
    by CST on Thu Jan 06, 2011 at 09:51:55 AM EST
    although I'm not sure I'd call 55 "whippersnappers" - and the electorate is still skewed.

    I think on economic policy we are in serious danger of losing the younger generation.  On social liberty issues it's different though.  Honestly kdog's whole "liberty/freedom/no government" position is fairly common.  And it's important to recognize that it comes from a huge distrust in government to do what's right with money.  In other words, I don't think people are opposed to social programs on their merits.  I think people are opposed to government because they can't be trusted - except to spend money on banks and wars and spying and things like that.

    So when you have a republican party running on the "no government" platform, that resonates more than it should.

    But I think they will eventually run into the same issue G.W.B. did.  They are handicapped by the religious right that WANTS government intrusion to protect their "way of life".

    Parent

    these are our allies? (none / 0) (#131)
    by Capt Howdy on Thu Jan 06, 2011 at 08:40:44 AM EST
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan -- The increasing radicalization of Pakistani society was laid bare Wednesday when the nation's mainstream religious organizations applauded the murder of provincial governor Salman Taseer earlier this week, while his killer was showered with rose petals as he appeared in court.

    Taseer, 66, the governor of Punjab, the country's most heavily populated province, was assassinated Tuesday by one of his police bodyguards after Taseer had campaigned to ease Pakistan's blasphemy law.
    all in the family (none / 0) (#132)
    by Capt Howdy on Thu Jan 06, 2011 at 08:42:20 AM EST
    Dominik was a woman, Andrea was a man, and now after switching their genders they are a couple watching the son Dominik gave birth to, turn into a woman.


    Christine starts a Romanian Tea Party (none / 0) (#133)
    by Capt Howdy on Thu Jan 06, 2011 at 09:00:08 AM EST
    Romanian witches use spells to protest new taxes

    Tuesday Morning Open Thread | 136 comments (136 topical)

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