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I'MMA LET YOU FINISH

Jolly Holidays, all and sundry
WoodyGuthrie'sGuitar (aka kono | 12.24.04 - 9:23 am | #

*yawwwn*
Mornin' Sam.
Morning, Ralph.
MisterX | Homepage | 12.24.04 - 9:24 am | #

(rubbing eyes) Is it 2008 yet?
watertiger | 12.24.04 - 9:26 am | #

Merry fraud!
Sebastian Dangerfield | 12.24.04 - 9:27 am | #

RMJ--
Didja get the coffee?
I ask, cuz i sent it the same day i sent my mortgage payment, and that didn't get there on time---or even yet...boy that pissed me of
WoodyGuthrie'sGuitar (aka kono | 12.24.04 - 9:27 am | #

Woo

Hoo!
j. henry | 12.24.04 - 9:27 am | #

WGG,

somewhere in Texas there's a postal worker inhaling deeply over his/her first cup of pinon coffee of the day...
watertiger | 12.24.04 - 9:31 am | #

I couldn't stick around for yesterday's thread on the "Dollar vs. Euro".

How is the government able to finance the country's debt when the notes plus interest don't offset the loss of value vs. the Euro?

Who buys the notes and why?

The Spirit of Howard Beale | 12.24.04 - 9:33 am | #

8th!
NTodd | Homepage | 12.24.04 - 9:33 am | #

aguatigre...

i fear you may be right...
you COULD smell it...i could smell it when I packed it...
WoodyGuthrie'sGuitar (aka kono | 12.24.04 - 9:33 am | #

SHB, didn't see the thread, didn't study econ, but I'm guessing that the world is not happy with the idea that the US will default, so they are taking a hit for our idiocy.
ATablaRasa | Homepage | 12.24.04 - 9:36 am | #

Shit, 9th. Er, 10th?
NTodd | Homepage | 12.24.04 - 9:36 am | #

Happy Holidays to all! You've given me a lot of laughs and important things to think about during the last year. Thanks for the ongoing gift.
hawkseye | Homepage | 12.24.04 - 9:36 am | #

Mr.X, thanks for the flashback.
ATablaRasa | Homepage | 12.24.04 - 9:37 am | #

christmas music

Big Dee Irwin & Little Eva: I Wish You A Merry Christmas
Pizzicato Five: Silent Night
James Brown: Santa claus, Go Straight To The Ghetto
Little Cindy: Happy Birthday Jesus
Bob Rivers: Chipmunks Roasting On An Open Fire
AKIM & The Teddy Vann Production Company: Santa Claus Is A Black Man

i bet i got better christmas music than o'reilly.
n69n | Homepage | 12.24.04 - 9:37 am | #

WGG,

You should have packed it in marijuana.

No, wait, I have that wrong. You pack marijuana in coffee.

(looking around to see if the place is bugged.)
watertiger | 12.24.04 - 9:37 am | #

A Saint for our times

Agnes Mary Mansour, nun gave up vows

Associated Press
Dec. 19, 2004 12:00 AM

FARMINGTON HILLS, Mich. - Agnes Mary Mansour, who gave up her religious vows rather than resign as Michigan's welfare director in a showdown with the Vatican over abortion, has died. She was 73.

Mansour died Friday at McAuley Center, an assisted living facility operated by the Sisters of Mercy. Mansour was a member of the order for 30 years and an associate for the 20-plus years after dispensation from her vows.

Controversy arose in the 1980s over her role as a nun and as head of an agency that oversaw Medicaid funding for abortions for low-income women.

A Vatican representative gave Mansour an ultimatum to either resign as DSS director or be dismissed from the Sisters of Mercy.

Mansour said that while she personally disapproved of abortion, it would be unfair to limit the procedure only to women able to afford it. She asked to be released from her vows.
WoodyGuthrie'sGuitar (aka kono | 12.24.04 - 9:38 am | #

I've already had my coffee, the fire's been roaring since 6am, and it's so nice to come back inside to after a walk with the dog in the nippy weather.
NTodd | Homepage | 12.24.04 - 9:38 am | #

I hope Santa finally brings me that pony tomorrow. Or at least an Oscar Meyer weenie whistle.
NTodd | Homepage | 12.24.04 - 9:39 am | #

I am observing a moment of silence for the passing of Agnes Mary Mansour.

As my mother likes to say, "you go, girl."
watertiger | 12.24.04 - 9:39 am | #

i bet i got better christmas music than o'reilly.

But I bet you're not having falafel for Xmas!
njbrad | 12.24.04 - 9:39 am | #

I hope Santa finally brings me that pony tomorrow. Or at least an Oscar Meyer weenie whistle.

I'm hoping for that brand new Jaguar XJE...although I'm wondering how they're going to get it up four flights of stairs.
watertiger | 12.24.04 - 9:40 am | #

NTodd, we passed nippy about 30 degrees ago here. But a romp with a dog sounds sweet on a quiet morning.
ATablaRasa | Homepage | 12.24.04 - 9:40 am | #

a romp with a dog sounds sweet on a quiet morning.

Actually just got back in with my 2 dogs and am having coffee while here...
njbrad | 12.24.04 - 9:43 am | #

njbrad,

and what kind of coffee is it? pinon, perhaps? hmmmmmmmm?
watertiger | 12.24.04 - 9:44 am | #

here, we're eating up all the chocolates for breakfast. Can't have those things around, they're unhealthy
el | 12.24.04 - 9:45 am | #

Ooh. Chocolate, hot. Good idea, el. Thanks and Merry Elf Day!
ATablaRasa | Homepage | 12.24.04 - 9:47 am | #

String has to die. After ambushing my leg all night and scratching it up, I just caught him hanging upside down from my ceiling fan decoration.
Ô¿Ô | 12.24.04 - 9:47 am | #

lemme try those linkies again.

Big Dee Irwin & Little Eva: I Wish You A Merry Christmas
Pizzicato Five: Silent Night
James Brown: Santa claus, Go Straight To The Ghetto
Little Cindy: Happy Birthday Jesus
Bob Rivers: Chipmunks Roasting On An Open Fire
AKIM & The Teddy Vann Production Company: Santa Claus Is A Black Man

& dont forget!!!!!

randi rhodes: latkes
katherine lanpher: christy baby!

i think air america is the best thing thats happened for us this year!!!!!
n69n | Homepage | 12.24.04 - 9:47 am | #

and what kind of coffee is it? pinon, perhaps? hmmmmmmmm?

Pinon from New mexico going to Texas -- how'd you figure out the USPS delivered it to jersey City?
njbrad | 12.24.04 - 9:47 am | #

Why the fuck doesn't this fucker's name appear?"

Btw: Aguatigre, i don;t theink they've made the xk-e since about '75, so getting a brand new one's gonna require time travel, i fear...meanwhile, who's got Jeffers' coffee?
WoodyGuthrie'sGuitar (aka kono | 12.24.04 - 9:49 am | #

How is the government able to finance the country's debt when the notes plus interest don't offset the loss of value vs. the Euro?

Who buys the notes and why?

right now the Chinese are buying dollars, government bonds, mainly because their money is a fixed rate, and buying all those dollars keeps the US from having them float their currency
mad dan | 12.24.04 - 9:49 am | #

"My baby takes the Morning Thread ..."

Why do you torture me each morning, Ms. Easton, why?
Administratorte | 12.24.04 - 9:49 am | #

Hey, it's almost cold out in mid-Michigan. A predicted high of 10.

Sure am glad I'm smokin' a pork roast outside on the grill.

Eve's acting strange. 4 years ago, she showed up on our deck as I was grilling a pork loin. My wife says that she was my Christmas present that year, since I was wanting another calico cat really badly - and the only way she said it was going to happen, was if one showed up on our deck and wanted to move in - true story. Took me about a month before she would come inside. I kept feeding her outside in the mornings when I got up, giving her water and such.

I woke my wife up the morning she finally let me touch her at 4 am. The wife wasn't that impressed.
The day she came in the house finally, she slept in the bed that night between us. The other 2 cats weren't impressed very much.

Still to this day, she's my cat tried and true. She finally started laying with the wife here a couple months back. But if I go out to the living room, she'll leave and lay in my lap.

Funny how things happen sometimes.
Barndog | 12.24.04 - 9:49 am | #

njbrad,

ever check a ups tracking code? stuff i order from maryland somehow has to go through oregon.

it's the usps. that should speak volumes.
watertiger | 12.24.04 - 9:49 am | #

NTodd, we passed nippy about 30 degrees ago here. But a romp with a dog sounds sweet on a quiet morning.

