Craig Crawford's Trail Mix

I'm very happy we have a Democrat to appoint to fill any vacancy.

I'm glad the older, more liberal justices, will be able to leave the court when they want to and not be forced to hold on to keep the Court from becoming fully conservative.

I do hope President Obama doesn't use the Court as part of his "make friends with the Republicans" campaign.

LMAO....XRep -- of all the names you ticked off, I'm partial to "commie dupe."

Craig, I'm sighing a high sigh of relief, now that The "Change" has been made in Washington.

I fully expect all three to go in the next couple of years.

Sturg,

If you read this, I would love to talk Chili to you. I would be honored. ;0)

Thanks for the welcome back Lard. Next time.

yep guys, i don't think we've had a president in a long time who personally knows so much about constitutional law. my guess is that he will put a lot of time into finding good people and, as Oregon D notes, let's hope he doesn't play triangulation politics. for the sake of the court it needs to maintain what little balance it has.

Seahag....

Friendship is a funny thing. I happen to treasure mine and my real friendshave come to respect me for my loyalties. It runs very strong in me. So I take good care of them. Even in extreme conditions like this election cycle.

I'm not a "Your With Us Or Against Us" kind of person. Too bad that sentance has been ground in to this nation's psyche that its just expect.

just because the last two years have been dificult, it doesn't mean real friends can't get over it.

Even friends and brothers during Civil War Got Over It.

Craig,

Honestly? Obama will choose so above board, it will stinct just because the Media won't be able to find fault...of course the GOP....lol

Is Steele a lawyer? lol

Steele reminds me of a guy who is secretly a Moderate Democrat.

It'll be interesting to see what the GOP will use as a litmus test. Michael Steele coming out for abortion rights kind of makes that hard to use.

We can talk original constitutionalist, but conservatives only use that when it's convenient and it would be easy for Obama to blow the doors off of that scam.
http://tinyurl.com/bwvq4a

Neither party really believe in states rights any more or we'd have medical marijuana.

So what is left?

to see the potential for change on the court over the next two presidential terms, consider how many are at 70 or over (i think this is everyone): Stevens 88, Ginsburg 76, Scalia 73, Kennedy 72, Breyer 70 -- Souter 69

and to be really crass, i hear Scalia is a chain smoker

STUPID PROGNOSTICS TIME

The Time Sailor's Top 5 SCOTUS Predictions

1. Ginsburg gets to attend Scalia funeral. Heart attack.
But it's okay, cause he doesn't have to do any remedial courses in Purgatory and gets to go straight to Heaven.

2. Stevens retires to pursue a new career as head of AARP. Dies playing wheelchair tennis at age 104.

3. Thomas withdraws to deal with lung cancer. Take that for voting on the side of tobacco. What goes around, hits the fan.

4. Breyer retires to head Major League Baseball. Baseball Czars have MUCH more fun in October.

5. Snubbed yet again, both Dershowitz and Tribes are really PO'd with Obama. They contribute injudicious remarks to TIME and The Times respectively.

I, for one , have agreed with everything Clarence Thomas has vocalized during the court's proceedings. Er... he did say something once, didn't he? No, come to think of it, that was a cough. But he coughed with authority.
Now Scalia can't walk in front of a speeding bus quickly enough.
I won't get into the Alito, Roberts connection. They're probably triangulating me as I scribe.

Welcome back COSMO, i like your wordplay. Don't be a sranger

republicans are only for States Rights when hanging chads are not involved. Hanging chads make it a Federal Case.

Congratulations xrepublican, You just made Best Comments (take yourself to Disney World!):

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/best-comments.html

Seeing that Congress Critters are so afraid of losing their jobs they skitter away from light and controversial bills, I wonder if the marijuana issue will be lightened up at a court level. California is releasing a lot of prisoners because it can no longer house them. That's got to be endemic.

From the WSJ "In 2007 alone, nearly 800,000 Americans were arrested for simple possession of marijuana, according to FBI statistics"

That's 2.4 million squares a day.

That does seem to be a hot button issue right now.

Howdy, Posse -- Long time, no type...

CC -- "i don't think we've had a president in a long time who personally knows so much about constitutional law."

So was Bill Clinton...Also an interesting choice for the Court, and one job in Washington that would pique his interest.

ChefSheila -- "Steele reminds me of a guy who is secretly a Moderate Democrat."

He's a Rockefeller Republican. The problem is we haven't seen one for so long, nobody remembers what one looks like.

Sheila,
Or Steele is an Arnold type of conservative. Social activism has got the Republicans boxed into a corner.

They'll never get moderates that way and they're too afraid of losing their base to let go and grab a larger majority.

Kind of like the man in the rushing river, clinging to a rock.

Thanks, Mr. Crawford,

I owe it all to my Mom and Dad who raised me good.

Dang, Spike, good to see you again

Yeah, I know Clinton knew his stuff but i found him to be weirdly detached from the SCOTUS nominations. I wasn't too impressed with his choices. Which surprised me, given his background. Think Obama will actually be more interested in it, do a better job.

don1one,

I think most jails only serve 2/day now. No need for more when life is sedentary, and you aren't getting the munchies.

Still, 1.6 million meals is a lot of oatmeal, white bread, and french fries.

Spike! Well bust my buttons. Good to see you. I'm newly incorporated too.

and while that's an intriguing idea, Spike, i cannot imagine Bill having the patience for the stultifying drudgery of supreme court duty

Well...good night.

and sheila, i must say you look kinda sexy in that lower case open id address with the sultry dash of orange -- nite!

Didn't know that. Still, 800,000 cases per year is a lot of overhead in the criminal system.

Think I'll go up in smoke myself. nite.

time for Dexter to take the night watch. Dexter?

Breyer is a fine Justice, Craig. And, Ginsburg is adequate.

You're probably thinking of the B 41 bomber.

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

Blushing..... *night*

i'd put them both in the adequate category, xrepub. i started out in washington covering the supreme court and i have been disappointed by all appointments in the past 25 years. this is just about the worst hodgepodge of justices in the nation's history.

CC -- "i cannot imagine Bill having the patience for the stultifying drudgery of supreme court duty."

Last time I saw him, he was looking pretty ragged. I suspect the slow-down might be more agreeable to him now that Hillary is based completely in the District. He'd love the writing process and the give-and-take with his clerks. And besides, decisions he'd write would be some of the most holistically wonkish the court has seen in decades. You may not agree with them, but they sure would be entertaining to read!

now that i've let the supreme court have it, i too will take my leave. nite all.

Since Dex hasn't arrived yet, I'll start the night with a little Leonard Cohen...Night Craig...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HmncKgAn-Ak

Excellent choice, Spike.

As Dex usually says when he takes over:

By the mark, ten!
By the deep, five!
By the mark, twain!
I have the wheel

To which i usually respond:

"There's only one way to be a pilot, and that is to get this entire river by heart" -- Samuel Langhorne Clemens (1857).

We don't know why. It's just what we do.

reminds me of the intercom on a navy ship c. 1967:

"Now hear this, Now hear this.......Clean sweepdown fore and aft, Clean sweepdown fore and aft........Sweepers, man your brooms. Repeat: Sweepers, man your brooms. That is all."

not intercom.....public address.......

http://tinyurl.com/co9w5w

God, please no more drama like we went through when this man was nominated...and you ALL know him when you see him...
http://tinyurl.com/co9w5w

Oh Joy! Supreme Court vacancies… I can see it all now…

Democrats angrily demanding an ‘up or down vote’ for nominees… Republicans touting legislative precedents for filibustering judicial nominations… The Leadership hinting at invoking the ‘nuclear option’ to force cloture… Lieberman and Specter trying to mediate a compromise…

Oh the shifting sands of political fortune in our great sausage factory.

It’s time to open another beer, grab the remote and summon Jon Stewart for some stress-relieving clarity.

Stewart has been getting kudos but I don't like my comedians being so serious...I just felt dirty watching that Cramer beat-down .
I had a feeling Stewart had REALLY done his homework, and also I got a feeling he must have lost a lot of dough lately, like lots of others. It left me feeling lousy , as lousy as i felt when I heard Madoff's attys have already petitioned to have Madoff returned to his penthouse...man, that cell in the Manhattan detention building has sparse cells. Hardly enough room to scratch your balls.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The past few nights I have been bantering about with a river theme. So here ya go, the full text here for Twain's "Life on the Mississippi."
http://www.online-literature.com/twain/life_mississippi/

BY DAVID ROEDER droeder@suntimes.com

Sears Tower is no more, made obsolete by a company with an edifice complex.

The 110-story Chicago giant will be renamed Willis Tower under a leasing deal announced Thursday. The New York-based owners signed a lease with Willis Group Holdings Ltd., an insurance broker, for 140,000 square feet plus the naming rights.

The Sears Tower will always be the Sears Tower!!!

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/03/what-about-the-gops-first-50-d.html#comment-210018

From previous thread...

“Heavy is the head that wears the crown . . . Lord Bloggington is already exhausted from his self-aggrandizing and 3rd person self-referencing while wondering how long he can keep up the routine. He estimates a week; but what a wonderful week that will be!"

"Lord Bloggington must take his leave now. Please rise.”

*Lord Bloggington has left the building*

Oh Man! I laughed till I tear'd… and then I think I pulled something… right here, feels sorta like a runner’s cramp.

Lord Bloggington… I am truly in awe, your Lordship!

Why not auction the naming rights for Chicago itself?

Just using past christenings, we could have Readers Digest, Illinois or Truth or Consequences, Illinois!.

Well, since we're on a river theme...here's my friend, the late and great John Hartford:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lp1VlWpNDt0&feature=related

This is a compilation of Obama quotes (and parsing of them) about the Supreme Court
http://volokh.com/posts/1204053060.shtml
I hope he does not appoint Cass Sunstein. I wonder if Lawrence Tribe would accept an appointment.

This from the SCOTUS blog..a short list of nontraditional appointments ---my personal favorite Gov Granholm..it would make the heads explode --and I mean that in a good way

http://www.scotusblog.com/wp/the-democratic-not-so-short-list/

One comment before I get lost again for a bit.

Granholm would be the MOST outstanding Appointment of the AGE. After spending time in the state, I can't speak enough good things about this women.

Too bad she is not a native. This would have been the best NEXT candidate for President. But SCOTUS would be best in after thought. Keeping this brilliant woman around for the country is brilliant. Thanks for bringing it up Kate.

Now disolving.......

Non-political news....Bill Davidson, the long-time owner of the Detroit Pistons has died. He was 86.

I think there will be a lot of pressure to appoint non-white justices Asian and Hispanic as well.

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/03/washingtons-next-showdown-the.html#comment-210256

What you talking about -- Willis?

Sears hasn't been in the building since 1992

more feckless and factless drivel from CNBC
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Fri, Mar 13, 2009 12:21pm ET

Send to a friend Print Version
CNBC's Kernen, Bartiromo falsely claimed Obama promised to eliminate earmarks

Summary: CNBC's Joe Kernen falsely claimed that President Obama "promised ... no more earmarks," while colleague Maria Bartiromo similarly asserted that "during the campaign, [Obama] said he would eliminate" earmarks. In fact, Obama promised to reform the earmark process and cut wasteful spending, not eliminate earmarks altogether.
http://mediamatters.org/items/200903130011?f=h_top

I guess this is what happens when you use Rushbo or Inannity has your fact checker.

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/03/washingtons-next-showdown-the.html#comment-210277

Lol- Ping. Lord Bloggington approves!

'To-yo-ta, To-yo-ta, our company town! To-yo-ta...'

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/03/washingtons-next-showdown-the.html#comment-210258

Thank you Mr. Mustard. Lord Bloggington is pleased someone enjoys his regal schtick. Lord Bloggington must turn off his computer for the day to replace the service panel he ruined. Lord Bloggington is one funny guy, to be sure, but he is a really lousy electrician.

Good day.

KGC -- did you see this one on Media Matters?

http://mediamatters.org/items/200903130033?f=h_top

Patsi

No I missed that one but I'm not surprised. I watched Fox last Sunday (Geraldo -gag me) and it was a hodge podge of sensational headlines that often had nothing to do with the alleged discussion. Fox = dreck

good morning gang....

I haven't respected the Supreme Court since their decision in Bush v Gore....
I wouldn't mind to see it "cleaned up"..... and I think Obama will do a good job of it too....

Mark Twain is my favorite all time author..... and "Life on the Mississippi" is my favorite Twain book....

Sheila.... I'm glad to see you back.... and you too Viv.... and you 3 Spike....

KGC... I think you're right..... there will be a lot of pressure for Obama to appoint ethnic groups that haven't been represented yet on the SCourt....
and that beer you were drinking yesterday.... Rick would LOVE it....

In addition to the choices mentioned already, like Gov. Granholm, I would include Hon. Jose Cabranes, who has excellent credentials and was a most considerate judge to all who appeared in his courtroom.

LOL, Patsi. Hannity and crew are such tools. Sean "Innanity"... why didn't Lord Bloggington think of that? Good day in earnest.

The WaPo headline reads as though it's a "bad thing" that Obama is blaming Bush for this economy! Of course he should put the blame where it belongs!

http://tinyurl.com/af5t6h

RR

I almost never drink beer but we were eating pizza (me especially --I had four pieces of "da works.") and it just seemed right. The other dark beer i like the Anderson Valley Brewing Company Oatmeal Stout.
http://www.avbc.com/index.php

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/03/washingtons-next-showdown-the.html#comment-210279

Yup Obama never lead the voters down a path to curb and elimate Ear Marks?.? Guess he has an imposter that was on the trail… And now that Same Obama imposter must have said all of these statements?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kV0Grra3QHs

Why would he make all of these statements and then the next bill just fold like a wet willie?

Obama is slicker then Willie...
His intent was clear - He also declared in the campaign that no more from HIM .... Opps... they forgot the whiteout before the bill was released

This is Change?

well Lord Bloggington.... maybe I should knit you that purple scarf after all....
and maybe a cape to go with it....

Carol...
we've lost a lot of money from the shenanigans also.... at the moment... we are keeping a lot of cash..... no!... none of it the house..... don't get any fancy ideas there..... :0)

after watching the Stewart v Cramer interview.... I see your point about discomfort.... although I think that Cramer deserved the brow beating he took from Stewart.... I did feel sorry for him..... and Stewart was correct in pointing out that it was unfortunate that he had become the face of it all.... that truly is unfair.... methinks a CNBC executive ordered Cramer to go on the show and take his lumps.... they just want the whole affair to be over with....

you need to get back to that camp asap and report to us about the owls....

