My arm!
- He’s fighting male genital mutilation
- McMegan Is Always Wrong, Chapter XVI
- 1, 2, 5, 54, 64
- Welcome to FK, Goldman Sachs employees!
- In college, I played shofar for Goldman Sachs and the Liberal Funk
- Drum is really down on Obama, Part II:
You know, if I’d wanted Dick Cheney as president I would have just voted for him.
- Duncan Black keeps his Grill extremely clean
- Kinsler->DL, Rangers may get Cantu
- Oswalt->Philly?
- What a joke!
This is a great book cover:
9. Happ, 2 guys who aren’t Singleton, and almost half of Oswalt’s salary paid for.
Philly did pretty good.
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Good thing they traded Lee.
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Imagine if they hadn’t … that would be a formidable rotation.
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Lee wasn’t willing to sign an extension, Halladay was.
At least that’s how I saw it.
Random-ish SF/film moment: last week, I was driving and was reminded that the back side of this shop (the front signage of which bis still extant on Battery Street) is clearly visible in a couple of shots in this movie (which is solid fun, and particularly so for the location shots of the contemporary SF waterfront).
7: Photoshop!
(also, fried peppers are really really good)
We support the definition of manure as natural fertilizer.
(Oh, also: sorry, nm, we’re kicking you out. TDF, too, if he ever shows his face around here.)
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The first thing we do, let’s
killdenaturalize all the lawyers.up
Add grain alcohol to ‘em?
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We do plenty of that ourselves.
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That would explain the whole “blind justice” thing.
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They’d be in good company, with all the Nobel Laureates.
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If I’m nobility, which of you wants to be in charge of adding our nightsoil to the supply of natural fertilizer.
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Here’s the thing that slays me about the whole thing: the thirteenthers are all hung up on the whole “nobility” thing (conceptually, at least), yet I’m sure that, to a man, they all support abolishing the “death tax.”
Sal?
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No, I was Yoda.
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Tell that you’re lying, I can.
2: McMegan is right that a 30-year fixed mortgage is, theoretically bizarre. The reason is that it isn’t really fixed (because you can prepay any amount at any time). That flexibility is priced into the loan, so basically when you take a fixed mortgage you’re betting that you’ll exercise the prepayment option before the bank thinks you will (or, in other words, that rates will go down).
This is precisely the bet you don’t intend to be making when you opt for a fixed-rate.
In other countries, there are true fixed mortgages (no prepayment at all, you WILL make the payments for 30 years), but those mortgages either stay with the house or with the person rather than being satisfied at the time of sale like ours are. It’s a whole different system, but the upshot is that you get a more rational product.
Megan’s criticism, however, is stupid.
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Basically, every post she ever makes consists of Coffee Talk: “The New Deal was neither new nor was it a deal. Discuss.”
I’m retiring “McMegan” and will henceforth refer to her as “Linda Richman.”
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This is more substantive than that.
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Any substance she actually hits on is entirely inadvertent. She’s an ideologue engaging in agitprop. (And she’s dumb/enough of an ideologue to not be getting paid for it [yet] by the institutions it benefits.)
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Takes one to know one, bub.
(Alternasnark: That’s FK’s motto!)
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I do it professionally. That was my point. She’s positioning herself as an honest broker.
As I’ve suggested before, I strongly suspect the reason Ezra and Matt take her seriously is because she slept with them.
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Then again, I’m just a piker compared to the real pros.
6: Obama has been terrible on “national security” issues. Yglesias’s take
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Obama has been terrible on a whole host of issues. It started with bringing in Goldman Sachs to run the treasury and the financial markets, so well documented by Matt Taibbi and others. Then a complete reversal on the “we don’t have to sacrifice the Constitution to keep ourselves safe.” Apparently, we do, even beyond Bush-Cheney in some cases. The Kagan nomination. The betrayal on a public option. The attack on whistle-blowers. The lack of transparency. Motherfuck–this has been awful. And worst of all, this just creates a new normal, a new middle for so many of these positions.
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I’m not quite that pessimistic. Kagan doesn’t bother me, nor does the public option. What is your lack of transparency complaint? (I thought, based on very little he was one of the most transparent but still less than he promised.)
I agree 100% on the safety.
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Here you go: http://www.salon.com/news/opinion/glenn_greenwald/2009/06/17/transparency
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Duh: he’s black. He absorbs all the light.
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Fair enough. Most of that reads more like the protection to me, but I can understand distinguishing.
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Sure, they go hand in hand. So we’re talking about the same thing.
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Motherfuck–this has been awful.