It was 17F when we went for our walk. Promises to get up to 23 today! Yesterday it was 46F--after a few days of subzero temps--which sucks because it rained and some of the snow on our road melted so now we have an icerink in the driveway.
NTodd | Homepage | 12.24.04 - 9:50 am | #

And merry to you ATabla

Oh, I mentioned on last thread, over at NYT Bob Herbert deserves a thank you for his "families pay the price" piece.

Great when the press just comes out and says it.
el | 12.24.04 - 9:50 am | #

Here's one from Pravda on the Potomac . I don't know if she writes her own headlines but it might just as well have been MD Jews Help Finance Al Fatah Terror

Don't these hacks ever get tired of emulating the National Enquirer? A Palestinian Authority investment office makes a legitimate and above board investment, proper papers and permits and the whole ball of wax, in an American firm that in turn invests in a bowling alley in MD that jews use and its get made out that Arafat was behind the freaking shoe rental counter or something.
catalexis | 12.24.04 - 9:51 am | #

woke my wife up the morning she finally let me touch her at 4 am.

I had to read that sentence twice.
watertiger | 12.24.04 - 9:51 am | #

el,

bob herbert and paul krugman (and occasionally modo when she's in a sane moment) are the only things worth reading in the nytimes anymore.
watertiger | 12.24.04 - 9:52 am | #

Ô¿Ô

have you scheduled an appointment to get String's li'l nuts snipped?

*THAT* is why he is goin so crazy!!!!!!!!
n69n | Homepage | 12.24.04 - 9:53 am | #

I can't help but wondering with all these recounts going on can't we go back to the old school way? Like the way they voted during Eisenhower and FDR? I don't know if that's the solution but could it be any worse than the irregularities of todays times? Alas, it seems no matter what ones does there will always be parties who wish to rig the vote.
Jason Gooljar | Homepage | 12.24.04 - 9:53 am | #

NTodd, yaktrax are recommended. I have a pair of the pros and they are very handy when the sidewalk turns into a slide.
ATablaRasa | Homepage | 12.24.04 - 9:53 am | #

Yeah okay.
When the cat let me touch her for the first time, I woke the wife up at 4 am.

Sheeeeeesh. I didn't know I was being graded.
Barndog | 12.24.04 - 9:54 am | #

barndog,

LOL!

Oy, whose idea was it to remake "Do They Know It's Christmas"?!?
watertiger | 12.24.04 - 9:56 am | #

Barndog, Tell your wife to stop marking you up with that red pen.
Xpat | 12.24.04 - 9:57 am | #

I dunno, but we're watching the Best of Jerry Springer.

Quality TV for Christmas Eve.
Barndog | 12.24.04 - 9:58 am | #

Barndog, no grades here, but the parsing knives are always out!
ATablaRasa | Homepage | 12.24.04 - 9:58 am | #

Ewww...first post on the site is geeky, but I know some econ. In theory, investors in US debt (especially the Chinese government) do so b/c the risk of a US default has up to now been considered an impossibility. That might explain why they would continue to finance our debt even though the dollar is low against the Euro. But our spiraling bagillion dollar debt alongside the ever-weakening dollar is likely to lead to a decline in these investments, just another reason to thank Weconomics (spend like a mo-fo with abandon b/c you can blame it on The War on Turror).

All that stuff is really boring, though. I am convinced that there will be an immaculate conception and W will conceive a little baby economic savior.
Amanda | 12.24.04 - 9:59 am | #

watertiger, I hear you, that's why I wrote off a thank you to Herbert. But I still read NYT every morning, and the info is there, buried in text, you have to decipher, like it's in code.

Herbert today, he just came out and said it.
el | 12.24.04 - 9:59 am | #

Well DAMMIT.... if you would have been here to witness it - it would make it so much easier to explain!!
Barndog | 12.24.04 - 10:00 am | #

Lanpher = teh sexy
underwhelm | 12.24.04 - 10:00 am | #

I think I am going to remember this line for a long time to come.

Bob Herbert in the N.Y. Times :
"Troops are being shoved two or three times into the furnace of Iraq by astonishingly incompetent leaders..."

I can't even describe the imagery that popped up in my mind's eye when I read that.
EkCenTriK | 12.24.04 - 10:01 am | #

Herbert today, he just came out and said it.
el

I was looking for Herbert's column at Buzzflash, but it's not there (yet)... Gotsa link???
WoodyGuthrie'sGuitar (aka kono | 12.24.04 - 10:01 am | #

Pray for me. He's out there and I'm headed to the kitchen for another beer and I know he'll attack out of nowhere.

Gah, you wouldn't believe how playful he's become.
Ô¿Ô | 12.24.04 - 10:01 am | #

WGG/kono,
FARMINGTON HILLS, Mich. - Agnes Mary Mansour, who gave up her religious vows rather than resign as Michigan's welfare director in a showdown with the Vatican over abortion, has died. She was 73.

I love old nuns, even if they're not nuns anymore. At a certain point, women with guts went into the church to avoid a lot of sexist bullshit.
Thersites | Homepage | 12.24.04 - 10:01 am | #

Barndog

We're flying to MI, off to KALAMAZOO! Where are you?
el | 12.24.04 - 10:01 am | #

All that stuff is really boring, though. I am convinced that there will be an immaculate conception and W will conceive a little baby economic savior.
Amanda - 9:59 am

And the Cinese get what in return?

Check the baby for the number "six" in the scalpline.

The Spirit of Howard Beale | 12.24.04 - 10:02 am | #

Happy Holidays to you all - I'm mostly just a lurk and read kinda person - but this thread is making me want to thank you all for the community. Not sure I would have made it past Nov3 without you.

(It's even cold down here in NOLA - a day to try to save the citris trees and comfort freezing feral cats ...followed by a night of hanging out on Frenchmen with friends and going to midnight church....)
lb0313 | 12.24.04 - 10:03 am | #

NTodd, yaktrax are recommended. I have a pair of the pros and they are very handy when the sidewalk turns into a slide.

Never used those before. Thanks. I've been wearing my Tubbs, since they have crampons and, of course, are good in the snow when we get to the woods.
NTodd | Homepage | 12.24.04 - 10:04 am | #

Watertiger,

You beat me to it. Have read the Times my entire life and can barely do it anymore. Those 2 1/2 columnists and an occasional editorial is about it.

Catalexis,

As for the bowling alleys, I'm no more thrilled w/ the PLO having investments here than I am with the Saudis owning half the property around here.

On a lighter note, the Stray Cats filmed a video (Rock This Town, I believe) in Bowlmor many years back.
njbrad | 12.24.04 - 10:05 am | #

Men are very playful. It's a shame that's stifled about them in this culture.
Ô¿Ô | 12.24.04 - 10:05 am | #

Ô¿Ô

Good jeez - even I haven't started the yet - you made me thirsty. OTOH, maybe you're not Pacific time...
Xpat | 12.24.04 - 10:06 am | #

if you're tired of the same ol' Christmas movies i suggest one i watched last nite on a whim-In America. it was not sloppy sentimental or saccharine but left me with a refreshed view of humanity.
then again there's Napoleon Dynamite which my teen and i both found to be hysterical!
waiting | Homepage | 12.24.04 - 10:06 am | #

lb0313,

peace! stay warm and have a good holiday/day off/weekend.
watertiger | 12.24.04 - 10:06 am | #

Ô¿Ô

Sounds like String has decided you are his buddy, parent figure, sibling, chewtoy or all of the above. You have been honored then.
EkCenTriK | 12.24.04 - 10:07 am | #

That was me @ 10:01. Freakin' Thersites has been blogging from my laptop again.
NYMary | Homepage | 12.24.04 - 10:07 am | #

Here's another story of Christian love and compassion...

yeah, right
WoodyGuthrie'sGuitar (aka kono | 12.24.04 - 10:08 am | #

The Chinese get a stable, risk-free return on their investment in the debt. It's no surprise that those who invest in government notes get a lower return than they would if they were playing the derivatives markets or some other risky venture. But, there is a shit-ton of risk there that governments and risk-averse investors, like banks, can't afford to take.

It's all about risk, which is what makes this whole thing suck so bad for us. Bad cycle: increased risk of default = lower investments = harder to finance debt = increased risk of default...blah blah blah...
Amanda | 12.24.04 - 10:08 am | #

EkCenTriK, the little fucker, I'm about ready to drop kick his ass. He has totally gone wild.
Ô¿Ô | 12.24.04 - 10:09 am | #

.
Giving/getting a cellphone for Christmas?

Read THIS first!

