HCR = The Wire of reform efforts RCDS 12/21 ← FREE KRAUT!

HCR = The Wire of reform efforts RCDS 12/21 151

21 Dec 2009  |  mjdittmer  |The Grill

1. Since “fourmoreyearsofarnold” ain’t happening, how about a run at the Senate? (LA Times, via LA Observed)

2. This reminds me of my own townhouse complex, where each association meeting is kind of like the Jerry Springer Show, or like one of those health care town halls.  Next month there’s supposed to be a meeting where we vote on making this type of heckling against the rules, with violators subject to paying fines of $50 or $100. … Sounds like these rogues are on the defensive, but if they’ve been following what’s been going on at HOA’s elsewhere in the Southland, they might have other ideas.  (LAT via LAO)

“I felt proud that there is such a thing as justice and right triumphing over evil,” said Woody Rowell, a charismatic recovering addict who led the revolt and was named chairman of the new board.

3. Joe Lieberman … to the rescue? (via the Daily Dish)

Now, however, an amendment introduced by Joe Lieberman, Jay Rockefeller and Sheldon Whitehouse would strengthen the Commission and let it use financial carrots and sticks to insist that hospitals begin providing better value for Medicare dollars.

Lieberman? Yes, the insurance industry does not object to letting Medicare rein in spending and improve care; after all, the private insurance industry doesn’t compete with Medicare. And so Lieberman, who some have begun to call the “Senator from Aetna,” is happy to help.

That said, this is an excellent amendment.

4. Cocoa Crisp might make Bobby Crosbys’ girl forget all about Bobby Crosby.

5. Swoon.  Here’s part of page 2 in what appears to be an eight-page interview: (via LAO)

It seems that wrapping up these commentaries on American society within fictions might be the only way to get a lot of people to engage with problems like poverty and drugs and the  disappearance of industry. Have you seen the messages inThe Wire resonate for viewers beyond the level of entertainment?
No. I think that some people got it and they may react differently the next time some shit-spitting politician shows up to say that with a little bit more of a business base and more cops and more lawyers we can win the war on drugs. There may be a little bit more dissent on some of the points we hit the hardest. But I don’t believe that a television show or, for that matter, even the systemic efforts of journalism can change the dynamic. Not even very good journalism, of which there is less and less.

Why does reform seem so impossible?
We live in an oligarchy. The mother’s milk of American politics is money, and the reason they can’t reform financing, the reason that we can’t have public funding of elections rather than private donations, the reason that K Street is K Street in Washington, is to make sure that no popular sentiment survives. You’re witnessing it now with health care, with the marginalization of any effort to rationally incorporate all Americans under a national banner that says, “We’re in this together.”

But then the critics of a system like that immediately cry socialism.
And of course it’s socialism. These ignorant motherfuckers. What do they think group insurance is, other than socialism?

151 thoughts on “HCR = The Wire of reform efforts RCDS 12/21”

  1. nevermoor Dec 21,2009 10:12 am

    Re 5: Keep in mind, public funding of elections was a disaster too.

    "There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want"
    • mjdittmer Dec 21,2009 11:20 am || Up

      A disaster in the sense that it didn’t really amount to much? Which is I guess the general dread I’m sensing out there about all this HCR …

      • nevermoor Dec 21,2009 12:15 pm || Up

        I mean this. Pre-private-fundraising people had other ways of corrupting the system that were far worse.

        "There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want"
  2. mjdittmer Dec 21,2009 10:12 am
    • nevermoor Dec 21,2009 12:17 pm || Up

      I know someone who should take his own advice.

      "There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want"
  3. salb918 Dec 21,2009 10:54 am

    OK, I just got it, and some internet searching seems to confirm it: in I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus, “Santa” is actually daddy. Is this common knowledge?

    • sslinger Dec 21,2009 11:25 am || Up

      It’s what I always assumed it to be.

    • lenscrafters Dec 21,2009 11:43 am || Up

      Listening to that song when I was little, I always thought it was a bit risque. I mean Santa Claus? Ew.

    • oblique Dec 21,2009 11:45 am || Up

      I always assumed it was one of those Mall Santas. See my comment below.

    • mk Dec 21,2009 11:47 am || Up
    • nevermoor Dec 21,2009 12:16 pm || Up

      I found that out about a year ago. I, too, was surprised.

      "There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want"
    • andeux Dec 21,2009 12:25 pm || Up

      Are you so short that no one ever wanted to tell you Santa isn’t real?

      TINSTAAFK
    • Leopold Bloom Dec 21,2009 1:36 pm || Up

      Yes, yes it is.

      But you have no corner on being thick-headed. A story, if you will.

