text:
From Scooterists – for Scooterists.
At SIP Scootershop this is no marketing slogan, but passion and attitude from all who work here.
The SIP Scootershop team consists of more than 50 staff members - highly motivated, crosswise thinking, addicted.
We are not the typical hotline-call-center-machines-what-can-we-do-for-you guys but genuine Scooterists
who would like to offer you a top service: from our trainees in the warehouse to the executive suite.
We invite you: visit us in our showroom in Landsberg! We look forward to having you here!
Ralf Jodl and Alex Barthfounder and managing director of the SIP Scootershop GmbH.
Creative ideas and close relations to manufacturers and distributors for innovative products. Best prices and high quality.
From Scooterists – for Scooterists: The SIP Scootershop call center.
In-house training courses for all staff members.
Shop sale in our store in Landsberg.
Our state of the art logistics facilities guarantee ready availability and quick delivery.
Our Location
You can locate us easily by using Google Maps. Or simply look at the embedded map below.
How to find us:
We are very conveniently located in the industrial estate "Frauenwald" in Landsberg am Lech. For those arriving on the A96 motorway, we recommend to take the exit Landsberg Nord and drive into town. At the first intersection (opposite ALDI) turn right until the next traffic light, turn right and go straight. Shortly after the highway bridge at Audi / Mercedes, turn left and continue straight through the roundabout. Approximately 300m further we are on the right side, opposite the sports complex of TSV Landsberg. When traveling on the motorway-like B17 exit Igling is recommended. Follow the signs "Industriegebiet Frauenwald". About the Franz-Kollmann-Straße, which merges into the Fahrenheit Street and then in the Celsiusstraße turn right at the company Viessmann into Emmy-Noether-Straße. After about 200 meters you will find us on the left side..
We are looking forward to having you here!

subset: commoncrawl


text:
This is the lounge. You can discuss anything you want, but you will do it kindly. I knew I could find someone who thinks baby slugs are cute.
Status: Heavily Moderated; Previous thread
This is the lounge. You can discuss anything you want, but you will do it kindly. I knew I could find someone who thinks baby slugs are cute.
Status: Heavily Moderated; Previous thread
Azkyroth Drinked the Grammar Too :) says
Here you go.
FossilFishy(Anti-Vulcanist) says
Thanks for that rq. I knew you'd understand but sometimes my brain doesn't like me, and right now is one of those times.
Mind you,
being press-ganged being a volunteer in last night's performance and spending this morning being an unpaid model for the local tourist board has put a dent in my unwillingness to be exposed in public. I guess being pushed outside my current comfort zone isn't necessarily bad.
FossilFishy(Anti-Vulcanist) says
Oh, they've put up a pic of the audience on Facebook. Can you spot the Coelecanth? :)
ednaz says
Hi Fossil Fishy!
I am sending you a 3 panel screen that folds down to pocket size (through the USB, of course). : )
FossilFishy(Anti-Vulcanist) says
Cheers ednaz…er, wait what? Not that kind of exposed! The tourist board here isn't that daring/stupid. :) Mind you, I guess nude cyclists on the local rail-trail would bring in a more ,er, colourful kind of tourist…
rq says
Hi, ednaz! :)
Just remember, even if your brain doesn't like you sometimes, I do. :)
Unfortunately, I could not spot the Coelecanth. Which is shorthand for I may have spotted the coelecanth, but I don't want to take a public guess and make an ass of myself!, just so you know.
I hope you can retreat to the privacy of your own hermitage soon. How's the house coming along?
rq says
Also, I hear cycling nude is great ventilation, but the sunburns are hideously painful.
ednaz says
I like to fold my screen in a triangle around me. Then I hit 'Surroundings' and the screen looks like whatever's around.
I can stay in there (un-bothered) as long as I like. : )
Hi rq!
FossilFishy(Anti-Vulcanist) says
One word rq: chafing. There are all sorts of products to help with that (we sell Aussie Butt Cream, "For comfort down under.") when fully clothed, I shudder at the thought of riding unprotected.
And another word; gratitude. Thank you, rq, you're one of the good 'uns.
The house is accreting in much the same way that glaciers do: in tiny, almost imperceptible layers over great periods of time. In other words, should I post today's pic you wouldn't be able to see any change though some things have been done.
We now have a hot water heater and the solar collector tubes sitting in boxes inside the house. This meant that the builder is now locking up and I haven't a leg to stand on, legally speaking, to ask them for a key. [pouts] The builders are now offering extras like fancy feature cladding (wobbly board) for parts of the front as an apology for the slow rate of progress. I'm worried that they're setting us up to feel bad for enforcing the monetary penalty for going over time should that happen.
Off to home, dinner, Small Fry scrubbing, bedtime stories and general familial obligations/bliss. Later.
rq says
Oooh, ednaz, it's like an invisibility cloak! :D
rq says
Have a nice evening, FossilFishy!
FossilFishy(Anti-Vulcanist) says
Sorry, one more thing: Someone has to make such a thing ednaz, right. fucking. now! The introvert market DEMANDS it!
[looks frantically around for the "Free Hand"]
[Adds action item to his To Do When I Rule Everything List]
ednaz says
Good evening, FossilFishy.
Yes. It's most handy. Shall I send you one?
ednaz says
Sorry, one more thing: Someone has to make such a thing ednaz, right. fucking. now! The introvert market DEMANDS it!
I'm in the Lab/Shop RIGHT NOW. I sent you one of the prototypes. I'm just waiting to see if rq wants one. : )
rq says
Sounds good!
Needs a perimeter alarm (silent on the outside) to warn of approaching persons – you know, in case it's someone requiring emergency interaction (children come to mind). That would be the advanced-home version.
For work, the regular invisibility will do.
Send me one, please!
rq says
Here's my hometown, as seen by Chris Hadfield; and here's an example of intra-nerdular cross-pollination, the Atrocity!
WMDKitty -- Survivor says
'rupt, sorry, had an odd couple of days.
Yesterday (Wednesday) I woke up around 9:30 in the morning with a mondo case of the Kitty Crazies and ended up going Walkabout. In the morning.
I do not do mornings!
Both attempts at a nap failed.
Group was interesting. We talked about relationship role models, and how the relationships you grow up around affect your own later relationship choices (and what you see as "normal").
Found out I'm not the only one with a problem saying "No", especially to people I care about. It doesn't help that, as a kid, you have it drilled into you to "be polite" and to "share", yeah?
It's really helping me, just to know that I'm going through utterly normal shit. I mean, I shouldn't have to deal with this shit, nobody should, but since I have to, it's… it's easier to do when you aren't alone on the path, you know?
ednaz says
You can see what's going on (outside the screen) on the monitor, but I like your perimeter alarm. I'll start working on that. I'm sure I can send the parts for that later.
Yours is one the way. : )
rq says
Many thanks, ednaz!
And *scritches* for WMDKitty for the group sessions and feeling normal! I hope progress keeps up.
ednaz says
Hi WMDKitty!
I'm glad you have a group to work things out with.
Yeah, and Thanks Mom and Dad for the screwed-up version! *sarcastic thumbsup*
Yes. Together (with helpful people) is better.
Sending *scritches* if that's o.k. : )
ednaz says
Cool picture! Did you say you get to go home to visit this year?
And Captain Picard is ALWAYS appreciated. *drool*
WMDKitty -- Survivor says
My parents' relationship actually isn't messed up at all. I'm one of the unlucky women who got suckered in, and by the time I figured out what he was doing, it was too late. I was trapped.
ednaz says
I'm sorry, WMD Kitty, I was meaning mine (parents).
I'm also sorry you were trapped.
WMDKitty -- Survivor says
THanks, ednaz, it's just… weird, you know? Part of the problem (on my end) is that I never saw my parents fight. Or argue. Or really disagree, much. I assume they had (and have) differences of opinion and issues with each other, but they never hashed them out in front of us kids. Quiet discussions behind closed doors were the norm.
rq says
My parents were similar. I can remember about 2 times where we accidentally overheard their conversations, but they kept things pretty low key. Sometimes I'm not sure it was a great idea, because I'm still unsure about how to deal with conflict, sometimes, in my current (quite lovely) relationship. We're better now than we used to be, but it's taken a lot of trial-and-error and extra communication… which, I suppose, is how it goes most times!
There's a pretty good chance I'll be able to go visit December of this year, but it ruins all kinds of other plans I had for going next year. Well, 'ruins' would be too strong a word, but it's one of those things… My parents offered to bring the whole family to Canada for Christmas for various reasons (selling childhood home, dad's cancer gone bad, etc.), which is great and awesome, but it comes at a time when we need to redo the heating system (probably all of it) in the 'new' house (which, yes, will be done in the summer, but, you know, $$$… and if they pay for tickets, tha'ts great, there's the small matter of spending money :( ), plus we were planning on going next summer for several other reasons, among which I can now include my professional development. Anyway, I have some very confusingly mixed feelings about the whole deal, which in no way changes the fact that I want to go home for a visit, but I want to do it on my terms, and while I know my dad can't help a lot of things in his life right now, I can't shake the feeling that he's trying to make everyone do things his way. Extremely uncharitable, I know, but it's a childhood relic that lurks in the back of my mind and grins sometimes.
Anyway, that's the long story there. :)
Short version: yes, I think so!
ednaz says
WMDKitty and rq
Never arguing in front of the children isn't a good thing. Children never have a chance to learn how to deal with things (making future adult relationships difficult(sometimes for the first several years)).
Growing up WASP (never talk about anything real) isn't good.
I can't shake the feeling that he's trying to make everyone do things his way.
I bet you're right about that.
I hope your summer plans don't get ruined. Your professional development is just as important (if not more) as anything else.
At the same time, I have to tell you, some things I do are done just to keep Mother and Father happy.
WMDKitty -- Survivor says
I haven't got a clue about how to deal with conflict, so I just kinda sit and stew and steam and simmer and boil and then SNAP! Ragesplosion.
I don't feel good about myself when that happens, and I want a healthier way to identify and resolve conflict before it gets to the point where I'm all RAWR.
I've figured out that talking, communicating, is good. Sometimes it's hard for me to communicate my feelings, sometimes it's going to take me a few minutes to get a thought arranged and articulated, but I want to resolve things without violence or harsh words. I want people to be able to live peacefully, man.
Also, um, assertiveness training. That would be of the good, because sometimes I still default to "doormat" and I want to stop doing that. I want to, you know, gain some spinal fortitude.
ednaz says
WMDKitty -- Survivor says
Fuck, I also wanna stop with the jumpy-paranoid shit around male family members.
It's not a constant thing, but sometimes Dad gets upset.
And when Dad gets upset, There Are Words. Angry words. Shouted angry words.
He's always been that way.