MERRY CARCINOMA!!!
.
cosa nostradamus | Homepage | 12.24.04 - 10:10 am | #

I love old nuns, even if they're not nuns anymore. At a certain point, women with guts went into the church to avoid a lot of sexist bullshit.
NYM (corrected)

When I used to teach, I would sometimes fantasize about the ground in various Catholic cemeteries around the country churning and roiling as the long-dead nuns and priests who had despaired of me so long ago rolled and spun in their graves...
WoodyGuthrie'sGuitar (aka kono | 12.24.04 - 10:11 am | #

Ô¿Ô, AFKA incog,

You have yourself a fine fulsome handfull of a beast in String there buddy, he will eventually grow out of trying to take you down as a prey animal, and the bits adjustment should help a bit.

Hanging from a ceiling fan decoration?
---priceless.

LOL
kent | Homepage | 12.24.04 - 10:11 am | #

thanks watertiger

my first response! I feel welcomed.

Theoretically I'm working (home office) but this is more fun. Can't whine about the weather - we'll be back to 70's mid-week.

Peace
lb0313 | 12.24.04 - 10:11 am | #

Merry Christmas, everyone!
Tony | 12.24.04 - 10:12 am | #

My gay 20-pound cat attacked me, again, in the middle of the night; drew blood, again. He's already been cut. What's left?
Xpat | 12.24.04 - 10:12 am | #

OK, I've got the amc channel on now and that seems to settle him down some.
Ô¿Ô | 12.24.04 - 10:12 am | #

NTodd. Ah. Yes. Well, we don't get snow very often. Just ice storms and an occasional 6 or 8 inch snowfall that paralyzes the whole town. Lately not even that much ice, but there were a couple of years where things were icy for quite a while. The yaktrax just slip on and will fold into a pocket, so they're handy for the morning walk into work.
ATablaRasa | Homepage | 12.24.04 - 10:13 am | #

he Chinese get a stable, risk-free return on their investment in the debt. Amanda - 10:08 am

Risk-free?

Don't they get back less than they put in after adjusting for the loss in value of the principal or "Dollar"?

The Spirit of Howard Beale | 12.24.04 - 10:13 am | #

Ô¿Ô

There have been moments with my gang, but I always resist. So many moments. Must resist urge.

Actually, to me Kittens are like kids, if you are realistic and expect them to be spastic furballs with the most evil of intents, it goes a lot easier. Eventually they settle down and become dignified. About that time you then decide, "they" need a kitten of their own to play with.
EkCenTriK | 12.24.04 - 10:14 am | #

Xpat -

Separate bedrooms?
lb0313 | 12.24.04 - 10:14 am | #

String has to die. After ambushing my leg all night and scratching it up, I just caught him hanging upside down from my ceiling fan decoration.
Ô¿Ô | Email | Homepage | 12.24.04 - 9:47 am | #

Thanks for my first real laugh of the day!
QuinnLaBelle | 12.24.04 - 10:14 am | #

Hanging from a ceiling fan decoration?
---priceless.

LOL
kent

It's funny to all of you but I can't take it anymore. he's tottally out of control now.
Ô¿Ô | 12.24.04 - 10:15 am | #

The yaktrax just slip on and will fold into a pocket, so they're handy for the morning walk into work.

I like it!
NTodd | Homepage | 12.24.04 - 10:15 am | #

Ri = Rf + Beta (Rm - Rf)
sunzoo | 12.24.04 - 10:16 am | #

Ô¿Ô :

You're buddy String needs a pal, a spayed female would be great...

just sayin...
WoodyGuthrie'sGuitar (aka kono | 12.24.04 - 10:16 am | #

Lansing. There's lake effect snow in K-zoo to contend with. If yer flying into Grand Rapids, it should be a fun drive there down 131.
Barndog | 12.24.04 - 10:17 am | #

Incog,
Maybe String needs Christmas present like a climbing post or a bag of old wrapping paper.
NYMary | Homepage | 12.24.04 - 10:18 am | #

please-all this talk about the cute antics of kittens-is there anything more fun than leting the dog in letting the dog out letting the dog in letting the dog out- NO!
waiting | Homepage | 12.24.04 - 10:18 am | #

Ô¿Ô
String will mellow with age, I promise.
In the meantime, try to enjoy his kittenhood.
Happy holidays to all.
Sweet Sue | 12.24.04 - 10:18 am | #

Ô¿Ô,

Give him some beer. Maybe that'll slow him down. Question: is it cold in your house? My cats used to get all worked up and frisky when the temperature dropped.

I have this vision of poor Ô¿Ô sitting at his computer, while the freakazoid cat ricochets around the room, bouncing off the walls.
watertiger | 12.24.04 - 10:19 am | #

Kittens are like kids, if you are realistic and expect them to be spastic furballs with the most evil of intents, it goes a lot easier. Eventually they settle down and become dignified.

That's been my experience. And then just give a little catnip and they can be a kitten anytime *you* want.
NTodd | Homepage | 12.24.04 - 10:19 am | #

other thankers:

Seconded. I'm getting the first laughs of any kind for months.

I'm waiting for Elvis to wake up, go into 10 minute 'crazy cat' exercise period in prep for sleeping 14 hours in the window. He runs back and forth through the very small rooms, skidding around corners on the kitchen floor, declawed feet scrabbling for purchase, big b&w butt fishtailing like a Georgia driver on black ice.
Xpat | 12.24.04 - 10:20 am | #

Does anyone else live in a place where people seem to be terrorized by the Weather Channel? I just received frantic calls from both of my sisters wondering if the world was coming to an end on the West Coast of Lake Michigan. Well, er . . . no. I think we had about an inch of light fluffy snow last night. It is gently snowing a bit now, but if it did this for a week I doubt we could come up with more than a couple of inches. Yet the National Weather Service is issuing warnings like we were about to be hit by a hurricane.

Seems that this is the way of our media at this point: everything is a big deal. Truth is, it is Michigan in the winter -- it snows. BFD!

Sorry, venting sometimes helps.
DWD | Homepage | 12.24.04 - 10:20 am | #

woodieguthrie, sorry it took so long

tinyurl.com/6nsmz

link to NYT Bob Herbert Christmas rant "Families pay the price"

Not earthshaking, just right
el | 12.24.04 - 10:20 am | #

Here at Chez Thersites, I'm doing a second round of holiday baking, the first round having been mostly consumed and the party still to come tonight. This process is expected to lead, pretty directly, to holiday homicide.
NYMary | Homepage | 12.24.04 - 10:20 am | #

Every financial system needs a "risk-free" class of investments to balance out risky portfolios ~ if you have a 401k or mutual fund you likely hold a certain number of US Treasury notes. The assumption is made that those notes are rock-solid.. if they turn out otherwise, the whole system gets thrown off.
sunzoo | 12.24.04 - 10:21 am | #

"Within this framework of biblical standards and academic rigor, an atmosphere of enhanced learning, character development, and love are allowed to flourish."

WGG, I bet the kid did get enhanced learning out of the deal, and maybe quite a bit of character development, and, one can only hope, a redefinition of love based on something besides whether you fit into a particular mold (though I wouldn't bet on that in the Whole Other Country). All of which is definitely within those bastards' framework, I bet. Too bad tar and feathers are out of fashion, eh?
ATablaRasa | Homepage | 12.24.04 - 10:22 am | #

happy holidays, everyone!

i was thinking on the drive up to mom's, 'i wonder when we can have an eschaton holiday gathering?'

...i'm sure we'll sing joyous carols in gitmo.
chicago dyke | 12.24.04 - 10:23 am | #

Them's some sick assholes in Fundieland, Woody...what happened to love thy neighbor? Even if it's from behind?
Ronjazz | 12.24.04 - 10:23 am | #

DWD

The weather channel's relationship to real weather is like FOX news to real news

Last hurricane season the universe called afraid we we all dead. It didn't even rain.
lb0313 | 12.24.04 - 10:24 am | #

This process is expected to lead, pretty directly, to holiday homicide.

I'm currently waiting on the last chocolate pecan pie of the week. Another 5 minutes or so.

Ah, there's the beep.
watertiger | 12.24.04 - 10:24 am | #

happy holidays, everyone!

Stop oppressing me!
NTodd | Homepage | 12.24.04 - 10:24 am | #

Yep. Lake effect snow along the coastlines of the Great Lakes, is pretty fucking common.

I know.... the Weather Channel acts like it's some anomoly they've never seen before. Ya wonder why most families drive 4x4's in this state....
Barndog | 12.24.04 - 10:25 am | #

watertiger,
Chocolate pecan pie? Oh, I am so your bitch....

Can we trade for rhubarb?
NYMary | Homepage | 12.24.04 - 10:25 am | #

Not earthshaking, just right
el

Sure is...
and the murdering fascist asswipes who put 'em ther never feel a twinge. We gotta find ways to fuck those folks UP!
Merry X-fucking-mas...
WoodyGuthrie'sGuitar (aka kono | 12.24.04 - 10:26 am | #

Don't they get back less than they put in after adjusting for the loss in value of the principal or "Dollar"?

