Blink. Blink. Friday? Finally? (Open Thread)

UnkaWillbur Sep 09, 2016

1392 Views 718

Here’s your Actually Friday, I Swear, I Checked This Time Friday Open Thread…

The Tax Justice Network has a great article on Bahama’s latest moves to be the tax-dodging, crime-nurturing haven of the corrupt plutocrat’s dreams.

Remember that anonymous hacker, who helped expose the Stubenville rape? Yeah, well, he’s likely to get more jail time than the rapists. Along with Brock Turner’s easy ride, more evidence that America Loves Itself A Rapist.

While in Chicago, Green Party candidate Jill Stein took some accurate and appropriate potshots at Rahm “Liberals Are Fucking Retards” Emanuel: Master Criminal and Neoliberal Maven.

In a bold attempt to do… something…anything, Kim Jong Un bans sarcasm. Yeah, right, that’s gonna work…

And, yet again we’re being “re-introduced” to Hillary Clinton. I think this makes it about 173 times, this election alone. This time, she’s telling storm of lies about “her religion.” Get out the hip-waders!

Wall Street gets all-in-a-twitter about minor regulatory recommendations, that have no chance of being implemented, in any enforceable way.

In more “It’s Not News Until We Say So,” thousands of miner rallied in Washington yesterday, seeking to protect the pensions and health care promised them by the federal government. Clinton and Joe Minchin said some pretty words, and Mitch McConnel got to play Bad Cop.

“Regulation? We don’t need no stinking regulation!” Said no sane person, ever. Mmmm, poisonberries.

NASA successfully launched the OSIRIS-Rex vehicle, which will attempt to rendezvous with an asteroid named “Bennu” and return samples of its surface to Earth. Let’s hope the UFO doesn’t interfere.

File Under, “Well, Duh”: The more alcohol kids see, the more they consume.

Beware of Cable TV Companies Bearing Gifts. Especially when they pretend the outcome isn’t exactly what they want.

Andrew Levine correctly assigns the blame for this year’s abhorrent candidates on at least one of the parties actually responsible.

Over at Liberal Values, all the ways in which both Trump and Clinton are completely unqualified to be Commander In Chief is dissected, with glee.

And, lastly, your Archeology Video of the Week: The Time Team goes crazy for Roman mosaic floors, in Somerset:

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Your Weekend of Weekends.

UnkaWillbur - May 26, 2017

Here' some links to nosh on, to start of your weekend. I hope everyone's weekend is great; me, myself, I'm planning on jumping out of a perfectly…

Edwin

First. Ha ha.

It’s a lovely breezy late-summer night in the ROK.
- Unkawillbur
  
  Morning Edwin.
  
  What’s your take, if any, about NK’s claims of a test? The media is reporting that a lot of Asian markets are reacting badly, but RoK’s markets have just kind of shrugged and said, “meh!”
  - panem et circenses
    
    My experience from friends in SK is that they don’t get all that nervous about Kim’s antics. When NK shot rockets over the DMZ to take out Korean speakers one friend said he’s just looking for attention and/or more money and rice from the west. That seems to be the prevailing opinion among those I know no matter what Lil Kim does.
  - Edwin
    
    First I’ve heard about it.
    
    Hubby says: ”We don’t care.”
    - Unkawillbur
      
      Well, dagnabit, what’s up with that? You’re supposed to be “Our Reporter, On The Scene!!”
      
      LOL – Just Kidding.
panem et circenses

Thirdst.
- Unkawillbur
  
  LOL. Does that mean you’re thirdsty? Need a drink? 😉
  - panem et circenses
    
    I rarely pass up a free beverage.
SmotPoker

Here I sit all broken hearted.
Tried to comment, but only farted…..
- Unkawillbur
  
  Yet all in all, I sighed relief
  For at least I hadn’t sharted.
  - SmotPoker
    
    Although I may be down in the dumps
    I’m thankful my farts don’t have lumps
    
    EDITED FOR RHYTHM
    - Unkawillbur
      
      LOL: I got nothing!
      - SmotPoker
        
        Well, if you put them all together, I think it is fit to be on any bathroom stall wall in America.
      - Unkawillbur
        
        Washroom Wordsworths! LOL
      - SmotPoker
        
        The story of a man struggling to contribute to society, failing, yet finding a silver lining.
        
        I wonder what the film rights would fetch?
      - Unkawillbur
        
        Shoot, I’d sell the option cheap, as long as I got a percentage if it ever went into production!
    - Unkawillbur
      
      (re: edits: Scansion is important!)
Shohanna

BLAH morning. BLAH sky(it’s going to rain) and My BRAIN says BLAH..

Hi guys.. feeling little under the weather. Woke up at 3:45am! O.O for no reason. Tried to go back to sleep… Maybe 15 minutes after an hour of trying. I gave up and now I have a headache.

BLAH just go away. /nod That’s the sentiment. <3 In a loving way of course!
- Unkawillbur
  
  Worst way to wake up. I’m sorry to hear it, Sho.
  - Shohanna
    
    It is! it puts it all in the wrong place and you can’t get it back. it’s like REALLY?! My back hurts already and it’s “out” by just a tiny bit. But that tiny bit is enough to make you go. “oH FuCk OfF” already. lol
    - Unkawillbur
      
      My mom has sciatica, an artifact of childhood polio, so I understand exactly what you’re talking about.
- Unkawillbur
  
  Here, maybe the “literal version” of The Safety Dance will help. 😉
  
  https://youtu.be/Yi7mBzdDHyY
  - Shohanna
    
    One of my favorite songs! How sweet of you!
    - Unkawillbur
      
      I am actually a gigantic fan of Men Without Hats. Have like a dozen (physical) albums, picture discs, etc. And I absolutely love the messed up lyrics of the “literal version” as well (“Definteily LSD!”). And yeah, they didn’t bother with a high-quality source LOL
      - lindajoyous
        
        Hi unka, I just donated to Jill Stein!
      - Unkawillbur
        
        YAY! I’m hoping to get another donation in, this month, if one of my client’s actually pays me for some work I did.
      - lindajoyous
        
        My parents left doing pretty good! But my dog is sickly and spendy! I’ve spent more for medical for him lately than on myself! Just glad I am able to afford it!
  - Shohanna
    
    Need more pixels! lol
- SmotPoker
  
  Worst way to wake up. I know from experience. Sorry to hear it.
  - Shohanna
    
    Yes, yes it is.. My back is going to hurt all day today. 🙁 I needed to go shopping! /sigh
- lindajoyous
  
  Hi Shohanna, hope you feel better soon! 🙂
  - Shohanna
    
    Hey Linda, it’s going to be one of those days.. But hopefully I get a better nights sleep tonight. lol <3
    - lindajoyous
      
      I have problems sleeping also, hate if when I wake up with my right hip killing me! Since I can’t work anymore I’ve become a night owl!
      - Shohanna
        
        I usually am too, but my heart does NOT like the night shift. It gives me shit for being up late. But, I end up with insomnia and there isn’t a damned thing I can do about it when it happens. I can’t stay up and fix it like I use to. I have to work it around the clock. So it’s easier to TRY to stay on a normal schedule. It makes my heart happy and as a result my back and hip doesn’t hurt as often.
      - lindajoyous
        
        So sorry to hear you have heart trouble. I took care of my dad after my mom passed away and he had heart trouble. Also took care of his dog, and the dog was coughing alot. the vet said he has congestive heart failure and to give him pills. He got so he wouldn’t eat and had to be put to sleep.
        So far I’ve only have high blood pressure. I have hep-c, but doing ok, and colitis! Hope you feel better soon! 🙂
      - Shohanna
        
        Oh I hope you feel better too Linda, I had “antibiotic” colitis, *their diagnoses 3 yrs before they found out my scar tissue was strangling me to death. They would rather throw pills at it instead of you know, actually investigating.* How did I find out? Serendipitously! I went to have my tubes tied!! They got in there and found scar tissue wrapped around my intestines, SO MUCH of it they couldn’t even SEE my tubes and had to remove 10lbs of it. !! They took PICTURES! She showed it to me! I have the damn picture somewhere.. It was 20 yrs ago.
        
        Which is the SAME issue I have now. AND b/c our records were not stored on computer…. The notes and file from the surgery are long gone. The Gastroenterologist who did the surgery….Does NOT REMEMBER doing the surgery. He is that old. He called me a “liar” and “attention whore” to get surgery I don’t need.
        
        Know what the diagnosis is now? OH I have IBS and I am suppose to take “stool softeners” for the rest of my life… (((the bottle even WARNS you not to take it if you have a possible blockage.)))
        
        SUCH WONDERFUL MISOGYNISTIC ASSHOLES RIGHT?! THIS is why I hate doctors and all the ego that goes with it. I tried to even have the Dr who DID my tubes talk to the DR who did the SCAR tissue removal. (It was a conspiracy to do god knows what and they refused to talk to each other!!!)
        
        JUST once I would wish for a Dr to listen to me. Just once so I can have the scar tissue removed again and be able to take a decent shit.
      - lindajoyous
        
        Sorry you have stomach problems. I have had ibs all my life, alot of the ladies in my family have stomach problems. Then a few months ago I kept having diarrhea which lasted for 4 months, had the dreaded colonoscopy, so glad there was no cancer, but they said I have colitis. I makes it hard to eat, and of course the foods I love, like broccoli, cauliflower, any kind of bean soup and chili.
        
        The doctor has given me prescriptions for it, but don’t think they like to take to much of it. So I live on pepto bismul and over the counter stuff! I do think stress affects it big time.
        Hope you have a great day Shohanna and see you later! 🙂
- RTIII
  
  Awe!
panem et circenses

Obama’s Saudi Criticisms Don’t Stand in the Way of Record U.S. Weapons Sales

http://www.worldpoliticsreview.com/trend-lines/19860/obama-s-saudi-criticisms-don-t-stand-in-the-way-of-record-u-s-weapons-sales

“But while he says one thing, Obama has offered Saudi Arabia more weapons and military training than any other U.S. president in the history of an alliance that goes back to 1945—more than $115 billion over the course of his administration, according to a new report by William Hartung of the Center for International Policy in Washington. Forty-two separate deals since early 2009, Hartung wrote, “have covered the full range of military equipment, from small arms and ammunition, to howitzers, to tanks and other armored vehicles, to attack helicopters and combat aircraft, to bombs and air-to-ground missiles, to missile defense systems, to combat ships. The United States also provides billions in services, including maintenance and training, to Saudi security forces.” …”
- Unkawillbur
  
  When I see things like this, all I can ever think think is…
  
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6hHnOBlwU3A
  - towerofbabel
    
    I kept waiting for the eyes to sing.
    - Unkawillbur
      
      Damn! I hadn’t thought of that. That’d be fucking cool. Maybe it’s time to re-install CrazyTalk!
Unkawillbur

I didn’t just LOL, I LMAO’d!

Newly Discovered Flatworm Is Named After Obama

B. obamai is described in the August issue of the Journal of Parasitology as having a long, thread-like body. So far, it’s shown up in two freshwater turtles, the black marsh turtle (Siebenrockiella crassicollis) and southeast Asian box turtle (Cuora amboinensis).

It’s it’s a long, thin parasite that sucks blood. Oh my…
- Shohanna
  
  ROFLMAO!! OH God that’s so classic.. Describes him perfectly!!
- towerofbabel
  
  How cool is it while sucking your blood?
Unkawillbur

There’s nothing so deadly to predatory capitalism as employee-owned companies/co-ops!

Denver Taxi Drivers Are Turning Uber’s Disruption on Its Head

The largest taxi company in the Denver metro area is still mostly secret. On Sunday morning, the parking lot behind the Communication Workers of America Local 7777 office filled up with cars. Some already had the black or green paint of Green Taxi Cooperative, its name inscribed in Wild West-style type. But many were still unmarked, or bore the branding of one of Denver’s other cab companies, for whom drivers were working even after putting down the $2,000 investment to become a member-owner of Green Taxi
- lindajoyous
  
  I used to work in a Plywood Mill and it was co-op, we had to buy 350 shares for a working block! When Reagan became president all the mills suffered, the mill ended up closing up, to whole this was tore down, now it seems as if that part of my life never existed!
Unkawillbur

Now that the buzz of the Uniparty-head-fake has worn off, American’s are waking up to the pig-in-a-poke that they were sold, with Obama’s signature Corporate Welfare Bill.

More Americans Negative Than Positive About ACA

Currently, 29% of Americans say Obamacare has hurt them and their family, up from 26% in May, and the highest Gallup has measured to date. Meanwhile, the percentage who say the ACA has helped their family dropped from 22% to 18%. The bulk of Americans, 51%, continue to say the law has “had no effect.” As more provisions of the law have taken effect over the years, the “no effect” percentage has dropped from the first reading of 70%, in early 2012.
- Left of Eden
  
  I wonder what percentage of dissatisfied respondents see single payer as the solution?
  - Unkawillbur
    
    That’d be a data point I’d be interested in knowing, for sure.
    - panem et circenses
      
      I’m more interested in how many believe abandonment of capitalism and the state is the solution.
- all_hail_the_hypno_toad
  
  Fuck the ACA.
panem et circenses

I don’t usually go the pop culture route, but this article wasn’t bad.

I’m Cautiously Excited About Star Trek’s Plans for a Female Lead

https://bitchmedia.org/article/im-cautiously-excited-about-star-treks-plans-female-lead
- Unkawillbur
  
  I’m cautious about the new show, overall (I’m a serious old-school Trek fan), but love the idea of a female lead.
  - SmotPoker
    
    I always like to have fun with Star Wars fans.
- cathyx
  
  They had one in Star Trek Voyager. Captain Janeway.
  - Unkawillbur
    
    Well, she was captain, but she wasn’t the lead of the show, per-se, but rather part of an ensemble cast (all the main characters in Voyager had their own, unique ongoing stories) If the rumors/hints about this new show are true, the female lead, and her experiences, will be the focus of the show. Plus it appears they’re looking for an African America or Hispanic woman, which will be even better.
  - panem et circenses
    
    Yes, she’s mentioned in the article. Don’t let the title throw you off. This article is written from a feminist perspective and talks about the successes and drawbacks of the previous female Star Trek characters. Bitchmedia is a feminist media platform and their articles are usually well articulated.
    - panem et circenses
      
      Also, I loved Captain Janeway.
    - Unkawillbur
      
      It’s a new site, to me, but just perusing her past articles made me add her to my RSS feeds. Looking forward to being a regular reader.
- Stephanie
  
  The absolutely most offensive moment for me in Star Trek history would be in the Next Generation with the episode ,The Perfect Mate where a woman was literally was held in status, she would then be gifted to her mate, at which point she would then adopt her personality to his interests and desires. It almost killed the show for me.
  http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=URyb8PQNqlo
  - Unkawillbur
    
    I dunno, The Starfleet characters’ reactions to such an ugly practice ranged from upset to ragingly disgusted and, in the end, it was left to her to choose, but the whole thing was not at all complementary on that culture or its practive. I wasn’t wholly pleased with the episode, but I thought it’s by-proxy challenging of the practice of arranged marriages was well within the classic Trek practice of addressing social issues and, at the time, there was a big deal in, I think India, about such arranged marriages.
    
