Seriously, Flesh of Christ is a freaking color? Also, Christ was peach colored? And there were dinosaurs on the Ark? I knew I was missing out on learning the whole story when I skipped religion class in high school. Then again, it was a Catholic high school, so I probably just missed the pederasty. Am I right, am I right? Huzzah!
PS: Work is making me go insane (but pictures like this certainly aren’t helping). Cut it out, Internet!
I am very sick and tired of hearing people whine about how the big, evil, Bear Stearns bank got bailed out, but the little guy - Joe Homeowner - is left out to dry and isn’t getting any mortgage relief. “It’s corporate welfare!!!” “It’s so unfair!!!”
Well, you know freaking what? Joe Homeowner isn’t being left out to dry by the bailout. You know why? Because there are a hell of a lot fewer stupid homeowners than reasonable homeowners who bought homes sensibly and are making their payments. So the average homeowner isn’t screwed over by the bailout, they’re helped.
You know why?
Because if a large firm like Bear Stearns goes tits up without any bailout, that affects the WHOLE national and international economy - negatively. That sends the dollar down in value. This means that everything else (especially imported goods) cost more.
In a perfect world, we wouldn’t have elected (TWICE!) the morons that caused the dollar to tank in the first place, so our economy would have been able to withstand the ripple from a bank failure. But an already compromised dollar? It can’t take it! The bailout was necessary to preserve not only the the big wigs, but also the average person who needs to buy food and keep a roof over their heads (even if it’s *gasp* rented).
Now, if some silly bastard takes out a loan that they can’t pay, and they can’t get out of the loan by selling their property because their house value dropped and their mortgage is valued higher than the house - they get foreclosed on. This means that they have to move out, get an apartment, and deal with a black mark on their credit record. Further, if the bank has to sell the house at a price lower than the mortgage was worth the time of foreclosure, the former homeowner does in fact owe the difference. This is part of the mortgage contract that was signed. This isn’t unique. This is how virtually all loans in the modern world work. If you can’t pay the difference (that you contractually owe), then you can declare bankruptcy and get a slightly larger black mark on your credit. This does NOT take away your ability to live within your means in apartment. It just means that you have bad credit and rent instead of owning.
I own a home. I bought within my means. And barring a very severe economic downturn, I’ll be able to continue affording it. In fact, even if I lost my job and had no money in reserve, my unemployment check alone would cover not only my monthly mortgage and utility bills but would even have room left over for other things, like gas and food.
That doesn’t mean I didn’t get a little jealous (and vaguely suspicious) when I saw acquaintances in my same income level purchasing far more expensive and luxurious homes.
But how many of those people are still in those homes? Just one - and he’s up to his ass in debt that keeps mounting.
In summation, if Bear Stearns went down without any bailout, it would affect the purchasing power of every dollar in the US - affecting everyone. Especially those that had even larger debts to pay off due to mortgage defaults. More importantly though, it would greatly affect all the people out there who made good decisions.
Come to think of it, allowing a financial failure that affects even those who made the right choices is just like re-electing George W. Bush a third time. Unconscionably moronic.
Gee, I don’t know - but I can tell how Hillary Clinton’s adviser feels about the working class *and* black people. God only knows what he thinks of working class black people. What a classist, racist tool!
Oooh…. I want!
60 mpg and the ability to run biodiesel? Sounds damn good to me.
The best part of this news? It probably means that a mass-produced biodiesel-electric hybrid is right around the corner. I can’t wait!
Just what in the hell does he think he’s doing? Is he really sure that a passive-aggressive statement like this won’t just fly right over the heads of “the people”? Will this endear him in the hearts of the Venezuelans that back him? Still, it’s nearly adorable, in a teenage kind of way.
If you ask me, there’s rarely a place in first-world countries for unions these days. They were more widely needed in years past. However, the low-paid workers of our “service economy” could certainly use a union. Especially those that labor under the evil juggernaut of Wal*Mart.
The employees at a Jonquiere Wal*Mart actually managed to unionize. Then Wal*Mart closed the store and canned all of it’s employees. Hopefully, the local gov’t won’t screw workers while giving Wal*Mart the benefit of the doubt - like so many local goernments have.
Currently I’m reading a book called “The World Without Us“, by Alan Weisman. I’ll admit it, I was expecting more of a “World War Z” type of book. Instead, of fictional narrative, Alan Weisman presents lots of distilled research and observation in a very piece-by-piece manner. It’s not dry reading per so, but it isn’t a real page turner either - though one of the reasons is the grim picture it paints about our long-chain-hydrocarbon filled lifestyle, what it’s costing the planet, and how long things will take to balance out once we cut . A particularly offensive bit is the amount of plastic in our oceans - not plastic bags or six-pack rings, awful as they are - but rather the amount of plastic particles – many microscopic – that are floating *in the ocean – not just on top. These little bits are being ingested by the smallest of the small and the largest of the large. And it’s all accumulated in the last 50 years. And it’s everywhere in the ocean, even the most remote places.