That's only if you look at it as a monetary investment. Sometimes ya have to be willing to drop a few bills to get some leverage.

and less than 40 minutes to Christmas.
Tom - Daai Tou Laam | Homepage | 12.24.04 - 10:26 am | #

Chocolate pecan pie

Pour some bourbon in the mix and you've got 1) Mississippi Mud Pie and 2) my complete adoration...
WoodyGuthrie'sGuitar (aka kono | 12.24.04 - 10:27 am | #

I know.... the Weather Channel acts like it's some anomoly they've never seen before. Ya wonder why most families drive 4x4's in this state....

i love hurricane season. 24/7 coverage of the days leading up to when the storms make landfall.

"And here we see another store boarding up its windows..."
watertiger | 12.24.04 - 10:29 am | #

DWD, we get the treatment come tornado season. Specially since we have a doublewide. Any storm in any surrounding state can get a phone call, just to make sure we're ready to run for the storm shelter.

tiger, you're killing me. Chocolate pecan?!? Now I can smell it from here. Oh, yum.
ATablaRasa | Homepage | 12.24.04 - 10:30 am | #

Oops. Trying to pack for impending holiday joy. I wonder if I'll get felt up in airport security?

Yes. And here we totally agree. I meant risk as primarily meaning risk of default, with is v. low anything backed by the full faith and credit of the US (Ginnie Mae securities are also examples). What you describe is essentially a bad investment for the Chinese, and that is what is bad news for the US. Maybe they are still hedging that the dollar will bounce back soon.

Anyway, my main point in is that some classes of investors might be willing to accept a short-term loss in their investment for a long-term gain in low risk of default. While this might be totally retarded logic for an individual investor, the whole stability thing might be v. attractive to a government investor looking to invest bagillions of dollars.
Amanda | 12.24.04 - 10:31 am | #

Woody Guthrie's Guitar: Because I am a teacher, and it is an occupational hazard (sigh) I feel compelled to print out the legend from Woody's Guitar, "This machine surrounds hate and forces it to surrender." (Good! Teaching moment is gone, I will relax now.)
DWD | Homepage | 12.24.04 - 10:31 am | #

...i'm sure we'll sing joyous carols in gitmo.

one of my fears too. but it's well known amongst my freinds that i have a paranoid streak.

just from buzzflash which i read religiously everyday. not today tho, very depressed since pres. dumbasses press conf. best bet for now avoid the news.

just wanted to say merry fuck'n christmas. it doesn't even feel like christmas, it doesn't even feel like america.

i hope atrios does christmas eve cat blogging. it is friday afterall. wiley in a santa hat.
charley | 12.24.04 - 10:31 am | #

Thanks for the String story! That was good. I had all my Christmas chocolates for breakfast, too, and now I'm on a chocolate high!

Here's a Christmas story for you. When my younger dog was a puppy, she loved to go out to eat dogshit. On Christmas morning she was unsupervised and managed to gobble up lots more than usually. Then she spewed it all out, half-digested on the feet of an elderly relative who loves Rush Limbaugh. It was really funny, and this relative has never returned to our house.
Echidne of the snakes | Homepage | 12.24.04 - 10:31 am | #

WGG,

) my complete adoration...
If you had ever laid eyes on the fair watertiger, she'd have that anyway. She's seriously buff, and just as much fun in person.

watertiger,
who buys your pies?
NYMary | Homepage | 12.24.04 - 10:31 am | #

charley,
I totally forgot that it was Friday! Better find my digital camera and get to Babyblogging!
NYMary | Homepage | 12.24.04 - 10:33 am | #

Deck the halls with extra armor.
Fa la la la, la la la la.
Here comes Rumnutz, that old "charmer".
Fa la la la, la la la la.
Don we now our fucking shielder.
Fa la la la, la la la la.
He's the greatest bullshit wielder.
Fa la la la, la la la la.
When he takes off, can we split, too?
Fa la la la, la la la la.
Shit, guess not, 'cause the bastard blew.
Fa la la la, la la la LAH.
Lime Rickey | 12.24.04 - 10:33 am | #

Pour some bourbon in the mix and you've got 1) Mississippi Mud Pie and 2) my complete adoration...

Oh, it's in this one! Hmmm, tablespoon of Maker's Mark for the pie, shotglass for me...

Usually, I reserve the top shelf liquor for my closest friends. And half the corn syrup, twice as many pecans. Can't stand gelatinous pie.
watertiger | 12.24.04 - 10:34 am | #

woodieguthrie

story about the 18 year old *gasp* gay student thrown out of school for starting a gay website was topic on talk radio yesterday, O'Reilly's surrogate espousing "keep it to yourself" policy, that student shouldn't broadcast *it* to the world. Consensus there of course was, it was right to kick him out of school.

Even though he was a great student.
el | 12.24.04 - 10:34 am | #

Oh fine. Let's trade recipes now..

I made a mango-honey sauce for our pork that I'll be smoking this afternoon.
3-5 # pork loin, roast or tenderloin

3 tbsp Mango chutney
2 tbsp honey
1-2 tbsp Louisana Hot sauce (I like it zippy)
Gray salt
ground black pepper
ground white pepper
few drops of lime juice

Cook on low stirring occasionally for a few minutes, then cover and cool.

Inject sauce once cool and pour remains over your pork. Hickory smoke at 225 degrees on a charcoal grill until internal temp reaches 140. About 2-3 hours.

Cover with foil to rest for 15 minutes before carving & serving.
Barndog | 12.24.04 - 10:35 am | #

DWD

You have caught on to that too eh?

The way the news and Weather folks make it sound, no one has seen snow, freezing temperatures, highs in the 90's etc etc before.

In San Antonio, I get pissed off everytime they start the rhetroic about broiling temperatures. We live in Texas! We get hot! Enough already. If you think the 90's are a natural disaster you haven't lived in the state long.

And then I watch the up north news. They seem to have the blizzard to end all blizzards and no ne has a handle on how to deal with such a thing. I seem to remember going to school in the snow, playing in the snow, parents working in the snow, shopping in the snow. What happened?
EkCenTriK | 12.24.04 - 10:35 am | #

EotS,

Something so disgusting, yet so right about that tale. Now if more dogs would get with the program.
kent | Homepage | 12.24.04 - 10:36 am | #

Barndog,
Remember we're gradin' ur pork.
Xpat | 12.24.04 - 10:36 am | #

I've been looking for a recipe for Mississippi Mud Pie for 20 years! Either one of you wanna share? MMM Maker's Mark!
Phredd | 12.24.04 - 10:37 am | #

Anybody hear about the firings at the Chicago YMCA after parents coming to an early morning swim meet clashed with overnight guests at a transgender ball? It's on the Times website.

They fired someone already and the Executive Director made some lousy statement. I think this may be worth following and perhaps making a few calls, if the situation warrants.

Here's the link: http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/...html? oref=login

Grrrr. Merry Christmas Everyone....
Mike | 12.24.04 - 10:37 am | #

(Good! Teaching moment is gone, I will relax now.)
DWD

Ummmm...as a former teacher, i recognize the allure of the 'teachable moment.' In the photo over my desk, the legend on the guitar says: "This machine kills fascists", which i my intent...
WoodyGuthrie'sGuitar (aka kono | 12.24.04 - 10:37 am | #

NYMary,

I blush at your kind words. I think of myself as fair-to-middling.

this one's a gift to my kickboxing trainer/good friend and his most excellent wife.

But I sell to two restaurants now (a new BBQ joint opened up and wants to do bidness with me) and to friends, their friends, their friends' friends...it's growing, and pretty soon, when I get the website up and running, I'm going to branch out into mail order.

I also need to find a storefront. As it stands, I share space with a caterer (she works during the day, me at night).
watertiger | 12.24.04 - 10:38 am | #

Echidne of the snakes

What is the hourly rental on that dog. I have a few people in mind.
EkCenTriK | 12.24.04 - 10:38 am | #

Can we trade for rhubarb?

Mmm... rhubarb. Any woman who can make a good rhubarb pie, I will happily be their love slave.

Well, okay, the rhubarb pie might be optional.

My dad used to have a place in slightly upstate New York, along the Delaware, where my stepmother had a garden, and made rhubarb pies with her own fresh-grown rhubarb. Scrumtrilescent. I was *not* her love slave, however.
Eli | 12.24.04 - 10:38 am | #

Don't forget the Christmas Story marathon on TBS tonight!

Fa ra ra ra ra
ra ra ra ra!