      I was born and grew up basically in South Bend, Indiana, most famous for being where Notre Dame is located.

      When I was about nine, Eddie DeBartolo came (back) to town and built the biggest, baddest mall there was and named it University Park Mall. When I was about 18, one of my first jobs was at a Holiday Inn located right across the street from Notre Dame. In the litany of Holiday Inns, this one was referred to as the University Park Holiday Inn.

      For the life of me, I couldn’t figure out why they had named the Holiday Inn after the mall. It only later occurred to me that both the Holiday Inn AND the mall had been named for the university.

  4. salb918 Dec 21,2009 10:56 am

    The mall near our house doesn’t have a mall Santa. WTF? Is this the only mall in America that couldn’t get a fat guy to put red hat and white beard on?

    • oblique Dec 21,2009 11:12 am || Up

      It’s just as well. Mall Santas are very creepy and possibly deranged individuals.

      • FreeSeatUpgrade Dec 21,2009 1:06 pm || Up

        No kidding:

        and

        I’ve been enjoying sketchysantas.com.

        "Kraut will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no kraut."
    • mjdittmer Dec 21,2009 11:19 am || Up

      Does it at least have lights?

  5. batgirl Dec 21,2009 12:48 pm

    What the hell is wrong with internet shoppers? What possesses a person to place an internet order the Monday before Christmas, choose ground shipping on a package going from California to Maine, and then put in the special instructions box “I need this by Christmas”?!?!

    • Leopold Bloom Dec 21,2009 1:30 pm || Up

      Having just spent two years dealing with unreasonable sign-purchasers, I feel I am in a position of authority to claim, “People suck.”

    • nevermoor Dec 21,2009 1:34 pm || Up

      I’m just shocked to hear that anyone ever looks at the special instructions box…

      Also, sorry about doing that. I was too cheap to pay for more shipping.

      "There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want"
  6. FreeSeatUpgrade Dec 21,2009 12:57 pm

    Re #2: Cyd Balque, the HOA despot deposed in the coup, sounds like she’s straight from Central (American) casting:

    Asked why she continued in an unpaid position in the face of such anger, Balque said, “I feel God appointed me to help these people and handpicked each of these board members.”

    "Kraut will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no kraut."
  7. Leopold Bloom Dec 21,2009 1:41 pm

    And David Simon, as opposed to David Milch, never canceled a series a season or two early. In fact, I think the argument could be made that The Wire ran a season too long.

    • nevermoor Dec 21,2009 1:43 pm || Up

      I think the people making that argument are likely to work in media.

      "There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want"
      • Leopold Bloom Dec 21,2009 1:53 pm || Up

        Well…not that arguments are my strong suit today, but…

        I thought the fifth season was by far the weakest and…kinda boring in a lot of spots. Also, it kind of dipped into the unbelievable at points, particularly between McNulty and Templeton the Rat.

        But I am essentially a failed/unrealized newspaperman, so your point might have merit.

        • nevermoor Dec 21,2009 2:01 pm || Up

          Hey, you’re getting a workout elsewhere and I don’t have a strong opinion on how season 5 ranks except that it is clearly better than the docks season. I’ll just say that, for example, the Baltimore Sun suddenly stopped liking the show that season.

          "There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want"
          • Leopold Bloom Dec 21,2009 2:03 pm || Up

            That’s true. They thought the critique of “one of their own” of their beloved institution was a bad thing. Couldn’t see the writing was already on the wall.

            On an unrelated note, I don’t like PT or his defenders too much right now.

            • nevermoor Dec 21,2009 2:45 pm || Up

              Yeah, pretty ugly stuff (although I feel compelled to add in their defense that PL78 is an idiot).

              "There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want"
              • Leopold Bloom Dec 21,2009 3:18 pm || Up

                yes, he is, and all the more reason not to gang up on him.

                • nevermoor Dec 21,2009 4:00 pm || Up

                  Does this make you feel better?

                  I have some very startling, very radical—some might say raffish—insights into Star Star’s latest sophistries. Before I say anything else, let me remind Star Star that it accuses me of being impolite in my responses to its misguided announcements. Let’s see—Star Star disgorges its disparaging and arrogant comments on a topic of which it is wholly ignorant, and it expects a polite reply? What is it, disreputable? To be sure, Star Star’s promise of equality is a false one, but I call upon it to stop its oppression, lies, immorality, and debauchery. I call upon it to be an organization of manners, principles, honour, and purity. And finally, I call upon it to forgo its desire to infiltrate and then dominate and control the mass media. It’s a sad world where rash, vile psychics have the power to eviscerate every bit of social progress of the past century, by which I mean that Star Star likes to cite poll results that “prove” that sin is good for the soul. Really? Have you ever been contacted by one of its pollsters? Chances are good that you never have been contacted and never will be. Otherwise, the polls would show that Star Star has found a way to avoid compliance with government regulations, circumvent any further litigation, and bring ugliness and nastiness into our lives—all by trumping up a phony emergency.

