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December 23, 2010 04:41 PM UTC

Thursday Open Thread

  • 58 Comments
  • by: Colorado Pols

“It is easier to forgive an enemy than to forgive a friend.”

–William Blake

Comments

58 thoughts on “Thursday Open Thread

  1. Hey friends –

    The Colorado Statesman recently featured me in their InnerView section — honestly, it’s a great piece, as Editor Jody Hope Strogoff and Ernest Luning asked some really terrific and probing questions, about everything this last year – I don’t know of any other newspapers or journals that have a better set of interviewee questions – enjoy –

    http://www.coloradostatesman.c

    1. “My answers were scintillating, brilliant, clever, wonderful. Rush on over to read what I have to say. I can’t imagine that anyone else could be half as interesting on the subject of everything that happened during the past year decade century ever.

      I am Muhammad Ali Hasan.

      I am Muhammad Ali Hasan.

      Muhammad Ali Hasan.

      Muhammad Ali Hasan.

      Muhammad Ali Hasan.

      Muhammad Ali Hasan.

      Muhammad Ali Hasan.”

        1. She didn’t have any idea what she was clicking on.  That’s why she still gets to complain that the interview was how she assumed it would be (assuming she bothered to read it).  Next time that self centered jerk Ali should not disguise his link.

          YOU’RE ALL AWFUL.

          1. …that no doubt will fascinate everyone, especially the chairman of the Joint Chiefs and the Secretary of the Army:

            You compare the army soldier on the ground in Afghanistan right now, compare him to the one who was in Vietnam in the ’60s. It’s the same helmet, it’s the same shirt, it’s the same boots. We have the most technologically advanced Navy and Air Force (but) we have not advanced our Army.

            Didn’t know that, didja.

            1. We’re going to have to have a talk. A long one. With pictures.

              Better yet, let me drag you out to Fort Carson, and fit you up with a full Infantry kit, and let you run around. It’s not even close.  

              1. My comments are based on close conversations with General Pat Foote, who is a decorated veteran

                I had already thought that the USA had not invested enough R&D into our Army and she confirmed it – to me, that’s the biggest reason we’ve lost footing in Afghanistan

                That said – I’m always happy to listen to different takes

                1. ….compare the gear, esp Body Armor. Looks a little bit different.

                  Also, download this excellent report:

                  http://www.docstoc.com/docs/87

                  After the battle of Hell’s Halfpipe, the Army immediately started studying combat loads in light infantry.

                  And after the Battle of Mogadishu, the Army revamped both Combat Medic Skills and training, as well as the pressure dressing every Soldier carried on their Load Bearing Equipment.

                  https://www.benning.army.mil/7

                  Messr Hasan, one conversation with one General officer does now equate to in-depth analysis of an issue, esp something as board as Combat Infantry weapons, gear and tactics.  

        1. otherwise I’d change my name to Josephina Ortiz … or something.

          But enough. What else is a guy to do while sitting around waiting for his screenplay to be produced besides opine on this, that and the other, his gift to mere mortals in anticipation of Saturnalia? Chew on some genuine homemade Rocky Mountain National Park taffy, produced fresh monthly and sent with boundless awe from Estes Fucking Park (no minors allowed)? Especially with the inheritance tax under control, why, one can opine ’til the dividends come home!

          1. Wow, thanks for that awesome FUCKING tip, JOJO.

            You have a merry Christmas, sugar, and try to keep your empathy and good will under control during this holiday season, okey dokey?

            1. Bessie: Daddy, when will we be there?

              Ozzie: Pretty soon, honey.

              Bessie: Daddy, are there bears in Estes Park?

              Ozzie: No, I don’t think so.

              Bessie: Daddy, are there moose in Estes Park?

              Ozzie: No, I don’t think so. Why don’t you read your comic book?

              Harry: I heard they had moose right in the downtown sometimes.

              Bessie: Will the moose hurt me daddy? [Starts to whimper.]

              Ozzie: It’s all right, honey, don’t worry.

              Bessie: Daddy, I don’t want the moose to hurt me!

              Ozzie: Will you kindly shut up and think about something else? The moose won’t hurt you, okay?:

              Harry: Ozzie! We said we’d be patient when we got her. Say, aren’t you a little close to the edge of the road? Look at that water down there!

              Ozzie: You wanna drive? Huh? When we get there I’ll buy you both some saltwater taffy, something nice and sticky to put in your mouths.

              Bessie: Daddy, what’s taffy?

              Ozzie: Don’t you remember last year on the Boardwalk? Taffy is what they sell to tourists while they’re walking down the sidewalk and shopping for souvenirs.