Love. That. Movie.
Tow | 12.24.04 - 10:38 am | #

madison, wi -2 wind chill -18 BFD
as mentioned above, growing up snow was no big deal, either was the cold

now we have better coats, cars, etc., yet it is still chicken little. if you have a good coat, walking outside is nothing.

i am heading to GB to see the folks and can't wait to go and use their hot tub on the outside deck with a cold beer in my hand
mad dan | 12.24.04 - 10:39 am | #

Ditto what lb0313 said above...

I'm here A LOT, but don't dare post from work and for some reason usually banned from commenting from my notebook.

NTodd...there's an Oscar Meyer weenie whistle in my curio with your name on it if you're serious.

Incog...I adopted a stringy little Maine Coon kitten a week ago and found him at the top of my Xmas tree this morning.

Well, that's not entirely true... I didn't "find" him, he revealed himself by poking a white mittened paw out and slapping frantically at the air as I passed (as he had accomplished his mission of slapping the ornaments down).

Kono...the prior thread gave you a "face" for me. I haven't seen the movie, but now I'm getting Billy Bob as Bad Santa (and also to your credit I chant "dime-sized hole" when I see His Chimpiness).

And, Watertiger...I think you gave me the inspiration for my handle in a thread a couple days ago. Remember the parody troll typo?

and I'm looking for Backslider cuz I'm not working today and doing a Xmas Eve AM giant mug of coffee and a "Wake and Bake" bowl of very good shit.

Bev
henceforth to be known as....
Christina Values | 12.24.04 - 10:39 am | #

What is the hourly rental on that dog. I have a few people in mind.

EkCenTrik, you could have her for nothing. She still eats dogshit and she's five years old...
Echidne of the snakes | Homepage | 12.24.04 - 10:40 am | #

Amdanda said : "I wonder if I'll get felt up in airport security? "

Probably if you wear an "I AM ATRIOS" Shirt or Cap.
EkCenTriK | 12.24.04 - 10:40 am | #

Eli,

You should talk to NYMary about rhubarb!
watertiger | 12.24.04 - 10:40 am | #

Wow. watertiger! Kickboxing pie making entrepreur! Mailorder maven of Mississippi Mud! Way cool and good luck!
ATablaRasa | Homepage | 12.24.04 - 10:41 am | #

Echidne of the snakes

Ah ... hmmm ....

I would never take a pet away from its loving family. It would be cruel.
EkCenTriK | 12.24.04 - 10:41 am | #

If you had ever laid eyes on the fair watertiger, she'd have that anyway. She's seriously buff, and just as much fun in person.

y'all just teasing me now...

What i wouldn't give for a fair watertiger's fond attention??? I am prostrate with aspiration...choose me? (he whispered pitifully)
WoodyGuthrie'sGuitar (aka kono | 12.24.04 - 10:41 am | #

Christina,

Welcome aboard! And this:
watertiger | 12.24.04 - 10:42 am | #

Good morning, all. Happy merry!
filkertom | Homepage | 12.24.04 - 10:42 am | #

EkCentTrik: coward!
Echidne of the snakes | Homepage | 12.24.04 - 10:43 am | #

Eli,
rhubarb's like asparagus, a bit rough to get started here in barely-agriculture-worthy upstate NY, but once established, it' a weed.

watertiger knows that my rhubarb patch is hers.
NYMary | Homepage | 12.24.04 - 10:43 am | #

You should talk to NYMary about rhubarb!

Is she in the market for a love slave? Is Thersites not sufficiently... compliant?

(let's see... watertiger is buff, Jewish, and, I think, wears glasses - *definitely* willing to waive the rhubarb requirement...)
Eli | 12.24.04 - 10:43 am | #

Well, that's not entirely true... I didn't "find" him, he revealed himself by poking a white mittened paw out and slapping frantically at the air as I passed (as he had accomplished his mission of slapping the ornaments down).

KILLS me!

(I see the problem. My right shift key has been sticking. Last time I eat a pomegranate while trying to type.)
watertiger | 12.24.04 - 10:43 am | #

well i'm outta here to go help grampa with lunch. i wish everyone good times this weekend and hope you all take a break from the depressing news for at leasst 24 hours. i know soldiers and their families cannot and i hope they can realise something good this weekend most of all. i wish myself hope and peace in the new year cos i got my teens electric guitars (being the selfless mother i am-sniff)as o'reilley really says: HAPPY HOLIDAYS!
waiting | Homepage | 12.24.04 - 10:44 am | #

watertiger knows that my rhubarb patch is hers.

I think maybe that doesn't sound exactly the way you meant it to sound...
Eli | 12.24.04 - 10:44 am | #

Echidne of the snakes

Absolutely.
EkCenTriK | 12.24.04 - 10:44 am | #

watertiger is buff, Jewish, and, I think, wears glasses

wearin' glasses since I was 8. Occasionally don contact lenses.

And I do make a strawberry rhubarb pie when rhubarb's in season.

I don't use frozen fruit. Feh.
watertiger | 12.24.04 - 10:45 am | #

Maybe the next brave soldier will ask Rumsfeld this question in a news conference.
If we beat Saddam's entire army twice is a few days, how did his badly trained and under equipped forces manage to maintain security in his country?
Our soldiers are dying every day because Bushco thought they could occupy Iraq on the cheap.
Liberals do not support the troops?
Door Stop | 12.24.04 - 10:45 am | #

waiting,

happy holidays (as much as the right hates that expression).

Nice! Stratocasters?
watertiger | 12.24.04 - 10:45 am | #

Waiting said :
" break from the depressing news for at leasst 24 hours."

My view, if you cannot laugh in the face of adversity you haven't heard the right joke yet.
EkCenTriK | 12.24.04 - 10:46 am | #

We live in Texas! We get hot! Enough already.

It's hot in Texas? Who knew?

Don't forget the Christmas Story marathon on TBS tonight!

We have it on DVD, so every day's a Christmas Story marathon. I haven't overdosed yet, I'm happy to report. Be sure to drink your Ovaltine!

NTodd...there's an Oscar Meyer weenie whistle in my curio with your name on it if you're serious.

No foolin'? Well, I wouldn't want to take a weenie whistle from anybody. Don't s'pose you have a pony in that magical curio of yours?
NTodd | Homepage | 12.24.04 - 10:46 am | #

It's still easier for the CCP to take a loss on US Treasuries, if it means they can get Armitage to lay it heavy on the Taiwanese to think about there being One China.
Tom - Daai Tou Laam |- 10:40 am

I guess I was thinking there was more than a monetary return and was thinking influence peddling just as with the "Iraqi debt forgiveness".

Words seem too cheap somehow. How far do you think it will go between China and Taiwan?

The Spirit of Howard Beale | 12.24.04 - 10:47 am | #

Eli,
that was pretty funny. But I do grow way, way more rhubarb than I can possibly use, so I'd be honored to contribute to watertiger's pie venture.
NYMary | Homepage | 12.24.04 - 10:47 am | #

I think maybe that doesn't sound exactly the way you meant it to sound...

Ah, but can you know that for certain?
watertiger | 12.24.04 - 10:48 am | #

Anyone know how to get butter frosting to that magic consistency where you just need to dip and twist the cupcakes?
NYMary | Homepage | 12.24.04 - 10:49 am | #

I wonder then, what should the Palestinian Authority be allowed to invest in? Are we going to let Sharon and others say to them "Untill every last one of you is meek and accepting of your status as losers, you shall have no land that is yours no wealth that is yours, no rights, no dreams, no future that is yours save what we shall see fit to grant you. In the mean time, take the death that is visited on you and your kind at our hands as justice, you may not respond, you may never respond for only we may act in anger at loss -you simply deserve it. We will not meet with you, you may not meet with others, you in your millions must be more pliant than are our cattle and you must hold any breath or thought of rebellion from this status. No crimes there are but what you do, there can be no such thing as a crime against you.

Tell me that this isn't what is being demanded of the Palestinians. Hell if anyone treated Americans like this you think there wouldn't be some serious resistance? And go ahead and make me laugh by telling me that we would of course be very careful not to injure anyone that wasn't a clear military target.

My point with the original post was the absurd linking of Arafat, who I think blew the best chance ever making progress by turning down the deal he was offered in 2000, to a bowling alley in MD used by Jewish people. My point with this response is that if every single attempt by the Palestinians to engage in everyday commerce and investment, to behave as though they were a part of the world too is going to be met with a sneer and an attitude of "You can't, any of you, play with us untill you, all of you, say uncle", well really, could we as a people live up to those standards? There are American terrorists, there have been atrocities committed under the color of authority (I think that's the right phrase), is the United States to face the same sanctions for not being pure as we feel fit to pronounce on other nations or peoples?