                  One wonders if Star Star has the cheek to spoil the whole Zen Buddhist New Age mystical rock-worshipping aura of our body chakras. I unmistakably hope not because its termagant actions often resemble an inverted fairy tale in that the triumph of innocence comes at the start and the ugly sisters of clericalism and frotteurism enter on stage in triumph for the final curtain. Make no mistake about it; Star Star is capable of only two things, namely whining and underhanded tricks. Star Star knows that performing an occasional act of charity will make some people forgive—or at least overlook—all of its snarky excesses. My take on the matter is that I’ve managed to come up with a way in which its essays could be made useful. Star Star’s essays could be used by the instructors of college courses as a final examination of sorts. Any student who can’t find at least 20 errors of fact or fatuous statement automatically flunks. Extra credit goes to students who realize that Star Star insists that it’s merely trying to make this world a better place in which to live. How can it be so blind? Very easily. Basically, Star Star is an organization utterly without honor, without principles, without a shred of genuine patriotism. That’s why I say that its contrivances are becoming increasingly mutinous. They have already begun to get as many people as possible to line up behind the geek-tent barkers at the latest and greatest carnival of fogyism. Now fast-forward a few years to a time in which they have enabled Star Star to open new avenues for the expression of hate. If you don’t want such a time to come then help me substitute movement for stagnation, purposive behavior for drifting, and visions of a great future for collective pettiness and discouragement. Help me remind Star Star about the concept of truth in advertising.

                  Star Star wants to prevent us from responding to its op-ed pieces. If it manages to do that, it’ll have plenty of time to focus on its core mission: causing riots in the streets. Although ordinary men and women want to act as a positive role model for younger people, Star Star wants to construct the spectre of a terrible armed threat. This incongruity reveals that I want to thank it for its anecdotes. They give me an excellent opportunity to illustrate just how overbearing Star Star can be. Forgive me if I ramble; I’m really upset, as I think you can tell. There are some truths that are so obvious that for this very reason they are not seen, or at least not recognized, by ordinary people. One noteworthy example is the truism that if my own experience has taught me anything, it’s that the space remaining in this letter will not suffice even to enumerate the ways in which Star Star has tried to subjugate persons of culture, refinement, and learning to headlong incubi. In closing, all that I ask is that you join me to stop Star Star and make this world a better place in which to live.

                  "There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want"
                • Leopold Bloom Dec 21,2009 5:14 pm || Up

                  That Star Star’s a fucker.

                • nevermoor Dec 21,2009 5:31 pm || Up

                  Sadly it rejected **

                  "There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want"
                • Leopold Bloom Dec 21,2009 6:16 pm || Up

                  it wouldn’t take iglew, either. I had to capitalize it. Neither of those parameters make any sense, BTW.

            • mk Dec 21,2009 2:57 pm || Up

              Dude, your castle is totally pregnable.

              I wouldn’t take it personally. Not much you can do about basic failures of self-awareness.

              • Leopold Bloom Dec 21,2009 3:19 pm || Up

                My castle’s pregnant?!

                Which one of you scurvy bastards knocked up my castle?!

                (ty)

                • nevermoor Dec 21,2009 3:56 pm || Up

                  It was my socks. Or their puppets.

                  "There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want"
                • Leopold Bloom Dec 21,2009 5:14 pm || Up

                  ACK!

                  Run away!

            • mikeA Dec 21,2009 6:36 pm || Up

              I’m not happy to see thejd back there…

              • Leopold Bloom Dec 21,2009 7:41 pm || Up

                I don’t remember him being so…stringent in his opinions.

                • Ice Cream Dec 21,2009 9:34 pm || Up

                  I do. He’s always tried too hard to be ardent,
                  argumentative and provocative in a PT wannabe
                  kind-of-way. I was glad when he declared a self-
                  imposed absence as a protest to the PT
                  whateverthehellitwas.

                  PT is a dick.

                  thejd44 can only pretend to be a dick.

                  Where is the good in "good-bye"?
                • Leopold Bloom Dec 21,2009 9:46 pm || Up

                  The strange thing about the whole banning PT thing is that it was a textbook example of how to create a martyr. He’s a fucking saint now.