Gee Ping
Did you listen to the youtube...he doesn't ever say no more earmarks...he talks about the abuse of the process

Is your slogan Faux news is better than no news

Obama calls for earmark transparency
http://www.swamppolitics.com/news/politics/blog/2009/03/obama_calls_for_more_earmark_t.html

oh... and before I start my work for this morning.... I think it was Tony who mentioned Bethy being gone....

my recollection is that she said she was leaving for a 10 day trip to Long Island.... didn't say if it was to see relatives or friends.... but she wasn't sure she'd have access to a computer....

I bet she comes back..... at least I really hope so....

I did not have earmarks with that Congress!

KGC - in the campaign he did state he would reform- and he also stated he would eliminate – but OK lets agree it was only reform. But he also promised he had already stopped them for himself.. Which he did not..

When someone does not do what they say they will do, what is that called… If outside the beltway it is a liar, if inside it is a Politician!

Also In the video these Obama statements are all related to the Recovery Act -Why be so loud about NO EARMARKS at that point and then a few weeks later - get caught with your hand in the jar and be so disingenuous? I was hoping for real change and that he would be above that typical behavior.

Ping
Obama did not get caught with his hand in anything
what a pile of poop

I'm still waiting for your examples of choosing social engineering over fiscal responsibility.

This is more talking points based on what Steven Colbert has rightly named factesques

A talking point is not evidence

KGC - Oh, so it was not correctly reported by CNN that they needed to take Barack's name as requesting Senator off of the earmark section that follows the bill?

I always though I could trust CNN?

The facts of my 9:55 post stand. Why did he make such a big statement of no earmarks on the Recovery Act and then a few weeks later back off HIS promise of reform?

And if you cannot see the many social programs without being laid out, then ?

And I am not against these programs - my point is the timing and focus . I also stand by John McCains statement - as I did back then - that the Fundamentals of our Economy are strong.

Off to chores and a bike ride...

Best to all

just to be clear -the yutube lifts out of context the Obama statement --Fox distorted his statement and you repeat it as a talking point.

"Now, yesterday Congress sent me the final part of last year's budget; a piece of legislation that rolls nine bills required to keep the government running into one, a piece of legislation that addresses the immediate concerns of the American people by making needed investments in line with our urgent national priorities.

That's what nearly 99 percent of this legislation does -- the nearly 99 percent that you probably haven't heard much about.

What you likely have heard about is that this bill does include earmarks. Now, let me be clear: Done right, earmarks have given legislators the opportunity to direct federal money to worthy projects that benefit people in their districts, and that's why I've opposed their outright elimination. And I also find it ironic that some of those who rail most loudly against this bill because of earmarks actually inserted earmarks of their own -- and will tout them in their own states and their own districts.

But the fact is that on occasion, earmarks have been used as a vehicle for waste, and fraud, and abuse. Projects have been inserted at the 11th hour, without review, and sometimes without merit, in order to satisfy the political or personal agendas of a given legislator, rather than the public interest. There are times where earmarks may be good on their own, but in the context of a tight budget might not be our highest priority. So these practices hit their peak in the middle of this decade, when the number of earmarks had ballooned to more than 16,000, and played a part in a series of corruption cases.

In 2007, the new Democratic leadership in Congress began to address these abuses with a series of reforms that I was proud to have helped to write. We eliminated anonymous earmarks and created new measures of transparency in the process, so Americans can better follow how their tax dollars are being spent. These measures were combined with the most sweeping ethics reforms since Watergate. We banned gifts and meals and made sure that lobbyists have to disclose who they're raising campaign money from, and who in Congress they send it to. So we've made progress. But let's face it, we have to do more.

I am signing an imperfect omnibus bill because it's necessary for the ongoing functions of government, and we have a lot more work to do. We can't have Congress bogged down at this critical juncture in our economic recovery. But I also view this as a departure point for more far-reaching change."

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/03/washingtons-next-showdown-the.html#comment-210295

Hi Renee
I posted maybe a week ago to Bethy about her upcoming trip to the east coast,i think NJ.I remember her saying she wasn't taking her computer.It was during the time when the two NY offender supporters were doing there hit job here.Bethy from what I remember said she thought it was a good time to take a break from here too..I think she will be back posting when she gets back to California.I hope so anyways...

Anyone with an interest in history might enjoy these Time Life photographs

http://blogs.denverpost.com/captured/2008/11/24/life-images-hosted-by-google/

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/13/us/politics/13benefits.html?_r=1&nl=pol&emc=pola1

"Obama on Spot Over a Benefit to Gay Couples"

"As a presidential candidate, Mr. Obama said he would “fight hard” for the rights of gay couples. As a senator, he sponsored legislation that would have provided health benefits to same-sex partners of federal employees.

Now, Mr. Obama is in a tough spot. If he supports the personnel office on denying benefits to the San Francisco court employees, he risks agitating liberal groups that helped him win election. If he supports the judges and challenges the marriage act, he risks alienating Republicans with whom he is seeking to work on economic, health care and numerous other matters"

Ping

the youtube you posted is from Fox news not CNN

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/03/washingtons-next-showdown-the.html#comment-210302

Jamie,

History buff here...thanks for the Time photo link. Finally getting around to Team of Rivals...wish it'd been done in two volumes...even in paperback, it's a weighty read :)

Those Life photos are wonderful, Jamie -- thanks!

wicked pickett:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f9yIoVuUM-M&feature=related

Jamie, Those pictures are amazing!

Renee and Tony, I saw the post from Bethy too. She said she wasn't taking her computer. She didn't sound even annoyed in the one I read.

Carol, see you were here last night, and wanted to ask you if you had that medical treatment for your thyroid yet? (at least, that's what I thought you said). Haven't see you around for a while and was wondering how you're feeling.

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/03/washingtons-next-showdown-the.html#comment-210205
I really liked that post you made too XRep.

Supreme Court Vacancy: The Hottest Seat in Town
"With all that the current President has to deal with, finding a replacement for Ginsberg is probably the last thing he wants to do, as it holds the potential the blow whatever spirit of bipartianship that he has managed to muster up until now out of the water. Progressives are likely not to bend on this issue in the spirit of compromise, because the new Justice is likely to be there much longer than Obama will be, and have an impact on the makeup on the court for a generation. Social Conservatives, who will be pleased to see Ginsberg step down, are likely to go into hyper-mode pressing the President not to give into the "extreme left-wing of his Party" and instead select a moderate, because a new moderate on the Court is ultimately a win for the social conservative agenda.

One thing does seem clear, if Ginsberg does step down, the replacement is almost certainly to be a woman; after all the idea of an all male Supreme Court in the 21st century seems absurd.
http://tpmcafe.talkingpointsmemo.com/talk/blogs/clipsnchips/2009/03/supreme-court-vacancy-the-hott.php?ref=reccafe

Try a Little Tenderness
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YNLWZe8cSEk

reprise......ms barbara lynn:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jAnSyQA_fT4&feature=related

uno mas: barbara lynn c. 2005

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3T2ZgPQ8h_c&feature=related

This year's Tulip Time headlining acts:

Pianist: Jan Mulder
Bobby Vinton
Oak Ridge Boys
Tribute to 1964

Jamie's Pirate Banana Coconut Pie now on the Cookbook: http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/trail-mix-cookbook.html

sounds really good!

Steve Clemons over sat the Washington Note
http://www.thewashingtonnote.com/
is on vacation and he has lined up some very good people to fill in for him. Lots of good stuff over there on foriegn policy.

IMO The Obama people need to have this quote up on the wall to remind themselves everyday

"Strategy is about priorities and trade offs. Pouring more troops, money, and political capital into Afghanistan means fewer resources to pursue our other national security objectives across the globe"

http://www.thewashingtonnote.com/archives/2009/03/the_new_york_ti_1/

Jack

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/03/washingtons-next-showdown-the.html#comment-210318

The recipe calls for the pudding to be made from scratch. All those who wish to cheat, you can use two large vanilla pudding (only the cooking variety not instant). Adjust milk/rum combo to suit yourself and consistency.

My second quote to share

"You’re a monkey. It all comes down to that. You are a slightly clever, pants-wearing primate. If you forget that you’re nothing more than a monkey who has been fashioned by eons on the plains, being chased by tigers, you shouldn’t invest. You have to be aware of how your own psychology effects what you do. This is why we as investors sell at the bottom, get panicked"

http://www.ritholtz.com/blog/2009/03/monkey-theory-of-investing/

Jack, I liked your quotes so much this morning. I brought over another from the same story, because ... well, because I like them. :)
(also noticed this twitter link on the full story: Intelligent Investing on Twitter http://twitter.com/forbesintellect

Barry Ritholtz's Monkey Theory
"Wall Street clichés, like “cut your losses and let your winners run” come back to prevent the monkey part of your brain from doing what it does. There’s a banana–I want it. That’s how chimps behave. Us humans react to greed and fear in predictable ways. We are predictably irrational.

Every good financial decision I’ve made comes from, “Wait a second, monkey boy, step back, don’t do that ......

Yes, I called myself Monkey Boy."
http://www.forbes.com/2009/03/12/barry-ritholtz-interview-intelligent-investing-ritholtz.html

Bethy wouldn't dare not coming back, not after sharing the joy of her sister's grandchild!

Posted by: Craig Crawford | March 14, 2009 1:27 AM : "this is just about the worst hodgepodge of justices in the nation's history."

True, there is no John Marshall, Oliver Wendall Holmes, Jr., Louis Brandeis, Benjamin Cardozo, Harlan Stone, Robert Jackson, or Hugo Black, on this court. Breyer is the one who comes closest, but that is only because the others are so puny.

Because the infamous Hanging Chad case the rehnquist court will be remembered as comparable to the Dred Scott v Sanford and Plessy v Ferguson courts.

"Bethy wouldn't dare not coming back, not after sharing the joy of her sister's grandchild!"

That's right Flatus! And we'd miss her too much.

I should have included Justice Joseph Story in the list of luminaries.

Chloe
The man is a quote machine
From the Forbes article you linked to.

"You see how quickly these guys waving the free-market flag on television become 10-year-old schoolgirls during a crisis: "Rescue me!" I don't think the public really understands how badly they're being screwed"

"I don't believe in betting against America, but we have to think about America being downsized .................................
.......................... R&D at Pfizer has been cut back. Endowments at universities are down 30% to 40%. This has a huge impact on the future of research and scholarships. We're being downsized. "

Jack

Must be my Sean Penn week. First "Milk" and now watching "Sweet and Lowdown" for the first time.

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

The Guitar solos are by Howard Alden but he coached Penn on playing the guitar. Could one of you musical types look at this clip and tell me how good he was at faking it?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9E6RPkM8Hg4

Jack, Do you have an opinion on his predictions for the future. He thinks things are going to be quite different, when we do come out of this. (Of course, I guess that's a given)

"We're being downsized. I don't think it's the end of the world. Having 70% of our GDP being consumer-driven is a misunderstanding of how America grows.

We will go back to 65% to 67%. Sport shopping will not hold the same place in the American heart it used to. Non-stop consumerism taking a backseat to something a little leaner and greener. It will be a different environment. People won't have the cash or the credit. You can grow or earn you way to prosperity; you can't borrow your way to prosperity."

test..technical glitch with Typepad--

and...I get post # 100 !!

Traditional investment advice when being in a collapse such as we are now in has been to 'dollar average down' on the core stocks in one's portfolio.

It's basically what Buffett does--keep lots of cash on hand using it to buy more of what is really quality as prices of those shares goes down. At the end of the day, the basis of the portfolio is significantly decreased, and the gains will be significantly higher when the market recovers--yes it will recover.

Some holding companies would simply buy up their own shares as the market drops. That presupposes that their own shares are the best possible investment in their potential investment universe. How likely do you think that is?

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/03/washingtons-next-showdown-the.html#comment-210330

Why is the idea of downsizing so horrible. I rather enjoyed the 1950s :-)

It's called saving for the things you want and then buy quality to last.

Say Craig, Speaking of courts, "If you sue a deaf person and take them to court, do they still call it a hearing?"

"It's called saving for the things you want"

I like that too Jamie. Heck, I was sorry when they stopped offering lay away.

But it is going to be quite different. But I get what you're saying. Why does that have to be a 'bad' thing.

I suppose defendant could argue that the subject of plaintiff's case is mute.

RE ;
The Court -
Oh god, a chance to once more "Rally the Republican Base".

."The end of the day, the basis of the portfolio is significantly decreased, and the gains will be significantly higher when the market recovers--yes it will recover."

But Flatus, What does all that mean in the end for the majority of American consumers? Not the one's investing necessarily. But the ones more worried about just making a living. I'm just wondering what kind of changes we're in for.

Not to mention, just how involved is the government going to get in our lives. Does all this mean, even more than they are now.

""Rally the Republican Base".

They can rally all they want. They're not in charge. I hope Obama keeps it that way.

For at least the past three decades, the US economy has been built on the cheap, getting more and more people to buy more and more stuff made elsewhere for lower and lower wages.

In order to do that everything had to be new and improved, the latest gadget or the newest model while everything more than a year old is a throw away.

It was bound to crash and it did. Unfortunately, the whole basic structure of the old manufacturing middle class that undergirded the economy has been pretty well gutted in the process.

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/03/washingtons-next-showdown-the.html#comment-210338

You might want to find a legal expert and sound him out on that.

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/03/washingtons-next-showdown-the.html#comment-210343

... makes it sound like we're starting over from scratch.

Guess we're done with the gimme, gimme part.
It was fun while it lasted.

Chloe,

I think its relevance to consumers is that it identifies the industries that have the best potential for sustained growth. In other words, if a consumer is going to have money to spend, wouldn't it make sense gaining employment in a company in or directly supporting one of those companies/industries that 'smart' money is flowing towards when things are bad?

Hear, hear.
http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/03/washingtons-next-showdown-the.html#comment-210344

tylenol....
here's a story from CNN on those abducted and set free in Dafur....
very, very glad this story.... and your friend.... have a happy ending....

http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/africa/03/14/sudan.darfur.abduction/index.html

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/03/washingtons-next-showdown-the.html#comment-210347

Listen Up!

RON PAUL

Republican representative from Texas; candidate for president in 2008

To fight earmarks is to fight for an even more powerful executive branch. It is popular these days to condemn earmarks in the name of fiscal conservatism. The truth is that they account for less than 2 percent of the spending bill just passed. And even if all earmarks were removed from the budget overall, no money would be saved. That money would instead go to the executive branch to spend as it sees fit. Congress has the power of the purse. It is the constitutional responsibility of members to earmark, or designate, where funds should go, rather than to simply deliver a lump sum to the president.