Sigh, I just get my dander up somedays. OK, some LGF'ers turn to accuse me of cheering the deaths of Israeli schoolchildren or some such nonsense.

NOTE: Not a diatribe against you, njbrad, just a thing I have about "collective punishment" thinking about whole groups of people is all.
catalexis | 12.24.04 - 10:49 am | #

Anyone know how to get butter frosting to that magic consistency where you just need to dip and twist the cupcakes?

Do you have a standing mixer?
watertiger | 12.24.04 - 10:50 am | #

wearin' glasses since I was 8. Occasionally don contact lenses.

You got four years on me. I gave up on the contacts when one of them turned into a soft-focus filter, and the other one turned into a star filter. Poxy high-priced opthalmologist never bothered to tell me about enzyme cleaners. Fucking wanker.
Eli | 12.24.04 - 10:50 am | #

NY Mary,

I am not a cook but couldn't you put the bowl in another bowl of warm water, dip and then let cool?
EkCenTriK | 12.24.04 - 10:50 am | #

Tigre del agua:
You use Maker's Mark in the pie?
I am Im-freekin-pressed...
most folks use 10 high or some such, cuz it's getting cooked anyway...or JD #7 (which usta be 86 proof but is no longer)...
but Maker's Mark?
you're my kinda gal...
WoodyGuthrie'sGuitar (aka kono | 12.24.04 - 10:51 am | #

watertiger,
yep. From the 50's. Got it for a dollar at a yard sale. Are you tellin me to just whip the shit out of it?
NYMary | Homepage | 12.24.04 - 10:52 am | #

Ah, but can you know that for certain?

Not according to Heisenberg (or Schrodinger - I'll let you think up your own punchlines there, 'cuz I'm a gentleman).
Eli | 12.24.04 - 10:52 am | #

You got four years on me. I gave up on the contacts when one of them turned into a soft-focus filter, and the other one turned into a star filter.

LOL! Got my first set of contacts when I was 16. Eye doctor wanted to see if I could handle hard lenses. Took him 20 minutes to wrench my eyelids open to get the lenses out.

I've never felt pain like that since.
watertiger | 12.24.04 - 10:53 am | #

Woody Guthrie's Guitar. I knew that, but I think that after WWII he changed it to read hate. So, both answers are correct.
A little Woody perhaps, to show us that the fight must always go on.

"Deportee

The crops are all in, and the peaches are rotting,
The oranges are piled in their creseote dumps,
You're flying them back to the Mexico border
To pay all their money to wade back again.

Goodbye to my Juan, goodbye Rosalita,
Adios mis amigos, Jesus and Maria.
You won't have a name when you ride the big airplane,
And all they will call you will be deportee.

My father's own father he waded that river,
They took all the money he made in his life.
My brothers and sisters come working the fruit trees
They rode the truck till they took down and died.

Chorus:

Some of us are illegal and some are not wanted,
Our work contracts out and we have to move on.
Six hundred miles to that Mexico border,
They chase us like outlaws, and rustlers, and thieves.

Chorus:

We died in your hills; we died in your deserts;
We died in your valleys and died on your plains;
We died neath your trees, we died in your bushes,
Both sides of the river, we died just the same.

Chorus:

The skyplane caught fire over Los Gatos Canyon,
A fireball of lightning, it scarred all our hills,
Who are these friends all scattered like dry leaves?
The radio says they are just deportees.

Chorus:

Is this the best way we can grow our big orchards?
Is the is the best way we can grow our good fruit?
To fall like dry leaves, to rot on the topsoil,
And be known by no name except deportee?
DWD | Homepage | 12.24.04 - 10:53 am | #

I'd be honored to contribute to watertiger's pie venture.

Okay, now you're just deliberately messing with me.
Eli | 12.24.04 - 10:53 am | #

Are you tellin me to just whip the shit out of it?
NYMary
as with so much else in the world, it's true that the more you whip it the stiffer it gets...

just saying
WoodyGuthrie'sGuitar (aka kono | 12.24.04 - 10:55 am | #

Merry Christmas, everyone!
Tony | 12.24.04 - 10:55 am | #

Not according to Heisenberg

Heisenberg was neither uncertain, nor principled. Discuss.
NTodd | Homepage | 12.24.04 - 10:56 am | #

NYMary,

that's an option. I frost my devil's food cake with a really easy chocolate/heavy cream frosting. simmer the cream, pour it over the chocolate, let it sit. Then transfer it to the mixer, and using the whisk attachment, set the mixer on high, walk away, check your email, call a friend, whatever. Easiest stuff to spread.

'Course, I put flavored liquer in the frosting, for a little added somethin'-somethin'.
watertiger | 12.24.04 - 10:56 am | #

Third grade specs for me. Happened very quickly, too. Went from fine to blind in a matter of a few months.

$4000 for lasik will do wonders if you have the option. I went from 20/400 near to slightly farsighted. I don't panic when I wake up and can't find my glasses because I knocked them under the bed. I go out in the rain and I can still see. I go out in the cold and come back in and my eyes aren't fogged over.

On the other hand, it took a lot to get over the near/far change. I went from not being able to see my wife's face across a table without glasses to not being able to see her close up without them. Shaving requires adjustments. Reading at night requires putting them on instead of taking them off.

But I can see underwater now. I can swim laps and read the clock on the pool wall. That's pretty damned cool.
ATablaRasa | Homepage | 12.24.04 - 10:57 am | #

You have to go to sea with the Coast Guard you have, not the Coast Guard you want.

"According to a radio transmission released by the Coast Guard, Tony Alvernaz had set off the Coast Guard search for five New Bedford scallopers lost in the raging sea: "It's an emergency! You need a chopper! You need a chopper out!"

But the 40-hour hunt for the Northern Edge and its crew was marked by brutal weather and major mechanical problems, including malfunctions in all four of the Coast Guard's available helicopters. The problems left a three-hour gap in the middle of the night when no Coast Guard personnel were searching the area.
...
"I think the American people know we work with what we have, and we work hard," said Coast Guard Petty Officer Andrew Shinn.
...
Shinn said the problems with the helicopters were due to the extreme weather, rather than their age."

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news...cid=718&e=9&u=/
ap/20041224/ap_on_re_us/missing_fishermen

That's the coast guard we have. The greatest country in the world can't get a rescue chopper on scene off of Nantucket for 3 hours. Extreme weather is when the choppers would most likey be needed. If they can't handle it the guard needs something that can.

I guess cheney's tax cut is more important than crew members Pedro or Lopes' life. Maybe if the cook, Ray Richards, had donated enough to the repubs a cutter would have been less than 7 hours away.

Coast Guard admits flaws in rescue try
Sinking raises questions on response time
December 24, 2004
http://www.boston.com/news/local...les/2004/12/24/
coast_guard_admits_flaws_in_rescue_try/

It's like a jungle sometimes, it makes me wonder
How I keep from going under
-- Grand Master Flash
hadenough | 12.24.04 - 10:57 am | #

WGG,

The Maker's Mark is usually at the front of the cabinet, having been accessed in the recent past.

Jack Daniels is for the rest of the rabble. And I love them all.
watertiger | 12.24.04 - 10:58 am | #

I could have shared my kitten in the christmas tree story too, but noooooo, I had to get up on my soapbox. Timing, boy, got to work on the timing thing.

How about those Mets?

Ahem..
catalexis | 12.24.04 - 10:59 am | #

Alas, no pony, NTodd. But the whistle is real and so is the offer. It's not vintage or anything...given to me along with a great T-shirt by a co-worker about 12 yrs ago. His son had a 10 month gig driving the weenie-mobile.

Watertiger... strawberry rhubarb pie... mmmmmm. Had that only once, was out in the country in PA on a gorgeous afternoon and stopped at an Amish roadside stand. She made strawberry rhubarb jelly, too.
Christina Values | 12.24.04 - 10:59 am | #

$4000 for lasik will do wonders if you have the option.

I wonder about that sometimes. Now that I no longer do theater or have to use a communal shower, being able to see clearly all the time doesn't sound like a bad thing at all...
Eli | 12.24.04 - 11:00 am | #

Coast Guard admits flaws in rescue try
Sinking raises questions on response time
December 24, 2004

The USCG's now part of Homeland Defense.
Think Tom Ridge.
Think Bernie Kerik.
Think budget problems, theft, malfeasance...

We gotta make these mutherfockers pay...
WoodyGuthrie'sGuitar (aka kono | 12.24.04 - 11:02 am | #

Laser surgery makes me kinda nervous. Really, anything that deals with my precious vitreous fluids makes me nervous.