                • nevermoor Dec 21,2009 9:53 pm || Up

                  As a vocal PT defender at that point, I’ll just say that if you’re gonna ban someone, make the 3rd one a real CGV.

                  "There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want"
                • Leopold Bloom Dec 21,2009 10:00 pm || Up

                  Yeah, it was a fallacious charge. It was an emotional reaction, not a judicious decision.

                • Ice Cream Dec 21,2009 10:06 pm || Up

                  No doubt. The third strike was bogus
                  but IMO he should have been
                  suspended way before that.

                  Where is the good in "good-bye"?
                • nevermoor Dec 22,2009 9:21 am || Up

                  Perhaps. I certainly would have reacted more calmly.

                  "There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want"
                • JediLeroy Dec 21,2009 9:57 pm || Up

                  [edit] apparently wordpress won’t let me write in Japanese. I’ll give the romanization instead:
                  junkyou-suru
                  junjiru

                  Just thought I’d point out that I learned two ways to say martyr in Japanese this morning.

                  The first is to be martyred, and the second is to die for a cause. That is all.

                  az di bobe volt gehat beytsim volt zi geven mayn zeyde
                • Leopold Bloom Dec 21,2009 10:05 pm || Up

                  Strange. I was just reading Agamben and he is discussing how there is two separate meanings to “witness” in Latin–one that relates more to our concept of testimony, terstis–like a third party to a disagreement. The other one is to experience the whole thing from within–superstes.

                • mikeA Dec 21,2009 10:09 pm || Up

                  Do people yell out “junkyou!!!!” when they’re being burned alive for their ideas or whatever it may be?

                • JediLeroy Dec 21,2009 9:51 pm || Up

                  I was way off! I thought mjdittmer was thejd44, and was a bit surprised at his recent tirade over there. Turns out mjdittmer is Rubin Sierra. That makes much more sense, since I always liked him.

                  az di bobe volt gehat beytsim volt zi geven mayn zeyde
                • Leopold Bloom Dec 21,2009 9:56 pm || Up

                  mjdittmer’s cool, and I thought thejd44 was too. There’s so many people over there now though, that it’s easy to get people confused.

                  Well, I confuse easily, anyhow. It can probably be traced back to my unwillingness to argue and my ambivalence toward statistics.

                • nevermoor Dec 22,2009 9:22 am || Up

                  If only you were a high school debater… Perhaps even a master in that field.

                  "There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want"
                • Leopold Bloom Dec 22,2009 10:17 am || Up

                  Global warming’s wrong and here’s why.

                  They tried to get me to join in high school, but I really failed to see the point. I know several of you did it. I don’t need to convince anyone else of my PoV. It’s my PoV. What the hell’s wrong with polyphony?

                • nevermoor Dec 22,2009 10:59 am || Up

                  For the record, I did not have sex relations with that woman endeavor.

                  "There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want"
                • mjdittmer Dec 22,2009 7:49 am || Up

                  I was wondering what tirade you were talking about a couple of days ago. I was like, “What happened last night? And dude, where’s my car?”

                • mikeA Dec 21,2009 10:18 pm || Up

                  I think thejd44 is actually a dick; PT just doesn’t really understand social skills. His tone is more understandable when you meet him.

                • Leopold Bloom Dec 21,2009 10:22 pm || Up

                  that’s what I’ve heard. Don said he’s…interesting in person.

                • Ice Cream Dec 21,2009 10:46 pm || Up

                  Maybe. In real social interactions, when
                  most everyone is telling you you’re a dick
                  and then they start shunning you, you may
                  start to question yourself, “Hmmm…Am I
                  dick? Maybe I am a dick!”
                  Hopefully, one can learn from that. I even
                  advocated for PT to meet people at ** Day
                  so that he could connect faces and real
                  people to screen names. But IMO it didn’t
                  sink in. When someone is that thick then I
                  think suspension is the next step and it
                  did a bit more good, I
                  think, but he sounds like he’s regressing
                  to the mean again. (Pun intended.)
                  thejd44 is being a dick because he craves
                  the attention and wants some notoriety.

                  Where is the good in "good-bye"?
                • FreeSeatUpgrade Dec 22,2009 12:11 am || Up

                  Yeah, but that’s why posters like PT need to have their knuckles rapped hard, right away…because when you let someone off easy for being a dickhead, either like PT because his upside is so strong, or like Nico because he does dickhead with a certain elan, it just validates the legions of small-minded garden variety dickheads who are neither smart nor funny, but who pile on the meanness and vitriol so thickly that it becomes the dominant vibe of the site.

                  I’m convinced that internet forums can only either be run as iron-fisted no-explanation ban-hammering dictatorships, or as tabula rasa no-whining free-for-alls, and pretty much nothing in between.