    But, I can certainly see how you you get offended by practice portrayed in the story. There’s been movies and, some, TV which had characters or plots that ruined them for me. Requiem For A Dream is a fine example of that in a movie: I hated those characters so badly, an otherwise great movie was ruined for me.
    - panem et circenses
      
      I didn’t see it so much about arranged marriages as about what men supposedly really want in a woman and how to oblige. Picard was nearly unable to resist her “charms”, which consisted simply of mimicking himself. It’s the “cool girl” trope, where men desire obedience and a false persona of liking and agreeing with everything they do over an independent woman with her own thoughts and feelings. It didn’t really resolve the issue that a hollow vessel to fill up with their own personality is what a lot of guys really want, even someone as respectable as Picard. It kind of sent the opposite message that even the best of men simply want a femdoll.
      - Unkawillbur
        
        Fair enough interpretation.
    - SmotPoker
      
      What did you hate about Requiem For A Dream? Leto pimping out girl for drugs? I thought it was pretty central to the story showing the breakdown in norms, morals, and ethics experienced by heavy addicts that will do anything for a fix.
      
      To each his own, but I though that film was pretty damn good.
      - Unkawillbur
        
        It was a great film! That what was so vexing: the characters were so well written and acted, that I came to despise them so, it overode my rational judgment about the film!
      - SmotPoker
        
        Totally understand.
    - Stephanie
      
      The show really wasn’t about arranged marriages. As well you know, often in life a turd is wrapped in a pretty package. Both too slip in, an unpalatable idea (as in this case.) And to give said turd dropper illegitimate cover.
      
      See I am not really a sexist piece of s*** because I care about women being forced into marriages. Forgetting that it’s a non-existent issue in westran industrialized countries and has been for quite some time.
      Look at how well neoliberalism has been wrapped in a pretty package of Progressive Democratic racial and sexual equality.
      
      Bottom line for this show.
      
      I am my own person, with my own thoughts my own feelings, my own desires, my own interests and priorities.
      
      I was not put on this Earth, for the sole pleasure of men.
      Men will have to adjust to women, as much as women have to adjust to men.
      - Unkawillbur
        
        The writers said that was what it was about, in trek zine I was subbed to, back then. I just took their word for it. That doesm’t invalidate your reaction to the episode, but is the reason I made the commemt I did.
      - panem et circenses
        
        Exactly, well said.
Unkawillbur

Wow. Just, wow.

A Visit to ‘Ark Encounter’, Where Creationism and Dinosaurs Collide
http://motherboard-images.vice.com/content-images/contentimage/37371/1473361337583621.jpg

The park is run by Answers in Genesis, a Christian organization that also created the Creation Museum, where the infamous debate between Bill Nye and young Earth creationist Ken Ham was held. After making a visit to the Creation Museum, I thought I’d go to the ark.
- panem et circenses
  
  I’m not sure why Noah bothered to stuff all those dinosaurs into the ark if they were just going to die off anyway.
  - Unkawillbur
    
    “God Works In Mysterious Ways” Is, I believe, the culturally appropriate answer. 😉
    - panem et circenses
      
      Looking at that guy with the Confederate flag bandanna and the look of absent-minded wonder on his face, bringing his kid to be brainwashed like he was, I feel like I should be angry but it just makes me sad more than anything.
- Chunga
  
  I’ve always wanted to visit this place, eat a bunch of mushrooms and have fun with the tourists.
  - Unkawillbur
    
    That’s about the only way you’d get me to go there. Seriously.
- FaunaAndFlora
  
  …
17

Fuck the Washington Post.

That is all.
- SpiffyTheValiant
  
  yup i agree.
  - panem et circenses
    
    I have no idea what’s going on, but I also agree 100%. I don’t read that trash.
    - SpiffyTheValiant
      
      I’d link you, but you said you don’t read it. XD basically, Editorial board wrote an article saying poor clinton. why are people so focused on the emails because Trump is Satan.
      - panem et circenses
        
        Yeah, sounds like standard operating procedure for that godforsaken rag. I’d be surprised if they every wrote anything that wasn’t pure neoliberal propaganda.
      - SpiffyTheValiant
        
        I only glanced at the comments for a minute, but everyone was tearing into them.
      - all_hail_the_hypno_toad
        
        At least people aren’t buying into it.
      - SpiffyTheValiant
        
        🙂
      - panem et circenses
        
        I don’t know if you read The Guardian or other UK media, but they’ve become arguably even worse than the US media over the past several months in their desire to bring down Corbyn. It’s a bit surreal, considering how professional, if not impartial, they once were.
        
        One example:
        
        https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/jul/12/should-jeremy-corbyn-included-labour-ballot#comments
      - all_hail_the_hypno_toad
        
        The elite know the jig is up, they’re trying to propagandize us into compliance.
      - panem et circenses
        
        Exactly, they’re in serious panic mode.
      - SpiffyTheValiant
        
        Name is familiar. I think Corbyn is the European Trump?
      - all_hail_the_hypno_toad
        
        Nope, Labour Party.
      - SpiffyTheValiant
        
        ohhh. hmm who am I getting him mixed up with
      - all_hail_the_hypno_toad
        
        Don’t worry, there’s lots of them 😀
      - SpiffyTheValiant
        
        lol
      - panem et circenses
        
        Boris Johnson or Nigel Farage, probably.
      - all_hail_the_hypno_toad
        
        There’s also that evil French woman whom I forget the name of.
      - panem et circenses
        
        Le Pen
      - all_hail_the_hypno_toad
        
        That’s the one.
      - SpiffyTheValiant
        
        That evil french woman, sounds like toad is an aspiring author too XD
      - all_hail_the_hypno_toad
        
        No, my brain is fried right now, stupid sniffles.
      - SpiffyTheValiant
        
        awe *hugs the toad*
      - SpiffyTheValiant
        
        oh yeah. Boris! That’s who I was thinking of.
      - panem et circenses
        
        More like the European Bernie Sanders, except he actually managed to somehow win party leadership. The entire media and financial establishment is working hard to correct that, though.
      - Unkawillbur
        
        The Guardian is still ok on issues that don’t directly affect Britain, but even there they are definitely slipping.
panem et circenses

How Much We Trust Someone Depends on Their Response to This Moral Dilemma

http://bigthink.com/articles/how-much-we-trust-someone-depends-on-their-response-to-this-moral-dilemma

The results of this study are pretty interesting, given that the vast majority (90%) of people, including 68% of philosophers, seem to be consequentialists.

Sources for those numbers:

http://healthland.time.com/2011/12/05/would-you-kill-one-person-to-save-five-new-research-on-a-classic-debate/

http://philpapers.org/archive/BOUWDP
- Unkawillbur
  
  This is a great example of why I’ve become so fascinated by cognitive neuroscience!
- Ann Watson
  
  One thing I have learned in life is that however we think we will behave in a given situation, we cannot know until we actually encounter it. The problem with any of these experiments is that the people taking part know it isn’t real and that in itself can influence how they behave.
  - SpiffyTheValiant
    
    ann 🙂
    - Ann Watson
      
      Spiff! ; )
      - SpiffyTheValiant
        
        how goes it 🙂
      - Ann Watson
        
        It goes well.
        I trust that holds true for you too. ; )
      - SpiffyTheValiant
        
        it does ^^
  - panem et circenses
    
    They’ve attempted to recreate that through VR simulation, but you’re right. Interestingly, it’s the deontologists (the people who wouldn’t sacrifice one to save five) who are more emotionally impacted by their decision when experiencing a VR simulation of the event than consequentialists who’d save more people.
    
    Study of the Day: Almost Everyone Would Kill 1 Person to Save 5
    Nine out of 10 participants in a recent 3-D simulation of the classic “trolley problem” would sacrifice a person for the greater good
    
    http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2011/12/study-of-the-day-almost-everyone-would-kill-1-person-to-save-5/250066/
    - Ann Watson
      
      I was going to give a real life example but thought better of it. ; )
      The mere fact that someone is taking part in an experiment primes them to be ready to make a decision. That is not what happens in real life, it hits you out of the blue, you react automatically and instinctively, there is no time to weigh consequences in some circumstances. On reflection you might think it was not the wisest thing to do.
      All I will say is that it involved a kitten in danger and I was lucky and so were others involved.
all_hail_the_hypno_toad

Anyone who’s lived in a smoggy city would likely welcome the idea of using widely dispersed air filters to soak up all those toxic tidbits floating around—unless, of course, those filters were functioning human brains.

Our noggins naturally catch and collect the toxic, magnetic nanoparticles that we inadvertently inhale from polluted air, according to a study published Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Those wee particles, made of the strongly magnetic iron oxide compound, magnetite, have been found in human brains before and were thought to be normal and harmless byproducts of biological processes. But according to the new study, a closer examination of minuscule metal balls in 37 human brains revealed that they’re actually from smog, formed during combustion or friction-derived heating, such as slamming on the brakes of a car.

http://arstechnica.com/science/2016/09/your-brain-is-sponging-up-toxic-nanomagnets-from-polluted-air/
- SpiffyTheValiant
  
  toad <3
  - all_hail_the_hypno_toad
    
    Hiya 🙂
    - SpiffyTheValiant
      
      😉
- panem et circenses
  
  I believe those particles have also been linked to Alzheimer’s.
  - all_hail_the_hypno_toad
    
    That’s what it says.
all_hail_the_hypno_toad

Tax officials in Denmark are reportedly paying an unknown source around £1 million (~$1.3M) for secret financial information on hundreds of Danish nationals.

Their names appear in the Panama Papers, leaked earlier this year, which consist of 11.5 million files from the database of Mossack Fonseca—the world’s fourth biggest offshore law firm.

This is the first time, according to Danish newspaper Politiken, that Denmark has agreed to buy information on possible tax evaders in this way. Denmark also seems to be the first country to admit that it’s acquiring data from a source with access to the leaked Mossack Fonseca documents. [Update: apparently Iceland made an earlier deal—see comment below.]

http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2016/09/panama-papers-denmark-payout-data-tax-evasion-probe/
all_hail_the_hypno_toad

Facebook has been accused of censorship by Norway’s prime minister, Erna Solberg, in a growing spat about the free content ad network’s removal of a post featuring the Pulitzer Prize-winning historic Vietnam War image of “napalm girl.”

The social media network deleted a post made by the Norwegian newspaper Aftenposten based on the fact that the image contained child nudity. On Friday morning, the editor-in-chief of the paper published an open letter to Mark Zuckerberg, in which he described the Facebook chief as “the world’s most powerful editor”—a sticky note increasingly being slapped on the multibillionaire’s back, even as he continues to refuse to accept any such tag.

http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2016/09/facebook-napalm-girl-photo-censorship-norway/
all_hail_the_hypno_toad

Those dastardly Russians

Federal authorities have arrested two men on charges they were part of a group that broke into the private e-mail accounts of high-ranking US government officials and a Justice Department computer system.

Andrew Otto Boggs, 22, of North Wilkesboro, North Carolina, and Justin Gray Liverman, 24, of Morehead City, North Carolina, were part of a group calling itself “Crackas with Attitude,” federal prosecutors alleged. Although an FBI affidavit filed in the case didn’t identify the targeted government officials by name, The Washington Post and other news organizations, citing unnamed people familiar with the matter, said they included CIA Director John Brennan, then-Deputy FBI Director Mark Giuliano, National Intelligence Director James R. Clapper, and other high-ranking officials. The group also used its unauthorized access to a Justice Department management system to obtain and later publish the names, phone numbers, and other personal details of more than 29,000 FBI and Department of Homeland Security officials.

According to the affidavit, the group didn’t rely on computer hacking to break into restricted accounts. Instead, they used social engineering in which they impersonated their targets and various IT support personnel purporting to help the victims. On October 11, 2015, one of the suspects allegedly accessed the account of one target, identified by the Post as Brennan, by posing as a technician from Verizon. The suspect then tricked another Verizon employee into resetting the password for Brennan’s Internet service. Prosecutors said the suspects went on to take over a Brennan AOL account.

http://arstechnica.com/security/2016/09/two-men-charged-with-hacking-cia-director-and-other-high-ranking-officials/
- panem et circenses
  
  Yeah, more like Androvich Boggsko and Justinovich Livermankovsky, right comrades?
  - all_hail_the_hypno_toad
    
    They’re sneaky that way. Always going after those fine upstanding and patriotic Republicans at the DNC.
    - panem et circenses
      
      And being born and raised in North Carolina to really sell it, those devious Russian bastards.
      - all_hail_the_hypno_toad
        
        Sleeper cells obviously.
all_hail_the_hypno_toad

Going to go for a bath and then not sure. Body is achy and my back is not happy. Take care.
- SpiffyTheValiant
  
  hope you feel better soon
- Unkawillbur
  
  Take care. Hope the bath works. I know a long, hot soak cures many ills, for me.
SmotPoker

Superdrunk cop (3x legal limit) gets sentenced to 3 days in jail

The three days were more like a vacation thanks to his fellow armed government thugs that let him roam free, delivered fast food to him, and allowed him visits in a jail that doesn’t allow visitors from his homicide detective wife.

We live in a broken society, and nobody seems willing to fight to fix it. Fuck the police.

http://www.12news.com/news/investigative/former-mesa-cop-given-free-rein-of-scottsdale-city-jail-while-serving-dui-sentence/315717266
- Unkawillbur
  
  Grrrrr
smkngman3

This is related to 17s fuck the WP and the followup comment on the formerly well regarded Guardian.