Earmarks actually provide a level of transparency and accountability to federal spending. Consider the $350 billion that was recently given to the Treasury Department for the Troubled Assets Relief Program. The Treasury has not been forthcoming about where much of that ended up. If every bit of it had been earmarked, at least we would know something about how it was spent.

Instead of fighting earmarks, we should empower Congress to audit the Federal Reserve, which creates and spends trillions of dollars without any real transparency or accountability.
http://firedoglake.com/2009/03/14/ron-paul-republicans-and-progressive-democrats-agree-on-earmarks-transparency/#more-38036

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/03/washingtons-next-showdown-the.html#comment-210343

Jamie:

Programmed obsolescence...I went to Williams-Sonoma today to buy cleaning tablets and filters for the pricey espresso maker I'd purchased last fall, only to discover they've "discontinued it" and won't be carrying the maintenance supplies any longer either. So I'll scrounge online to keep it going as long as possible...then what? We'll see.

Flatus

That and identifying the industries of the future. That is why being on the leading edge of the green industry development is so important. Maybe this time we will have to the good sense to keep the means of production at home.

It still won't solve the long term global too many people too few jobs situation, but I'll think about that tomorrow.

Katherine, This is so different from what we've been hearing.

"To fight earmarks is to fight for an even more powerful executive branch... It is the constitutional responsibility of members to earmark, or designate, where funds should go, rather than to simply deliver a lump sum to the president.

Instead of fighting earmarks, we should empower Congress to audit the Federal Reserve, which creates and spends trillions of dollars without any real transparency or accountability."

This is not the worst situation we've been in. Not even close.

In 1812, an enemy invaded, set the Congress and President to flight, and even looted and burned the White House.

In 1861, a third of the country broke away, formed their own country, and declared war on us (US).

In1893, the Reading and Philadelphia RR collapsed, bringing down the banks that had invested in it, bringing down the banks that had invested in them, ad nauseum. It was the worst depression we have ever seen, and resulted in the bankruptcies of the Northern Pacific, Union Pacific, and the Atchison, Topeka, and the Santa Fe, the glamour stocks of the day. !5,000 businesses failed and unemployment skyrocketed to 19%. There was a wave of mortgage foreclosures as unemployed people walked away from their dreams. 5 years later, unemployment was still nearly 13% The 'Gay 90s' is a lie. The 1890s were horrid.
To be continued....

Space station's close call with junk: More to come

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/1501ap_space_station.html

Good article, more about frozen bags of Russian turds going 20,000 mph.

I occur with XRep, this is a good old fashioned 19th century panic.

Sorry,
I occurred to Concur.

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/03/washingtons-next-showdown-the.html#comment-210354

XR As with any crisis, how badly you were affected depended entirely on where you were and what you were doing. Those with the guts to walk away from the major cities actually did quite well by claiming land and building where individual skills were in high demand.

The other unfortunate circumstance now is that there isn't all that many places left with few people and professions and we all may be too early for terraforming Mars.

Chloe

It is interesting when you clear away all the soundbites, what is left.

Particularly in the last election cycle "earmarks" were used to attack Hillary Clinton-- the ridiculous McCain nonsense about the Woodstock Museum so the earmark itself became the problem instead of abuse of the earmark system.

And when you see the Obama remarks in context, it also takes a different meaning.

Once again, the political journalism community did not do its job.

he stoops to concur

he stoops to concur, but the world is a blur.

Twain this morning -

"Roughing It"
Nothing seems more fun than riding in that stage coach. With that giant book , and all those mail bags.
I can't remember was it a dictionary , or some statute book?

"Roughing It" is also where the name "Slade" appears as a villain in American writing.

It's almost worth having Typekey throw me out on my rear in order to get to use the open ID

People forget that what we think of as "The old west" actually lasted about 25 years at the most from basically the end of the Civil War to when cars started showing up on the streets of well developed towns to keep the horses company.

If you drive highway 50 across Nevada, you can still see the Pony Express trail snaking through the sage. And some of the stations remains are still there. Twain's description of Austin Nevada is priceless.

Continued from 120 :

In 1941, the FBI raised the HQ of Father Coughlin's 5th column, and confiscated a large cache of sidearms, tommy guns, and ammo, plus a long hit list of Congressmen and government officials. In December, 3 foreign enemies that the smart money (including Sen.nye, Rep. fish, prescott bush, Gen. Robert Wood, joe kennedy, and charles lindbergh) said were invinsible, declared war on us. At the outset, our Pacific fleet and air corps were mauled in Pearl Harbor and Hickham Field, and our bases in the Philippines overrun. The East Coast cities went into blackout, because german subs could use shore light to see our ships entering and leaving the harbors. On December 8th, Father Coughlin's 5th column newsletter said that Roosevelt and Churchill were worse than Hitler and Mussolini, and urged 'the people' to resist them. Things looked very dark, indeed.

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/03/washingtons-next-showdown-the.html#comment-210365

It is rather sad that the Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County was such a success. It totally ruins the place once a year. The rest of the year, Angels Camp is quite a nice place.

http://www.frogtown.org/

Jamie -
My "Old West" starts with Meriwether Lewis trying to buy a keel boat from a drunken boat builder. It ends at Wounded Knee.

Lewis's description of squirrels swimming the Ohio. Thousands of them crossing the river. His dog went nuts, jumped off the boat.

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/03/washingtons-next-showdown-the.html#comment-210368

CBob You start with the first explorers and ends with the last claimants for disputed land.

The "Old West " of the movies starts with wagon trains and stage coaches setting out for the space above an already settled southern border and before a civilized west coast.

Jamie,
Ya, we don't have much arable land where squatters can dig a hole to live in while waiting for the corn and spuds to ripen. We are also plumb out of people who can tolerate living like that.

"They won't get my malemute."

"Whyzat, Pa?"

"I et 'im last night."

It was a gag, but W.C. Fields was uncomfortably close to the truth about pioneer life.

I think the "Old West" begins with the battle of the Alamo in 1836. It ends in 1912, with General Pershing chasing former Presidente Pancho Villa deep into Mexico, but idiotically getting into a fire fight with the army of our ally, Presidente Venustiano Caranza . The two battles provide convenient 'bookends' for a 77 year long epic.

The garden meeting I went to last night , was organized by a woman I've known since high school. She made her way up to Colorado, as well. While she was there she developed this love of giant dogs. Her St. Barnard Paxton, being the first in this long line of drool on the floor.

So there as I walk through the door , a dog as big as brontosaur drooling on the floor.

Jamie -
My movie in my head .

Xrep -

Interesting the way you block it out, Texas Revolution to Mexican Revolution.

If I could twitch my nose and had to toss out 3 Supremes, it would have to be Alito, Roberts and Thomas. Beyond that... we should just be glad that the right ideologues are no longer in power. I would think that Justice Stevens must be about ready to go !!!

Well it's a strange old game you learn it slow
One step forward and it's back you go
You're standing on the throttle
You're standing on the brake
In the groove 'til you make a mistake

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=90SXjQEhXKE

---------
Later kids

I think the Haida, Tlingit, Kwakiutl, and other settled, and even urbanized, Northwest tribes would dispute the assessment that the West Coast was uncivilized.

Skid Row, however, was un-civilized.

Perhaps "The Old West" begins with Lewis and Clark,
Zebulon Pike, Kit Carson, or even the events that inspired the tale of Zorro. My money is still on the battle of the Alamo.

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/03/washingtons-next-showdown-the.html#comment-210371

XR,

But only in the center of the country. You may have heard of this little earthquake in San Francisco in 1906 took down a major city the morning after Caruso sang at the opera house.

You are right that the majority of people wouldn't have a clue about how to survive under pioneer conditions, yet the women in those wagon trains brought supplies with them from a well provisioned East.

This is just too good -

" Carlson, reached Friday, described Stewart as "a partisan demagogue."

"Jim Cramer may be sweaty and pathetic—he certainly was last night—but he's not responsible for the current recession," Carlson told POLITICO. "His real sin was attacking Obama's economic policies. If he hadn't done that, Stewart never would have gone after him. Stewart's doing Obama's bidding. It's that simple."

Begala said that "as an Overpaid TV Guy myself, I hate to see the Overpaid TV Community ripped apart in this time of crisis."

As to whether Stewart's takedown could again impact cable punditry, Begala said he had "no clue." "

http://www.politico.com/blogs/michaelcalderone/0309/Carlson_on_Stewart_a_partisan_demagogue.html

God bless Paul Begala.

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/03/washingtons-next-showdown-the.html#comment-210255

Well, I appreciate your opinion Dex, but these so called "experts" deserve to have some "new ones" ripped open. They have mislead and ignored the reality of an economic system on the brink of total bankruptcy. Where was their expertise then? And frankly, I like that Jon Stewart can be a very serious political analyst as well... It shows he isn't some light weight.

I saw a video today with a 61 year old man who lost his job and is pounding the pavement to find something else. He said, rightly so, that many CEOs who have helped create these mess should be standing in the unemployment lines. Sadly, the Money Junkies are rarely blamed.

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/03/washingtons-next-showdown-the.html#comment-210203

OD I think Obama has moved past his hard work outreach to the pugs.

EuroTom,

I was thinking scalia, alito, and thomas. But, roberts is sooooooo young.

Still, if you were to pasteurize scalia, alito, and thomas, and Stevens, Ginsberg retired, you could replace them all with intelligent, well-educated, and sane 40 somethings (Justice Story was elevated at age 32). That would leave the less than impressive roberts in the hapless minority for 30 plus years.

Loved the totally unkind but well deserved comments about Tucker "I can recognize an over privileged under talented political hack because I am one" Carlson.

Thanks RR... Actually, I went over to the MSF office last night and we all hugged and shared a toast.

Also, when I got home, I watched Moyer's Journal. He interviewed Karen Armstrong. What an amazing woman!

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

Jamie,

My grandfather's mother was one of those women. She walked from Barnum MN to meet her husband in Jamestown, Dakota territory during the mid1870s, leading an ox-drawn wagon, and with no company but her 2 toddlers and Henry rifle.

I did comparable crazy things when I was in my teens & twenties, but I can't imagine doing it with 2 little kids depending on my success. Awesome gal.

XR

My favorite story of the type is a woman writing home from the Gold Country. She told them not to worry because she was among "gentlemen". Every day when she went down to the river to collect two pails of water and trudge back with them up the hill and her skirts dragging through the mud,, to a man they all stood as she passed and tipped their hats.

Last words in ROUGHING IT, by Twain

Thus, after seven years of vicissitudes, ended a "pleasure trip" to the silver mines of Nevada which had originally been intended to occupy only three months. However, I usually miss my calculations further than that.

MORAL.

If the reader thinks he is done, now, and that this book has no moral to it, he is in error. The moral of it is this: If you are of any account, stay at home and make your way by faithful diligence; but if you are "no account," go away from home, and then you will have to work, whether you want to or not. Thus you become a blessing to your friends by ceasing to be a nuisance to them -- if the people you go among suffer by the operation.

I saw a guy walking through the food court at the mall. He was holding up a sign that said, "FREE HUGS". Two girls ran up to him and got hugs. I thought to myself, "Why didn't I think of that?" A minute or so later, a security approached the man and said, "You can't do that, Sir." Game over.

Posted by: Jamie Author Profile Page | March 14, 2009 2:56 PM

jamie.......good enough fake, but does not look real to anyone who can play a bit..........

he'll have to change his sign to read "Free Waves".

Free hugging not permitted.

Are you in Zurich ?

He should have had it printed on a t-shirt.

Free Hugs Campaign - Official Page (music by Sick Puppies.net )
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vr3x_RRJdd4

Was it this guy? He was on Oprah or something.

Something to warm everyone's heart:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fj6bHflRryM&feature=related

My received in email joke for the day:

An Irish priest is transferred to Texas.
Father O'Malley rose from his bed on a fine Spring day in his new Texas mission parish.
He walked to the window of his bedroom to get a deep breath of the beautiful day outside.
He then noticed there was a jackass lying dead in the middle of his front lawn.
He promptly called the local police station.

The conversation went like this: "Good morning. This is Sergeant Jones. How might I help you?"

"And the best of the day te yerself. This is Fadder O'Malley at St Brigid's.
Dere's a jackass lyin' dead on me front lawn. Would ye be so kind as to send a couple o' yer lads to take care of da matter?"

Sergeant Jones, considering himself to be quite a wit, replied with a smirk, "Well now Father, it was always my impression that you people took care of last rites!"

There was dead silence on the line for a long moment.

Father O'Malley then replied: "Aye, tis certainly true, but we are also obliged to notify the next of kin."

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/03/washingtons-next-showdown-the.html#comment-210393

Thanks Sturgeone. It was a good movie and the music was great.

sweet and lowdown:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4v-6AH-S8L8&feature=related

C-Bob got me over to YouTube -- where I always end up staying for a while...and I ran across this tune that pretty much sums up what I think the country is feeling right now..."Throw Me A Line"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FrkxBufIN8Q&feature=related

The only bad thing about this place is that between the computer and the music, you don't have room for a life.

Patsi that Joe Sun song was great.

Sturgeone,

Have you seen the movie? All through it, the Penn character calls himself the "second best guitarist in the world". The first is Django Reinhart

OMG! I just found something else...don't watch this unless you loved the early '60s "folk scare" -- this is the inimitable Judy Henske in a live performance...I had this album in 1965 and listened to this song about a billion times...still cracks me up even though it's dated humor...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=foXs9bZq-vg

I saw it long ago......woody allen, right?

Circuit City sent me a new credit card to replace my old one. How is that even possible now?

"Circuit City sent me a new credit card to replace my old one. How is that even possible now?"

LMAO! Post of the day? It explains everything!!!!

Message from Circuit City. It looks as if you might be able to use it on line at some point in the future\

http://www.circuitcity.com/closed.html

Sturgeone

Yes it is done as it it were a real biography.

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

Here is the Dick Hyman Group who did the actual music

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IlIT4FpbHwM

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/15/business/15AIG.html?_r=1&hp

"A.I.G. to Pay $100 Million in Bonuses After Huge Bailout"

“On the one hand, all of us at A.I.G. recognize the environment in which we operate and the remonstrations of our President for a more restrained system of compensation for executives. On the other hand, we cannot attract and retain the best and brightest talent to lead and staff the AIG businesses — which are now being operated principally on behalf of the American taxpayers — if employees believe that their compensation is subject to continued and arbitrary adjustment by the U.S. Treasury."

