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Labor Day Open Thread

Happy Labor Day. (Version with Axl Rose here.)

Lets drink to the hard working people
Lets drink to the lowly of birth
Raise your glass to the good and the evil
Lets drink to the salt of the earth

[More...]

I just noticed that at the very end of the song, Mick tells the audience (the firefighters and police who responded to 9/11):

If there's one thing we learned from this whole experience, it's that "You don't f*ck with New York."

They all cheer loudly (I remember watching the concert live on TV, but they must have bleeped that out.)

This is a photo I took of the Monument to Labor sculpture in Omaha, Nebraska, by Matthew Placzek. (full version here.) It's a tribute to the workers in the labor unions that helped build Omaha and is the second largest labor memorial in the country.

This is an open thread, all topics welcome.

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  • Display: Sort:
    Time for the U.S.A to obtain a divorce... (5.00 / 1) (#1)
    by Dadler on Mon Sep 01, 2014 at 09:39:58 AM EST
    ...from most of the world. If we can manage it, our best hope is to work almost soley with North, Central and South America (granted we'd need to ask forgiveness from Central). If we focused, with the intense imaginative abilities we possess but ignore almost every day politically, we could offer the world an example. We could live up to our supposed creed.

    But I have no doubt we'll take a big sh*t on imagination and intelligence and freedom yet again by marching headlong into disaster.

    Our stupidity, sadly, seems much more powerful than our smarts.

    Sigh...

    asking forgiveness from (none / 0) (#2)
    by Dadler on Mon Sep 01, 2014 at 10:11:26 AM EST
    who am i kidding, we'd need to be humble about our unpleasant history with all those regions south of our nation.

    Parent
    Well, after an entire month in (5.00 / 2) (#13)
    by Anne on Mon Sep 01, 2014 at 12:01:41 PM EST
    which it only got to 90 degrees once - yesterday - it is ungodly hot and humid today. Maybe we're just not acclimated to it after the unseasonably cool summer here in Maryland.

    Taking the week off this week; surprise baby shower for younger daughter is next Saturday and I'm doing the food for 30 guests. Will do much of that Thursday and Friday, so a couple days for just hanging out. Got the new Nook Glowlight for my birthday on Thursday, so plan to spend some time reading. Nothing better than losing your self in a good book - well, almost nothing!

    Have spent lots of time with my grandson this last week; such a joy - even the mundane is fun again through the eyes of a 21-month old!

    Have some fun- find some joy; it's good for you!

    Happy Labor Day all! (5.00 / 3) (#26)
    by sarcastic unnamed one on Mon Sep 01, 2014 at 01:36:41 PM EST


    100 yrs ago today... (5.00 / 1) (#39)
    by desertswine on Mon Sep 01, 2014 at 02:53:04 PM EST
    Interesting interview: (5.00 / 2) (#46)
    by oculus on Mon Sep 01, 2014 at 03:54:41 PM EST

    And who today are the best writers on American politics?

    There are two, and they both are bloggers. One, Corey Robin of Brooklyn College, is also a political theorist; his book "The Reactionary Mind: Conservatism From Edmund Burke to Sarah Palin" provides the most convincing account about what right-wing habits of mind are ultimately all about. His humane and erudite blog -- and its spirited commenters -- deepen that conversation. A favorite theme is the emptiness of right-wing notions of "freedom" that actually leave us less free. See, for instance, his work on "Lavatory and Liberty," which points out that the government doesn't even enforce the right to bathroom breaks at work. What could be a greater insult to liberty than that?

    My other favorite political writer, Heather Parton, blogs under the name "Digby." Daily for over 10 years she's been unleashing a fire hose of brilliance on the fecklessness of the Democrats, the craziness of the Republicans and especially the way that what we now call the "culture wars" has been seared into our national DNA at least since the Civil War. In the acknowledgments to "Nixonland," I called her the other half of my brain.

    Rick Perlstein NYT

    I've heard him a lot lately (none / 0) (#78)
    by ruffian on Tue Sep 02, 2014 at 11:47:50 AM EST
    Have moved his books up on my list. The latest about the rise of Reagan sounds really good.

    I agree with him about Digby. She is still so crisp and clear.

    Parent

    Have you previously known of The guy from (none / 0) (#95)
    by oculus on Tue Sep 02, 2014 at 04:17:20 PM EST
    Brooklyn College?

    Parent
    No, I have not. Will give his blog a try (none / 0) (#101)
    by ruffian on Tue Sep 02, 2014 at 07:22:48 PM EST
    Mystery of the Stop (5.00 / 1) (#49)
    by Uncle Chip on Mon Sep 01, 2014 at 04:27:06 PM EST
    GoFundMe pages for Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson mysteriously stop accepting donations after raising $433,000

    Maybe I can help them solve the Mystery. It's right there in the article:

    That charity's directors are Timothy Zoll, a public information officer for the Ferguson Police Department ...

    While claiming to conduct an independent investigation of officer Wilson, the public information officer directly involved in that investigation is busying himself raising money for officer Wilson.

    You can't make this stuff up.

    That must explain the Police Chief's unusual announcement yesterday.

     

    In what manner is anyone employed (none / 0) (#52)
    by oculus on Mon Sep 01, 2014 at 05:36:24 PM EST
    by the Ferguson P. D. "directly involved" in the investigation by the law enrorcement agency of the County of St. Louis' investigation of the officer-involved shooting?

    Parent
    Ask the Ferguson Police Chief: (none / 0) (#54)
    by Uncle Chip on Mon Sep 01, 2014 at 06:16:36 PM EST
    He made it abundantly clear yesterday that the department is involved in the investigation and fully supports the investigation and does not support Officer Wilson.