“ASSANGE: HOW ‘THE GUARDIAN’ MILKED EDWARD SNOWDEN’S STORY”

The Guardian is a curiously inward-looking beast. If any other institution tried to market its own experience of its own work nearly as persistently as The Guardian, it would surely be called out for institutional narcissism. But because The Guardian is an embarrassingly central institution within the moribund “left-of-center” wing of the U.K. establishment, everyone holds their tongue.
http://www.newsweek.com/assange-how-guardian-milked-edward-snowdens-story-323480
smkngman3

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CrzbcxEVMAAM5jk.jpg
- Edwin
  
  Someone should make a a list of all the places she hasn’t had a hacking coughing attack. It would be short and easy to compile.
panem et circenses

Washington Post: How Russia could spark a U.S. electoral disaster

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/global-opinions/how-russia-could-spark-a-us-electoral-disaster/2016/09/08/303f8502-75e2-11e6-b786-19d0cb1ed06c_story.html?utm_term=.8897b9121e93

Holy shit. This woman is insinuating that “Russia” might hack the election in favor of Clinton and make it look like Hillary Clinton did it. Are Democrats covering their asses in case their own election tampering is exposed?
- panem et circenses
  
  “4. The Russians attempt to throw the election. They might try to get Trump elected. Alternatively — and this would, of course, be even more devastating — they might try to rig the election for Clinton, perhaps leaving a trail of evidence designed to connect the rigging operation to Clinton’s campaign.”
- Unkawillbur
  
  I’m an atheist, but: God save me from this mountain of bullshit!!!
  - FaunaAndFlora
    
    Squirrel! 😉
    - Unkawillbur
      
      Magic Teapot!
- FaunaAndFlora
  
  Could be wrong, but since voting machines aren’t hooked up to the Internet, I fail to see how Russia could hack them.
  - panem et circenses
    
    Black magic probably. Haven’t you ever heard of Rasputin? The Clinton team has it on good authority that he’s working with Putin and his KGB sleeper agent Jill Stein to put a curse on US voting machines.
  - s k
    
    Voting Equipment in the United States:https://www.verifiedvoting.org/resources/voting-equipment/
    
    Far too many states use unreliable and insecure electronic voting machines, and many states have made their situation worse by adding some forms of Internet voting for some voters, which cannot be checked for accuracy at all. Even in states where verifiable systems are used, too often the check on the voting system’s function and accuracy is not done
    - panem et circenses
      
      I’m pretty sure that most of the machines would have to be hacked at the source, so Russia would have to have operatives at the site of the voting machines they intend to hack, like for instance the Democratic and Republican parties have. I think someone might notice a bunch of people in track suits tampering with the machines all over the country.
      - s k
        
        The parties will hack the machines, not the Russians
      - Unkawillbur
        
        Shoot, they don’t even need to hack the machines themselves, just substitute a different data set, before allowing anyone to see the data.
      - s k
        
        I know, it’s just too damn easy for them to rig the elections
    - FaunaAndFlora
      
      I didn’t mean to imply that voting machines can’t be hacked but it’s my understanding that it requires people on the ground to program the machines to manipulate the vote. The number of states that now allow internet voting is disturbing… just googled it and didn’t realize it was now allowed in 30 states. That’s stupid.
      
      Thought this was a pretty good article on the problems with computerized voting machines.
      https://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2004/11/the_problem_wit.html
      - s k
        
        30 states on the net is disturbing.What else is disturbing, is the Democrats had an opportunity to set up federal guidelines for all federal elections in 08 and 09, and did nothing, even after the Florida debacle in 2000.
      - FaunaAndFlora
        
        Or after the Ohio debacle of 2004.
      - s k
        
        Yup, and the DNC proved they are just as corrupt as the GOP when it comes to rigging elections, this primary.
- Edwin
  
  They’re building a cover story in case people suspect the coup (which is actually going down)
  - s k
    
    Speaking of Russians, Amato is at it again:Donald Trump Goes On Russia TV Defending Vladimir Putin http://crooksandliars.com/
    - Edwin
      
      Ha ha. My expose posted above. What a fucking meatstick that guy is.
    - kreskin
      
      I hope that grease ball’s site tanks when this is over with .
      - Edwin
        
        or before that
      - s k
        
        Trump is looking to get into the media, from what I have read, he can take over those sites. They have a lot in common
      - Edwin
        
        Ha ha. Trump should buy C&L. Wouldn’t that be special?
      - s k
        
        He could keep the same staff
      - Edwin
        
        professional shills and liars.
        
        Maybe he could rename the site: Shills and Liars.
      - s k
        
        I like that shills and liars, that has a nice ring to it.
      - Blue Basilisk
        
        He already makes up 90%+ of their content.
      - Edwin
        
        yup
- RTIII
  
  That’s EXACTLY what they’re trying to do.
  
  Hillary is on to the fact that we’re on to her, know the primary was stolen from Bernie and she knows she’s gonna have to steal the general to become president. So, she’s going to do it, and this is a very convenient way to push for the war that she wants while she is at it!
  - panem et circenses
    
    I don’t know, if a pro-Clinton pundit just out of the blue theorizes something like this, and then it were to actually happen, would people buy that she just happened to predict it?
    - RTIII
      
      I’ve already heard this meme from other Hillary supporters. They’re trying to build a body of belief so when she steals the election she has an excuse… It’s not just one pundit’s assertion.
- Edwin
  
  You know who else is red-baiting and pushing the Russia meme? Giant Meatball J Amato, owner of Crooks & Liars. My gawd this is dreadful rubbish. Looks like it was written by an illiterate, gum-chewing 4th grader. How low will C&L sink????? (I think he needs some basic English lessons. His writing is atrocious.)
  
  Donald Trump Goes On Russia TV Defending Vladimir Putin
  By John Amato
  
  After taking heat for praising President Vladimir Putin and his 82% approval ratings during MSNBC’s Commander In Chief Forum Wednesday night, Donald Trump’s
  campaign is now scrambling like mad as they try to deflect new
  criticisms surrounding linking Trump and being on Putin’s network.
  
  Donald Trump joined Larry King on RT’s (Russia TV) (Russia TV)and was asked about Russia’s intervention into the presidential election.
  
  Trump has plenty of opinions just not about Russia’s involvement with hacking the DNC.
  
  Trump replied, “I don’t know. I’ve been hearing about it. I think
  it’s probably unlikely. I think maybe the Democrats are putting it out
  there…I think it’s pretty unlikely…“
  
  It goes on and on with non-stop bullshit if you dare to click the link. C&L is now like the National Enquirer, only not so classy. What a fucking putz that Amato is. Yes, Donald, the Democrats are putting it out there. You win.
  
  http://crooksandliars.com/2016/09/donald-trump-goes-russia-tv-defending
  - Edwin
    
    Robby Mook: ‘Is Trump Just A Puppet For The Kremlin?’
    By Karoli Kuns
    
    There are moments in this campaign where I feel like we’ve been shot
    straight back to the 60s. I’m waiting for them to reinstate “stop, drop
    and cover” drills resplendent with air raid sirens, so our children can
    experience the exquisite stress of thinking we’re going to be nuked any
    minute.
    
    http://crooksandliars.com/2016/08/robby-mook-trump-just-puppet-kremlin
    
    What a pair of douchebags these 2 are. Ha ha ha ha. So hurtin’!!
    - kreskin
      
      That phony bitch knows better , that’s what gets me , so does Amato .
      - Edwin
        
        Pretty pathetic and dreadful writing.
      - kreskin
        
        I’m talking about their lies , red baiting on behalf of Hilz .
      - Edwin
        
        They’re craven assholes. They’re as bad as all the media they have decried over the years. The dreck they publish is no better than brietbart crud. They are so drunk on the Dem koolaid nothing is too low for them. They must think people reading their blog are complete fucking morons.
      - kreskin
        
        Major league hypocrites , complete phonies . Seriously , I have more respect for the goobers and baggers .
      - s k
        
        Be afraid of Russian TV-lmao-
        
        Thom Hartmann and Ed Schultz are on Russinan TV.
        
        Not only do Democrats take money from the same donors/bribes as the GOP, now all that they have to sell is Fear, just like the GOP.
        
        • Edit• Reply•Share ›
        
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        Tax the Rich s k • 2 hours ago
        
        You’re still a moron.
        
        3 • Reply•Share ›
        
        −
        
        Avatar
        
        s k Tax the Rich • 2 hours ago
        
        A moron is one that doesn’t question propaganda from either party.
        
        Keep voting for your Oligarchy, make sure your oligarchs win.
        
        • Edit• Reply•Share ›
        
        Avatar
        
        You’re still a moron.
        
        • Reply•Share ›
        
        −
        
        Avatar
        
        s k Tax the Rich • 9 minutes ago
        
        You poor thing, the Clinton’s LOVE the Russians.
        
        Cash Flowed to Clinton Foundation Amid Russian Uranium Deal:http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04…
        
        Like I said only a Moron believes propaganda. Stick with calling everybody a misogynist that doesn’t believe Hillary’s lies, you won’t look so foolish.
        
        • Edit• Reply•Share ›
        
        Avatar
        
        Tax the Rich • 8 minutes ago
        
        You’re still a moron.
        
        s k Tax the Rich • 7 minutes ago
        
        How do you getting away with calling people names and breaking the TOS? Are you part of CTR?
      - Edwin
        
        Surely Karoli (the liar) will be along to ban that guy. That’s what she said she banned me for; personal attacks.
        
        (Of course that was a lie, but that’s how strongly she feels about it.)
        
        http://crooksandliars.com/2016/05/open-thread-smart-doggie
      - Edwin
        
        And, seriously, a lot of people I used to think were OK have really shown themselves to be major assholes.
      - s k
        
        If I called anyone a moron there is last six months, I would be gone.
      - Edwin
        
        Apparently, why I got banned (but it is a lie, I did not call her those things.) Moron should be grounds for banning!! I mean if they follow their own rules.
        
        edwin, If you don’t think calling her a paid shill and a PR hack isn’t a personal attack, that’s your problem
        
        http://crooksandliars.com/2016/05/open-thread-smart-doggie#comment-2700999607
        
        Edwin Karoli Kuns • 3 months ago
        
        and where have I done that?
        
        Karoli Kuns Site Team Edwin • 3 months ago
        
        in the posts I deleted, Edwin. You and your cheerleaders.
        
        Such a douchebag. Lying, gaslighting, stalking and abuse.
      - kreskin
        
        … and / or complete morons.
  - MsPythia
    
    Pathetic!
    - Edwin
      
      OMG, most of the comments are all written by obedient-koolaid-drunk 2 year olds. That’s what they wanted over there. That’s why they banned all the thinkers.
      - s k
        
        I posted Thom Hartman and Ed Schultz are on Russian TV.
        
        They are such idiots there.
  - Left of Eden
    
    This is a serious question. Is English not Amato’s primary language? Or is his poor writing the result of our wonderful educational system? Whatever gave him the inspiration to enter journalism?
    - Edwin
      
      I never thought of that. Maybe English is a second language. Still Karoli is the editor. Aren’t editors supposed to check that stuff?
      
      Or is my assumption correct that she’s the laziest (cough) “editor” out there? She sits around eating bonbons all day and publishes the stories Brock emails her. When she gets bored she reaches for the bottom desk drawer ……..(where she keeps the dildos.)
      - s k
        
        LOL- When did you hack into her camera on her computer?
      - Edwin
        
        I know all about her. My cheerleaders submit regular reports to my offices.
  - kreskin
    
    Greenwald on the Democrat’s Red Baiting , https://theintercept.com/2016/08/08/dems-tactic-of-accusing-adversaries-of-kremlin-ties-and-russia-sympathies-has-long-history-in-us/
- kreskin
  
  The official cautioned that the intelligence community is not saying it has “definitive proof” of such tampering, or any Russian plans to do so. “But even the hint of something impacting the security of our election system would be of significant concern,” the official said. “It’s the key to our democracy, that people have confidence in the election system.”
smkngman3

“Inside the fight to reveal the CIA’s torture secrets”

Jones, a counter-terrorism staffer, had become the chief investigator for the Senate intelligence committee, the CIA’s congressional overseer, on its biggest inquiry. For five years, he had been methodically sifting through internal CIA accounts of its infamous torture program, a process that had begun after the committee learned – thanks to a New York Times article, not the agency – that a senior official had destroyed videotapes that recorded infamously brutal interrogations. The subsequent committee inquiry had deeply strained a relationship with Langley that both sides badly wanted to maintain. The source of that strain was simple: having read millions of internal emails, cables and accounts of agency torture, Jones had come to believe everything the CIA had told Congress, the Bush and Obama White Houses and the public was a lie.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/sep/09/cia-insider-daniel-jones-senate-torture-investigation
- s k
  
  What we need is something like a Justice Department, we could call it the DOJ
Unkawillbur

In more “religious” news…

Pastor Rapes Teen And Church Demands She Apologize to Her Rapist’s Wife

Columbia Baptist Church, based out of North Olstead, has forbidden the family of an unnamed teenager from attending their services until she apologizes to the wife of youth pastor Brian Mitchell, 31, for being raped by her husband.

The girl said that she had come to the church looking for spiritual guidance, and that she looked up to Mitchell, whom she saw as a mentor. Mitchell started sending her increasingly frequent text messages, eventually complaining to her about his wife and their marital problems.

15 years old… Burn that fucker and his “church” to the ground.
Unkawillbur

“We’ve always been at war with Eastasia”

15 Years Later, Obama Extends 9/11 ‘National Emergency’ To Justify A Perpetual War On Terror

Obama wrote in the memo: “Because the terrorist threat continues, the national emergency declared on September 14, 2001, and the powers and authorities adopted to deal with that emergency must continue in effect beyond September 14, 2016. Therefore, I am continuing in effect for an additional year the national emergency that was declared on September 14, 2001, with respect to the terrorist threat.”
- 17
  
  ..
Unkawillbur

The Ministry of Love, (“Facebook” in newspeak,) will deal with uncomfortable history.

You Need to Care About Facebook Censoring an Iconic Vietnam War Photo

The entire debacle not only shows Facebook’s opaque and haphazard approach to removing graphic content—the company has said it’s too hard to distinguish between one of the most notable photographs of the 20th century and child pornography—but also shows how users cannot currently trust Facebook to deliver important or potentially-controversial news without the risk of censorship or bias.
- panem et circenses
  
  Meanwhile, I’ve reported this asshole like 10,000 times and they still haven’t removed any of his posts:
  
  https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/81905b54957392535ed0bc061c1972ebbb964e6e78c00b6bdb674ec001c369b9.jpg
- s k
  
  Did you see this?
  New Study Links Facebook To Depression: But Now We Actually Understand Why. http://www.forbes.com/sites/alicegwalton/2015/04/08/new-study-links-facebook-to-depression-but-now-we-actually-understand-why/#4f49f8902e65
  - Unkawillbur
    
    I Had missed it. I guess there’s a degree to which it absolutely doesn’t surprise me. As an influencer, the
    Psych-Comp principle of “Social Proof” is remarkably powerful and, to a great degree, Facebook is nothing more than a giant “Social Proof” machine.
    