Cory -
Sweet ....... I second that emotion Patsi it's the best yet .

"" On the other hand, we cannot attract and retain the best and brightest talent to lead and staff the AIG businesses — "

Good , let's get some of those B+ students instead. I mean haven't these been the same people who made those stupid mistakes ?

Let the "Best and the Brightest " get themselves a job some place else.

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/03/washingtons-next-showdown-the.html#comment-210414

Sheesh! Retain? What baloney. It's not as if half of Wall Street wasn't walking the street looking for a job. If you ran a department store and appliances made a profit, but tools and household did not so that you ended up losing money, you don't hand money you don't have to the guys in appliances just because they might quit if you don't.

http://www.salon.com/opinion/walsh/politics/2009/03/14/obama_economy/index.html

"Can Obama take credit for market's good week?"

"As someone who has repeatedly defended Obama from GOP efforts to blame him for the current crisis and to deride the "Obama economy" only 55 days into his presidency, I think the administration could be playing a dangerous game. Live by the week's economic news, die by it as well. If the Dow dives next week, or retail spending dips again, does that mean the stimulus failed?"

My friends here and I have been kicking around the concept of a "General Store for the 21st Century". We saw another fellow launch one south of us last year, met him on Picken's site.

Now, that same concept more or less has appeared in Time this week, as part of their 10 Ideas issue :

What we need is a bigger fix. It's not about just dropping prices to match consumers' diminished buying power. Shoppers aren't going to buy the same things they used to, and they're not going to buy them in the same way they used to either. What we need is a whole new kind of store.
http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1884779_1884782_1884768,00.html

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/03/washingtons-next-showdown-the.html#comment-210416

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/03/washingtons-next-showdown-the.html#comment-210417

C-Bob,Jamie
Agreed,pisses me off.....

Tony

Virtually all of the economists are saying that the stimulus is probably too small, but that we need to wait until the fall to see if it is starting to have an effect.

Up, down or sideways, the best thing the WH can do is keep telling the American public the truth. We have had it up to our ears with "talking points" and spin. Just lay it out and every time the Pugs do one of their "renaming" stunts, call them on it.

Dark Stores Photo Essay from the same issue -

http://www.time.com/time/photogallery/0,29307,1884100_1854617,00.html

If any of you are following the American version of "Life on Mars", the original British series was great and their is a follow up series just starting on BBC American "Ashes to Ashes" only this time the police person lost in time is a woman.

I caught a clip today of Obama saying we need to lengthen the school day and the school year.

----------------
" Toto we're not in Kansas anymore."

Maybe that big giant that Yamamoto spoke of is wakening up.

In a weird way, this probably happened at a decent time. The Boomers aren't dead yet and they had GI parents who had lived through the depression. We might have been spoiled rotten, but we also saw how things were done in our youth and can probably dredge up some of those early lessons to pass along. AFter the rat race, it might almost be restful every now and then.

Hood not so good? Ancient Brits questioned outlaw

By DAVID STRINGER
ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER

LONDON -- An academic says he's found evidence that Britain's legendary outlaw Robin Hood wasn't as popular as folklore suggests.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/1103ap_eu_britain_robin_hood.html

My friend Barefoot Bob Hardison , of Idaho, passed away on January 31. He was a character to say the least. Once he took a canoe down the Missouri River, dressed in leather clothing, using powder-ball long rifles, flintlocks, to shoot food for his son and him. He was a student of Indian culture and was an expert in native plants used for medicine.
Anyway, here's a link to another story about him.
He visited me in 2003 as he was on his way to Montreal to launch the Trimaran on a journey that took him down the Intracoastal Waterway to Florida, then to The Azores, Ireland, and Gibraltar, where he was wrecked by a huge wake, picked up by an Egyptian freighter, and flown from Egypt to the USA.

http://tinyurl.com/b8xwf8

I have pondered all day about why it took a comedian, and anchor of the fake news, to call out a representative of the financial industry on the shit that has been done to create this financial nightmare.

Can anyone cite any other examples where any media person has done a similar act to the extent that Stewart did?. Shouldn't we all be outraged or are we all just monkeys? But if we are going to be monkeys we should be more like Travis, a kick ass monkey. (with a more appropriate target) No disrespect to his victim.

Why doesn't someone write a book detailing all the connections between the individuals in the media, pundits, and government officials and their families' connections to these financial institutions. I would love the read that book. Maybe Gordo can take on that project. I am sure it would be a best seller. Of course by the time someone could get all the details, the economy will either be dead or better.

I do believe it is all these connections that has allowed the financial crisis to get where it is today and I don't see it ever being fixed until we can eliminate many of the conflicts of interest.

I received The West Wing Complete Series (7 Seasons) as a gift. It was my favorite TV series during its time. I have been watching the DVDs during the last 2 weeks.

So many events from that TV series mirrors what happened, is happening and will probably happen during the Obama administration:
1st Minority president, Choosing oponent as the Secretary of State (Clinton), Choosing a Supreme Court nominee....

I guess if you want to know what Obama will do in the near future, just watch the West Wing Series :)

Maybe that's what Obama did or is doing right now.

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/03/washingtons-next-showdown-the.html#comment-210425

HS kids in class from 8:30 to 4:00 five days a week ... They will protest cruel and unusual punishment

Kids in Zeeland go to school almost 8 hours a day now.

And Chloe, I haven't had my thyroid blasted yet. I have to wait three more weeks without my antithyroid meds before they can do it. With my thyroid/metabolism surging I have to be careful not to destroy anything/anyone nearby. I have tried to avoid stressors. It ain't easy working in a jail. So far I haven't taken down any inmates. Good thing I don't have Bernie in my jail. Whew.

With SPRING nigh, it's time to visit
CRAIG'S GARDEN

http://tinyurl.com/brnlj5

CBob

The Hood article is fascinating. Of course the saddest paragraph is:

The forest once spanned 100,000 acres (40,500 hectares) across Nottinghamshire, but has shrunk in modern time to about 450 acres (180 hectares).

WHOA! Of course Robin Hood was from Sherwood Forest!
Who darest challenge me to this claim?
John Little! Cut me a staff. And from now forevermore you shall be known as Littlejohn!
And tell Maid Marian to meet me at Lickbarrow Lodge An Arts and Crafts House in Windermere.

Dexter -
Looks like Barefoot Bob was "The Best and the Brightest "
Thanks for that link there Amigo.

CBob...Barefoot designed systems for McConnell Douglas in LA, I think it was, for a while. In 2007 he crisscrossed the USA in a 1914 Ford Model T baggage hauling vehicle...clear to Florida and back closer to home,over the Snoqualmie in the snow.

and...

i get # 200 too!

Georgia on my Mind- Ray Charles

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Thls_tMuFkc

CT -

Part of Mr. Stewart’s frustration may stem from the fact that while he clearly won the debate, Mr. Cramer and CNBC stood to profit from the encounter. In today’s television news market, that cable network and its stars are like the financiers they cover: media short-sellers trading shamelessly on publicity, good or bad, so long as it drives up ratings. There isn’t enough regulation on Wall Street, and there’s hardly any accountability on cable news: it’s a 24-hour star system in which opinions — and showmanship — matter more than facts.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/14/arts/television/14watc.html?_r=2&ref=media

Jimmie Rodgers - Blue Yodel No 1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qEIBmGZxAhg

The Carter Family - Wildwood Flower

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ewnfWoSQz3o

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/03/washingtons-next-showdown-the.html#comment-210435

Always wondered what became of Craig's plumbago...that specimen did have a bit of a bug problem... ;)

Interesting and sad article C-bob. After what I have learned I will never trust any market related investments again, at least not for a long, long time.

It is a gambling addiction for some but I predict it will be a saw tooth market, run it up, suck it out repeat. Many of us who needed it to grow out money will be very afraid.

Johnny & Rosanne Cash - September When It Comes

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ORA4w0ZGKeI

Texas Tornados - Hey Baby Que Paso

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yrs_MIPYXlk

Texas Tornado's - She Never Spoke Spanish To Me

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aw6UczWqh44

"Up on Cripple Creek" by The Band

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a4LD-7enIMs

Good Night All. East Coasters: The Ides of March in 15 Minutes ... stay away from the Senate.

AIG woulda been $100 B!LL!ON ahead if the hadn't hired the best and brightest.

For less than $1 MM they could've gotten Winona Ryder, and there'd still lots of money in the pot. Zsa Zsa Gabor wouldn't have run the company into the ditch. OJ could have taken a stab at it, or shoot, even Robert Blake.

If they'd hired almost anyone else on this 6.7 B!LL!ON body planet, they'd be better off, but nooooo, they had to hire the best and brightest retarded droolers since the hunchback of Notre Dame.

Biz Guru Jim Collins' study showed, companies that hire the hot-shot kleptos they call "The Best," significantly UNDER-perform the average. We don't need the best, we need a combination of the honest and the pretty darn good. AIG stockholders ought to be marching on the CEO's castle with torches and wooden stakes.

Big bonus plans put execs in the position of maximizing their bonuse, not maximizing the company. It is insane and dangerous to put executives into competition with the stockholders, and it ought to be illegal for Boards of Directors to approve such tcompensation. Give bonuses to the sales and production people only.

Goodnight.

Xrep -
Ralph Cramden who have gotten better returns.

You all are just nibbling around the edges of the hiring of the people that ran these companies. Just think for a minute, where did they learn this stuff. What universities and business schools were teaching these techniqes for manipulating markets? Were they teaching ethics? Probably not. I haven't looked up the educational backgrounds of all these folks, but I'll wager that the "top" business schools would start popping up with alarming frequency. Lesson, perhaps not everything you learn benefits the greater society.

Also, I do not recall much complaining from anybody when the value of their 401K's and houses were going up. It was just go, go, go. When I scanned the local newspaper listings of property sales, I would just shake my head at the prices that these houses were selling for. It always baffeled me how somebody was going to pay a mortgage on a $500,000 loan. That would have to be a pretty good size check every month.

As for John Stewart, he is just to smug for me, where the hell was he before the crash warning people? If he is so smart he should have warned people in advance.

Ralph Cramden getting better returns? Only if Ed Norton was helping.

Muchof the losses these companies incurred were a result of the herd mentality when everybody panicked and rushed to sell off. Of couse, policy of the Fed with its mark to market rules, and increasing interest rates were big contributors to the banks losses that cause the panic in the first place.

Stewart doesn't advertise himself as a stock expert or advertise his show as "In Stewart We Trust".

As all comedy, he's reflecting the pain of people in his material. I often wonder if we could have comedy without pain.

As the tech bubble burst I was asked to videotape a seminar about online stock trading. The lecturer talked about the games traders played, like the market maker manipulating the market to catch limit orders and get cheap stock. He also showed us how brokerages played games to shave profit off of every trade. I'm sure insiders knew of a lot more. It was a shell game, trying to make as much money for yourself off of innocent trader's money.

And boomers facing retirement with no savings have been flooding markets with money and bidding up prices in hopes of making big profits before they pull everything out and crash the markets. No doubt why Republicans want to privatize Social Security and put all of that money into commercial markets.

Like all gold rushes, it's usually only the merchants that make a profit.

BowmanC, you've missed the point, methinks. CNBC's Rick Santelli had a moment on the floor of the Chicago Merchantile in which he blasted Obama for wanting a small percentage of bailout money (small percentage as compared to the TWO TRILLION DOLLARS going to bail out the banks) to go to homeowners. Seeing as how we the taxpayers (you and me) are footing the bill to bail out the banks because of mistakes THEY made through their own greed, seeing Santelli's little bitchfit about a few people who can't pay their mortgage really made me wanna punch him in the nuts, too.

Santelli was supposed to appear on the Daily Show, but he cancelled. Basically, he chickened out. Why? Because he knew that what he said was going to be called out to his face, and instead of showing up like a man and at least trying to defend his own words, he ran away like a little bitch. This was Thing One that pissed Jon Stewart off.

Enter the hapless Jim Cramer, who advised not selling any Bear-Stearns stock one might happen to have lying around the house, six days before BS went belly-up. Unfortunately for Mr. Cramer, he has a tee vee show and all the bad predictions he makes are on tape. This wouldn't be such an unfortunate thing if CNBC didn't tout itself as some kind of all-knowing finance oracle, but it does, and this is Thing Two that pissed Jon off.

Now I think you and I and any other rational person, including Jon Stewart, knows full well that the stock market is basically a form of legalized gambling, and while you might make a buck with it, there certainly is a chance that you could lose your shirt with it as well. Let the buyer beware, as it were.

The problem lies with the selling of false confidence, and the blaming of the low men on the totem pole for the failures we're seeing today. THIS is what made Jon Stewart so angry.

I know, if you only get your news from the Daily Show, you're an idiot, and Jon Stewart will tell you this himself. And if you only listen to what people on CNBC (or any other channel) tell you, you're an idiot. But even as I type this, AIG (you know, one of those companies that you and I are bailing out with OUR hard-earned money) is scheduled to give out a hundred million dollars in bonuses to its executives. A HUNDRED MILLION DOLLARS. So please tell me, bb, who is being smug here again, and who are the idiots???

Point taken, don1, but that show was not funny at all...it HURT to sit and watch it, whether you are a Cramer lover or not, and Stewart was just mean as hell, repeating nothing new, trying to take his place as a Will Rogers or Studs Terkel champion of the people, and for me it didn't work.
Don1? How do Boomers with no money flood the market with money?

and while I enjoy watching Cramer playing with his toys and screaming and going all-crazy, I never bought one share of stock based on what he tells the young kid day-traders to do, it's justa fun show to watch.
Santelli is just an asshole---I watched that, too, and I thought he had lost his mind and should have been fired on the spot.

Yes, and Stewart repeatedly said that Cramer was not the point. If it weren't for the videotape of Cramer passing on secrets to scamming people he could have appeared the victim.

I think in this case, the pain overwhelmed the comedy. But that is the currency Stewart deals in. Stewart was trying to voice outrage without targeting Cramer, but it didn't turn out well. Cramer also kept turning the topic back on himself and deflecting it from CNBC. I certainly put Fox in their as well. They have seriously dumbed down their financial shows over the years.

I said they had no savings. Having worked up into better paying jobs and finding themselves empty nesters, they have a lot of payroll to put in.

It's still an irony to me that hedge fund managers would have paid no income taxes if Republicans had had their way and eliminated capital gains. I know now some farmers and ranchers would have been helped, but still.

BTW Dexter, did you read my answer about drivers for webcams and Vista?

