'I can't even recall anytime I have ever seen a car with a plug hanging out of the grille for a block heater in this city.'
This week, forons loaded up on sass. Both applauding and berating the inaugural festivities, we were quick to play martyr, and quick to knock each other down a peg.
Funny and absurd
Virtual (wobbling) tits -- cheaper than your morning coffee.
Re: iPhone Apps
Postby fisticuffs on Fri Jan 16, 2009 3:01 pm
Wobble. I just downloaded it for 99 cents. It lets you take any picture on your phone and place bullseye shaped zones on the picture. Then you shake it and the image beneath the zones wobble. Works best on boobs.
That Steve Jobs -- he's a smartie pants.
Re: Live blog the inauguration here.
Postby fisticuffs on Tue Jan 20, 2009 11:52 am
You obviously don't have the new iPrayer app for the iPhone. It hooks your phone up directly with God and your wireless headset and facebook.
Couldn't you have just streamed the damn thing from your cubicle?
Re: Historic Inauguration Trumps Work at Some Companies
Postby boston_jeff on Tue Jan 20, 2009 1:31 pm
Yeah, I'm sure you've never taken time off to do anything so frivolous you hardworking old soul you!
Next thing you're going to tell us that you had to walk through 5 miles of waist deep snow to go to Transformers conventions and that back in your day people pulled themselves up by their bootstraps to go out and purchase videogames the day they debuted...
Wait…PETA dubbed fish "sea kittens?!"
Re: It's Official: PETA Batshit Insane
Postby Mean Scenester on Tue Jan 20, 2009 4:00 pm
I'm against cruelty to animals. But somebody needs to put the hurt on these PETA goofballs.
Somebody might also want to tell them that cats eat fish.
WHATCHA GONNA FEED YOUR LAND KITTENS NOW, SEE?!
Is closing Gitmo in the Koran?
Re: Oath do-over still not good enough
Postby jjoyce on Thu Jan 22, 2009 8:53 am
C'mon... aren't you seeing this? Shutting down Gitmo, turning those guys all loose while essentially refusing to take the oath of office correctly on video with a Bible... it's all adding up to this: The Muslimization of America.
We've been duped, people. Anyone see Manchurian Candidate?
Smart and sharp
You mean Michael Bublé isn't new jazz?
Whither Jazz?
Postby harrissimo on Fri Jan 16, 2009 4:32 pm
I am prompted to post this by Jessica Steinhoff's article about Jazz in Madison.
Jazz is a fully evolved genre. What I mean by that is that there is nothing new being done in jazz. There is really nowhere for jazz to go as far as new territory. Hence, it is "fully evolved". It is a museum genre. I don't mean this in a bad way. There is still a lot to be enjoyed in listening to jazz. But the real creative innovative music is being done in other genres. What we call jazz is often "lounge" or "cocktail" music played in hotel bars and sunday brunches. The "free" jazz thing alienates most people and has never been commercially viable and some would argue it is not artistically viable either.
I believe there will always be a market for jazz but it will suffer the same problems that classical music has: it will be subsidized. In fact, if you look at the performance schedules of major jazz performers, many of their gigs are subsidized festivals, university events and other non-profit type of events. It is very difficult for jazz to sustain itself economically on its own.
Please don't get me wrong. I love jazz and it will be a part of me forever. But the most exciting things I'm doing right now musically is with punk and rock musicians. While they may lack formal training, it is their ignorance of the rules that enables them to come up with new things even if they don't really understand what they are doing.
Moving on from Israel/Palestine to ball gowns and bankruptcy.
Re: Inauguration Day, 2009: A Day of Mourning
Postby harrissimo on Mon Jan 19, 2009 1:27 pm
You have a total lack of understanding of the relationship of the federal government and money. It is impossible for the federal government to be bankrupt since it controls the currency. Furthermore, it has trillions of dollars in assets. For instance, how much do you suppose Yellowstone National Park is worth? The term bankrupt does not apply to the federal government because it is an unique entity. You are not so much an idiot as simply ignorant, which is actually worse in my book.
I think what is happening here is that you and others simply do not care for Obama and you want to spoil the celebration that we Obama backers are enjoying.
Just wait a few weeks and then you may or may not have something to be grouchy old cranks about.
Re: Inauguration Day, 2009: A Day of Mourning
Postby ArturoBandini on Mon Jan 19, 2009 2:09 pm
See? Now we're talking!