                  "Kraut will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no kraut."
                • salb918 Dec 22,2009 6:34 am || Up

                  a. Wow, that sums up TCA perfectly.
                  b. FWIW, I’ve always like PT in a “strong upside” sort of way, and have been willing to look past his belligerence for that reason. I’d welcome him here, but I think he likes the soapbox at **.
                  c. I haven’t read ** in forever, so I’m not sure what the status quo is, nor do I really care.
                  d. I like FK.
                  e. It’s bad enough that ** turns into meta-** every offseason, does FK have to turn into meta-**, too?

                • mk Dec 22,2009 7:55 am || Up

                  This is what happens when monkeyball isn’t around to provoke politcal arguments. Everything goes to shit. Who told him he could have the day off, anyway?

                • salb918 Dec 22,2009 8:11 am || Up

                  I made a McGwire thread! Nostalgia!

                • mk Dec 22,2009 8:21 am || Up

                  Not good enough. I would have gone with something like “Conversation Starter. What with the holidays upon us and all, I’ve been wondering: who is more awesome, Obama or Jesus Christ?”

                • mjdittmer Dec 22,2009 8:25 am || Up

                  Obama has more upside

                • Leopold Bloom Dec 22,2009 10:19 am || Up

                  But has he delivered?

                  I mean, C’mon!

                • salb918 Dec 22,2009 8:32 am || Up

                  Nobel Prizes: BO 1, JC 0

                  Just sayin’.

                • nevermoor Dec 22,2009 9:25 am || Up

                  Well, Obama can walk on water.

                  "There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want"
                • nevermoor Dec 22,2009 9:25 am || Up

                  Re e: I understand/agree, but ** is getting awfully meta, and I think a valuable FK byproduct is ability to vent a bit. As long as we don’t go FK meta I’m ok with it.

                  "There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want"
                • Ice Cream Dec 22,2009 10:54 am || Up

                  I think getting (b) would jeopardize (d) and (e). But hey–why not invite him and see?

                  Where is the good in "good-bye"?
                • nevermoor Dec 22,2009 11:00 am || Up

                  I’m under the impression we have.

                  "There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want"
                • monkeyball Dec 22,2009 11:02 am || Up

                  Yep. Several times.

                  Honestly, I think he’s too chicken to play here.

                  you better hope to God you don't show up in this little community, because you'll wish you had never come
                • mikeA Dec 22,2009 11:09 am || Up

                  I think he’s just not interested or bemused by the mostly non-baseball content here.

                • Leopold Bloom Dec 22,2009 1:01 pm || Up

                  I’m much more inclined to agree with the monkey. There are several of you here who would not hesitate to argue and argue well against him.

                • mk Dec 22,2009 7:32 am || Up

                  Size matters.

                  If traffic is your overriding priority, there just isn’t much you can do about the small-minded garden variety dickheads. I mean, you need them. You can’t have 800 comment threads about Coco Crisp unless someone is being an asshole.

                  As the audience grows, conversation gives way to performance. Smart people go to AN to talk about baseball, sure, but mainly they go there to be smart in front of lots of other people. And since no one wants to lose a dick-measuring competition, there is not much space for “fair enough, you’re probably right”.

                • salb918 Dec 22,2009 7:41 am || Up

                  mainly they go there to be smart in front of lots of other people

                  sounds like academia

                • Leopold Bloom Dec 22,2009 10:20 am || Up

                  My dick’s about average size. I don’t mind losing those.

                • Leopold Bloom Dec 22,2009 10:25 am || Up

                  One comment and I’ll leave it alone.

                  I think ** suffered when the majority here switched to here from there.

                  I know there are several FKers who still post regularly there, but this group is smart, sharp and quick, and regularly shouted down or embarrassed those who were dickholes.

                  I’m not clamoring for a return, but FK took with it several unofficial sheriffs.

                • nevermoor Dec 22,2009 11:01 am || Up

                  I’m going to cite you for ….! Stop being such a ….!

                  "There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want"
                • andeux Dec 22,2009 11:32 am || Up

                  The unofficial sheriffs clashed too much with the official sheriffs. But for me the bigger issue was that after the while I just lost interest in shouting down dickholes (is that even physically possible?) or participating in threads with 800 comments, but still enjoyed talking with the handful of people I liked.
                  FK isn’t the perfect solution for that because
                  1) It can get slow. I would definitely prefer to have a few more people and a little more activity
                  2) It wouldn’t take much attrition for it to die completely.
                  3) I do worry that the political content or the clubbiness might drive some good people away. (But on balance I like those parts anyway.)
                  But it’s pretty damn good.

