lookin

Thanks, Lucky. Good story. He presents himself well in this video, as does the woman who drove to the courthouse to thank and support him. How nice to have folks, especially young folks, stand up to the assaults on our civil liberties!

No doubt we can find plenty to worry about, and a bad back definitely casts a pall over one's outlook. But bad backs typically get better soon, and the act of worrying today usually means that our norm consists of the better days we remember and the better days we look forward to. Even in the midst of today's turmoil, there are quite a few things I'm happy about. Among them: • Japan is getting about the business of rebuilding in spite of its already lackluster economy and the largest national debt among industrialized nations, and in spite of the wallop Mother Nature delivered. I read an article in the Japan Times yesterday in which the governor of the Tokyo prefecture said he was sending a hundred million dollars of Tokyo's savings to the prefecture where the failed reactors are, in appreciation of all the electricity they have delivered to Tokyo over the years. The fact that Tokyo even had a savings account was pretty remarkable, and sending the cash with a thank you and no strings attached was a very nice touch. • Clinton is hauling her ass all over the world meeting with foreign governments and finally positioning the U. S. as a partner in the world community rather than the boss of everyone else. She's letting others take the lead from time to time and getting them to put some skin in the game. If a U. S. plane flies over Libya, it will not fly alone, and it will be at the invitation of the Arab world. That's a big shift from the way we operated just a few years ago. • We're again working with the Russians to reduce nuclear stockpiles. • Focus has shifted from dysfunctional Democrats to dysfunctional Republicans, where it belongs. Obama has said he'll compromise, but he has also said he'll veto wrong-headed spending bills. • There is more empowerment of ordinary citizens in the Middle East than I can recall. There's a communication infrastructure among ordinary citizens that hasn't been there before. • Insurance coverage for young adults and for people with pre-existing medical conditions is already in place, and coverage will continue to improve over the next few years. • DADT and DOMA are on their way out. • The Koch Brothers have finished up their gathering in Palm Springs, and a much more refined and fun-loving band of miscreants will take their place in just a few short days. Of course, things could always be better but, in fairness, they could be a lot worse. Guess we'll just have to see which way the wind blows.

I'm not ready to give up on Obama just yet. For one thing, although a lot of cleanup yet remains, I'm still not done being grateful that the Bush II years are behind us. I do wish, however, that the administration would think about what Crowley said, rather than why he said it.

Chief State Department spokesman P. J. Crowley resigned today after calling Manning's treatment 'ridiculous, counterproductive and stupid'. Crowley's resignation statement said that his comments about Bradley's pre-trial detention "were intended to highlight the broader, even strategic impact of discreet actions undertaken by national security agencies every day and their impact on our global standing and leadership. The exercise of power in today's challenging times and relentless media environment must be prudent and consistent with our laws and values." Crowley made the remarks at MIT on Thursday, Obama was asked about the remarks at a press conference on Friday, and Crowley was out two days later. Seems like the U. S. has spent two-and-a-half centuries championing our values at home and throughout the world and, now, just when they're needed most, we appear hell-bent on acting like we never heard of them. What gives?

I'm sure even the most casual observer can plainly see that you're a hard act to follow.

Thanks! Really enjoying your posts and living vicariously. Although, I don't think I'd share your disappointment at spending two hours in a sleazy sauna and coming out with a three-way under my belt, smiles all around, and all for under a hundred bucks! Hell, I'd even have thrown in an extra twenty for the guy who came in and pissed in the drain while I was taking a shower!

Who you callin' common ? ? ?

Lucky, I also think we share a lot of the same views. Moreover, I don't find anything in your post that I disagree with. I think it's just the different perspectives we're coming from. When I look at these compassionless freaks, I can't find any justification for them to keep living. I think you and I would agree there. It's just that when I look inside to see if I personally want to be responsible for taking another person's life, or encouraging my government to do it for me, the answer comes back 'no'. In order for it to come back 'yes', I'd have to consider myself entitled to have the power of life and death over another person. And I just don't think I am.

This is a really heartwarming story, Steven. Thanks for posting it.

Let's hope the engine light never comes on.