              Bessie: Do moose eat taffy?

              Ozzie; Maybe. I don’t know.

              Harry: What is taffy, anyway? I mean, what’s it made of?

              Ozzie: For God’s sake! I think it’s like 85 or 90 percent corn syrup and sugar. http://www.gomc.com/firstpage/

              Bessie: Daddy, what’s corn syrup?

              Harry: It’s okay, dear. Corn syrup is like sugar, only they grow it in Iowa. Oh, look, Ozzie, it says in the guidebook they have a Fucking Park in Estes Park.

              Besse: Daddy, what’s a fucking park?

              Harry: Don’t worry, it’s just a monument to the local patois.

              Bessie: What’s patois?

              Harry; Well, it’s the way people talk in some places. You know how in New Jersey people are always saying fuggedaboutit? Well, here they always say ‘fucking,’ at least whenever they can. Fucking this, fucking that. No fucking mayo on my fucking burger, if you don’t mind… things like that.

              Ozzie [lets foot off the gas, slows down to 75]

              Bessie: Why do they say fucking all the time?

              Harry: They can’t help it, honey. It’s just the way they think and talk. It’s in the water or something, or maybe it’s because there’s not much oxygen in the air. Plus it makes them feel good, or like they’re men even if they’re not. I don’t know honey.

              Bessie: Daddy, what else do they do in Estes Park?

              Ozzie: Nothing that I ever heard of. Sell taffy and souvenirs to tourists. That’s about it. Oh yeah, wait on tables at the Stanley Hotel or somesuch.

              Bessie: Daddy, what’s the Stanley Hotel?

              [Ozzie steers car into St. Vrain River.]

              1. Thank you for sharing your life story. Hope you weren’t injured in the wreck, beyond the obvious loss of your mental capabilities.

                Merry, merry, sugar!  

              2. You were noting that one of JO’s comments yesterday was the strangest you’d seen yet.  I disagreed, and, as it turns out, I didn’t have to wait long for JO to post something much stranger.

                The above “comment”, I believe, is the one that takes the cake for JO’s strangest post yet.

                1. The person for whom it was intended understood perfectly.

                  Only natural, when you don’t understand something, to assume it’s the other person’s fault, not yours. It’s commonplace.

                  1. Listen, JO.  I know exactly what you’re doing and it’s reprehensible, creepy, and in my eyes should get you banned from Pols forever.

                    The person for whom it was intended understood perfectly.

                    That is the nastiest, most horrible thing I have ever seen on Pols.

                    Knock it off.

                2. That’s JO’s very best post ever.  I had no idea that he/she had been riding in our car on vacation.

                  Thanks JO.  (The only thing you forgot was the “incident” at the cherry cider stand.)  You really should get that cake.

      1. I am Muhammad MIGUEL Ali Hasan.

        I am Muhammad MIGUEL Ali Hasan.

        Muhammad MIGUEL Ali Hasan.

        Muhammad MIGUEL Ali Hasan.

        Muhammad MIGUEL Ali Hasan.

        Muhammad MIGUEL Ali Hasan.

        Muhammad MIGUEL Ali Hasan.

        and really you shouldn’t be so bitter, but then again it’s that kinda mindset causing Ali to switch to Dem.  

        Thanks JO and keep up the great work  weeding out all reasoned, insightful worldly minds from yer righty-tightey GOP party.

  2. Wildly misnamed Life Partners has a deal to die for:  it “buys life insurance policies from elderly people and then sells interests in them to investors.” Details in the WSJ or, if you prefer not to read Murdoch, on Floyd Norris’s blog:  http://norris.blogs.nytimes.com

    Essence: the sooner you die, the better off the “investor.”

    Raises two questions: where, exactly, does the love of money above all else bring people, and just how flexible is the language when this sort of activity is called an “investment”?

    [Note: Those who don’t follow the link will not understand the topic, which will be immediately obvious. Just saying….]

      1. and I’m right there to watch over your beachfront and ski resort properties.  Have no fear folks I’m a real responsible recent apostate (mind you, not one of those long practicing godless heathens) so who better to?

        Why heck, I’ll even manage your investments just in case you’re able to go all Easter on us (terms don’t apply in the case of  zombie brain-binging resurrections).  

        So give it some thought but you really better act fast.  Over on the Rapture Ready blogs young Zhyke (warrior of god) just noticed that “The ENTIRE west side of this country is under water practically….!!!” (zhyke’s disbelief well noted).  

        Well that’s sure a sign of something, so get ready you crazy christians, the bell is ringing and its time to go home!      