                  TINSTAAFK
                • mikeA Dec 22,2009 11:43 am || Up

                  1/2: a problem is that attrition is inevitable and we don’t really have a way of drawing in new people.

                • nevermoor Dec 22,2009 12:39 pm || Up

                  True. We’re all former **, and most of us were specifically invited.

                  About the only way to get more people would be to open things up (not ideal) or recruit again.

                  "There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want"
                • Leopold Bloom Dec 22,2009 1:03 pm || Up

                  we should probably recruit again.

              • mk Dec 22,2009 7:34 am || Up

                If Trainman read Fangraphs, he’d be thejd44.

            • lenscrafters Dec 21,2009 9:59 pm || Up

              It’s the offseason. Everything is ****’s fault.

              • Leopold Bloom Dec 21,2009 10:01 pm || Up

                agrd.

              • nevermoor Dec 22,2009 9:26 am || Up

                I felt that way in season too. Hence FK’s snazzy interface.

                "There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want"
                • Leopold Bloom Dec 22,2009 10:21 am || Up

                  I love what you’ve done with the place.

                  An issue revisited: what would it take for the site to automatically update itself without need for a reload?

                • nevermoor Dec 22,2009 11:02 am || Up

                  Unfortunately the answer is someone who is better at this than I am.

                  The technology is called AJAX and I don’t know how to use it (or to make it work with my hacktacular unread comment tracker).

                  "There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want"
                • Leopold Bloom Dec 22,2009 1:04 pm || Up

                  it’s not the end of the world. It’s just as easy this way.

                  And like I said, I do love the site and all you’ve do to, with and for it. Thank you, NM. Sincerely.

                • oblique Dec 22,2009 2:10 pm || Up

                  I could potentially give it a shot, if I can find some time. Shoot me an email if you’re open to letting me hack around…

                • nevermoor Dec 22,2009 5:53 pm || Up

                  I’m definitely open. My screen name at gmail.

                  "There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want"
        • mk Dec 21,2009 2:04 pm || Up

          I agree 100%.

          • Leopold Bloom Dec 21,2009 2:07 pm || Up

            OH! And the part where Omar jumped out of a five story building where there were no trees or anything to break his fall and somehow managed to limp off before anyone found him, only to later have happen what happened to him.

      • mikeA Dec 21,2009 6:30 pm || Up

        Season 5 was a disaster in every respect. the Mcnulty plot was really stupid and the media stuff was 1) was really hammy; 2) took a weird angle on “problems with newspapers”; 3)had some ludicrous characters and abysmal dialogue.

        • Leopold Bloom Dec 21,2009 7:42 pm || Up

          Yeah, the only worthwhile thing to come out of the newspaper thing was Gus, IMO.

        • mjdittmer Dec 22,2009 7:53 am || Up

          I loved seasons 1-3. I thought season 4 was a little bit much. I haven’t seen season 5 yet.

          Should I see it?

          • nevermoor Dec 22,2009 9:26 am || Up

            Yes.

            "There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want"
          • Leopold Bloom Dec 22,2009 10:26 am || Up

            For continuity’s sake, I would. And I think we’ve discussed this before. I really liked season four. It was a departure, though, I’ll give you that. But so was season two and I liked that one a lot more than most people did.

            Upon reflection, season four seemed a bit preachy, though.

  8. Leopold Bloom Dec 21,2009 2:01 pm

    Six degrees? Fucking one degree.

    I’m getting depressed.
    Now you’re listening to Joe Lieberman say that he will filibuster anything with a public option. Let me understand this: One guy from a small state in New England is going to decide on a singular basis what’s good for the health care of 300 million people? That’s our form of government, and I don’t get it.

    It’s not good.
    Well, it is what it is and it has been for years, and it’s why we’re able to marginalize larger and larger percentages of our population. Fuck ’em where they stand. Five percent, 10 percent, 15 percent. How many people are you going to keep out of the gated community? How many guards are you going hire?

    The guards will be the only working-class people in the gated communities, I guess.
    Right. You’re going to hire people to guard your shit, but you’re not going to give them health care.

    and…

    Look around
    There’s doctors down on Wall Street
    Sharpenin’ their scalpels and tryin’ to cut a deal
    Meanwhile, back at the hospital
    We got accountants playin’ God and countin’ out the pills
    Yeah, I know, that sucks – that your HMO
    Ain’t doin’ what you thought it would do
    But everybody’s gotta die sometime and we can’t save everybody
    It’s the best that we can do

    Four score and a hundred and fifty years ago
    Our forefathers made us equal as long as we can pay
    Yeah, well maybe that wasn’t exactly what they was thinkin’
    Version six-point-oh of the American way
    But hey we can just build a great wall around the country club
    To keep the riff-raff out until the slump is through
    Yeah, I realize that ain’t exactly democratic, but it’s either them or us and
    And it’s the best we can do

  9. salb918 Dec 21,2009 5:50 pm

    Ringolsby couldn’t resist the cheap shot:

    Thank goodness Oakland keeps chasing its tail, unable to regain the command in the division that it enjoyed behind the trio of Barry Zito, Mark Mulder and Tim Hudson. The departure of the scouting folks who built the farm system that was a major loss too.