    Parent
    The Ferguson Police Dept. (none / 0) (#61)
    by NYShooter on Mon Sep 01, 2014 at 09:53:10 PM EST
    does not support Officer Wilson?

    Please explain.

    Parent

    The Chief did not explain himself -- (none / 0) (#65)
    by Uncle Chip on Mon Sep 01, 2014 at 10:35:51 PM EST
    he just made his statement and left it at that.

    But like you the statement raises more questions than it answers but he is not taking questions.

    Parent

    Just my opinion, but, (none / 0) (#67)
    by NYShooter on Mon Sep 01, 2014 at 11:44:30 PM EST
    while it may raise some questions, it sounds like he answered some, also, namely, the evidence may just be overwhelming, and, the Chief may not want the Department and himself caught on the losing side.

    Parent
    That's what I'm thinking as well -- (none / 0) (#70)
    by Uncle Chip on Tue Sep 02, 2014 at 08:44:05 AM EST
    I think he's finding Wilson's story beginning to fall apart as the investigation proceeds and as other irrefutable evidence surfaces like the gunshot audio and the Black Canseco video which shows the SUV to be about 100ft down the street instead of 35ft as he initially stated.

    And it is parked at an angle that makes that alleged first bullet from the struggle in the front seat that was pulled from of a building on the right to have been virtually impossible.

    That bullet had to have been fired when the gun was outside the SUV not in the front seat and it is not one of those ~10 shots heard on the audio.

    Parent

    Could you link us to your source for (none / 0) (#68)
    by sarcastic unnamed one on Tue Sep 02, 2014 at 12:34:57 AM EST
    your statement that the FPD does not support Officer Wilson?

    Parent
    To be clear, (none / 0) (#69)
    by sarcastic unnamed one on Tue Sep 02, 2014 at 12:44:26 AM EST
    your source for saying the FPD Chief said the department does not support Officer Wilson.

    Parent
    I'm sure you can get it from (none / 0) (#71)
    by Uncle Chip on Tue Sep 02, 2014 at 08:51:21 AM EST
    Timothy Zoll, the public information officer for the Ferguson Police Department ... if he is not too busy with his fundraising efforts on behalf of Officer Wilson.

    Parent
    A simple link to the Chief (5.00 / 1) (#72)
    by sarcastic unnamed one on Tue Sep 02, 2014 at 09:19:57 AM EST
    saying those things you attribute to him would suffice.

    Parent
    Don't bother, I checked already (none / 0) (#73)
    by NYShooter on Tue Sep 02, 2014 at 10:00:38 AM EST
    I think what Uncle Chip interpreted as the FPD "not supporting Wilson" was, actually, the FDP not having anything to do with the two fund raising sites. They are completely independent, and, have no connection to any police dept.

    Parent
    actual facts in this case, having people's interpretations or opinions presented as though they are fact is simply unhelpful.

    Parent
    Two online fundraising pages (5.00 / 1) (#77)
    by sarcastic unnamed one on Tue Sep 02, 2014 at 11:42:28 AM EST
    Two online fundraising pages that raised more than $400,000 for the police officer who killed an unarmed black man in Ferguson, Mo., were shut down this weekend so tax lawyers could decide how best to handle the money, an official told the Los Angeles Times. [...]

    Missouri state Rep. Jeffrey Roorda, a Democrat who is helping to handle Wilson's fundraising efforts, said the creator of [the first] page is a teenage girl from the St. Louis area.

    "I think she thought she'd raise a few hundred dollars, and she ended up raising a few hundred thousand dollars," Roorda said in a phone interview Monday night. After her page got popular, Roorda said, the young woman started receiving "serious threats." [...]

    Roorda said Shield of Hope -- whose officers include a spokesman for the Ferguson Police Department and a Florissant city council member -- created the second Wilson fundraising page after the girl's mom asked the union to take over. [...]

    Roorda said GoFundMe rules prevent page creators from transferring the administration of donation pages to other users, which is why two pages for Wilson came to exist side by side. Roorda said tax attorneys for the police union were trying to figure out how best to handle the hundreds of thousands of dollars in contributions, since donations for legal defenses are apparently not tax-deductible.



    Parent
    Well, it (5.00 / 1) (#56)
    by Ga6thDem on Mon Sep 01, 2014 at 06:32:04 PM EST
    has been a quite labor day here. I had four extra 20 year olds show up for supper and they pretty much wiped out an entire turkey breast. So no turkey divan FOR ME later on this week. LOL. Cleaned out the utensil drawer in the kitchen. How on earth do those things get so dirty!

    Obama Not A Republican (5.00 / 2) (#57)
    by squeaky on Mon Sep 01, 2014 at 07:50:17 PM EST
    I am sure this will disappoint some commenters here at TL
    MILWAUKEE -- President Obama on Monday renewed his call to raise the federal minimum wage and to protect the right to equal pay for women as the midterm elections come into sight.

    In spite of opposition from Republicans, Mr. Obama said, addressing a crowd of about 6,000 people gathered in Milwaukee at a festival hosted by the local A.F.L.-C.I.O., his goal is to make sure all Americans can meet simple goals, like being able to pay their bills and send their children to school.

    NYT

    Ferguson PD now wearing body cameras, (5.00 / 2) (#82)
    by sarcastic unnamed one on Tue Sep 02, 2014 at 11:58:10 AM EST
    started on Saturday. I wish all cops did the same.

    That said, here's a body cam vid of a cop over-reacting (imo) and shooting a suspect.

    Honestly, the lack of a true wide-angle lens on this cam, like the kind you get on a basic Go Pro, is really limiting.

    I hope the newer body-cams are better designed with the wide angle lenses.

