lookin

Hard to fool you good folks! OK, Guys, here's your presents! Made in China My Secret Santa gave me one last year and, once I got the hang of the thing, I couldn't figure how I ever got along without it!

Last hint before Christmas: AdamSmith's present is Asian, and MsGuy's is from here. And the first time they try it, they may walk a little funny.

OK, here's another hint: One's bigger than the other. Quite a bit actually. And it's uncut.

How 'bout you guys make a list of who can stay and who should go? If you can get the place back on its feet, I sure wouldn't mind taking a hiatus for a while. Hell, once OZ sees the numbers revive, he'll probably make it permanent.

It's been a puzzle figuring out what to get folks who have everything, like AdamSmith and MsGuy. Then it finally hit me! I won't say exactly what until Christmas Day, but I can tell you it's something I bet they'll both like. And they'll each get a different color. That's enough hints for today.

That's the wurst card this year!

What a splendid reminder! We shall get started at once. You have captured the very essence of egomania. . . If only I could match your exquisite negativity!

To Wayout's most excellent list, I'll add one more reason people might not come to the defense of someone in a flame war on an anonymous website: It's ineffective at best, and incendiary at worst. In a decade of infesting these sites, I've never once seen a response to a troublemaker, directly or indirectly, bring anything but more trouble. The only thing I've ever seen work is complete indifference to the miscreant. There's just nothing worse for someone looking to stir the pot than to find the pot completely empty. So I find it a bit puzzling that folks still think the way to end a flame war is to add a few more flames, if not their own then some borrowed from a so-called defender. If someone can link to a single thread where that approach has worked, I'll gladly admit the error of my ways. I can find threads, lots of them, where someone who's been attacked turns around and attacks the attacker. That's fine, but it serves a different purpose from bringing an end to the conflict. It may make the counter-attacker feel more powerful, it may release some testosterone, and it may provide some entertainment for those who enjoy a train wreck. But it won't end the kerfuffle. Not permanently, anyway, though it will for the duration of the inevitable time out. Personally, if someone gets a kick out of prolonging a state of war on a website, I'm not about to get in his way. In my earlier days, I tried suggesting disengagement as a way to end the hostilities, but I can't think of a single case when the advice was taken. So, rather than turn into a nudge, I figure benign bemusement remains my best bet.

I've always enjoyed Martha Stewart and can't think of anyone else who would tackle a gingerbread Downton. Gum paste aside, it was fun to fantasize foraging the facade from foyer to finials. That is, until I read that she attached the latter with wire. Feh! Julia Child sure wouldn't have done it. I've been through The Joy of Cooking cover-to-cover and never saw 'wire' listed as an ingredient. Wine, certainly. Even woodchuck. But not wire. Definitely glad I didn't follow up on my initial impulse to ask la Stewart to whip up a mouthwatering meringue of Jimmy the Footman, complete with a luscious lobber. Lord knows what she'd have done with that.

No doubt Cuba will see some gains from closer relations with the U. S. But I think it stands to lose some things too, if it can't resist development pressure. . . . 22 percent of Cuba’s land is under some form of protection. The percentage of safeguarded environment in Cuba is among the highest of any nation, says Kenton Miller, chairman of the Switzerland-based World Commission on Protected Areas. As wildlife and habitat have disappeared from the region, Cuba’s importance as an ecological bastion has steadily risen. As one scientist put it, Cuba is the “biological superpower” of the Caribbean. The island has the largest tracts of untouched rain forest, unspoiled reefs and intact wetlands in the Caribbean islands. Cuba also is home to many unique, or endemic, species, including the solenodon, a chubby insectivore that looks rather like a giant shrew, and the bee hummingbird, the world’s smallest bird, weighing less than a penny. But the places where nature is pristine now are most likely the places where folks will want their air conditioned hotels. The Cubans seem like strong people and I hope they can resist getting bowled over by money.

Lovin' the insights guys! Thanks! Not sure what public opinion polls mean to the oligarchs, but it can't hurt that Putin is riding high with the Russian people. Who, bless their hearts, respond to a crumbling economy by trudging out and buying flat screen TV's.

Not to be overlooked is the blunting of Russia's recent cosying up to our close neighbor. This may well have influenced the timing of the President's unexpected action. I bet those who are speaking out against the move are going to be marginalized pretty quick.

You line up the travel and visas and I'll be happy to accompany you as far as the Malecón. No doubt someone there will be delighted to push you around.

Watch out for the bearded clam

Is it my (overly-fertile) imagination, or is he a ringer for a pic Suckrates posted this morning? Note to self: Be sure to click on all of Axiom's links from now on.

It sure is! Thanks!

I'm taking the picture.

Well, call me a Sugar Plum Fairy, but my Holiday Fantasy would be for Steven Draker to return here during his hiatus at Daddy's and post some of the pleasant and informative stuff he's capable of and that it would be accepted in the welcoming spirit that we're all capable of. No jibes, no snarls, just a cup of holiday cheer for a fellow traveller temporarily between engagements. But Lookin, you say, just exactly what kind of an ass are you to think that he won't post nasty stuff that will just start a bunch of fights like the last time Daddy's server went offline? Well, you have me there. I guess it's possible. But what if they do turn out to be enjoyable posts? What if we get not one, but two active escorts added to the roster? What if a little of our fun-loving spirit made it all the way to England and Belgium? Who knows, maybe one day we'd have members from as far away as Uranus? Of course, OZ would take all the credit for his exceptional moderating skills as he reminds us whenever he finds the time out of his busy schedule to show up every blue moon or so. But that's fine. The whole point is that this is a site where those who have to stand in the corner elsewhere often become teacher's pests pets over here. So there you have it, my Holiday Fantasy for the year. Unless, of course, something better comes along.

It's Rowdy Nudie Time!

No. How's that? Did I get in?

Nice uvula!

Would you please get your ass off the phone? I'm expecting a call.

A pair of gay cavemen from Chame Were the victims of Cambrian shame. They crawled under a rock To wait out the epoch, And are now in the chorus of Mame.