    1. Investors put up cash expecting a future return – it’s an investment.  And which elderly might be tempted to sell their life insurance policies?  The poorest, most vulnerable.  There are insurance laws and regs that prevent me from taking out a life insurance policy on a person I don’t know.  I wonder how “Death Partners” can get around those?

        1. CoDemDi & Diogenes explained it wonderfully, with extras thrown in.  Thanks! And JO, that’s why I come here – to hear others.  I didn’t care enough to click your link, I posted my thoughts (you were wrong about the language), and people faster and smarter than me gave me great answers.  Why are you so bitchy?  

          1. People who write for a living are paid, essentially, based on how many people read what they write. Different formulae for different media, e.g. books vs. magazines vs newspapers vs films vs blogs, etc. People who aren’t paid for what they write may or may not appreciate this principle.

            ONE rationale for blogs is to point out items of interest on other blogs. Among other things, these sorts of posts help generate traffic to other blogs, which translates into more “page downloads,” higher advertising rates, and the ability of the proprietors to brag on their 6th birthday about how many billion page views they generate per month.

            When posts obviate the need to to go the other Web site, the original author is deprived of a page view. Regardless of how he/she is compensated, at the end of the day, more page views = more compensation for the writer, fewer translates into less, or none. See? IF and when you write a diary on your own, it may become clearer.

            For reasons that I won’t go into, I feel that I have a particular interest in defending this principle, whether or not it strikes you as “bitchy.”

            There are (or were) chat rooms on the internet which are a different proposition, and which ColoradoPols generally resembles, since there is virtually no original reporting here. We’re now down to pointing to the Montrose Daily Whatever for basic info, having gone waaaay overboard copying and pasting from the Denver Post and being called on it. CP’s problem, not mine, but the effort to appear snide on this issue and self-righteous at the same time is a bit laughable.

      1. the way around that is (use me as an example) that I can buy a policy and then feel free to sell my policy to you, which still leaves you motivated to kill me off.

        And weirdly enough, the people getting screwed the most are the “investors” since the predictions of early demise are being greatly exaggerated by Life Partners so called expert, Dr. Cassidy. Which sort of serves them right, in a karma sort of way.  

    2. This investment scheme started 20 (plus or minus) years ago when AIDS/HIV had become widespread, but before there were decent meds to treat it.  At the time, life expectancy for someone who was HIV positive was very short, so this sort of scheme was a good deal for everybody involved.  The HIV positive person would get cash up front to pay for treatment and support a reasonable quality of life and the investor would get the future cash flows on the life insurance policy for someone who was relatively young.

      Then the meds got MUCH better and the life expectancy of HIV patients got MUCH longer.  Those who had sold their life insurance upfront kept the keep the cash, but the people who were waiting for their return on investment didn’t get paid back in the timeframe they expected.

      Clearly, Mr. Pardo from the article is running a dishonest business and is lying about the life expectancies of the people whose policies he is buying out, but the core concept isn’t completely morally bereft.

      1. Viatical settlements have been around since just about the day after the first life insurance-policy was written.  (I see them as a financial instrument very much akin to “reverse mortgages.”  For the record, I’m not a fan of those, but I do see that they do serve some few folks positively.  The problem being, as with viaticals, the potential for abuse by the unscrupulous.)

        http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/V

        The wikipedia article contained this sentence that I found most interesting

        A 2002 study showed that among hospice financial counselors who have had experience with viatical settlements, most report positive experiences. [1]

        because this does seem to be a derivative-type product that is rife for abuse (ala Mr. Pardo).  (In my opinion it would be absolutely necessary to keep the identity of the insured party anonymous to, or hidden from, the “investor”.)

        And, you’re absolutely right about them really taking off during the late 80’s when AIDs was believed to be a certain and incurable death.  (Thankfully, post Reagan, some folks decided that AIDs didn’t have to be a immediate death sentence and the first multi-drug “cocktail” treatments started being tested.)  They had become so mainstream back then that I can even remember 60 Minutes covering this as a positive development in one of their segments.

  3. The Avs cannot defeat the Mighty Kings! Bwahahahaha!

    Quick stops 23 shots, Kings blank Avalanche 5-0

    Jonathan Quick stopped 23 shots for his third shutout of the season, Dustin Brown(notes) had two goals and two assists, and the Kings beat Colorado 5-0 on Tuesday night to end the Avalanche’s six-game winning streak.

    Craig Anderson had 27 saves for Colorado, which was shut out for the first time this season. The last time the Avalanche were blanked was a 3-0 loss at Los Angeles on Feb. 13-a span of 55 games.

    http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/re

      1. …as Tom Waits so eloquently sang.