Health care reform. Stimulus. Leaving Iraq. Ledbetter Fair Pay Act. SCHIP expansion. DOJ focusing on civil rights enforcement rather than prosecuting phantom voter fraud and working to elect Republicans to congress. Financial regulation. Credit card consumer protection. No more torture. More money to mass transit and broadband. Fewer land givaways for oil and gas development. Regulatory rehabilitation: tougher stance on medical radiation, doctor-Big Pharma incest, antibiotics in meat, mountaintop mining. Improved relations with Russia: START treaty, missile shield in Eastern Europe nixed. Public school funding reform. More money for math and science. Reduced federal involvement in the Great War on Weed. Visitation rights for gays and lesbians. DADT rollback. Also the rest of the world likes us better.
Basically, this:
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I think we have tomorrow’s grill – thanks mk!
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I agree that he’s been a great president. I think he’s already easily top-10 and probably top-5.
That said, he’s been shitty on defense stuff.
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He’s been shitty at refudiation.
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I still think he should have had Reid and Pelosi push single-payer through in refudiation.
Which one of you FKers stole my pea puree?
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Probably the same one who stole my laptop bag the other night.
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It’s still not clear to me what really happened with that.
And as usual, the editing seemed designed to manipulate rather than to illuminate.
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Agreed – with all those cameras going, there’s no way someone doesn’t know what went down, so show us already.
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Colicchio weighs in
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Huh, seems odd that they can’t know what really happened. I would think there would at least be some footage of Alex making a puree, and if not, then it’s clear that he took Ed’s. Option 3 makes no sense – if he thought it was his and took Ed’s by mistake, then there would have been Alex’s left over in another container. Then they could have argued over who’s was who’s if they were vastly different, but that’s another issue.
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See, I think the producers genuinely couldn’t figure it out. Typically in such instances they’ll find the moment to reveal the smoking gun camera shot…maybe Ed leaving his puree alone on some back shelf, maybe skinnybalddude skulking away with ed’s pot, something. They even tried to do a similar thing with teh flashback of skinnybalddude hearing about Ed’s pea plan the night before. But last night they didn’t have that money shot, leading me to believe that they pored over footage and couldn’t find it.
I think skinnybalddude accidentally took Ed’s pea puree, realized his mistake once Ed started hollering about it, and then wouldn’t fess up.
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I forgot to comment on this earlier, but that whole toothpick thing blew my mind. I had no idea that was the law. Is that really true? Sigh…oh to own the mini plastic sword concession in DC…
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I liked the hapless guy’s comment about that: “That’s a good law; otherwise lobbyists could just buy some laws!”
The plot thickens
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I would expect Fox News to give her a reasonable settlement through intermediaries. I really don’t think they or their sponsors/benefactors want to go through discovery re Breitbart.
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If, of course, she wants to settle.
Honestly, can anyone tell me why Drum is so worked up over interchange fees? This seems to me to be on par with his weird jihad against frequent-shopper cards.
Oh, shit:
McMeganLinda Richman Is Occasionally Not-Wrong, Chapter I.up
Blogging defined in 11 words:
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Well, it was a pretty confusing sentence.
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I have to admit, I don’t understand MY’s “retailers’ monopoly rents” in this context either, and I agree with Drum that merchants should be allowed to pass these fees on to consumers if they want (and shouldn’t a (g)libertarian like McMegan agree with that one too?).
OTOH, “we lose our humanity when this becomes merely a shrug of the shoulders” seems just a bit much.
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I’m confused about that. Gas stations routinely have a cash price and a CC price. Are they special? Student loan processors also accept credit card payments, but at a surcharge.
Also, people routinely give discounts for cash payment in service industries (although part of that is probably tax avoidance).
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I was wondering about the gas station issue too, as it’s not subtle.
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Cash discounts are allowed, surcharges are not (and apparently in California, are actually illegal) except for governmental agencies.
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“…except for governmental agencies.”
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Boo.
Brett Wallace traded to Astros for Anthony Gose (one of the prospects they just got in the Oswalt deal). That’ll be his fourth organization in just over a year.
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Circles within circles: Tommy Everidge released by Astros to make room for Wallace
8 arms are wicked
Cantu to Rangers finalized
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Cannot!
Tejada->Padres
Anyone want to sponsor an Ellis photo conversion?
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Nah, but I might chip in for one of Kendall. Or Cheney.
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Gah! He’s everywhere!
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Sorry, that guy’s got nothing on drmmerchk when it comes to capturing the essential Ellis…
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Why did I visit that moron’s website?
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You thought “swrc” stood for “smokin’ weed in rural California”?