    Denver (none / 0) (#90)
    by sj on Tue Sep 02, 2014 at 02:08:43 PM EST
    is going that route. About time. Denver cops as a whole are not known for their congeniality.

    Parent
    Had (5.00 / 4) (#93)
    by Ga6thDem on Tue Sep 02, 2014 at 02:50:17 PM EST
    a wonderful lunch with Military Tracy and her son today. Such nice people.

    Labor Day - more than an excuse to bbq (5.00 / 1) (#98)
    by DFLer on Tue Sep 02, 2014 at 05:10:41 PM EST
    This quote is from James "Big Jim" Larkin, an Irish labor leader, agitator and hero (inspired by some photos of my cousin's trip to Ireland)

    Irish: Ní uasal aon uasal ach sinne bheith íseal: Éirímis.
    English: The great appear great because we are on our knees: Let us rise.

    North Carolina Innocence Inquiry Commission (5.00 / 1) (#105)
    by squeaky on Tue Sep 02, 2014 at 07:55:09 PM EST
    (Reuters) - Two North Carolina men were declared innocent and ordered freed on Tuesday after spending more than 30 years in prison for the rape and murder of an 11-year-old girl that recent DNA tests linked to another man.

    Henry McCollum, 50, and his half brother Leon Brown, 46, were teenagers when they were arrested for the 1983 rape and killing of Sabrina Buie, whose body was left in a field in the small town of Red Springs.

    McCollum is North Carolina's longest-serving death row inmate. Brown's sentence was reduced at a second trial to life in prison for rape.Brown and McCollum, 15 and 19 at the time, each signed a detailed confession to the crime written by police. They later claimed they had been coerced to do so with promises of release during intense interrogations.

    Court records show both men are intellectually disabled with limited abilities to read or write.

    None of the DNA collected at the scene was linked to Brown or McCollum.



    Jagger and Labor Day. (none / 0) (#3)
    by lentinel on Mon Sep 01, 2014 at 10:27:31 AM EST
    In reading Mick Jagger's statement,

    Mick tells the audience (the firefighters and police who responded to 9/11):

    If there's one thing we learned from this whole experience, it's that "You don't f*ck with New York."

    I remember well that fateful day quite differently.

    I remember that Major Giuliani had presided over a fire department that had such faulty equipment that they couldn't even communicate with each other. Deaths of firefighters resulted.

    And as I recall, he topped that off by opposing pay increases for them.

    And he, Giuliani, had the gaul to strut around and make political hay from that disaster.

    I, having lived within a mile of that disaster, remember that there were no traffic lights, no cell phones, no police on the streets, and a foul odor that lasted for months.

    I also remember Bush's Secretary of the Environment telling everybody that it was safe to live in the polluted area, when, in fact, it was toxic.

    So, no, Mick. Everybody fked with the the people of New York. And they continue to do so.

    About Labor Unions:

    I joined the musician's Union, local 802 in New York, at a time when if a musician did not get paid, the other Unions joined in to protect them and put pressure on the club or other establishment. No food. No laundry service - until the musicians got paid.

    Union contracts were imperative - obligatory - for just about every venue in town.

    The Union also had a good health plan.
    Forget about that.

    Now, contracts are seldom offered or even required.
    The only venues the Union cares about are huge establishments like the Met or other venues in the Lincoln Center complex.
    Musicians are on their own.

    A few years ago, the union picketed the Blue Note. Management told the picketers to go fk themselves. Literally.

    The decline began, imo, with the presidency of Saint Ronnie, the "transformational" president.
    First he attacked and destroyed the Union PATCO. And he did it with the cynical veneer that it had something to do with national security.

    And the shame of it was that no other Unions came to the rescue. Not the Teamsters. Not the caterers or baggage handlers. Nobody.

    And, once a symbol of the left, Unions have become increasingly conservative imo.

    So, I celebrate Labor day with a sigh and a heavy heart. When I think of the Labor movement, I think of what they were and what they accomplished many decades ago. If I think about what they have become, it is depressing.


    I don't know who these people are... (none / 0) (#5)
    by desertswine on Mon Sep 01, 2014 at 10:37:37 AM EST
    and I've never heard of the "Freedom Foundation," but they sound like some very sick and deluded people.

    Parent
    No Police? (none / 0) (#6)
    by squeaky on Mon Sep 01, 2014 at 10:46:18 AM EST
    I, having lived within a mile of that disaster, remember that there were no traffic lights, no cell phones, no police on the streets, and a foul odor that lasted for months.

    Not my experience, and I am about 1.5 miles away. Cops were all over the place blocking access. The amount of overtime stacked up during those 6 months was astronomical. And the cops that retired that year was a record, as pension is determined by the last year salary, including overtime.

    Sounds like you have a depressing life.. sorry to hear that.

    At least you have music, or if not that would be something to embrace.

    Parent

    My view was from (none / 0) (#17)
    by NYShooter on Mon Sep 01, 2014 at 01:02:59 PM EST
    right over the Tri-Boro Bridge in Astoria, Queens.

    When the Towers went down, I remember saying to my co-workers, "my God, we just watched 50,000 people die." It was astonishing, and, a great credit to all the first responders, that the actual number was far, far less.

    And, you're right, the place was wall-to-wall cops.

    I think Lentinel was talking about some of the criticism levelled at the City Leadership after the fact. The police and firefighters were not equipped with the latest and best gear. And, some of the decisions made by Rudy were, in retrospect, if not downright dumb, at least dubious.

    Parent

    There were (none / 0) (#18)
    by lentinel on Mon Sep 01, 2014 at 01:09:45 PM EST
    absolutely no police in the area above Canal Street where I was living.