And given how much I spent on these farkin' glasses, I'm gonna wear them. Have to amortize those costs.
watertiger | 12.24.04 - 11:03 am | #

AtablaRasa

Sounds like you are just getting a preview of life after 50 - I just got myself a 20' monitor so I can see to work...

watch out for cataracs - I think lasik encourages them. And if you get them, be sure you get a surgeon who knows about lasik or they screw up the replacement lenses...

... ah, words of wisdom from the aged...
lb0313 | 12.24.04 - 11:04 am | #

And given how much I spent on these farkin' glasses, I'm gonna wear them. Have to amortize those costs.

Plus I think I actually look better with glasses. Too bad they're a frikkin' dust magnet.
Eli | 12.24.04 - 11:06 am | #

NYMary -
Yes. I know how. EkCenTrik doesn't tho.
GWPDA | Homepage | 12.24.04 - 11:06 am | #

Oh. Well, I just assumed influence-peddling. I still think there will come a point at which monetary return might make a damn, especially if we keep pounding the Chinese on their human rights violations...oh wait...

As far as Taiwan is concerned, it hasn't a chance at independence. Without US help, anyway. And why would the US help them out? We don't like to engage in "nation building" abroad. That's only for liberals...

I feel v. confused.
Amanda | 12.24.04 - 11:06 am | #

Here comes Rumnutz, that old "charmer".
Fa la la la, la la la la.

Lime Rickey out does him self.

NY Mary yeah let's see the kid. congrats by the way.

Incog. it's true your cat will calm down if you do the nut cutting thing especially if done before maturity. i personally am opposed to nut cutting. male toms get very aggresive. they travel for days at a time, they fight, sometimes to the death, my cat steve (wiley look alike) used to come home all scarred up, and he wasn't very pleasant to be around. at about six years of age he went on one of his extended trips, when he got back i noticed something wasn't right, on his next trip to the vet my suspicions were confirmed, someone fixed my cat. changed him quite a bit but he's much easier to be around.

anyway, i like the hang'n off the christmas decorations story. CATS LOVE CHRISTMAS. our cats have a christmas stocking, they always get catnip toys.
charley | 12.24.04 - 11:07 am | #

Gift of laughter for Atrians - best of (IMHO) cat blog:

www.mycathatesyou.com/cats/2004/11/44

www.mycathatesyou.com/cats/2004/11/36

www.mycathatesyou.com/cats/2004/11/29

www.mycathatesyou.com/cats/2004/11/28

www.mycathatesyou.com/cats/2004/11/23

www.mycathatesyou.com/cats/2004/11/14

www.mycathatesyou.com/cats/2004/11/7

www.mycathatesyou.com/cats/2004/10/29

www.mycathatesyou.com/cats/2004/01/69

www.mycathatesyou.com/cats/alpha/a/62

www.mycathatesyou.com/cats/alpha/e/681

www.mycathatesyou.com/cats/alpha/e/691

Happy holidays. Better luck next year. Peace, out.
Xpat | 12.24.04 - 11:07 am | #

that I no longer do theater or have to use a communal shower, being able to see clearly all the time doesn't sound like a bad thing at all...

Okay, *that* was funny....
NYMary | Homepage | 12.24.04 - 11:08 am | #

How far will China - Taiwan go? Well Armitage has taken away some of the deterrence of US forces by going on record this week and stating that the US only needs to provide enough forces in the area to deter China but doesn't need to actually defend Taiwan.

Congressman Leach (Iowa), I believe, in a speech given right before Taiwanese President Chen's inauguration hinted at WW3 being closer than most would believe because of Taiwan-China. I'd have to go look through my bookmarks to point you to the whole speech. (By the way Leach was the ranking US delegate to the inauguration and I'm pretty sure that no member of Bush's team attended.)
Tom - Daai Tou Laam | Homepage | 12.24.04 - 11:08 am | #

Eli, if you do follow up, don't jump on that $495 an eye thing that runs in the Sunday paper, at least without serious research (okay, I know, you're getting your eyes lazed, serious research seems mandatory, but I've heard horror stories). The doc I had has turned down more than he's done because he won't do it unless he thinks the odds are very good.

Of course with the volume of them he does, he can afford to turn people down...

Still, my glasses now are 20 bucks from Walgreen's because I still like substantial glasses. Could equally use the convenience store cheapies and have those lying around here and there in the house so I don't have to remember where I put them. My last pair of prescription glasses were $500+. And I get to wear the cool shades now (well actually I was told to so that the UV wouldn't be messing with my new eyeballs...).
ATablaRasa | Homepage | 12.24.04 - 11:09 am | #

oh... and by the way. Merry Christmas. 12:06 here now.
Tom - Daai Tou Laam | Homepage | 12.24.04 - 11:10 am | #

Amdanda said : "I wonder if I'll get felt up in airport security?" Probably if you wear an "I AM ATRIOS" Shirt or Cap.

I bet my chest and I would be safe if we wore a big fatty Jebus, cross, or similar blazened across us, perhaps in festive colors. Maybe I shouldn't be worried anyway. They can still frisk side-boob, just not between boobs or under-boob. I think. It's a lot to think about.
Amanda | 12.24.04 - 11:10 am | #

Thanks, ATR. It's something I need to have a pretty serious impetus and business case for, before I pay someone thousands of dollars for the privilege of having them zap my eyeballs with lasers. Right now the status quo is... eyedequate.
Eli | 12.24.04 - 11:12 am | #

They can still frisk side-boob, just not between boobs or under-boob. I think. It's a lot to think about.

Yes, it certainly is...

Hey where's W00t?
Eli | 12.24.04 - 11:13 am | #

From QuinnLaBelle - 11:02 am in the new Okrent thread The Dollar Falls, but the Pain and the Gains Vary
By EDMUND L. ANDREWS Published NYT: December 24, 2004

Timely piece that covers the issue of falling value of govt notes, inadequate interest rate and future inflation, etc.

The Spirit of Howard Beale | 12.24.04 - 11:19 am | #

lb0313, I talked about the cataract thing with both my regular optho and the lasik guy. That's one of the things they screen for nowadays, plus the laser's a lot more refined in the current incarnation. My regular doc says my eyes are absolutely clear and there's no sign I even had the procedure.

And I was past 50 without any farsightedness because my focal range was only from about a foot out to about the end of my nose (I could read the D or P on a coin by taking off my glasses, but was seeing just blobs by 15 feet or so). So I got "old" in 15 minutes. That did take an adjustment. I was really frustrated for a while because there wasn't a place where I could comfortably read for a month or so. But it's soooo much better now.
ATablaRasa | Homepage | 12.24.04 - 11:19 am | #

Incog...I adopted a stringy little Maine Coon kitten a week ago and found him at the top of my Xmas tree this morning.

like i said CATS LOVE CHRISTMAS! but that stringy little cat is gonna be huge. i love it when kittens climb the tree.
charley | 12.24.04 - 11:28 am | #

n69n

Re: James Brown, Santa Claus Go Straight to the Ghetto

Thanks for bringing this song to my attention . . . I love James Brown's music, uhhhhhhh (and funk/soul in general; my favorite of his = shake your money maker).

I finally got to see Mr. Brown in concert, he was in his 60's but could still kick some ass.

What a hoot.
Howdy Doody | 12.24.04 - 11:29 am | #

RE: The Dollar Falls, but the Pain and the Gains Vary
By EDMUND L. ANDREWS Published NYT: December 24, 2004

"But a continued fall in the dollar could drive up interest rates, because foreign investors would start demanding higher yields to offset the risk of a declining dollar. Because a falling dollar could fuel inflation, the Federal Reserve would come under greater pressure to fight inflation with higher interest rates."

And thus we see how the impact of Weconomics (spend like a mo-fo, blame on Turrorists) trickles down to us little people. High costs of credit, since we aren't bagillionaires.

One thing that this article didn't talk about that is worth mentioning is how critical T-bills are in the US financial system, especially in the banking system. If the stability of T-bills becomes an issue, this could reverberate from the biggest federally-chartered NYC bank to the smallest state-chartered bank in BFE.
Amanda | 12.24.04 - 11:34 am | #

Happy Christmas Eve, everybody.
Tena | Homepage | 12.24.04 - 11:38 am | #

Consider this my blogwhore. Click homepage for Friday Babyblogging (and Christmas Bonus Babe-Blogging!)
NYMary | Homepage | 12.24.04 - 11:39 am | #

I was watching the NBA last nite, and they kept putting up a "Happy Holidays" screen going to break.

Why does the NBA hate baby jeebus?

Why does the NBA hate America?