I concede the point that my choice of terminology regarding the Federal Government wasn't optimal - "Bankrupt" is not the right word. First, money/currency is not controlled exclusively by the Federal Government, but in tandem with the Federal Reserve, which operates independently of the government (but, granted, has traditionally not strayed far from what role that government intended it to do). Obviously, the government can just print itself out of bankruptcy (when the bills outnumber the receipts). Should I explain why this is not a good idea? Interestingly, current measures indicate deflation, even though the Treasury is opening the taps on the money supply via stimulus and bailouts. Imaginary-value dollars (all of them have imaginary value, representative of nothing tangible) are exiting the system (via tanking investments) faster than new ones are being printed and added, hence deflation.
Onto assets: What market value would the assets of the Federal Government have in the event that they needed to be sold? What would we do with all the supply of office buildings, warplanes, fleet vehicles, millions of acres of parkland...? Would there be demand enough for these assets to warrant their current value on the books? Even if sold off piecemeal - the rate of return on these assets would be pretty sad. Know anybody in the market for a federal office building? How about an interstate highway right-of-way? What about the liabilities of the FG? Are those crumbling bridges counted as an asset or liability? Your choice.
Oh get up on the cross Minnesota!
Re: The effect of weather terrorism on our schools, economy
Postby Walter on Sun Jan 18, 2009 11:18 am
I agree. It was cold but not that cold last week. It's a matter of dressing and preparing for it, without panic.
I too grew up in MN and we routinely had weather colder and winds stronger than what we get here. Of course, that was southern Minnesota, the tropical part of the state. My grandpa grew up in Fargo, ND, where you had to be harder than a railroad spike to get through the winter in those days.
Not to mention places like International Falls, where they have (had?) outlets on the parking meters to plug your cars in so they would start after sitting while you did your shopping downtown. I can't even recall anytime I have ever seen a car with a plug hanging out of the grille for a block heater in this city. That was one of the things you looked for when shopping for a $200 winter beater car: "It's got a block heater...sweet!" My brother's 1966 Buick Special had one and came with snow tires too.
Our high school was cancelled for week once because the daytime highs were something like -20 to -25 F with 30 mph winds. That came as a pleasant surprise and almost never were schools closed due to snow.
We used to stick our nipples on fire hydrants in January, just for fun. OK, now I'm just getting carried away, but I think we get a little prone to freaking out here about weather we can not control. People here go nuts when there's a tornado WATCH for cripes' sake! In Minnesota, that was nearly everyday in the summer.
We always said the cold keeps out the riff-raff and the colder it is, the tougher you are. This town has an open door policy on wimps and panicky overreaction. I miss the stoic non-reaction and rampant Minnesota Nice of the fatherland.
And we need more hockey rinks, too!
Every Wisconsinite needs to know the anatomy of a cow.
Re: Braising
Postby naybobber on Mon Jan 19, 2009 3:16 pm
According to Cook's Illustrated, flanken short ribs are short ribs that are cut perpendicular to the other type of short rib with the little bones, such that you get the long bone instead of the series of short bones. I take this to mean they are cut between the ribs, not across the ribs? My neighbor had given me some flanken-style short ribs from a steer they had butchered, but there were not enough for a meal, so I combined them with the other type I found at a local grocer. We did not notice a discernible difference in the meat.....and I agree that it's difficult to beat a good short rib braise.
I used the Cook's illustrated technique of browning them in a hot-hot oven rather than in a pan. Then braised them.
And if raindrops were candy corns and gum drops.
On running for alder
Postby narcoleptish on Thu Jan 22, 2009 11:41 am
I frequently argue with a friend whose belief is that someone shouldn't even consider running for alderperson unless they can spend $10K, minimum. I don't agree with this. I have to believe that a person could still hit the pavement and actually meet enough people in their district to potentially win an election. I think a large number of people go to the polls without a definite choice in mind, often there for a more prominent election (mayor,etc) and when considering the choices for alder, I think memory of an actual meeting, if only a handshake, can trump any other exposure to candidates you might have had. This is how I feel at least, I rarely read literature left on my door, I couldn't care less about a sign in my neighbors yard, I don't pay attention to tv commercials. I WILL read about a candidate in the newspaper (or online), talk to someone who came to my door, listen to someone speak if I happen to be present. All of these things are cost-free to a candidate, I assume. Now I understand that time is often harder to come by than money, and these things take time, a lot of it. What the candidate has to say obviously should be the final measure but I know a lot of people step up to the polls knowing nothing about those running. I just want other peoples opinions on what sways you and what you think running for alder should cost. I don't think it should really cost anything but time. I'm not running by the way, just curious. I'd fess up and out myself if I did.
