Inside Sally Quinn's Mind

I wasn't going to link to this, but I was impressed that the comment section wasn't moderated out of existence.

ONE HUNDRED BILLION EUROS

There's always money for the banksters.

If we adjusted by population, that'd be roughly an $800 billion bailout here.

Saturday Afternoon

enjoy

Hey, More Free Money For Rich People

Because austerity. Or Free Market. Or CAPITALISM. Or whatever.

The $1.65 billion tax deal the Corbett administration is negotiating with Shell Oil Co. to locate an ethane processing plant in western Pennsylvania is shaping up to be the biggest such state investment Pennsylvania history.

And now it appears, it's just getting bigger.

Under the deal, taxpayers would foot the bill for hazardous materials clean up at the western Pennsylvania site, a cost that could easily soar into the tens of millions, according to a report by CapitolWire news service.

Morning Thread

B5

It certainly wasn't a perfect show, but it attempted - and to some degree succeeded - going where no show had gone before, with a multi-year plot where the random foreshadowing in some first season one episode actually had a payoff four seasons later. The realities of dealing with low budgets, threatened cancellation, actors moving on, and all of the other difficulties inherent in such a project certainly dented the quality of the final product, but it managed to succeed in its vision at a time when "make a series so it can be seen in any order in syndication" was the normal way of doing things.

Happy Hour Thread

enjoy.

Wanker of the Day

Ludger Schuknecht.

Something Better

I think the issue is that "scan and email" shouldn't be harder than faxing, yet somehow it is (at least with every scanner I've owned).

Evil

More people with microphones and appropriate audiences need to start using moral language to describe Ben Bernanke's actions. He's not stupid, so there's only one other option, really. We know that the costs of relatively low (as in, sub-8%) inflation are trivial. We also know that a willing Fed has precisely zero problem killing inflation if it so desires. There is no need for "credibility" on this issue unless you have a government that's spent years running the printing presses to pay its bills. Bernanke sleeps well at night so he can get up every day and ensure that millions experience severe economic hardship.

Have A Video

And continue to create user generated content!!!



Amy Rigby

Let's Pretend I'm Busy At Netroots Nation

I'm not, but having one of those "not sure I have anything to say" days.


Besides it's Friday, Friday, which is almost precisely like the weekend, when I don't get vacation days either. Or something.

Thin-Skinned

Aside from the specific issue, I've long been amused by this particular tactic. Someone criticizes you, you respond to the criticism, and the fact that you responded is actually a bad thing because it means you're thin-skinned.

If You Recognize People They Must Be Good

Famous important people never do anything bad.

WASHINGTON — If the Transportation Security Administration wants to fix its poor public image, it might want to stop patting down recognizable passengers such as former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger.

"There are certain people that are just so well-known that you've just got to use your common sense," said Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Ala.), chairman of the House Homeland Security Transportation Subcommittee. "Because if you start patting them down, people are going to say, 'They're patting down Beyonce.' "I mean, she's not going to blow a plane up."

Late Night Thread

Enjoy

Thursday Night

Time to do-si-do.

Bar Systems

I don't know if overpouring or too generous bartenders is the big problem or if it's staff occasionally just walking stuff out the back door, but I found it quite interesting when a bartender once explained to me that their "give customers free drinks" system was formalized and programmed into the computer. Roughly, every bartender had $50/shift in free drinks to hand out and they kept track.

Happy Hour Thread

Might take the evening off for a little mental health break. Talk amongst yourselves!

Elites

I'm sure I've said this before, but it's important to remember that the EU and Euro projects were projects by elites with little popular support. Obviously popular objection wasn't so strong as to prevent it, but it really was a project of the People Who Run The World, and not some idea cooked up one day by Greek farmers, or whoever.

The point is that whatever problems are happening right now exist because the people in charge fucked it all up. And for that the little people, including Greek farmers, must be punished.

They're Expensive

I don't actually get all snobby and knock these kinds of restaurant chains. Some of them put out decent enough food, I get the appeal of familiarity, and many of them are much more child friendly than other somewhat more upscale dining places. But they're also pretty damn expensive for the most part.