    Citizens were directing traffic - because there were no traffic lights and no police officers.

    After awhile - there were police stationed, as I recall, above 14th Street - cordoning off the area below.

    But in the hours following the disaster, we were on our own.

    And, those of us who lived there didn't need until after the fact to realize that Giuliani was using this to promote his image and his career. He was a phony and we all knew it.

    Parent

    Well, I don't know what to tell you (none / 0) (#22)
    by NYShooter on Mon Sep 01, 2014 at 01:21:20 PM EST
    There were only a finite number of cops available, and, they had to be utilized where their management thought was most critical. People were dying in the Trade Center vicinity; I don't know how many died above Canal St.

    You have some valid criticism about Giuliani, but, second guessing the police is, I think, beyond your (and mine) pay grade.


    Parent

    Second Guessing the Police (none / 0) (#23)
    by squeaky on Mon Sep 01, 2014 at 01:25:17 PM EST
    The police at and below Canal st were acting like morons, imo.

    There were dying people, everyone was dead.

    The stations were set up for Emergency care and there were no takers, just a lot of doctors and health workers waiting...

    From my POV, the biggest action by the police was getting fat off the tragedy.

    Parent

    Blame the commanders, but, (5.00 / 1) (#25)
    by NYShooter on Mon Sep 01, 2014 at 01:34:44 PM EST
    60 cops died that day, 37 from the Port Authority & NJ Police Dept. and, 23 from the NYPD.

    I doubt any of them will be getting fat any more.

    Parent

    Yes (none / 0) (#27)
    by squeaky on Mon Sep 01, 2014 at 01:53:03 PM EST
    The dead ones were not getting fat, just the live ones.

    Parent
    Correction: There Were NO Dying People (none / 0) (#24)
    by squeaky on Mon Sep 01, 2014 at 01:28:04 PM EST
    Everyone was dead. The firemen were the first to dig through the ashes and rubble, as they lost many colleagues. Guilliani's army (NYPD) put a stop to that mighty quick as the Police were the ones slated for triple and quadruple overtime..  

    The firemen were pissed.

    Parent

    My beef (none / 0) (#29)
    by lentinel on Mon Sep 01, 2014 at 02:04:51 PM EST
    was not with the police!

    It is with the statement that Jagger saying that what we learn from the experience of 9/11 is that, "You don't f*ck with New York."

    Of course there are only a finite number of police.
    And none on the beat any more - just some passing by in patrol cars now and then.

    So, my point is, that New York can be, and was, very very f*cked with.

    It was a sorry mess.
    People were killed.

    And this doesn't even get to the part where we were dealing with an anthrax scare shortly thereafter - and attendants were wearing rubber gloves behind the windows at the post office.

    Indeed, if you think about it, the entire United States was very f*cked with. We lost our freedoms. Our Constitution was shredded. Our right to privacy has been severely, and probably permanently, compromised.

    So - I was responding to the rosy b.s. scenario laid out by Mick J.

    Every time there's a disaster in New York City, some schmo gets up on TV and tells us how resilient we are.

    All I can say is what I experienced.
    We were alone to fend for ourselves.

    Not casting blame on the police.

    Just confronting a spin laid before us by a wealthy entertainer.

    Parent

    Alone? (5.00 / 1) (#30)
    by squeaky on Mon Sep 01, 2014 at 02:29:40 PM EST
    In my neighborhood were were not alone. Neighbors bonded together, checking on each other, restaurants opened up their kitchens to emergency workers and locals for free. A lot of talking to neighbors on the street..  It was unusual for so many to let go of the NYC anonymity schtick.

    Quite a magical time. For many of us the scariest part was the constant police presence and worst part was Giuliani taking credit for everything good and nothing bad..  He even tried to cancel elections and stay Mayor because NYC needed him so much. NYers put a quash on that move in no time flat.

    The neighborhood I live in recovered quickly, imo. And NYC at large seems to be thriving.

    So I do agree with Mick.

    Sorry your experience was and is

    Parent

    What was/is your involvement (none / 0) (#10)
    by oculus on Mon Sep 01, 2014 at 11:47:54 AM EST
    in music?

    Parent
    I have always (none / 0) (#19)
    by lentinel on Mon Sep 01, 2014 at 01:14:47 PM EST
    been involved in music.

    I gained a masters degree from Brandeis University in Musical Composition - but my main love is Jazz.

    I was thinking about you, Oculus, because I saw this clip of a young person singing on a French version of "The Voice" for "kids".

    I thought you would like it.

    LINK

    Parent

    I should mention (none / 0) (#20)
    by lentinel on Mon Sep 01, 2014 at 01:18:29 PM EST
    that you have to wait through about 2 minutes of commercials before the video comes on - but it's worth it imo.

    Parent
    I See (none / 0) (#21)
    by squeaky on Mon Sep 01, 2014 at 01:19:40 PM EST
    All the cops were on Canal Street and below.. I did not make it above Canal street for a month or so.

    Parent
    Tangent: I would recommend (none / 0) (#14)
    by magster on Mon Sep 01, 2014 at 12:22:05 PM EST
    the book Beatles vs. Stones, which chronicled each bands trajectory and relationship. And the book intro is an anecdote about Mick playing Beggars Banquet at an trendy nightclub, only to be upstaged when Paul walked into the same nightclub that night and played an advance copy of the Hey Jude/Revolution single.... The intro is available on the Amazon preview.

    Anyways, with this song in the story being on Beggar's Banquest, thought I'd link.

    Parent

    Besides (none / 0) (#28)
    by squeaky on Mon Sep 01, 2014 at 01:54:44 PM EST
    Rather than feel scared, you should have felt lucky, IMO,  that there were no police where you lived.