Oh yeah, Merry fucking Christmas to all of you, and a happy fucking New Year!
chris/tx | 12.24.04 - 11:41 am | #

We're all a bunch of irrelevant ghosts, according to the front page of the Dallas paper. The blogs are dying on the vine, they say.

They ran a photo of Kos, and talked about Kos, Wonkette, Steve Gilliard and Instacracker.

And apparently we are all folding our tents and disappearing into the night...
Tena | Homepage | 12.24.04 - 11:44 am | #

Who is making the chocolate pecan pie?

Now you got my wife making one dammit.
Barndog | 12.24.04 - 11:47 am | #

Barndog - Why are you complaining about a wonderful chocolate pecan pie?

and can I come over and have some?
Tena | Homepage | 12.24.04 - 11:48 am | #

We're all a bunch of irrelevant ghosts, according to the front page of the Dallas paper. The blogs are dying on the vine, they say.
Tena

It must be true, 'cause I read it in the newspaper.

The Spirit of Howard Beale | 12.24.04 - 11:48 am | #

please-all this talk about the cute antics of kittens-is there anything more fun than leting the dog in letting the dog out letting the dog in letting the dog out- NO!
waiting

Ogden Nash said, " A door is something a dog is ever on the wrong side of." Or something like that.

Peace to all.
9toed nihilist | 12.24.04 - 11:50 am | #

9toednihilist - the only thing more fun than that is letting the cat out letting the cat in letting the cat out letting the cat in...
Tena | Homepage | 12.24.04 - 11:56 am | #

Good pets are just way too much fun, couldn't live without the dogs who own me.
9toed nihilist | 12.24.04 - 11:58 am | #

Don't feel bad about the chocolate pecan pie, Barndog.

There will be no white Christmas in PR again this year.

Just 84 and sunny, again.
mike in pr | 12.24.04 - 11:59 am | #

Well, kos did say he was taking a vacation. Maybe they were embellishing their story, or rather, just making up shit.
mer | 12.24.04 - 12:01 pm | #

on what's on Woody's guitar -- yes, This Machine Kills Fascists.

'this machine surrounds hate and forces it to surrender' is what's on Pete Seeger's banjo -- Pete being a rather more mellow person than Woody
blaise | 12.24.04 - 12:02 pm | #

mer - the print media is just whistling past the graveyard - they are irrelevant and are running scared.

I was glad that Steve Gilliard got a nod.
Tena | Homepage | 12.24.04 - 12:11 pm | #

Good pets are just way too much fun, couldn't live without the dogs who own me.
9toed nihilist

me, neither...my dogs are all that keeps me sane (presumimg, always, that i AM sane at any time)...
WoodyGuthrie'sGuitar (aka kono | 12.24.04 - 12:11 pm | #

As my grandparents always said, "Buon Natale". I'll add "Best of the Season to all".

Thanks for the laughs and insights throughout the year. Hanging out here and at RMJ's will be among the best parts of '05.
revenant | 12.24.04 - 12:20 pm | #

revenant - I agree about RMJ and here.

But you could have pretended that hanging out included First-Draft, too. [/blogwhore]
Tena | Homepage | 12.24.04 - 12:24 pm | #

Xpat

mycathates you is the best...next to this joint, of course.
weblackey | Homepage | 12.24.04 - 12:27 pm | #

there's a scottish proverb i recall: He that would strike my dog would strike me...if a dog's prayerswere answered, it would rain bones...btw, there's no snooze button on a dog that has to go out...
WoodyGuthrie'sGuitar (aka kono | 12.24.04 - 12:41 pm | #

just read on the beeb that ronald dumsfeld is having trouble sleeping. this coupled with his fabled penchant for long periods of standing up has me worried that our 'rock star' may be wearing himself out 5 weeks before the iraqi elections.
i worry about this guy.
mr. wu's pigs | Homepage | 12.24.04 - 1:13 pm | #

Who is making the chocolate pecan pie?

Now you got my wife making one dammit.
Barndog

Guilty as charged.
watertiger | 12.24.04 - 1:41 pm | #

I'm scalloping potatoes in cream right now. The only tricky part is the first cooking, when the potatoes are cooked in the cream on top of the stove.

Have to keep it from reaching a simmer, but be sure it is hot enough to cook the potatoes. If it goes into a simmer, the cream may separate.

After the potatoes are tender, then they go in the oven with cheese on top for the final baking.

And it's damn good stuff.
Tena | Homepage | 12.24.04 - 1:46 pm | #

Peace and safe driving to all. May all our pets be blessed, too! Everybody load up on holiday goodies, the better to be prepared for the indignities of the new year (Congress reconvening, the Coronation, and things not yet dreamed of).
Nevermore | 12.24.04 - 1:46 pm | #

OT - if that's possible in an open thread, but my flatmates and I were wondering - what has happened to "The Daily Show" and Jon Stewart?

So often it doesn't seem to be on anymore.
DAS | 12.24.04 - 1:47 pm | #

DAS - I think they took this week off. I'm sure he'll be back - TDS is an institution at this point.

And I'm also sure that it has to be the highest rated show on Comedy Central.
Tena | Homepage | 12.24.04 - 1:50 pm | #

oh my--slept LATE this am.
good wishes to you all, echoing lots of folks.

been nearsighted since 4th grade. my sympathy to all about the vision thing. had to get bifocals when i was about 55. i still read w/o glasses, but those inbetween distances, 12 inches out to 3 feet, require some different correction than for farther off. ???

kono--the "kills fascists" line was my recollection of woody's guitar. thanks for the picture.

mmmmmmmmmchocolate anything.

so far the repubs haven't stolen the election here in wa state. i love to hear them scream.

the geezer known as the
dread pirate roberts | 12.24.04 - 1:59 pm | #

Merry Christmas, You're Fired!

Cup O' Joe - Blog Of The Unemployed Man!
Joe Vecchio | Homepage | 12.24.04 - 2:12 pm | #

Joe Vecchio - O My God, I am so damn sorry about that. I don't know what to say - I'm just so sorry.

What can we do?
Tena | Homepage | 12.24.04 - 2:22 pm | #

Cup O' Joe - Blog Of The Unemployed Man!
Joe Vecchio

I never lost a job in my life...

I know where every one of the fuckers was the day I left it...
WoodyGuthrie'sGuitar (aka kono | 12.24.04 - 2:29 pm | #

Some reminders about Social Security and privatization: we can't all make money on average with stock trades anyway, that is like people averaging a net return from playing cards with each other. The market depends on having new people pay into it. Even the dividends are just money that represents how much more we all had to pay for things than if the profit margin and dividends were lower, so there's no net gain *on average*.

And, we need good arguments to counter anti-SS smears. e.g. : SS is a Ponzi/pyramid scheme. No, it's just like any other program with a cost to get some maintenance activity done (like fixing roads). If the fraction of retirees is 0.4, and they will earn average 0.5 of the income of the workers, then the cost is 0.2 of the current workers income. That's oversimplified, but it works like that, just like multiplying the cost of each road repair times the number of repairs and etc. Of course the number of retirees, or potholes, or whatever can change, but that isn't a logical example of "pyramiding." It's just an increase in whatever costs tax money as could happen to any other kind of program.

Well, if we do invest SS money, it doesn't have to be under an individual account. Such accounts defeat the very purpose of SS, because (under honest definition of "individual") they can't be annuities, which must be pooled accounts regardless of what accounts are called. Why not invest everyone's money in common in a sort of mutual fund? Because rightards don't want the government to be able to invest, even if that would save tax or borrowing funds.

PS Happy Holidays, or at least try.
Neil' | Homepage | 12.24.04 - 2:49 pm | #

TDS will return Jan. 3rd. It's not a rightie conspiracy, just a well deserved vacation.
Tow | 12.24.04 - 2:55 pm | #

Neil,

Thank you for pointing this out about the stock market. It seems to me, all too few economists are actually able to do any math.

When will Profs. Atrios and Krugman be listened to on economic matters instead of frauds like Friedman and Laffer?
DAS | 12.24.04 - 3:20 pm | #

"i personally am opposed to nut cutting."

WHY?

It extends their lives....and you're not supposed to let them outside anyway.
Terry C | 12.24.04 - 10:12 pm | #

Incog"

Get a spray bottle and fill it with water.

When my cat gets nuts, I spritz him.

Now, if I even show him the bottle, he ceases and desists.
Terry C | 12.24.04 - 10:17 pm | #

I just saw a commercial for this so-called "Christian music".

What shit! "Our god is an awesome god!"??????????

Are they serious with that?

And the ones in the commercial who are standing around, their heads bobbing, their arms flailing: "Space ship, come get us!"

Do people really BUY this garbage?
Terry C | 12.24.04 - 10:22 pm | #

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