This seems like a sensible summary to me:
Certainly after the Sheetstorm (and Duchscherer, Chavez, etc etc), I don’t see the advisability of exercising Crisp’s option for ‘11 (working out a deal beforehand where they decline it but have a framework in place to renegotiate, ok), and I’m not sure that any team acquiring him would definitely keep him for ‘11. And I’m really curious as to how much his sub-Damon arm eats into his defensive value. We’ve got meh options in-house to replace him next year (Rajai/Gross/Carson), but, again, with the inability to stay on the field and the wet-noodle arm …
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I like him. And Mrs. N likes him a lot b/c of the CLE connection.
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I like him better than Rajai — but no one’s likely to want to trade for Rajai, and Rajai is cheap.
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The option has a $500K buyout, so the cost of exercising it is really only $5.25M. The smart guys tell us that buys you about 1.3 WAR on the open market, which coincidentally is almost exactly what the A’s have gotten out of Crisp this year, despite the fact that he’s played in only a little over a month’s worth of games.
I think it’d be batshit crazy not to exercise it, especially considering just how meh those meh options are.
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I was going to try and be clever and suggest that Rajai’s negative WAR should be factored in to adjust Crisp’s value downward for the missed time, but it’s positive.
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Speed kills.
So, three months ago I weighed 232 pounds. Now I weigh 214.
18 pounds in three months.
I went to see the doctor about a persistent cough (4+ weeks), and chest x-rays showed no problems. Afterward, the doctor alternated between the words “sutoresu” and “arerugi” (stress and allergy), repeating them in a slow, booming voice seemingly meant for someone with severe brain damage and/or hearing loss.
She didn’t offer any other words until I showed clear discomfort with the way she was speaking to me. I had already established in many previous visits (as well as the current one) that I speak and understand Japanese. I think I’m done with that hospital.
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I’d be happy to give you 18 pounds.
Hope you get things cleared up.
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My thoughts exactly.
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Thanks, guys.
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So, yeah. Panic attacks are very, very real. And they’re very unpleasant.
It’s nice to know that you aren’t having a heart attack, though. Gives you some control over the situation.
Thank goodness for friends–especially ones who have already experienced your trials.
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Panic attacks are way beyond unpleasant. My sister-in-law started getting them about 2 years ago, shortly after she moved in with us so I have seen many bad cases first hand.
What makes it so bad from what I can see is that it doesn’t feel the same. When I get a cold this winter, I will know it’s a cold because it will feel the same as most every other one I have ever had. With each attack, my sister in law has believed that this time it couldnt be a panic attact because it feels different Even after the paramedics assured her it was she had trouble believing it.
If you are having bouts of panic attacks JL I send you my best…
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The end of Florida was filled with not leaving my house and panic attacks. Suck. Full of suck.
Ruh-roh:
Also — GEREN URGES BATTING-PRACTICE BATTERS: PLEASE HIT ME IN MY GUY REGION (I think “Guy Region” must be Hustonian for “Ron Mexico”)
{snerk}
Isn’t that what FSU and LB look for?
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I’m more into petite but firm backdating.
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Sigline!
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You see it all the time, but it’s still always struck me as weird the way some people are just prone to being true believers, almost regardless of what the belief is. David Horowitz, for instance, leaving one extreme belief set in favor of an opposite, equally extreme belief set. I expect Anne Rice to start in with militant atheism next.
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Or Christopher Hitchens.
And, sig-wise, in FK-land I think “infamous” should be “unfamous”.
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Once Smitten, Rice Shies
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That’s a great line. Makes me want to join some groups so I can quit in style.
The still accompanying Mick LaSalle’s review of “Dinner for Schmucks” put me in mind of nightmare-inducing childhood visits to Potter’s Museum of Natural Curiosities (Mr Potter being an opium-addled taxidermist)
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That is both scary and…well, scary.
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And that’s before starting on the freak-show stuff, like the two-faced kitten
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I’d prominently display either piece in my home.
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The whole collection was sold a few years back, and I was surprised to see how cheap some of the pieces were.
Notes for possible attendees of Tuesday’s informal pregame meet-up:
1. It’s a Free Parking Tuesday. I plan to be in the lot by 5:30 at the latest, and probably closer to 5:00.
2. I’ll park in my usual place, North lot off of 66th (right turn at end of foot bridge for you BARTers), 3-5 rows back from the Coli…A’s marks the spot:
3. I probably won’t have a ticket in advance; I figure we can buy as many low price tix at the box office as needed, and then all sit together somewhere, maybe in Poppy’s section, annoying her upstanding, legit-seating neighbors. Or, we could all spread out to different sections to make the crowd look bigger and strike fear into the hearts of the Royals.
4. I’m not bringing most of my tailgating gear. However, I have eight frozen burger patties left over from my July 4 family BBQ, and the vegetarian Mrs. Upgrade has ordered me to get them the hell out of her freezer. So I’ll be bringing coals and my most portable Small Butt Grill™, and can serve up burgers and fixins to the first few folks who want ‘em. And I’ll have some mediocre beer.