    Parent
    I don't think it's up to you to tell (5.00 / 1) (#36)
    by Anne on Mon Sep 01, 2014 at 02:45:04 PM EST
    anyone how they "should have" felt, on that day or the days after.  No one's dismissing your experience, so maybe you should not be quite so dismissive of or judgmental about what others experienced.

    Parent
    Aren't you kinda sorta doing the (4.25 / 4) (#40)
    by oculus on Mon Sep 01, 2014 at 03:11:50 PM EST
    same thing?

    Parent
    No. I'm saying that everyone has (5.00 / 1) (#63)
    by Anne on Mon Sep 01, 2014 at 10:05:32 PM EST
    a right to his or her own feelings and experiences - or don't you agree with that?  Do you think that what squeaky thinks lentinel should feel has more validity than what lentinel has stated she experienced or felt?  Would you want someone telling you how you were supposed to feel about something that you experienced?

    No?  Well, then, I think you agree that it isn't up to Person A to tell Person B how he or she is supposed to feel or think, nor is it up to Person A to judge Person B for not having the feelings that Person A thinks Person B should have.

    Parent

    It is (none / 0) (#47)
    by lentinel on Mon Sep 01, 2014 at 04:04:22 PM EST
    a wee bit mind boggling to me that the disaster that was 9/11 could be spun into a feel-good story of togetherness about plucky New Yorkers.

    But I don't judge the people for whom that was the takeaway experience.

    I remember a bus driver whose good humor and good nature that day gave us all a lift and moral support.

    But i do judge Mick's statement.

    I think it is a load of cr@p.

    The terrorists f*cked with us big time.


    Parent

    Tragedy and Aftermath (5.00 / 1) (#48)
    by squeaky on Mon Sep 01, 2014 at 04:16:00 PM EST
    No one is spinning the disaster into a feel good story. You are making that up.

    Mick is applauding NYers for getting back on their feet and carrying on in a big way.

    The experience I have related is about how the human beings in my neighborhood came together. To say that Mick Jagger or I am spinning the death of almost 3000 people into a feel good story is a load of sh!t.

    You are free to swim in a mire of how bad things are, but most of the people I know quickly moved on with their lives after 9/11.

    I do believe that the US government turned 9/11 into a power grab that we may never recover from.

    Parent

    OK (none / 0) (#66)
    by squeaky on Mon Sep 01, 2014 at 10:45:54 PM EST
    And rather than worrying about the comment here that have an opinion about police, you should feel lucky that there were no police in your neighborhood in the months after 9/11.

    Parent
    Here's good news for teachers' union: (none / 0) (#4)
    by oculus on Mon Sep 01, 2014 at 10:31:22 AM EST
    Think Progress has a long piece... (none / 0) (#8)
    by magster on Mon Sep 01, 2014 at 11:33:35 AM EST
    up about one of our industrial forefathers and President Cleveland sparking a depression. It was a very interesting read about a forgotten era (at least by me in high school US History class) between reconstruction and WWI.

    no personal insults to (none / 0) (#11)
    by Jeralyn on Mon Sep 01, 2014 at 11:59:38 AM EST
    other commenters please, they will be deleted if I see them.

    Article/interview with Iraqi soldier. (none / 0) (#15)
    by Green26 on Mon Sep 01, 2014 at 12:29:58 PM EST
    This is an interesting article. Has some nitty gritty information about ISIS and the Iraqi army. This soldier is a Kurd in the Iraqi army.

    From an site/publication called Foreign Intrigue, which I've never heard of. My former Ranger son sent me the link.

    Hey Slado, (none / 0) (#31)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon Sep 01, 2014 at 02:34:20 PM EST
    You out there?

    The Strain is a show about gross vampires, not zombies, but it has never felt more like that other straight-up TV horror series The Walking Dead than it does this week, in what is mostly one big siege at a gas station, our main characters surrounded by disgusting monsters.

    Calling all fanboys

    It's not as much fun without spouse home (none / 0) (#32)
    by Militarytracy on Mon Sep 01, 2014 at 02:39:37 PM EST
    Still recording it though.  Watching Masters of Sex, the first season seemed boring but this season certainly woke me up.

    Parent
    Love Betsy Brandt (none / 0) (#35)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon Sep 01, 2014 at 02:44:27 PM EST
    Ray Donavon was also great this week.  Even if it was 15 mins short for a Homeland promo.

    Raise you hand if you thought digging that thing out if his face would save Jim.

    I love that they didn't drag it out.  And I love Vasiliy.

    Parent

    I watched Ray Donavon too (none / 0) (#41)
    by Militarytracy on Mon Sep 01, 2014 at 03:17:24 PM EST
    What a train wreck :)

    Parent
    It's been great all season (none / 0) (#45)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon Sep 01, 2014 at 03:25:49 PM EST
    Loved last weeks family gathering and the "walk this way" ending.

    Parent
    Anyone watch "The Bridge?" (none / 0) (#58)
    by MKS on Mon Sep 01, 2014 at 08:15:52 PM EST
    Good show....if a bit violent.

    Strain and The Walking Dead.  Vampires that are zombies.....  

    Parent

    The Bridge (none / 0) (#60)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon Sep 01, 2014 at 08:28:04 PM EST
    Is excellent

    Parent
    Sherman (none / 0) (#33)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon Sep 01, 2014 at 02:39:40 PM EST
    Set the Way Back machine for 1968 --

    Boy Sent Home From School Because His Hair Was 'Too Long'

    Oh... his hair was too long (none / 0) (#34)
    by desertswine on Mon Sep 01, 2014 at 02:43:45 PM EST
    AND he is a Native American kid.