    So constantly having the power of that principle rate us as a failure in comparison to our peers much be devastating. I guess I’m just lucky, I have a tiny friends list, and all my friends are boring, intellectual types.
- Edwin
  
  I stuck this on my facebook page and it was gone in 1 minute.
MsPythia

Good day all — kind of busy, just wanted to say hello!
- Unkawillbur
  
  http://67.media.tumblr.com/21d8a7aa404b94412ab00f01c1bbe390/tumblr_inline_nq79fobMKB1sq98w2_500.gif
- lindajoyous
  
  Hi MsPythia, good to see you!
  - SpiffyTheValiant
    
    hey linda 🙂
    - lindajoyous
      
      Hi spiffy! I read your new article and like it very much! 🙂
- Edwin
  
  See you later, MsP. Enjoy your day.
- s k
  
  Have fun
s k

A New Economic System for a World in Rapid Disintegration: http://www.truth-out.org/news/item/37528-a-new-economic-system-for-a-world-in-rapid-disintegration

We live in ominously dangerous times. The world capitalist system — having fueled colonialism, imperialism and the constant intensification of labor power exploitation for roughly 500 years — now threatens the planet with an ecological collapse of unprecedented proportions. Unsustainable resource exploitation, water pollution (the transformation of lakes, rivers and oceans into garbage dumps) and massive economic inequality are at the root of the possibly irreversible collapse of industrial civilization. Meanwhile, however, too many of us remain caught up in abstract and ahistorical predictions of collapse that fail to offer an alternative realistic vision of a future socio-economic order.
Edwin

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mL4ZhrcJYK4
- Edwin
  
  Joan Walsh is a dreadful person. >>bleck<<
  - towerofbabel
    
    It shows in her face and demeanor.
    - Edwin
      
      She lover herself to death and thinks she is Miss Ultra-liberal. Nothing is more sickening.
s k

US judge refuses to block oil pipeline near tribal lands: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-37322266
- s k
  
  WTF ? From the article
  
  But moments after the ruling the US government urged construction to stop temporarily at one particular site.
  
  The Department of Justice called upon Texas-based Energy Transfer Partners to voluntarily halt construction temporarily within 20 miles of Lake Oahe, which is considered sacred to the regional native tribes.
  
  Then they add this:In a joint statement with the DoJ, the US Army department – which issued the building permits – announced they were suspending construction in one key location.
  
  JFC-Do they have a permit or not- or are they being ask to voluntary halt?
Edwin

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=msiBZwqLhzA
- s k
  
  Looking at those poll numbers, no wonder they had to rig the primary for her.
  - Edwin
    
    I love when Jimmy gets going about the 2/3rds mark and let’s her rip. He always cracks me up when he does that. He gets all angry-excited. It’s his style.
    - s k
      
      He is good.
    - cathyx
      
      She. can’t. beat. Donald. Trump. Lol.
      - s k
        
        The joke is on the DNC
      - cathyx
        
        The joke is on us.
      - s k
        
        We could go one step further and say the joke is on the planet.
      - kreskin
        
        I just hope that the rest of the world survives us .
      - Edwin
        
        I don’t think we will.
      - kreskin
        
        The Europeans need to come to their senses … and fast . Stop encouraging and enabling the U.S. war mongers … NOW.
      - Edwin
        
        I think it’s already too late. No changes have been made. If we want energy, if we want to turn on our lights, use our refrigerators and ride in cars, we need energy. As alternative energy has not been funded and advanced we’ll need to rely on fossil fuels for a long time to come. The rape and pillage of the planet will continue, the wars will continue, pollution will continue, corruption will continue.
        
        I don’t think our planet can handle 2 or 3 more decades of this.
      - Edwin
        
        Actually, I was watching a documentary and it said we “civilians” are not the energy hogs, industry is. So it’s a good idea to conserve and cut down, but we are not the biggest energy hogs. (Don’t guilt yourself out too much for being alive.)
      - kreskin
        
        As far as the environment goes , I agree , it’s already too late . They’re not even taking it seriously .
        
        I’m more worried about the more immediate threat , war , one which we may not survive . What the hell are we doing ? Trying to start World War Three ? The lies and propaganda , our aggressiveness , WTF ?
      - towerofbabel
        
        Many scientists think it may be too late already–to stave off devastating effects. But we could convert to alternative energy in a substantial way in 10 years, if there was the will. But America’s hegemony is tied directly to oil and we are going to take everything down before we face up to the crisis. Wall Street capitalism can’t address anything off of its short term profit spread sheet–it can only solve next quarters executive bonuses. This is the price we pay to turning our future over to “the invisible hand” who turns out to be a modern-day Cosa Nostra. I ramble…
      - s k
        
        And considering the G20 refuses to stop giving welfare to the fossil fuel corporations, nothing will change, that has to be the first step.
      - Edwin
        
        I see it.
      - RTIII
        
        The world will be fine, it’s the current 90+% of the biosphere that may not!
- kreskin
  
  Excellent . I’m saving this one . This guy is good . Shows you what a phony POS Barack Obama is too , doesn’t it ?
  - s k
    
    This is what the phony POS Obama said Dakota pipeline protester a few years ago-“My administration is determined to partner with tribes,” Obama said. “It takes place every day on just about every issue that touches your lives.”…..https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/obama-to-make-rare-presidential-visit-to-indian-reservation-past-betrayals-loom-over-meeting/2014/06/13/70046890-f26f-11e3-9ebc-2ee6f81ed217_story.html
    - Edwin
      
      comfortable walking shoes
    - kreskin
      
      Listen to him, then and now , these are Obama’s own words . It can’t be denied.
- RTIII
  
  Duh!
Edwin

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OClZInNXVnU
- Edwin
  
  Torture inc. America’s brutal prisons
  
  http://www.veoh.com/watch/v18080091H3NKB8TF
s k

This Election Is Hillary Clinton’s to Lose, and She’s Screwing It Up:http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/this_election_is_hillary_clintons_to_lose_and_shes_screwing_it_up_20160908

You could not pick a worse, more inept, inexperienced or offensive joke of a presidential candidate than Donald Trump. The United States has become the butt of international ridicule over our very own “Kim Jong-Un.” Any candidate running against Trump from the opposing major party with a pulse ought to be beating him in the polls by double digits. But Hillary Clinton isn’t.

The Democratic nominee is barely ahead of “the most unpopular presidential candidate since the former head of the Ku Klux Klan,” and a recent CNN poll puts her at 2 percent behind Trump. Granted, it is only one poll, and several other recent polls have found her a few percentage points ahead. Still, no Democrat could ask for an easier Republican candidate to beat. In the history of American presidential races, it is likely we have never had a more comically unsuitable figure as Trump nominated by a major party. And yet Clinton is struggling to come out ahead.

The Democrat’s ardent supporters—those who have championed her from Day One—claim that we live in a sexist country and that her gender is what is standing in the way of most Americans embracing her. They assert that the media and her critics hold her to an unfairly high standard. But in a country where white women have benefited far more from affirmative action policies, how is it that we easily elected the nation’s first black president twice, only to stumble over a white female nominee?
- kreskin
  
  Hilz and the Dems think they can crap on the liberals , abandon them altogether and turn to the Republicans for support . I’m hoping that they are in for a VERY rude awakening come November.
  - towerofbabel
    
    I feel it coming.
- Unkawillbur
  
  One might almost think she understands her patrons, when they tell her it’s the Republicans turn to hold the white house for 8 years…
smkngman3

“Families of 9/11 victims turn pressure on Obama to sign bill letting them sue Saudi Arabia: ‘If he doesn’t, it’s a disgrace’ ”

Impatient 9/11 families, after a major Congressional win in their legal fight against Saudi Arabia, pressured President Obama to sign the bill into law — immediately.

“If he vetoes this, perhaps he should just pack it in and move to Saudi Arabia,” said Bill Doyle, whose son Joseph was among the 658 Cantor Fitzgerald employees killed 15 years ago.

“That’s how strong I’m feeling about this. Mr. Obama, it would be a shame on him if he didn’t sign. What would America think of him? How could he veto it?”

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/9-11-families-pressure-obama-sign-bill-sue-saudi-arabia-article-1.2785001
- 17
  
  Waste of time.
  - smkngman3
    
    Not a waste when it proves Obama is a tool of politics and fails to support Transparancy.
    - 17
      
      So? He’s not gonna take a hit anyway. He’s got his, and eagerly awaits his exit. He doesn’t care anymore what people think of him.
      - Nevin
        
        Legacy is very important to these people.
      - 17
        
        Let’s ask George and Dick.
      - Nevin
        
        George probably thinks he has a great legacy and history will be kind to him. Nixon was always shady, can’t deny he did some good things.
      - Edwin
        
        The Karolis and Amatos of this world will always churn out the glowing bullshit for Obama ’til their dying days.
      - Nevin
        
        True, but Bill Clinton’s legacy has been tarnished with Hillary running for President. Now it has finally been brought out that he really wasn’t a great president and hurt many people, ie the middle class and blacks.
      - s k
        
        They do spend hundred’s of millions on their ego libraries.
      - Nevin
        
        They have outlived their usefulness.
      - smkngman3
        
        Really?
        
        “Obama administration orders ND pipeline construction to stop”
        http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/295223-obama-administration-orders-nd-pipeline-construction-to-stop
      - towerofbabel
        
        I just commented on that above. I took the cynical view. I hope I’m wrong. (There goes that ‘hopey’ thing again. Damn I’m a sucker.)
      - smkngman3
        
        You are right to be cynical yet Obama is concerned about the optics.
      - Edwin
        
        They juggle all the balls just right to get an outcome they can live with.
      - towerofbabel
        
        I think everything he does now is aimed at getting the TPP signed into law. The Pipeline decision today is probably designed to prevent the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe from gaining leverage and also Jill Stein’s Green campaign which is looming over Hillary’s coronation.
    - kreskin
      
      We already know that , plenty of proof exists .
      - towerofbabel
        
        “Merica don’t know it yet.
  - smkngman3
    
    Let him veto this before the anniversary!
    
    “Despite Obama’s Veto Threat, US House Votes to Allow 9/11 Victims to Sue Saudi Arabia”
    
    With the bill’s strong bipartisan backing, Obama could face his first veto override
    http://www.commondreams.org/news/2016/09/09/despite-obamas-veto-threat-us-house-votes-allow-911-victims-sue-saudi-arabia
smkngman3

“‘Let’s Get Back To The Data’: Relentless Attacks On Assange Distract From Content Of WikiLeaks Releases”

Attacks on WikiLeaks’ founder Julian Assange, including accusations of collusion with foreign governments, are growing more commonplace in the media as Election Day approaches.

As the political establishment pushes back against WikiLeaks’ revelations of U.S. war crimes and corruption, political pundits have even threatened Assange’s life. Meanwhile, despite a total lack of evidence, the Clinton campaign continues to try to tie Assange to Russia, reviving a Cold War “red scare” narrative that the mainstream media seems all too eager to assist.

Mickey Huff, media literacy expert and director of Project Censored, told MintPress News that the media’s focus on Assange distracts from more important stories, including the actual content of the leaks released by WikiLeaks. A professor of social sciences at Diablo Valley College near San Francisco, Huff co-authors an annual report on censorship and propaganda in the media.

http://www.mintpressnews.com/lets-get-back-data-relentless-attacks-assange-distract-content-wikileaks-releases/220201/
smkngman3

“Israel’s Ongoing Blockade Of Gaza Could Force Palestinians To Drink Sewage”

Unreliable electricity, an ongoing blockade on building supplies, and a failing waste treatment plant have spawned a sewage crisis in Gaza that experts warn could permanently damage Palestinians’ access to clean water.

The crisis is now spilling over into Israel and threatening its water supply. According to an Aug. 25 report from Middle East Eye, floods of sewage flowing into the Mediterranean Sea have caused Israel’s Ashkelon desalination plant, the source of 20 percent of the country’s drinking water, to shut down at least four times in recent months.

http://www.mintpressnews.com/israels-ongoing-blockade-gaza-force-palestinians-drink-sewage/220206/
smkngman3

“US Government Steps In After Judge Rules Against Standing Rock Sioux”

As a result, the statement read, construction on Army Corps land bordering or under Lake Oahe—which straddles North and South Dakota—will be halted until the Corps “can determine whether it will need to reconsider any of its previous decisions regarding the Lake Oahe site under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) or other federal laws.”

“In the interim,” the agencies continued, “we request that the pipeline company voluntarily pause all construction activity within 20 miles east or west of Lake Oahe.”

The statement continued:

http://www.commondreams.org/news/2016/09/09/us-government-steps-after-judge-rules-against-standing-rock-sioux
17

APNewsBreak: Chief was investigated for illegal gun sales

A Mississippi police chief killed himself soon after learning that authorities were investigating allegations he illegally sold city-owned firearms, including an assault rifle, a sheriff’s official said Friday.

—Another “Hero” did the right thing.—

https://www.mail.com/news/politics/4593574-apnewsbreak-chief-was-investigated-illegal-gun-sal.html#.23140-stage-hero1-4
Edwin

http://www.10mag.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/OinK.bmp
17

Music thread is up.

http://exile.bottleofsmoke.com/2016/09/09/dancin-bones-beginning/
- Unkawillbur
  
  YAY!
s k

What’s Behind Barack Obama’s Ongoing Accommodation of Vladimir Putin? https://theintercept.com/2016/09/09/whats-behind-obamas-ongoing-accommodation-of-vladimir-putin/

WHEN A MAJOR PARTY cynically espouses a set of beliefs as a tactic for winning an election, those beliefs get entrenched in popular discourse and often endure well past the election, with very significant consequences. The most significant such rhetorical template in the 2016 election — other than the new Democratic claim that big-money donations do not corrupt the political process — is that Russia is a Grave Enemy of the U.S.; anyone who advocates better relations or less tension with Moscow is a likely sympathizer, stooge, or even agent of Putin; and any associations with the Kremlin render one’s loyalties suspect.
- towerofbabel
  
  Glenn is an excellent journalist.
  - s k
    
    Yes he is, I enjoy his articles and this is a good one.
  - Edwin
    
    That’s why they hate him at Crooks and Liars and call him Glennzilla. I kid you not. They are that immature.
- kreskin
  
  It’s dangerous . The propaganda gets so thick and heavy that it takes on a life of it’s own … we lose control . Putin has expressed his concerns , said as much .
- Unkawillbur
  
  “What’s Behind Barack Obama’s Ongoing Accommodation of Vladimir Putin?”
  
  Buttsex.
  
  /Yeah, I went there. 😛
  - towerofbabel
    
    Well, have you seen Vlad on a pony? Nuff said.
  - 17
    
    lol
  - Blue Basilisk
    
    Vladimir Putin it in?
smkngman3

“US, Russia seal Syria cease-fire, new military partnership”

The United States and Russia announced early Saturday a breakthrough agreement on Syria that foresees a nationwide cease-fire starting early next week, followed by an unlikely new military partnership between the rival governments targeting the Islamic State and al-Qaida.

http://bigstory.ap.org/0984a78bacee4f6d99ca7820d1ac9a24?utm_campaign=SocialFlow&utm_source=Twitter&utm_medium=AP
- smkngman3
  
  https://twitter.com/AP/status/774373480867459073
  - kreskin
    
    LOL .
- kreskin
  
  We’re losing , time for a truce , cease fire ! Apparently opposition forces need time to re-group and be resupplied. The same tactic was used when Kiev’s forces were getting their asses kicked by the ethnic Russians in eastern Ukraine.
  - Unkawillbur
    
    “Apparently opposition forces need time to re-group and be resupplied.”
    