But after… after The Jackass? I'm finding myself wanting to run and hide while I freeze in place.
rq says
So much exactly right there.
I'm an excellent steamer and simmerer, but it's something I acknowledge isn't always for the best, so I try to make the effort to actually speak, and boy, is it ever hard! I've learned to mention things before they piss me off too much, to speak less accusatively (accusatorily?), to be less confrontational, which usually means not waiting so long to say something. To be honest, there are times I still expect Husband to read my fucking mind, but I'm getting better at lowering those expectations, too. ;)
It's hard, though. Definitely learned throughout life to keep things inside, and to let them out only on OVERLOAD, if ever at all. Not healthy. Regulating things is… difficult. *morescritches* and good luck!
Arguing in front of children and resolving conflict in a healthy manner is beneficial, not if the fight is for fighting's sake where nothing ever gets resolved but dissolves into accusations of all kinds. But I see what you mean.
Also, my dad's a big supporter of the civility idea – there's no need to get emotional; as long as you're being civil, everything's ok and nothing is insulting. (I'm an emotional type of person, though, as you may have guessed…)
rq says
I hate shouting, too. I find it extremely upsetting.
ednaz says
How frustrating that the male family members never called your Dad out on his innappropriate behavior.
ednaz says
I'm sorry to leave you on that note. But I must turn in.
My apologies if I misspoke.
Goodnight. Pleasant sleep to you.
WMDKitty -- Survivor says
Dunno if I've mentioned, but I'm a pacifist.
I'll grudgingly accept violence as a last resort in defense of self, loved ones, pets, and children. Especially children. (And I don't even like children!)
I remember being spanked exactly once as a child. My brothers got it a lot more. And sometimes Dad would break a personal belonging as punishment. (Something I know now is a Red Flag.) But it wasn't very often, and only in response to what (looking back) were pretty proportional offenses (i.e. Kid 1 deliberately broke Kid 2's toy? One of Kid 1's toys would be broken.) It kind of makes sense now, but at the time, it was just so totally unfair. It still is totally unfair — I'd rather have had my allowance docked than have my stuff borked. Also, uh, way to teach us kids not to respect other people's property. (I kinda went the other way, and am now insanely paranoid about touching/moving/reading/eating anything without permission. I'm all, "ohai, steelin ur grapes, kthxbai." I'm also insanely uptight about people going through my stuff without asking first.*)
I apologize for every. little. thing. Even if it's something tiny like knocking the newspaper off the counter or tripping over the cat's water dish or getting in the way (even though they insist I'm not in the way at all). I accidentally borked the latch on the gate and my first reaction was, "OhfuckDad'sgonnakillme." I got over that and owned up to it, but… still… you know? The fact that that's my first reaction, and not, "oops, better let Dad know this needs fixed"? Shouldn't even be happening.
PTSD is Serious Fucking Business, and it's no fun.
*And holy fuckballs, that comes off as "paranoid pothead"! I swear it's not about the weed, it's because my boundaries and my stuff and my space were so sorely DISrespected by certain parties that I am now incredibly defensive of them, often irrationally so.
rq says
Good night, ednaz.
ednaz says
Goodnight rq. Pleasant sleep to you. : )
Hopefully we can talk again some time. : )
Pleasant sleep to you.
hee hee – Now I really am going to bed. : )
Giliell, professional cynic says
Hi there
So, I think my liver values take a life of their own. There's that one that was way off the range. And now it's still off the range but noticably less off the range after I drank rather more alcohol and ate rather more fat than usually…
Cholesterol and Thyroid are good, though.
WMD Kitty
I was just talking with my therapist about my difficulties to find a balance with my kids because I don't want to fuck them up, too. And he drew me a graph, you know, a "normal" line as the x-axis and then then graph going up and down in a wave pattern, explaining that it's totally normal and OK that sometimes you'll be a bit too hard on the kids and think more about yourself, and sometimes you'll be rather "soft" and put their needs before yours, but it kind of balances out, no biggie.
And I said yes, I get that, the problem is that I have no (fucking) clue where that (fucking) normal line is supposed to be.
Especially when we're talking about things that are not bad as such, like being (generally speaking) polite, saying please, thank you, I'm sorry and sharing. Being kind and nurturing and compassionate and caring. Those are good things. But they become bad things when the sense of you and your boundaries get lost.
rq says
Sometimes I yell at them (for which I feel guilty), sometimes I feel I allow them too much (for which I feel guilty but in a different way). I have no idea where the line is. I don't know how to make sure they will grow up to be polite but not doormats, generous but not to their own detriment, apologetic but not undeservedly so… I have no idea if my 'methods' are working or not, and that scares me a bit.
But, I make sure they know that I care about them and love them and will help them no matter what, and they seem to like knowing new things and trying new things and learning to work together, so I suppose it's not all bad or wrong. *shrug* I still have no idea where the line is.
blf says
We seem to have several missing people lately.
If you have them, they aren't missing. Possibly late — as in "the late M– So-and-so" — but not missing. Unless you are trying to hide the evidence.
Portia says
blf says
Kimchi-Baby the Insignificant is apparently № 9, In North Korea, nine is the magic number. And the only free man.
Esteleth, stupid fucking starchild Tolkien worshiping douche says
My brain is not working.
I just said to myself, "I want some music." So I plugged my headphones in, donned them, and then went to my task bar and … clicked on Adobe Acrobat. I then sat there for a good 40 seconds wondering what was taking so long.
Because the stylized red "A" that is Acrobat's logo looks exactly like the crisp serif blue "P" that is Pandora's logo. *facepalm*
Portia says
Ethiopian lions guard 12 year old girl from gang rape and further beating. Holy FSM. The wildlife expert says she may have sounded like a lion cub when she was crying, and that's why they guarded her. But it also says they left her side when the other (non-rapey) people showed up, so…I don't understand this but it makes me happy.
rq says
Just that animals aren't assholes. When they gotta eat, they gotta eat, but they aren't assholes… Or something? Nice links so far. :)
danielsutton says
Four brave high school students in Wilcox Co, Georgia are fighting their schools "tradition" of segregated proms by attempting to organize an integrated prom. They're facing a lot of resistance, of course, because apparently this isn't a no brainer.
Here' a couple of stories on the kids fighting this:
Here's the groups facebook page:
Here's the reaction form a school official:
Basically, "It's not our fault, the parents organize it, it's just a preference like whether or not you have a DJ, also kids will be kids." Fuckbrained racist apologetic asshat.
danielsutton says
Also, here's the school's website: http://www.wilcox.k12.ga.us/?page_id=114
Be sure to let them know what you think!
blf says
My brain is not working.
Reboot it. THUMB-in-EAR-and-JUMP is, as I recall, the usual CTRL-ATL-DEL sequence for most long pigs, although the more borked models use HEAD-remove-from-ARSE.
UnknownEric is GrumpyCat in human form says
I just said to myself, "I want some music." So I plugged my headphones in, donned them, and then went to my task bar and … clicked on Adobe Acrobat. I then sat there for a good 40 seconds wondering what was taking so long.
Yeah, yesterday I went to put on some music, and opened OpenOffice instead. It took me a minute to figure out what I had just done.
rq says
To be fresh and interesting for a change, I'm going to complain about the snow. And about how there is so much of it still coming down. I'm not going to be seeing any grass on my birthday at this rate. *sigh* Damn you, Global Warming!
chigau (unless...) says
It's snowing here, too.
(Edmonton, Alberta)
blf says
What is this "snow" of which you complain? Is it anything like bacon?
rq says
Not in the slightest. Where bacon is warm, toasty, crunchy, salty and delicious, snow is white, white, white, eternal, and white.
I like it in winter.
It's not supposed to be winter anymore.
(outskirts of Riga, Latvia)
chigau (unless...) says
Snow prevents the chives from arising.
I need fresh chives.
Esteleth, stupid fucking starchild Tolkien worshiping douche says
In cheerful news, the following email just landed in my in box:
Effective immediately, weekly journal club is changing format. Instead of meeting at 8 am with one person presenting a detailed discussion of a paper, we will meet at 4 pm with a roundtable discussion of whatever we feel is relevant that day, including new techniques, interesting new papers, experimental hangups, etc. A signup sheet to provide refreshments has been posted at [location]. This will be a "happy hour" type of thing, so please bring snacks and drinks (both alcoholic and non).
nyarlathotep says
I decided that today was the day to stop lurking so I'll introduce myself here. Long story short:
21 years old, atheist for about 9 years, former would-be political scientist, college dropout, frequently changing political labels (ranging from democratic socialist at most conservative out to communo-/collectivist anarchism), feminist ally-in-training for a year and a half or so (since starting to really follow Pharyngula, basically), reformed old-school 4Channer, and vegan of 6 months going on 7
I thoroughly look forward to future interactions with the Horde.
chigau (unless...) says
Hi there, nyarlathotep.
Have some grog.
Portia says
Interesting theory, rq. :) I suppose it's true. Maybe they just weren't hungry. Occam's razor and all that.
Hiya, nyarlathotep. Welcome to the Lounge.
I had a really vivid dream about Aunt yelling at me about some unspecified argument, and I was crying in the dream, and I woke up crying and feeling like crap. Thankfully the day has improved from there. Aunt even made an effort (with some success) at respecting when I told my nephew to ask nicely for what he wanted instead of just giving it to him when he made a rude demand (like kids are wont to do).
There's a lot of things I want to respond to that I have flagged in my inbox, but I'll have to go through carefully and catalog them and compose a mega-comment. Which will probably happen tomorrow at the earliest. At any rate, consider yourselves grogged and hugged as needed/desired.
It's sunny here, though not very warm. The snow is almost all gone. So sorry you'regetting more, rq. I am totally fed up with winter overstaying its welcome.
rq says
Yes. Chives. One of many, many things I'm waiting for.
In case of emergency, take a regular onion, sit it on a jar filled with water, and let it root and sprout. Just remember to refresh the water, but the chives are usually extra-strong.
Welcome, nyarlathotep. The cookies are fresh but the chili may not be. Just sayin'.
Initiation essay question: thoughts on (1) peas; and (2) horses?
Beatrice (looking for a happy thought) says
Hello, nyarlathotep!
Portia says
Dear Mr. President,
I has a(nother) disappoint.
Asher Kay says
I thought the first part of his statement ("You have to be careful to, first of all, say she is brilliant..") made it worse. A lot of people don't quote that part for some reason.
Lynna, OM says
Rachel Maddow aired an excellent segment on voting rights for college students.
Portia says
@Asher Kay,
Oh, jeez, I haven't even seen that part yet. Adds a facepalm to the headdesk. My hand is smushed. Gods, I hate that shit so much more. "I'm gonna tip toe and be "PC" for the testy gals in the crowd…" I have had it up to here with that crap.