    Parent
    Yep (5.00 / 1) (#37)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon Sep 01, 2014 at 02:45:52 PM EST
    On it's face it's stupid. Add that and it's borderline criminal.  If not literally so.

    Parent
    Wasn't it the Beatles (none / 0) (#59)
    by MKS on Mon Sep 01, 2014 at 08:17:41 PM EST
    that caused men and boys to grow their hair longer?

    It was quite a cultural wave that hit.   One year, everyone had Leave it to Beaver short hair and stove-pipe pants, and the next Fall everyone had long hair and bell bottoms followed.

    Parent

    For the most part, yes... (5.00 / 1) (#62)
    by unitron on Mon Sep 01, 2014 at 09:53:10 PM EST
    ...it was The Beatles and the other British Invasion bands, although personally I'd been moving in that direction since about 3 or 4 years prior to that, not without resistance from the parental units who for some reason did not consider the wishes of a 9 year old to be divine law.

    Parent
    I'm a little confused (none / 0) (#64)
    by NYShooter on Mon Sep 01, 2014 at 10:06:08 PM EST
    by what you mean when you say, "..been moving in that direction."

    I was away at college when the British Invasion hit America (1963.) I remember watching TV in the dorm when a news cast showed the Beatles. It was the first time I recall most of us had seen the group, up close and personal. Well, everyone howled and screamed, "what a bunch of morons!!" We couldn't believe that this bunch of clowns were what we had heard so many rumors about.

    Little did we know that within a year everyone would be mesmerized by Beatle mania. It took, like no time, for an entire generation to do a complete one-eighty in their taste for music, and, fashion.

    Parent

    In the summer and fall of '60... (5.00 / 1) (#94)
    by unitron on Tue Sep 02, 2014 at 03:34:09 PM EST
    ...Terry Sanford was running for governor and Kennedy for Prez, and both had what for the times were pretty good heads of hair.  

    Also, onscreen swashbuckling heroes and knights in shining armor tended not to have the crewcuts so prevalent around me (Marine Corps base nearby).

    So back then is my earliest memory of wanting my hair on the long side.

    3 years and change later, as I was hitting adolescence, I saw a picture in the paper of The Beatles and started listening to the radio to see what they sounded like.

    So I was a fan of their hair before I was a fan of their music.

    Parent

    Didn't realize you were older (none / 0) (#85)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue Sep 02, 2014 at 12:08:24 PM EST
    Than me.   I like knowing where people are coming from.  In 1963 I was 12.  My first year of college (1970), ok we are a bit behind the times here, a guy was refused the right to register for college because of his hair. (And his t-shirt which said "fvck war") within six months me and several others had joined him in shaggyness.  
    I was sent home from school a couple of times for hair in 1969.
    And naturally my girlfriend was sent home for miniskirts.

    Parent
    Btw (none / 0) (#86)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue Sep 02, 2014 at 12:26:32 PM EST
    "That guy" was an guy named Butch Thacker.  (Who became a hero and role model for yours truly).  He was the brother in law of "Jim Dandy" Mangrum.  The lead singer of Black Oak Arkansas.  I became friends with the whole family.  Freaks were a pretty small group at ASU in 1970. Later that year Butchs wife, Lynn, died in a car crash.  Her funeral was attended, in force, by local police.

    Parent
    Should probably explain (none / 0) (#92)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue Sep 02, 2014 at 02:46:00 PM EST
    No one knew then, or AFAIK now, why the police showed up at Lynn Mangrums funeral.  She and Butch had been active in "campus unrest" and they certainly knew about her famous bad boy brother, who did not attend which was probably a disappoint for them.  BOA was in LA at the time and for whatever reason he didn't make it.
    Were they expecting "unrest" at a funeral?  Were they expecting "drug use"?  Did they want a Jim Dandy autograph?  Did they have nothing better to do and want to show Big Brother was watching?
    My guess is "D"
    I actually have some photos.  But sadly I am only about 1/4 finished separating the mouse turds from the photos.  Maybe later.

    Parent
    As for the ... (none / 0) (#100)
    by unitron on Tue Sep 02, 2014 at 06:53:30 PM EST
    ..."moving in that direction" part, just because we weren't an active duty military family didn't mean how long I could wear my hair wasn't a point of contention.

    Parent
    Labor pains (none / 0) (#38)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon Sep 01, 2014 at 02:50:10 PM EST
    Seething (none / 0) (#50)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon Sep 01, 2014 at 04:32:29 PM EST
    pretty astonishing

    Max Cooper's 'Seething' is a musical version of human intensity, complemented visually in this video by Andy Lomas's presentation of the seething, unstoppable and unrelenting propagation of life.
    The simulation work originates from Andy Lomas' study titled 'cellular forms', which uses digital simulation of a simplified biological model of morphogenesis, with three-dimensional structures generated out of interconnected particles to represent cells.
    Each form starts with a initial spherical cluster of cells which is incrementally developed over time by adding iterative layers of complexity to the structure. The aim is to create forms emergently: exploring generic similarities between many different shapes in nature rather than emulating any particular organism, revealing universal archetypal forms that can come from growth-like processes rather than top-down externally engineered design.
    Cell division is controlled by accumulated nutrient levels. When the level in a cell exceeds a given threshold the cell divides, and various parameters control how both the parent and daughter cells re-connect to their immediate neighbours. New nutrient can be created by photons in cells hit by incident light rays. Nutrient can also be allowed to flow to adjacent cells. The simulation process is repeated over thousands of iterations and millions of particles, with each of the final structures comprising over fifty million cells.