Hope to see some of you there.
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Sigh.
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Super-sigh.
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I’ll be there. With Mikie.
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And I think we have leftover hot links–FSU, you got condiments?
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I’ll have the essentials–ketchup, mustard, and kraut–and hamburger buns, but probably no hot dog buns. I may get it together enough to have lettuce tomato anad cheese, or I may not.
Who’s bringing the andrenochrome?
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I plan to be there.
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yay!
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I’ll be there, although I still don’t know who wants my other ticket. I think batgirl and LB were going to mud-wrestle for it in the slough.
Or, if anyone wants guacamole, I can bring some of that and they can wrestle in the leftovers…
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I’ll be there with Ms. S, should get there from the airport by around 6. We already have tickets.
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Jokes about wasting guacamole aren’t funny.
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This.
Plus that skank batgirl’s going down.
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Please to rephrase.
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BFF!
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Me. You. Guacamole.
Two hits. Me hitting you. Both of us hitting the guacamole. With chips.
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Hey, I dibsed that ticket faster than Fosse.
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Okay, it’s yours! LB’s on his own… or something…
I think that 67MARQUEZ might be their biggest asset over there when he does his thing.
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Quez, what an asset.
Agrd. That interview/article was really great. elcroata’s Piazza interview was also quite good.
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You are way, way too kind, Jedi. Not sure if I agree, but appreciate the sentiment.
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Marquez is quite good, and I still like the minor league stuff. The comments on minor league posts are the only comments I find readable anymore. Only a few people venture in there, but the ones who do are usually well-informed and stick to the topic.
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I agree. And I’m their biggest asset, god damn it.
If any of you haven’t read Don’s book, I highly recommend it.
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mike v is the biggest assest grillest
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true. It is quite awesome. Attaches right to the back of his truck…
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I dropped Don an email inviting him to meet us for the Tuesday game and/or the 8/21 shindig; he may make the former and is definitely planning for the latter.
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I just approved his comment above, which appeared to have been sitting there unnoticed for a day and a half. Sorry about the delay on that, Don.
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Don’s awesome. I love him.
Upcoming technical issues.
FK’s host has informed me that our usage exceeds what they’re willing to provide for free. I’ll be transferring us to a $3/mo plan (which I was already considering doing because the free account was going to limit our ability to archive comments in the database).
I assume there’ll be a bit of an interruption.
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Joke’s on us: FK to institute subscription fee before ** does.
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Heh.
Just wait until I start spewing sponsored posts to subsidize myself.
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Brought to you by Eagle Hands Laundry. If your Eagle’s hands are dirty…
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I refuse to pay a nickel a month.
I propose we have lottery. All of us, names in the hat. Loser pays for the year.
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No worries. I got this.
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That’s less fun. We should have some kind of contest or something.
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Guacamole wrestling! It’s good for everything.
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Either that, or we’ll have to go with rolling blackkrauts.
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winner.
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Do you want us to chip in for the plan?
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No need.
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You can take it out of your bridge winnings.
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Are we changing partners next time?
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TWFPAMKS
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You can never have too many Kekich-Peterson references on a quality kraut singles blog.
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I’d have gone with MFALB, but this is (nominally) a baseball blog.
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$200,000 should keep us going for a while.
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I’m eagerly awaiting my check
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{crickets}
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When you get hustled at $100 a point it can add up.
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Especially when there’s only one person who knows how to keep score.
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TWSSS
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So here’s the plan:
The new account is set-up, but this stuff is not yet copied over.
This evening (~10) MB is going to set the url to point to the new webspace and I am going to ask the host to copy things over. Any comments made here after the copy will be lost on the new version (which would happen if the copy is made before the url pointing takes effect. If the url pointing takes effect before the copying is done, you’ll be pointed to a blank site.
This issue is unavaviodable, but we should have a faster host going forward (and we can keep all our archives up).
I’ll make a post when the transfer is complete.
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OK, everyone, stop being funny or interesting until nm tells us the transfer is complete.
OTOH, feel free to be obtuse and offensive, as your comments will vanish and your offense will be impossible to prove. Fuckers!
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Oh, blow it out your small-ass grill.
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Yeah, and we better see some Perky Jerky at the game Tuesday.
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I’ll show you some PerkyJerky
(iFSU, PerkyJerky shows you)
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Those are…SAG RUNS!
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God damn it. I was hoping our new host would still be avaviodable. The change sucks. I’ll miss all the avavioding. I’m leaving.
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Finally. Sheesh.
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Joke’s on you. No change yet.
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how about now?
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Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet?
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That’s it, I’m pulling the car over.
(And no. I’ll make a post when it happens.)
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(TWHS)
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That’s not-change we can believe in!