David Marjanović says
Not caught up.
…can't believe I didn't think of this sooner:
I support FELINISM.
(But I'm just in it for the pussy). :P
♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
rq says
Dammit, Obama, I know countries that look to you to be a shining example of whatever it is America is, because they wish to emulate. Please do better.
David Marjanović says
"Ice cores from low latitudes can provide a wealth of unique information about past climate in the tropics, but they are difficult to recover and few exist. Here, we report annually resolved ice core records from the Quelccaya ice cap (5670 masl) in Peru which extend back ~1800 years and provide a high-resolution record of climate variability there. Oxygen isotopic ratios (δ18O) are linked to sea-surface temperatures in the tropical eastern Pacific, while concentrations of ammonium and nitrate document the dominant role played by the migration of the Intertropical Convergence Zone in the region of the tropical Andes. Quelccaya continues to retreat and thin: Radiocarbon dates on wetland plants exposed along its retreating margins indicate it has not been smaller for at least six millennia."
I guess "masl" means "meters above sea level". Full text here.
German news service: detector on ISS has detected 400,000 excess positrons that may come from the decay of dark matter. There may be clarity in a few months. No published source is cited.
In cheerful news, the following email just landed in my in box:
I repeat: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
I just said to myself, "I want some music." So I plugged my headphones in, donned them, and then went to my task bar and … clicked on Adobe Acrobat. I then sat there for a good 40 seconds wondering what was taking so long.
Ah, familiar. Automatic movements. Like typos. :-)
David Marjanović says
Dammit, Obama, I know countries that look to you to be a shining example of whatever it is America is, because they wish to emulate. Please do better.
Tony! The Lonely Queer Shoop says
Have I really been gone a week???
Well that and it does get rather annoying posting with the phone (not always able to go somewhere to use the laptop).
I shot IJoe an email last week , but have not heard anything back. I hope he is ok.
Welcome to the Lounge! I am glad you chose to delurk. Most of us do not bite :)
Ummm, how come the thread is not further along than this? I expected you peeps to have moved on to Lounge 412 already.
UnknownEric is GrumpyCat in human form says
I shot IJoe an email last week , but have not heard anything back. I hope he is ok.
He posted at B&W a little while ago.
Tony! The Lonely Queer Shoop says
Thank you. Thats good to hear.
I shot IJoe an email last week , but have not heard anything back. I hope he is ok.
I did hear back, and he said he was doing alright.
Azkyroth Drinked the Grammar Too :) says
In the absence of the detailed local description of the temperature field, the actual two-phase heat transfer coefficient could be employed in this criterion in place of the single-phase heat transfer coefficient. Estimation of the resultant nucleate boiling heat transfer under such conditions is an area where further research is warranted.
Kandlikar, Satish G, ed-in-chief. Handbook of Phase Change: Boiling and Condensation
Tony! The Lonely Queer Shoop says
Thank you.
Esteleth, stupid fucking starchild Tolkien worshiping douche says
iJoe is active on Twitter, FWIW.
Ing:Intellectual Terrorist "Starting Tonight, People will Whine" says
I've talked to iJoe often on Twitter. To my knowledge there is no massive crisis
Esteleth, stupid fucking starchild Tolkien worshiping douche says
Asher Kay, at the risk of being pushy, would you be up for grabbing a beer sometime?
cicely (mumblemumble-SomethingHalf-Witty-mumblemumble) says
And Captain Picard is ALWAYS appreciated. *drool*
Of course, there's also the sub-set of Trek fans who'd be outraged at the choice of Picard over Kirk as the iconic ST figure.
I'm finding myself wanting to run and hide while I freeze in place.
Hey, I know this song!
I hate shouting, too. I find it extremely upsetting.
And this one, too! In fact, it usually leads straight into the other one….
I'm also insanely uptight about people going through my stuff without asking first.
It's like y'all have snuck a peek at my Personal Internal Playlist.
Welcome in, nyarlathotep!
Lookin' good!
Initiation essay question: thoughts on (1) peas; and (2) horses?
(3) the intersection of peas and Horses?
I shot IJoe an email last week , but have not heard anything back. I hope he is ok.
I emailed him as well, asking if he was okay, or at least okay-ish, and he responded with a 'yes'.
There's a new posting up at his site, as of this morning. He sounds to be in reasonable spirits.
rorschach says
In case you hadn't heard yet, Australian airline Qantas has banned pork on its Europe flights, because they are flying via Dubai in stead of Singapore now, and as everyone knows, Muslims consider pork unholy. Wouldn't want to offend them, now would we.
rq says
Another piece that made me think about some things I have that others don't.
I'm glad to hear Improbable Joe seems to be doing ok; I wish he'd stop in and say Hi!
Hi, Tony! I've missed you. I've been holding an empty glass for a few days now. No one's been refilling it. :( *hugs*
rq says
The Personal Internal Playlist seems to have been copy-pasted into several people. Lazy god and all that… *hugs*
chigau (unless...) says
I can't 'run' and hide so I'm more about standing and fighting.
I like shouting and I'm good at it.
Speaking so softly that they hafta shut-up and listen sometimes works, roo.
Nobody touches my stuff (more than once).
NateHevens, resident SOOPER-GENIUS... apparently... says
iJoe's doing fine, y'all. He and I have been talking about music and guitar over at B&W… :D
Tony! The Lonely Queer Shoop says
Fistbump + pouncehug :)
What's yer poison tonight? Rum? Whiskey? Something frozen (we make the most delicious frozen drink with orange sherbert and tequila…it is…umm…the secular version of divine)?
all: thanks for the update on Joe.
rq says
Thanks for that. :)
It's nice to know I've been worrying for nothing.
rq says
Oooh the frozen tequila bit sounds appealing for this Friday night.
Tony! The Lonely Queer Shoop says
" Just five cents of "debt" on a pre-paid card led cafeteria employees at Coehio Middle School to tell their pre-teen debtors to go hungry.
School lunch is often the only reliable meal for many of our country's poor youths. But rather than make the school cafeteria a safe space for struggling students, one Massachusetts middle school forced kids with negative pre-paid lunch accounts to learn a lesson in frugality; just five cents of "debt" on a pre-paid card led cafeteria employees at Coehio Middle School to tell their pre-teen debtors to dump out the food they would have normally eaten and go hungry. About 25 students left the cafeteria with empty bellies, the company that runs the cafeteria said in a statement.
The rich get richer, while middle school students are denied lunch.
Is *this* what is meant by American exceptionalism?
(And why the hell do kids even have to PAY for lunch to begin with?)
birgerjohansson says
Rajiv Koothrappali, the fictional astrophysicist from the TV comedy series "The Big Bang Theory" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raj_Koothrappali
…and his Special Lunch Talk:
TITLE: Emission Lines Accompanying Gamma-Ray Flares from the Tidal Disruption of Dyson Spheres by Binary Intermediate-Mass Black Holes at z ~ 10.
Considering the topic, I am rather disappointed the host has not chosen to invite professors Alfred Testa ("The New Cosmogony" et al) and Tarantoga. And regarding spectral lines and exointelligence, Ijon Tichy* established long ago that the well-documented "garbage belts" of obsolete cybernetic devices circling stars in decaying orbits are the cause of absorbtion lines from osmium, gallium and other rare earth metals.
*"Memories of a Space Traveller"
Parrowing says
Tony, could I trouble you for something fruity and beery and minty all at once? Does such a thing exist?
rq & FossilFishy:
Could I……. maybe be a part of this music thing? I have no skills whatsoever when it comes to writing music but if you wanted more singers, I could do that part. But… is it okay if I make this a tentative request and reserve the right to change my mind when the time comes if I end up feeling way too nervous about it?
Katherine Lorraine @468:
Great response! I especially loved the TL;DR at the end :D
opposablethumbs says
Hi Horde! Hi Horders and Loungers! I finally nearly almost nearly practically just about nearly finished the Big (and Not Very Interesting) Work, so maybe I can catch up a little bit around here now. It's sort of the best moment in freelancing, but sadly it doesn't last – it won't be long before I'm worrying again about work being too quiet …
I see that a great deal has been going on, and way more than I am going to be able to catch up on (except for maybe having a little snipe at one of our regularly nauseating liars-for-jeebus in the Thunderdome). But I am glad to see that the money-for-selling-car came through at last, Dalillama. Hope that all of you people are well, and that things improve for those who are not.
Tony, could I have a frozen tequila too? I've never had one. (actually drinking a red wine spritzer right now, uncouth though that may seem. Well I like fizzy drinks, but usually don't like sweet ones. And it means I drink a bit less wine.
Why is it anyway, that a white wine sprizter is a thing, but doing the same with red wine is Simply Not Done? Or is that a Brit thing?).
Portia says
I hate when people say "I don't get why this is so offensive" about something like Obama's comments about the CA AG and then don't try to find out. They just decide it's not offensive because they don't understand why at first glance. (Yeah, I may have been reading some comments on Zerlina Maxwell's facebook post about it. Mea culpa). And if I never hear "Wut's this world coming to when a man can't complement [sic] a woman???" again, it'll be too soon.
opposablethumbs says
Making kids go hungry right through the school day (at minimum) is appalling. They should give the kids the food and claim the money from their parents _IF and only if_ those parents can afford it (and I don't mean "afford" it by not paying for something else equally essential) . If they can't, then kids in that situation should be on free school meals anyway, dammit.
You can't learn if you're that hungry.
Stupid ugly cruel system.
Crip Dyke, Right Reverend Feminist FuckToy of Death & Her Handmaiden says
Trigger warning for Max Dick McMacho's comments in the Libertarian thread.
I probably should have put one there, but the in-characterness got the best of me. I'll do better next time.
Lynna, OM says
Rush Limbaugh has declared that science is a "branch of the Democrat Party."
He also declared that the media is a branch of the "Democrat" Party. (I don't know why Republicans find it impossible to say "Democratic Party." Sarah Palin also uses "Democrat Party.")
After declaring science and the media easily ignorable as sources of reality or truth, Limbaugh gave an iPad to a13-year-old kid who supposedly proved that climate change is a hoax.
"It was really easy for me to find this evidence, really easy," said young Alex. "I believe the reason that the liberals do not have the evidence [that it's a hoax] is because they do not want the evidence. They don't want to hear that it's wrong."
Full text of Lush Dimbulb's comments:
Folks, just exactly as the news media is no longer about the news, there aren't any news outlets, it's a branch of the Democrat Party, so too is much of science today. The Democrats have literally politicized everything they can use to expand government, which is their primary objective. Whatever they can do to grow government, they will politicize it… 'The consensus of scientists.' Well, they are all politicized as well. The global warming scientists are just Democrats, folks. They are all part of an agenda. It's where they get their money, it's where they get their funding to study all this stuff… Government money, grant money. So they're all part of the agenda.
glodson says
@ Crip Dyke
It is scary how closely that persona sounds like some of the idiots I've seen. But man, every time I see that name, I know the post is going to be great.
rq says
That's a big YES on the music thing. Anyone is welcome! Mistakes allowed! Fun to be had! :)
Good night, all.