OK don1, but while many still have high paying jobs, and are two-income empty nesters, many also have both lost their jobs or been forced into low-compensation early retirements, and the payroll-into-markets game is not there for millions anymore. Not to diss your point, for many millions of boomers indeed do have their jobs, still.

OK, Elvis will now enter the building:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HeLdF7ONGts

I just meant it had (past tense caused a bubble, and the stock market should have been down around 8k.

Price/earning ratios on popular stocks had been staying awfully high.

So when reality struck it dropped back down, as everyone went to cash.

The fact that the market held on 4 up days is good, most of the sellers may have been shaken out of the market. But usually that takes capitulation to get rid of the last sellers so the market can actually start rising again.

And feel free to diss my ideas any time. I like a good debate to arrive at solid thought.

don1--I saw some things about Windows removal data on Vista that you posed for Jamie...I can't find the drivers for webcams and Vista post...
a friend told me that if I hook up my old webcam-eyeball, Vista may recognize I am trying to install it and then Vista will find the drivers and install them---I shouldn't have to use a disk.
But...I can't find the eyeball anyway...maybe one of the kids just took it since we never used it.

Yeah, I almost never use a disk any more. Only in cases where the driver has to be loaded before the thing is plugged in.

I'm hoping to get something along these lines for my backyard. Doubt I'll appear on it though. http://tinyurl.com/ajdpu9

Well, I'm up in smoke. Have fun.

When exactly will this whole Cramer/Stewart story have run its course? Because I am going to build a time machine, and go directly to that day.

If you built a time machine, couldn't you go ahead to find out and come back to tell yourself?

I didn't build it yet. Duh.

Say hello to that cute Eloi chick, the blondie! (I think they ALL may have been blond!)

http://tinyurl.com/beaedc

A while back, when "Mad Money" first came on the air, a friend of mine told me he was going to make a stock purchase based on Cramer's recommendation. I told him it wasn't a good idea to invest in a company he hadn't researched first, and told him he was an idiot if he bought stock just because Cramer told him to.

A week or so later, we're sitting at the bar and he tells me he made $3000 on that same trade, and asked, "who's the idiot, now?"

To which I replied, "You, because now you're paying for the drinks."

Why would AIG even think of giving their company officials raises/additional compensation at this time? What happened to ethics in this country?

In the Spotlight
from N.S. Gill
For most of the year, there is a Roman History Book Chat on 1st and 3rd Wednesday evenings starting at 9 p.m. eastern time (UTC/GMT - 4 Hours). Please join us!

In the Spotlight
This Week's Book
This Wednesday, March 18, 2009, we will be discussing the first half of The Battle That Stopped Rome: Emperor Augustus, Arminius, and the Slaughter of the Legions in the Teutoburg Forest, by Peter S. Wells.

Optional Reading: Rome's Greatest Defeat: Massacre in the Teutoburg Forest, by Adrian Murdoch.

Unusually, the next book chat (on the second half of the book) will be held at a special date and time to accommodate a special guest.

More Topics

* Varus and the Battle in the Teutoberg Forest
Background
* The Quest for the Lost Roman Legions, by Tony Clunn
Review
* The Last Pagan, by Adrian Murdoch
Review
* Top Roman Defeats
Forum Members Weigh In
* Where Did the Goths Come From?
* Fall of the Roman Empire, by Peter Heather
* Solving the Murder of Attila the Hun, by Michael Babcock
Review

Chat Details
Information about how to access the book chat is posted on the forum. Please try it out in advance. You may post questions about access in this forum thread.

http://ancienthistory.about.com

Good morning Sturge,

Are you retired, except for playing your music of course? If so, what kind of work did you do before you retired?

"retired" from playing music except for weekends, now I build cabinets............

Sammy Davis widow Altovise died. Age 65

Oops forgot celebrity story link
http://www.latimes.com/news/obituaries/la-me-altovise-davis15-2009mar15,0,2657231.story

I have a question for anyone with construction experience. I had a new roof, architectural, put on almost three years ago, after Rita. Yesterday we had a drizzling rain all day and my roof started leaking. Is the company who put the roof on responsible to fix that?

seems like they'd have to be responsible for a roof leak, unless there was some damage happened to the roof after installation......did you have a contract?

uninformed opinion, of course......

ct

It could be or it may be new damage. You should have had enough rain to test a roof well. But then a 3yr old roof shouldn't leak.
Can't hurt to give them a call and ask in a friendly manner. After 3 years it may be hard to force them to fix the roof. But a lot of local companies concerned about the reputation will go the extra mile rather than have some old woman bad mouthing them all over town.
Jack

I am sure I do have a contract but where?? The company is local but the work was done by about 10 illegals, as was a lot of hurricane work. I had scheduled a day off of work so I could get my dog out of the house while the work was done so the noise wouldn't scare her.

. I had this strong feeling the day before the scheduled work was to be done that just maybe they came a day earlier. I took off from work early and came home and I was right, the roof was covered by guys throwing loads of shingles. I went in the house and my little dog was shaking and wetting herself. She has never been the same since. She is terribly scared of loud noises.

I went outside and unloaded on those guys. I don't think they understood a nasty word I said but they got the drift. I never even saw the owner of the company until he came for the check. I am sure I unloaded on him also.

"old woman bad mouthing"

jack, how un-pc of you....could have at least said "old fart" .... gender neutral and all that.. now patsi will have to take you to the woodshed.

XR, I liked your comment about the "best and the brightest" being the ones who have placed AIG in their desperate position. Bet they were the ones who came up with the bonus scheme.

In any case this took me straight back to Buffet's shareholder letter, "Beware of geeks bearing formulas".

Buffett, of course was invited to join the AIG bailout. He smelled a geek and declined.

I will accept older woman. I am 58 and only define myself as old when it works for me.

Someone needs to tell David Gregory that questioning and nagging are two different things. It's only 12 min into the show and I've wanted to rap his knuckles at least three times. :-)

Gregory just let Eric Cantor get away with that Disneyland to Las Vegas crap. When are they going to start calling them on this stuff every time it happens. I get so damn sick of totally dishonest talking points no matter who is doing it. It's the medias job to slap them down every single time.

Carol, if he doesn't want to do anything (like installing a new roof and doing it properly) go to the local licensing board and get them involved.

A couple of obvious questions to them would be. is/was he a licensed roofer? Did he have a permit for his work? Did the local building inspector check the job? And, of course the kicker, 'why do you let contractors rip off little old ladies".

The next steps would be the newspapers and, also, the manufacturer of the roofing materials. And also getting your governor involved--since he has presidential aspirations, he is probably eager to get involved in situations such as yours.

"I am 58 and only define myself as old when it works for me."

It's early, and this already is my candidate for comment of the day! LMAO!

"I get so damn sick of totally dishonest talking points no matter who is doing it. It's the medias job to slap them down every single time."

I know, Jamie. That just drives me CRAZY! Truth matters for nothing now...it's just whatever is thrown out there to simmer. And that's thwe one thing that I dislike about C-Span...I know the hosts are not supposed to offer many comments....but they too often let a lie lay.

Carol -- threaten to report him to INS...

Leaning:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zre18NSzPvM

Tucker Carlson calling John Stewart "A Partisan Hack". Now that's funny. I would call Carlson a has been, but that would be too high an honor.

The snow is really coming down hard. We may go straight to Summer and forget about Spring

I know -- Carlson is such a twit....and I was surprised that he got a dressing down of sorts from Howard Kurtz.

"I know -- Carlson is such a twit."

Patsi, I can't help but picture him in knee pants, wearing his bow tie, and with his mom at his side whispering in his ear.

I picture Tucker Carlson wearing nothing but his bow tie, jerking off in his mother's closet.

Oops...can I say that?

You just have the feeling he was on the receiving end of more than one well deserved wedgie.

Snowing there Jamie? I told you my sister lives up your way and she called the other day and said she is coming down here, tired of the cold, in late April and wants it to be really hot. I told her it probably will be but I would prefer just a little warmer. She gets to leave when the heat gets old but I am stuck here.

My roof is leaking close to where the chimney comes thru the roof. It might be easy to fix. A few vertebral fractures ago I would be up there checking it out but not anymore.

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/03/washingtons-next-showdown-the.html#comment-210515

Oh Jamie
Snow..Yuck! Come to Florida its a balmy 80 sunny degree's and the pool is nice and inviting.....

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/03/washingtons-next-showdown-the.html#comment-210520

Patsi
Your so funny! I think your in the running for comment of the day! HA HA

I'm intrigued enough to want to read this new book, "Animal Spirits: How Human Psychology Drives The Economy, and Why It Matters For Global Capitalism," but still I have to wonder why it's a sudden revelation that, as social sciences go, economics is more "social" than "science." I've always operated on that principle...to my husband's great annoyance.

"White House Budget Director Peter Orszag is a numbers guy, a propeller head as President Obama would say. But as David Von Drehle and I write in this week's print version of TIME, Orszag has been spending his time recently reading not about spreadsheets, but about psychology. In particular, he has been reading a new book by the economists George Akerlof and Robert Shiller..."

http://swampland.blogs.time.com/2009/03/13/a-white-house-seized-by-the-animal-spirits/

http://www.rogerailes.blogspot.com/

not that Roger Ailes..the good one. Such a way with words.
He never fails to make me laugh.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/15/us/politics/15health.html?th&emc=th

"Administration Is Open to Taxing Health Benefits"

"The Obama administration is signaling to Congress that the president could support taxing some employee health benefits, as several influential lawmakers and many economists favor, to help pay for overhauling the health care system.

The proposal is politically problematic for President Obama, however, since it is similar to one he denounced in the presidential campaign as “the largest middle-class tax increase in history.” Most Americans with insurance get it from their employers, and taxing workers for the benefit is opposed by union leaders and some businesses."

Given the date, I put this on my blog, but you might enjoy Cowboy Shakespeare

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WMZFd1UoArc

tucker carlson gave the clue to what kind of a person he be when he told that story about the "gay guy" who "came on" to him in a public bathroom, and so Tucker went and got his big friend and went back and either hit the guy or beat him up.....cant remember which he did to him but carlson told that story himself on his own show.......

Carol and Tony

We were going to go swimming at the Y today, but don't want to drive anywhere unnecessary in this mess.

Birder alert: the Cedar Waxwings are here en masse..

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

http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2009-03-14/the-politics-of-size

"The Politics of Size"

"From Laura Ingraham to Cindy McCain and Hillary Clinton, how did a woman’s weight become the last frontier in socially accepted prejudice? And why is the media fueling it?"

Afghanistan focus moving south

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/03/14/AR2009031402178.html?hpid%3Dtopnews&sub=AR

End of the Culture Wars? Frank Rich

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/15/opinion/15rich.html?_r=1

"Give me back My Legions ! "

There are approx. 4.500 peppers seeds to the oz.

"Driver , follow those cedar wax wings ! "

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/03/washingtons-next-showdown-the.html#comment-210529

sturg
I remember that,i think is was around the Larry Craig time.I thought at the time what a punk.I think his message was be very afraid of gay people and defend yourself from there perversion.....Toad....

Carol

There are several issues involving your roof,,First,,,,was there any damage to the plywood that covers the house,,that the shingle go on?
2nd,,the was the damaged plywood part of the contract,,and to be replaced?,,,this should be in writing,,,and third,,,did they put the new shingles over old ones?,,,,and how many , layers were there in the first place?,,,,if they went over more than one layer,,,the nails could have come loose after 3 years,,,or it could be something as small a some caulking that needs to be replaced on exposed nails,,,

The contract is important cos,,it shows the intent of the work,,,if you discussed (an example) not repairing bad roof covering,,,rotten plywood,,etc,,,and chose not to replace them,,,than this would not be covered in your warranty,,,,the same thing goes ,,if a tear off was discussed and you chose not to do it,,,a tear off is,,,striping the shingles (layers) down to the plywood,,,and then to applying the new one,,,,once that you know which of the mentioned things apply to the work done,,then you can proceed to talk to him,,and ask him for an opinion, and to see what the problem is, and why it is leaking.

Your roof probably has a one year warranty,,on the workmanship,,,,they don't make the shingles so they are not responsible for the quality of them,,,and the shingle co,,,is not responsible for the workmanship,,so the best way to go is find you contract,,,and see what was covered in it,,,and to call the roofer,,,and discuss it with him,,this will give an idea of how he is going to cooperate ,or not,,,,the better business b euro ,,,than the States Atty Office...and than,,your local politician,,, is the chain of command that I found out that works here,,,and sometime just a call, or note from an atty will do the trick,,,,but after 3 years,,,it will be hard to get him to do work that he will feel that he is not responsible for,,,so start off as non threatening ,,and then go with any or all of the suggestions that you want.

if someone called me and had this problem,,,and was nice about it,,(,if he is a reputable contractor ),,I would go and take a look at the roof,,imo,,,if he does not,,you are not the only one having this problem,,,,find more home owners having this problem,,,this will give you the ammo that you will need later on ,,,meanwhile have someone look and repair your roof,,,,you have to do this anyway,,,save the bill,,and this $ is also collectible from the roofer

CBob

It went that a way

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/40/80996876_2d2f2e6249.jpg

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/03/washingtons-next-showdown-the.html#comment-210537

He'll have to step on the gas as they tend to fly-off in a cloud-like swarm...and one lone mockingbird can send them packing... lol

Carol,,,,,,,,just saw,,that you said that the leak is by the Chimney,,,I would call the same roofer,,,and let him look at it from the inside,,,to see water stains,,or what ever sign he can see,,,but don't tell him about the chimney,,,he will figure it out,,,,if he can't find anything ,,,tell him to check out the flashing,,and caulking around the chimney.

I'm not an expert on this sort of thing (Looks in Julia's direction), but I assume that any comments about Jon Stewart made by Tucker Carlson, are done out of love.

These pepper seeds I got from "Pepper Sauce Rod " are like handling plutonium, two molecules of these things stuck on your finger, and children and pets beware.

It's cured me from picking my nose for a few days.

"Oops...can I say that?"

Never stopped you before! :-))

ct: Re-roof:

If you only had a roof repair done, it usually only comes with a 3-month or 6-month warranty.

If you had the entire roof done, most new roofs come with a warranty of 10, 20 or 30 years. At the minimum, if you had the entire roof done, you would have had a 10 year warranty against leaks.

Call your contractor/roofer and let them know of the leak. They should fix this. After fixing, have them do a water test on the entire roof....wherein they hose down the entire roof to check for any more leaks. This way, they could fix any other leaks.