    Exactamundo!
    https://i.imgflip.com/ltidl.jpg
- 17
  
  Have they run that by the Clinton campaign yet?
smkngman3

https://twitter.com/DavidShuster/status/774318459924742144
Edwin

White racism is why Hillary is losing in the polls. Hey, at least it’s a change from misogyny.

How White Racism and a Complicit Media Are Keeping Trump Close in the Polls—and Why It Won’t Be Enough
Trump’s candidacy is an ugly joke—but insidious racism and media idiocy have kept him within striking distance.

http://www.alternet.org/election-2016/how-white-racism-and-complicit-media-are-keeping-trump-close-polls-and-why-it-wont-be

All this time I thought it was America’s misogyny keeping Hillz down.
- Unkawillbur
  
  https://youtu.be/wQmAlc3nzUY
  - Edwin
    
    To sum up
    
    1) misogyny
    2) racism
    3) The Russians/Russian hackers
    4) complicit media
    - Unkawillbur
      
      We should run a betting pool on what her next excuse will be!
      - s k
        
        That’s easy, it will be the Green Party and Jill Stein.
      - MsPythia
        
        Yup. They’ve already started the Nader Nagging.
    - cathyx
      
      She’s lining up her excuses for when she loses.
      - Edwin
        
        I’m going to have to make a sock for that and then go visit some old friends.
      - cathyx
        
        We all need to do that when she loses to him.
    - EdgarHF
      
      You forgot 2000 years of GOP smears
      - Edwin
        
        Feel free to add to the list. Those were just off the top of my head. Karoli has a list of 20 or so Brock emailed her.
      - EdgarHF
        
        Doesn’t he send her something everyday to rewrite and call it news?
      - Edwin
        
        I think their entire news feed is sent by Brock from a “Correct the Record” (cough) “new team”. That’s Hillary’s Paid Troll Army, Karoli forbade us from mentioning on pain of banning. She lied and said it did not exist and if we mentioned it we were goners. Yup. (So progressive.)
        
        Yup.
        
        https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/041eb62c5f6801610d4a31d48e5a44f7829d920508d528adf548b5de80dea550.png
- Unkawillbur
  
  I like this, even better:
  
  http://simonstepsys.com/wp-content/uploads/excuses.png
- EdgarHF
  
  And I would guess every ‘independent’ alternative news site will magically come up with the exact same meme independently at the same time about why she is losing.
Left of Eden

OV’s month long solo continues over at the old place. That is odd.
- SpiffyTheValiant
  
  very
- Edwin
  
  Yeah. Almost makes you think OV could be Ricki or Neb, or that they’re all just one person.
  
  I noticed after I told them (at mediaite) that it was rude they never say hello or good morning to OV, they suddenly started saying hello to OV. It probably never entered their mind to say hello to themselves before.
  
  (does that make sense?)
  - cathyx
    
    My instincts tell that oculus is Neb.
    - Edwin
      
      I can buy that.
    - towerofbabel
      
      Got to be. Who would post that incessantly.
      - cathyx
        
        No one would be that invested in that site anymore but Neb and Ricki.
      - Edwin
        
        OK. So it’s Neb. That’s settled. ^_^
  - EdgarHF
    
    That would mean a sock puppet long before the big freak out.
    - Edwin
      
      That would mean they corralled us into their lair to fuck with us. To stalk, to gaslight, to lie to and about us, to abuse us and then to ban us. What a couple of fucking dirtbag-cruds.
      - EdgarHF
        
        I truly think there were/are some psychological issues going on over there.
      - MsPythia
        
        That’s a understatement.
      - cathyx
        
        Ricki has been corralling all the hillary supporters into thinking that TBR78 was NOT another Ricki sock. They are finally are realizing that they’ve been duped for months. Same with Neb and Oculus.
      - Edwin
        
        TBR78 is a very hateful person indeed. Very hateful. I think it’s Ricki too.
      - MsPythia
        
        It’s Ricki — same manic voice, same level of hate.
- towerofbabel
  
  Doppelgänger.
  - cathyx
    
    Sock.
  - Unkawillbur
    
    That just makes me think of Kolchak, The Night Stalker…
    
    http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RRCGcLGcsCM/TwjNMMNSgRI/AAAAAAAAFOs/HCVCdGLAtSY/s1600/screen-capture-2.png
- EdgarHF
  
  A monk on a mountain top.
  - Edwin
    
    We already decided it’s one of the other voices in Neb’s head.
    - Nevin
      
      I hardly ever say OV at TBR. All of a sudden, after the dust-up, he is there constantly. I did ask him is he was Neb or Ricki. He didn’t reply to me.
  - Left of Eden
    
    I think I see him.
- Nevin
  
  Neb was posting music video’s for hours, so I posted one. Needless to say he banned me again for posting it.
  
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d5ab8BOu4LE
  - doubleplusliberal
    
    lolll
  - 17
    
    ..
  - Nancy
    
    that’s very funny…
    - lindajoyous
      
      Hi Nancy good to see you!
      - Nancy
        
        hey Linda-hows your new painted room looking?
      - lindajoyous
        
        Real nice, he did a good job. Here ya go
        
        http://i.imgur.com/Gszu0Le.jpg
      - Nancy
        
        ph that’s pretty…nice shade of mint! will be great to get your new furniture in!
      - lindajoyous
        
        Thanks, I already got criticized by my daughter, she said the color was to bright and I needed new curtains to match, and I said no I don’t.
      - Nancy
        
        lol, once you get some things in there it will soften it all. it’s bright and cheery!
      - lindajoyous
        
        The other color was just plain ugly. Maybe the room won’t seem so dark, it’s hard to see in there!
      - Nancy
        
        it’s important to love your environment…
      - lindajoyous
        
        I agree, and different colors affects ones mood!
      - Nancy
        
        for sure!
      - MsPythia
        
        I really like it Linda. I still think it just needs some touches to tie it all together.
      - lindajoyous
        
        Thank you MyPythia, and I think what is important is that I like it! The other color was so ugly. This is the color the last painter my dad hired when he was alive was to be painted!
    - Nevin
      
      I was trying to bring some levity to the situation, but Neb didn’t see it that way.
      - lindajoyous
        
        Hi Nevin, good to see you and love that song!
      - Nevin
        
        Hi Linda. How is your night?
      - lindajoyous
        
        Pretty good and how is yours?
      - Nevin
        
        Good. I’m getting ready to watch a little bit of TV.
      - lindajoyous
        
        Cool, have a good evening!
      - Nancy
        
        no sense of hahaha I guess?
  - MsPythia
    
    LMAO! That’s the best.
    - Nevin
      
      Neb did reply to me, don’t remember what he said. Shortly after that he banned me again.
      - MsPythia
        
        Like it matters. Like you were “ruining” their ghost town of a website. ๏_๏
      - Edwin
        
        The second banning was to teach you a lesson. I guess some people get off on these twisted little power games.
        
        (Yes, looking at YOU Ricki.) (kiss noises)(mwha mwha)
      - MsPythia
        
        I hope one day they’ll just get over it, and finally move on.
      - Edwin
        
        4+ years been enough for ya??????
      - Nevin
        
        I’ve lost count how many times I’ve been banned from there Edwin.
      - Edwin
        
        cuz they’re whackjobs
17

Arkansas Police Captain Caught Publicly Masturbating, Propositioned Undercover Cops; Only Charged With Loitering

Arkansas State Police Captain Steven Bryan Davis was ready to get a little freaky about a week or so ago (August 30th). So he parked out by a trail next to a wooded area, stripped down, and started getting himself
revved up. Apparently, he was “up for anything” that day, too.

http://www.copblock.org/165651/arkansas-police-captain-publicly-masturbating-propositioned-undercover-cops/
- cathyx
  
  Is there video? 😉
  - 17
    
    Of course not. There’s never video when a “HERO” commits a crime. Silly question.
- Edwin
  
  long as he didn’t really hurt anyone…
- MsPythia
  
  Cops are uniformed criminals, and usually sick in the head.
17

UN: Israeli occupation stunts Palestinian economy

New UN report finds Palestinian economy would double in size without Israeli occupation.

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/09/israeli-occupation-stunts-palestinian-economy-160909151839441.html
smkngman3

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Cr48beGVMAANQX_.jpg
- Unkawillbur
  
  LOL+
smkngman3

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fnVwjw2Un4k
- Unkawillbur
  
  I wish I could upvote this more.
- kreskin
  
  This is great . . Flash mob … Puttin on the Ritz. Students from Moscow University … which is just across the street . https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FNXd3wX_USc
  - Nancy
    
    *big smile*
    this is just great!
    love flash mobs-this is one of the better ones I’ve seen!
    - kreskin
      
      Oh to be young again . ( sigh )
      - Nancy
        
        or at least that agile!
      - kreskin
        
        Yeah , I’d settle for that , gladly .
  - MsPythia
    
    Amazing! How did they get these aerial shots?!
    - kreskin
      
      Cranes .
- Nancy
  
  LMAO…
Edwin

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OBhq-JDkp30
- Unkawillbur
  
  The RNC is “destroyed?!?”
  
  Someone should tell the approximately 30+ percent of Americans who will vote Republican and most of the State governors and legislatures that.
  - EdgarHF
    
    Wasn’t the GOP supposedly dead after the last two Presidential elections?
    - Unkawillbur
      
      I think Jon Stewart started that bit of DNC truism during the 2000 elections.
    - cathyx
      
      Hillary is reviving it.
17

The Tide is Turning: The Official Story Is Now The Conspiracy Theory

In a few days it will be the 15th anniversary of 9/11, and this November 22 will be the 53rd anniversary of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in Dallas, Texas. These two state crimes against democracy destroyed American democracy, accountable government, and the Constitution’s protections of civil liberty.

Years after the damage done by these events the American people no longer believe the official stories.
Neither does the government, but the government will never validate the distrust that Americans now share of the oligarchs’ government by acknowledging the truth.

http://www.strategic-culture.org/news/2016/09/09/tide-turning-official-story-now-conspiracy-theory.html
- smkngman3
  
  ‘We’re the Only Plane in the Sky’
  
  Where was the president in the eight hours after the Sept. 11 attacks? The strange, harrowing journey of Air Force One, as told by the people who were on board.
  
  http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2016/09/were-the-only-plane-in-the-sky-214230#ixzz4JoV1JgP0
  - lindajoyous
    
    Hi smokey, that was a weird day not seeing a plane in the sky!
    - smkngman3
      
      I grew up in Brooklyn. My parents still lived there.
      
      I has work scheduled at noon and was on the computer when my dial up stopped loading. Turned on the TV, heard/saw the first tower burning and saw live, the second plane hit.
      - lindajoyous
        
        That must of been terrifying , I woke up around 9 am pacific time to what was happening! I’ve never been to New York! Thank you for sharing smokey! 🙂
      - smkngman3
        
        I lived in Fl, not but a few hundred feet from an Saudi family.
        
        The father was a KNOWN associate of Atta.
      - 17
        
        My mom dated a Saudi prince after my parent’s divorce.
      - Edwin
        
        I will inherit a fortune from a Saudi prince once I click the link and fill in the paperwork.
      - 17
        
        I knew that was coming, but she really did.
      - Edwin
        
        ^_^
      - 17
        
        Be sure to turn off your anti-virus and any other security software you use or it’s not valid.
      - notisaidthepig
        
        You so funny. Oink!
      - lindajoyous
        
        Hi Noti, good to see you!
      - notisaidthepig
        
        Hi, Linda. I know I’m been a bit MIA this past week. Just too tired after work to engage in meaningful dialogue. It’s good to see you and I hope you are doing well.
      - Edwin
        
        ^_^
      - lindajoyous
        
        I used to play black jack with a man from Saudi Arabia and his name was Afief, sounded like thief!
      - Shohanna
        
        I was dreaming. I heard screams, and I woke up and ran up stairs. (yes straight out of bed). Woke my Mom up asking her who was screaming. She is just out of it. (just woke her up). I turned the tv on and found the news. CBS. I watched both planes hit the towers and the towers implode. I was dumbfounded. I said WHY the fuck would they demolish the towers on live TV. No one is that stupid to believe planes took them down?! Dad had walked in during the second tower implosion he said “Well, I would have to say someone paid a lot of money for that!”…
        
        Not only did they pay alot, but they were paid off with their investment. I still run cold when I see replays. I knew it then and I know it now. We were under a coup and the president and top brass are not who we think they are. Obama, and his “cronies” are actors. I have felt since then that Dick Cheney is the “head honcho” and is in charge. Shadow Government. God knows who is “Top” are, much less his “bottom”.
        
        You don’t do something like 9/11 without plans to take over. We do not have any kind of “democracy” or “representative republic”. People do NOT continue to elect a congress with 11% approval rating. WE ARE NOT STUPID. We are lazy and possibly brainwashed. But we aren’t “that” stupid yet.
        
        Now, when everyone decide to get on the same page. (which is slowly happening) By the time it does that “national guard” will be the “military” to control the pissed off people. Better hope Kardashians and Dancing with the stars continue to entertain, or all their plans will be for not.
        
        THIS is what I think about. HOW the hell am I suppose to defend my family and friends when I am disabled?! HOW? All I can do is fucking BITCH about it and be called a crazy “conspiracy” nut.
        
        I am not a goddamned nut for being able to SEE what they are up to. Sure I don’t get the “TINY” politics and I don’t fucking CARE about the tiny politics it means NOTHING when they have EVERYTHING we have ever fought for and died for!
        
        NO constitution. NO laws, NO freedom. NOTHING. It’s GONE and we are “ALLOWED” for now to be on the net so we aren’t in the streets trying to take it back.
        
        And NOW they are starting the drones. Oh hell Hitler would have shit his pants if he had drones so he didn’t have to “FORCE” family and against family or friends and neighbors to kill each other, tell on each other so they don’t get “FEMA CAMPED”.
        
        I only say this now because I will be DDOS for the next two hours. I don’t care I will be in bed. But ya’ll need to wake up and get off the tiny politics. THIS is what matters. Not who is “president” cause seriously we don’t have one. Cheney is calling the shots and what ever he wants he gets. Fuck who the “puppet” is.
      - smkngman3
        
        I guess you don’t believe the “Fairy Tale”.
        
        Nor do I.
      - Shohanna
        
        Never have. I woke up on 9/11. I had doubts before, you know questions and things I couldn’t answer. But after? Not one doubt. I know exactly who the enemy is and what they want. Money and us slaves. They will do it to get their war on. I will fight them anyway I can.
      - MsPythia
        
        A really old and dear friend of mine died in the North Tower that horrible day. I haven’t trusted the official story since I heard Richard Clarke say that they knew. And then we learned that they’d received that memo that said “Bin Laden determined to strike in US” but then they did nothing. Bush and Condi got up and said this shit:
        
        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Su3tYyjaFDQ
        
        When in fact threat assessments had been done on that only a few years before, and they knew this.
      - smkngman3
        
        My favorite link for those that buy the story.
        