    • Leopold Bloom Dec 21,2009 6:14 pm || Up

      Fuck him. Nice hat, asshole.

      How’s that writing career going anyhow? How’s your paper?

      The asshat’s covered at various times the Angels, the Rangers and the Mariners. No wonder he’s got a hard-on for us. Again, fuck him. Enjoy the next twenty years covering the Rockies.

      • FreeSeatUpgrade Dec 21,2009 7:40 pm || Up

        You don’t get a post like that outta some fancy-pants complaint generator, nosiree.

        "Kraut will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no kraut."
        • Leopold Bloom Dec 21,2009 7:44 pm || Up

          though if someone invented something that straightforward, direct and obscene, I’d probably pay for it.

  10. Leopold Bloom Dec 21,2009 7:45 pm

    BTW, even before the beginning of the season, what fucking moron looked at Washington vs. NY Giants and thought, “Gee, that’d make a GREAT game for Week 15!”

  11. salb918 Dec 21,2009 7:54 pm

    Barad believes his client’s athleticism has been unfairly criticized. Barad said in a telephone interview that Cust had the second-fastest sprint time among A’s players in spring training this year; he added that Cust, who stands 6-1, is able to dunk a basketball with two hands.

    1. Who was faster?
    2. Was this a joke sprint, like Landon Powell versus Jack Cust and all the players could place bets?
    3. Cust can dunk, but he usually just walks past the basket until he goes out of bounds.

    • JediLeroy Dec 21,2009 9:34 pm || Up

      I’m going to put “Able to dunk a basketball with two hands” on my next resume.

      az di bobe volt gehat beytsim volt zi geven mayn zeyde
  12. salb918 Dec 21,2009 7:58 pm

    Overheard today: my arms aren’t long enough to box with god.

    • Leopold Bloom Dec 21,2009 7:59 pm || Up

      did the same person tell you about the kissing Santa Claus thing, too?

    • hot cup joe Dec 21,2009 8:37 pm || Up

      If he can no shit dunk i think jack cust’s arms might be long enough….

  13. Leopold Bloom Dec 21,2009 8:00 pm

    I’ve yet to see it, but has anyone watched that “Men of a Certain Age” show yet?

    Is it any good?

    • salb918 Dec 21,2009 8:13 pm || Up

      I haven’t seen it, but my first impression was: what a weird, random collection of actors.

      1. The Quantum Leap dude
      2. That guy from…Glory?!?
      3. Ray f’in Romano

      • Leopold Bloom Dec 21,2009 9:03 pm || Up

        I am STILL laughing that you got both a half-naked picture of the QL guy AND Snuffalufagus for RR.

        I watched a little tonight. The black guy (who has been in A LOT of things) played a scene with his shirt off, which was both kind of unpleasant and kind of brave. He has what we would kindly call a full-figured physique.

        • salb918 Dec 21,2009 9:06 pm || Up

          I’m still kind of chuckling at the beefcake bakula pic.

          • sslinger Dec 21,2009 10:06 pm || Up

            Indeed. Thought about watching it On Demand after seeing this thread, but watched Spectacle, with EC interviewing Bono & Edge, instead. Good stuff.

            • Leopold Bloom Dec 21,2009 10:18 pm || Up

              I really want to see the one with John Prine…I think it’s in January. What channel is it on?

    • mjdittmer Dec 22,2009 7:57 am || Up

      I watched the pilot and thought it was pretty good. I’m planning on continuing to watch it.

      When is the next season of “Top Chef” on? I’m going to try to jump on that bandwagon.

      • Leopold Bloom Dec 22,2009 10:27 am || Up

        Not for another six months or so. I’m sure we’ll give warning here.

    • monkeyball Dec 22,2009 10:56 am || Up

      I saw the pilot, and enjoyed it. I’ve never been what you call a Romano fan, but he’s good in it. And Mrs Monkeyball has a huge thing for Anfre Braugher.

      you better hope to God you don't show up in this little community, because you'll wish you had never come
      • mikeA Dec 22,2009 11:00 am || Up

        “what you call a Romano fan” is not a word that needs to uttered in polite society.