        The Kings stopped the Avs dead in their tracks last night….a team that’s scored a league-leading 121 goals. And they got a big Goose Egg against the Kings.

        There was no “Bang Bang” dance last night, just like there won’t be a playoff version either….

        1. The Kings are the other San Jose team in the NHL.

          πŸ™‚

          Anyone predicting an Avs cup this year needs immediate medical attention, but the triage unit is giving Kings fans the next priority.

  4. NYT:

    Already, the potential candidates are warily eyeing polls that suggest that it will be no easy task to knock off the president, despite the many political challenges he has struggled to overcome during the past two years.

    A recent NBC/Wall Street Journal poll found that the president would defeat all of the potential challengers they listed, if the election were held today. And that was before the president’s recent string of accomplishments in the lame-duck session of congress – in a CNN/Opinion Research Corp. poll released on Wednesday, 56 percent of Americans said they support how Obama has handled the lame-duck. [Ari’s emphasis.]

    From the same link… Stay classy, Sarah Palin:

    Maybe it’s just a reflexive, anti-Democrat thing, but Ms. Palin took a shot at Michelle Obama, the first lady, the other day, mocking Ms. Obama’s healthy eating campaign. While making s’mores during an episode of her reality show, “Sarah Palin’s Alaska,” Ms. Palin joked, “This is in honor of Michelle Obama, who said the other day we should not have dessert.”

    That sparked a response from Mr. Huckabee, her fellow Fox News colleague and potential presidential rival. Mr. Huckabee, of course, famously lost a huge amount of weight after making healthy eating one of his own issues.

    “With all due respect to my colleague and friend Sarah Palin,” Mr. Huckabee said, “The first lady’s campaign is on target.” [Ari’s emphasis.]

  5. Bank of America Buying Up “Hundreds” of Web Domains About How They “Suck” to Prepare for WikiLeaks Fallout

    WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange seemed to imply in a recent interview that Bank of America would be the major bank about which WikiLeaks planned to release a vast amount of potentially damaging information early next year. Forbes security columnist Andy Greenberg has his doubts, but Bank of America, in any event, seems to be taking no chances. According to Domain Name Wire, BoA has been quietly buying up “hundreds” of domain names related to how they or their executives “suck” or “blow.”

    Domain Name Wire:

    For example, the company registered a number of domains for CEO Brian Moynihan: BrianMoynihanBlows.com, BrianMoynihanSucks.com, BrianTMoynihanBlows.com, and BrianTMoynihanSucks.com. Just to be sure, it also picked up the .net version of these names and some .orgs as well.

    I count hundreds of such domain name registrations on December 17 alone. They were registered through an intermediary that frequently registers domain names on behalf of large companies.

    Some of the other names are for CFO Charles Noski, Chairman of the Board Charles Holliday, and board member Charles Rossotti (who is also Senior Advisor, The Carlyle Group).

    A WHOIS lookup on BrianMoynahanSucks.com reveals that it was registered by MarkMonitor, Inc, a “global leader in enterprise brand protection.”

    According to Fox Business reporter Charlie Gasparino, Bank of America has set up a “war room” to attempt to contain potential fallout should WikiLeaks decide to leak info on the bank; Assange said ominously of the bank about which it had the documents – still not 100% confirmed to be BoA – that “if its management is operating in a responsive way there will be resignations.”

    http://www.geekosystem.com/ban

    While it’s smart to cut off the interwebz trolls before they can throw up some slander sites, the fact that the trolls already know about this action will make them look even worse.

    When this leaks, it’s not going to be posted on BrianMoynihanBlows.com, it’s going to be on Forbes, WashPo and the NYTimes. King Julian cut his deal with the Mainstream media to get out all the other leaks, and he will call in his chips for this round….

        1. BUT, let’s not address the issue! By no means! Let’s be oh so clever in trying to generate a personal insult.

          Still, credit to the Sarge for looking at the User Agreement before copying and pasting!

          1. Seriously, why do you come here? To complain about quoted material and carry the torch for Andrew Romanoff? What an incredible waste of time, and not just for all of us.

        2. Personal insult!  Personal insult!

          How. dare. you.  Copy and pasting a rule is an affront to the very tenets of this site.  Never mind the poster who disagrees.  Ass.

          Hey, Dan, have a great weekend.  Celebrating Christmas if that’s appropriate for you.  πŸ™‚

          1. ….so I’ve already enjoyed my chocolate letter and other treats. Christmas Eve at my Mom’s house for a German feast, and a secret run later to my niece’s house to drop off presents for Santa Claus.

            (We do a mashup of Dutch, German and American traditions to reflect the mongrel nature of my family…)

            Prettig Kerstfeest Alles!

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