        “Hijack ‘suspects’ alive and well”
        
        http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/1559151.stm
- MsPythia
  
  Even the members of the 9/11 Commission said they’d been lied to.
- Nancy
  
  …
smkngman3

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZFJGufkcEj0
- Unkawillbur
  
  Consistency?!? We don’t need no stinking consistency!
  
  Do as we say, now, not as we said then!
- smkngman3
  
  Hillary isn’t the only one to have changed her Putin position.
  
  https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Cr7wp1BXYAI5Ypw.jpg
  - kreskin
    
    Joy Reid is a political hack . Shills for Hilz .
    - smkngman3
      
      So is Marcotte!
      
      That twitter quote is an old one.
  - MsPythia
    
    They’re both twits.
- EdgarHF
  
  At least she is consistently hypocritical.
- kreskin
  
  ZERO integrity , absolutely zero .
17

Has Israel Effectively Colonized the United States?

We normally think of colonizers as large countries, and the colonized as smaller and weaker nations. But this is not always the case. Colonization does not require occupation. It merely requires the subjugation of the colonized. With ambition, superior information and calculation, and the right mindset, smaller nations can (and have in the past) colonized and dominated larger and nominally more powerful countries.

http://www.strategic-culture.org/news/2016/09/09/has-israel-effectively-colonized-united-states.html
smkngman3

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Cr7z9imXEAAZ6Gz.jpg
- Unkawillbur
  
  Well, if that’s not a picture representative of much of this election, I don’t know what is.
- cathyx
  
  Ew. I’m glad there’s a black box down there.
- Nancy
  
  frat boys…
  ugh.
- smkngman3
  
  MORE HERE!
  
  New photos show Bill Clinton yukking it up with Trump, Melania, and swimsuit model
  
  http://www.politico.com/story/2016/09/new-photos-bill-clinton-trump-melania-227945#ixzz4JoW5aSkh
- MsPythia
  
  I like how the naughty bits were blacked out.
17

5 Times the National Guard Was Used (& What It Means for the Pipeline Protesters)

On Thursday, North Dakota Governor Jack Dalrymple called on the state’s National Guard to contain contentious protests against the Keystone pipeline, which threatens Native lands and water supplies. The decision comes after private security guards unleashed attack dogs on protesters this weekend, sparking further violence authorities predictably blamed on demonstrators.

http://theantimedia.org/national-guard-north-dakota-pipeline/
17

Maker of Drug Fueling Heroin Overdose Epidemic Is Lobbying to Keep Weed Illegal

In 2016, cannabis is still illegal in many parts of the country, and pharmaceutical giant Insys Therapeutics
Inc., a manufacturer of fentanyl, just demonstrated much of the reason why.

http://theantimedia.org/fentanyl-maker-lobbying-weed-illegal/
- Unkawillbur
  
  Of course. Preventing competition is an important tactic to keep profits high.
17

Army whistleblower Chelsea Manning begins hunger strike in prison protes

US Army whistleblower Chelsea Manning is now on a hunger strike as she serves a 35-year sentence in relation to leaking thousands of military cables related to the Afghanistan and Iraq wars. “I need help,” she says to stop bullying she has faced in prison.

https://www.rt.com/usa/358850-chelsea-manning-whistleblower-hunger-strike-prison/
- MsPythia
  
  🙁
MsPythia

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Cr9CK2IVIAAQWOe.jpg
- Nancy
  
  hey Ms!
  😉
  - MsPythia
    
    Nancy! Hello dearie! <3
    - Nancy
      
      <3
- doubleplusliberal
  
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j4XT-l-_3y0
- lindajoyous
  
  Hi MsPythia! 🙂
  - MsPythia
    
    Hi Linda! Great to see you!
    - lindajoyous
      
      Great to see you too! 🙂
MsPythia

Giad to hear about the temporary halt to DAPL, I made this meme any way. This is probably not the last we’ll hear of that pipeline.
- SpiffyTheValiant
  
  yay
  - MsPythia
    
    Spiffy! <3
- Nevin
  
  Unfortunately we are constantly battling our government over pipelines or something else. I always wonder how they can be tone deaf and just plain stupid.
  - Shohanna
    
    More they don’t give a damn. We mean nothing to them against their profit. (On that note. Night everyone!)
    - Unkawillbur
      
      Night Sho
    - lindajoyous
      
      Goodnight Shohanna! 🙂
    - Edwin
      
      nighty night
    - MsPythia
      
      Bye Sho! Darn, I didn’t even get to chat with you!
      - Shohanna
        
        I am here now! Morning! 😀
    - Nevin
      
      Nite Shohanna.
    - smkngman3
      
      Later..
- lindajoyous
  
  Good one MsPythia!
  - MsPythia
    
    Thanks Linda! <3
    - lindajoyous
      
      You’re very welcomed! 🙂
17

..
- lindajoyous
  
  Goodnight 17!
- Unkawillbur
  
  North Atlantic Peony Bicycle!
- MsPythia
  
  Good night 17!
- smkngman3
  
  Later…
towerofbabel

Your addiction is their year-end bonus. So naturally, they would rather have you addicted to their dangerous drugs than smoking a harmless plant you can grow in your back yard:

Seriously ‘Sinister’ Big Pharma: Opioid Maker Bankrolls Opposition to Pro-Pot Referendum

http://www.commondreams.org/news/2016/09/09/seriously-sinister-big-pharma-opioid-maker-bankrolls-opposition-pro-pot-referendum
smkngman3

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Cr9Rc8rWAAAt2Xt.jpg
- Edwin
  
  bush was a mental midget
  
  Cheney and other people ran that administration
- Dosido3
  
  Wow. It’s almost like he has empathy there for a split second…
lindajoyous

Good, watching Gene Hackman in the Hoosiers!
- Dosido3
  
  I LOVE that movie!
smkngman3

“Clinton touts GOP backing on foreign policy”

With Bush officials at her side, she steps up her appeal for bipartisanship.

http://www.politico.com/story/2016/09/hillary-clinton-republicans-foreign-policy-227983#ixzz4Jom8AUTN
- Dosido3
  
  Who put this republican in the Dem primary? Jeez!
  - MsPythia
    
    She and Debbie did. Rigged it that way, and got away with it. We should have been in the streets after the DNC Leaks.
  - Unkawillbur
    
    She’s a mainstream Democrat, so… Democrats did! 😛
- notisaidthepig
  
  She’s revolting.
  - Dosido3
    
    A progressive! Getting things done!
    - smkngman3
      
      Back to her “Roots”.
      - notisaidthepig
        
        Yep.
    - notisaidthepig
      
      She’s shameless. Vile. Etc. It’s a very long list.
    - MsPythia
      
      Yup!
- MsPythia
  
  Probably posted already, but for whoever missed it:
  
  This Election Is Hillary Clinton’s to Lose, and She’s Screwing It Up
  
  http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/this_election_is_hillary_clintons_to_lose_and_shes_screwing_it_up_20160908
  
  The writer is far too kind to Clinton — but she’s calling something out when she says that Clinton isn’t even trying to get votes on the left.
- smkngman3
  
  https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CqzclwMUAAAR8Ka.jpg
towerofbabel

See y’all tomorrow. Have a good one!
- MsPythia
  
  Good night Tower!
- smkngman3
  
  Later Tower.
- Edwin
  
  nighty night.
- notisaidthepig
  
  Sorry, I missed you, Tower. Sweet dreams.
- lindajoyous
  
  Goodnight tower! 🙂
notisaidthepig

Good evening, everyone. Been lurking for a wee bit.
- MsPythia
  
  Piggie! Hi dearie, how are you? 😀
  - notisaidthepig
    
    Hi, MsP. A bit swamped with work but that’s to be expected for my first year at a new school in a new district. Lots to learn! Also, a few nights of just dreadful sleep but me in a horrible state. Luckily I had a lovely night’s sleep last night. I need another one! How are you?
    - MsPythia
      
      I’m doing very well, thanks. I had a busy day myself, and just unwinding now. Lucky for you it’s the weekend and you can re-charge those batteries! It’s always crazy the first weeks at any new job, so I get it. I’ve always been a stress-mess at the beginning of any new job until I feel comfortable and in control of what I feel is expected of me.
      - notisaidthepig
        
        Exactly. I’ve taking tonight and tomorrow off. Sunday is going to be a full work day for me though. But that’s okay. The school week always goes well the more prepared I am. Funny how that works! 😉
      - MsPythia
        
        http://www.cutestpaw.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/This-Corgi-puppy-is-knocked-out.jpg
      - notisaidthepig
        
        YES!
      - MsPythia
        
        Thought so! ;^D <3
      - notisaidthepig
        
        You’re so wise!
      - MsPythia
        
        LOL!
      - smkngman3
        
        http://static.boredpanda.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/bar-signs-chalkboard-art-ollie-wolff-pruitt-coverimage.jpg
      - lindajoyous
        
        I thought it was the St Bernard that drinks, remember the show Topper?
        
        http://beachpackagingdesign.com/wp-content/uploads/boxvox/6a00e54f0014bd88340133f4bccf7a970b.jpg
      - MsPythia
        
        I don’t remember that show Linda — but it looks funny! 🙂
      - lindajoyous
        
        I must be older than you, it was a good show! Topper is about Man and Wife are ghosts. 🙂
      - lindajoyous
        
        This is the show!
        
        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CTB3HvnNpmY
      - all_hail_the_hypno_toad
        
        Gives Ms P a blanket.
      - MsPythia
        
        😀 That’s not me — it’s our Piggums! My day wasn’t that rough!
      - all_hail_the_hypno_toad
        
        Oh, I thought it was you and you looked cold 🙂
      - MsPythia
        
        Aw — that’s sweet of you Daniel! LOL!
      - RTIII
        
        The ONLY problem with that?!
        
        The bottle is EMPTY!
      - MsPythia
        
        Actually, I think it hasn’t been opened yet — looks like the seal is still on! 😀 Hi RT! <3
      - RTIII
        
        DAMN, that’s what I get for working too late – I got it fucking backwards! :-))
        
        Yeah, I MEANT to say it was FULL! :-O How can he be passed out when it’s full?!
      - MsPythia
        
        Him’s tired and had a hard day. Meant to be a party animal for the weekend, but passed out before the bottle was even opened. 😉
      - RTIII
        
        Man, THAT’S _rough!_ 🙂
      - MsPythia
        
        Indeed!
      - lindajoyous
        
        The puppy is adorable! 🙂
      - RTIII
        
        You know, my mom was a teacher who had a lot of experiences that sound similar to what you’ve shared… But your experience is colored much by your location. Sometimes I’ve thought to talk to you about them…
        
        Drop a note if you care to: demo at KarmannGhia dot org…
- smkngman3
  
  http://rs115.pbsrc.com/albums/n304/jujudancer1/Lurking/fetch-76.gif~c200
  - notisaidthepig
    
    Sorry!
- Nevin
  
  No need to lurk, you are amongst friends.
  - notisaidthepig
    
    Was having dinner so didn’t want to type!
- Unkawillbur
  
  Good evening.
  - notisaidthepig
    
    Hi, Unka. How’s it hanging? Oink!
    - Unkawillbur
      
      Good, good. Just listening to all the great music posted over in 17’s Music Club thread, and doing some old (60s/70s) crosswords from The Times.
      - Edwin
        
        A popular answer back them was Kojak. Also a fencing blade is an epee: the eternal crossword answer.
      - Unkawillbur
        
        Don’t forget “asp” the canonical three-letter answer! 😀
- Edwin
  
  Hi, noti.
- all_hail_the_hypno_toad
  
  noti!
  - SpiffyTheValiant
    
    toad 🙂
    - all_hail_the_hypno_toad
      
      Hi 🙂
      - SpiffyTheValiant
        
        <3
  - lindajoyous
    
    Hi Toad, good to see you!b 🙂
    - all_hail_the_hypno_toad
      
      You as well.
      - lindajoyous
        
        Sorry don’t know how that b got in there! Thank you 🙂
      - all_hail_the_hypno_toad
        
        Your fingers were just ahead of your brain 😉
      - lindajoyous
        
        LOl you got that right Toad! 🙂
  - notisaidthepig
    
    Hi, Toad. Hope you are feeling well today. Hey, it’s Friday. That’s gotta help!
    - all_hail_the_hypno_toad
      
      At home, didn’t go to work today. Really achy right now and coughing.
      
      I hope you have a good weekend 🙂
      - notisaidthepig
        
        Oh, Toad. I’m so sorry to hear that. Hope the weekend helps ease some of the hurt.
      - all_hail_the_hypno_toad
        
        Thanks.
- SpiffyTheValiant
  
  pig 🙂
  - notisaidthepig
    
    Hi, Spiffy! Was chatting with my brother on Skype so got sidetracked a bit. How have you been?
    - SpiffyTheValiant
      
      Pretty good. Lots to tell you 🙂
      - notisaidthepig
        
        Oh.
      - SpiffyTheValiant
        
        <3 yup first star on teh right and straight on till morning?
smkngman3

“After Hunger Strikes, Israel Punishes Imprisoned Palestinians”

On Sept. 8, the International Committee for the Red Cross informed Thameena Husary that she was not allowed to visit her imprisoned husband, Hasan Karajah. Husary had been hoping to see him for the first time in two months, but Israel is still denying her this most basic right.