    Andy Lomas' (none / 0) (#51)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon Sep 01, 2014 at 04:35:36 PM EST
    Emergence Live AV show coming soon

    Parent
    Gun rights groups support neo nazi (none / 0) (#74)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue Sep 02, 2014 at 10:02:12 AM EST
    Gun Owners of America is weighing in on the side of a neo-Nazi accused of plotting to attack a Mexican consulate.

    Samuel Johnson isn't exactly a lawyer's dream client. He's a white supremacist with a lengthy rap sheet who a couple years ago was accused of plotting an attack on a Mexican consulate. He ended up drawing a 15-year prison term on a gun charge, and his case is now on his way to the US Supreme Court, which has agreed to hear a challenge to his sentence. Johnson has won the vocal backing of a top gun rights group, but as his case moves forward, it may eventually draw support from some liberals and civil libertarians who oppose harsh mandatory minimum sentences.


    Looks like the northeast (none / 0) (#75)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue Sep 02, 2014 at 10:07:24 AM EST
    Has our old nasty hot humid weather.  We are back in the 80s

    High 80's (none / 0) (#79)
    by squeaky on Tue Sep 02, 2014 at 11:50:30 AM EST
    Cooler at night.. tonight should be in the 60's...  

    good times!

    Parent

    Night time lows dropping below 75 this week! (none / 0) (#80)
    by ruffian on Tue Sep 02, 2014 at 11:51:10 AM EST
    Woo-hoo- fall approaches!

    Parent
    I hope so (none / 0) (#83)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue Sep 02, 2014 at 12:00:48 PM EST
    I don't even care if it's a sh!tty winter.   I'm just ready for this summer to be over.  Also I have a brand new gas fireplace I'm looking forward to trying.

    Parent
    I here ya (none / 0) (#84)
    by ruffian on Tue Sep 02, 2014 at 12:05:32 PM EST
    Easy for me to say I guess, given that the liklihood of a sh**ty winter here is so remote, but this summer has me so thoroughly beaten down I am crying for mercy. Just let me open my windows again, please!

    Parent
    No AC at all today (none / 0) (#115)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue Sep 02, 2014 at 11:13:40 PM EST
    And I will need to close some windows tonight.  Awsum.

    Parent
    Audiobook recommendations (none / 0) (#81)
    by ruffian on Tue Sep 02, 2014 at 11:56:59 AM EST
    Anything by William Boyd, particularly 'Restless'  'Any Human Heart', 'Ordinary Thunderstorms', the last of which I listened to over the weekend in a few long sessions. In fact it kept me up way too late last night and I am paying for it today. He really defies genre descriptions - there is usually a mystery involved, but also spy thriller stuff and just life in general.

    ISIS says it behead journalist Steven Sotloff. (none / 0) (#87)
    by Green26 on Tue Sep 02, 2014 at 12:27:31 PM EST
    Too bad. Truly awful.

    News is reporting Steven Sotloff executed by ISIS (none / 0) (#88)
    by nycstray on Tue Sep 02, 2014 at 12:27:33 PM EST


    Jeez (none / 0) (#89)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue Sep 02, 2014 at 12:28:26 PM EST
    Waiting for that news

    Parent
    Russell Brand is the Antichrist (none / 0) (#91)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue Sep 02, 2014 at 02:17:13 PM EST
    and I totally mean that in a good way

    Fox News Five Attack Russell Brand Again- His Response Is Priceless

    Fox News really go for it in this video trying their best to attack Russell Brand devoting an entire show to "attempting' to tear apart his character on a very personal level.

    Russell's response is excellent and highlights some real issues that we should be thinking about . . . The fact Fox News devote so much time to simply trying to attack Russell Brand is very telling , is this really news?



    Masterpiece Mystery fans, are you watching (none / 0) (#96)
    by caseyOR on Tue Sep 02, 2014 at 04:53:17 PM EST
    Breathless, the MM now showing on PBS? If so, do you have any idea what is going on?

    Why is that police inspector after Dr. Powell? What happened in Cyprus? What does this inspector know that is so horrible that Mrs. Powell is giving in to his demands for sex?

    I cannot make heads nor tails of this. Please help.

    OK, I'm all over it (5.00 / 1) (#107)
    by ruffian on Tue Sep 02, 2014 at 09:09:33 PM EST
    The inspector was originally after Powell because Powell released his daughter from the hospital, and knows where she is. When the inspector went to Powell's house last episode, no one was home but he looked around and saw the military pictures from Cyprus and recognized him.  Since then he seems to have forgotten all about his daughter.

    We don't know what happened in Cyprus yet...but it probably had something to do with Powell drinking. And I guess it was pretty bad. Poor Mrs Powell. I would be all for her finding someone better than her nurse-besotted husband, but maybe she should keep looking. She seems to be starting to fall for the inspector. It can't end well!

    Finally figured out the actor that plays the inspector was last seen riding away from the Khaleesi.  He is a little more attractive in medieval garb!

    The show is a bit of a mess. It needs to stop trying to be Mad Men meets Call the Midwife.

    Parent

    I have to watch Episode 2 (none / 0) (#102)
    by ruffian on Tue Sep 02, 2014 at 07:25:17 PM EST
    Will report back!

    Parent
    Ferguson Gun Shot Recording (none / 0) (#97)
    by sarcastic unnamed one on Tue Sep 02, 2014 at 05:10:17 PM EST
    reflects 10 shots and shooter not moving, says gunshot acoustic expert.

    Doesn't that mean that all the (none / 0) (#110)
    by Anne on Tue Sep 02, 2014 at 09:23:38 PM EST
    shell casings should be in a cluster within a very small radius?

    Parent
    my guess would be, say, 10' radius, +/-.

    I suppose there could be possible kicked shells in the immediate aftermath of the stop of shooting by Wilson, such that some could be spread out father.