Portia says
I've gotten weird looks about doing a spritzer with red wine. I guess the only thing you're supposed to "make" with red wine is sangria. *shrug* I like fizzy things, too.
Glad to hear iJoe is doing ok. I was wondering.
And I'm still wondering about Strange Gods. It's been a while.
WTF, Evolution? I haven't read very far but I am already amused.
Max Dick McMacho [100% all manly, virile, masculine, male, manliness - now with 40% more Straight!] says
It'd be interesting to see if others might be willing to use it during those frequent times when men in threads dismiss/ignore the words of commenters with overtly feminized names.
I'd love to have more fun with it, but I don't often get consistently ignored in threads like I did get/am getting from Dietwald. Of course, that's because most of the time I'm talking to y'all and not the Dietwalds of the world.
Also, most recent post not exactly fun. I probably should have just written it under crip dyke, but he finally actually addressed me so I had to use Max back.
glodson says
I wonder if he's figured out who he replying to.
He is dense. I almost said surprisingly, but I thought of my own experiences talking politics with people like that. Par for the course.
Parrowing says
Thanks rq, and good night.
I've been wondering about Strange Gods and also katenrala.
Portia says
Apparently I'm in a linky mood today, so:
Judge orders birther to pay $177K for frivolous lawsuit. The judge commented on the lawsuit thusly:
"If the complaint in this action was a movie script, it would be entitled 'The Manchurian Candidate Meets the Da Vinci Code,'" wrote Schack.
opposablethumbs says
Queer-friendly SF/Fantasy, free! (today only) – The Kindly Ones by Melissa Scott
recommended to me by a friend – I haven't read it yet! – But maybe you all might like a look (this may be available in the US and UK only :-( – I'm not sure)
http://mescott.livejournal.com/31493.html and she links to the amazon page.
Lynna, OM says
The Salt Lake Tribune posted an announcement about an upcoming atheist convention. That should get some mormon sacred undies in a twist.
Nonbelievers from across the country will descend on Salt Lake City, headquarters of the LDS Church, next year at this time.
American Atheists has chosen Utah for its 2014 convention, a four-day gathering from April 17 through 20 for an estimated 1,000 or more participants to discuss issues such as civil rights, women's roles in the movement and outreach….
The group will be "shining a spotlight on the LDS Church to highlight the fact that it is an oppressive organization that wields too much power in Utah and surrounding states," Ellis wrote in an email. "Mormons raised more than $20 million in support of the homophobic and hate-driven Proposition 8 in California that denied the civil right of marriage equality to the LGBTQ community."
The battle between the two groups also played out during the 2012 presidential campaign….
Lynna, OM says
In reference to my post @602, here are some reader comments from the Salt Lake Tribune article:
Coming to SLC to push a message that the LDS Church is an oppressive, hateful organization is hardly a gesture of friendship.
I hear that Atheist's tip better, and that is coming from a server. Not much in it for servers during General Conference. So yes, we welcome the Atheists and their money.
How about: Simply intolerant, insufferable, pedantic and arrogant (not to mention sexist).
Just as some think that religion frees them from the limitations of our nature, atheists believe science and reason can perfect the human species with the same contemptuous and naive approach. It looks like "religions" are very similar whether they are God centered or not.
Funny how some say they don't believe in God until someone sticks a gun too their head then its, Oh God please save me?
Portia says
Lynna @ 602
opposablethumbs says
So I'm not the only red-wine-spritzer drinker? Portia, you are clearly a person of taste and discernment :-)
American Atheists will have, um, fun in Salt Lake City, I guess. Mind you, that probably applies in most parts of the US …
carlie says
Oh oh oh!!!!
It's a knitted Dalek baby dress !!!!!!!
NateHevens, resident SOOPER-GENIUS... apparently... says
Max Dick McMacho @ #597:
what thread are you posting in? There's only one libertarian thread I'm following (I just hate their freedom) and it seems to be dead. I wanna see your posts!
*kitty eyes*
NateHevens, resident SOOPER-GENIUS... apparently... says
NateHevens, resident SOOPER-GENIUS... apparently... says
Dangit! Screwed that up!
*tries again*
chigau (unless...) says
It's this one;
look for Dietwald Claus
Nerd of Redhead, Dances OM Trolls says
The next dish the Redhead wants me to cook is chicken paprikash. She had me grab a cookbook from shortly after we were married. A bit worn by now. But this weekend I have to work on taxes. I suspect our medical expenses from last year will make it worth filing a 1040 again for this year…The last mortgage payment is in a couple of months, so the interest deduction from that has been irrelevant for a few years…
Esteleth, stupid fucking starchild Tolkien worshiping douche says
As someone with the same employer as the cupcake who is the subject of That Damn Thread, I'm incredibly depressed and pissed off. As is most everyone at work I talk to, FWIW. Scuttlebutt is that a search of the bylaws is underway, to find a punishable-by-firing rule he broke.
Azkyroth Drinked the Grammar Too :) says
…I would never have gotten up the courage to post this were I not at EXACTLY the right state of sobering up and I've been left in an apparently permanent state of expecting the goddamn rug to be pulled at any second, which certain people here were so courteous as to supply pretty much ALL the nails in the lid on, and mocked the living shit out of me the last time I brought up that fear in a badly botched attempt to apologize with dignity. Although perhaps someone will be along sooner or later to assure me that things didn't happen according to the memories I've lived with for years and actually had a nightmare or two about, and call me a liar because, hey, it's ONLY my lived experience, no need to let that distract from what someone else considers important. I MEAN, WHAT'S A LITTLE GASLIGHTING BETWEEN FRIENDS?!
Thank you, commentariat, for the beautiful illustration from both sides of how many days' journey into complete monster territory you can just stumble when the only pain you'll admit is real is your own.
Let me get back to you when the feelings are back in their cages.
Asher Kay says
Sure. Feel free to e-mail me at my user name squished together without punctuation at sevenless dot org.
chigau (unless...) says
Take care of yourself, Azkyroth.
Crip Dyke, Right Reverend Feminist FuckToy of Death & Her Handmaiden says
Sorry I wasn't around when you needed me, Nate.
Hope you started on the first page of comments. I used Max b/c Dietwald was ignoring me when I flat out disproved some of the things he was saying. It seemed like he was replying to everyone *but* me. Maybe my rebuttals weren't as water-tight as they seem without a response, but it felt like he was arguing with a bunch of people whose nyms could be those of men, and Sally. Yet somehow, for some reason, he was ignoring me. I thought for sure it couldn't have to do with sexism, but then he responded to a point or two that were touched on in one of my posts, so I thought, y'know, what I really need is a more masculine nym to get taken seriously by this guy.
Didn't help much, at least in the being taken seriously department. But most of the posts were fun to craft. I'll let you guess which one wasn't.
cicely (mumblemumble-SomethingHalf-Witty-mumblemumble) says
*appropriate, non-threatening, non-intrusive gesture of support* for Azkyroth.
*appropriate, non-threatening, non-intrusive gesture of support* for Azkyroth.
From me as well.
Crip Dyke, Right Reverend Feminist FuckToy of Death & Her Handmaiden says
Azkyroth, I send USB hugs and WiFi solace.
ednaz says
Hello All!
caught up to #606
Carlie! Sweet Baby Dalek Dress!! hee hee so cute!
ednaz says
I should be able to post after supper. : ) See you in a little bit.
ednaz says
I don't know what this is about.
I am sorry you are suffering.
The Mellow Monkey says
You're in my thoughts tonight, Azkyroth. Dittoing whatever non-intrusive gestures of support are appropriate.
WMDKitty -- Survivor says
*appropriate, non-threatening, non-intrusive gesture of support* for Azkyroth.
Seriously, dude — feel better.
Tony! The Lonely Queer Shoop says
Azkyroth: take care of yourself and remember we will be here; shoulders and ears at the ready.
NateHevens, resident SOOPER-GENIUS... apparently... says
Fuck Azkyroth… I wish I knew what happened where. I'm sorry you went through that. That's not fair at all.
I hope everything's okay. *Safehugs* if you want them…
FossilFishy(Anti-Vulcanist) says
I'm so sorry to hear you're suffering. I hope that whatever's wrong eases enough to allow you to tell us about it. I've been in what I assume is a similar place, oh yes indeedy. That special place where I can't talk about it because it's too hard; I fear that I'll crack open and never recover. And when things ease and the immediacy is gone I'm just too drained and fearful of a repetition to bring it up. A true no win. All the hugz, and/or chocolate, and/or booze, and/or calming manatees to you.
FossilFishy(Anti-Vulcanist) says
You're in.
We haven't really figured out details of how this will work yet. It might end up with the mailing of CDs back and forth. (I know, how quaint!)
I haven't started yet because….er, reasons. Well, the truth is that I've been working on what really could only be described as a musical sketch. The damn thing has been bugging me forever. It will never be finished in a manner that would be worthy of commercial sale, but I want to tidy it up enough to share here. I feel like if I can't even get to that point with something I've worked on as long as I have with this piece, starting anything new would be futile. A bit silly that, but there it is.
Anyway, you're more than welcome, the more the
better plausible deniablity merrier. Besides, when you hear the damn thing I've been working on, well, you'll understand just how happy I'll be to have people involved who are willing to sing. :)
glodson says
*appropriate, non-threatening, non-intrusive gesture of support* for Azkyroth.
Sorry to just repeat this, but I don't think I can put it any better and could do much worse.
WMDKitty -- Survivor says
*off-key singing, head-banging, and general rocking out*
I'm gonna organize some changes in my life
I'm gonna exercise the demons of my past
I'm gonna take the car and hit the open road
I'm feeling ready to just open up and go
And I just feel I can be anything
That all I might ever wish to be
And fantasize just what I want to be
Make my wildest dreams come true
I'm on my way
Out on my own again
I'm on my way
Out on the road again
When I remember back to how that things just used to be
And I was stuck inside a shroud of misery
I felt I'd disappear so deep inside myself
I couldn't find a way to break away my hell
When I'm feeling down and low
I vow I'll never be the same again
I just remember what I am
And visualize just what I'm gonna be
I'm on my way
Out on my own again
I'm on my way
I'm gonna breakaway
I'm gonna breakaway
I'm out on my own, I'm out on my own
C'mon break away, break it away
I'm on my way
Out on my own again
I'm on my way
Out on the road again
I'm on my way
Out on my own again
I'm on my way
I'm gonna breakaway
….so…. yeah. I know a lot of heavy metal is totes misogynistic (hell, so's a lot of mainstream rock), but I'm pretty selective about bands. Iron Maiden lacks the "wimminz iz objectz" thing, aiming more for "let's riff on mythology" and a lot of, like, socially-conscious shit ends up in there, too.