Karajah, 31, is one of dozens of prisoners in Ofer military prison who are banned from receiving family visits. Israel’s ban came as a punishment for the hunger strike held by those prisoners in solidarity with their comrade Bilal Kayed. The ban is especially heart-wrenching as the families desperately wanted to see their loved ones during the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha.

http://www.telesurtv.net/english/news/After-Hunger-Strikes-Israel-Punishes-Imprisoned-Palestinians-20160909-0023.html
- all_hail_the_hypno_toad
  
  Sickening.
all_hail_the_hypno_toad

Pictures from inside NORAD
https://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s–EjDq7Tdv–/c_scale,fl_progressive,q_80,w_800/xpv1ptnlys5ebch6novf.jpg

Hillary almost looks presidential here
https://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s–buqePoNQ–/c_scale,fl_progressive,q_80,w_800/pwzllzgqtlmxhxh7wp7v.jpg

http://paleofuture.gizmodo.com/rare-photos-from-inside-norad-will-give-you-retro-armag-1786436948
- Nevin
  
  So Hillary has always been center stage.
  - all_hail_the_hypno_toad
    
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aQPakERjJrI
    - all_hail_the_hypno_toad
      
      Hillary’s campaign
      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SxWd4Rf4H6k
    - Nevin
      
      Oh Dick.
- Unkawillbur
  
  http://assets.nydailynews.com/polopoly_fs/1.1383872!/img/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/article_970/wargames28n-1-web.jpg
  - all_hail_the_hypno_toad
    
    That looks familiar, worked with a similar system while I was interning at Marshall Flight Center.
    - Unkawillbur
      
      It’s an Apple II. 😀
- Edwin
  
  The Jupiter 2 and Alpha Control (Season 1 of that show is good, then it went colour and got all campy.)
  
  http://www.starringthecomputer.com/snapshots/lost_in_space_b205_2.jpg
  
  http://vignette2.wikia.nocookie.net/lostinspace/images/3/3f/Alpha_Control.png/revision/latest?cb=20150529004337
  - Unkawillbur
    
    Those are, actually real computers. Just repurposed for props.
smkngman3

“Jill Stein calls for new 9/11 investigation”

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Cr8csg6WIAET-CZ.jpg
http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/presidential-races/295266-stein-calls-for-new-9-11-investigation
- MsPythia
  
  Excellent. I really love Jill. She’s way more gutsy than Bernie.
all_hail_the_hypno_toad

5 second rule debunked

Who hasn’t tried to salvage a mouthwatering morsel tragically lost to a germ-covered floor by blurting “FIVE-SECOND RULE!” before diving to the rescue? Even the most intelligent among us might be apt to cite the tenet with the fervor of an emergency responder. But let’s face it: the chances that some magical cut-off of five seconds will spare food from irreparable defiling was always far-fetched. Still, if you need hard-hitting evidence, researchers have now provided a comprehensive study that proves the rule is down for the count.

After analyzing several floor materials, food types, contamination methods, and resting times, researchers at Rutgers show conclusively that food can easily become contaminated in less than five seconds. In fact, contamination may take less than one second in some scenarios. In a small consolation, the researchers note that the general theory behind the debunked rule—that longer resting time on a contaminated surface will increase contamination—stands.

http://arstechnica.com/science/2016/09/its-official-the-five-second-rule-is-down-for-the-count/
- lindajoyous
  
  My neice did that, and I couldn’t eat it!
  - all_hail_the_hypno_toad
    
    Don’t blame you.
    - lindajoyous
      
      Thanks Toad!
- Edwin
  
  If I want to eat what fell on the floor I eat it. It has put hair on my chest. ^_^
  
  (I clean the floor every now and then. It’s not like there’s mold growing on it.)
  - all_hail_the_hypno_toad
    
    I’m a bit OD about cleaning though not that bad so I stay away from that.
    - Edwin
      
      I used to be, but then I noticed stuff gets dirty again. Life is too short to worry about the cobwebs.
      - all_hail_the_hypno_toad
        
        I hate spiders too 🙂
      - Edwin
        
        I like spiders. They are my friends.
      - Unkawillbur
        
        http://s2.quickmeme.com/img/59/59c3b2b17b7162052067f2d748b1f32ca869478904102a9c945c20e38c7bcffc.jpg
      - lindajoyous
        
        I moved from Eugene Oregon to Kelso Wa and never have seen a mosquito here, but in Eugene they were thick
      - Edwin
        
        Oh, my! I would catch a spider with a glass and piece of paper and escort him outside if I wanted him to leave.
      - Unkawillbur
        
        http://static1.bustaflash.com/funnystuff/images/spider/spider3.jpg
      - Edwin
        
        Long as they don’t bother me…
      - Unkawillbur
        
        “Life is too short to worry about the cobwebs.”
        
        I’m adding that to my “Useful Folksy Wisdom” collection!
      - MsPythia
        
        Until you get a spider bite! 😉
      - Edwin
        
        It’s Japanese. The cobwebs will always be there but your friends won’t. I modified it.
      - SmotPoker
        
        My house may have cobwebs, but it is remarkably free of flies, and other bugs…
- Nevin
  
  My home no problem.
- Unkawillbur
  
  People actually believe that was a real thing? WOW.
- MsPythia
  
  I wash it off if I can, and throw it away if I can’t. I think that helps?
  - all_hail_the_hypno_toad
    
    I think it may depend how porous the material is.
    - Nevin
      
      We are talking about food one would eat, right?
      - all_hail_the_hypno_toad
        
        There’s different textures though.
      - MsPythia
        
        If it’s soft or cooked, forget it.
    - MsPythia
      
      Like a vegetable or piece of fruit, I’ll wash it off. Meat, forget it.
      - SmotPoker
        
        That’s just crazy talk. Floor meat is the best….
- Edwin
  
  In restaurants they just dust it off and serve it. All the meals gotta go out at the same time.
smkngman3

“Seriously ‘Sinister’ Big Pharma: Opioid Maker Bankrolls Opposition to Pro-Pot Referendum”

It has been revealed that the maker of a powerful, addictive opioid drug is bankrolling the opposition to the effort to legalize and regulate marijuana for recreational use in Arizona.

The Phoenix New Times reported Thursday that Insys Therapeutics, the company behind the fentanyl-based medication Subsys, made a $500,000 donation to the group Arizonans for Responsible Drug Policy (ARDP), which is leading the campaign against Proposition 205.

http://www.commondreams.org/news/2016/09/09/seriously-sinister-big-pharma-opioid-maker-bankrolls-opposition-pro-pot-referendum
- MsPythia
  
  Fuckers.
smkngman3

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Cr9wnH6VYAA2a3h.jpg
- all_hail_the_hypno_toad
  
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1OnfPJ37Myo
- Nevin
  
  ….
  
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NnPRB00xgoQ
  - notisaidthepig
    
    “Monsters lead such interesting lives.”
    - Nevin
      
      So do pigs and bulls. 😉
      - notisaidthepig
        
        Indeed.
      - MsPythia
        
        For an Oracle, I’d say it varies… 🙂
      - Nevin
        
        I’m Irish and kissed the blarney stone so I call your bluff.
      - MsPythia
        
        I just get to breathe in sulfurous fumes and then get nagged for my elusive thoughts on my visions — that only cause others to ponder and worry. But I do get to swan around in fine robes, so…
        I’d like to kiss the Blarney — but only if there’s no crowds around.
      - Edwin
        
        and kings ^.^
    - notisaidthepig
      
      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_cpX3qrzRfk
- MsPythia
  
  Made me laugh!
smkngman3

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Cr9cSgIXEAASf-t.jpg
- MsPythia
  
  Spray paint on the fucking shovel of an earth mover! That paint would scrape off and be gone in a day if it’s used somewhere else!
  - all_hail_the_hypno_toad
    
    But it hurt their feelings I’m sure.
    - MsPythia
      
      It’s to punish her for standing up alongside the tribes. She got press for that, and she looks brave. Calls up the fact that Shillz hasn’t said a word about DAPL, so they had to go after her. What they don’t realize is that her supporters LOVE her for this, and only think more of her for it, not less.
smkngman3

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Cr9QsaWUIAALYve.jpg
- MsPythia
  
  That’s why she’s said fuck-all about DAPL. Her owners wouldn’t allow that.
  - smkngman3
    
    https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Cr9MMp5WIAEmwsB.jpg
    - MsPythia
      
      Nice — I’m going to post that on my FB.
      - Nevin
        
        Why the hell do you have a FB account?
      - MsPythia
        
        Old friends and family mostly. Musician friends of my husband’s because he plays in a couple of bands — many in Europe and Australia and Japan. The friends I see all the time hardly engage with me, or me with them. We text each other instead.
      - Nevin
        
        FB is so intrusive. I understand how people are able to connect, but you give up a lot for that.
      - MsPythia
        
        I post a lot of political stuff, and interesting or pretty things that I see on the web. I hardly ever post photos of anything, or talk about personal stuff, unless it’s in a private message.
      - Edwin
        
        I think, any more, if you don’t want to be tracked you have to get off the internet 100%, chuck your phone in the garbage, and cut up all your credit and debit cards.
      - Nevin
        
        Partially agree Edwin. There is a way we can minimize our presence on the internet. Also, stop using the cards the grocery stores give you.
      - Edwin
        
        I haven’t watched this yet, but I read about it. Guy tries to disappear: how we are tracked. You might be interested.
        
        Erasing David
        
        Ashley Jones, David Bond, Melinda McDougall 2009
        1:19:45
        
        Film
        maker David Bond lives in one of the most intrusive surveillance states
        in the world — Britain. When David receives a letter stating that both
        he and his daughter are amongst the 25 million residents whose details
        have been lost by the government in a massive data breach, David sets
        out to investigate some potential impacts of such data being lost in a
        society of mass surveillance.
        
        Erasing David documents the
        test where David hires two private detectives to track him down as he
        chooses to ‘disappear’ for 30 days to see if he can avoid being caught
        amongst the vast data trails generated by modern society…
        
        http://thoughtmaybe.com/erasing-david/
      - Edwin
        
        I’m on there because I know people on 5 continents from all my years of working and travelling abroad. I don’t use it much and post little. It’s nice to see their posts and I can say HI any time.
all_hail_the_hypno_toad

Fire the managers

As you glance up from your real job and gaze at the rows of offices occupied by “managers,” do you ever get the feeling that nothing of value is really going on over there? My friend, you are exactly right.

Whether you work in a factory, a store, an office, or an army, you may have noticed something disconcerting about the typical arrangement of labor. You, the regular, low-level employee, do actual work—the work that your enterprise is supposed to be doing. You cook the food, you press the sheet metal, you hammer the nails, you stock the shelves, you fold the clothes, you program the computers, you write the news stories. In return for doing the actual work that your enterprise exists to do, you are at the bottom of the pay scale. Above you on the pay scale are layer after layer of “managers.” These managers do not do the work; they supervise those who do the work. They tell those who do the work to do the work. As you climb the ladder of management, this effect is magnified. At the very top of the enterprise you find a small group of people who do nothing but tell people who tell people who tell people who tell people to do the work.

The farther away your job is from doing the actual work, the more highly you are compensated.

http://theconcourse.deadspin.com/fire-half-the-managers-1786380149
Nevin

OK, I am going to be petty. Hillary has grown into the face she deserves.
- MsPythia
  
  Hacking and choking up phlegm she also deserves — and worse!
  - Nevin
    
    I’ve never liked the Clinton’s. I just don’t like phony people.
    - MsPythia
      
      I really loathe her. It’s terrible to hate someone so much that I’ve never even met. But she’s a horrible person, and tries so hard to act like she isn’t. It’s sickening, and phony is spot on.
      - SpiffyTheValiant
        
        exactly how i feel
      - MsPythia
        
        She’s responsible for the deaths of so many people, and suffering of multitudes. She’s a total monster, but because she has money and power and influence, she really thinks she’s wonderful and special. Bitch.
      - SpiffyTheValiant
        
        that post under the cute puppy post is weird lol <3 but i agree.
      - MsPythia
        
        Ack — I didn’t refresh! I didn’t know the cuteness was there! I thought you were agreeing with what I said! LOL! :/
      - SpiffyTheValiant
        
        well i was agreeing with what you said a lot really XD
      - MsPythia
        
        Is that really a puppy? It looks like a magical animal that has never been named because it stays hidden in the forest and only says hello to a few people. 🙂
      - SpiffyTheValiant
        
        I believe it is a puppy, though it sorta looks like a bar if you squint.
      - MsPythia
        
        I would like one.
      - SpiffyTheValiant
        
        Yes, it is very squishyable. 🙂
      - MsPythia
        
        I want a pocket-sized Squishy!
      - SpiffyTheValiant
        
        lol
      - MsPythia
        
        😀
      - SpiffyTheValiant
        
        🙂
      - MsPythia
        
        I love you too Spiffycat!!!
      - SpiffyTheValiant
        
        <3
      - lindajoyous
        
        I’m sick of hearing about her! I turn her off
      - SpiffyTheValiant
        
        <3 yup
      - lindajoyous
        
        🙂
      - Nevin
        
        There is a part of me that wants to like her, but I can’t. Actually, fuck that, I have no interest in liking her. I’m very opinionated and really don’t care of people agree or disagree with me.
all_hail_the_hypno_toad

Need to go pass out, shivering right now and I have the heat on 🙁 Good night all.

http://pictures.4ever.eu/data/download/animals/cats/sleeping-cat,-cuddly-toy,-blanket-149656.jpg
- smkngman3
  
  later!
- lindajoyous
  
  Goodnight Toad!
- Nevin
  
  {{{hugs}}} to keep you warm
- Unkawillbur
  
  take care.
- SpiffyTheValiant
  
  *awe warms up the toad.*
- MsPythia
  
  Good Night Daniel! I hope Snuggle Toad has a good rest! <3
- notisaidthepig
  
  Good night, my friend.
- Edwin
  
  good night
  
  sleep well
- Stephanie
  
  Hope you feel better today <3
smkngman3

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CobuBqzUAAA0F6u.jpg
- MsPythia
  
  When she stops coughing, she has a song for you Smokey:
smkngman3

Good night all..

http://static.boredpanda.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/bar-signs-chalkboard-art-ollie-wolff-pruitt-29-57d12c3c8d437__605.jpg
- Nevin
  
  Nite Smokey. I choose alcohol, not because it will solve my problems, but because it will not be a part of farm animal abuse.
  - MsPythia
    
    I’ll drink to that! 😉
    - Nevin
      
      Here is my little rant. I’ve been a vegetarian for over 40 years. I indulge in cheese, but only if it is organic. I’m amazed with celebrities that talk about being vegans/vegetarians while driving a car with leather seats. I really believe actors are the most stupid people that exist.
      - MsPythia
        
        How are you with humane-leather? That is to say, with leather made from animals that died naturally? I have a vegan friend who will buy shoes and other items made from that sort of leather, but it’s hellish expensive.
      - Nevin
        
        No leather, period. When do you stop justifying what you wear? I like her, but Ellen Degenres is a perfect example. She claim’s to be a vegan, but drives a car that has no vegan option and has leather furniture in her home.
      - MsPythia
        
        Yeah, that makes no sense. And it’s weird too, because there is really nice stuff that is vegan, and she’s got all the money in the world to buy the best. My friend that I mentioned only buys a pair of boots every other year or so to wear in the winter and like I said, they cost a lot. But when I asked her why she needs leather, she said her feet get too cold during the rainy season, so that’s how she justifies that.
      - Nevin
        
        I don’t agree that it is expensive. It is hard to find decent shoes that are vegan, but not impossible.
      - MsPythia
        
        No, these ones she buys are. I was with her once when she bought them. But then, it’s a specialty store in the $F Bay Area that only sells certified humane leather goods, and they’re pretty stylish, so maybe that’s why.
      - Nevin
        
        There is nothing humane about leather goods.
      - MsPythia
        
        Well, there you go. There are a lot of views on this subject, and it’s interesting that people who can agree on what they are willing to eat, often don’t agree when it comes to what they will wear, and use in their homes.
      - Nevin
        
        We always justify what we do. Hopefully how I live is with respect for animals. I remember my brother, with his bow and arrow, shooting at frogs in our pool. It emotionally destroyed me that someone could be so cruel.
      - MsPythia
        
        I’m not into cruelty either. I was a vegetarian myself for eight years and then became suddenly anemic (even though I was careful) and was told by my doctor that I should start eating some meat again (this was years ago now — they would probably never say such a thing to a vegetarian patient now). Anyway, that’s what I did, and I felt better right away and haven’t had a return to being anemic. My husband isn’t vegetarian, so when we got together, I had to make him get used to eating a lot less meat than he was used to, but also broadened his food palette and he is pretty happy with what we eat. I only eat meat a few times a month now, and when I do it’s expensive because I won’t buy anything that has been tortured, and I buy it from an expensive meat market. I also eat fish quite a bit. That probably sounds disgusting to you, but I have learned to live with eating this way.
        