    But, I assume Wilson approached Brown after Brown fell in a heap, probably directly along the line of fire, and probably most/all shells were ejected 90 degrees to to side of that direct path, so maybe few, if any, would be in a kickable range.

    So, yeah, shells in a general spread of 10' or so. Most/all of the handguns I've fired (not at all a comprehensive sample) eject essentially 90 degrees to the right.

    fwiw.

    Parent

    And how does this affect the allegation (none / 0) (#117)
    by Anne on Wed Sep 03, 2014 at 09:21:40 AM EST
    that a shot was fired from inside the vehicle?  Was that sound not picked up on audio?

    Seems to me that a shot fired from inside sounds different than one fired from outside - so is it that there were 11 shots fired, with one from inside and the rest from a stationary position close to the vehicle (since that's where it looks like there are shell casings in the one photo I've seen), or were there only 10 shots total, and all of them from outside, thus calling into question whether any shot was fired inside the vehicle?

    I also wonder why there doesn't seem to be any audio of Wilson calling out to Brown just before or as he's firing.  If the audio could pick up gunshots, why didn't it pick up Wilson's voice?  Or is it just a TV thing that cops shout at suspects to stop?  Isn't there some requirement that police issue warnings as they're firing at someone?

    I don't know - it doesn't make any sense to me.  If Wilson's not moving, it means Brown is just putting more and more distance between himself and Wilson - it seems like bad police work to just keep firing a gun that stands less and less chance of hitting its mark - and hitting someone or something it shouldn't.

    More questions than answers, as usual.

    Parent

    audio recording started after the tussle ended, iow, after any shot inside the SUV would have occurred.

    It would not surprise me that this audio recording was sensitive enough to capture gunshots from a certain distance, but not vocals from the same location, if any vocals occurred.

    I think its generally understood that it's most accurate to fire from a set/still position; that moving and firing is much more inaccurate.

    Parent

    ruffian (none / 0) (#99)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue Sep 02, 2014 at 06:46:13 PM EST
    I know you are an Adrien Brodey fan seen this?

    Driven to Break Free From an Ordinary Life
    `Houdini,' With Adrien Brody, on the History Channel

    I recorded the first part last night but have not watched it.

    Dang, I knew there was something I wanted to (none / 0) (#103)
    by ruffian on Tue Sep 02, 2014 at 07:27:20 PM EST
    record last night. Will see if I can catch a repeat. The review I read said the script was pretty lame, but Adrien does the best that can be done with it. Good enough for me!

    Also, what happened to The Knick? All of a sudden it is not on my Cinemax channel.

    Parent

    Break (none / 0) (#104)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue Sep 02, 2014 at 07:30:41 PM EST
    Labor Day?  Same with Leftovers

    Parent
    Yes, that looks like it. My Tivo just hadn't (none / 0) (#108)
    by ruffian on Tue Sep 02, 2014 at 09:12:05 PM EST
    put this coming Friday's episode on the list yet last time I checked. Got panicked! Really liking that show.

    Parent
    I'm agreeing with the times (none / 0) (#111)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue Sep 02, 2014 at 09:54:56 PM EST
    And who ever said "VoiceOver is the last refuge of a bad film maker".  Or words to that effect.

    The voice over is annoying and distracting.  

    Parent

    Brody is great (none / 0) (#114)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue Sep 02, 2014 at 11:12:09 PM EST
    And so is Kristen Connelly the wife.  House of Cards, Cabin In The Woods.  Always great.

    Parent
    Previously TV (none / 0) (#116)
    by CaptHowdy on Wed Sep 03, 2014 at 08:38:58 AM EST
    Oh, and also? The book was written by Meyer's dad. Maybe sonny boy should start his own analysis right there.

    This conceit reaches its apotheosis about ten minutes into the second installment, when Bess and Harry have a fight about how dangerous his work is. In a fit of pique, she screams, "Shit, Harry!" He retorts, "Why do you have to be so vulgar?!?"

    Then RuPaul hears someone whisper her name. And John Waters feels a prickling on his neck. And somewhere up in heaven, Vincent Price twirls his mustache.

    I honestly may not want to use another 90 minutes on part 2

    Parent

    PROFANITY (none / 0) (#119)
    by CaptHowdy on Wed Sep 03, 2014 at 09:58:13 AM EST
    sorry.  I missed it

    Parent
    Need some advice (none / 0) (#106)
    by Ga6thDem on Tue Sep 02, 2014 at 08:50:21 PM EST
    from new yorkers. We are going to take my youngest 13 year old son to NYC for a few days. I have ordered the citipasses. We are defintitely going to do top of the rock. Also we are staying in the Times Square area. Does anybody know of some good Korean bbq near that we can walk to? Son found one but it was way up at like 1st Avenue and 80th Street.

    Thanks in advance for your help!

    Don't forget the subway! (5.00 / 1) (#120)
    by nycstray on Wed Sep 03, 2014 at 10:25:14 AM EST
    It makes plenty of things within walking distance ;)

    Parent
    Tons of Korean Restaurants W 32nd St (none / 0) (#109)
    by squeaky on Tue Sep 02, 2014 at 09:21:12 PM EST
    There are a lot of Korean bbq restaurants just west of 5th ave on 32nd street.. block above and below...  

    10-15 minute walk from times sq.

    UrbanSpoon

    Parent

    Well, there is Koreatown (none / 0) (#113)
    by MKS on Tue Sep 02, 2014 at 11:03:18 PM EST
    south of Wilshire.....   :)

    Parent
    Or one subway stop ;) (none / 0) (#121)
    by nycstray on Wed Sep 03, 2014 at 10:26:09 AM EST