Giliell, professional cynic says
Good morning
Went to brother in law's Vernisage last night, which went really well.
Stereotypically the women in his family (me, my mum in law) saw and recognized that there was a bit of shortage on catering people (the whole thing is self-organized. He rented a room for three days to put out his pictures) while his boyfriend was happily chatting to other people the whole night. Because duh, why make sure your SO's guests get their champagne galsses refilled and their little snacks put out so the whole thing becomes a success when there's women there to do that *eyeroll*
Hi nyarlathotep
Safe hugs to Azkyroth
rq says
*appropriate, non-threatening, non-intrusive gesture of support* for Azkyroth.
Yes, Azkyroth, I'm joining in!
Mailing CDs?? My goodness, how outdated we are! :D Somehow strangely appropriate. Because. I need to find a good music editing program from my sibling-brothers, that way we can maybe share around some sheet-like music, too. I work better on the written note.
That being said, I have to figure out how to reasonably record this stuff we'll be creating.
But that's all logistics, good luck with the musical sketch; I'm good at erasing the tracing lines. ;)
rq says
Horde, I thank you for teaching me how to take down an argument, both by structuring it well, and by using supporting evidence, and for presenting the right questions/points. (Still getting anti-fluoride articles sent by Friend, who, I think, wants to be convinced that it's good, but who somehow believes that it's bad… Latest from the Huffington Post. I will bring her to the Light!!)
rq says
And sometimes, I feel like this baby pachyderm.
rq says
The Lounge is quiet today.
One more from me:
Finally, another fish movie to show Middle Child! (Did not like Shark Tale at all.)
Giliell, professional cynic says
Paging beatrice, paging beatrice
We are contemplating spending the summer holiday in Croatia.
Nothing sure yet, just an idea…
can I pick your brain?
We want to go to the sea-side, and a zoo in the vicinity would be a huge plus.
So would be a meeting with beatrice.
carlie says
Azkyroth – first link doesn't work, so I don't know what this is about either. Sounds like some harsh treatment on another thread, maybe? I value your presence here, and if that's what it is, please keep in mind these fights come up not infrequently and although our fuses are often short, our ability to reconcile in a way that works for all upset parties is pretty good. I hope that happens with whatever is going on.
Portia says
I'm not sure what's up with Azkyroth, either, but 30 minutes before he posted the above, he posted this.
*hugs* or whatever would help, Azkyroth.
I was woken up at 2:30 this morning by repeated calls from an undoubtedly drunken Jerkfriend (that one of the Valentine's Day Incident wherein I literally ran for my safety). I sent the first two calls to voicemail, then just silenced the third one with hopes that listening to more rings would make him give up. I think I was right, but I just turned off my phone so I can't be sure. I sort of want to tell him to never call me again but on the other hand I don't want to acknowledge him… (no messages with any of the calls). I'm still trying to shake the unsettled feeling I have from it.
Crip Dyke, Right Reverend Feminist FuckToy of Death & Her Handmaiden says
Portia, crap.
That kind of thing is often not a prelude to anything, but it definitely can be, and not knowing is the F'n worst.
I wish I could get you & Azkyroth & some most excellent tea in the same room and snug you both until you were fine.
Take these words, for now, instead.
Tony! The Lonely Queer Shoop says
This friend you seek to bring to the light-would her (if indeed xe is a woman) be named Carol-Anne?
rq says
*hugs* Portia.
I'm not sure what to recommend in this case, so I'm not going to recommend anything – but I do have several (conflicting) thoughts on it. Either way, definitely unsettling.
(He didn't actually leave any messages, did he?)
Crip Dyke, Right Reverend Feminist FuckToy of Death & Her Handmaiden says
He almost certainly did, but I don't want Portia to feel like she's supposed to verify whether any message was just a couple seconds of him hanging up or if he said anything. I worked in a shelter for a number of years. To call repeatedly and not leave a message is more than possible, but it's not likely in this scenario. Usually people who do that do it over the long term. It's deliberate harassment. People who go without calling for a while and then make a spurt of calls? Almost always think they have something dreadfully important to communicate.
Please, Portia, don't investigate the content on our account. Do it for yourself or not at all.
carlie says
That great smell when it starts/after rain, (petrichor, as all Doctor Who fans know), is caused by actinomycetes. Heh. Fungi ftw.
Portia says
Crip Dyke and rq:
No, no messages at all. I checked last night just on the small chance there was something important.
He just called again.
And that jelly feeling in my gut is back.
I hope he's just calling to apologize for last night.
Who knows.
I really appreciate the feedback from y'all.
I could use some comforting snuggling, CD. I will scoop up a niece, I think. She always loves to give me hugs.
Portia says
Oh shit, just checked my text messages…:
Jerk: Seriously need a hand right now. 2:21 AM
Jerk: Ok, give me a call when you get a sec. 2:22 AM
Jerk: Got a job for ya 4:17 AM
Portia says
And just now:
Jerk: [Portia], please. I need some help from someone I can trust and speak candidly to. 9:41 AM
Fuck, maybe he was in jail last night.
Portia says
Now I have no idea what to do. I feel like he'd make a terrible client.
Crip Dyke, Right Reverend Feminist FuckToy of Death & Her Handmaiden says
Yer a lawyer? If I knew that, I'd forgotten it.
You can ethically act for him in the short term and hand him off once he's out – if indeed he's in. I think that if it would be bad for you to be his lawyer, it would be bad for him to have you as his lawyer. Think "advocate" – could you put your heart into advocating for him? It's often easy to do the advocating at the initial stage (everyone deserves bail, I'm just helping you arrange that; everyone deserves to understand the arraignment process, I'm just making sure you do), but it can be more difficult later.
This is, of course, not taken from representing anyone myself – even after I graduate I'm unlikely to practice criminal law. But if it resonates as right with you, you can use those thoughts to make a decision.
Is there anyone to whom you could hand him off? Do you live in a well-populated area with lots of lawyers? Would he face any particular barriers to hiring and/or working with a lawyer other than you? A couple other questions to think about.
Anyway, I hope things go well – and go grab that niefling!
Pteryxx says
Portia: after the jerk behavior and being cavalier with your safety (IIRC)… now HE needs someone HE can trust? More likely he's running out of people still willing to whiz on him when he's on fire.
Please give it some thought: what do you expect him to do if you ignore the calls? What do you expect will happen if you answer and hear him out, or even offer to help? Do you think you could listen and then say 'no, you're a jerk' and have that go well?
*belated anklehugs* for Azkyroth. Hope whatever happened is losing its grip a bit in the daylight.
rq says
Crip Dyke
Yes, I see your point. To clarify, my question was meant as an Are there any messages? rather than a What's in the messages? because to be honest I don't think they need to be listened to (the messages).
Which kind of indicates the pointlessness of the question, but anyway.
Portia, what Crip Dyke said about any possible messages. I apologise if my comment felt like pressure, it wasn't meant as an indication of tell-me. Sorry.
rq says
I'd have a hard time representing him, or advocating for him, especially since he gives me unsettled feelings, and I don't even know him, am not receiving any calls from him, and I'm like a continent and an ocean away.
And after the creepy texts, Iiiii don't think you should help him out. What if he wasn't in jail, and it's just a way of getting you to pick up and talk to him?
Pteryxx says
Also what Crip Dyke said… I'd forgotten it too. In my humble stranger's opinion, nobody should have to engage in a professional service relationship with someone who has directly and personally made them feel unsafe. Even some abortion providers won't do it, rather they refer the troublesome person to someone uninvolved. As a lawyer your ostensible service relationship would involve keeping his confidentiality, right?
thunk, warm air advection says
Yeah. IANAEOA (i'm not an expert on anything), but that sort of relationship would very likely end badly. *hugs* to Portia.
Crip Dyke, Right Reverend Feminist FuckToy of Death & Her Handmaiden says
@ rq
I didn't mean it to be …I don't know, a criticism of you or your statement rq. I suppose it is in an implied way.
I just meant to add to your statement. I didn't think you'd disagree with me in any way about whether your curiosity should dictate Portia's actions. I'm just rather aware of how I respond and how clients have responded sometimes when people have asked me/them questions like that. It occurred to me that Portia might have similar thoughts. So I though something into the mix.
Sorry if I didn't it in a way that felt bad to you. Totally not my intent – which is totes magic, y'know?
rq says
Crip Dyke
Oh yeah, all that magic leaking off of everyone's intent… The world is full of it! Look, it's god!
I wasn't insulted and I don't feel bad (because I (try to) make an effort to read every bit of text as neutrally as possible because no non-verbal cues and all that), I felt a bit educated, and I thought it worth clarifying, just in case. :) Because communicating should have a manual, but it's all about learning on the job.
And I appreciate your input from the professional point of view, seeing as my point of view is purely instinct based, and probably could use tweaking, most of the time!
Portia says
Yes, I'm a lawyer. Yes, turns out he was in jail.
Me: What is it that couldn't be said in a voicemail. 9:55 AM
Jerk: I didn't know a voicemail was required… Sorry. Can we talk? 9:57 AM
Me: About what. 9:57 AM
Jerk: About your services as a lawyer. Would that be something you would lend to me at this time? 9:59 AM
Jerk: If you're opposed to that, could you recommend another lawyer? 10:07 AM
I sort of put off any decision about it by referring him to non-lawyer services he needs. I will probably refer him to someone else but it's a fairly simple matter that I could probably handle without much trouble. I called back after his fifth or sixth call (I refused to answer the last one even though I had psyched myself up to talk to him and was ready to, because it was going to be on my terms). He said hello, and I asked what was going on. He said he'd get to that in a minute, but first, "Why are you still grumpy?"
I scoffed at him and said "Are you serious?" he said "I just want to know that after all we've been through, we're still friends." "You said you wouldn't talk to me again until I apologized, but apparently that doesn't apply when you have an emergency. So what's the emergency." Then he told me. (I won't go into it here, but it's probably what you'd imagine given his refreshments last time we hung out).
More likely he's running out of people still willing to whiz on him when he's on fire.
Ha! Probably true….
Please give it some thought: what do you expect him to do if you ignore the calls? What do you expect will happen if you answer and hear him out, or even offer to help? Do you think you could listen and then say 'no, you're a jerk' and have that go well?