      • Leopold Bloom Dec 22,2009 1:06 pm || Up

        That’s the black guy? He’s pretty awesome. I was just impressed he did a scene shirtless last night and was completely okay with it.

  14. sslinger Dec 21,2009 8:57 pm

    Happy Solstice everyone.

    • Leopold Bloom Dec 21,2009 9:03 pm || Up

      YAY! Darkness! I can…rob more now!

      • Ice Cream Dec 22,2009 11:07 am || Up

        That made me laugh.

        Where is the good in "good-bye"?
        • salb918 Dec 22,2009 11:14 am || Up

          Please comment more often here. We miss you.

          • nevermoor Dec 22,2009 11:26 am || Up

            I almost posted the same thing.

            "There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want"
            • salb918 Dec 22,2009 11:31 am || Up

              Please comment less often here. Nobody likes you.

              • monkeyball Dec 22,2009 11:41 am || Up

                I almost posted the same thing.

                you better hope to God you don't show up in this little community, because you'll wish you had never come
                • nevermoor Dec 22,2009 12:39 pm || Up

                  Me too.

                  "There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want"
                • Leopold Bloom Dec 22,2009 1:05 pm || Up

                  Not to suck y’alls cocks, but…I love it here.

                • nevermoor Dec 22,2009 5:53 pm || Up

                  Mmmmmm… creamy.

                  "There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want"
          • Ice Cream Dec 22,2009 12:26 pm || Up

            Here’s the thing(s):

            Time–I don’t have as much as I used to with working, shuttling kids around and pursuing “hire” education (a Health Information Technology degree).

            Smarts–You guys got it in spades. I don’t even know more than half the stuff you’re talking about which is not to say I don’t appreciate it. I just don’t get it or have the time to find it out. (What does RCDS stand for?)

            Inspiration–That’s the toughest one for me. Before you elves sailed from Middle Earth I could find it frequently in diaries, fanposts, or in almost any exchange in the DLD. In its earlier incarnation, ** (you guys/gals) entertained, enlightened and inspired me. I’m not hearing my Muse much these days.

            I blame the disturbing name of this site: freakherout.

            Where is the good in "good-bye"?
            • nevermoor Dec 22,2009 12:40 pm || Up

              Bring your muse then. If there’s room for bloom-esque psychotics (and there certainly is) there’s room for you.

              "There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want"
              • Ice Cream Dec 22,2009 1:01 pm || Up

                Oh. And one more thing …

                My body’s getting older and my neck/head (bone spur) hurts like a motherfucker sometimes.

                (Joins Bloom, bitchin’ about diverticulitis, on the front porch rocking chairs.)

                Where is the good in "good-bye"?
              • Leopold Bloom Dec 22,2009 1:07 pm || Up

                I resent that!

                What’s that? I should lure them all to Florida and kill them and eat them and wear their skin like a hat? Okay.

                • Leopold Bloom Dec 22,2009 1:09 pm || Up

                  Speaking of over-the-top needless violence, I just saw Inglorious Basterds for the first time–that was quite fun, though QT left me wanting more of the Brad Pitt character.

                • sslinger Dec 22,2009 8:35 pm || Up

                  It was fun, wasn’t it? Absolutely loved the long, tense scenes that he delivered throughout the film.

                • Leopold Bloom Dec 22,2009 8:48 pm || Up

                  I read an interview with the guy, the speech coach that worked with BP on that character. I thought the accent was pretty frickin’ good. Where’d I read that? Vanity Fair, maybe–the one with Michael Lewis story on the Wall Street meltdown…?

  15. JediLeroy Dec 21,2009 9:32 pm

    So, not that anybody here likes basketball, or non-Warriors teams, but ho-lee crap.

    az di bobe volt gehat beytsim volt zi geven mayn zeyde
    • Leopold Bloom Dec 21,2009 9:41 pm || Up

      Whoa. In Chicago, even.

      • sslinger Dec 21,2009 10:04 pm || Up

        “I think we relaxed,” said Deng, who scored 26 points.

        Cue Frankie Goes to Hollywood.

    • mjdittmer Dec 22,2009 8:00 am || Up

      Weren’t the Bulls supposed to be good this year? That sentiment, along with the fact that Del Negro is a second-year coach, along with the absurdly high turnover amongst NBA head coaches … I predict DN out of a job by the end of the week. And no, I don’t mean *that* DN.

  16. JediLeroy Dec 22,2009 3:53 am

    az di bobe volt gehat beytsim volt zi geven mayn zeyde

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