Illinois today became the sixteenth state to outlaw the death penalty. Gov. Pat Quinn, a Democrat who has long supported capital punishment, looked drained moments after signing the historic legislation. Lawmakers sent him the measure back in January, but Quinn went through two months of intense personal deliberation before acting. He called it the most difficult decision he has made as governor. "If the system can't be guaranteed, 100-percent error-free, then we shouldn't have the system," Quinn said. "It cannot stand." . . . Quinn also commuted the sentences of all 15 men remaining on death row. They will now serve life in prison with no hope of parole. In his comments, the governor returned often to the fact that 20 people sent to death row had seen their cases overturned after evidence surfaced that they were innocent or had been convicted improperly. . . . Republican Rep. Jim Durkin of Westchester predicted Quinn will pay a political price if he seeks re-election in four years. Some terrible murder that cries out for the death penalty is bound to occur and grab voters' attention, he said. One can only hope. [/sarcasm]

Can't argue with anything he says. A million Iraqi's dead and no one bats an eye. It numbs the soul. War for profit and political gain is an arrangement that needs undoing.

Just saw a program on the Farnsworth House, also built by a famous architect in a unique setting as a weekend retreat for a wealthy client. Mies van der Rohe told her that weekenders didn't need a closet, and only grudgingly let her have a custom-built wardrobe. The glass house was perfectly placed in the surrounding woods, but put her on display to frequent trespassers who wanted to see the house.

Where is everyone? .. . . . Good question! I should probably chime in . . .

It appears to be, but it could just be the way the light hits it . . .

Sure, I know Tomcal.

Congratulations, Lucky! Not only does this thread have legs of its own, but it's launched its very own spin-off. You are the Norman Lear of posters!

Linking to an upload! Who knew? Alrighty then, here's the whole series. And what kind of member are you? Curious Member Dangling Member Aroused Member Tumescent Member Esteemed Member Prodigious Member Olympian Member

Sorry to disappoint, mon ami, but my personal olfactory preferences lean more toward the floral than the fecal. As I didn't get up close and personal with the Donovan derriére, I can't say for sure what would have happened had it been anything less than pristine. But I can tell you that other close encounters of the turd kind have previously dampened my ardor considerably.

Then, too, results might be skewed depending on when the research was done. Could be biannual blips around Thanksgiving and Cinco de Mayo.

Lucky, the same researcher, Charles Gerba, says there's only a tenth of a gram of poo in the average pair of skivvies. Do you think it's possible you may be hanging out with the wrong people?

I think it's a mistake to get sucked into the discussion of how a fixed amount of health care dollars gets shifted around from one group of people to another. I believe a much better discussion would be how we can make sure we all get the healthcare we need. In my opinion, we should come at this issue from other more humane perspectives. A few leap to mind: controlling costs (single-payer system, tort reform), increasing Medicare contributions (or at the very least, not cutting them as we did a couple of months ago), shifting dollars from the military to health care, moderating corporate bailouts . . . I could go on. Next time you hear an argument about offing grandma so that junior can live, take a close look at who's asking you to make that decision, and why. Chances are, you'll find a rich guy who wants to get richer. I'd recommend suggesting he pull his own plug instead of coming after yours.

OK, I'll man-up here and put my ignorance on display. Not the full breadth and range of it, of course, but just the part about trying to follow the money trail. I can see where the money comes in. If I weren't currently enjoying OZ and TY's hospitality, I'd be paying some kind of annual or monthly fee to watch this premium Gold Member content. And I can see where the money goes out. I'm sure 'Uncle Don' was paying those skateboarders he lured into his studio to deliver a money-shot for the camera. But where does it meander along the way? Are there content packagers who sign up a bunch of Uncle Don's and deliver the feeds to websites like MER for a fee? And are there primary packagers who package the private packagers? And are they flat fees collected periodically, or variable fees collected by the click? And what kind of dollars are we talking here? I'd expect that a feed from Bel Ami would cost more than a feed from Uncle Don. I've never understood how money flows around the internet, and how one goes about dipping one's fingers into the stream, and how big a fish one can pull out of it. Don't get me wrong. I'm not looking to become any kind of internet mogul. But if I could pick up a small monthly stipend by sweet-talking a couple of skateboarders into sharing their secrets, why, where's the harm in that? PS: MsGuy, thanks for your kind offer. I've got a list of dumb questions as long as your arm. (Longer, if you're anywhere under 6'6".) The first batch should be arriving within the hour.

Flguy, I'm sorry to hear of your mother's passing. Congratulations to you and OneFinger for taking off so many pounds. Nice work!

Thanks, guys! I was too shy to ask. Lucky, see you in a few weeks . . .