Sound advice. Ignoring the calls didn't seem to work, he was in a desperate panicky mode, it seemed like. Of course, that's more entitlement. (And zero understanding of what went wrong with the friendship). I basically did tell him I still think he's a jerk, and said maybe we could talk again after he gets those other services I mentioned. I'm going to give myself a little time to think about whether to refer him out.
Crip Dyke
This is, of course, not taken from representing anyone myself – even after I graduate I'm unlikely to practice criminal law. But if it resonates as right with you, you can use those thoughts to make a decision.
Is there anyone to whom you could hand him off? Do you live in a well-populated area with lots of lawyers? Would he face any particular barriers to hiring and/or working with a lawyer other than you? A couple other questions to think about.
Your thoughts do resonate. I actually have a friend I refer to a lot, we do similar work and refer when we have something we have a conflict on or otherwise don't want to handle it.
No worries at all, I didn't feel pressured. And even if I did, you are so conscientious that I never think your motives are anything but good. ♥
Thanks for the hugs, thunk.
And ♥♥♥♥ to everyone helping me process this. I thank you all for your thoughts. I may be a while before responding more because we're packing up to head back west now (leaving my mom's) so I'll be offline most of the day. But I will certainly be back and appreciative of all your thoughts.
rq says
Have a safe trip back!
And I think I haven't mentioned lately that I admire you.
I do.
♥ back!
Crip Dyke, Right Reverend Feminist FuckToy of Death & Her Handmaiden says
what rq said.
chigau (unless...) says
Don't be his lawyer.
You don't owe him anything.
Change your phone number.
Portia says
rq and Crip Dyke
That replaces the jelly feeling with a warm fuzzy feeling. Thank you both.
To be clear, if I were to represent him, it wouldn't be for free. Or even discounted. So it wouldn't be particular favors. The only favor I did him today was be available on a Saturday, which isn't unusual for me anyway.
At the end of our phone convo, he expressed a lot of appreciation. I said, "Uh huh, bye."
Then received this text, which either shows the start of some self-awareness or a good effort at skin-saving by appearing contrite:
"I know it doesn't mean as much now, but I am sorry for the way I left things. Nothing that happened was worth losing a close friend over. Especially one that's kind enough to come through even after a tough spat. Sorry [Portia], and I really appreciate the help even if I don't deserve it. Thanks."
rq says
Should have read: Even though I don't deserve it.
Just sayin'.
And I am more inclined towards chigau's point of view (that is, refer him and you don't owe him anything). But leave it to you, Portia, to be more charitable and less ornery than some people I know. *points elbows at self* (This is a good thing.)
*hugs* for the stress of dealing with jerkface. Don't put yourself through anymore pain on his account, would be my advice.
Lynna, OM says
Rachel Maddow presented a great segment on the Republican tendency to get lost if they don't have a bedroom intrusion agenda, or a by-religious-christian-force agenda. The video begins with the Republican mixed bag of nuts (14 of 'em) that have finally given up on their bill to establish a state religion, and then continues to summarize Republican efforts to restrict divorce, to shut down abortion clinics, etc.
States like North Carolina are showing up what its like to have a Republican Governor and legislature. States governed by Republicans equals really big government intrusion in many ways. Arkansas rejected the Equal Rights Amendment. North Dakota banned abortions. In Texas legislators took action to block sex education. In Ohio there is a push to allow employers to decide whether or not their female employees get birth control. In Texas legislators rescinded funding for women's centers at all public colleges across the state.
And there's more …. including anti-sodomy laws.
This is what Republicans are doing at the state level. Unfortunately, a lot of this incredibly bad governance goes unreported in the national media. They cover Republicans saying a bunch of stuff about engaging with women, with immigrants, with poor people …. but they don't cover the actual awfulness of the laws, of the anti-modern tactics of the Republican Party.
Lynna, OM says
Liberty University, an evangelical school in Lynchburg, has decided that students will be allowed to carry loaded firearms on campus.
You can't kiss, dance or play music god doesn't like at Liberty University, but you can pack iron. You also can't see any R-rated movies, so I assume they have other methods of training students to look and act like thugs, or worse yet, to act like deranged christian warriors. If you plan on visiting L.U., you too may pack loaded iron on campus.
carlie says
Portia – I'm so sorry this is happening. Being a terrible bitter person, I'm inclined to see his last text as skin-saving, especially since he's still hoping you'll help him out. Maybe you could give him whatever reference but tell him you don't want to talk to him while he's in a crisis?
ednaz says
This is my third try.
In my first draft, I wrote out my interpretation of his messages, but it was just one long Trigger Warning.
In my second draft, I said I was sorry you had to deal with the Drunk Jerk and that I am evil and what I would do to him.
Here is what I want to say:
Dear Portia,
I am sorry you had to deal with Drunk Jerk Asshole.
I think handing him off to another lawyer is an excellent idea.
Please take care of yourself. You owe him nothing.
Also, You are awesome.
If you don't believe it, read the previous sentence again.
Your friend,
Lynna, OM says
Portia, the guy sounds almost like a compulsive groomer and manipulator. Do what is best for yourself and don't believe a word he says … or texts.
< venting about my home life >
So no sooner is the immediate financial issue solved, relationship problems crop up instead. D had an episode the other night, triggered (I think) by, among other things, her conviction that we'll throw her out soon, because no one else has let her stay more than a year. The nature of it was such that L is feeling betrayed, deceived, and rejected, which is tearing at a lot of his old wounds, so he's still really upset and angry. I'm trying to be as supportive to them as I can, but I have a lot of my own emotions tied up in this too, and I'm not sure how much of what I'm doing is driven by my own wants. I realize I'm being kind of vague and possibly not terribly coherent, I'm not really very good at talking about my life or the people who are close to me.
< /venting about my home life >
PZ Myers says


text:
Elinor Carucci
Because it's such a tender cut, pork tenderloin is relatively quick-cooking—and it's impressive to serve. Add steamed rice to complete the meal.
- Yield
- Makes 6 servings
- 1/3 cup hoisin sauce*
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 2 1-pound pork tenderloins, trimmed
- 2 cups pre-shredded carrots
- 6 green onions, thinly sliced
- 1 cup purchased broccoli slaw
- 1/4 cup purchased Chinese chicken salad dressing
- Preheat oven to 450°F. Place rack in 13x9x2- inch baking pan. Add enough water to reach depth of 1/4 inch (it should not touch rack). Stir hoisin and soy sauce in small bowl; brush thickly all over pork. Arrange pork on rack in pan. Pour any remaining sauce over.
- Roast pork until thermometer inserted into center registers 145°F, about 30 minutes. Transfer pork to cutting board. Cover loosely with foil; let rest 10 minutes (internal temperature will rise slightly).
- Meanwhile, toss carrots and all remaining ingredients in large bowl.
- Thinly slice pork on slight diagonal. Arrange on platter. Drizzle with any juices from board. Serve with carrot salad.
- Available in the Asian foods section of many supermarkets and at Asian markets.


text:
24th SOW Honors Latest Heroes
LEWIS MCCHORD, WA – The most combat-decorated Air Force unit since the end of the Vietnam War named more heroes Jan. 23-24 during medal presentation ceremonies at Portland Air National Guard Base, Portland, Ore., and Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash.
The 24th Special Operations Wing gained one Silver Star, six Bronze Star medals with Valor, and seven Bronze Star medals when Airmen from the 22nd Special Tactics Squadron were recognized with the nation's third and fourth highest combat decorations.
"Like many, the Airmen's willingness to serve at the tip of the spear, directly going into harm's way to attack the enemy time after time, represents the best of America," said Col. Robert Armfield, commander of the 24th SOW. "We are proud to see their sacrifice recognized. It gives us a chance to pause for just a moment to thank these special operators and, more importantly, to recognize their families, who bear the burden of this relentless mission."
During the ceremony, Staff Sgt. Adam Krueger was awarded the Silver Star, the third highest combat military decoration in the United States, for gallantry in action against an enemy of the United States while engaged in military operations.
While on a foot patrol, his team was ambushed by an entrenched enemy less than 10 meters from the friendly position. The Army Special Forces team was immediately pinned down and then Senior Airman Krueger directed an F-15 strafing run within meters of his position to allow the friendly patrol to fight their way into a compound and establish a strong point.
"He took care of us on that day," said one of Krueger's Special Forces teammates, who attended the ceremony.
During the subsequent 12-hour firefight, two Soldiers were hit with enemy rounds. Kruger exposed himself to enemy fire in order to direct another air attack to allow the wounded members to be moved to safety. He then exposed himself again to mark the landing zone for the medical evacuation helicopter, enabling the life-saving patient evacuation. Additionally, Airman Krueger directed nine danger-close airstrikes.
Krueger's receipt of the medal marks the 32nd Silver Star earned by Air Force Special Operations Command Special Tactics Airmen since 9/11.
"It takes an uncommon bravery to put oneself in direct danger," said Lt. Gen. Eric Fiel, AFSOC commander. "If I were to ask any one of these men what they think about these decorations, I'm sure that they would all humbly respond that they were just doing their job."
Fiel told the audience what doing their job and more means for a deployed combat controller as he described actions that resulted in the sixth Silver Star awarded to the 22nd STS.
"Repeatedly exposing oneself to enemy fire after being pinned down by a coordinated, lethal ambush, coordinating for nine danger-close air strikes which allowed your teammates to seek cover and recover wounded personnel, and providing suppressive fire while simultaneously marking a landing zone to enable a life-saving patient evacuation, without regard to one's own safety, as Staff Sgt. Adam Krueger did, is more than just doing your job," he said.
Fiel also recognized the courageous actions of the Bronze Star and Bronze Star with Valor recipients.
The Bronze Star is the fourth highest combat honor in the United States and is awarded for acts of bravery and meritorious service against an armed enemy of the United States. When the Bronze Star is awarded for heroism, it is annotated by a bronze "V" device, which designates valor.
Many of the honorees were awarded their third or fourth Bronze Star. As a result, they received oak leaf clusters, which are worn on the medal or ribbon to indicate subsequent awards.
According to the medal citations, the recipients contributed to coordinated air attacks, ground combat support, casualty medical evacuation capabilities, and lives saved, all while engaged in combat operations.
"Though each of these men are being recognized for their courage, these decorations were earned in years [of preparation]–through long physical, mental and technical training pipelines. Across experiences from previous deployments and through the lessons passed on by the men who bore the standard before them," Fiel said.
In order to earn the right to wear the scarlet beret, the mark of combat controllers, candidates must complete 35 weeks of initial training. Additional training for the career field includes pipeline courses which result in mastery of parachuting skills, combat diving, survival techniques, special tactics skills and qualifications in air traffic control.
Lt. Col. Thad Allen, 22 STS commander, who has known the Silver Star recipient since 2008, said Krueger, like many other Combat Controllers across AFSOC, trained for years honing his skills to deal with the complexities of combat.