It doesn't matter if the workers are illegal, you did not hire them. The contractor/roofer is responsible for his workers. Most roof workers I have seen are illegal workers.

Solar, they replaced all the plywood that needed replacing and took off all the old shingles. Part of my house was built in 1928 and had cedar shakes under about 3 layers of shingles. That is not where it is leaking. Where it is leaking is downhill from the chimney. Thanks for the info.

There would be no roofers is this were the case.

"If you had the entire roof done, most new roofs come with a warranty of 10, 20 or 30 years. At the minimum, if you had the entire roof done, you would have had a 10 year warranty against leaks."

A warranty of one year or a little bit more,,,for an entirely built new house is the norm,,,a 10 warranty from any trade is not on workmanship,,it would be on Mtls...but sorry if I just added to your confusion,,,sometime too much advise is,,just that ,,too much advise.

P_nhut, I had the entire roof redone, replacing any plywood that needed replacing. It really didn't matter to me that he used illegals. It was the only way they could get all the work done after Rita. They are probably better roofers than some of the people from this area who opened a roofing business to make money after the hurricane and didn't know what they were doing. I had that experience when putting a metal roof on my camp. I used the son of a co-worker, big mistake.

Carol

Take a look at the shingles from the front of the house,and from the rear,and sides,,if they are all laying down,,and not pigtailed,,,,,curling up,,,is a sign of not enough nails used when doing the work,,,if they are all down,,,I would bet that it is not the shingles,,,it is the chimney.

Thought for the day :
" He walks as if balancing the family tree on his nose. "

Sturg it's Hadrian's birthday.

0076 Hadrian Roman Emperor (builder of Hadrian's Wall)
1905 Joe E Ross comedian (Gunther Toody-Car 54, Ritzik-Phil Silvers Show)
1947 Ry[land] Cooder Los Angeles CA, blues guitarist (Crossroads)

0044 -BC- Julius Cesar assassinated in Roman Senate in the Portico of the Theater of Pompey
1391 Jew hating Monk in Seville Spain stirs up people to attack Jews
1781 Battle of Guilford Court House, South Carolina (British suffer heavy losses)
1812 1st Russian settlement in California, Russian River
1855 Louisiana establishes 1st health board to regulate quarantine
1862 General John Hunt Morgan begins 4 days of raids near Gallatin TN
1864 Red River Campaign-Union forces reach Alexandria LA
1867 Michigan becomes 1st state to tax property to support a university
1892 New York State unveils automatic ballot booth (voting machine)
1897 1st indoor fly casting tournament opens, at Madison Square Garden
1916 General Pershing, 15,000 troops chasing Villa into Mexico, stays 10-months
1923 Lenin is hit with his 3rd stroke
1926 Belgium's "black monday", franc falls
1928 Mussolini modifies Italy electoral system (abolishes right to choose)
1940 Goering says 100-200 church bells enough for Germany, smelt the rest
1964 LBJ asks for a War on Poverty
1964 Liz Taylor's 5th marriage (Richard Burton)
1966 8th Grammy Awards: Taste of Honey, Tom Jones, Sintra & Streisand
1966 Racial riots erupt in the Watts section of Los Angeles
1968 LIFE magazine calls Jimi Hendrix "most spectacular guitarist in the world"

Solar....what I wrote is based on my experience in contracting for roof replacement....which I have done several times. I am a property manager and manage over 24 properties in CA.

Nothing quite like procrastination

http://www.comcast.net/articles/news-world-europe/20090314/EU.Britain.Medieval.Remains/

P-Nhut

Thanks for that info,,,I did not know that roofers would guarantee roofs for 10-30 years,,,makes me kind of curios what is the price for those roofs?,,,and how the contract is written,,,,like I said ,,,here ,,the basic work that Carol had done,,,it would be guaranteed for only one year,,,and basic shingle quality mtls,,,,,there must be diff codes also in CA,,than here I imagine,,,,

Joe E. Ross and Fred Gwynne

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_qFgmPelbHLU/R4W-u5JvGxI/AAAAAAAAAmU/fWetESk81U4/s400/Joe+e.+ross+and+fred+gwynne.jpg

The shingle by the chimney are not laying down flat. I told the guy at the time and he said when they heated up they would lay down. They never did. This is the first time that I had a leak.

California has stricter codes than just about any other state, I would imagine. That's one of the reasons, permits and just about anything else, are so much more expensive there.

But we had a roof put on last year, here in Texas, and it has a 30 year guarantee. I don't know if we can still find that same contractor for that long, but that was the guarantee he gave us.

Regardless, Carol, I'm sure the person who put on the roof would be glad to come out and take a look (free of charge). It's better to catch these problems early on.

I thought the shingles themselves came with 10, 20 and 30 year contract. That's the choices when you buy them from a supplier.

Darth is on CNN if anyone feels the need to vomit.

I remember that idiotic story of Tucker's sturge...ig'nert!

Cheney... damn... reminds me of that old country song.. "how can I miss you when you won't go away."

Error in that time line. The Watts riots were in August of 1965. March of 1966 was the follow up mayor's conference

I bet you're right on that Don.

Carol

Have them come out and take a look at it,,,what is wrong,,,is the flashing,,and caulking around the chimney,,,IMO

By the way, Carol, when you asked if sturge was retired, were you asking if the sturge worked?

:)

thanks eveyone for your advice. Lately I have been living that old saying, when it rains it pours.

Looks like John King took some lessons from Stewart this week ie stuffing Cheney's own words in his mouth to choke him on.

State Farm bought us a new roof after a major hail storm, We added a couple of thousand bucks and got a GAF architectural shingle from one of their certified contractors.

The entire installation is warranted for 50-years non-prorated including labor. It is transferable one time. The usual exclusions apply (but those would be covered by our hazard insurance).

At the time, it was the best-rated deal in Consumer Reports.

We don't have a large house, like 2300 sq ft. The total cost was something like $7k five years ago.

No Patsi, usually when people retire, they work harder than they did when they had an official job. Having an official job is just a good excuse to not work as hard.

That snow roof they have at Home Depot is pretty good for patching. It's a polymer, so it stretches instead of cracks. Comes in 5 gallon buckets.

Chloe,,,A Sunday morning hug for Emma,,,and as long as Im at it ,,,one for you too

It would be impossible for me to warranty a product that is made by someone else,,,and the company that made the Mtl for my workmanship,,,I can't imagine , going back after a 10 year period ,,to repair and replace,,,electrical work done,,or plumbing,,,the home owner had just too much time to do major damage to it,,,,there would be no need for small contractors to do these types of repairs,,,and there are how many company' would you have to drag into court,,,to make them responsible after even 3 years,,,I too many vairaibles come into play,,,weather,,etc,

good afternoon gang....

Carol.... we had leaking around our chimney last summer..... our neighbor, the mason who originally built it... put new flashing and caulking around it.... hasn't leaked since....

saw Will Ferrell's special on HBO last night entitled "You're Welcome America - A Final Night with George W Bush..... OMG.... it was a hoot!.... I highly recommend finding it in rerun for those with HBO...

I thought about watching Darth on CNN this morning..... but seeing as I was full of eggs benedict.... I decided it would be a bad choice.....

I had the architectual shingles put on that are supposed to have a 30 year warranty. I paid 5K and I was suppose to pay extra for the plywood. After my trirade of their having come a day early and scaring my dog to death I think they forgot to charge me for the extra plywood. I didn't remind them. My house is only about 1500 sq ft.

Yup, Renee is right... I'm guessing you had a hot, sunny day or two recently, ct, probably soon after a cold day, and the seal around the flashing cracked. A tube of caulk would probably fix it. Give some kid $30 bucks to do it; tell him to be careful.

Just took cup cakes out of the oven--Toots is spending the night with us because she wants lots of peace and quiet, along with mom's home cooking, prior to a liver biopsy tomorrow.

She deserves all the pampering she can get. And, she'll get it.

Oh, back to my story. When I returned to the TV room there was a recital on Korean TV. A poet reading her work was supported by a baritone with a striking voice--something like Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau in his prime. An extraordinary experience.

And also, I'm sure the owner of the company or one of his crew leaders would do that repair for free if you asked politely.

With my luck lately no one is going on my roof unless they are licensed and bonded.

I think it is great the dems get to change the face of the supreme court...since we are putting our future generation in debt we can at least give them a better supreme court. Maybe worth the price.

On another note, my in-laws in Phoenix had a big scare. They were awakened at one in the morning to a huge fire next door at their neighbor's house. Turned into a homicide. My 84 yr. old F-I-L was on the local news. More -- http://www.azfamily.com/

Good morning Solar.
Emma and I both send a hug back to you.

I just asked my husband, and he said the roofing materials are 30 years (as Don said), but he thinks the labor is only about 1 year (as you said).

Carol

The reason that they did not charge you for the plywood,,,is that you paid that price,,,,the normal price for that should be around $1.200--to $1,500 plus labor and plywood,,,,they should have flashed around the chimney for that price, Now I would call the roofer out there ,,,have him flash,,and caulk around the chimney,,,let him show you the flashing,,,tell him that it looks old,,,you were over priced and not pay him,,,but that you were over charged is a given,,,,,,in your area,,it should not be so high,but I would have to go look in a book called Means ,,residential repair,,and remodeling to be sure,,,but,,,Im kinda sure now,,,,but he should be reported for that abuse anyway,,imo

Carol, sounds to me like you have every reason to expect satisfaction from the installer. You paid them a very fair price for their work. I wouldn't give them any slack--there's a time and place for empathy. I don't think this is it.

Carol

Sorry,,,forgot that you said Architectural,,,,the price should have been around $2,500

"when people retire, they work harder than they did when they had an official job. "

I know Carol, I was just making a lame wordplay joke...

Most roofers in my area give a 5 year warranty on a roof.

Carol, Have you called the roofer yet?

Chloe, she was on the verge of it a couple of times within the past hour--she was probably waiting for Patsi to give her the right words.

Try this: get water balloons, fill them with caulk, and invite the neighborhood kids to throw them up on your roof. Give any kid who hits the chimney $1.

The roofer may come out, take a look, and say not problem, I'll fix it.

Carol, All you have to do is call the roofer and say you've got a leak. Ask him if he'd mind taking a look.

Then everything will fall into place.

Just went back to the warranty page for my manufacturer. Lots of options.
http://www.gaf.com/Content/GAF/RES1/WARR/RS_Warranties.asp

Blonde,

I went to that link and didn't see you're father in law on the video (I don't think). Was he part of the story.

Chloe

Materials,,,are one thing,,,,labor is another matter,,that is why you husband is right,,,,most shingle company (regular shingles ) are for 15--years,,,than the most expensive ones for 25-30 years

When I do concrete projects,,,I can guarantee my work,,,,but I can't the actual product,,,I don't make it,,,I had a client that insisted that I give him one,,,I did,,,told him that after it was put in place,,,it was warrantied against fire and theft,,he loved it and said to go ahead and do the project,,,,Ha ,,that was a big surprise to me,,,,,,,and then I have had to call and pay for a quality control testing company to come out and take coring test to industrial strength( high early they call it) 15inch floors that cracked after only 6 months,,,,,,they found,out that in that section,,,it was normal concrete,,,and not the high strength concrete that was ordered..

Chloe...try this link...it happened on Thursday.

http://www.kpho.com:80/news/18916725/detail.html

What a nightmare, Blonde....were any other houses on the street damaged?

I think the one exception to labor is a polymer roof. But the contractor has to stay in business and honor the warranty. I've known some great contractors, I've known some that go bankrupt and pop back up somewhere else every couple of years their entire career. My brother's ex-father-in-law being one of the latter.

'Crete of course being one of the great ones.

You might enjoy this one Solar. My brother's brother-in-law invented a process for quickly making adobe brick with an adhesive. They got contracts all over Phoenix. Problem was they decided to skimp on the adhesive, and when monsoon season hit there were mud piles all over town.

Chloe...my in-laws were lucky as they suffered minor damage. They were awake all night and sent a parade of photos on Friday... the flames, the backyard pool filled with foam, the body being wheeled out and all the news vans. Quite chilling. One of the neighbor's dog's has been found, but the other is missing and diabetic. The wife was at work (the murderers knew this) and is devastated. Close enough to Friday the 13th!

For those of you in hurricane territory, has your homeowner's put a hurricane deductable that is now 10% of the worth of your home? They did that in Louisiana after Rita and Katrina.

Blonde and Solar, I'm going to read your posts when we get back. They're yelling at me about going to lunch. Back soon.

Patsi...damage to surrounding homes is minor -- trees, etc. The fire burned really hot and the flames were 40 -- 60 feet according to my FIL. It was a rude awakening for my in-laws as they are in their eighties and in declining health.

Tony...Chloe

How is it going,,,I see that you are throwing that 80 degree that you have out there in your area,,,as bait for me,,,well it worked again.

Great night for taping,,,the Science channel ,,,at 7,,,8,,a nd 9 pm tonight,,,,first at 7 ,,The complete Cosmos,,,,at 8 ,,Limits of perception,,the limits to Human perception,,, The ability to examine Atoms and Genotyypes to the study of Quasars light years away,,,at 9 Complete Cosmos beyond the Solar System ,,,

Don ....I think that you will like these also,,,,,I did watch that Moyers show on pbs,,,that you asked about,,,,I have seen that lady in several shows,,,she is very good,thanks

flames were 30 - 40 feet high...me bad.

Don

I have been around for 25 years under the same name,,,I have had some work that I have had to redo,,,and I have refused to do some over again,,,and went to court,,and proved my case,,,,,,I haven't done small work for a number of years now,,,but maybe forced to do so this year,,,,the great satisfaction to me, is when I get a call from some home owner,,that said to me,,,my name is ------can you give me a price for some work that I need to have done,,,,I ask for the address,,,and immediately remember the work that I did in the past,,,,,oh you are the person that ,,,had that huge tree in the way,,,and we had to do it a little diff cos of the roots,,Don I can't tell you the feeling that I get when someone from the long ago calls me up,,,some times I even get a call from some one just to bs a little,

Cheney what a shameless jerk.
If he were a real man and not the kept hubby of a soft core porn queen, he would take responsibility for the failure of the Shrubs.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2009/03/15/national/w061303D18.DTL&type=politics&tsp=1

Fischer-Dieskau: STANDCHEN
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XS-YDL5GeWA&feature=related

Blonde -- what a horrible time for your in-laws...this to happen next door on top of their worries about your husband!

Don

"You might enjoy this one Solar. My brother's brother-in-law invented a process for quickly making adobe brick with an adhesive. They got contracts all over Phoenix. Problem was they decided to skimp on the adhesive, and when monsoon season hit there were mud piles all over town."