        I have never understood people who won’t eat milk, cheese or butter since cows produce milk. It seems like that should be okay, but my vegan friends are so against this. It’s confusing to me.
      - Nevin
        
        Unfortunately for cows to produce milk they need to be pregnant. Once the calf’s are born they are torn from their mother so the milk is available for us. Nothing confusing once you understand it.
      - MsPythia
        
        But don’t cows continue to produce even after their calf’s are weened? I thought that was the case…
      - MsPythia
        
        And I don’t think it’s good to artificially inseminate cows after they’ve given birth, btw. I just mean cows that are naturally farm raised. Don’t they continue to give milk longer than their calf’s need the milk? That’s what I’ve been told, but I could be wrong.
      - Nevin
        
        You are wrong. In our milk industry calf’s are torn from their mother at birth. It is one of the most horrendous sights (? spelling) to see.
      - MsPythia
        
        I’m not talking about the cruelty of doing that (which is insane), I’m talking about the idea that if you milk cows twice a day, it makes them continue to produce for a long while, even after their little calf’s are starting to munch on grasses. I’m assuming that cheese and butter would never have become a food stuff that people eat regularly if cows weren’t producing extra amounts of milk…
      - Nevin
        
        The calf’s are not privy to their mothers milk. In order for a cow to produce milk they need to be continually in a state of pregnancy or after birth. Think about it, how many months does a woman produce milk for her child?
      - MsPythia
        
        Well, that’s the thing human women can keep producing milk for a very long time — as long as their children nurse! Which is why some people keep feeding their kids that way for far longer than many people are comfortable with! From what I gathered (and now I will have to read about this so I can stop speculating and learn something new) the same is true of cows at least after they’ve had a calf. That frequent milking makes them produce extra milk. This was told to me by the woman who owns my local cheese shop, but now I’m wondering if she was just talking and trying to impress people…
      - Nevin
        
        Whatever. In order for you to have milk they need to deny their calf their milk. I could post horrendous videos of what happens to calf’s and their mom’s once they are born. This is an epidemic of cruelty to our animals.
      - MsPythia
        
        It doesn’t have to be that way, and it shouldn’t be. At the same time, I know that they eat both butter and cheese in India which is a vegetarian country for the most part, so there must be a good way to do this that isn’t cruel. My point in talking about it is just to call up the fact that it must have been done more humanely in the past, otherwise human beings would not have started making those things to eat. We were once not so cruel to the domesticated animals in our care.
      - Nevin
        
        We have always been cruel to animals. They have been at our beck and call. We are still cruel to animals. There is nothing humane about how we treat farm animals. Take for example cage free. Do you know what that means? I’m tired and need to go to bed MsP.
      - MsPythia
        
        I am aware of this, and much of it is not okay with me either Blue. Have a good night, and see you soon. <3
      - Edwin
        
        night night
      - Nevin
        
        Nite Edwin. What is your time difference?
      - Edwin
        
        4:40 pm here
      - Nevin
        
        You are a 16 hour difference.
      - Edwin
        
        you on the west coast?
      - Nevin
        
        Arizona. We don’t do the daylight savings time. In winter California is an hour behind us and summer the same time.
      - Nevin
        
        Yes
      - lindajoyous
        
        I agree with you Nevin!
      - Nevin
        
        Thank you Linda. I know my views may be radical.
      - lindajoyous
        
        Not radical to me!
- MsPythia
  
  Good Night Smokey! <3 Thanks for all you do!
- lindajoyous
  
  Goodnight smokey and that for the good memes!
- Edwin
  
  good night .
- Unkawillbur
  
  http://stream1.gifsoup.com/view2/4635964/milk-was-a-bad-choice-o.gif
  - Edwin
    
    That’s the thing about beards. Sometimes they look nice, but I always wonder how much crap is in them.
    - Nevin
      
      http://www.cbsnews.com/news/could-a-beard-be-bad-for-your-health/
      
      Thankfully I don’t have to deal with a woman that has a beard.
      - Edwin
        
        yup
        
        ya never know what’s in there
        
        http://photo.ambebi.ge/pictures/ex350x0x1x80/64d448ffa2.images.new_photo.mozaika.beard-1-21880.jpg
        
        Glitter beard trend: https://www.google.co.kr/search?q=glitter+beards&client=firefox-b&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjr1uXdkITPAhXDGZQKHbTLBx8Q_AUICCgB&biw=1140&bih=550#imgrc=Z_NQQq7JdfvtgM%3A
      - Shohanna
        
        I can not describe how repulsive that is.. O.O
    - Shohanna
      
      I am a germaphobe. Seriously, I can’t even look at a beard and consider it “sexy”. **SHIVER** My brain tells me there is all kinds of crap in that beard. Reminds me of my hands, and I wash my hands plenty. How many men you see wash their hands after a potty break?
      
      I notice stuff like that. I was forever reminding my ex, GO WASH YOUR HANDS every damned time he walked out of the bathroom. AS IF he couldn’t do it himself?! I stopped after awhile and just refused to let him touch me. He would get ANGRY and ask why and I would look at him and say the first time you wash your hands after a potty break, I will CELEBRATE and throw you a BDAY cake cause maybe you will make it to that Bday! /nod I will let you touch me however you want.
      
      hahaha he started to remember to wash his hands. How fucking hard is it?! Seriously?! It spreads disease, these people would NOT have gotten this if someone had done that between the picking of the strawberries and the creating ice cream. ALL it took was 1 person. 1 not washing their hands. **smdh** And PEOPLE TRUST them!!
      
      I don’t. My mom did NOT teach me to wash my hands. Well she did, but the better lesson? Getting deathly ILL from not washing your hands as a kid. I NEVER want to be that sick again. Ever, ew ew ew ew.
Edwin

this is a good one you night owls

Flow — For The Love of Water

Irena Salina 2008
1:23:32

Flow — For The Love Of Water
builds a case against the growing privatisation of the world’s
dwindling fresh water supply with a specific focus on human rights,
pollution, the politic of corporate influence in the emergence of a
domineering global water cartel. The film names and clearly documents
many of the culprits, while asking the question—can anyone really ‘own’
water?

http://thoughtmaybe.com/flow-for-the-love-of-water/
- Stephanie
  
  What a find, thank you Edwin.
Edwin

https://vimeo.com/72026186
Edwin

—->> ✯ very good ✯

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xUW5-LlLQ1Q
Shohanna

Morning! I am worried about my daughter now. Hep A breakout in VA.

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/10/health/hepatitis-a-outbreak-linked-to-strawberries-at-smoothie-chain.html?_r=0
Shohanna

OH remember that mattress video yesterday? haha Guess what? People hated that commercial SO MUCH that the store decided it would be a good idea to close.

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/texas-mattress-store-ran-sept-11-ad-closed-indefinitely-article-1.2786178
- Shaykayvah
  
  Jeezus, stupidity reigns.
Shohanna

Heroin epidemic gets worse.
http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/ohio-city-releases-shocking-photo-show-effects-poison-known-heroin-n645806
Shohanna

New Series starring Richard Madden from Game of Thrones. (Rob Stark) Oh Sexy!

http://decider.com/2016/09/09/final-shots-game-of-thrones-actor-richard-madden-to-star-in-amazons-strange-new-things/
Shohanna

Yes, treat the relatives of ISIS as if they had a fucking choice or not. What is this?! Punish your sister b/c you can’t keep it to yourself? WHAT?!

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-iraq-displacement-idUSKCN11F1RX

I don’t get these people. My relative is not mine to control?! What the absolute fuck…. I couldn’t stop my brother from committing suicide, neither could my parents. Once he stopped threatening everyone of us with it, his choice was decided and to hell with anyone else. Are you saying it’s my fault?! Dude. I hadn’t had a clue. He threatened to do it every damned day since he was 17 or so. He was 36. You tell me whether you believe him or not?! It was emotional blackmail. He threatened to do it one time when my girls were 10 or so, and I yelled at him ” DO IT OR STFU about it. I don’t want my kids implicated in bullshit like that”. He came after me with a lead pipe and tried to kill me. I called the fucking cops! I said I want charges pressed. It was a mess. But the point I am making. If someone is fucking serious about something you can’t CONTROL them. As much as you would LIKE TO. It’s not your business or choice. FAMILY or NOT.
17

..
Shohanna

You guys might not be interested in this, but maybe you are. I am not a plus size. But due to certain conditions, a contentious divorce that lasted 15 yrs, the stress caused both my beloved girls to struggle with weight. It was a forbidden subject in the house. I did not mention anything about weight, besides making sure to eat their veggies. I stressed a balanced diet. I showed them how. I only talked about it if they asked me. I let them have the initiative there.

So, reading about “forbidden” subjects is quite changing. This subject is a forbidden subject and a DESIGNER brought it up and I hope it leads to changes that allow plus size to wear GOOD clothes!

http://site.people.com/style/tim-gunn-says-designers-refuse-to-make-clothes-for-average-size-16-women/

It was so hard to find good clothes for the girls when they were growing up.
Shohanna

Just to make it clear. This is the propaganda we have to deal with on a daily basis. Every time I read something like this, my brain screams and screams. Really?! Seriously?! Where the fuck is the goddamned 4th Estate?! WHERE THE FUCK IS IT BECAUSE WE NEED IT!!

Investigative Journalism?! Fuck No. Where are all those TV shows that investigate mysteries?! We really fucking need them now! OH I know where is Fox Mulder? He would know the fucking truth. If not, Sully would surely tell him in her sassy, flirting way!!

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/facebook-promotes-sept-11-truther-conspiracy-theory-article-article-1.2784866

But no, it’s a “TRUTHER” conspiracy. As if this is a bad thing?! SINCE when is the truth a bad thing? Someone tell me please b/c I am lost on concrete is paper world.
- Shaykayvah
  
  Fall into line or be unmercifully ridiculed.
  - Unkawillbur
    
    That applies to more than just one side. Sadly
- 17
  
  Don’t you think it far-fetched that ignorant, corrupt, and cowardly American journalists who lie for money know more than physicists, chemists, 2,700 high-rise architects and structural engineers who have called on the US Congress to launch a real investigation of 9/11, firefighters and first responders who were on the WTC scene, military and civilian pilots and former high government officials, all of whom are on record challenging the unbelievable and physically impossible official story of 9/11? What kind of a moron does a person have to be to believe that the United States government and its media know better than the laws of physics?
  - Shaykayvah
    
    I dread all the 911 bullshit coverage on the anniversary. Never forget my ass, more like, never have a clue.
    - Edwin
      
      It’s sickening. America sure knows how to milk the fuck outta shit until the whole planet is retching.
17

Framingham State University Campus Police Officer Arrested For Masturbating in Public on Campus

Officer Wilter Dormevil, a Framinham (MA) State University campus police officer, was arrested last week for performing lewd acts in public. Dormevil is accused of masturbating in front of a student employee on
campus. As a result of his arrest, he was banned from campus and placed on paid vacation.

—These guys just can’t stop playing with one gun or another.—

http://www.copblock.org/165716/framingham-state-university-campus-police-officer-arrested-masturbating-in-public-on-campus/
- cathyx
  
  Is this the same bad cop preforms a sex act in public you posted last night, or another one?
  - Shaykayvah
    
    Another day, another cop spankin’ it.
    - 17
      
      I have no problem with dudes “spankin’ it”. But FFS, do it at home in front of your computer like us civilized folk!
      - Shaykayvah
        
        Make sure to cover lens! At least that’s what I’m told.
      - 17
        
        lol 😉
      - 17
        
        ..
      - Shaykayvah
        
        Ha!
  - 17
    
    No, this is a different “Hero”.
Stephanie

Good Saturday everybody! :^) Building Star Trek Smithsonian Channel.

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=xYXRkwY9zfs
Stephanie

Polls are false, redacted tonight

Has some really good information on why Jill Stein might be pulling so low.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IB_ZlLfKWig
- Nevin
  
  Morning Stephanie. If this election year hasn’t woken people up to how rigged our elections are I don’t know what will. I’ve said for years our options for representatives are what the two parties tell us they are. Even within the parties there is not really competition. Florida is not unique, but look at how the establishment rallied behind DWS. It is almost impossible for someone of the same party to challenge an incumbent.
  - Stephanie
    
    Morning Nevin :^) this election cycle has been incredibly painful, because I agree we are becoming aware of just how manipulated and cheated we are, and that are democracy has been in part built upon falsehoods.
    
    Did you notice in the news cycle that they’re quoting electoral votes for Hillary Clinton, in the same manner that they were quoting superdelegates.
    
    Our corporate overlords are letting us know, in no uncertain terms that our faux democracy will not obstruct them.
    
    Do they dare breach the false pretense apparently they’re going to give it a go.
Stephanie

I love this history talks series, it’s older. So maybe history Buffs have already watched it. I’ll post it anyway.
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Yocja_N5s1I
- Unkawillbur
  
  Good stuff. In my queue!
  - Stephanie
    
    Thanks Unka, morning :^)
    - Unkawillbur
      
      Morning Steph! Hope you’re doing well.
      - Stephanie
        
        Yes we had rain last night so it’s cooled off considerably, still too humid though. Which is the real villain here.
      - Unkawillbur
        
        We had a day or so this week that was both high temps and high humidity, it’s torture.
      - Stephanie
        
        I don’t run AC in my house. Luckily though the way our house is built it still stays cool for the most part, but you hit 90 degrees with humidity forget it. It’s just going to be an ick miserable day.
      - Unkawillbur
        
        Living in a central AZ city, it would be suicide to not have AC, unfortunately.
      - Stephanie
        
        Oh absolutely, in Indiana you can get away with it.
        Though with climate change will see how much longer we can.
Unkawillbur

Our Saturday SciFi Open Thread is up!

But there’s still a wealth of great music for your listening pleasure, up at 17’s Friday Music Club thread!
SmotPoker

I forgot I had pics of this garden on the PC…
- Chunga
  
  Beauteous.
- Edwin
  
  yum