"Often, it's Senior Airmen, like Adam, making life or death decisions under fire, with potential strategic impact. That in and of itself is impressive," he said.
During the ceremony speech, Fiel also addressed the family members in attendance.
"Between a demanding pace of today's global special operations and your community's commitment to quiet professionalism we do not come together often enough to recognize the tremendous dedication of our special tactics," Fiel said. "But it is truly a pleasure for me to reflect on their accomplishments, particularly in the presence of family members and of course, the squadron teammates."
He also emphasized the significance of family support to the AFSOC mission and offered them a special message.
"I thank you personally for everything you do, every day for the nation," Fiel said. "It does not go unnoticed. Our military families make extraordinary, unique sacrifices to support our mission and we sincerely appreciate your contributions to our nation's security."
Before the group heard the citations, Fiel prepared to award the medals to the 13 recipients with one final statement.
"The stories…are inspiring and call each of us to rededicate ourselves, preparing for our own moment of opportunity, when a critical mission and the lives of our teammates will demand that we realize our full potential."
The honorees were:
Silver Star and Bronze Star:
Staff Sgt. Adam Krueger
Bronze Star with Valor Recipients:
Master Sgt. Douglas Neville
Tech. Sgt. Michael Orlando
Staff Sgt. Joshua Busch
Staff Sgt. Jeremiah Roberts
Staff Sgt. Jeffrey Salazar
Staff Sgt. Michael Wilhelm
Bronze Star Recipients:
Captain Joshua Barlow
Tech. Sgt. Michael A. Kurta
Tech. Sgt. Matthew McKenna
Senior Airman Benjamin De Boer
Senior Airman Christopher Kagan
Senior Airman John Moyle
(Editor's note: Airmen at the 125th Special Tactics Squadron received two Bronze Stars with Valor, four Bronze Stars, and a Purple Heart during a ceremony at Portland Air National Guard Base, Portland, Ore., Jan. 23.)


text:
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This is not an offer for credit and should be used for estimation purposes only based on the information you provided. You should not base your decision on this estimate alone. Title, registration, tax and other fees, and personal circumstances such as employment status and personal credit history, were not considered in the calculations.
Front - Dual 220 mm ventilated disc brakes with hydraulic twin-piston calipers
Rear - Dual 220 mm ventilated disc brakes with hydraulic single-piston caliper
Front - Maxxis Bighorn 2.0 27 x 9 x 14 in. (68.6 x 22.9 x 35.6 cm)
Rear - Maxxis Bighorn 2.0 27 x 11 x 14 in. (68.6 x 27.9 x 35.6 cm)
Drive Train - Lockable rear differential and Visco-Lok† QE auto-locking front differential
Driving Assistance - Electronic Hill Descent Control
12V (18 amp/h)
Magneto - 500W
Multifunction Digital Gauge - Speedometer, tachometer, odometer, trip and hour meters, fuel, gear position, seat belt, diagnostics, clock, auto shut-off
Lighter type DC outlet in console (20-A)
Front - Double A-arm; 10 in. (25.4 cm) travel
Rear - TTA with external sway bar; 10 in. (25.4 cm) travel
Front / Rear Shocks - Twin tube gas charged shocks
3-Person Capacity
VERSA-PRO bench seat with passenger seats flipping up, underside hooks and contoured bench to improve entrance / exit of the cab
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Cage - ROPS-approved profiled cage. Certified ISO 3471 and OSHA
Additional Protection - Integrated front steel bumper, central skid plate.
*Price, if shown, does not include government fees, taxes, dealer vehicle freight/preparation, dealer document preparation charges or any finance charges (if applicable). Final actual sales price will vary depending on options or accessories selected.
NOTE: Vehicles with a price of "Request a Quote" are always included in a $0 search, regardless of actual value.


text:
Many have tried selling cars in America, and many have failed miserably. Germans, French or Japanese, you name it! But when it comes to the Edsels of the imported machinery, you can also expect General Motors to show the world how to lose money.
Here are ten car that you didn't like quite enough:
The Z8 is one of the most beautiful cars ever made, but it came out at just the wrong moment for the US market. Tough times according to 6cyl:
The BMW Z8 came at the wrong time. A really nice looking car that would have been a great "super car" competitor in the 90's but entered the market in 2000. In the early 2000's brought so many new cars to compete for the high end buyers it is no surprise that sales plummeted. There were:
- 2 new Lamborghini's
- the Carrera GT and a new 911
- the Ferrari F430 and Enzo
- the Maserati MC12
- the Mercedes-McLaren SLR
from the Americans:
- the 3rd gen Viper came out with 500hp!
- a new Corvette was announced for a fraction the price with the same performance
- also the Saleen S7 and the Panoz Esperante came out the same year as the Z8
Bad timing to say the least.
Calendar year
U.S sales 2000 317 2001 970 2002 524 2003 439 2004 110 2005 17 2006 5
Suggested By: 6cyl , Photo Credit: Corky88
9.) Daihatsu Charade
I liked the European version of the Daihatsu Charade Turbo even if it rusted like a Lancia from the seventies. On the other side of the water, Patrick Frawley believes the whole brand was doomed:
Biggest all-time fiasco in American import history? Daihatsu has to be a contender. One blandly competent (if underpowered) hatchback and one appealing but toylike off-roader do not add up to a competitive product line. Trapped by a number of market issues and a inescapably super-Japanese (and clumsy) name in a somewhat nativist time, Daihatsu never had a fair chance. Probably didn't deserve one, either.
Suggested By: Patrick Frawley , Photo Credit: FotoSleuth
8.) Volkswagen Phaeton
The Audi-beating Volkswagen is was of the best cars in the world when it came out. It also turned out to be a sales disaster. Still, as Jagvar pointed out, at least you can get a used one at a bargain price:
Everyone's expecting me to say it, so I'm just going to say it: Volkswagen Phaeton. The car itself was superb, but the sales were beyond disappointing.
VW spent $1 billion developing the car, and sure didn't make a billion selling them in the US. The initial US sales target for the Phaeton was 5,000 a year; it never achieved half that.
Of course, the upside of an awesome car selling poorly is that it becomes a used-car bargain.
Suggested By: Jagvar, Photo Credit: DVS1mn
7.) Pontiac GTO
Badge-engineering may lead to death. OMG, TTA! wasn't impressed with GM's work:
I don't mean that they were bad cars, but the marketing, the promotion, and the sales were miserable. GM threw Holdens at us as a too-little-too-late band-aid for GM's failing image in the early 2000's. The GTO got styling toned way down from the aggressive looking concept, and the G8 rode the disappointing coat tails of the G6 and Grand Prix without a real ad campaign.
Suggested By: OMG, TTA!, Photo Credit: kappanads
6.) Renault Le Car
The Renault 5 was a great little hatchback in Europe. The Le Car sold by AMC wasn't that great, and Americans didn't want to touch them. The Renault was small, slow, and had a tiny dealer network. Having one now sounds like a nice hobby. Especially if you're a law officer.
Suggested By: Gamecat235 , Photo Credit: aldenjewell
5.) Subaru 360
While popular in Japan, American sales were legendary. Jonee got a story for us:
Lots of good Subaru 360 stories. Some dealers offered them for $1.00 if you bought a Buick or Cadillac. When Bricklin couldn't get rid of them, he came up with a scheme to sell go-cart tracks where people would drive 360's. For a franchise fee you'd get a handful of the cars and a shitload of tires. Where did Malcolm get the tires? Well, he was paid to dispose of them when he underbid someone else and instead of destroying or recycling them, he used them for the tracks.
Subaru tried everything in order to boost sales. I always wanted to go to Subaru Land!
But the 360 wasn't their only failure in America. Remember the price tag on the SVX?
Suggested By:Ravey Mayvey Slurpee Surprise , Photo Credit: Hugo 90 and Robert Couse-Baker
4.) Peugeot 405
European Car Of The Year? MAXIMUMVRM remembers that the US of A couldn't care less:
The Peugeot 405 has my vote. Euro car of the year in 1988. For sale in the USA in 1988 and 1991. The first year for sale in the US they sold around 1000. By the time it was gone the total was only up to around 4000.
Suggested By: MAXIMUMVRM , Photo Credit: FotoSleuth
3.) Rover Sterling
Electric moonroof, supple Connolly leather and Honda's "Formula One bred 2.5-litre V6 engine". They improved on that by replacing that with a Rover unit. What a car!
Suggested By: Rockchops, Photo Credit: aldenjewell
2.) Pontiac LeMans
What started out as an Opel Kadett in Europe was turned into a Daewoo Racer in Korea and sold in the US with the classic name Pontiac LeMans. The humanity!
The one in the picture is a special version of the Passport Optima for the Canadian market. The plot thickens.
Suggested By: Gamecat235, Photo Credit: dave_7
1.) Yugo
You don't even need John Davis to know that the Yugo wasn't as bad as everybody likes to say it was. Still, getting a communist copy of an Italian car to America was a stupid idea to say the least. The result: 141,000 sold in eight years.
Suggested By: pauljones, Photo Credit: kennymatic
Welcome back to Answers of the Day - our daily Jalopnik feature where we take the best ten responses from the previous day's Question of the Day and shine it up to show off. It's by you and for you, the Jalopnik readers. Enjoy!
Top Photo Credit: The World Is Not Enough


text:
9 Most Asked Questions, Part 3 of 3
August 30th, 2012
A discussion with former State Senator Sheila Kuehl about Torie Osborn's landmark run for California State Assembly. This is the third in a series of three posts. (First post found here, second post found here.)
Q: What lessons might progressives draw from your campaign?
A: We need to understand better what the voters think of us, and to connect with them on their own terms, in order to be better organizers and educators. Here's where I would say we are, based on two years of talking to thousands of voters, from conservatives to the far left:
1. Support is surprisingly strong for single payer healthcare. The one reliable applause line I had in over 250 speeches came when I said I favored Medicare for all. I was especially surprised by the "closet cases," as we say in the gay community. Every week, small business owners, private sector doctors, even a retired insurance exec — all kinds of unlikely people "came out" to me as secret single payer supporters. There is broad, deep and growing sentiment that it's the only real path to affordable, comprehensive universal health care, and that Obamacare is only one step toward it.
2. We're ripe for criminal justice reform. I was really pleased to hear so many people voice strong support for change in the criminal justice system. People are concerned about the stranglehold they perceive the prison guards union has on Sacramento, but they felt even more strongly, on economic, if not moral, grounds, that the punitive model of the prison system, especially in juvenile justice, has to be radically reformed to a more rehabilitative model. I often cited the fact that California spends $150,000 per kid for juvenile justice with a 70% recidivism rate while Missouri spends $44,000 with 7% recidivism!