I have taken short cuts,,,,and they almost always cost more in the long run,,,,,I used to listen to some Contractors talk,,and brag about not making mistakes,,,,,,,,in all of 25 years that I have been doing Construction,,,,I might have had just a few,( a hand full,,, ,,, projects that have turned out near perfect,,,,most people don't know the diff,,and are very pleased,,,but all contractors know,,,what is lacking.

If things go right this week,,,I will be working under a new name,,,and will get to be a developer as well as a GC,,,,on Wednesday,,,I am supposed to look at a lot of lots that we will start building on,,,,,we have a signed contract,,,to do the work now,,,,,but I still will wait to get the actual Quit Deeds in my hands,,,before we start the financing part,,,we have the home owners lined up...one step at a time,,,,I hope that there are no politics played before we start building,

Patsi,,,HI,,,,I should have put a smiley after that comment,,,,,,I hope that all is fine,,,and that your trip was a success.,,How is Maira,,,we just had a brand new baby girl,,,my favorite nephew Rick,,,just told us about 3 days ago,,,her name is Alicia,,,looks like him,,,a little skinny but healthy.

Drat! It appears I’ve already missed the boat on attending the 3rd Annual "Ides of March" Dagorhir's National Season-Opening Campout in Georgia.

http://sites.google.com/site/atlantadagorhir/Home/idesofmarch-2009

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

Honestly, I didn't know about these Tolkien "reenactment societies." What is the attraction? Seems like some kind of extended psychodrama role play event, or maybe an altered version of the traditional "Scottish Games."

ct

First, as it is leaking while it is drizzle type slow rain you have an obvious leak spot. I suspect the roofers may have not flashed around the chimney right and sealed it with that tar like roof cement. Three years is about right for it to dry out and pull away from the chimney. I would first look for the problem is in front of the chimney as that would be a good collection spot when you are having a light rain. It could be along the side. But where ever it is down at the level where the roof and the chimney meet.
I suspect it will take more than a tube of caulk. Most likely the roof needs to be reflashed around the chimney. IMO, You should have an experienced roofer to do this, not the local handyman/drunk.

One other thing, don't put this off too long as it will just get worse.
I would contact the contractor about the problem as this is most likely a problem caused by one of his crews not doing the job right. Where things go from there who knows and only a local lawyer can tell you your rights.

BTW $5000 dollars sounds about right for the job as everybody else was needing a roof so there was no shortage of work.
Jack

"...but I still will wait to get the actual Quit Deeds in my hands,..."

Quit Deed. Is that the same as a quit claim deed? If so, I was under the impression that they provide minimal assurance that you own something. An example of a quit claim: For good and valuable consideration, I herewith convey all my interest in the Brooklyn Bridge to Mr SolarCrete.

But, it's been a long time since I took business law so I may be all wet.

*fights urge to make extensive "caulk" jokes*

Good luck on that 'Crete. Sounds like you're not going to be getting a lot of sleep.

Yeah, went out with my dad for a day one time and he was pouring a HUD project. The GC had laid a 1/2" plywood floor to save money. Then they started wheeling concrete over it to fill the block. Went right through. He ended up putting two layers of 1/2" instead of one at 3/4".

When I was an electrician I used to enjoy driving by buildings I helped build. There's a real satisfaction. Now I work on sites like www.southlandloghomes.com, but it's not the same.

I wonder if you can hook up with them. They're mostly contractor assembled.

Off to work site. be off line a couple of hours.

Flatus

I have built a few houses with a contract for the property,,and a Quit Claim Deed,( it does mean something when coming from the owner)and no problems with getting a permit in my name,,,nor any problems came up at the time of closing,,,,however,,once that I start the permit process ,,my atty does take care of the paper work,,that is needed to get a closing at the time of transfer,,,but I will take you up on that Brooklyn Bridge,,,it is my favorite,,one,,thanks

Flatus

I forgot,,,thanks for you post,,,I will be careful,,,with the Quit Deeds,,since this will be my first co0-venture with new people,,,I will let my atty take a good look,,,

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/03/washingtons-next-showdown-the.html#comment-210613

lol
I'm thankful for your ability to resist temptation.

I think that may be why I didn't make it at youthbuild. A preacher was running the project and the young men and I were often exchanging construction humor.
One of the things they checked as unsatisfactory on my 3 month evaluation was morals.

Flatus & Solar,

I can't remember whether I read it in Genesis or Leviticus, but I'm pretty sure that Quit Claim Deeds are the reason God created Title Insurance.

ED

Thats why I said,,that,,,When we build a house,,,we do have title insurance, set up by our atty,,cos he gets to pick where he wants to close,,,,you have to have an atty to close on a new mortgage,,,but not on a re-fi,,,and my atty has been helping me out for about 10 years,,,,,Since this will be a new venture,,,,as developers,,,,I will for the first time have a partner,,,I have known him for 15-17 years,,,and have suggested that we sign non compete ,and contracts,,,just to have it all on paper,,,,and to protect our families if something should happen to one of us,,,,,he understood,,no problem,,,and my atty will also look at this,,,thanks

This is nothing short of sanity gone wrong, and it has nothing to do with politics.

http://tinyurl.com/running-in-high-heel-sneakers

Most roofers in my area give a 5 year warranty on a roof

This is true, but what most people don't know is the 15, 20, 25 30 year singles are pro rated by the manufactures, after the first 5 years. The biggest cost in repairing/replacing a roof is the labor. If you ask a reputable roofing company you can purchase an additional insurance policy that will cover the full replacement cost of a new roof, excluding labor, up until the last day of it's warranty. Cost of this policy is fairly inexpensive.

Here's a pretty good link if you just feel like having your funnybone tickled on a lazy Sunday afternoon. It's the "story-behind-the-story" of five of those too-amazing-to-be-true type photos that are constantly being circulated around the net. Really funny writing.

I personally wish we could get "Professor Badass" to join this blog as a commentor.

"The True Stories Behind Five Famous WTF Images"
http://www.cracked.com/blog/the-true-stories-behind-5-famous-wtf-images/

Opps!!! lol "singles" lol. I meant roofing-shingles.

Another interesting story. It is not politics either but somewhat of a subthread at Trailmix, cows.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29668322/

I have a second theory for what happened to the cow. Octomom needed a transplant.

Does this mean it's time for the cow abduction lamp again? :)))

http://www.ohgizmo.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/06/abductionlamp_cow_ill_500x500.jpg

SolarCrete,

You can't get roofing done for that price in the Twin Cities, even in this bushcheneyrepublican depression, and even with the industry taken over by foreign guys w/o greencards.

In the 2001 recession, we took 4 bids, and the lowest was $5 k for a 2 story plus attic, 4 gable 4 Square w/45 degree pitch and a 825 sq ft footprint, plus and 8'X18' roof over an upstairs 'sleeping porch,' plus an old single garage w/ 30 degree pitch hip roof. Included tear off and haul away, replace flashing on the house, and completely redecking the garage.

The high bid was $8,200 !

Btw, I played Casca in Wm Shaxpere's Julius Caesar during my sophomore year in high school. Mr. Chapman, our director said he'd type cast me. Wise ass, adult sob. Anywho, I fear, I haven't changed much over nearly 50 years. Anywhat, all through the bushcheney years I kept muttering, "Speak, Hands, for me!"

Well, our little social experiment here in "Sand Storm City " is starting to take off. We got some great press in the local press, and I mean great press in the local press . I'm at 87% our our min. with 7 seven days on this cycle.

"If you build it ..... they will come."

Kerns: Tornado Gallery plans to open Downtown Art Market in May
Lubbock Avalanche-Journal

Sunday, March 15, 2009
Story last updated at 3/15/2009 - 1:36 am

Larry Simmons laughed when discussing the support he receives on a regular basis from his partners, Jennifer and Tony Greer, at the Tornado Gallery, 1822 Buddy Holly Ave., in the Depot Entertainment District.

"More than once, I have come up with an idea and just plunged them head first into the icy waters of doom," said Simmons. "And they just keep agreeing to try what I come up with."

Sorry, missed the link to 5:53PM -

http://lubbockonline.com/stories/031509/fea_409774727.shtml

I never bought a quit claim property, but I've sold 'em. A quick trip to the courthouse (or a quick online search if the county provides info online) to check the title and liens is always worth the time and effort.

Nice write up CBob. You and the plants got a good mention.

The Japanes astronaut seems to have his own bat mascot for the flight. Hope it takes off before the shuttle does

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5h1W8dcUP9H70AmlSfDSenPteDT9gD96UNCS80

"Simmons pointed out that Robert Chapman, known to his friends as Colorado Bob, is the person who did the planting for the courtyard garden.

Chapman, said Simmons, is a huge supporter of renewable energy. "And he may want a space where he can just talk to people about that subject.""

Honorable mention! Nice write up CBob.

I notice you're still saying 'Sand Storm City". You did get some of the last few days of rain we've been having down south here, didn't you?

Jamie, Didn't mean to use your exact words. Got back from reading his story, and didn't see yours 'til I posted mine.
But it really was a 'nice write up. :)

Lard, That 'story behind the story' really was a fun read. I'm with you, I wish that Professor Bad Ass would visit us here too. Thanks.
..................
http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/03/washingtons-next-showdown-the.html#comment-210598

Blonde, Thanks for that link. I couldn't get the video to play, but got to see the picture of your father in law. He sure doesn't look 84.

Glad to hear your in laws weren't hurt, but it sounds like it sure left their yard and pool in a mess. Sorry to hear what happened to their neighbor.

Love the garden video, C-Bob....

Neat video at the bottom of the article C-bob. Looks like you got veggies coming out of the cement. I wish I had your green thumb.

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/03/washingtons-next-showdown-the.html#comment-210641

Chloe, Not a problem. There's a lot of that around here ... great minds and all that. :-)

XR

The reason ,,,that I was at that price for Carols house,,,is that she is probably not 2 story's high,,,and would require a diff price,,,,,also I don't think that she has,,all of the things you mentioned,,,4 gables and more,the time cutting yours alone,,and all of the channel flashing .hers ,sounded like,,just a walk on roof that you can put on in one day,,,I might be wrong,,,but that is what I went by,,,if she has a two story,,and with an attic,,,and what they call a stick job,,,45 degree pitch,,,than it was a fair price,,,if it was not,,,it was an exaggerated price,,,no matter the circumstances,,,but I will say this,,,it has been many years that I have done more than one or two squares of shingles ,even on my best day,,,I did not like to do them

Had a combination job ,,of shingles ,,siding ,,and gutters with a guy named Mike,,,he was a nice guy,,,but when it came to working with him( it was his job,) he was a major pain in the ass,,,well after two day's of his bs....we (3 others) could not take anymore of him,,,,so when we climbed back down for the last time to go home that evening,,,,we took down the ladder and left him up on the roof,,,he tied him self down and slept up there,,,,his wife was pissed at first,,,and then started laughing her ass off,,,said why didn't she think of that,,,the next morning she went took him breakfast,,he climb down,,,he was not in a very good mood ,but by the middle of the day,,he was laughing along with us,,,but he behaved himself,,and we got the job done, lots of laughs at the tavern,,,with that one.

Solar I just found my bid proposal for the roof. It said it called for 27 squares of shingles. The shingles have a 30year warranty but the labor is only 2 years. Doesn't 27 squares sound like a lot for my small house? I am still going to try to get them to fix it.

For you Carolina folks (and other string band lovers)...this group played the Opry last night and kicked butt:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KdLRCSOZ7wo&feature=related

Carol,,,,you said that you have a 1,500 sq ft house,,,divide 100 into this and it is only 15 sqs,,,there are 3 bundles on one sq, of shingles,,,they are on the average about ( been a while that I bought some,,,but) make it about 7-9 dollars per bndls,,,have someone measure your roof,,if it is only 1,500 sq ft,,,and charged you for 27 squars,,,see and atty,,,he will guide you,,,there will be more suggestions,,,but the main thing, is to get someone that knows,,,,,,do you have a one story house,,,is it real easy to walk on???

Watching,,on the science channel ,,,killer Asteroid,,,,the true race of Humans,,,is by the scientific community,,,and one of these asteroid breaking the earths atmosphere and hitting us,,the chances of it hitting us is 100%,,,when?? but that is one of the reasons that we have to find the next earth,,,,for proof,,,all you have to do is look at the moon,,,all of those craters were made by asteroids,,the moon is a record of asteroids hitting it.,,,there has been some that have hit us already

Carol

Add a pitch for your roof,,,if it is 1500 sq ft,,,,i still think that you only needed around 20 sqs at the most,,,,but not being there,,is hard to tell

Damn Solar I don't think I can add dodging asteroids to my current collections of worries right now but if one hits me I guess my insurance will then cover my leaky roof. That's the silver lining.

... it's a 'good' thing.

Obama plans to boost small biz
'President Barack Obama is looking for some sector of the economy to lead the nation out of recession, and he's putting down a $730 million dollar bet Monday on small businesses.

Obama and Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner will announce a plan Monday to make it easier for these entrepreneurs to tap into billions of dollars in federal lending aid to fight a credit crunch that has brought business borrowing to a standstill."
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0309/20022.html

LOL

Thats why I posted that,,,,lot of things that are not going to be under our control,,,I have seen this episode before,,,,we thought about blasting it , out of our way,,,,but what we will end up doing is creating some kind of robot to drill into it,,,and veer it off course,,,in this way we will not be getting bomb by the smaller asteroid that we create,,,,but it is only about 900 years away yet, and you and I will be on Mars putting a new roof over our kablinkeu,,,that Martian,,for house,,, :-j

Chloe

That is a good thing,,,but not nearly enough,,for small biz,,,,it doesn't even reach one bil,,,I don't know how many small corps will be left out,,,but this $ won't last long at all??

Did you miss the night launch Solar? Beauty. Got to see one out of Vandenburg one time. http://tinyurl.com/dklofd

Yes, it really did look like that. i didn't blur it much on handheld.

www.spaceweather.com/ keeps a list of asteroids and how close their approach will be.

But it will help. $730 million is a good start. And don't forget this part: "They'll also raise the government guarantee on some Small Business Administration loans to 90 percent, which they hope is enough to get reluctant banks back in the lending business."

It's all about getting them to start lending money again. And I think they're putting a good message out there too, by betting on small businesses..