Even though it’s a Honda, I do drive an SUV. Sure, it gets better gas mileage than my last car (a small economy car), but it’s still a bit more than I need for everyday use. When lunchtime comes around – you used to be able to find me driving five minutes into town every day for lunch at some restaurant or fast food joint. But I’ve changed! I promise! I try to bring my lunch on most days, and when I don’t I try to eat at our on-site cafeteria to avoid the unnecessary drive into town. Sadly, the cafeteria uses Styrofoam plates for most entrees. In the past, I’ve asked our facilities manager about switching to paper plates and received a “Don’t worry, they’re pulled out of the garbage and recycled by our sanitation pickup company.” response. This hardly addresses the problem of plastic/foam plates being produced in the first place, and is of dubious value at best.
Therefore, from today forward, I will avoid using foam/plastic plates and utensils whenever possible. For lunch today? I had spaghetti and a salad from the cafeteria. I got a mild version of the “damn hippies” look, but was successfully served my spaghetti in the paper basket normally used for sandwiches. Sure, reusable plates would be even better – but one step at a time, right?
I hardly feel like I need to get on a soapbox with this one, but seriously folks, what good is an “Organic” label if the ingredients of the product aren’t grown organically? Methinks someone is in the pockets of corporate America yet again - and I’m looking at you sneaky USDA chuckleheads.
I wonder how long I’ll have to play before I beat the high score…
Of course, these days I barely drink. I think I’ve been tipsy about once or twice in the few months, which may be par for some people, but is a significant shift for me. Nonetheless, I still cannot understand why a alcohol-detecting ignition interlock isn’t required on all new vehicles.
Seems so simple and logical, doesn’t it? Really, it’s just like a seat belt - but for other people. Why can’t we pass a law that makes sense for once?
At least, that’s the name of the link that Wired provides. The link should read: “Apologists for the Victim Society; Apply Within”.
It all comes down to sticks and stones. Someone being naughty, offensive, vicious, or whatever label you wish to apply, does not *hurt* you. At least, not in the world I live in. Maybe they irritate or infuriate you. At which point you should leave the situation or be prepared to do something to fix it in a level-headed manner. Most definitely, they do not “rape” you.
Virtual Rape? I virtually decline to acknowledge it.
I’m so used to seeing news crews interview people in airport security lines that I’m no longer surprised at all the bozos who are paving the way for a truly nasty Big Brother future with proclamations like “I don’t mind the lines, I’m for anything that makes us safer!”. Welcome to your nightly programming.
However, at least in the U.S., even those who accept flawed charades of “security measures” with open arms, facial recognition technology has been met with skepticism and reticence. People don’t like being watched *anonimously*. Even if you’re in love with safety and security, the chances are good that you prefer being monitored by uniformed police/security or by cameras monitored by police or security.
Once computers are involved with the decision making - people get a little uneasy.
However, the right propaganda can sell nearly anything to anyone. Even me. I’m constantly fighting the urge to irrationally switch to a Mac. And hell, Bush was elected twice!
I haven’t cracked open my ballot or voter’s pamphlet yet, but I’m getting ready. If you don’t already know, this is how I’ll vote:
I will always vote for measures and candidates supporting libraries, healthcare, schools, or the environment (including greener energy) - unless they involve an income tax (like the lame Multonomah county tax I’ll have to pay this year).
I will always vote against measures or candidates that want to further fund the police or restrict any sort of civil liberty, including smoking bans, abortion restrictions and recreational drug prohibition.
I will vote for measures or candidates that support the extension of public transit and road improvements, as long as it’s fiscally reasonable and promoted honestly.
I will never vote for a sales tax (it’s regressive, unfair and flies in the face of being an Oregonian) (Also, I won’t ever vote for self serve gas).
I will vote for measures or candidates that will support consumer choice and/or raise the minimum business tax. (I shouldn’t pay more tax than a profitable business.)
I consider myself a green libertarian with socialist leanings and a bent towards fiscal responsibility, but am purposefully affiliated with no party.
It’s funny. It’s cute. But here’s what I really think about the theory of evolution: It’s not real. It is not the way we got here. In fact, the life you see on this planet is really just a list of creatures God has allowed to live. We are not creations of random chance. We are not accidents. There is a God, a Creator, who made you and me. We were made in His image, which separates us from all other creatures.”
I propose a new Chuck Norris Fact: If you talk about dinosaurs in a way that conflicts with his worldview, Chuck Norris will hit you in the face over and over again you dirty ACLU-loving monkey trial groupie!
I’ll admit it, I was expecting more of a “