3. Unexpected antagonisms. Again, I was shocked at how anti-government, anti-union and anti-immigrant even this west side district is. Decades of conservative messaging has definitely gotten into people's heads. In such a liberal district, where women's and LGBT rights, climate change and environmental issues are ho-hum consensus, I didn't expect such ambivalence about government and economic issues. At one "Drinking Liberally" gathering, several people challenged me on the Dream Act (access to state college tuition for immigrant kids), on the "retro" unions, and they constantly told me they were fed up with the waste in government. I thought I'd stumbled into the "Drinking Conservatively" crowd. It was more than just a few people.
I think I made a good case to those folks by talking about the fact that government, through providing education, the safety net and investment in small business, is "the delivery system for the California Dream" but I also found I needed to balance my positions and also talk about the need for governance reform, two year budgeting, and pension reform. And we just have lots of education to do around racial justice and immigrants' rights.
Q: What did you learn about presenting the tough issue of fair taxation?
A: I learned that to talk successfully to broad audiences about taxes you have to convince them that a larger economic vision is at stake, and also that you are willing to look seriously at governance reform.
I ran for the Assembly because I passionately believe that the time has come to implement fair taxation: to stop corporate giveaways, to modernize our tax system, to bring top-tier tax rates back to where they were 30 years ago. When I first started campaigning, I began all my debates and my stump speech talking straight tax policy – and it fell completely flat. The case has simply not yet been made. People across a broad political spectrum think that government is riddled with waste. I would talk taxes; people would talk back pension reform.
As the campaign progressed, I began to talk more about education, about the vast disinvestment in our great universities and K-12 public school systems and how we need to raise taxes to restore this important component of the California dream. That worked better.
I didn't find the sweet spot, however, until I started talking about an economic vision for CA, the 9th largest economy in the world. A vision that includes smart investment in small businesses as well as rebuilding education and infrastructure. I changed my speaking approach and began to paint a picture of letting "California be California again" by returning to excellence in education and economic innovation. I used an organizer's approach and listed California's assets as a first step toward thinking about long-term priorities.
I reported that California receives 60% of all venture capital invested anywhere, that the state relies on small businesses, has a DNA of reinvention and innovation, and 37.5 million of the most vibrantly creative people on the planet, including the hopes and dreams contributed by our immigrant communities.
Even though I didn't have a finished blueprint, simply getting people excited about hoping for a better California opened up the space to talk about taxes. Fire up folks' hope neurons, and then you can talk about the tough stuff.
Q: Why were you so out front on amending Prop 13?
A: Restoring prosperity to California begins with goring that sacred cow. In 1978, 70% of Californians voted for Prop 13 in order to rein in volatile residential property taxes. The research shows those voters did NOT know that the cap on tax increases also covered commercial land and buildings, a policy only California has. Nor did they realize that they were voting to require a 2/3 vote to raise any future taxes, a move that has crippled governance ever since. The voters of California need to know that those two parts of Prop 13 are the direct cause of the systemic revenue shortfall and budget woes that are decimating California's future – not teachers or firefighters.
Again, California is the ONLY state that protects commercial property in such a manner. It costs our state $6-10 billion a year, and unfairly burdens homeowners, who now pay up to 2/3 of property taxes in California, a total reversal from pre-1978. It's indefensible! On the campaign trail, I found a widespread readiness among voters, including business owners, to tackle commercial property tax reform. A number of groups are gearing up for a long-term public organizing drive to take it to the ballot in 2016. It's time!
Eventually, we also will have to change the other revenue suppresser in Prop 13 – the 2/3 super majority required to pass tax increases in the legislature.


text: Aug 6 2020 Reflection/Illusion (by Kabir) Kabir says that the man-condition is like a dog in the house of mirror, which barks at his own reflection and that is due to ignorance, that is due to illusion, very big illusion. That is what everyone is doing. Dr. Harbhajan Singh Share this:TweetMoreEmailLike this:Like Loading... Related


text:
Ale Delgado wrote this great recap of our CMJ panel on merchandise last week. Thanks Ale! Here is most of it. Visit her site for more:
Considering that I'm always looking for the next big thing, I knew I had to go to CMJ's "Modern Merch: Beyond the Tour T-Shirt" panel. See, merch is a $2.2 billion business and one of the biggest ways an artist can make money. But while most merch is sold at shows, most people at shows don't buy merch. Tricky, huh?
The basic premise of the panel was that opportunity comes when you marry a point of passion (e.g., a song stream or live show) with a call to action (e.g., a merch sale)– and yes, they had some tips to help you take advantage of any opportunities that come your way.
Moderator: Dave Kusek, co-founder of MerchLuv and co-author of The Future of Music.
Panelists: Zach Bair, founder of RockHouse Live Media Productions and the original CEO of DiscLive Network, which records, masters, and burns concert CDs to be made available to fans right after the show; Mary Sparr of screen-printed gig poster pros Print Mafia and culture blog Young Mary's Record; and Alexandra Starlight, funky and spunky indie starlette whose Kickstarter campaign resulted in 205% funding and a rainbow glitter 7″ EP.
1.Think of merch as an extension of your brand
As always, the first thing to do is consider your brand as an artist. Once you develop a consistent aesthetic, you can open the door to more innovative merch because fans will recognize it as one of your pieces. For example, Starlight created a one-of-a-kind rainbow glitter vinyl record for her self-titled EP. A record like that had never been pressed before and each one was hand-glittered, so each fan received a unique copy. If you've ever peeked at Starlight's website (or rainbow-dyed hair), you know that a rainbow glitter album fits perfectly with her brand– and it's damn memorable.
Furthermore, if you think of merch as your brand being integrated into someone's lifestyle, it opens up even more creative possibilities. For instance, The Hold Steady created branded foam fingers. Y'know, the ones you wave around like crazy when you're cheering on your favorite team. What do foam fingers have to do with music? Not much, but they're fun, different, and priced for the college-aged fan. And judging by the fact that they're sold out, they're a big hit with fans.
2. Cater to your spectrum of fans
Take another look at The Hold Steady's foam finger. It's $10 reduced to $5. Easy sale for a teenager or college student who might have a lot of spending money but is willing to pay for something cool to show off to their friends. Making sure that you have different tiers of merch for different fans is key to building sales. You should have something at your merch table for the fan who just wants to snatch a free download card and for the fan who wants to buy everything. That also means bundling items together (CD, t-shirt, button combo) for a quick sale.
3. Be show-specific
If possible, create show-specific merch. It can be as simple as individual gig posters for each city in which you tour or something a little more involved. Sparr brought up the tickets that Mumford & Sons created for their Gentlemen of the Road Stopover Tour. Each ticket was a commemorative passport that contained a download code for a compilation of songs recorded at each Stopover. Then it got better. Fans could get their passports stamped at the merch tables at each Stopover, personalizing their passports to their experience. Then it got even better. People were wandering around each Stopover with unique stamps, essentially turning the passports into a Pokemon game. (Gotta stamp 'em all!) Talk about fan engagement.
Next, update your Facebook and Twitter on the day of the show and let your fans know what merch you're going to be offering, especially if you have something that will only be available at that show. The more people can prepare (or at least consider the possibility of picking up your record), the more likely they're going to buy something.
4. Work your merch like a pop-up shop
Think about every grumpy salesperson you've had to deal with. They don't greet you, they don't look you in the eye, they don't care if their store is a mess, they don't want to help you find anything, or (even worse) they're way too pushy… Okay, now be exactly the opposite.
Your merch table is your pop-up shop. Have your items propped up nicely so that fans who are moving past your table can see what you have to offer. Greet them as they walk up to your table; don't badger them, but put on a friendly face like you would if they were customers coming into your brick-and-mortar store. Also make sure that you're being as meticulous as you would be if you were running a store: keep track of your inventory and double-check any email addresses written down on your mailing list. Remember that the experience doesn't end when your show does; fans will remember what you were like behind the table.
5. Extend the experience
Well, actually, the experience doesn't have to stop when your fans walk out of your venue either. There are a lot of ways you can extend your show experience, from the simple to the elaborate. Here are a few ideas from the Panelists:
- Make sure there's someone taking pictures of your show, including grabbing a few shots of the crowd. Then post it on Facebook and encourage your fans to tag themselves.
- Have your fans post pictures of your show to Instagram with a hashtag of your choosing, and then sending them aPostagram thanking them for coming to the show or giving them a discount for your store.
- Use DiscLive to record, mix, and master a live recording of your show. By the time you're ready to sell some merch, they'll have CDs ready to go. DiscLive also allows for preorders, meaning that a) you can bundle tickets and CDs and b) you'll have an estimate of what you'll sell at your show.
- Use MerchLuv to bundle streaming songs with merch items to cater to those new fans who hadn't heard of you before your show, but want to check you out afterwards. Remember, opportunity lies where passion meets action.
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The official announcement of the "Tonight Show" handover from Jay Leno to Jimmy Fallon generated plenty of reaction in latenight and in the Twitterverse. A sampling:
"Folks, I got to be honest with you," Leno said at the start of Wednesday's edition of "Tonight." "I had a really awkward day today. I had to call David Letterman and tell him he didn't get 'The Tonight Show' again! Awful! Terrible!"
David Letterman made pretty much the same joke in his monologue, which surprised observed for its general warmth toward his longtime rival.
"I got a call from my mom today, she said 'Well, David, I see you didn't get 'The Tonight Show' again," Letterman said.
"He's retiring, so it says, and good for him. I've known him 38 years. I've known Jay Leno for 38 years…so now he's out again, but going out on top," Letterman said. "So congratulations to Jay, a job well done."
Conan O'Brien, who had his own transition drama on "Tonight Show" in 2009-10, didn't reference Leno but gave a shout-out to Fallon on his TBS latenighter.
"It's a fun gig and you know what? Jimmy is the perfect guy to do it; he's going to do a fantastic job. So congratulations Jimmy," O'Brien said.
Jimmy Kimmel, whose move to the 11:35 slot helped spur the Fallon segue, was also gracious to his soon-t0-be competitor.
congratulations to my dear, sweet @jimmyfallon – a formidable rival and an incredible lover
— Jimmy Kimmel (@jimmykimmel) April 3, 2013
Jimmy Fallon was quiet for most of the day on Twitter until sending this heartfelt message:
Today was one of the most exciting days of my life. I read every tweet and every post and I thank you.
— jimmy fallon (@jimmyfallon) April 4, 2013
Other comics were also quick to weigh in on Twitter.
Jimmy Fallon takes over Tonight Show in Feb. Or tomorrow, if North Korea drops nuke on L.A.
— Albert Brooks (@AlbertBrooks) April 3, 2013