Carol

Sorry if I confused you ,,,,here is what I think that you should do,if you took out a permit ,,or the roofing contractor took out a permit,,,go to that office,,,,and show them your bid/contract,,,tell them about your concerns,,,if no permit,,,go to where they issue permit for construction corps,,,and then ask for their advise. They will check if your contractor is still registered,,,and can also recommend another one that is,,,if need be

Ha! We're screwed.

Old age begins at 27: Scientists reveal new research into ageing
"According to scientists, our mental abilities begin to decline from the age of 27 after reaching a peak at 22.

There is some good news, though. The report states that abilities based on accumulated knowledge, such as performance on tests of vocabulary or genera linformation, increase until at least the age of 60."
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1162052/Old-age-begins-27--scientists-claim-new-research.html

Solar, Wouldn't it be better to just call the contractor first. She doesn't know yet what he'll say. He may take a few hours, fix it, and go on his way.

Don

Thanks,,,,cool pic,,,,every thing past that beutiful sky of our,,,is so cool looking,,,but so deadly,,,,,,what is going to push the asteroid of course eventually ,,is a Solar collector,,,we are already have them,,,,radio waves that we use for intelligence gathering is a small one (type) that we will use to save our ass HA,,,a Solar collector,,,that we already have,,,no need to blow our selves up,,,,,,but wait,,what about comets,,,,Hail Bob,,,O --O,

It's great to be able to walk out onto my driveway with one dog under each arm, look to the east and watch a spaceshuttle launch at dusk. The sun that still hangs high over California (but is long gone from Florida) lights up the smoke trail in a beautiful way.

Only a few more of these left, folks. So smoke 'em while you got 'em.

Plus...
Bernanke kicked ass on 60 Minutes
Selection Sunday went okay
The Magic are totally owning Utah, leading by 20 points in the 4th quarter.

My day is complete.

I've got to try this.

Need to stretch your budget? How about 100lbs of potatoes in 4 square feet?

http://bit.ly/1l7mx

LMFAO, Chloe! Obviously those scientists didn't know me at age 22!!! I sure as hell don't know when or if I've "peaked" mentally, but I CAN tell you that there ain't NO WAY it happened at 22!

Chloe

Yes ,but it depends on what Carol wants,,,,if it was me,,,and he was still in business,,,I would have a dept,,and name of the person that I talked to in town,,,this will be show that she means business,,,so that he doesn't even of charging her for new work,,,and honor the old,,,IMO

Don

The next 3 hours of Science channel are worth taping (tvo)

thanks Solar, but I'm in a hotel room weekdays.
No Science channel and no dvr

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/03/washingtons-next-showdown-the.html#comment-210665

Now you've got me laughing Julia. I was dumb as a rock at that age. (no smart remarks anyone) :)

Chloe

What as a rock,,I didn' hear you

I peaked a lot later than 22,,,and we will all be living until we are about 2,000 years old,,well at least Emma's grand kids will?? she will a lot,,lot longer than us,,,believe me,,,she will have all the benefits of new replaceable moving part,HA,,,,I keep telling you that my head will be frozen,,and put on a Martian when we get there,,,he I better get that all on paper,,,what if it gets put on some martian dog or somtin?,,damn,,,who cares,,,just as long as I get to go,,,so Fetch Solar,haha

Life as a dog? Maybe it wouldn't be that bad.
What a smart, hard working dog he'd be Solar. :)

An attorney for the roof, Solar? They did the job, at a reasonable rate, and now a problem pops up... no need to get the law involved, unless the company is uncooperative. If the company in question is reputable and has been in operation for a number of years, they should fix it for free or for a nominal fee if asked politely. If they did do it for free, I'd still tip the guy doing it $20. Mother Nature is a bitch; she destroys everything- that's not the roofer's fault.

TiR!!! ROFL! Money quote: "I had to pee in a cup and change my clothes in the street," said Mona Knight, 18, of the Bronx, who arrived at 11:30 p.m. Friday night. "There was no organization whatsoever."

"Bernanke kicked ass on 60 Minutes"

Lard,

He sure did...we thought so too!

Congressman Ron Paul Schools Bernanke on the Bailout Plan

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dv6rQ0U01Yc

-Morley Safer ain't no Ron Paul.

short story in plain "d"..........

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGG9gFRhryg&feature=PlayList&p=BFBD85130AC690A7&index=3

i'm flipping thru tv channels and i see tom cruise in a big gun battle on top of the old cooper river bridges........vuja day.........
turns out mission impossible was partly filmed in charleston.......

http://www.thesatya.com/albums/chs/cpbridge/coop02.html

Just about every time you see a story about professional wrestlers, it is usually a story about their deaths. This one is no different.

http://tinyurl.com/Tampa-piledriver

"There is some good news, though. The report states that abilities based on accumulated knowledge, such as performance on tests of vocabulary or genera linformation, increase until at least the age of 60."

Oh, ya? Where's the good news in that , Chloe ?

Grumble, grumble...grumble.

Champ

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/03/washingtons-next-showdown-the.html#comment-210659

Carols new concern now is that after finding her contract,,,that the roofer has charged her for 27 squares of shingles,,,the size of the house that she told me that she has,,calls for 18-20 squares,,,her new concern is being overcharged,,,,,that is why I posted those last comments to her,,,it is hard to tell from here,,,but if they are still around,( the contractors),she can get to a starting point,,,here on TM we are all guessing no? first she was told that her warranty should be about 20 years at a minimum,,,no such thing exists

Now if they charged her for a roof that requires 7 to 9 squares of shingles,,,she should talk to someone, i think,,,and if they did not give her new flashing around the chimney and caulk it,,,that is also a breech of contract,,,,now that she has the roof leaking,,,how much damage has it done,,,like Jack says,,,get this repaired as soon as possible,,,and while she is at it,,,she should have someone check her attic,,,if it leaked from the chimney,,,did it do any damage to insulation etc,,, all Im saying is to have someone other than the roofer look at it all,,,,Im not against the roofer,,or anyone,,,but I am on Carols side,,,and therefore I think that if she is confused,and if she wants too,,,she should see someone over at the building dept,,or someone to advise her,someone in her area....But I will not say anything more,,unless she does ask me again.

Don,,,

This show on Limits of Perception,,,is great,,,I am putting on dvr,,so I can watch it tomorrow, microscopic worlds,,,one drop of water holds an entirely diff world,,parallel dimensions,hydrogen atoms,,will look for the next showing if you like.

Mr, Reality,

Have you checked out the stories about Vern Gagne ?

Now, I am going to put my pre-maturely aged bones to bed, to sleep the sleep of the innocent...or at least, of the never indicted.

Sweet dreams, America, and all the ships at sea.

Oops, I meant to thank you, SolarCrete for the explanation. Ya it was more than a stick job. They used crampons and lines to stay on the roof. And, it was 99 degrees out !

No wonder you never see an old roofer.

Yawn !
g'night

the old two and the new cooper river bridges

http://www.eimbusiness.com/images/bridge_blue-purple-1b.jpg

Thanks Solar,
just titles will do. I'll see if I can find it around.

on my brief stint as teacher the school district I was in subscribed to a service that gave us access to all of Discovery Communications videos. It was great. Well, for me.

The unfortunate part was we had no equipment to show the videos to our students. i had to use my video editing equipment to make dvd's and bring in my own dvd to show it. We had tv's in our classrooms that weren't connected to anything.

I still say a lot of money going to schools is wasted by the administration and never gets to the classrooms. i also brought in my own copy paper and pencils for the students.

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/03/washingtons-next-showdown-the.html#comment-210584

Solar

I think you need to up your estimate a little. Went over to the Home depot web site and their 3 tab cheap 20yr shingles are running damn near $70 a square. lol
Doesn't seem like that long ago when they were 25.
Add in the felt at $30 a roll, drip edge at $5 dollars a stick. It starts to add up fast.
I wonder what land fill tipping fees were after all the cleanup down there.

Jack

The same thing happened today that happened yesterday, only to different people.

Walter Winchell

For the heck of it I called Home Depot for a quote on our roof. They wanted 40-pct more for less roof and a much poorer warranty.

Sesame Street Explains the Madoff Scandal

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XJ8OjAB_e3g

20 things you didn't know about time.

http://tinyurl.com/cpy5u9

I always felt ripped off when teachers would throw a TV in front of us.

Jack

Im taken aback,,,as they say,,,,shingles haven't gone up much in the last 5-7 years,,,alway's around 21-25 a square,,,,thanks,,,but I still stand by that price cos it was about 3 years ago that Carol said that she had the work done,,,could be a little more,,,but not by much,,,,but that is still of a shock to me non the less,,,You just made me think to get a catalog for mtls ( mcann's here and a cpl of others) did you get a feel for other mtls,types of mtls not made from the same as shingles?,,,where I was working at last,,,I heard the polish plumbers talking about the price of lead ,steel pipes etc?

Flatus

Those places do a large markup on their contracting work.

An example, my inlaws a couple of years ago, installed new carpeting and as I remember were charged $7.50 a yard to install.
A few weeks later I ask a neighbor who installs carpeting as a contractor for a large national name carpet place to give me a price on installing some carpet in my rental house. He ask 2.75. He told me that is what he was paid. So I gave him a bonus. BTW he paid his own workmans comp. too.

Jack

how much had you paid the teacher?

It depends on who you are and how you use it. Some people learn better, some people don't. I took marine science class where they were irreplaceable.

I taught some statistics basics where they could show a real life example. Then I'd stop the tapes and carry on the lesson.

What was amazing is that no matter how rowdy the class had been, the students would automatically quiet down for the presentation. Our kids are conditioned.

Don

Thanks,,,,booked that ,,,interesting,,,,,,we discussed a series of Time (three hours of shows on it) that was on a few months back,,,,we Tony now has those taped also,,and can't seem to find the TIME to WATCH them,,,,:-j little joke Ton,,,called Cosmic,,,earth ,,and our body time,,real interesting also,,,

ps,,,,another thing,,,,if it wasn't for the watch,,(time) there would have been no railroads out west,,,,the trains would have been crashing into each other,,,,they were able to switch them just in Time,,,,,looks like Im getting real corny,,,probably getting tired,,,so I guess it's time that I checked out,,later

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/03/washingtons-next-showdown-the.html#comment-210602

Ha Ha Solar
Come swimming its nice and warm...
http://s634.photobucket.com/albums/uu65/tonyb39/?albumview=grid
Oh I watched the first show TIME it was very interesting! I especially liked all the info on how old the earth is and the way the host put it all in perspective.Thanks again for all the good program info....

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/03/washingtons-next-showdown-the.html#comment-210696

Fair enough. You get the last word. Thanks for the Discover link; seems like a good site for some time-wasting.

Thanks also to Lard for his humor link also. Good stuff; reminds me of old "Lampoon". "Cracked" is finally funnier than "Mad", and no one is buying either anymore.

Good week.

Solar

As a asphalt shingle is mostly petroleum product bound around fiberglass one should not be suprised they went up over the last year or so.

How ever I dug up my books and found the price I paid in 2007.
$33 for cheap 20yr, which would make the highend $40 year shingles around $50-55 a sq.
But as I remember I paid $30 for a rolled roofing last fall.
total cost on that 2007 roof on a 900 sq ft house was $2650 and that was me being my own contractor. All I subbed was the labor, to a young man down the street who pulled together a crew for me.
I figure I save $1000.
It was a rip off the old roof, resheet and shingle with 20 yr 3tab shingles.
It took 6 of them a whole day to do it
Jack

Did everybody get that leaky flashing job on CT's roof fixed today ?

Chole -
We got about 3/8's of an inch in my yard, over 3 days. More down south of us.

Bernanke -
He grew up on "Main Street".
It don't get more ironic than that.

AIG CEO edward liddy was on the bush2004 committee and the muckcain'08 committee.

Surprise, surprise.

Let the republicans have their dam bonuses, but only if they'll go to Iran and do the same "best and brightest" work over there.

Lehman bros. CEO richard fuld jr.

bush quayle '92,
12 years later bush-cheney '04, Kerry '04,
next john muckcain '08, Hillary Clinton'08, Obama for America.

plus Robin Hood Foundation. Ya, sure.

Cbob

I take it your flashing isn't leaking much.

Jack

Freddie Mac CEO 2008:

National Republican Congressional Committee,

Romney for President

Fannie Mae CEO Daniel Mudd
bushcheney'04, john muckcain '08, friends of george allen

xrep

It happens everywhere.
Story told by a local architect who does business world wide but can't seem to win a contract with the local city. He ask the mayors aid onetime why?
Was told in so many words. We don't see your name on the mayors re-election committee.
So are they guilty of bribery or victim of a shake down. Or a little of both.

Jack

Wells Fargo CEO dick kovecevich
romney for President, john muckcain 2008, national republican congressional committee

Oh yeah, and pete coors for senate.

WaMu CEO kerry killinger
bush chehey '04

Wachovia CEO g. ken thompson
bush pioneer 2004, liz dole committee, john muckcain 2008

Bank of America CEO kenneth d. lewis

elizabeth dole for president, bush cheney '04, national republican senatorial committee

Merrill Lynch 2002 - 2007 CEO, stanley o'neal
bush pioneer 2004, santorum 2006, Obama for America (!?!)

Merrill Lynch 2007 - 2009 CEO, john thain
friends of d'amato '98, national republican congressional committee, national republican senatorial committee, mccain 2000, bush cheney 2004, john muckcain 2008

Citigroup CEO vikram pandit
bush quayle '92, bill bradley for president, bush cheney '04, national republican congressional committee

whskeyjack,

For ages, St Paul has had a corrupt planning & econ development dept. One time, to help a buddy, I got hold of the list of city-approved contractors. None from St Paul. That was when norm coleman was mayor. norm was always yakking job creation. He was for job ccreation as long as it wasn't St Paulites getting the jobs.

I pushed for a city ordinance that would mandate department heads live in the city. At time there were no dept. heads living in St Paul. norm fought it 'cuz he said, "We want to be able to get the best employees."

At a huge public meeting, I countered with, "So, Mr. Mayor, you're saying that the people who vote for you aren't good enough tp have jobs in your administration."

The city council discovered that my gripe resonated with voters, and they passed my proposal. norm vetoed it, and the counsel overrode him 5 -2.

one of this year's new Flight of the Conchords greatest songs

http://tinyurl.com/admqto

"I have no color prejudices nor caste prejudices nor creed prejudices. All I care to know
is that a man is a human being, and that is enough for me; he can't be any worse. "
--Sam Clemens--

wind powered supercar video:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/video/2009/mar/15/ecotricity-wind-powered-sports-car

article:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2009/mar/16/electric-supercar-ecotricity-motoring